by admin | Oct 7, 2018 | Headlines
CARMEN, Bohol, October 7 (PIA)—Seventy-three year-old Fulgencia Achivida has only faint hopes that the small patch of land she inherited from her parents in Barangay Lataban, Sierra Bullones town can be issued an agricultural patent.
After all, she has almost forgotten that she and her 77 year-old husband Nerio have applied for free patent to a patch of land that she hopes would be finally be under the couple’s name and with a document to prove their ownership.
The 1,300 square meter lot is planted to rice and some banana patches , one that also allows them a modest stockpile of palay after every harvest.
Located in the next barangay, the lot, being not yet under their name, is often left last to be planted, as the couple can’t confidently plant and claim the harvest of they own no documents to prove they own the patch.
Until October 7, 2018.
Both Fulgencia and Nerio could not believe their luck that both had to go to a corner and simultaneously pore at the land title that finally puts the patch of land under their conjugal ownership.
Both were among the 11 lucky farmers of Sierra Bullones and Dagohoy who were finally handed their certificates of titles for either residential or agricultural lots under the Government’s Free Patent program, explained Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Eusalem Quiwag.
That day, the Office of the Cabinet Secretary of President Rodrigo Duterte led by CabSec Leoncio Evasco and the Office of Participatory Governance of the Office of the President brought to Carmen, Bohol its innovative Biyaya ng Pagbabago (BnP).
BnP is the government’s response to the need for the bureaucracy to come out from the offices and bring the services to the grassroots, CabSec Leoncio Evasco said.
Conducted in a typical one-stop-shop setting, the BnP brings over 30 government agencies and offices to one location, to dispense of their services, deliver frontline services and usher in the blessing of change.
That day, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) handed out the 11 land patents for both residential and agricultural lots.
The DENR acted in line with Republic Act No. 10023, or the Free Patent Act which aims to ease the requirements and procedures in the titling of residential and agricultural lands by allowing people who have been residents of the lot and have been paying for its taxes to get a facilitated free patent provided these lots are not within forested sites.
The Achivida lot is Fulgencia’s share, being among the heirs of her parents when they died.
Both Fulgencia and Nerio could not believe their luck as they took turns in reading the certificate of land title, not really minding the midday sun.
Also getting similar Certificates of Land Titles for either residential or agricultural were Rufo Cagampang of Magsaysay, Sergio Dagupan of Danicop, Demetrio Caderao of Danicop, Illuminada Auxtero of Magsaysay, Sabina Doyongan of Anibongan, Cherlita Cutamora of Bugsoc.
Bernardino Duyogan of Anibogan, Nelson Cagulao of Anibongan, Aurelio Duyogan of Anibongan, Esmeraldo Dumayac of Poblacion Dagohoy, and Carmen Autentico of Anibongan.
These people who have been finally issued free patents can now rest in the security that they can not be easily evicted from their lots, own the proper documents to put up these lots as loan collaterals, or sell them in the future.
The Residential Free Patent Act also aims to provide economic stimulus to the land market and thus contribute to the country’s overall economy, DENR Bohol sources added.
The registration of these turned over land titles, identify each individual lots and the state in turn confirms that the person named in the register has stated rights.
The land title system registration offers numerous benefits which include: for a government establishment, the land title offers representation of major component of a land information system, it offers an avenue to assist land use planning and development,
it creates basis for land taxation and stimulate investment.
For an individual, it offers a reduced or no boundary disputes, increased market value, greater opportunities and access to credit, it creates an avenue for a simpler and less costly land transactions too.
Beyond that, other benefits include proof of ownership to avoid confusion and commotion, it helps promote peace as it clearly protects the property rights.
Then, prospective buyers can be assured that the registered owner is the legal owner.
Titling also allows the government to possibly earn more from land taxes, which in turn can be used to fund government initiatives and priorities.
With a title for the 1,300 square meters of rice land in Lataban, Nerio would not feel seeding the 7 gantas would now be a waste.
And with rice crisis in Bohol, he thinks he can help in his own little way by supplying some of the harvest for food in the community.
With a title on hand, the Achividas may not really be totally experiencing the real essence of having achieved a major milestone, at least, until today. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
Septuagenarians Fulgencia and Nerio Achivida of Matin-ao Sierra Bullones eagerly pore at the Certificate of Land Titles they received from the government for their 1,300 square meter lot in Lataban, Sierra Bullones. The turn over of the certificates of title was among the Biyaya ng Pagbabago highlights. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Oct 6, 2018 | Features, Headlines
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, October 6 (PIA)—When some authorities did not lack in advice against those who continue with the illegal and destructive drug trade, Bohol police authorities still were able to account over P14 million in illegal drugs, taken off from the streets from January to September 2018.
