PIA Dispatch - Friday, December 26, 2008

No rice shortage next year – PGMA

BINALONAN, Pangasinan – With the National Food Authority (NFA) palay procurement program on track, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today expressed optimism that the country will not experience a rice shortage in 2009.

She said the rice supply is expected to remain stable in the coming year following the expansion of the government’s palay procurement program, resulting in a hefty increase in the country’s inventory of the cereal.

“Inaasahan natin na walang krisis sa bigas sa susunod na taon,” the President said as she personally witnessed the palay procurement activity in Barangay Pinagnagnarvacanan here.

The President made the statement after she inspected the NFA warehouse here this noon and saw for herself the continuing buildup of the agency’s palay inventory.

To further enhance palay production here, the President said the government will prioritize the implementation of irrigation projects in Pangasinan.

“For irrigation project, No. 1 priority natin ang Pangasinan to boost the province’s palay production,” she said.

Pangasinan is the third biggest palay producing province in the country. NFA Administrator Jesus Navarro lauded the President for her strong support to the palay procurement program.

In Pangasinan alone, the Arroyo administration has released about P1 billion for the procurement of palay and help the farmers cope with the high prices of farm inputs.

At present, the NFA has already bought some 1.10 million bags of palay from the farmers, exceeding the agency’s procurement target of one million bags for the four-month period ending this month.

“This is the highest accomplishment of the NFA as we’ve been able to more than double our palay procurement from 400,000 bags before,” Navarro said.

The NFA has 14 warehouses and seven mobile buying stations in the province which buy clean and dry palay with 14 percent moisture content and a minimum of 95 percent purity at P17 per kilogram.

THE NFA also grants an additional incentive of P1,800 to farmers for every 50 bags of palay -- at 50 kilograms per bag – that they sell to the agency.


First Family arrives in Baguio for traditional holiday vacation; PGMA presides over national security meeting

BAGUIO CITY (PNA) - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her family arrived shortly before noon today in this mountain resort 250 kilometers north of Manila, for their traditional Yuletide vacation.

As of press time, the President is still meeting with members of the National Security Council and is scheduled to have Christmas dinner with the media tonight.

While in the area, the President is set to visit the vegetable noodle factory in La Trinidad, Benguet where researchers from the Benguet State University (BSU) were able to perfect the process of substituting flour with squash and similar vegetables as raw materials.

President Arroyo had released P10 million for the research prior to her inauguration of the country's first vegetable noodle factory, which she said would not only provide additional livelihood for those in agriculture sector but also provide Filipinos with low-priced but nutritious noodle.

Also, the President and her family are scheduled to visit churches starting on December 28; meet with 3,000 indigents for a gift-giving activity and unveil a marker in front of the presidential mansion to commemorate the city's centennial observance next year.

On December 30, the President and her party shall motor down to the nearby city of San Fernando, La Union where she will lead the commemoration of the 118th death anniversary of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal. (PNA)


PGMA orders concerned gov't agencies to prepare for resumption of peace talks

MANSION HOUSE, Baguio City – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered concerned agencies to prepare for the resumption of the stalled Mindanao peace process to end once and for all the hostilities in the region.

At the same time, she reminded the National Security Council (NSC) of her directive on ending the communist insurgency by 2010.

The President convened here today the NSC to discuss national security issues, principally the new flare-up of hostilities in Mindanao and the government’s anti-insurgency campaign.

Briefing newsmen, NSC Deputy Director-General Avelino Razon said the security meeting, which lasted for almost two-hour, centered on the National Peace and Order Council (NPOC) Report on the peace and order situation in the country and how the government was orchestrating the various efforts of all stakeholders in the attainment of peace, order and development in the countryside.

The NSC presentation also contained several recommendations to amend Executive Order 739, particularly the expansion and rationalization of the NPOC membership to include six line departments to ensure a more effective implementation of peace and order initiatives, Razon said.

He said the President was amenable to all the NSC’s recommendations.

The six line departments proposed to be included in the NPOC are the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The additional members shall assist the NPOC in the attainment of peace, order and development “to be able to realize the President’s role of ending insurgency by 2010,” Razon said.

Present at the closed-door meeting were National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Razon, Undersecretary Antonio Santos of the Department of National Defense (DND) and Undersecretary Pedro Ramboanga of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

Razon said the Chief Executive called the meeting “principally to address the internal security operations program that the President mandated to end insurgency by 2010.”

Razon, a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the guerilla fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) are down to 87 as of 2007, and that the government is targeting the dismantling of 40 fronts this year.

“By June 2010, we shall have reduced to less than 10 the guerilla fronts of the CPP-NPA,” he said.

