Mayor renews appeal for “bag of cement” donations

       A portion of the Parang-Larap road at the Malapayungan-Calero area. – MWBuzz by 

       ARNEL P HERNANDEZ

By PERCEVAL A OSTONAL

JOSE Panganiban town Mayor Ricarte Padilla has renewed his call for donations towards the town government’s road cementing project, which is now trying to complete the problematic Parang-Larap road.

Ricarte made the call in a recent interview with MWBuzz at his Motherlode residence.

He said: Inaanyayahan ko ang sambayanang Mambolenos sa isang  bayanihang pakikiisa at pagtangkilik ng "a bag of cement for a cause" community  project and complete the Jose Panganiban-Larap road the earliest possible time.

“Napakalaking bagay ang maibibigay nito sa ating mga kababayan na nasa "outlaying barrios for their farm-to-market-produce and directly improve their means of livelihood in general”. 

Padilla said that “easy and accessible roads allow the public to increase their economic activities”.

As of last month, the cementing of the Parang-Larap project has already reached that portion of the road across the property of the late Don Ramon Adea.

The road works have been temporarily stopped due to bad weather and would resume once hot season sets in around next month.

Under the project “a bag of cement for a cause”, Padilla has appealed to the alumni of the Jose Panganiban National High school to donate road building materials such as cement and sand.

Kagawan Carlos Tabuada said earlier that they are seeking support from alumni who are working overseas.

It is expected that Padilla would make another pitch for this project to his fellow alumni, particularly to Batch ’81 to which he belongs, at the forthcoming general homecoming set on April 28-29 at the high school campus in Baranggay Parang.

So far, the municipal government’s cementing project has paved many baranggay roads within the poblacion. 

Outlaying baraggays would soon have their dirt road paved, Padilla said.

The mayor aims to complete the project before his term ends by June of next year.

The deplorable condition of the Larap road has continuously dismayed and frustrated many people from Baranggay Larap due to the difficulty of travel.

It has become a favorite “hate topic” among Larap residents and their relatives overseas on Facebook.

 

JP ecological team to deal with Parang beach pollution

       A typical scene at Parang beach … plastic bags are the most common waste pollutant 

       along the beach. – MWBuzzpic by ARNEL P HERNANDEZ

By PERCY A OSTONAL

MWBuzz Correspondent-at-large

THE ecological team of the mayor’s office in Jose Panganiban is taking initiatives on how to address the environmental issues in the municipality, particularly the waste pollution problem at the beach in Baranggay Parang.

This was disclosed by Mayor Ricarte Padilla in an interview with MWBuzz early this month, without explaining how such initiatives would be carried out.

Padilla noted that the waste pollution at Parang beach has been “a decade-long issue already”.

He said the accumulation of all kinds of waste matters could have not been caused by the households in Parang alone, particularly those living along the shoreline.

Padilla noted that it was also caused by nature, especially during typhoon.

“Ang totoo niyan, ang mga basura, human waste and all sort of debris sa ating dalampasigan … especially sa barrio ng Parang, ay hindi lang nagmumula sa Parang itself.

"Recipient lang siya (Parang) ng mga nasabing kapupunan ng dumi, human waste and all sort of debris from the coastal barrios like Osmena, Bagong Bayan, North and South poblacion, plaridel, Calero, Pagasa, Dayhagan, Nakalaya and Salvacion.”

He explained that during strong typhoon, the strong undercurrent of water at the mouth of the bay could easily rake up all waste debris buried under the seafloor and are carried towards the shoreline of Parang.

Padilla has begun visiting the coastal baranggays which he said are also sources of waste pollutants that end up at Parang beach to urge the people not to throw their household wastes and other waste materials into the beach.

The people were urged to contain their rubbish “in a responsible manner” so that it would not end up at the shore next to their homes.

Padilla said that during the Jose Panganiban Day celebration on Feb 1, he told the people that “all Mambolenos have responsibilities towards cleanliness in our community”.

“Cleanliness begins at home,” he said, adding that the people themselves should strictly adhere to this rule by looking at how the members of the family dispose waste matters that could end up on the beach and in the bay water.

He said his ecological team is finding ways on how to deal with this beach pollution problem.

