Make Bohol Province Rabbies Free in 2010

Two and a half years after implementing a program in 2007 to make Bohol rabies free in 2010, authorities have seen very significant achievements. 

"But that is not where it ends", hints Provincial veterinarian Dr. Stella Marie Lapiz. 

"We can not claim yet that we are rabies free," underscoring that a lot of work needs to be done.  

The aim to eradicate rabies in Bohol seemed impossible especially when the province topped the national rabies watch-list in 2007, dragging the entire region with it, points Dr. Lapiz. 

Wanting to plant the tourism destination flag in the country just does not go well with the reports that a widely preventable rabies with its teeth bared lurking in the corner, reiterates a member of the multi-sectoral Bohol Rabies Prevention and Eradication Council (BRPEC), in a separate talk.  

"We have accomplished the target of vaccinating 70% of our dog population during our second round of inoculations, but we still have to see the results" Dr, Lapiz explains during the weekly The Governor Reports.  

70% of dog population vaccinated is a universally pegged safe standard, but it is not acceptable for Bohol authorities who want a full assurance that rabies has become a non-threat.  

Thanking the popular support of local governments, animal and livestock technicians and barangay livestock workers, pet owners and international funding agencies, Dr. Lapiz reported that the concerted efforts has made Bohol without a rabies case to worry to date. 

Dr. Lapiz said Bohol has tested negative despite the 49 dog head samples sent to the regional laboratories for rabies examination.  

There has never been reported human rabies too, she added despite biting incidents here. 

Over the development, the diminutive veterinarian asked people to report to the municipal monitors any case of sudden dog deaths to quickly isolate cases, if there are. 

BRPEC council appoints Municipal Agriculture Officers (MAO) as contact persons authorized to forward reports of possible rabies-related incidents. 

The MAO reports would be basis for the BRPEC to send in trained people who could properly harvest and collect dog head samples for laboratory testing. (PIA)

Lupang Arenda: Revocation of Proclamation

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has to do what ought to be done. Showing rare political will, the president asks Vice President Noli de Castro to prepare a draft for the revocation of the proclamation establishing the settlement called Lupang Arenda, even if it would mean displacing multitude of residents. 

Lupand Arenda was established when former President Fidel Ramos issued Proclamation 704 and opened some 200 hectares of public lands in protected wetlands to accommodate the growing number of illegal settlers in Metro Manila. 

The settlement lies at the shorelines of Laguna de Bay and lies along the natural lake water egress to Manila Bay along the Napindan Channel. 

The opened wetlands, separate sources say remain water logged for the rest of the six months in a year, and should not have been opened as residential area in the first place. 

By revoking the Presidential Proclamation 704, the President hopes she could keep these lives away from the dangers posed by rising lake water levels and the flash floods that has washed away dwellings in the area during the recent storms hitting Manila 

During the recent meeting held in Loboc Bohol, the President and her cabinet talked about disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and climate change in the wake of the recent disastrous floodings in Manila and surrounding areas.  

At the Full Cabinet meeting held at the Loboc Children's Palace, acted on Vice President's recommendation to clear the area and relocate the residents.  

Recent changes in climate elevated the average lake water level to 12.5 meters, making several dry areas at the Lupang Arenda prone to flooding.     

The patch of land lies along the natural waterway between Laguna Lake and Napindan Channel. 

Recent floodings in Metro Manila areas also pushed more water through the channel, washing out many squatter dwellings, necessitating government intervention to keep residents safe.

 

Vice President Noli de Castro told the Cabinet that Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) now bans the return of the 60,000 families to Lupang Arenda. Lupang Arenda also blocks the natural pathway between Laguna Lake and Napindan Channel. (PIA)

Bidding for Panglao Island Airpot Project

Bidding for Panglao airport phase one finally opens this month, reports transportation Undersecretary and former city Mayor Jose Torralba in a radio interview.

Torralba, who is manning the airport project management office here said the multi-sectoral consultative meeting held last Tuesday at the Bohol Beach Club was the last procedural requirement needed to seal the fate of the airport's initial construction phase.

The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordinating Committee initially nodded to the project even after consultants proposed drastic changes leading to major project funding realignments.

