Gipangunahan ni DOF Undersecretary Atty. Estela V. Sales, gi-ubanan sa mga kadagkuan sa PNP, NBI ug nagkalain-laing sektor, milagda og usa ka kasunduan (MOA) nga suportahan ang mga programa kontra korapsyon sa kagamhanan.

Tumong sa RIPS, ang integridad sa mga “revenue generating” nga ahensya sa kagamhanan ubos sa DOF. Apil niini ang pag-ila, imbestigar ug pagsumpo sa korapsyon aron mamahimong luwas sa korapsyon ang kagamhanan sa pinakadaling panahon. (PIA/Bohol)

Si Versoza misanong sa pangatundanan niadtong Setyembre 27 sa Camp Crame.

Mapasaligon hinu-on ang presidente sa kapabilidad ni Versoza nga nadestino sa nagkalain-laing “hotspot” sa Mindanao sa wala pa mamahimong hepe sa lig-ong 125,000 nga kapolisan sa nasud.

Matud pa sa Presidente, kinahanglan ang interest sa katawhan ang mag-unang katungdanan sa PNP, dili lang pagluwas sa kadalanan sa krimen, ug apil ang pagsumpo sa mga kagubot nga nahitabo karon sa Mindanao.

Aron makab-ot ang kalinaw, ipatuman ang “disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation” kon DDR nga pamaagi, dugang sa presidente.

Iya usab nga gi-awhag ang katawhan nga suportahan ang integrated transformation program (ITP) ug “reform program” sa PNP. (PIA/Bohol)

Mines and GeoSciences Bureau -7 officer in charge Regional Director Roger de Dios stressed this to town mayors and local authorities attending the recent Stakeholder’s Forum for local chief executives given by the Regonal Minerals Development Council Thursday.

But that does not tie the enforcer’s hands because even without a deputized agent, they can stop the operations, identify the persons involved, gather data including the trucks plate numbers, driver and openly letting the illegal operators that the mayors know of the illegal operations.

Without a deputized agent to enforce the applicable mining laws, de Dios stressed that local chief executives can initiate moves to stop the operations, gather documentary evidence and report it to the local environment authorities.

These documents then should be forwarded to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) who would be sending in the right persons to investigate and apprehend.

The statement also surfaced amid unconfirmed reports that agents of the National Bureau of Investigation stepped on the toes of local officials when they raided a manganese quarry.

They allegedly did not coordinate with Capitol and its enforcement team; Task Force Kabukiran.

The sad thing, none of the NBI raiding team had a deputation order from the environment secretary, as what the law mandate.

In fact, another source asked why the NBI is apprehending when they would have been investigating and leave the apprehension to authorities.

He remarked that apprehending and seizing the quarry materials may end up against the government as the case later may actually slip the government’s hands out of technicality, as he pointed to the law.

Not all police officers are actually deputized, so they are technically not allowed to apprehend, he said.

After the violators have been ordered stopped, and yet operations continue, they can now be apprehended on grounds of disrespect to authority, de Dios added.

This would however be without prejudice to a formal case to be elevated by the environment agency if found they have indeed quarried illegally. (rachiu/PIA)

Born form a family who knows business when it smells one, the bachelor senator saw the oil palm prospects and wants Bohol experience replicated 10 times all over the country, for the country’s poor.

Senator Roxas was all ears when he was told the oil palm is still the best edible oil yielding of all palm varieties and of all oil producing plants.

And for a farmer who owns a piece of land inhospitable to rice, the presentation from Philippine Agricultural Land Development and Mills Incorporated (PALM Inc) for palm oil farm just did seem to amaze the country’s trade eagle.

Senator Roxas breezed through Bohol September 26, 2008 to visit the PALM Inc and talk to farmers at the sprawling oil palm mills in Matin-ao Carmen town of this province.

Planting its business through contract growing schemes to farmers who can not plant rice in the rolling terrains of central Bohol, PALM Inc. eyes covering idle lands by putting up oil palms, giving technical expertise and facilitating credit for farm collaterals.

PALM Inc presentor and company’s Malaysian mills chief operations officer Chee Kong Chang however clarified that contract-growing invitation does not include farmers engaged in rice production.

Since early 1997, the company has contracted some 2100 families and has succeeded in putting up the green cover for 6500 hectares of otherwise idle lands, Chang reported to the senator.

“That would be roughly three hectares of oil palm farm per family,” Roxas interjected.

For an average rice farmer earning at most P10T a hectare, the oil palm, which gives out 10 tons of fresh fruit bunch after five years would mean P35T per hectare, Bohol mills operations Officer Joven Uy adds.

Now wanting to maximize its oil palm production, PALM Inc. eyes covering 20,000 hectares of Bohol’s idle lands to hit mill operations at 3 tons per hour, Chang told the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce Chair.

The palm, which has a peak production at 9-15 years could hand in at least P90T a hectare a year, and could be productive for the next 25-30 years, he continued.

“That’s more that a rural bank manager could get,” Roxas remarked while doing quick math.

Seeing the promise himself, Roxas who aspires to push for the executive to consider palm oil production said he would be willing to make it his personal program and if by luck, a national government priority too.

On his part, he said he wants to make the government open up more credit facilities of farmers who opt for oil palm production.

He pointed out that the country could save so much on its dollar reserves when it imports between 150,000 to 200,000 tons of palm oil from Malaysia and other palm producing countries.

“That way we do not drain our dollar reserves,” Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Norris Oculam emphasized during a brief press conference.

So instead of buying, we are producing and our dollar reserves is used now to help more of our farmers, Sen. Roxas argued with Oculam.

