GMA urged to junk geothermal project

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Residents and elders of Barangay Dananao in Tinglayan town here urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to cancel a geothermal service contract that will pass through their ancestral domain, saying they have not given their consent to the project.

At least 150 village elders and residents declared their opposition to the project which was awarded over a month ago to APEC-GMC, a private company conducting exploration activities that would lead to the construction of the power generation facility in the province.

In their petition, the Dananao residents said there was no consultation held in their community for the geothermal project.

The APEC-GMC applied for a geothermal exploration permit covering parts of Pasil town, Tinglayan and Lubuagan due to the potentials of putting up a geothermal plant in the area.

While the people of Pasil gave their free and prior informed consent, the indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples of Lubuagan and Tinglayan were not openly consulted since the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples has yet to schedule dialogues with the affected communities.

Despite the lack of consent from affected tribes, Energy Secretary Angelo C. Reyes unwittingly issued the geothermal exploration permit to the company.

To prevent disagreement among the affected communities which might lead to violence, the NCIP here issued a clarification that the certificate of pre-condition issued by the agency covers only the Pasil area and not the Lubuagan and Tinglayan towns.

The petition said the DOE issued a general permit for the project without considering the limited certification pre-condition issued by the NCIP, thus, people are now wary about the activities of the assigned geothermal project explorer. – Dexter A See

MORE NEWS,KALINGA

P.2-M ‘hot’ rice seized
TABUK CITY – Lawmen intercepted two jeeps loaded with sacks of rice believed to be part of the buffer stocks of the National Food Authority along the national highway here on Nov. 10.

NFA authorities said the vehicles carrying 180 sacks of rice worth around P200,000 were apprehended at Bulanao village while their shippers were allegedly trying to smuggle them to Quezon town in neighboring Isabela province.

“After I received a text about the incident, I immediately ordered the NFA Kalinga to cancel or suspend the allocation of these three (NFA accredited rice retailers),” said Danilo Pastrana, NFA director for Cagayan Valley told newsmen.

Pastrana said an investigation on the incident will be conducted to prevent a repeat of such cases.

The seized sacks of rice, now in the custody of the authorities, were reportedly part of the government’s buffer stocks to ensure adequate supply for residents in the north-central Cordillera and neighboring areas this time when demand for rice is expected to rise.

The NFA rice, all originated from Kalinga-based government accredited Tindahan Natin operators or also known as Tindahan ni Gloria, was to be delivered to a private warehouse in Isabela, purportedly to have them repacked and sold at commercial price.

MORE NEWS, KALINGA

Cordillera body wants rice milling done inside region

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Rice milling must be done within the Cordillera to allow greater benefits for the local residents and would assure rice self-sufficiency of the provinces in the coming months.

This is position of the Regional Development Council in the Cordillera after it ordered the Department of Agriculture to study and provide recommendations on the promotion of rice milling in the region to prevent farmers from shipping out their palay produce outside the Cordillera.

According to the RDC, the establishment of milling facilities in rice-producing areas such as Kalinga would translate to greater benefits for the people and farmers because they will be producing their own rice supply rather than selling their palay outside the region and buying rice from the neighboring provinces.

The Cordillera had a total palay production of 436,311 metric tons last year and such production is expected to dramatically increase this year due to improved rice yields from rice farmers in the different provinces.

Due to the inadequacy of rice milling facilities in the region, farmers sell their palay to nearby provinces of Regions I and II.

While the cordillera exports palay to other regions, it has to buy rice from other regions which is rather costly on the part of the people.

The RDC said rice milling is an essential aspect of agricultural development, thus, it must be put in place in the Cordillera to complete the cycle of ice production so that the people will realize a significant reduction in the price of commercial rice compared to the present state where they are obliged to buy milled rice from nearby provinces.

Kalinga is said to be the rice granary of the Cordillera due to its vast tracks of rice production areas.

Once rice milling will be in place in the region, rice farmers will now have the chance to store sufficient supply of rice which could provide the rice demands of other parts of the region thereby foregoing the excessive expenditure of buying rice from nearby provinces.

Furthermore, rice farmers will have the chance to earn more income for their families aside from making the Cordillera rice self-sufficient in the coming years.

Cordillera farmers produce various kinds of rice such as the hairloom rice of Kalinga and Ifugao which has gained access in the international market despite institutional and production gaps hounding the full implementation of the export of the indigenous rice varieties.

Aside from the “unoy” rice variety from Kalinga and the “tinawon” variety being produced in Ifugao, exporters are eying six other native varieties from Mountain province which as export products which would boost the livelihood of farmers in the upland terraces while providing additional sources of rice for the people so that they will not be dependent on the expensive commercial rice and the controlled supply of government-subsidized rice. -- Dexter A. See


DOE allows geothermal project in Kalinga town

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — The Department of Energy has given the go-signal to two local firms to prospect and tap geothermal energy in Pasil town, this province. Natividad Sugguiyao, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples provincial director, told the media that the geothermal service contract, signed recently by DOE Secretary Angelo Reyes, allowed Aragorn Power and Energy Corp. and Guidance Management Corp. to jointly explore for geothermal energy in a 26,250-hectare area in the municipalities of Pasil, Tinglayan, and Lubuagan, all in Kalinga.

Sugguiyao said, however, that although the GSC covers also Tinglayan and Lubuagan, the exploration will be done only in Pasil until such time that the tribes in the ancestral domains will give their free and prior informed consent (FPIC) to the activity.

Sugguiyao said that to date, seven affected tribes in Pasil have given their FPICs as the affected tribes in the ancestral domain in Tinglayan and Lubuagan want to study further the project.

"It’s not that they do not want the project. They just want to see if the project has no adverse effects on the community and want to be assured they are making the right decision," she said.

She also said that the GSC gives APEC and GMC the right to explore for geothermal energy in the area and, if warranted by the exploration results, to produce geothermal energy for 50 years.

Sugguiyao called the project the biggest investment made in this province in recent years. Pasil Mayor James Edduba said that if the estimated 60-megawatt potential of the area is tapped, the geothermal operation would not only be the biggest in the country but it would make the Philippines surpass the United States in use of geothermal power.