“Basically, the strategy is to increase combat operations complemented by police action, local development, strategic information campaign and to highlight the gains in peace and order,” he added.

The No. 2 NSC official said the meeting “principally discussed the CPP problem whose leadership is now in disarray.” He explained that the government is open to the resumption of the peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF).

The President also ordered that “hostilities be stopped and the resumption of peace negotiations be started” in Mindanao, Razon said.

He added that the President is optimistic that the government’s peace and order efforts will soon “come to fruition.”


PGMA cites RP place in history of int'l navigation

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today underscored the vital role the Philippines played in the history of international navigation, dating back to the discovery in the 15th century of the Urdaneta Route that brought Philippine and Asian cultures to Europe through Mexico.

The Urdaneta Route was named after the Spanish friar of the Augustinian order, Fray Andres de Urdaneta, who plotted the Pacific Ocean route that became the sea lane of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade between the Philippines and Mexico for 250 years.

Urdaneta passed through the route on his way back from the Philippines to Spain in 1565. His historic discovery gained for the Philippines a place in the history of international navigation.

“I would like to congratulate all of you. This is something we should be proud of,” the President said while being briefed by National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA) Executive Director Cecille Alvarez about the monument being built in honor of the Spanish friar.

The NCCA, in collaboration with the Urdaneta City government and other groups, spearheaded the construction of the P12.7-million project, which is expected to be finished by March next year in time for the celebration of the 5th centenary of Fray Urdaneta.

“We will be back, together with the Mayor of Ordizia to inaugurate this monument,” the Chief Executive told hundreds of people in front of the newly-built hall here.

Urdaneta was born in the province of Ordizia in Spain on Nov. 30, 1498.

Guidote-Alvarez said that the Philippines will get global attention once the monument is completed.

“It (the monument) will be a magnet for tourism, especially among Spanish-heritage countries and this was made possible because of the President’s proclamation of the year of Urdaneta,” she said.

In recognition of Urdaneta’s valuable contributions to the Philippine arts and history, the President had issued Proclamation No. 1423 creating a 15-man committee to further deepen research work and studies on the Spanish friar.

She also declared Dec. 6, 2007 as the start of the “Year of Urdaneta” when she visited Ordizia.

Aside from the President, also present during the inspection of the project were First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, NCCA Chairperson Vilma Labrador, Philippine-Urdaneta 500 Commission President Fr. Luis Galende and Presidential Assistant for Region l Ernie Mendoza.


DILG YEAREND REPORT

The decisive steps it had taken in maintaining peace and order; the intensified implementation of critical local development projects, particularly in Mindanao ; and the pivotal role it played in carrying out the government’s centerpiece program on eradicating red tape topped the list of accomplishments of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in 2008.

During the past year, the DILG also stepped up its initiatives in further professionalizing the national police force and sustained its programs in the public safety sector, particularly in decongesting the country’s district, city and municipal jails.

The Philippine National Police made significant strides in keeping the country’s streets and homes safe from crime, with the crime solution efficiency rate (CSER) increasing by 1.34% this year to 89.46% from 88.28% in 2007, despite the increase in crime volume by 2.11% (from the 50,569 cases in 2007 to 51,636 from January to September this year).

It recorded the average monthly crime rate at 6.47, which is 1.37% lower than last year’s record of 6.56.

On top of these gains in the peace and order front, the DILG also played a key role in restoring law and order in central Mindanao when criminal elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) attacked and forcibly occupied a number of barangays in the third quarter of 2008 after the proposed Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain between the government and the MILF was aborted.

To counter these hostilities, DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno spearheaded the formation of a joint police-military task force to take charge of clearing communities occupied by criminal elements of the MILF so that tens of thousands of residents displaced as a result of the attacks could return safely to their homes.

On Puno’s orders, government lawyers took the initiative in filing criminal charges against MILF leaders Umbra Kato, Abdulrahman Macapaar, alias Kumander Bravo and over 80 of their cohorts in connection with the series of slayings of civilians and other atrocities in Central Mindanao perpetrated by these renegade elements.

Puno also announced a cash reward of P5-million each for the capture of Kato and Bravo, which was later doubled to P10-million each.

Upon the instructions of President Arroyo, Puno visited areas in Mindanao where MILF renegades had struck to hold dialogues with local government executives, Ulamas and Catholic bishops on how to restore normalcy to the lives of the people in these communities and beef up local security forces to shield them from future MILF attacks.

Besides restoring peace and order in MILF-occupied areas in Mindanao, the DILG also intensified the implementation of various development projects in the island through the Mindanao Basic Urban Services Sector Project (MBUSSP), which has so far benefited more than two million Filipino in 38 towns.