Larap school appeals for help

      School stage ground cementing project … picture shows the 
      Larap Elementary School (LES) multi-purpose stage ground, which of late, has been 
      under water due to continuous rainfall. The school would like to end this endless weather-
      triggered problem for good by paving a wide patch of area in front of the stage, which 
      could also serve as basketball or volleyball court, or even better a morning/afternoon 
      calisthenics exercise ground for the young learners. School principal Rolly Torero has 
      posted on the Facebook account of the “Taga-Larap Ako” (TLA) an appeal for donation – 
      cash and materials – towards the cementing of the ground, address to all Larapenos who 
      are working overseas and elsewhere. If you think you can help with the project, please 
      send your donations to the “GPTA - Larap Elementary School” bank account with Banco 
      de Oro, Daet branch, Account No. 5160145088 in the name of any of the following: Gary S 
      Prima, president; Rosario B Aldea, treasurer or Lea M Bas, auditor. – Text by AP  
      HERNANDEZ /Picture courtesy of ROLLY TORERO

Businessmen slam ‘anti-mining’ policies

       Anti-mining protesters stage a rally along EDSA recently. - Picture by Bulatlat

THE Mindanao Business Council (MBC) is protesting the rush of anti-mining decisions at the local and national government levels which, they say, could drive away vital investments and threaten the stability of the regional economy in Mindanao.

 “A lot of the laws and regulations being put in place are not friendly with business in Mindanao, including mining. 

“Mining is one of the biggest contributors to the Mindanao economy and we will not allow the national government to deny Mindanao of this industry and its benefits,” MBC president Vic Lao said.

This developed as industry sources revealed that mining stakeholders in the private and public sectors have voiced their opposition to a draft executive order (EO) governing mining activities in the country, warning that the proposed EO’s provisions would prove to be fatal to the industry once implemented.

Sources said the still-unnumbered EO, carrying the title “Institutionalizing and Implementing Reforms in the Philippine Mining Sector, Providing Policies and Guidelines, and for Other Purposes,” will drive away future investments in the industry and imperil existing projects.

In particular, Lao said the decision of Environment Secretary Ramon Paje denying the application of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) for an environment clearance certificate (ECC) on its $5.6-billion copper-gold project could lead to immense economic losses for Mindanao.

He cited studies showing the Tampakan mining project can contribute an additional 10.4 percent to the gross regional domestic product of Regions 11 and 12 annually throughout the mine life of the project.

He said the business sector was forced to step in to save the benefits from the proposed Tampakan project.

 “The Mindanao business sector has decided to step in because we do not want the benefits of this project put to waste. The proposed Tampakan project can contribute a solid 1 percent to the GDP and it is of Mindanao’s interest that we all help protect this investment,” Lao said.

MBC sent an official communication to Paje expressing the Council’s disappointment over his denial of Tampakan’s ECC.

The MBC letter, signed by Lao, stated that the secretary’s action “based on an unfounded basis undermines and threatens investor confidence and impacts on the stability of the local business environment in Mindanao.”

       Environmental activists wave posters protesting the destruction of ecology allegedly  

       caused by  mining activities. - Picture by Bulatlat

 “The council, representing the large business sector of Mindanao, has already adopted the proposed Tampakan project as our flagship project. The business sector in Mindanao has also identified mining as a key growth sector in the Mindanao Development Agenda,” Lao said.

Also, in the Mindanao Development Council road map dubbed as Mindanao 2020, mining was identified as a key economic driver, Lao said.

A copy of the draft EO has been leaked and it immediately drew adverse reactions as it will “unduly lengthen the bureaucratic red tape and eventually paralyze, if not kill the industry altogether.”

 “It may have the best of intentions and is replete with motherhood statements, but the net effects might be imminently fatal to the mining industry,” an industry official said.

At a recent Joint Foreign Chambers forum pushing the “Arangkada 2010” agenda at the Marriott Hotel, President Aquino promised to issue “very clear” policies that will govern the mining industry by the end of February.

The new set of mining guidelines is a result of the work of a group of experts from the Cabinet that the President commissioned to study the state of the country’s mining industry and come up with new recommendations.

Industry players have already consulted with concerned government officials to clarify the contents of the draft EO.

They also asked President Aquino not to “prematurely and hastily issue the half-cooked draft EO which would only run into vigorous objections from practically all sectors of society, including business leaders and lawmakers.”

 “We, therefore, urge Malacañang to conduct first a wide ranging and free consultation process among all stakeholders in and for the mining sector,” industry sources said.

They said the proposed EO would unduly delay all ongoing projects, stop short all exploration activities, as well as the issuance of new mining permits. “In short, the mining industry which this EO seeks to promote will be severely undermined.” – Business Mirror