Aside from prospecting for geothermal energy, APEC is also involved in petroleum exploration in the Cagayan basin, while GMC holds the GSC for the Amacan geothermal prospect in Compostela Valley Province in Mindanao and two coal-operating contracts. -- EAJ

AGGIE UPDATES

Kalinga brew shown in international expo

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Kalinga Brew, the pioneer commercialized coffee product in package distribution is finding its way to more Asian countries and Europe.

Antuza Refalda, proprietress and sole producer of the organic coffee product has gone to Hongkong last August this year and scheduled trips to China and Taiwan then to Italy to join international expositions. According to Dixie Catacutan of the Department of Science and Technology – Kalinga Training Center, Kalinga Brew and Kalinga Blend are being promoted in the international market through exhibits supported by their agency.

Antuza who went to Hongkong August 13-18 was able to introduce Kalinga Brew to the businessmen and people of the former crown city. Significant of her participation is the prospect of buying a machine from a fellow exhibitor from Hongkong to process candy from coffee. "Aside from introducing Kalinga Brew which is not known to many in Hongkong, I was able to find a machine used to make coffee candy," she proudly said. "And I'm going to buy one," she added.

During the exhibit she was able to receive book orders mostly from Overseas Filipino Workers who established a distribution center there. Though it's her second time to introduce her product in Hogkong, she said most of her patrons are OFWs but she is happy that Philippine coffee product penetrated one of Asia's most industrialized state and entertainment center.

In another development, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has also organized a team of Philippine exhibitors to the 5th China-ASEAN Exposition to be held in Nanning, China from Oct. 22-25 where Antuza Refalda's Nor-Fed Food Products is selected among 40 exhibits.

The participation of Filipino private exhibitors is aimed to promote and expand market for agro-fishery products and to enhance partnership with other foreign businessmen. "I thank DOST and DA for identifying us one of the exhibitors. My participation is not only to promote Nor-Fed products but also Kalinga's original organic coffee products," Refalda said. Refalda added she will travel to Taiwan and Italy early next year to introduce Kalinga Brew which is gaining prominence among coffee drinkers because of its special aroma particularly the selected processed coffee beans known as "Kapin de Motit (Civet coffee).

Last, week a private consultant hired by DOST was in town to give guidance to coffee producers in the province on how to further improve quality of processed coffee and how to engage in mass commercial production. -- PIA-Kalinga


Advances in research on abaca and papaya

The Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office has recently bared its recent research projects on papaya and abaca last July 30 at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.

The presentation and field monitoring were done in three parts, said DA-BPO director Alicia Ilaga. The first part was the presentation of the research done by doctors Evelyn Mae T. Mendoza of the UPLB-Institute of Plant Breeding together with Simeona Siar and Antonio Laurena, who introduced papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) resistance to transgenic papaya (Carica papaya) with delayed ripening trait. This group says the target date for commercialization of the product is on 2010, and will be introduced to the market as a hybrid of papaya.

The papaya variant used for the experiment was Davao solo, which, according to the scientists, was the most common papaya variant in the market today. Through genetic engineering, the scientists were able to delay the ripening of the papaya. Then, the scientists introduced the PRSV resistance trait to the papaya with delayed ripening effect.

Efforts were mainly targeted against this virus since it is the most common papaya virus in the country, crippling the industry in Luzon since 1984. In 2003, the virus appeared in Leyte and Panay, as well as in South Cotabato and some parts of General Santos City, Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur.

PRS affects all stages of plant growth, from seedling to maturity. Green concentric ringspots appear on the fruit's surface. The plant also shows yellowing, mosaic, and deformed leaves, oily streaks on the stem and petioles, stunted growth and sterile fruits.

The delayed ripening trait of papaya will ensure farmers of larger income, as this will prevent postharvest losses due to rotting and will allow the transport of the fruit to remote markets. Dr. Siar reported that in one event, the fruit reached a full 14 days without rotting.

With the development of PRSV-resistant papaya with delayed ripening trait, the papaya industry will be assured of a good yield and farmers will enjoy higher incomes, Ilaga added.
Dr Teodora Dizon, also from IPB and a professor in CSC-UPLB, led the second presentation on the development of bunchy top, mosaic and bract mosaic resistance in abaca (Musa textilis) through radiation-induced mutation. The group says the product may be out in the market after four years.

Dizon's team exposed the abaca plants to doses of gamma rays to induce the plant's resistance to bunchy top, mosaic and bract mosaic viruses. Based on the study, one plant can only show resistance to only one type of virus. Dr Dizon also said that the product is competitive to the conventional plant. It is of good fiber quality and can compete with abaca plants that did not undergo irradiation. The plants will be commercialized through micropropagation.

Antonio Lalusin did the last presentation on his study on the development of molecular markers in abaca for use in breeding high fiber quality and bunchy top virus resistant cultivars. He developed hybrids by combining abaca and banana genes. Dr. Lalusin hopes to develop markers that will show which plant will possess good fiber quality, resistance to bunchy top virus and will most likely deliver higher yields.

After the presentation, the scientists showed the laboratories and the plants they were working with. The Philippines is the world's leading producer of abaca, providing 85 percent of the world's supply. The industry brings an annual income of $80 million.

However, due to infestation of bunchy top virus, which is the most dominant abaca disease, the industry output is down anywhere from 30 percent and 50 percent, the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) reported.

Faced with this big problem, FIDA, DA-BPO and IPB are continuously pushing to develop technologies to help the abaca industry recover from the adverse impact of these debilitating diseases.

Abaca plants infested with bunchy top virus will show a yellowish-white, chlorotic area on lamina and margins of unfurled leaf, mature leaves will become dark green, stiff, narrow, erect and necrotic.

The petioles begin to rise from the same plane at the upper end of the pseudostem resulting in a rosette or bunchy appearance. Infected plants may stay alive for years but they gradually become smaller and their leaves and leafsheaths turn brown before dying. – Arvee Villafuerte / Biolife News Service


TESDA schools to go into food production

In response to the directive of President Gloria Arroyo, Administrators of agriculture and fishery schools of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) take the lead their in full-scale food production to contribute to national food security.