Through this Asian Development Bank-assisted project, which forms part of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s development agenda for Mindanao, the DILG facilitated the credit access of local government units (LGUs) in 38 selected towns for the construction of infrastructure projects or acquisition of equipment to improve the delivery of basic services in these localities.

As of November 2008, the MBUSSP implemented a total of 40 development infrastructure and equipment-support subprojects consisting of 11 public markets, five bus terminals, eight water supply systems, five municipal buildings, six municipal gymnasiums and one ice plant, as well as the procurement of four road maintenance equipment.

The MBUSSP, which started implementation in September 2002 and is expected to be completed in 2009, has so far benefited 2.1 million MIndanaoans.

In the public safety sector, the DILG was able to acquire 48 new fire trucks in 2008 to help beef up the firefighting capability of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and trained over 65,000 fire volunteers to augment the country’s fire-suppression force.

To help decongest the country’s district, municipal and city jails, a total of 11,312 inmates were released on bail; 2,089 were released in accordance with various applicable laws; and 2,040 were transferred to the Bureau of Corrections (BUCOR) and other penal institutions as of October 2008.

On improving the delivery of basic services, the DILG, through project CURE or the Comprehensive and Unified Response to Eliminate Red Tape (CURE), spearheaded the implementation of Republic Act 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.

The DILG’s anti-red tape initiatives aim to help improve the efficiency of frontline government services and eliminate graft and corruption practices in local government offices.

Through the Local Government Academy, the DILG assisted LGUs in crafting the Citizens’ Charter, which contains information on the frontline services provide by LGUs, including the maximum time and amount of fees needed to cover such services.

Besides these initiatives, the DILG also accomplished the following:

On law enforcement:

· Street crime incidents, which include robbery, theft, swindling/estafa and physical injury decreased by 8%, or 3,855 cases from January to September 2008 as compared to last year’s 4,184. Of the 4,184 street crime cases reported, 3,220 street crimes were solved for a street crime solution efficiency rate of 83.53%.

· Car theft incidents went down by 45%, from 670 vehicles stolen last year to 370 from January to September this year. Of the 370 vehicles stolen, 261 were recovered, registering a solution efficiency rate of 71%. One (1) car theft syndicate was neutralized, 51 suspects were arrested and 78 cases were filed in court against the suspected car thieves.

· Bank robbery incidents plummeted by 29% or 12 bank robbery cases from January-September 2008 as compared to last year’s 17. Of these 12 bank robbery cases, 3 were solved for a bank robbery solution efficiency rate of 25%.

· Eighteen (18) kidnap-for-ransom incidents were reported during the period January-September, 2008 wherein 39% or 7 of these KFR cases were solved.

· Anti-illegal gambling operations increased by 69%, from 16,827 last year to 28,464 operations conducted during the period January-September, 2008. A total of 6,354 persons and 1 financier were arrested and cash bets amounting to Php5,608M was confiscated and resulted to the filing of 2,567 cases in court.

· The 3,775 buy-bust operations, 3,077 house raids/searches and 224 marijuana plantation raids conducted during the period January-September 2008 resulted in the arrest of 10,285 pushers and users, confiscation of drugs with an estimated value of P 6.191 billion and the filing of 8,044 cases in court.

· The crackdown on the country’s Top Most Wanted Persons (TMWPs) with monetary rewards during the period January-September 2008 resulted in the neutralization of 107 TMWPs and 22,080 other wanted persons; surrender of 177 persons; and the killing of 3 felons.

· Operations conducted against syndicated crime groups/criminal gangs during the period January-September 2008 led to the neutralization of 346 syndicated crime groups, which is 3% higher than those arrested last year while 821 persons were also arrested leading to the recovery of 94 assorted firearms and the filing of 370 cases in court.


On fire prevention and suppression:

· While there was a slight decrease in the number of establishments subjected to fire safety inspection by 2.24% from 397,850 in 2007 to 388,955 in 2008, the number of Fire Code compliant establishments increased by 7.89%. There were also marked increases in the establishments required to correct violation and those violators recommended for business closure by 12.43% and 73.02%, respectively.

· Increases were also registered in the number of fire drills conducted (45.48%), fire brigades trained (71.35%) and business permits processed (15.3%).

· A total of 6,570 fire incidents have also been responded to/suppressed nationwide as of October 2008, which is 16.58% lower than the 7,876 fire incidents reported last year. Injuries due to fire incidents for both civilian and firefighters decreased by 2%, while casualties decreased by 15.29%.