With the changes, the entire project bloated to nearly double its initial cost, needing the NEDA ICC nod anew to use the early appropriations of P4.2B to fund the initial phase of the airport project.

The project go-signal was on the condition that Bohol provincial government conducts another multisectoral consultation to address ecological or environmental issues, Usec Torralba explained..

Moreover, the preconditions also include that Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) conducts value engineering of the project and that budget cover be issued to the Department of Transportation and Communications by the Department of Budget and Management.

The recent multi-sectoral meeting in Panglao churned out the resolutions, which would engage the NEDA to finally green-light phase one of the project.

 

Phase one of the project comprises the construction of the airport's 2.5 kilometer runway and its lighting facilities.  

This phase also uses up the funds NEDA has earlier earmarked for the entire project, explains Gov. Erico Aumentado, weeks back.

From the initial P4.27 billion, the total total project now costs P7.54 billion.

The project cost blew up due to increase of item prices and quantity, design modification and additional acquisition of 14.5 hectares of land.

The Panglao airport project aims to develop a new airport facility in Panglao Island, Bohol to comply with domestic and international standards for operational safety and efficiency.

It also envisions to open up the entire region (Region VII) to more economic activities and to enhance the tourism potential of Bohol province. (PIA)

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City/Town: Metro Manila

Location: Nationwide

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City/Town: Metro Manila

Location: Nationwide

Wage/Salary: tba

Start: asap

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Company: Energy Manpower Services, Inc.

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Making Pinoy Police More Capable

The blaze of police transformation spreads here as the local cops led by PSSUpt Edgardo Ingking vowed never to succumb to political pressures hindering the growth of the culture of reform to make police render more capable, effective and credible service. 

During the culmination of the 11th leg of the Torch Run Relay, Ingking said that the transformation torch would be the beacon that carries the light signifying the transformation program the Philippine National Police (PNP) has to undergo to make itself an organization that would compete globally.

The Transformation Torch, which traveled all over Bohol according to reports came into Bohol last October 12 and was passed to every station to bring the beacon of transformation across the country, police sources explained.

From a sagging perception and a performance that scraped rock bottom, top leaders of the police organization has to push for the reforms that would unseat abusive, arrogant and unfit cops and ease them out of public service.

With police inefficiency reports hurting most of the men in uniform, the local officers welcome the move knowing that only with the reforms can the police reclaim its rightful seat as the people’s servants and protectors.

Briefing over three hundred men and women of the Bohol police manning town stations, Ingking, who claims the charges are only examples of the threats every police officer has to face and overcome to realize the real transformation also cited highlights and gains of the integrated police transformation which started in 2005.

During the briefing which took him an hour and a few minutes, Ingking shared to the police the vision of a police force in 2030: one that would be globally competitive, capable, effective and credible.

We hope that the torch inspire, motivate and encourage our men and women in the force never to lose hope, press ona nd run the race towards genuine police transformation, Ingking added.

The Integrated Transformation Program has done things, he said and cited that recent surveys results showed that the police has slowly gained immensely from a baseline performance.

Now, the PNP is the 6th best performing government agency, Ingking prided, adding that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has even commended the police force during their anniversary in January this year.

We are slowly regaining the claim and we are making sure that by 2030, every police officer in the service would be sitting side-by-side with their foreign counterparts, a police officer who asks not to be identified shared his vision. (PIA)

President Gloria Arroyo Stop Goods Overpricing

In the advent of some reported unreasonable price increases in basic commodities bought about by the effects of the calamities President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA) has issued a price freeze of selected basic commodities until the state of national calamity is lifted.  

The result is that prices of six basic commodities are frozen to their October 2 prevailing price levels.  

The basic commodities: canned fish, processed milk, coffee, detergent or laundry soap, bread and salt should remain at tight watch by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) monitors, says Jose Hibaya, consumer welfare and business regulatory division chief of the local office.  

DTI Regional Director Asteria Caberte also issued the advisory to all retailers in Central Visayas, notifying them of the price freeze order imposed until President Arroyo shall lift her declaration of the state of calamity over the country, upon the recommendation of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.  

Price freeze is based on the prevailing prices from DTI before the declaration of the state of calamity, Caberte warned retailers.   

