5.0 magnitude quake hits southern tip city of
BUTUAN CITY (March 2) - Residents in Pacific Ocean facing-city of Mati in Davao Oriental were rattled when a 5.0 magnitude tremor struck that southern tip city before noon Monday, it was learned.
However, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported that there were no reports of damage or injuries from the undersea quake that occurred 16 kilometers northwest of Mati, capital city of
The 5.0 magnitude earthquake happened at 11:15 in the morning, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
It hit at a depth of 001.0 kilometer.
The epicenter was estimated at 07.06 kilometers north of
An intensity 2 tremor was felt in neighboring areas such as
Last month, residents in Surigao del Sur were also rattled when a 4.7 magnitude earthquake also took place, 97 kilometers off
The
1,500 delegates to participate in 5th Mindanao Cooperative
BUTUAN CITY (March 2) - At least 1,500 delegates coming from various parts of Mindanao are set to participate in the forthcoming two-day 5th Mindanao Cooperative Summit to be held at downtown hotel, resort and convention center at this region’s capital city on March 4 and 5, this year.
The various committees from the Regional Cooperative Development Council (RCDC)-Caraga region and Philippine Information Agency (PIA) announced Tuesday that all preparations are all already set for the big cooperative confab.
Top cooperative leaders in the southern island already pledged their two-day attendance.
Francis Loque, chairperson of RCDC Caraga region and also chair of the summit’s host executive committee, led the final coordinating conference on Tuesday and lay down preparations.
This year’s 5th Mindanao Cooperative Summit carries the theme: “Mindanao Coops in the Face of Present Day Challenges: Outsmarting Impacts of Global Financial Crisis”, where RCDC Caraga will host the summit for the first time.
The summit aims to provide an avenue for cooperative stakeholders in different regions in
Also, the summit will bring together cooperative leaders from different regions as well as guests from all over the country.
“It will be a rare learning opportunity as seasoned speakers will talk and share best practices and success experiences as examples to develop and strengthen cooperatives in
Aside from cooperative concern, the delegates in that two-day summit are also expected to tackle the current problem on El Nino and
“Our main agenda of this summit is how to strengthen
P100-M Tubay-Lake Mainit circumferential road set to commence in Agusan del Norte
BUTUAN CITY (March 2) - A P100-million concreting of Tubay-Lake Mainit circumferential road is set to commence before end of this month in Tubay, Agusan del Norte, a top public works official said Tuesday.
The project in
The concreting of
Town officials bounding the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional director of Caraga region Dr. Evelyn T. Barroso said the initial P50 million of the P100-million fund is set to be released anytime.
“The ground works of the concreting of this circumferential road project will start before the end of this month,” assured Director Barroso.
Initially, the contractor will conduct rock excavation, sub-base courses and earthworks of the 5.5 kilometers Tubay-Lake Mainit circumferential road, added the region’s DPWH chief.
Meanwhile, the P628-million road construction of the Lingig (Surigao del Sur) to Boston (Davao Oriental) regional boundary section went into high gear and expected to be completed by June 30 this year, said Director Barroso.
All earth-moving equipments of the contractor, construction engineers and workers were already mobilized after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo personally conducted an on-site inspection late last month.
In another development, the Regional Development Council (RDC) announced a
In a full-membership RDC meeting in
The funding is part of the three tranches proposed $ 1.003 billion Asian Development Bank (ADB) Road Sector Improvement Project (RSIP), the RDC added. (PNA)
Residents in Surigao provinces, islands heave sigh of relief after Tsunami scare
Several residents went back to their respective homes late Sunday afternoon while others did so Monday morning.
The provincial, municipal and city government of Surigao del Norte and
Surigao
“Thank God,” said Rep. Matugas.
In Surigao del Sur, Governor Vicente Pimentel also led other provincial, municipal and city officials ferry their constituents back to their respective places, particularly those living along the coastal areas.
In the southern tip city of Mati in Southern and Northeastern Mindanao, local officials also distributed snack packs consisting of bread and bottled water to returning residents in their respective homes from 16 coastal villages who had earlier camped out in sports gymnasiums and the provincial capitol.
Mati City Mayor Michelle Rabat offered vehicles to the evacuees and ferried them back home.