On the safekeeping and development of the country’s city, district and municipal jails:

· The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) continuously implemented Oplan Dakip-Balik Piitan that aims to reduce the incidence of jail escapes. This resulted to the recapture of seven (7) inmates out of the 24 jail escapees as of October 2008.

· Through Oplan Greyhound, surprise search inspections were conducted which resulted to the confiscation of 79 cellphones, 25.09 gms. and 1 sachet of shabu, 34.34 gms. and 4 sachets of marijuana, 867 drug paraphernalia, 66 liquors, 2,441 deadly bladed/improvised weapons and 13,223 other contrabands as of 3rd quarter, 2008. Appropriate cases were filed in court against inmates/visitors found in possession of prohibited drugs and contrabands.

· As of 3rd quarter, 2008, a total of 17,885 inmates benefited from spiritual/ religious services, 15,477 from livelihood services, 21,116 from education services, 3,302 from paralegal and counseling services, 13,156 from physical fitness and recreational services, 28,523 from therapeutic community modality, and 85,072 from medical and dental activities.


On the professionalization of uniformed personnel and services:

The National Police Commission (Napolcom) monitored a total of 366 police personnel for their alleged involvement in human rights violations, and charged 229 police personnel, 149 of them with administrative cases.

With the restoration of the pre-charge investigation functions to Napolcom, a total of 1,268 filed cases were handled by the Commission with 276 respondents involved, 45 of whom were penalized, 17 were dropped/dismissed from service, 1 was exonerated and 214 were either demoted, fined, remanded, admonished or forced to resign.

As of September 2008, it also inspected and audited 682 PNP offices/stations/units to determine the actual conditions of police personnel, activities and facilities and find out if these offices are complying with prescribed policies and standards.

Similarly, the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC), through its constitutive units nationwide, conducted a total of 404 classes (educational degree courses, career courses and specialized/technical courses) attended by 21,356 participants during the 3rd quarter of 2008. Of these 404 classes, 63% or 255 classes were already completed by 12,191 PNP, 16 BFP and 11 BJMP uniformed personnel while the remaining 37% are still on-going.

It has also recruited a total of 3,499 PNP uniformed personnel during the 1st semester, 2008 to fill-up the current shortage of police personnel.

In the local government sector, the DILG’s major accomplishments in 2008 included the following:

· Trained a total of 238,776 barangay officials on the state of their barangays, as well as, their specific duties and responsibilities. Demand-driven training were also conducted to requesting LGUs to enhance their managerial, administrative and technical capabilities for effective and efficient delivery of services.

· Constructed 16 Level III water facilities in 5th and 6th class municipalities in five Luzon provinces under the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project (RWSSP) Phase V.

· Constructed 15 Level III water facilities in 15 municipalities of the provinces of Kalinga, Isabela, Laguna, Sorsogon, Capiz, Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental and Davao Del Sur through the LGU Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project. as of March 31, 2008.

· Through the DILG-GTZ Water and Sanitation Program, conducted regional sanitation summit for the Visayas and Mindanao and completed the formulation of the WATSAN toolbox for the capacity building of LGUs and pilot-testing in GTZ covered LGUs in Negros Oriental and Bohol including five municipalities in Samar and five municipalities in Sorsogon.

· Through the Solar Powered Prepaid Water Supply Project, constructed Level II water supply using solar powered-prepared technology in Brgy San Salvador, Masinloc, Zambales, Brgy Iling, San Jose , Mindoro Occidental and Brgy. Luzviminda, Puerto Princesa, Palawan .

· Through the Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS), 63 provinces, 105 cities and 1,186 municipalities have completed the formulation of their respective State of Local Governance Reports .

· Organized and re-organized 25,925 local development councils nationwide; 24,078 local peace and order councils; 693 local school boards; 562 local health boards;543 people’s law enforcement boards; 247 local bids and awards committees; 18,135 local disaster coordinating councils; and 7,168 local councils for the protection of children.

· Facilitated the formulation of the solid waster management plans in 29 cities, 317 municipalities and 2,680 barangays as part of its commitment in the implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act or RA 9003.

· Through its One Cluster, One Vision for Development Project, it organized 16 clusters of LGUs that are now implementing common development projects such as livelihood, infrastructure and social development projects for their constituents.


RP remains an island of calm, PGMA says

Tacloban City -– President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed satisfaction and joy over the fact that amidst current global financial crisis stirring other economies worldwide, the "Philippines remains an island of calm."

The country has not been hit by the global economic crunch because the Arroyo Administration has put in place necessary measures that will cushion the impact of the economic crisis.

The President's Christmas wish sent forth the message of hope and optimism for all Filipinos to look forward to a bright future with unshakable hope and optimism.

