Agusan del Sur receives ECTA health, financial assistance
PATIN-AY, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur (February 11) - The Provincial government of Agusan del Sur has received medicines and financial assistance, medical equipments and logistic supplies through the European Community Technical Assistance (ECTA).
The financial assistance will help the province in the delivery of quality health services to individuals.
Gov. Maria Valentina "Tina" Plaza said the ECTA was acquired through the assistance of His Excellency Alistair MacDonald and EU staff who visited the province.
"It is truly a very helpful, timely, and relevant intervention,” said the provincial chief executive.
“The provincial government will be steadfast and committed; our province will bear fruit and be translated to positive fruits; I wish much much stronger partnership with the EU," she added.
ECTA aims mainly to identify areas for assistance to help the
“We want strong cooperation among and between inter local and health zones, to see improved public financial management and maximize the effectiveness of the resources," said MacDonald.
EU community assists in the implementation of Health Sector Reform (HSR) for achieving better health, more responsive health care reform and equitable health care financing.
Aside from Agusan del Sur, the ECTA is also identifying more areas in the country for health and other humanitarian assistance. (PNA)
“Pangasius” investments reaching P200 million a year
ROSARIO, Agusan del Sur (February 11) - “Pangasius” catfish, locally known as “hito”, is now making big production and is fast becoming a big industry in Northeastern, Southern and Central Mindanao regions.
The Pangasius is recording investments breaching an estimated P200-million mark a year after its introduction in late 2007.
The mass production is being noted in Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur in Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga region), in
Business group and individuals have already been promoting Pangasius hypopthalmus, also called “dory” or “sutchi fish” since late 2007 and their mass production was noted in the third quarter of 2008.
Originally, Pangasius thrives in
There are now several hatchery ponds, nursery ponds, processing companies and fish ponds located at various areas in said provinces.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are now assisting these Pangasius business group or individuals in technology aspect and marketing.
“This new and progressing business is already making wave in the market,” observed Northeastern Mindanao DTI regional director Brielgo Pagaran.
He added a businessman in Agusan has started engaging in the catfish business, including “tilapia” and has 80,000 fingerlings as starter.
Pangasius is already being sold in several eateries and restaurants of P120 to P150 per kilo, he added.
Data gathered from the DTI and BFAR of the three regions disclosed that the
Markets for this fish are also opening in Europe, US and other countries in
The DTI and BFAR projected the local market can generate sufficient supply to enter the international market by 2012.
Aside from the rising income of business group, farmers and individuals, the DTI and BFAR also noted big employment to local folks. (PNA)
PRO 13 alerts Caraganons vs fake P1,000 bill
CAMP RAFAEL C. RODRIGUEZ, Butuan City (February 11) – The regional command of Police Regional Office 13 (PRO 13) on Thursday alerted Caraganons against fake P1,000 bill after a suspect was arrested in Agusan del Norte town.
The PRO 13 also ordered all city and provincial police directors and municipal chiefs of police to closely monitor and apprehend those engaging in the nefarious activities.
The PRO 13 issued the warning Thursday after a 47-year old man was caught buying grocery items using eight pieces of fake P1,000 on Sunday afternoon at a grocery mart in Barangay Bangonay, Jabonga town, Agusan del Norte.
His identity is temporarily withheld pending the investigation on the origin of the fake money. (PNA)
DENR lays out forest protection strategies to stop illegal logging activities
BUTUAN CITY (February 11) – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) laid down forest protection strategies to secure forest lands and watershed areas against timber poachers in the Caraga region.
In a Management Conference (Mancom) at the regional office here on Tuesday, the top regional, provincial, city and community forestry officials of the DENR led by Regional Executive Director Edilberto S. Buiser, mobilized all forest protection committees composed of all sectors to strengthen the ongoing forest protection drive in identified “target areas”.
The no non-sense forest protection campaign of the DENR last year netted at least 7,000 pieces of illegally-cut logs and 3,500 pieces of them were already turned over to the Natural Resources and Development Corp. (NRDC), marketing arm of the DENR.
The Mancom, which was attended by top regional environment officials, five Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Offices and 13 Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices (PENRO’s/CENRO’s) laid down strategies for massive forest protection campaign.
Included in the agenda is the forest protection of the expired 179,582 hectares forest land of Picop Resources Inc. (PRI) in Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur and part of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley and the expired 56,093.81 hectares of concession areas of Nasipit Lumber Company (NALCO) in Agusan del Norte and part of Agusan del Sur and Misamis Oriental.
The region’s environment officials also made an action plan for close forest supervision with the newly organized “Bantay Kabuhatan Alpha”, a 25-strong stakeholders group coming from various agencies of the government and non-government organizations purposely to help protect and manage PRI concession area.
The DENR already inked a co-management sub-agreement with the local government units to help protect and manage in said areas. The management agreements were immediately forwarded to the central office
In that Mancom meeting, the regional leadership of the DENR also directed all PENROs and CENROs to strengthen all key monitoring stations spread at various strategic areas in the region to avert the passing of illegally-cut forest products.
The legal division of the DENR Caraga, along with the legal team of the PENROs and CENROs also strengthened for the cases already filed in court against violators of the Forestry Code of the
The officials also reviewed and made action strategies on the department’s Upland Development Program (UDP).
Meanwhile, at least 26,848 new employment and livelihood opportunities will be available in the land, mining and forestry services for the first half of the year which could be availed by upland families, including unemployed persons in the rural areas who lost jobs due to the global financial crisis.
Acting Environment Secretary Eleazar P. Quinto is optimistic about what 2010 holds for the employment outlook in the natural resources management between January and June which was based on DENR’s six-year performance in its job-generation program in support to the Arroyo Administration’s commitment to create up to 10 million jobs.
Citing projections based on government’s continued policy on encouraging investments in responsible mining and sustainable forest resource management, Quinto said around 12,955 new jobs in the mining sector await those in communities that host mining projects with 1,860 and 455 jobs as laborers in land surveys and forest boundary delineation activities, respectively.
Secretary Quinto attributed the new employment opportunities in the mining sector to the government’s performance in attracting new investments.
The DENR expects to be given some P12.1 billion for its 2010 budget.(PNA)