TESDA agriculture and fishery schools nationwide will soon produce rice and other agricultural crops, livestock, and aquatic products in "commercial quantities," according to TESDA Director General Augusto Boboy Syjuco.

The administrators and officials of TESDA technology institutions gathered in Manila recently for a special meeting which focused on the discussion of the food production plans of each institution. Syjuco convened the meeting in response to the call of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to utilize all tillable lands to ensure food security and sufficiency.

"The TESDA as a government institution will contribute to our country's food security. We have to tap and maximize the use of existing resources and harness our own expertise in increasing food production," he said.

According to Syjuco, TESDA technical institutions own a combined land area of 2,000 hectares which can be used for agri-fishery production. At present, these technology institutions use their land resources as training laboratories and experimental facilities for various agri-fishery courses. TESDA has 125 technology institutions all over the country.

Pastor Guiao, TESDA deputy director general for community and local government units services, exhorted the agri-fishery schools heads to increase production of agricultural crops, livestock, and aquatic products to contribute to national effort of averting food shortage in the country.

One of the food production plans presented in the meeting was the proposed cultivation and wide scale planting of dragon fruit by the Bangui Institute of Technology in Ilocos Norte. The exotic fruit is presently being grown in Pasuquin and Burgos towns. Another proposal which elicited deep interest among the school heads is the utilization of vermi composting technology to produce organic fertilizers for crop production.

While the agri-fishery schools chiefs noted that increasing food production in their respective schools would require funds for new equipment, support infrastructure, and other inputs, they agreed that implementing their food production plans as soon as possible will generate income for their schools, students and communities.

Incentives for aggie breakthroughs Director Alicia Ilaga of the Biotech Program Office of the Department of Agriculture has called for more incentives for biotechnologists who have developed high-yielding and pest-resistant crops.

Ilaga said researchers deserve to be rewarded for their scientific work and noted that this is consistent with the findings of a study done by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in cooperation with Sikap/Strife Foundation.

She added that these researchers have been working with the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the development of agricultural biotechnology products and their protection and commercialization.

According to the study, majority of the respondents believe that research and development (R&D) results should be commercialized and made public.

A few, however, expressed fear on the effects of biotech products on health and environment.
The researchers who answered in the affirmative say that private commercialization would solve the country's problem on food insufficiency, unemployment and poverty, and would provide faster dissemination of products/technologies to the public.

Moreover, they agree that biotech products would be useless if not commercialized. A small group, however, fears the negative effects of biotechnology on health and the environment. They also express concern about public sector R&D institutions taking profit from products that were initially funded by the state.

Intellectual property rights (IPR) also plays a key role to the planned commercialization. The scientists express concern on how the rights of the researchers and developers would be protected if their products were commercialized.

These findings are found to be closely associated on the respondent's knowledge on biotechnology and IPR awareness.

Those who are knowledgeable are most likely to give positive answers regarding the commercialization of biotech products. Results also imply that the respondents look at gaining and protecting IPR as crucial to commercialization and attracting investors to technologies that give them exclusive rights.

This supports the statement that research products will not create any impact unless the products will not reach the end users, or get commercialized. – Biolife News Service

Kalinga Unoy red rice tested on lowland farming TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The renowned Kalinga Unoy red rice, which thrives only in the upland region of the province was recently tested on lowland farming, for the first time. The project funded by an Australian non-government organization with local tie-up has experimented on a 23-hectare lowland farm, planted between June-July for a 6-month cropping period. The harvest is expected to come by December.

Project manager Brigida Valdez said the project area was distributed into three spots in Barangays Magabbangon and Mapaoay, here and in Rizal municipality.

During the planting when the rain came late, workers have to water the entire planting area using a mechanical water-pump as Unoy seeds need a soaked soil. Valdez revealed a very unconventional farming system introduced by the financier, where the plant is left with the bushes, after it starts to grow.

Valdez said their seeds came from the last harvested upland Unoy in the province. The Unoy industry heightened after its exportation to Montana USA by the Revitalized Indigenous Cordillera Entrepreneur (RICE) Inc, an NGO with links in the international market.

The last shipment quota made by the RICE, Inc. reached 10 tons and is even expected to increase as the price of the commodity earns better rates in the world market. Farmers get P80/kilo now from their produce from the P50/kilo starting price three years ago. This was a breakthrough for the Unoy industry since a new market is in the offing from the Australian financier, who vowed to bring the produce of the first cropping to his hometown, Valdez said.

According to Valdez, this development would effect an improvement in the buying price of Unoy, giving higher margins to farmers. “Unlike the one exported to Montana, which is produced through pure hand pounding, this one is milled by a special machine from Australia to be brought here by the financier.” The machine is designed to maintain the micro-nutrient requirement of the rice and its standard quality for international demand, she said. -- Larry Lopez

Tabuk council probes water firm

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The sangguniang panlungsod is conducting a legislative inquiry on complaints about quality of the water supplied by Tabuk Waters, a private firm operating the water system of the city.

Councilor Sandra Mejia, chairperson of the SP’s committee on health, told the media foremost concern of the board is the rising levels of manganese, copper, and fluoride in the water.

According to tests conducted by Tawa last month and in Dec. 2007, levels of manganese, copper, and fluoride have gone beyond the safe range.

Mejia said during the SP session last Sept. 1, Tawa assistant general manager Rodolfo Yumol assured that despite the increasing levels of the three substances, the water is still safe for human consumption, but still the board wants to make sure that it is indeed safe.

Mejia intends to consult the Department of Health’s regional office on the finding to know the
effects to public health and safety of the increasing levels of the substances in the Tawa water.

Mejia said Tawa had agreed that she and Councilor Reamcy Adong, infrastructure committee chairman, will be present during the collection of water samples for physical and chemical test "to remove all doubts that the samples were taken elsewhere."

"We also recommended to Tawa more sampling points because we noticed that their present sampling points are not representative of all the areas in their coverage. For instance, they need to get samples in areas where many people congregate such as public markets," Mejia said.