President Arroyo also expressed her wish for the nation to be united in order to overcome all the challenges brought about by the global economic crisis and for all the people to strive harder as one in order to attain prosperity for all.

"So I wanted to bring the message of hope and optimism na sana sa pagpasok ng New Year we are all united so we can overcome the world economic crisis and bring prosperity to our nation," the President said.

By coming together as one nation, the President said, Filipinos would demonstrate the shared strength and resilience in the face of the gloomy world economic prospects next year.

Thanks to the big revenue surplus generated by tax reforms instituted by her Administration, notably the Expanded Value Added Tax, the President expressed confidence that the Philippines would be able to weather the global economic storm.

The EVAT proceeds will once again be mobilized to spur the economy next year, the President said.

The greater impact of the EVAT hike will again be felt by all Filipinos because twenty percent of the collected fund will go to the improvement of the quality of education, the conservation of the environment, the modernization of agriculture, medical insurance of the poor and other pro-poor projects.

The revenues collected in the implementation of the Expanded Value Added Tax mostly benefits the local government units. About 50 percent of the total collected E-Vat will go to the LGUs in the form of Internal Revenue Allotment.

The 15 percent share goes to the Department of Education for the construction of school buildings to be used as classrooms by school children; the other 15 percent will go to the environmental protection.

On the other hand, 10 percent of the collected EVAT goes to the health insurance for indigents, while the remaining 10 percent is intended for agricultural modernization. (PIA 8)


RP government reaffirms commitment to provide decent housing to informal settlers

MANILA (PNA)---The Philippine government is committed to provide decent housing to informal settlers nationwide, the country’s lead development agency declared.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), in a report presented shortly following the launch of “The Search for The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Youth Champions” at the Manila Hotel, said that the government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to address the housing problem that plague urban and some rural areas in the country.”

One, by giving security of tenure to the settlers through the community mortgage program (CMP); and second, the government has established the social housing finance corporation (SHPC) to cater to the needs of the bottom 30 percent of the population.

To expand the reach of the SHPC programs, partnerships with private organizations to help ease the plight of informal dwellers are being forged,” the NEDA report said.

The Philippines along with other UN members in 2000 pledged to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmentally sustainability and develop a global partnership for development.

It also stated that the national government seeks to provide security of tenure to 300,000 households annually consisting of : (a)150,000 land tenure units for the urban poor; (b) 70,000 socialized housing units for the urban poor; and (c) 80,000 low-cost housing units.

NEDA also stated that the under the National Shelter Program (NSP) the national government is implementing the following: (a) resettlement; (b) slum upgrading; (c) sites and services development; (d) core housing; (e) CMP; (f) asset reform program.”

In addition, the private sector implemented the Gawad Kalinga (GK 777) Project (an initiative of Couples for Christ) and Habitat for Humanity Project,” the development agency further said.

NEDA also said that the government and private sector has provided house and lot units to an estimated 710,203 households for the period of 2001-2006.”

Meanwhile, the national government in partnerships with the local government units (LGUs), private sector and NGOs implemented various foreign-assisted projects to improve the plight of slum dwellers.

These include the USD 52.4 million Asian Development Bank (ADB)-assisted Development of Poor Urban Communities Sector Project (DPUCSP) which provides housing loans for urban development, housing construction, home improvement, and micro-enterprises for LGUs and urban poor in the cities in Metro Manila; (b) The P72-million World Bank (WB)-Japan Social Development Fund-assisted Upscaling Urban Poor Community Renewal Scheme being implemented by the NGO Partnership of the Philippine Support Services Agencies (PHILSA) in the cities of San Fernando, Naga, Quezon, Mandaue and Iligan; and (c) the ADB-assisted Strategic Private Sector Partnerships for Urban Poverty Reduction (STEP-UP) Program with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) as partner,” NEDA further added. (PNA)


Palay production hits 10.58-m MT in 3rd quarter

Total area planted to palay expanded by 130,686 hectares both in irrigated and rainfed lands in the third quarter of 2008, driving up paddy production to 10.588 million metric tons (MT) or 7.2% higher than the 2007 output.

In a report to Secretary Arthur Yap of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Dr. Frisco Malabanan of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program said palay yield as of the third quarter was higher by 713,000 MT compared to last year's 9.875 million MT for the same period.

On top of the expansion of areas harvested, Malabanan reported that the DA also planted to palay an additional 26,588 hectares under its Quick Turnaround or QTA program, which started in August.

"As a result of these and an array of other measures, the DA expects to attain a 3.98% growth in production by the end of the year," Malabanan said in his report.

The DA has crafted a five-year rice self-sufficiency plan along with former agriculture officials and experts from the private sector in a bid to attain rice self-sufficiency by 2013.