Over this, questions as to how effective is the campaign on drugs start to resound.
Recent obtained data showed that the deaths of personalities who fought it out with the police, the noise behind the alleged extra judicial killings and the non-committance of several officials on the campaign seem to tilt the balance to failure.
With this, many have betted that the police could lose the steam anytime when the participation they expect from communities would come out less than desired.
“True, the campaign once struck fear, there was abrupt decline in illegal drugs trade, but the over-all effect after self-confessed human rights advocates side with drug personalities than innocent victims is now sowing discontent,” a member of the Bohol Provincial Peace and Order Council said.
“The courts have also been accused as doing less than expected in processing cases,”kin of drug victims have said.
“Over this, criminals see the opportunity,” confesses a police officer who politely refused to be named for lack of authorization.
Camp Dagohoy reports recently showed that in the nine months of police operations, it was in the month of July that they lifted off the streets nearly half a kilo of illegal drugs or methampithamine hydrochloride, its biggest haul of drugs as yet at 485.34 grams.
The haul was worth P5,724, 888.00, based on the Dangerous Dugs Board value which was then pegged at nearly P12,000.00 per gram.
It may be recalled that late last year, just as police intensified its Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded, there was a noted decrease in drug trade as shown by police operations.
“Emboldened by the magnitude of people who are still dependent upon the illegal industry, drug personalities went back to the old trade despite the risks,” another police intelligence operative admitted.
“The problem is again complicated by many local leaders who have shown an apparent wait and see attitude,” a lady officer also put it in.
“Many have also seen who those who surrendered and were placed under rehabilitation backslid without any consequences, and the move to go back to the old trade was just too tempting,” admitted another police source.
“Little did they know that we have placed these persons of interest under surveillance,” he added.
“The problem is compounded and further complicated by self-confessed human rights groups who would rather defend drug personalities than the innocent victimsfalling victims to the illegal drugs trade,” the intelligence officer continued.
The effect was too blatant that in January, from only 11 grams of drugs worth P 129,800 confiscated during 4 police operations and 4 persons arrested, the figure burst into P1.391, 456 in February where there were a total of 19 police operations that nabbed 27 drug personalities.
From then on, figure went up and down never went lesser that than 178,000.
For a total of 195 police operations, from January to September 26, police authorities also accosted 239 persons in violation against illegal drugs ranging from mere possession, possession of illegal paraphernalia or in the becoming more famous buy-bust operations.
And when everybody thought the nearly half a kilo of illegal drugs accounted and denied off the streets is the last of it all, in August, authorities again secured 205 grams with a street value of P2,419,000.
That month, in 65 police operations, 71 personalities at least stayed overnight in slammers or about 110 cases were filed against these suspects.
By September, in just 26 days, and in 20 police and coordinated operations with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, authorities took into custody 161.27 grams of illegal drugs at an estimated street value worth P1,902,986 and nabbed 33 persons now facing a total of 45 cases in court.
As this continued and the Joint Regional authorities have cleared hundreds of barangays, the PDEA has recommended the calling of the attention of those declared drug-cleared barangays and remind them of their duties and responsibilities in maintaining their statuses.(rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Oct 5, 2018 | Headlines
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, October 6 (PIA)—From 484 cases recorded last month, Bohol Police based in Camp Francisco Dagohoy reported a slight increase, as they note a 6% increase in crime volume for the 6 month crime trend beginning March.
The increase, which was traced to non-index crime, is still too low it failed to surpass the two consecutive monthly dips enjoyed at 20 and 26% , Camp Dagohoy through Police Chief Inspector Lorenzo Batuan said.
From 484 cases in August, crimes reported in police blotters across Bohol showed a total of 514 cases, which still could not completely submerge two succeeding 20% and 26% decreases from 736 cases in July, to date.
Camp Dagohoy crime statisticians also noted that the 6% increase in crimes is largely due to the increase in non-index crimes which sagged down to 361 after the last five months only to wallop back up with 42 more cases to 403.
At this, police have countlessly assured that in cases when there is an increase in non-index crimes, these are because police have doubled up working in implementing special laws, thus the 42 cases more.
As to the index crimes, from a high 198 cases in May 2018, the downtrend continues for the third month, bringing down index crimes to 111.