On the complaints about murky and undesirable odor of Tawa water, Mejia quoted Yumol as saying it is caused by "suction pressure" which happens when there is a sudden stoppage in water supply. This results in the entry of outside water into the pipeline through leaks. -- EAJ

6 AFP soldiers killed in Cordillera NPA attacks

TABUK, CITY --– Amid renewed calls by President Arroyo to end the decades-old insurgency problem, the New People’s Army has intensified its attacks, killing six Army soldiers in separate attacks in the Cordillera.

Ka Tipon Gil-ayab, spokesman of the NPA’s Lejo Cawilan Command in Kalinga said a squad of NPA fighters set up the hasty ambush along the foot trail between Barangays Poswoy and Ab-abaan in the municipality of Balbalan, Kalinga to waylay

34 soldiers under Charlie Company of the 21st IB. The firefight, Gil-ayab said, lasted 4:35 p.m. to 7 p.m. of July 30. “The ambush resulted in the immediate death of three soldiers and two wounded, one of whom died later.

The operating troops were part of the Re-engineered Special Operations Team of the 21st IB and 77th IB in the municipalities of Balbalan, Pinukpuk, Pasil, Lubuagan, including some barrios of Tabuk City,” Gil-ayab said.

Army casualties were named as Staff Sgt. Cio, Sgt. Galimba, and Private First Class Toribio.

The military reportedly did not divulge the name of the officer who was seriously wounded – 2Lt. Jay Alambra of the 21st IB.

Meanwhile, the NPA’s Agustin Begnalen Command in Bara said it staged an ambush against a platoon of operating troops of the Bravo Coy, 41st IB on Aug. 1 at Barangay Duldulao, Malibcong, Abra wherein six soldiers were killed, nine were wounded and two later died in a hospital.

The rebel group said it retrieved an M16 rifle, ammunitions and backpack after the brief firefight.

“The Red Guerillas used a command-detonated claymore mine and safely withdrew. A company-sized composite contingent of the Bravo and Charlie Coys is currently terrorizing the people of Malibcong Poblacion, Duldulao, and Bayabas, and is forcing the people to allow the establishment of detachments in the municipality.

The overwhelming majority of the people, however, are opposed to the 41st IB's plan,” said ABC-NPA spokesman Ka Diego Wadagan in a statement.
In Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela, Maj. Gen. Melchor Dilodilo, chief of the Army’s 5th Infantry Division, said the rebel attacks were meant to show that the NPA is still a force to reckon with.

“In fact, our intelligence sources have gathered that the NPA general command has ordered its field forces to step up their attacks on government and private installations to make the impression that they are still a force to reckon with. But here in the north, their strength is on the downtrend,” he said.

On Aug. 1, he said, two soldiers on community outreach missions were killed and two of their colleagues were wounded in an NPA attack in Malibcong, Abra. “This came two days after three other soldiers were slain and another one wounded in a remote Kalinga village,” he added.

Last week, Ms Arroyo reiterated her call for the Armed Forces to crush the communist insurgency on or before 2001 before participants in Cagayan Valley’s first local peace and security assembly in Tuguegarao City.

Authorities have noted increased rebel activities in the Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and Ilocos regions where the 5th ID operates, including attacks on two Globe Telecom towers in Kalinga and Cagayan.

FRONT PAGE

Road accident sparks Kalinga, Mt Province

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – A clash over their contrasting manners of disposing cases of accidents is threatening to sour the relationship between Kalinga and neighboring Mountain Province.

The controversy puts Kalinga Rep. Manuel Agyao, who is also representing Mountain Province in Congress in an uncomfortable position. as caretaker due to the death of Rep. Victor Dominguez.

A former ranking provincial official of Mountain Province has called on Agyao through the media to intervene in the resolution of a case involving a vehicular accident on Sept. 8, 2007 in Magabbangon, Cudal, Tabuk.

The accident claimed the lives of 10 persons. Most of the victims were Kalinga natives, while the owner of the ill-fated Forward truck, Alexander Miranda, hailed from Sabangan, Mountain Province. He was one of the fatalities.

Former Mountain Province provincial administrator Evelyn Miranda, a sister-in-law of Alexander, is pleading with Agyao to help in the efforts of the relatives of the dead victims and some survivors to impose a multa (indemnity) on the family of Alexander.

She said with some Kalinga professionals, including several government officials, taking the cudgels for them, relatives of seven of the fatalities are demanding that the family of Alexander pay P50,000 for each of the victims as multa. She said the initial agreement was for the family to raise P70,000 as assistance to families of the fatalities.

But that when the money, which she claimed is the only remaining resources of Lucia Miranda, the widow, was ready, the claimants and their supporters said that it is not enough.

"They do not consider that it was an accident and that Alexander was also killed. They do not also seem to believe that the family has more money. Actually, P50,000 of the P70,000 came from the sale of the junked Elf truck, the only remaining property in the name of Alexander," said Evelyn, adding that the amount is not being given as multa but as assistance to the bereaved families.

She said some Kalinga professionals who are in a position to help resolve the issue appear instead to be in favor of the giving indemnity to the victims.

"In Mountain Province, we do not impose any compensation on account of accidents,” Evelyn said. “We do not give a price to life. It cannot be bought or sold. Assistance, if any, is voluntary. They are saying that we have a different culture and that, on the other hand, the practice of exacting the multa is part of the Kalinga culture. But our position is that bad cultural practices should be discarded. The practice of girls sleeping in the ulog and the boys sleeping in the ato used to be a part of Mountain Province culture but that was when our houses were one-room affairs. (Ulog and ato, in the not-so recent years were indigenous huts where community affairs were discussed respectively by the women in the former and the men in the latter.) There came a time when we realized that the practice has become impractical and no longer attuned with the times and it just disappeared. The bagbagto practice (organized tribal stone-throwing fights) vanished for the same reason."

Evelyn is hoping that Agyao will look into the plight of Mountain Province immigrants in Kalinga who, she claimed, are being treated as second-class citizens for many generations now.