Under this intensified palay production program, annual harvests are projected to surpass last year's record volume of 16.24 million MT, with yields hitting 17.81 million MT next year and 18.63 million MT in 2010.

Malabanan said measures to increase palay production are anchored on President Arroyo's FIELDS program, which was first implemented during the wet season.

FIELDS, the President's centerpiece program for agriculture which she unveiled in last April's DA-hosted National Food Summit, stands for Fertilizer, Irrigation and other Infrastructure, Extension, research and development, Loans and Insurance, Dryers and other postharvest facilities, and high-quality Seeds and other genetic materials.

Malabanan said that under the GMA Rice Program, farmers were encouraged to sustain the use of certified seeds in irrigated areas not planted to hybrid rice.

Area planted for seed production (registered and certified seed) increased by 63% compared to last year.

"This is in preparation for the seed requirement for the coming seasons," Malabanan said.
Total area planted to certified seeds for the third quarter was 1,605,703 hectares, while the area planted to hybrid seeds as of September was 211,897 hectares, of which 86,234 has. was during the wet season.

This means that the hybrid rice share is 7.26% as of the third quarter of 2008, out of the total irrigated rice area," Malabanan noted. "This is still expected to increase by the end of the wet season.

Hybrid seeds were provided to farmers in identified farm clusters in irrigated areas while inbred certified seeds were distributed in both irrigated and rainfed-lowland areas during the wet cropping season, he said.

To further boost palay production, non-functional irrigation facilities covering 16,275 hectares were rehabilitated and 29,465 hectares were restored.

Additional intervention measures to hike palay yields included the provision of postharvest drying facilities such as flatbed dryers to palay-producing provinces and encouraging farmers to use of early-maturing varieties of both hybrid and inbred palay seeds.

The GMA Rice Program also spearheaded a massive information campaign on the latest palay production technologies and closely coordinated with local government units and the private sector in promoting and commercializing new rice technologies.

"All the recommended rice production technologies under the program are being promoted using the Palay Check system or the Rice Integrated Crop Management (RICM)," Malabanan said.
The GMA Rice Program, Malabanan pointed out, also conducted 14 Information Caravans in 13 provinces throughout the country for the FIELDS briefing and the launching of the respective rice sufficiency plans of the various provinces. (DA-PRESS OFFICE)


Garin: Buy coco sugar from PCA-registered producers only

Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Administrator Oscar Garin has cautioned consumers to buy coco sugar only from PCA registered producers with commodity clearance for microbial analysis from accredited private or public laboratories as there are reports that unscrupulous traders are adulterating coconut sugar with sugar derived from sugar cane and are still being sold as pure coco sugar.

This is certainly prejudicial to the promotion of coco sugar as good for diabetics” Garin said as he deplored the practice of some producers/traders to maximize their profits to the detriment of the budding coconut sugar industry.

Coconut sugar was introduced in the local and foreign market three years ago. It is derived from the unopened flower of the coconut and obtained by evaporating the sweet toddy through careful boiling in open vessel then allowed to cool and solidify. Research results revealed a low glycemic index of 35 and that it is good for diabetics.

Administrator Garin declared that “we have already instructed our field personnel to be extra vigilant in their areas of jurisdiction in monitoring such activities” as he warned that appropriate legal action for unfair trade practices will be filed against perpetrators including the imposition of administrative sanctions such as fines or cancellation of permit or license.

Coco sugar is another coco-based food product that has immense potential for growth because of its ant-diabetes properties such as its low glycemic index and its high nutritional content. (COCONUT MEDIA SERVICE)


Yap welcomes IFPRI proposal on global food reserve

Secretary Arthur Yap of the Department of Agriculture has welcomed a recent proposal of the Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on the establishment of an emergency food reserves to help stabilize prices of grains and other basic agricultural commodities in the world market.

Yap, who made a similar proposal six months ago at the High-Level Conference on World Food Security organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome , expressed the hope that both developed and developing nations would support this proposal in the light of tightening food supplies arising from shrinking global farm productivity.

The DA chief reiterated his proposal for the establishment of such global food reserves or stockpiles and called on donor-countries and multilateral institutions to support these actions before a recent global forum in Germany , where he was one of the invited speakers.

"We at the DA welcome the recommendation of the IFPRI on the setting up of small physical reserves for essential farm commodities, which we believe would help stabilize food prices especially now at a time when a global crisis triggered by the US economic slowdown is sweeping across the globe," Yap said.

As in Yap 's proposal, IFPRI director Joachim von Braun had proposed that such food stockpiles be managed by an appropriate United Nations (UN) agency with a track record in administering food reserves, like the World Food Programme.

