Convergence Benefits Four Municipalities

by Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY , April 11 (PIA)– The four municipalities of Juban, Casiguran, Magallanes and Sorsogon City were recipients of several projects during the project launch of the Sorsogon Convergence Initiatives on Rural Development held here at Paradise Hotel last week.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) turned over the Agrarian Reform Communities Project (ARCP) 2 which includes rural infrastructure projects, community development programs, survey and agro-enterprise development projects to the municipalities of Juban, Casiguran and Sorsogon City.

USEC Gerundio C. Madueno together with DAR Region 5 regional director Maria Celestina M. Tam turned over the manifesto and description of projects to Mayor Ester Hamor of Casiguran, Mayor Olivia M. Bermillo of Castilla and Mayor Leovic R. Deoneda of Sorsogon City who are the focus of the convergence initiatives..

These three local governments are the pilot areas of the convergence initiative program to run for 5 years from 2011 to 2016.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) headed by Secretary Ramon Paje and region 5 regional director Joselin Marcus E. Fragada turned over to the three local government units under the convergence program the DENR program component which is the Integrated Agroferestry Production /Support to the National Greening Program.

The project includes the establishment of agroforestry farms and maintenance of the existing assisted natural regeneration project in their areas.

In support to the national greening program which these three municipalities will support as stipulated in the memorandum of understanding which earlier during the launch they have signed will include the production of forest and fruit trees for distribution to their identified areas for planting.

DENR have also turned over to these municipalities titles of alienable and disposable lands, the title of issuance of free patents for agricultural lands and issuance of patent for school site.

The programs and projects also given to these three local governments from the Department of Agriculture was turned over by USEC Bernadette Romulo-Puyat together with DA Region 5 regional director Jose V. Dayao which includes Livelihood Projects Facilities, equipments, and other interventions by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

The project includes tilapia , bangus fingerlings, prawn, post larvae, tilapia breders, seaweed seedling dispersal; distribution and establishment of the Municipal and City Tilapia Hatchery, Mariculture Zone, Post Harvest Facility, Aquasilviculture Project, Fishing Gears Distribution, Seaweed Input Assistance and the re assessment of the Fish Sanctuary in these three local government units.

These three municipalities also received from the DA small water impounding projects from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) which was turned over by Dr. Silvino Q. Tejada.

Two units of pump and engine sets were also turned over by Dr. Tejada to Congressman Salvador H. Escudero III.

The local government of Casiguran, Castilla and the City of Sorsogon also received Communal Irrigation Project and Communal Irrigation Service Extension from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) thru Engr. Antonio S. Nangel , NIA administrator.

Mayor Roque L. Carranza of the municipality of Magallanes also received the Farm Mecahnization and Post Harvest Program Retrofitting of Mechanical Dryers thru PHILMEC as a separate program from the convergence initiative program implementation.

This project includes provision of farm machineries and dyying facilities such as hand tractor, thresher, flatbed dryer and multi-purpose drill pump in together with the three cluster local government of Castilla, Casiguran and Sorsogon City.

Additional project also turned over includeed the retrofitting of the existing kerosine fed mechanical dryers with rice hull furnace in the City of Sorsogon.

Other projects turned over to the three municipalities, as pilot LGUs of the convergence initiatives program were projects from the Fiber Indusry Development Authority, the Organic Demo Farm by the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Project Standards (BAFPS), the Nursery Developmet, Cassava Development Project in Casiguran and Castilla, the farm to market roads in Burabod-Palanas- Road, distribution of Irrigation pumps and the Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) project in support of the Credit Programs by the Agricultural Credit Facility.

The project launch was a success and the three municipalities piloted will be monitored closely and regularly according to the two congressmen of the the province of Sorsogon, Hon. Salvador H. Escudero III of the 1st district and Hon. Deogracias B. Ramos of the 2nd district.(PIA-Sorsogon)

Filed under: Agriculture, Environment, Get Involved, Government, Sorsogon News Updates, agroforestry farms, Convergence benefits four municipalities, DENR Sorsogon, Hon. Deogracias B. Ramos, Hon. Salvador H. Escudero III, Irma A. Guhit, Joselin Marcus E. Fragada, Mayor Ester Hamor, Mayor Leovic R. Deoneda, Mayor Olivia M. Bermillo, Mayor Roque L. Carranza, PIA Sorsogon, Secretary Ramon Paje, USEC Gerundio C. Madueno

California Is One Step Closer to Banning Plastic Bags

Have you put your foot down when it comes to plastic shopping bags? Well, if you live in California and haven’t stopped using plastic instead of a reusable bag, the time might come where you have no other choice.

California has been the trailblazer with regard to strict environmental rules and regulations, and this state is going for yet another rule: a ban against those plastic grocery bags. Although this bill passed through the Assembly this week, it still needs to be approved through the Senate. Even in light of this, California is moving toward its goal. In the case that this bill would pass, the ban would begin in Jan. 2012 for grocery stores at first and then would extend to other stores such as drugstores by July 2013.

So what would shopper’s options be if this plastic bag ban were to pass?

Well, customers would be held accountable. They would have to be responsible for bringing along reusable bags that stores could use to bag their groceries in. If consumers didn’t carry reusable bags, these individuals would have to pay at least 5 cents for a bag that was partly manufactured with recycled content. In light of the environmental issues and risks to wildlife that plastic bags pose, this added responsibility isn’t such a big deal.

You might already be turning down plastic bags and requesting grocers to bag your belongings in a reusable bag. However, if you haven’t taken this step, it’s easy to start. You don’t necessarily have to purchase a reusable bag—just use a large bag that you own. It can be a backpack, messenger bag, etc.

The next step is ensuring that you have these reusable bags with you when you shop. To make sure you don’t forget them, make a habit of storing them in your car or in your bike basket.

It’s still uncertain whether California will get this plastic bag ban passed, but you can vow a personal ban against them. This simple action will decrease the amount of waste going to landfills and will also prevent wildlife from eating or becoming trapped in them.

By: Marina Hanes
in Green News

Filed under: Environment, Green Living