Physical injuries, which have always been a concern for members of the Provincial Peace and Order Council due to its capacity to bloat local crimes, nailed a 46.25% decrease in the last three months from high 80 cases in May to 37 in August.
Meanwhile, police may have found a way to get to criminals doing robbery cases marring Bohol crimes slate as the last three months pegged a 24.24% decrease.
Simply, it means from 28 robbery cases during the fiesta month of May, it is now down to near bottom with only 7 recorded cases.
The same is true with theft, police records showed.
In June, theft cases zoomed to its highest with 82 cases.
This however got trimmed to 56 by August, a substantial decrease which boosts an image local officials intend to tag Bohol with.
In the case of non-index crimes, the no-nonsense pursuit of the implementation of traffic laws and illegal drugs, which are among the special laws, showed promise.
From 100 cases in March, the continued implementation of other special laws, and their proper observance to bring about peace and order have brought victories with 161 cases recently recorded.
Traffic related incidents for example, which peaked at 266 in May, apparently hit a speed bump with a visible decrease to 190 in August.
For this, Bohol now pegs a 37.27 average monthly crime rateand 8.05 average index monthly crime rate. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Sep 12, 2018 | Headlines
Slowly fighting fake news, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) brings its basic journalism training to two schools this week.
The PIA in Bohol presents its School Campus Organ Operation and Production: a two phase two-day writing workshop series that attempts to orient young writers of the tasks and responsibilities of journalists in their campus setting.
The workshops which tackle basic news writing, basic feature, copy reading and headline writing, photojournalism, editorial cartooning, school paper organization, lay-out, and a bonus junior broadcasting, has been a test training for a year before it attained this polished, according to the PIA.
Offered to help prepare student writers to the world of journalism, SCOOP intends to properly lay the right foundations for future media workers and advances more intelligent discourse so young writers can help stop the spread of mis or dis-information.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday, SCOOP writeshop went to Saint Therese School in MansasaTagbilaran where nearly 50 student writers from the elementary to Grade 12 joined the workshops.
On Friday and Saturday, SCOOP travelled to Tulang Getafe for the Tulang National High School journalism workshops.
Twenty-five student writers of “The Achievers,” gathered at the computer room of the school while a Parents-Teachers assembly happened at the next room.
These students could have taken a break as most students have been sent home with the parents and teachers interfacing, but they stayed for the writeshops, school organ adviser Rebecca Fernandez pointed out.
In both training, PIA drove the emphasis on people checking the truth behind the news, and putting in more effort to check to settle the issue.
In TNHS SCOOP I seminar writers workshop series, school paper “Achievers” adviser Fernandez stressed the importance of getting the right information from the right source.
The reaction was from the discussion on prominence, a news element that lends the worthiness of a news. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
The Achievers writers of Tulang (Getafe) National High School complete the 2-day Basic News Writing workshop, via the PIA SCOOP seminar writing workshops. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Sep 12, 2018 | Headlines
For one day, Bohol police authorities implementing the Synchronized Enhanced Managing of Police Operations (SEMPO) confiscated nearly 50 grams of illegal drugs, nabbed 57 and permanently neutralized 2 drug personalities, August 16.
Camp Dagohoy, Bohol Provincial Police Office through Police Chief Inspector Mohammed Jul Jamiri said in 57 simultaneous operations during the day, the force also confiscated 28 fire-arms of different calibers, further intensifying the supply and demand reduction program of the Philippine National police.
Reporting at the Provincial Peace and Order Council gathered for the first out of town joint council meeting with the Anti-Drug Abuse Council inside the Sangguniang Bayan Session Hall of Loon, Inspector Jamiri who sits as the Camp Dagohoy operations officer, explained that the SEMPO is a recalibrated One Time Big Time, which was the anti-crime thrust during the Chief PNP dela Rosa incumbency.
Claimed to be the biggest and widest crackdown against illegal drugs and its trade as well as illegal fire-arms conducted within eight hours, the SEMPO which had months upon months of planning, had police simultaneously swooping down on illegal drug personalities, several of them surrenderees during Oplan Tokhang.
While many drug personalities who surrendered to authorities after the police knocked in their homes and pleaded for them to surrender, stop drugs and get into a rehabilitation program, thought everything was just for show.
“At first, we saw the police authorities were serious as the President was very serious about eliminating the drug problem,” a surrenderee timidly confessed.
