MORE NEWS, BAGUIO CITY

Typhoon leaves 9 dead, 28,566 homeless in NL
By Aileen P. Refuerzo and Jerry Padilla

BAGUIO CITY -- Massive flooding caused by Typhoon Nina which vented its wrath Tuesday displaced 28,566 families in the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Southern Tagalog and the Cordillera, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said.

This, as authorities said the death toll caused by Typhoon Nina has reached nine, including four people who drowned, three killed by landslides and one person electrocuted by a fallen power line after Nina struck.

Twenty other people were injured in landslides that hit Baguio City and Benguet.

In Baguio, rains triggered by Typhoon Nina left three persons dead, ten others injured and sent some 150 families to evacuation centers.

The fatalities were Lailani Fecha, 39 who was killed in a landslide that hit her house at 150 Dominican Ext. at the height of the typhoon last Sept. 22, Lolita Baroma, 76 and son Juan Baroma, 40, who were also pinned to death when a mounds of soil slid from the mountain and covered their home at 127 Guisad Surong barangay.

The City Disaster Coordinating Council chaired by Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. with city administrator Peter Fianza and city engineer Leo Bernardez as action officers reported that the howler reported that around 150 families were moved to the various evacuation centers at the height of the typhoon.

The CDCC also recorded 52 cases of landslides, soil erosion or mud flow, 17 eroded ripraps, colverts and stairways, 19 fallen trees, 19 incidents of flooding, one case of trash slide, two cases of washed out drainage pipelines as of September 23, Tuesday.

The figure is expected to increase as more reports are being received by the CDCC as of Friday.
No estimate of amount for damages was released as investigations of the damaged infrastructures also continued as of Friday.

There was minimal power outage and the two main access roads, Marcos Highway and Naguilian Road, remained passable. Kennon Road was closed due to landslides.

The mayor reminded the public that requests for assistance during calamities may be coursed through the CDCC which maintains the following phone numbers: 442-1901 to 442-1905.


Czech gov’t extends P1.3M for asin hydro plant study
By Isagani S. Liporada

BAGUIO CITY – It’s beginning to sound like Christmas for the City Government-run Asin Hydroelectric Power Plants

The Czech Republic, Sept. 22, inked a deal with the city government for the latter to finance a Czech-led feasibility study that may see the transformation of the 1925 American-vintage Hydroelectric Power Plant 1 in Nangalisan, Tuba, Benguet to an advanced power-generating facility endowed with the latest Czech technology.

The CZK495, 500 (P1.3-million) FS comes under the Czech Republic Development Cooperation for Local Small Scale Project Identification Programme.

Czech ambassador Jaroslav Ludva visited the AHPP1and inked the FS deal with Mayor Reinaldo Bautista afternoon that day.

Bautista expressed gratitude to the Czech Republic for the grant. He said, with the FS, the city government may be able to operate the hydro plant should the Czech Republic decide to grant rehab money after conclusion of the FS.

Early this year, Bautista communicated with the Czech Republic through Czech Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Helena Bambasova hoping to interest them in rehabilitating the project under the CRDC.

The Czech government responded to the city’s request in no time, sending experts Jaroslav Knotek and Bretislav Skacel of the Czech Renewable Energy Alliance and PS PROFI, to make initial assessment of the AHP’s from April 9 to 13.

Bautista said the fast action of the Czech Republic on the City Government’s request “was simply outstanding to say the least - it bespeaks of the Czech Republic’s genuine intention of furthering amity between our countries.”

Meanwhile, the Petroxy Corporation, an aggrupation of South Korean investors is currently pursuing possibility of a joint venture with the City in operating the AHP’s.
Petroxy is currently developing AHP’s in Kapangan and Kibungan, Benguet. To date, the corporation is finalizing plans for their own FS on the Asin facilities.


PSHS now accepting scholarship applications

BAGUIO CITY – The Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS) is accepting applications for the National Competitive Examination (NCE) on Nov. 15, as preparation for the PSHS – Cordillera Region opening next school year.

The PSHS for the Cordillera shall be based in Baguio, while the new PSHS Central Luzon Campus shall be in Clark, Angeles City, Pampanga.

Scholarship applications for school year 2009-2010, including the two new campuses, are extended until Oct. 6.

Gifted and talented students of the Cordillera Region are invited to apply, said a letter to Mayor Reinaldo Bautista, Jr. from PSHSS Executive Director Filma Brawner.

Earlier announcements pegged the deadline date as Sept. 15. Students who have submitted their applications need not apply again, Brawner stated in her letter.

Applicants must belong to the upper ten per cent of the graduating class of a school duly recognized by DepEd, as certified by the school principal, or have special aptitude in science and math, as supported by the report card and letter of recommendation from the principal.)