She said that in cases in which Moutain Province immigrants are victimized by Kalingas through accidents or crimes, they are not paid the multa. Evelyn is also intending to bring the case to the attention of the sangguniang panlalawigan of Mountain Province. -- EAJ

MORE NEWS, KALINGA

P100 million OTOP fund set as loans for Cordillera borrowers
By DEXTER A. SEE

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Funding assistance in the form of loans, amounting to R2 billion, is being offered for borrowers who want to engage in business enterprises under the One Town One Product (OTOP) program of government. Noryn Bagano of the Department of Trade and Industry office here said the funding scheme is being offered by the head office of the Development Bank of the Philippines to local traders.
Of the total P2 billion, P100 million is earmarked for the Cordillera Region. There is also no ceiling in the amount of loan per borrower, as it depends on the needs of applicants.

Applicants for the OTOP loans must have track record of business operations and should be technically, financially, economically and environmentally viable.

The loan applications are submitted to DTI provincial offices for evaluation. Later, these are endorsed to the DBP head office for funding, Bagano said.

Government launched the OTOP program in 2004 in support of small business enterprises engaged in tourism, food processing, weaving and production.

The borrowed funds may be used for the construction of infrastructure facilities, production, farming and marketing. The borrowers are charged 8-10 percent interest rate per annum.

Regarding the payment period, the borrowers are given one year for production capital, five years for permanent working capital, and 10 years for capital expenditures. Possible borrowers are local government units, private entrepreneurs and overseas Filipino workers.

Road accident sparks controversy:Kalinga, Mountain Province clash over cultural practises

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – A clash over their contrasting manners of disposing cases of accidents is threatening to sour the relationship between Kalinga and neighboring Mountain Province.

The controversy puts Kalinga Rep. Manuel Agyao, who is also representing Mountain Province in Congress in an uncomfortable position. as caretaker due to the death of Rep. Victor Dominguez,

A former ranking provincial official of Mountain Province has called on Agyao through the media to intervene in the resolution of a case involving a vehicular accident on Sept. 8, 2007 in Magabbangon, Cudal, Tabuk. The accident claimed the lives of 10 persons.

Most of the victims were Kalinga natives, while the owner of the ill-fated Forward truck, Alexander Miranda, hailed from Sabangan, Mountain Province. He was one of the fatalities.

Former Mountain Province provincial administrator Evelyn Miranda, a sister-in-law of Alexander, is pleading with Agyao to help in the efforts of the relatives of the dead victims and some survivors to impose a multa (indemnity) on the family of Alexander.

She said with some Kalinga professionals, including several government officials, taking the cudgels for them, relatives of seven of the fatalities are demanding that the family of Alexander pay P50,000 for each of the victims as multa.

She said the initial agreement was for the family to raise P70,000 as assistance to families of the fatalities.

But that when the money, which she claimed is the only remaining resources of Lucia Miranda, the widow, was ready, the claimants and their supporters said that it is not enough.

"They do not consider that it was an accident and that Alexander was also killed.

They do not also seem to believe that the family has more money. Actually, P50,000 of the P70,000 came from the sale of the junked Elf truck, the only remaining property in the name of Alexander," said Evelyn, adding that the amount is not being given as multa but as assistance to the bereaved families.

She said some Kalinga professionals who are in a position to help resolve the issue appear instead to be in favor of the giving indemnity to the victims.

"In Mountain Province, we do not impose any compensation on account of accidents,” Evelyn said. “We do not give a price to life. It cannot be bought or sold. Assistance, if any, is voluntary. They are saying that we have a different culture and that, on the other hand, the practice of exacting the multa is part of the Kalinga culture.

But our position is that bad cultural practices should be discarded. The practice of girls sleeping in the ulog and the boys sleeping in the ato used to be a part of Mountain Province culture but that was when our houses were one-room affairs.

(Ulog and ato, in the not-so recent years were indigenous huts where community affairs were discussed respectively by the women in the former and the men in the latter.) There came a time when we realized that the practice has become impractical and no longer attuned with the times and it just disappeared. The bagbagto practice (organized tribal stone-throwing fights) vanished for the same reason."

Evelyn is hoping that Agyao will look into the plight of Mountain Province immigrants in Kalinga who, she claimed, are being treated as second-class citizens for many generations now.

She said that in cases in which Moutain Province immigrants are victimized by Kalingas through accidents or crimes, they are not paid the multa.

Evelyn is also intending to bring the case to the attention of the sangguniang panlalawigan of Mountain Province. -- EAJ

MORE NEWS, KALINGA

P100 million OTOP fund set as loans for Cordillera borrowers
By DEXTER A. SEE

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Funding assistance in the form of loans, amounting to R2 billion, is being offered for borrowers who want to engage in business enterprises under the One Town One Product (OTOP) program of government.

Noryn Bagano of the Department of Trade and Industry office here said the funding scheme is being offered by the head office of the Development Bank of the Philippines to local traders.

Of the total P2 billion, P100 million is earmarked for the Cordillera Region.
There is also no ceiling in the amount of loan per borrower, as it depends on the needs of applicants.

Applicants for the OTOP loans must have track record of business operations and should be technically, financially, economically and environmentally viable.

The loan applications are submitted to DTI provincial offices for evaluation. Later, these are endorsed to the DBP head office for funding, Bagano said.

Government launched the OTOP program in 2004 in support of small business enterprises engaged in tourism, food processing, weaving and production.

The borrowed funds may be used for the construction of infrastructure facilities, production, farming and marketing. The borrowers are charged 8-10 percent interest rate per annum.

Regarding the payment period, the borrowers are given one year for production capital, five years for permanent working capital, and 10 years for capital expenditures.

Possible borrowers are local government units, private entrepreneurs and overseas Filipino workers.

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1,500 Free Patent titles granted in Kalinga town
By Larry Lopez

TANUDAN, Kalinga – 1,500 Free Patent land titles have been approved and ready for distribution in this municipality under government's Handog Titulo program of the Land Registration Authority.

This is the third round of distribution this year by the Registry of Deeds of the province. Last February, 198 beneficiaries in Barangay Cudal of Tabuk City were distributed titles under the program, while another 150 families of Rizal municipality got their land titles last March.