But a lull in the operations after the surrender had many thinking the storm has passed, and the climate has cleared to go back to the profitable drug trade.
“It always happens, there is a serious campaign and then it is all ningas cogon,” he added.
Now a community rehabilitation beneficiary of the Center for Drug Education and Counselling (CEDEC), the surrenderee said he is happy now that he can walk alone without fearing that someday, he would be frisked and yield illegal drugs.
Last August 16, police engaged their stations in 57 operations across the 47 towns and a city and netted those who thought the police operations then was just simply ningas cogon.
In the operations, 56 persons got arrested, 2 were killed for resisting and fighting back at the authorities while these operations confiscated 49.411 grams of illegal drugs popularly known as shabu.
After the whole month, police have taken off the streets 10 more drug personalities and about 3 more grams of shabu, all with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board street value of P 10, 443, 129.80, Jamiri said.
The same operations recovered some 48 fire-arms of assorted calibers and kind, Inspector Jamiri reported.
That same day, police also took the opportunity to neutralize criminals involved in illegal gambling and illegal numbers games.
Police nabbed 35 personalities involved in this illegal gambling.
Camp Dagohoy also assured that they would remain to keep watch especially when they have seen considerable victories in bringing the crimes down in Bohol, making the province an ideal place for business and peaceful place to live in. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Sep 10, 2018 | Headlines
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol September 2 (PIA)—The church of the poor here takes the step and bends in helping the communities put up measures to prop up its disaster and climate change mitigation as well as set up carbon capturing mechanism in leading parishioners to plant trees.
According to GlobalForestWatch.org, in 2010, Philippines had 14.9Mhectares of tree cover, extending over 50% of its land area.
In 2017 however, it lost 114,000 hectares of tree cover, equivalent to 12.1 metric tons of Carbon dioxide emissions.
The same group also noted that in 2010, Bohol had 165,000 hectare of tree cover, extending to over 41% of its land area.
In 2017 however, the tourism island lost 583hectare of tree cover, equivalent to 57.4 kilo tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Already feeling the effects of climate change which has held communities in the country practically helpless against the stronger typhoons, more rains and longer droughts, the local church decided to do its little part.
The target is to put up 50,000 trees, Bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran Alberto Uy explained during a radio program last week.
Beyond that, it is a way of adding to food security, Cortes parish priest Roderick Pizarras told the community gathered for the first mass September 2.
Pizarras, like all the parish priests, blessed the seedlings which the local Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Bohol Biodiversity Center provided for possibly the widest church-based Tree Planting and Tree Growing activity.
Bishop Uy, who has also other social action projects including the provision of low cost housing for the underprivileged through BalaysaKabus, explained that instead of the usual mahogany and gmelina species, Bohol is now going for the endemic and preferably the fruit bearing trees.
The Tree Planting and Tree Growing activity coincides and supports the Season of Creation.
The Season of Creation is an ecumenical collective call to pray and care for nature or environment and it starts on September 1st and ends on October 4th every year, as to the World Council of Churches since 2016.
Being one with the Season of Creation; the annual celebration of prayer and action to protect creation, the local church in Bohol, called on their parishioners and people of all traditions to participate in the voluntary events which include prayers, coastal and sea clean-ups as well as tree planting and advocacy actions.
As the season begins September 1, the Season of Creation runs until October 4, the Feast of St. Francis, who is the patron saint of ecology in many traditions.
Along with this year’s theme: “walking together,” Bishops Up and Talibon Bishop Daniel Patrick Parcon called on the faithful to actively participate in the pilgrimage to better care for the creation.
The Diocese of Talibon, which has more idle lands and open spaces for possible recovery of its lost forests received 24,000 native trees and fruit bearing trees while the diocese of Tagbilaran got about 18,500 seedlings, according to a news paper report.
Parishioners who also responded to the call either brought more seedlings to be pooled in the churches or went directly to their planting areas bringing their own sourced seedlings.
And unlike the usual tree planting activities where once trees are planted, they are left to fend for themselves as the cogon and weeds choke them to death, the church’s activity also called on the people to grow and nurture the trees.
“We do not just plant, but we put up tree guards, and nurture the tree so it grows and survives,” Bishop Uy shared.
As to the tree planting, Pizarras also explained, “we are planting these fruit trees, not for us to benefit from its fruits, we are planting for the future generations.” (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
Parishioners bring home coffee seedlings as the local churches campaigned for communities to join in the Tree Planting –Tree Growing activity organized by the two dioceses in Bohol. (PIABohol)
