by admin | Sep 28, 2015 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
SUMAD SA BALILIHAN – Gov. Edgar Chatto leads today the opening of the Agro-fair 2015 in celebration of the 187th Sumad in Balilihan. It also marks the governor’s first official appearance as first gentleman of Balilihan says now Mayor Pureza Veloso-Chatto who shared activities leading up to tomorrow’s Sumad celebration.
Highlighting today’s (Sept 28) activities is the mass planting of coconut trees at the proposed site of the Integrated Coconut Processing Hub, with Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Deputy Administrator Roel Rosales, Regional Director Jun Lago and Provincial Head Emie Romero; where they also turn over 800 coconut seedlings.
Also present in the opening activities were Board Members Abel Damalerio, Yul Lopez, Benjie Arcamo, representing Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim who is celebrating her birthday. Provincial Heads of offices, and national line agencies also grace today’s Agro-Fair along with the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Other activities of SUMAD Balilihan which kicked-off last September 3 include; simultaneous Oplan Tipok Dengue, Mini HEAT caravan – where constituents benefitted from a medical/dental mission (800 medical clients, 200 dental clients, 30 X-ray and ultrasound thru mobile clinic), haircut and hairstyle (250), distribution of 3,000 food packs, Also conducted were Hand washing demo and Disaster management training for 250 students who also received hygiene kits and slippers, and the coronation of Miss Bailihan with 11 candidates representing their barangays vying for for the crown.
Tomorrow, September 29, a holiday by national law passed when the governor was congressman of the first district, the founding anniversary will be celebrated through a Holy Mass, to be followed by a Commemorative program and awarding and recognition of new professionals and outstanding achievements. (EDCOM)
by admin | Sep 26, 2015 | Headlines, Tech Talk
With reports from Leah Marchil
The DOST ICT Office in coordination with the Provincial Government of Bohol through the Bohol Investment and Promotion Center and the Bohol ICT Council held a Rural Impact Sourcing Forum for IT and Business and Accounting students from UB, BISU, Cristal E, STI, Mater Dei College, BIT, as well as students from DCPNHS, BWS, and TCSHS. The forum presented opportunities for livelihood and employment through freelance work on the Internet.
Speakers of the forum included DOST ICTO Deputy Executive Director for eInnovation Monchito Ibrahim, Team Lead Jielyn Joy Jocson, Upwork Philippines representative Olivia Briones and Online Jobs University Founder and CEO Genesis Reonico.
Testimonies were also presented from those in the Impact Sourcing Industry. Alwyn Rosal (web services), Joseph Ingking (Graphics Design), Nelson Buena (Social Media Marketing), and Gemela Castro (Teaching) shared advantages of freelance work on the Internet.
The promotion of Impact Rural Sourcing is seen as an important step in opening up the IT industry in the province, with IT considered as one of major development pillars and a growth propeller. Provincial Administrator Ae Damalerio represented Gov. Edgar Chatto while City Administrator Edi Borja represented Mayor Baba Yap in welcoming participants of the forum, both underscoring province and city efforts to build the IT industry in the province, gearing programs towards a healthy investment climate as well as strong human resource.
Participants of the Rural Impact Sourcing workshop at the Bohol Cultural Center.
by admin | Sep 17, 2015 | Headlines
A massive earthquake measuring 8.3 magnitude on the Richter scale hit Chile on September 16, 2015 in the evening and triggered tsunamis as high as 4.7m. Tsunami alerts were issued around the Pacific.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the tremor struck off the coast of Coquimbo, 46km west of the city of Illapel at 19:54 local time (22:54 GMT) with a depth of 25km. The earthquake lasted for more than 3 minutes and was followed by dozens of strong aftershocks.
Chile is in one of the most seismically active regions of the planet. In 2010, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake caused damage on infrastructure and residences in Chile.
Power outage and breakdown of communication towers resulted after the quake.
An estimated one million people were evacuated from the coastlines and low lying areas that are threatened by tsunamis.
Sources: bbc.com.uk, weather.com
by admin | Sep 15, 2015 | Headlines, National News
If the 2016 elections were like basketball, teams have started pounding the ball and are dribbling to the basket, even before the organizers could draw the crowds.
And the referees could do nothing but scratch their heads in despair. Or is it despair?
Yesterday, out of apparent disgust on the unfair advantage some are taking, the National Movement for Free Elections called on the public to join in the campaign.
The campaign is to raise a red flag on early campaigning. No, not just raise, but smear these teams name in the national and international scenes.
Some people are obviously oblivious to the rules of the game and the referees are not picking on the violations.
The referees, when called upon to call the foul, said they can only do that after tip-off.
The Election Law however says unless these people file their certificates of candidacies (COC), they are deemed non candidates and non candidates and “campaigning” to them is void ab initio.
But, Namfrel, as with everybody else (except maybe the Commission on Elections) have seen the intent of the law and the goal to level the playing field.
In basketball, as with elections, in order to play and win the game, one must abide by the rules.
In it are mediators of sorts who will suspend the games as soon as rules are breached.
But even before the referees could come into the hard court, some teams have already started piling up on the hoops and are bringing the rah-rah with them.
Namfrel knows these calloused opportunists (who know the law better than us) are obviously circumventing the law and are getting away.
On this, one needs to do is to use, not their Comelec heads or ears or eyes, but the eyes, ears and heads that see these violations.
The move is against over-eager politicians promoting themselves months before official campaign starts. You can easily spot them: tarpaulins announcing events, congratulating, epals and riding on government projects.
All one needs to do is take a snapshot at a printed political advertisement, record the campaign speech and post these on a dedicated Election 2016 Pampams facebook page.