Handog Titulo is part of government's project in providing land to the landless, through funds from the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

The beneficiaries in Tanudan have applications still dated 1996 and were approved last 2007. Of the total number of beneficiaries, only 86 have so far claimed their titles.

As provided in the program, beneficiaries are able to register their titles with the ROD without payment of the P100 registration fee as it has been waived by the LRA, under this particular program.

Also, beneficiaries are issued land titles without being required to present tax clearances, which is required by law.

However, this provision of Handog Titulo does not exempt recipients from payment of back taxes on the land, if any and current taxes, as well.

Before a beneficiary could qualify for a Free Patent, he should have actual occupancy of the particular lot and have introduced improvements on it.
Under Handog Titulo, applicants can file applications with the Community Environment & Natural Resources Office and can wait for its approval from the PENRO, before they can register their titles with the ROD, in three months.

The processing of applications for Free Patent titles has been shortened, unlike before when approval comes from the regional level.

As provided in the conditions of the title, free patent titles, are not negotiable for loans and sale for a period of five years, upon issuance.

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Kalinga barangays to hold special polls

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Barangays in the province who have incomplete members of the Sangguniang Kabataan will hold special elections this coming May to fill up vacancies.

Many barangays have no SK kagawad or if there are not all the slots are filled up without the appointment of secretary and treasurer, town officials said.

The Local Government Code does not specify the mode of appointment to fill up existing vacancies in the SK, they said.

But Supreme Court however ruled that the vacancy shall be filled by the SK members chosen by the incumbent SK members by simple majority among themselves.

Administrative Order No. 224 issued by Pres. Arroyo authorized the Secretary of the Dept. of Interior and Local Government to exercise the power of appointment, for and in behalf of the President of the Philippines, for purposes of filling up the vacancies in the SK

Provincial DILG chief Francisco Gamatero said a barangay can conduct the election immediately after 15 days of publication and an information drive should have been carried out.

Citing a provision of Administrative Order No. 224 issued by the President, Gamatero which states, “to strengthen the role of the youth in nation-building, it is imperative that the vacancies in the SK be filled up in accordance with the procedures set in the Garvida case confirmed by an appointment pursuant to Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution.

Gamatero said the exercise will be funded by the barangay including payment of honoraria to personnel who will conduct the election.

Involved agencies are the DILG, Commission on Elections, and the SK.
He said almost all barangays in Kalinga have incomplete SK councils. “During the filing of candidacy, many SK members vying for elections fail to submit the requirements, particularly drug test certificate because of their inability to pay the laboratory fee,” he said. -- PIA-Kalinga

Two warring CPLA factions merge to push Cordillera autonomy

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — The two factions of the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army, which have been at odds since 1994 when they split, set aside their differences for their common aspiration for the establishment of an autonomous government in the Cordillera as provided for in the 1987 Constitution.

The "unification" of the CPLA would also mean a cessation of hostilities between the two factions, their leaders said.

In a meeting held in Bulanao last April 24, top leaders of both factions -- the Balweg and Molina wings -- agreed to unite and remain "as one" through the indigenous practice called sapata after choosing the officers of their high command through consensus.

Chosen chairman and vice-chairman were former Bucloc, Abra Mayor Mailed Molina, leader of the Molina faction, and Miguel Sugguiyao Jr. of the Balweg faction, respectively.

The other top officers of the reunited CPLA are the following: Arsenio Humiding (Molina faction), political affairs officer; Leonardo Bun-as (Balweg faction), chief of staff; and Juanita Chulsi (Molina faction), deputy chief of staff.

Engineer Andres Ngaoi, CPLA member, informed media that Secretary Jesus Dureza of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and Philippine National Police Cordillera Regional Director Eugene Martin witnessed the oath-taking of the officers of the CPLA high command the following night at the Davidson Hotel in Bulanao.

Sugguiyao told local media the process of reunification which started in 2004 and was facilitated by the OPAPP and the National Security Council was hastened by their common perception that the national government was seemingly insincere in the new drive for Cordillera autonomy.

Sugguiyao said the choice of the Regional Development Council to spearhead the drive was especially suspicious because the advent of autonomy would mean a lethal blow to the council.

Saying that despite the split in the ranks of the CPLA, they never stopped working for autonomy, Molina said that giving the CPLA a more important role in the drive for autonomy was stipulated in the memorandum of agreement forged by the government and the CPLA on April 25 in this city as a result of a workshop on the concerns of the CPLA sponsored by the OPAPP.

Dureza signed for the government while Molina signed for the CPLA. -- EAJ

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Kalinga barangays to hold special polls

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Barangays in the province who have incomplete members of the Sangguniang Kabataan will hold special elections this coming May to fill up vacancies.

Many barangays have no SK kagawad or if there are not all the slots are filled up without the appointment of secretary and treasurer, town officials said.

The Local Government Code does not specify the mode of appointment to fill up existing vacancies in the SK, they said.

But Supreme Court however ruled that the vacancy shall be filled by the SK members
chosen by the incumbent SK members by simple majority among themselves.

Administrative Order No. 224 issued by Pres. Arroyo authorized the Secretary of the Dept. of Interior and Local Government to exercise the power of appointment, for and in behalf of the President of the Philippines, for purposes of filling up the vacancies in the SK

Provincial DILG chief Francisco Gamatero said a barangay can conduct the election immediately after 15 days of publication and an information drive should have been carried out.

Citing a provision of Administrative Order No. 224 issued by the President, Gamatero which states, “to strengthen the role of the youth in nation-building, it is imperative that the vacancies in the SK be filled up in accordance with the procedures set in the Garvida case confirmed by an appointment pursuant to Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution.

Gamatero said the exercise will be funded by the barangay including payment of honoraria to personnel who will conduct the election.

Involved agencies are the DILG, Commission on Elections, and the SK.

He said almost all barangays in Kalinga have incomplete SK councils. “During the filing of candidacy, many SK members vying for elections fail to submit the
requirements, particularly drug test certificate because of their inability to pay the laboratory fee,” he said. -- PIA-Kalinga

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‘Late liquidation delayed ECCD project in Kalinga’
By Larry Lopez

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Projects for children in the province had been delayed due to non-liquidation of cash advances by recipient local government units until now.