Sharing the advisory during the recent Kapihan sa PIA aired live over DyTR, Hubaya said the advisory also forms as warning to retailers not to get advantage of the situation brought about by the devastating calamities that hit the country. 

The advisory also bears an accompanying sheet detailing that a 155 g sardine should not be sold in supermarkets at more than 11.80, the 370 ml Alaska condensed milk at 46.30 and the 305 ml condensed Milkmaid at P52.10.  

370 ml Alaska evaporated milk is at 41.50, Alpine at P44.30 while Nido and Alaska 150 g powdered milk should always be sold at P72.00 and 41.50. 

A 50 gram Nescafe refill is pegged at 35.95 in local supermarkets, 25 gram Blend 45 refill at P15.75 while Great Taste of the same weight is sold at 17.15. 

420 g Mr. Clean detergent bar and laundry soap should be at P20.50, 400 g Perla at P40.00 and Surf bar kalamansi is at P19.50. 

A 400 gram loaf bread is at P30.00, 500 gram at P45 and 20 gram pan de sal sells at P1.75 each. 

Iodized 250 g Fidel salt should not be more than 5.25 while 1 kg Fidel rock salt sells at P7.75.  

According to Caberte, anybody caught in violation of the price freeze can get a miximum of ten years and a penalty reaching P1 millon. 

Over this, DTI calls concerned citizens to help them and their deputized agents monitor any noticed price increases. Complaints and inquiries can be coursed through DTI-Bohol at 501 8260 or 411 3302, stressed Hibaya. (PIA)

Consultation on the National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRA)

Public Officials and partners from the executive agencies and civil society for regions 6, 7 and 8 converged in Cebu City recently for the 4th area consultation on the National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRA).

 

Executive secretary Eduardo Ermita, chairman of the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC), in a statement read by USEC Severo Catura, said "the consultation will put in place the much-needed public policies, programs, and resources with human rights standards."

 

The Cebu leg is the fourth in a series of area consultations since August 2009 and is palnned to end by December via a national summit, Catura added.

 

Catura, the executive director of PHRC further said, the area consultation is a problem solving mechanism.  It aims to instill national ownership of the plan in as many stakeholders as possible.

 

"We are pushing for a new and a broader way of looking at human rights as it would impact the full development of our people and the nation as a whole," he said.

 

Ermita in his statement also said, the consultation hopes to address human rights issues at their roots.  It involves more than identifying wrongdoers and exhorting government to improve on its obligations.

 

"Largely, we will venture to capacitate and empower all sectors of Philippine society to claim and extend these human rights obligations and entitlements, bringing out genuine improvement at all levels of governance in the country," Ermita stated.

 

Ermita added that the NHRAP becomes the expression of "our political will" and perhaps, one of the legacies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to ensure that human rights protection and promotion becomes a matter of policy that will transcend politics. (PIA)

Bohol Peace Building Effort

Documentation on the highly successful counter-insurgency program as national peace building template starts.

 

The government brings in the Orientation Workshop on the Documentation of Peace Building Good Practices for Team Bohol at the Bohol Plaza this October 13-14.

 

Team Bohol, the unified team of implementers of the famed Bohol Peace Formula is composed of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, the church and the civil society and the local government, which converged resources for a singular goal.

Such is to dramatically reduce the incidence of armed conflict in the province, not just by the might of the arms but also by peaceful means.

 

The peace initiative which has resulted in Bohol's getting off the list of the country's 20 poorest provinces speak of good governance practice, one that needs to be made a template for replication.

 

In an invitation to participants sent by Governor Erico Aumentado, he told Team Bohol stakeholders "the efforts of the province to provide the lessons and good practices which can be evolved into models in peace building and can be replicated in other conflict areas.

 

With the move to keep the peace process forward, he added the government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) used the services of the Local Government Academy of the Philippines (LGAP) to facilitate the two day workshop.

 

With the LGAP is the project tem of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

The workshop hopes to come out with valuable policy and program recommendations for the national government to keep the peace process moving forward.

 

The ultimate goal is to create a snowball and multiplier effect of these good practices throughout the country by scaling up the process towards an adoptive replication process, Aumentado said. (PIA)