“So far, life in Surigao provinces, especially of those living in the islands is slowly returning to normal,” declared Rep. Matugas.
He said the evacuation of the residents and return home was orderly and systematic.
The Surigao del Norte solon only noted that the people in Surigao have learned a lesson that is to be prepared to respond to any threat.
Matugas said the residents voluntarily left their homes and sought higher ground and safer places, a normal thing to do for those who are living near the sea and facing a threat such as a tsunami.
The Surigao del Norte solon suggested that disaster drills be sustained and all sectors must participate to avert loss of lives and properties. (PNA)
El Niño Dispatch
NIA implements projects covering 200,000 hectares, creates 100,000 jobs
The Department of Agriculture completed in 2009 the rehabilitation and restoration of irrigation systems and facilities covering more than 200,000 hectares of farmland, which created close to 100,000 jobs in the countryside.
In a report to DA Acting Secretary Bernie Fondevilla, the National irrigation Administration (NIA) said that its programs benefited almost 80,000 farming households and brought to 456,251 hectares in the national irrigation systems.
“The target is to complete by 2010 the rehabilitation and restoration of 368,000 hectares non-functional area to increase the irrigated area in the country and so far 220,000 hectares have been accomplished,” said NIA OIC Administrator Alex Reuyan in a report to Fondevilla.
The NIA’s stepped-up implementation of its irrigation program is in step with the DA’s policy shift on the watch of Secretary Yap from soft initiatives like fertilizer subsidies to hard projects such as irrigation, farm-to-market roads (FMRs) and postharvest facilities.
Irrigation and other rural infrastructure such as FMRs are among the components of President Arroyo’s FIELDS initiative, which is her administration’s centerpiece program to attain food security and sufficiency over the medium term.
FIELDS stands for Fertilizers, Irrigation and other rural infrastructure like FMRs, Extension services and education for farmers, Loans, Dryers and other postharvest facilities, and Seeds and other genetic materials.
This year, under the Irrigation and other rural infrastructure component, the DA is targeting 16,358 hectares of new areas to be generated, while 92,255 hectares will be rehabilitated, and 108,000 hectares restored to increase production and meet the demands of a growing population.
The DA will likewise construct or rehabilitate 3,107 kilometers of FMRs to link production areas, fishports and fish landings to markets.
In 2009, the NIA completed the rehabilitation of facilities servicing 123,537 hectares and the restoration of others covering 89,638 hectares, generating 97,976 jobs and benefiting 79,758 farm households with a funding of P8 billion, Reuyan said. (DA Press Office)
Shallow tube wells distribution in Region IV-A
Sariaya, Quezon – As part of the mitigating measures outlined by the Presidential Task Force for El Nino, the Department of Agriculture Region IV-A through its Banner Programs ( Ginintuang Masaganang Ani-Corn, Rice, HVCC) recently distributed 28 units of shallow tube wells (STWs) to rice farmers of Quezon, Laguna and Rizal.
According to Assistant Secretary and Concurrent Regional Executive Director of DA Region IV-A Dennis B. Araullo in his report to Agriculture Acting Secretary Bernie Fondevilla, even without the onslaught of EL Nino DA IV-A had long been distributing STWs and in fact distributed 33 units last year spearheaded by the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM). However, he said that with the disturbing effects of this phenomenon to the agricultural sector, there is a compelling need to procure additional 150 units of STWs which will be distributed to other affected provinces of CALABARZON.
“This dry spell brought about by the El Nino Phenomenon is indeed wrecking havoc to our farmers. As such, the Department of Agriculture has devised measures to alleviate the present conditions of our farming sector. Distribution of shallow tube wells to vulnerable areas is one of its strategies. I hope that with the assistance being given by the government to CALABARZON farmers, the effects of El Nino can be minimized to a very manageable level,” Asec Araullo.
During the distribution of the STWs in the provinces of Quezon, Laguna and Rizal, Asec Araullo was ably assisted by Engr. Abelardo R. Bragas, Regional Technical Director for Operations and Regulatory.
It must be recalled that the country has been experiencing El Nino since December 2009. According to report, damage to agriculture could reach P8 billion if the effect is mild. However, if the dry spell becomes severe, the damage could double to P12 billion. (DA RAFID IVA)