This was found out by representatives from the Provincial Early Childhood Care Development Coordinating Council led by Gov. Floydelia Diasen who evaluated implementation of ECCD projects in Kalinga following reports of delay in completion.

The group, along with from the National Council for the Welfare of Children joined the probe.

Gretchen Curameng, PECCDCC secretariat member said the evaluation covered all components of the program from civil works, provision of facilities to barangay health stations and day care centers, supplemental feeding, mothers livelihood projects and assistance to nutrition program.

The civil works component of ECCD provides assistance to repair of barangay health station and day care center buildings.

It has the bulk in funding appropriation, programmed in all eight towns of the province with three pilot barangays per town.

Reports gathered showed in the province, of the 24 barangay health station projects, 12 have been completed, while 12 are still on-going.

Of the 24 barangay day care center projects, eight completed, six ongoing, while 10 are not yet implemented.

Probe members said this explained why some barangays can not start implementation of their respective day care center projects because those who were earlier awarded have not yet submitted their liquidations.

As a procedure, the CWC head office does not release the remaining funds, unless earlier releases have been properly liquidated.

The three-year ECCD program in Kalinga was launched in Oct. 2005, and expected to be completed in Oct. 2008.

Following this, the PECCDCC agreed to hold consultations with its formed task groups before starting work for the remaining implementation period to avoid similar lapses, Curameng said.

As first ECCD program area in the country, Kalinga got a total fund of P20.625 million. Eighty percent of the amount is provided by the National Council for Welfare of Children while 20 percent is the province’s counterpart.

Brakes of bus to Tabuk malfunction -- kicker

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- Four persons, including a four-year-old girl, were killed and 25 others were injured late Wednesday afternoon when the Tabuk-bound bus they were riding in suffered mechanical trouble and plunged into a creek at Luyucan, Nambaran, this city.

Chief Supt. Eugene G. Martin, director of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera, identified the dead victims as Luis Tingle, 40, native of Casigayan, Tabuk City; Cristina Asan, native of Taloctoc, Tanudan, Kalinga; Uney Kawasaki, 4, of Bulanao, this city and Corazon Espita, 43, resident of Quezon, Isabela.

The 25 injured victims were identified as Leo Josue, 40, of Bulanao, Tabuk; Florencia Dummanay, 62, of Bulanao, Tabuk; Aray Dangani, 34, of Anunang, Rizal, Kalinga; Bartolome Sabrano, 51, of San Julian, Tabuk; Joselina Garcia, 39, of Rizal, Kalinga; Kim Joseph Agsao, 3, of Rizal, Kalinga; Lourdes Campilis, 58, of Agbannawag, Tabuk; Jocelyn Macababbad, 49, of Agpas, Tabuk; Gina Umawing, 31, and Princess Macababbad, 4, both of Agpas, Tabuk.

Also injured were Remy Magmoyao, 27, of Bulanao, Tabuk; Eddie Agsao, 50, of Liwan, Rizal, Kalinga; Mary Grace Palattao, 19, of Sucbot, Pinukpok, Kalinga; Muhaime Gumaal, 37, of Dagupan Centro, Tabuk; Roel Eugenio, 18, of Santiago City, Isabela; Elizabeth Miana, 40, of Bulanao, Tabuk; Joan Estalilla, 19, of Bulanao, Tabuk; Mirason Baniatan, 22, of Laya East, Tabuk; Joana Batuwil, 19, of Agbannawag, Tabuk; Banigno Awingan, 27, of Bulanao, Tabuk; Emilio Puega, 34 of Bulanao, Tabuk; Angelito Prudencio, 22 of Quezon, Isabela; RJ Umawing, 1, of Agpas, Tabuk; Norie Macababbad of Agpas, Tabuk; and Jessie Bruno, driver of the ill-fated vehicle.

Police investigation showed the Dang-on bus bearing plate number AYC908 and bound for this city from Santiago City, Isabela was negotiating at high speed an upward curve of the road in Barangay Lacnog when it partly missed the curve.

Then, the vehicle started moving backwards, and suddenly its brakes malfunctioned. Then, it broke through the guard rails of the Luvucan Bridge and plunged into the creek some 20 meters below.
Police said Tingle, Asan, and Kawasaki died on the spot, while Espita was declared dead on arrival at the Kalinga Provincial Hospital here.As of yesterday, all the injured victims were still confined. -- Dexter A. See and EAJ

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Kalinga execs pledge to solve bloody land dispute
RIZAL, Kalinga – Town officials here pledged full support to the resolution of the bloody Malapiat land dispute assuring technical and financial assistance to Task Force Malapiat created to do the job under the amended executive order issued by Gov. Floydelia Diasen.

Rizal organized its own task force in July 2007 after the June 25 encounter between occupants of the disputed area with law enforcers where nine farmers were killed and 10 policemen wounded.

Malapiat is the remaining unresolved area after an inter-agency task force successfully delineated and titled 30 of the 34 claims of plaintiffs and intervenors.

On the urging of Rizal officials to continue activities of the provincial and municipal task forces, a merger executive order was issued with Diasen as chairperson and Mayor Chris Mark Dela Cruz as co-chair.

Municipal administrator Marcelo Dela Cruz during a consultation and planning meeting at the Sangguniang Bayan Hall here last week said the LGU of Rizal is 100 percent supportive to the lasting solution of the problem.

“This problem is within our LGU, so we want it eliminated once and for all. Whatever resources needed, the LGU is willing to shell out counterpart even in the form of fund allocation,” Dela Cruz said.

He said some were carried out primary concerned party and these worked well. “Two buyers of parcel of lots were paid back their money after discovering that what they bought was earlier sold,” he said.

He said transactions went on blindly without proper documentation and presentation of requirements.

“What complicated the problem was that certain lots were sold more than twice so claimants overlapped on their claims,” the older Dela Cruz said adding four are now fighting ownership – the intervenor, actual tiller, the buyer, and the ‘squatter’.