Pampan is a street language for prostitutes.
On twitter, all these documents could be uploaded and tagged with a hashtag #pampam.
You see, in a government that has become inutile over its prostituting, people can take the roles ostracizing the errant and exacting the kind of justice they deserve.
by admin | Sep 15, 2015 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
Carabao milk to help increase farmers incomes, this is what the Bohol Dairy Production and Marketing Enterprise is looking at in 2020, and its plan to infuse foreign breeds into the local breeds may increase milk production, a project funded now by the WB-DA PRDP. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
TAGBILARAN CITY, Sept 14 (PIA)–From 120,000 liters produced in 2015, Bohol Dairy Processing and Marketing Enterprise (BDPME) taps a P9,227,528.64 loan and equity from local sources to hit close to 200,000 liters of carabao milk in 2020, which will mean between 5-7% annual increase of family incomes from this year onwards.
With a loan from the World Bank at P4.470 million and both P1.490 million from the government of the Philippines, the Provincial Government and another P1.777 million equity, the Bohol Dairy Processing and Marketing Enterprise enhances the present enterprise in Bohol already set up in the National Dairy Farm Complex in Lomangog, Ubay, Bohol.
Still picking up what can be salvaged from the fire that razed its assets and freak accidents that caused substantial losses in capital and manpower, the new pitch relies on the Bohol Dairy Producers Association (Bohol Dairy), according to project brief provided by the World Bank Implementation Support Mission now gathered in Bohol until Wednesday.
The marketing enterprise will do this ambitious plan by procuring raw milk products for the 23 identified clusters to 27 after 4 years, involving some 504 farmer dairy carabao growers to a projected 2424 farmers in 2020.
The plan also intends to expand to other farmers and increase farm animal holding capacity for maximized dairy production.
Now helping farmers set up milk production in 35 barangays in Ubay, Mabini, ALicia, Dagohoy and San Miguel, BDPME aspires from the stock infusion from the nearby Philippine Carabao Center (PCC).
Resting inside the PCC, the dairy processing plant also proposed to ask the PCC to upgrade local carabao breeds via genetic development or cross breeding to increase milk production.
The project then entails milk collection, consolidation of milk collected from farmer members to the association of Bohol Dairy, tolling and processing at the PCC and national Dairy Authority Plant to storage as well as marketing in identified retail outlets, which the NDA plans to be located in tourism areas in Bohol, according to PCC sources.
BDPME is now set for funding by the World Bank-Department of Agriculture Philippine Rural Development Project (WB-DA PRDP) for Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and fisheries Activity Program (I-REAP) (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Sep 15, 2015 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
DA undersecretary Emerson Palad explains the WB-DA PRDP and its project components, which include intensified building of infrastructure and logistics for development to carry out the goal of increasing farm family incomes in the six year project term. With him are Carolina Geron World bank Senior Rural Development Specialist and Engr Arnel de Mesa, National Deputy Project Director. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol
TAGBILARAN CITY, Sept 14 (PIA)–Crucial roads that could spur agricultural development in otherwise impenetrable idle areas, reduce hauling costs, cut travel time for basic services and local commute as well as expand employment opportunities: these are but some of the benefits as the government partners with the World Bank (WB) to sets up in Bohol a total of 17.81 kilometers of key farm to market roads.
The total farm access roads development is from four areas which the World Bank partnership with the government of the Philippines and the local government units agreed to fund under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
Benefitting from the DA PRDP Intensified Building Up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development (I-BUILD) are the rehabilitation of the 5.9838 kilometers of San Agustin-Canmaya Diot Farm to Market Road (FMR) in Sagbayan, 5.5 kilometers of Alegria-Bugho FMR in Loboc, the 3.54 kilometers Ba-ang-Mahayag Norte FMR in Catigbian and the 2.84 kilometers Del Carmen Weste-Tugbas FMR in Balilihan town.
And all the rehabilitated FMRs now sport the all weather Portland Concrete Cement Pavement, road shoulders, box culverts, cross drains and lined canals for better
The FMR rehab projects cut an average of 51% of travel time in those mentioned areas, cuts 47% of hauling costs for inputs and farm produce, allows the entry of 70% more transport players, develops over 300 more hectares of cogonal lands, increases land valuation and spurs employment opportunities as well as allows easier access of government basic services, according to project proponents.
Developing, upgrading and rehabilitating these named areas cost P 152,368, 179.00 with the WB partnering with the Government of the Philippines, Provincial and Local Governments the governments putting up equity funds, according to project briefers distributed during a press conference September 14.
The Press conference happened a few hours after the First World Bank Implementation Support Mission opened at the Pavilion of the Bellevue Hotel in Panglao.
The PRDP is a 6 year program national project under the DA designed to establish an inclusive climate resilient and market-oriented agri-forestry sector through strategic investments in priority commodity value chains, the press conference showed.
It aims to increase by 50% annual real farm income of beneficiaries, 30% increase in enterprise development from same beneficiaries and some 20% increase in number of farmers and fishers with improved access to agri-services.
PRDP components include investments planning (I-PLAN), I-BUILD, Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP) and Implementation Support to PRDP (I-SUPPORT).
Along the spread of time, PRDP follows a value chain analysis, which allows stakeholders and communities to get inputs for their commodity investments, explained Engr Arnel de Mesa during the press conference.
DA Regional Director Angel Enriquez also said the baseline study which the project has started could be very useful tool to fit all other future plans for agricultural development.
The projects also use applied geo-tagging to make sure it does not overlap with other similar projects resulting in lost government resources, adopts a document tracking system and puts up a grievance redress mechanism in a flexed effort to make sustainability and empowerment enable communities and expand their opportunities. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