In his study titled "Food and Financial Crises: Implications for Agriculture and the Poor," von Braun also called for the setting up of a "virtual reserve" to be implemented by the Group of Eight Plus Five and other large grain-exporting countries.

The virtual reserve, von Braun said, could help stabilize world food prices by creating a high-level technical commission that would intervene in the futures markets and a global intelligence unit that could detect when prices are headed for another spiral.

Last June, Yap proposed the creation of food reserves before the FAO conference in Rome .
Under his proposal, contributions to these global food stockpiles could come from all member-nations as well as from interested donor-countries and multilateral financing institutions like the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other regional development banks, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Yap said rice should be first on the list of the proposed global reserve inventories because it is the staple consumed by almost three billion people across the world.

The proposed global reserves could be expanded later, he added, to include other staples such as wheat and corn.

Yap pointed out that setting up food reserves would benefit both deficit and surplus countries because a price band would be maintained and, which, at the low end, would serve to protect producers in exporting countries from falling prices.

The high end of the band, Yap said, would serve to shield consumers of importing countries from the impact of soaring prices.

Yap restated his proposal, along with his call for a second "Green Revolution," before the international workshop panel on "Feeding the Asian Tiger: Challenges and Implications for the World Markets" at the 10th German World Bank Forum held in Frankfurt, Germany held last month.

At the Frankfurt forum, Yap also noted that developing economies in Asia like the Philippines have to increase investments in agriculture as part of the social safety nets needed to stem the lingering effects of a worldwide food crisis that has now been exacerbated by the financial contagion sweeping the globe.

Despite an emerging global consensus for higher investments in this sector in light of the global food crisis, Yap said developing economies would have to increase such spending themselves, because they could not rely on rich nations to provide the bulk of the funding, given that donor-countries are reeling from the worst global financial crisis in over a half-century.

He noted that despite the decline in grain prices worldwide in the year's second semester, the threat to Asia 's food security remains, considering that food staples like rice still cost more than they did in previous years.

For instance, rice prices in the world market last September are 147% higher than the 2006 levels and 134% higher than a year ago.

Yap said developing countries should not depend too much on first-world economies for food-related aid at this point as "the global financial crisis triggered by the economic downturn in the United States has imperiled the commitments made by donor countries and multilateral institutions to help developing countries stave off hunger and hike food production." (DA-PRESS OFFICE)


DA urges Congress to pass land use act

Secretary Arthur Yap of the Department of Agriculture has underscored the urgency of developing the country's biofuels industry to energize Philippine agriculture and raise farmers' incomes, even as he urged Congress anew to immediately act on a long-pending legislative measure that will spell out a national land use policy to regulate the conversion of farmlands for non-food uses.

Yap said the absence of a national land use policy which will identify which areas in the country should be developed for agricultural, residential and industrial purposes, has led President Arroyo to impose a moratorium on conversion of farm lands into non-agricultural uses.

He expressed the hope that Congress would consider this measure when it reopens session next year. Both chambers are on their traditional Christmas break and will resume session on January 19.

With a national land use policy in place, Yap said the government can pinpoint which lands can be used for non-agricultural purposes, which will in turn, help identify areas for the development of the domestic biofuels sector.

Yap said that with 4 million hectares devoted to food production, the option left for farmers is to plant crops for biofuels feedstock like jatropha and cassava in the uplands.

"We cannot convert our premium lands devoted to food production. If we want to expand our biofuels crops, we have to go to the uplands," Yap said during the recent opening of a bioethanol plant in Leyte . "That's why we are calling on Congress to pass the Land Use Code so that we can delineate which lands can be used for agricultural and non-agricultural purposes."

Pending legislative measures in both chambers of Congress—Senate Bill No. 76 filed by Senator Loren Legarda and House Bill 3175 authored by Rep. Antonio Cerilles---aim to categorize lands either for agricultural production, human settlements, infrastructure development or as protected areas.

Yap noted that besides providing Filipino farmers with alternative sources of income, the development of the biofuels sector will also help the country become less dependent on imported, pollution-generating fossil fuel.

He pointed out that although prices of crude oil in the world market have drastically dropped from $140 to as low as $34 per barrel, prices could jump back to its above-$100 per barrel levels once financial reforms and economic stimulus programs being put in place to resolve the crisis take effect.

With the world expecting only temporary relief from high fuel prices, the Philippines can cash in on the biofuels boom and tap large markets like Japan , which is now exploring environment-friendly sources of energy.