On the other hand, Vice Mayor Renato Vicente said he supported thrust of the Sangguniang Bayan to legislate policy to attain objectives of the task force.

“Peace and order is our primary agenda for this year, therefore, problems disrupting peace stability have to be achieved,” he said.

He added the Malapiat dispute has put Rizal in the “shame-map. We have to resolve it, by approving legislation to support financial appropriations for the program.

Meanwhile, Task Force Malapiat agreed to push through with its verification survey on lots within the disputed area here to delineate among claimants the remaining 176 hectares left in 2003 delineation, particularly that of intervenor Buenaventura Sarga.

The joint task force signed a resolution requesting the Department of Agrarian Reform for the immediate approval of the Swede survey, which land occupants want to be used.

Occupants earlier petitioned to stop surveyors in December last year saying they desired to have a Swede instrument do the survey over the manual surveys.

Under the redefined objectives of the joint task force, arbitration committee chairman Francis Calsiyao of the Public Attorney Office said delineation will be based on the result of the Swede survey.

“Intervenor claims that are not found by the Swede survey will be deleted and survey shall expand to unsurveyed lots,” he said.

The action plan has been revised to integrate activities drawn from the respective plans of the two LGUs which are deemed necessary to carry out during the delineation.

The joint task force also agreed for occupant to establish proof of ownership in order to identify who is the intervenor, actual tiller, buyer and intruder. -- PIA-Kalinga


Hog disease hits Tabuk
TABUK CITY, Kalinga – A hog disease is now spreading in some barangays here, the provincial veterinary office bared.

The disease which hit the province in November last year has now affected the following barangays of Tabuk: Nasgueban, Appas; Bulanao Centro, Bulanao Norte, Dagupan West, San Juan, Agbannawag, Casigayan, Laya East and Magsaysay.

During the swine disease occurrence Investigation conducted from Feb. 4-5 in the abovementioned barangays, signs and symptoms observed among breeders ranged from coughing, sneezing, in appetence, fever, abortion and death.

Veterinary officer Dr. Mariano Dunwan said a surveillance team led by Dr. Danilo Acosta, senior agriculturist of the Bureau of Animal Industry found out infected pigs had mixed infection of hog cholera and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.

“We are still waiting for the lab results of the blood and tissue samples gathered by the team for analysis from the BAI, so we advise that hog raisers and consumers should take necessary precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease in other parts of the province or even outside the province,” he said.

The team recommended that total control of animal movement should be strictly observed.

“We greatly discourage the selling and slaughtering of pigs until these are declared free of disease. Backyard slaughtering in affected areas is not allowed,” he said.

For dead animals, he said these should be burned and buried while sick animals should not be sold or slaughtered.

Biodiversity he said, must also be strictly implemented where strict quarantine should be applied to affected animals, and that owners should limit their movements and should disinfect premises and install foot bath near their pig pens.

“Pigs coming from infected region are not also allowed to enter the province unless later declared free. So to closely monitor the movement of animals coming and going out of the capital town, the City government in partnership with the OAS established quarantine checkpoints in the entry points of Tabuk City,” he said.

Dunwan said the team also recommended the immediate creation of a disease surveillance team to immediately look into similar problems in the future.

For piglets, signs of disease are diarrhea and chilling, sneezing, coughing, reddening of the body and ears and sudden death among growers or fatteners.

Other municipalities should refrain from buying live pigs or pork from Tabuk and bringing it to their municipality to avoid the possible transmission of the disease in their localities, officials said.

In a related interview, Agricultural Technologist Aracelie Reveche said consumption of infected pork could also be harmful to people, especially if the infected animal was injected just a few hours or days before it was slaughtered.

“The medicine or disease of the animal even if we could not observe any effect in human could be accumulated by the human body. For instance, the medicine given to a certain animal could also be absorbed by the body and could cause possible immunity to that drug,” she explained.

She said those slaughtering sick animals should take into consideration the innocent people who might be buying their products and likewise buyers or consumes should be aware of the possible effects of eating sick animals. – GGD-PIA

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Kalinga board asks P7M from senators to construct nine rural school buildings
TABUK CITY - The Sangguniang Panlalawigan recently approved two resolutions asking senators Manuel Villar and Alan Peter Cayetano to fund the construction of nine school buildings in the province.

Authored by board member Fernando Abay, the first resolution is requesting P5 million from Senate president Villar for the construction of five school buildings to replace the old and dilapidated schools namely the Gawaan Elementary School and Tawang Elem. School in Balbalan; Balinciagao Sur Elem. School of Pasil; Southern Tinglayan National High School in Tinglayan; and Aciga Elem. School in Pinukpuk. Each school is proposed to be allocated P1 million.

The second resolution is requesting for P2 million from Cayetano to fund the construction of four other school buildings in the province namely: Ab-abaan Elementary School and Bayao Elementary School of Pinukpuk; Calanan Elmentary School of Tabuk City; and Tanglag Elementary School of Lubuagan. Each unit will be needing at least P500,000 to fund its construction.

During a recent SP session, Abay said these old schools needed immediate replacement since some are already dilapidated posing danger to the students while more school buildings are needed in several campuses to address the overcrowding of students due to the rapid increase of children in said areas.

It is imperative he said to construct additional buildings and replace the dilapidated schools to provide school children and students better buildings, facilitating the government’s goal of providing and making quality education accessible to all Filipinos.

In his resolution, Abay also cited that Kalinga being one of the poorest provinces in the country could not provide the needed funds to address these needs considering that the province is dependent on its Internal Revenue Allotment.

Meanwhile, Abay also authored another resolution asking Senator Francisco Escudero III for P1 million for the concreting of the road going to the Kalinga Sports Complex in the Tabuk City.

The approximately one and a half kilometer road stretch which is being used during various sports activities in the province like the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association sports competition is also regularly used by students studying in a nearby school located beside the Sports Complex .

However, the rough condition of road has been causing discomfort and inconvenience for those traversing the area since during the dry season it is bumpy and dusty and becomes slippery, inundated and muddy during the rainy season. -- GGD


Kalinga office pledges 399 slots for summer jobs
TABUK CITY, Kalinga - The Public Employment