They must also be Filipino citizens with no application as immigrant to any foreign country, in good health, of good moral character and hasn’t taken the PSHS NCE previously.

Requirements are fully accomplished application form from the PSHSS in duplicate, two identical recent 1 by 1 ID pictures. non-refundable test fee (P100 for private school, free for public schools) and copy of report card, SY 2007-2008 with letter of recommendation if the applicant does not belong to the upper 10% of the graduating class.

Accomplished forms may be submitted to nearest DOST Regional Offices; or Provincial Science and Technology Centers, nearest PSHS campuses; or PSHSS Admissions Office, Agham road, Diliman, Quezon City 1104.

Forms are available at the PSHS campuses and Department of Science and Technology. For Cordillera applicants, forms may be obtained at the DOST Regional office along the national highway, Km 6, La Trinidad Benguet, or downloaded from the PSHS website www.pshs.edu.ph. Inquiries may be coursed through the DOST-CAR office; tel no. 422-0979, or head office: (02) 924-0639 and (02) 926-5701. – Julie G. Fianza


Cement batching plants banned in Baguio City
By Dexter A See

BAGUIO CITY – The city government has ordered owners of all cement batching plants in this mountain resort city to stop their operations and transfer the plants to areas outside of the city within a certain period of time.

The ban imposed by the city government on the operations of cement batching plants came as an offshoot barangay residents’ complaints.

The batching plants in the city are the causes of air, noise, water and land pollution, the residents said.

Vice Mayor Daniel T. Farinas said the ban on cement batching plants in the city is line with the city government’s effort to solve the worsening air, water, and land pollution.

Noting that there are still some hard-headed contractors who refuse to transfer their batching plants to other areas, Farinas requested the Cordillera office of the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources to assist the city government in the forcible removal of the cement plants, particularly those reportedly illegally operating.

Under an ordinance approved by the city council, contractors who own cement batching plants in the city are given a 30-day period to remove their plants, but some of them are using dilatory tactics to enable them to continue their operations.

Records show some cement batching plants in the city do not have the required environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from the Environmental Management bureau (EMB) in the Cordillera.

Likewise, the city government has not issued permits to operate to the owners of the plants. Because of these deficiencies, these are considered illegal businesses.

City officials noted that the booming construction industry has prompted several contractors to build their cement batching plants at places near their projects to save on cost of hauling as well as manpower and maintenance of trucks.

Earlier, thousands of residents in Camp 7 and other areas hosting cement batching plants petitioned the city government to initiate the moves to remove the plants in their barangays because of these are major contributors to the worsening air, noise, water, and land pollution.
They said that the cement dust being emitted by the plant has caused an outbreak of respiratory diseases among the people.

Despite strong opposition to the operations of cement batching plants in the different barangays, some owners of the plants continue to operate even without the necessary ECC and business permit.

Farinas also asked the law-enforcement agencies to immediately enforce the ordinance and stop the operations of cement batching plants.


Low palay price imperils food security: rice traders
By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – The low buying price of palay, which is set by the national government through the National Food Authority, is endangering the country’s food security, not only at present but also in the coming years.

This was the concern aired by some rice dealers and traders in this mountain resort city.

They noted that the P12 per-kilo buying price of palay in Northern Luzon has caused widespread disappointment among farmers.

Instead of increasing the buying prices of palay to encourage farmers to continue producing the staple food, the national government has opted to lower the buying price from P17 to P12 per kilo.

They said this is contrary to the pronouncement of top government officials that they want to step up production to prevent a repeat of the rice shortage in the previous months.

The disgruntled traders and retailers said the discouraging prices of palay would cause farmers to shift to other sources of income. Consequently, this would negate efforts to ensure rice sufficiency in the country in the coming years.

Furthermore, they said, the reduction in the buying price of palay may be intended to promote the importation of more rice. This would be to the advantage of commercial rice traders as well as corrupt government officials, they also said.

The local rice traders expressed disappointment over the failure of concerned national government agencies to protect the interest of rice farmers.

They said that the prevailing low buying price of palay is sending a wrong signal to the agriculture sector.

If the buying price of palay is increased to P20 per kilo, they said, rice farmers would be encouraged to continue or even increase production of the staple food.

This may even encourage in people in urban centers to go back to farming, they also said.

If there is insufficient supply of rice, unscrupulous government officials would benefit from it because they would be raking in millions of pesos in kickbacks from rice importers, the retailers said.

The concerned rice traders and retailers in this city appealed to the government to help the rice farmers by increasing the buying price of palay. The increase would enable them to recover their losses caused by the high prices of farm inputs.