Japan, Yap said, will turn to Asia instead of South America to supply its biofuel requirements to save on freight costs, an opportunity that the Philippines should not pass up given its excellent bilateral and cultural ties with Tokyo .

"Our only potential competitors in this area are Indonesia , Vietnam and Thailand ," Yap said. "If we tap the market this early, Japan will favor us over these other countries."

Yap said the proposed Land Use Act will, in the long term, help stop the unbridled conversion of prime farmlands into non-agricultural uses such as industrial parks, shopping malls, golf courses or housing projects. (DA-PRESS OFFICE)


AFP celebrates Christmas with orphans in Zamboanga

(Zamboanga City) - In celebrating this year’s Yuletide season, the Marine Force Reconnaissance Battalion, Airsoft Extreme Gamers, Tropics Fine Cuisine, Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NAVFORWM), Military Intelligence Group-9, all under Western Mindanao Command have pooled their efforts to give a meaningful and cherished Christmas experience to the young boys and girls of St. Francis House Orphanage.

The event, dubbed as Pamaskong Pambata, with a theme: Ta comparti el Espiritu de Pascua (Sharing the Spirit of Christmas), was held on 21 Dec 2008 at NAVFORWM Beach. This is the first year they have hosted a fun filled day of swim, games, gifts, and boat ride for the orphans, whose ages ranged from as young as 1 to 21 years old.

Decked out with balloons, the cottage housed around 80 kids together with their house parents, social workers, and the military personnel. As they arrived, their faces beamed with glee and excitement. After the morning’s opening program, children rushed to enjoy the sea. Some joined in parlor games, while others took rubber boat rides. For most of them this was a first time experience.

Elizabeth Tijares, 14, a special child cheered in jubilance and repetitively greeted everyone a "Happy Birthday".

“This Christmas party for me is the best ever. It’s my first time to ride a rubber boat. I wish I can own one,’ says 20-year old Rosalito Reco. According to him, other military units have also sponsored Christmas party with the orphanage. However, an outdoor celebration like this is a first time experience for them.

“I will never forget this day. I have so much fun participating in the parlor games. My favorite game is ‘plant a straw’”, adds Gaspar Bungos, 12, who shared his dream to become a soldier someday.

While the party was primarily meant for the children, the soldiers had as much fun as the kids. Christmas is the time of the year when soldiers feel wistful with loved ones back home. By spending time with the orphans, for awhile, nostalgia was put out of thought and the fun of playing games and giving gifts took precedence.

“Having the privilege of being with these kids is such a sweet blessing to me. I had Christmas with the excitement of children. This is one the best presents I could get. It helped ease the solitude of being apart from my love ones,” states Tsg Macario Maquirang PN (M).

On the other hand, for Tsg Domingo Sombrero PN (M), Christmas reminds him of his duty to others. That sense of duty must be fulfilled. Bringing a little Christmas cheer with children makes him remember his brood back in their province.

Moreover, AXG member Jimuel Que said that showing the orphans love and affection are rewarding. Most of them were abandoned by their parents. Hence, there’s a more need to show them they are wanted.

“The reason Jesus came to Earth was to bring hope to the hopeless. This Christmas, we can bring hope to these orphans by pouring out the love of God in a way that they will never forget,” AXG President Ryan San Luis explained.

“It’s a worthwhile experience because I know that I was able to help bring sunbeams into their lives,” remarks Lt Col Arturo Rojas PN (M), Executive Officer, FRBn.

While the kids were gathering for lunch, Santa Clause popped out from behind with a sack of gifts. There is no way to describe the expressions on the little faces. Running and wiggling in queue, each child was presented with toys and school supplies. Some stared at a dancing Santa in awe.

According to Social Worker Marissa Basilio, the gifts mean so much to these children because it’s something they can call their own.

“I will keep these crayon and yoyo. I will not use them as keepsakes of Santa,” says 18-year old Jane Yusop.

After the gift-giving, an array of food was served in a long table. Everyone shared a meal in a military style called boodle fight. They all ate to their hearts' content.

Five-year old Mark Bryan Masion was overheard asking, "What is a boodle fight?"

"This is boodle fight. It is a military style of eating. The foods are on top of the banana leaves prepared in a long table. We eat together using our bare hands. Pitcher of water is prepared on the side to wash hands before eating,” Force Recon member Tsg Sarty Buffe PN (M) explained.

After hours spent for more games, swim, and ride, housemothers called the children for goodbye. When roll call was called and all were present, the bus door closed, and the bus slowly drove away.

“We will certainly continue to do this in the future to bring joy and laughter to more kids,” Lt Col Ruben Candelario PN(M), Commanding Officer, FRBn said. (PIO, WESTMINCOM/PIA-BASULTA)