Convinced of the prospects, Roxas, who has been into a crusade of alleviating the conditions of the country’s poor said he wants the Bohol farmers experience replicated, adding that should be 20,000 families with stabilized income, and still owning their farm lots. (rachiu/PIA)

DOING QUICK MATH. Senator Mar Roxas compares the net income of rice farmers and oil palm growers to discover the latter earns 7 to 8 times more than the average food producer. He then tells PALM Inc’s CK Chang he hope to push the executive to prop the country’s oil palm industry with credit facilities for growers needing to get a jumpstart. (PIA)

The governor was speaking out of the urgent need to flush-out fugitive Moro rebel leader Abdullah Macapaar alias Commander Bravo for pillaging villages in Lanao del Norte last month.

“We want to use sophisticated equipment to track down Bravo and get him, but, only the US forces have it,” he said.

He added, however, that unless the MILF will be labeled as a terrorist group, “only then that the American Armed Forces will allow us the use of their equipment.” (PIA/Bohol)

The call was contained in Administrative Order no. 239, signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which prohibits all the government agencies and offices on the use of government vehicles for purposes other than official business.

The report shall contain, among others, the type of vehicles, plate number, and the place and time where the government vehicle is found, preferably with pictures.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is also enjoined to closely coordinate and render assistance for the prompt implementation of the directive, particularly in the identification of the reported government vehicles.

Anyone found violating any of the provisions of the order, shall be sternly dealt with in accordance with existing laws, rules and regulations. (PIA/Bohol)

1st Infantry Division Commanding General Nehemias Pajarito said as the the AFP welcomes any peace advocates campaigning for the restoration of peace in Southern Philippines.

Major General Pajarito added that AFP is working with all the local gov’t units and concerned gov’t agencies in conflict-stricken areas to help internally displaced families go back to their normal lives.

He said that the hunt for lawless MILF groups of Commanders Bravo, Kato, and Pangalian will continue until they are captured to answer to the atrocities they had committed in the towns and villages of Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato, and Maguindanao. (PIA/Bohol)

“All of us want peace in Mindanao and we will continue to do it by working together,” Pajarito stressed.(PIA/Bohol)

Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo stressed during her recent to the troops in Iligan city.

“We are committed to do everything possible to bring lasting peace to Mindanao and end 40 years of fighting that has killed more than 120,000 people,” she added.

However, she stressed that we will not negotiate with a gun pointed at our heads. Innocent civilians should not be terrorized for crass political gains.

“We can start the dialogue only when the area is secure and our people are safe because of your efforts,” the President said. (PIA/Bohol)

Less than a quarter of Bohol’s 47 mayors attended, and for those who did, not all of them stayed the duration of the daylong Stakeholders Forum of the Regional Minerals Development Council held at Jjs Seafoods Thursday September 25, 2008.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 7 (DENR-7) brought in its Mines and GeoSciences Bureau (MGB) supposedly to explain to local chief executives the issues and concerns concerning the country’s and Bohol’s mining sector.

Commenting on the lousy attendance, MGB Officer in Charge Director Roger de Dios said it is sad to say they [mayors] lack interest.

The forum which was supposedly set to orient mayors on the regulatory framework of mining in the country, brief them on the local mining situation and update them of their complementary roles in the implementation of the mining laws, rules and regulations

The MGB comment came after Boholanos openly ask for the DENR to update them on the mining status of Bohol just as Capitol’s Task Force Kabukiran and deputized environment agents are now scouring the upland areas to sort the legal from the illegal quarry operators.

Mayors who were spotted at the forum were from Loon, Guindulman, San Miguel, Anda, Buenavista, Clarin, while Talibon sent in the vice mayor.

Other towns sent in representatives instead.

De Dios, who also talked about generating the needed revenues from local mining shares hinted that if only towns could fully flex its powers, then revenue generation is complemented by small scale mining operations.

He also cited the need to pass the local mining ordinance so that it could remedy the problem of sharing in the revenues especially when the operation is done in a private lot.

Records form the DENR 7 state that only Bohol and Cebu province have not enacted their specific local mining ordinances, this apparently has hampered the share claims of local governments especially when mining operation is within a private lot.

According to separate sources, municipal governments can earn as much as 70% of the mining shares while the remaining 30% payments for the operation goes to provincial governments. (rachiu/PIA)

Belated it may be, the country’s health authorities now insist: these have no curable effects.

Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) of the Department of Health (DOH) issued the warning as the proliferation of food supplements in the market and the bombardment of commercials and testimonies sidle in primetime programs to catch everyone’s attentions as to alleged medical effects of the “supplements”.

In Bohol, food supplements even contract block time slots on local radio stations to market their products, program anchors also put in testimonies unwittingly “proving” that their products bring with them “curative” effect, and even invoke the DOH BFAD permits for their food supplements.

The permits stated are for the food supplements and not for the false claims that the program in general unwittingly project, says a medical practitioner who has asked his patients to stop their “food supplements” because of noted complications.

Stepping in to this to hopefully guide consumers, BFAD advises, these may supplement the body’s nutritional requirements but they have no curative effects.

Moreover, the BFAD, through Director Leticia-Barbara Gutierrez added, there is no proficient medical study and proof that such products can cure or treat a particular ailment or disease.

In DOH-BFAD memorandum 2008-004, Gutierrez went on to advise the public, saying “taking of these food supplements as an alternative for recommended regular medication for an ailment is not the appropriate move and this may result to more serious complications or other ailments.

The DOH-BFAD memorandum dated March 28, 2008 was pushed to take care of health and safety of the consuming public.

Meanwhile, Bohol BFAD chief, Rica Aumentado harps the same line and warns Boholanos against the supplements now peddled in the rural areas.

The Bohol BFAD warning also goes for imported milk and milk based products from China, which ahs been pulled out from the markets due to noted melanine contamination. (rachiu/PIA)