Vol. XIX, No. 12 - March 24 - 30, 2014

4

NEWS

Balikas

March 24 - 30, 2014

DENR mulls permanently closing Mount Banahaw from public entry DOLORES, Quezon -- The massive fire that ravaged some 50 hectares of forest and grasslands around the mystical Mount Banahaw has prompted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to consider making the protected area off limits to the public in perpetuity.

With the cause of fire still to be determined, DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje in a statement said closing the natural park to public access for good is one of the solutions being contemplated to prevent its further degradation and ensure the recovery of areas affected by the blaze.

“The DENR is now studying the permanent closure of Mount Banahaw to the public, particularly mountaineers and pilgrims, to avoid future incidents of forest fires stemming from human activities,” Paje said.

He noted that the recent fire, which also razed some 92 hectares of plantation within Mt. San Cristobal, was the third reported to have hit the Mounts Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape (MBSCPL) since 2010. In 2010, two fires damaged portions of the protected area in San Pablo City in Laguna and Dolores town in Quezon, covering a total of 80 hectares.

ment Board (PAMB) has declared certain portions of the protected area closed to the public until 2015 to allow the rehabilitation of its natural resources damaged by human activity. Unfortunately, people have been able to slip past the cordons into the prohibited area.

At the same time, Paje said he has already ordered the DENR Region 4-A (Calabarzon) to file charges against those responsible for the blaze.

The environment chief described the massive forest fire as “sad, condemnable and unacceptable” given the extent of the damage it had caused.

The Protected Area Manage-

“We deeply condemn this act,

THE mystic Mount Banahaw that spans the provinces of Quezona nd Laguna.

............................................................................................................................................... <<<BUNDOK....mula sa P/1

Tuktok ng Bundok Banahaw, nasunog! araw, bukod pa dito pagabi na ng mangyari ang nasabing sunog.

Iniimbestigahan ngayon ng tanggapan ng DENR at MBSCPLPAMB sa pamamagitan ng Protected Area Superintendent (PASu Office) sa pangunguna ni PASu Salud Pangan kung sinong grupo o tao ang responsable sa naturang sunog. Hinala nila, maaaring isa sa mga grupo na humihingi sa kanila ng permiso upang maka-akyat sa Durungawan na hindi niya pinayagan subalit maaaring

pumasok pa rin ito at sa ibang lagusan dumaan.

Matatandaan na may moratorium o sarado ang bahagi ng nasabing lugar sa publiko batay sa resolusyon na ipinasa ng PAMB noong Pebrero ng taong 2012 ng karagdagang tatlong taong closure order.

Taong 2009 ng maipasa ang Republic Act No. 9847 o “An Act Establishing Mounts Banahaw and San Cristobal in the Provinces of Laguna and Quezon as a Protected

Area under the Category of Protected Landscape, Providing for Its Management and for other Purposes.”

Batay sa batas na ito, may kaukulang multa o pagkakulong ng isang taon hanggang anim na taon ang paglabag sa mga regulasyon ng PAMB. Isa ring paglabag sa nasabing batas ay pagsasagawa ng kaingin o anumang gawain na magdudulot o magiging dahilan ng forest fire sa loob ng MBSCPL.|

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5,000 elementary pupils, makikinabang sa 'Nutri-Juice' program Season 4 LUNGSOD NG LUCENA, Quezon, --Tinatatayang may 5,000 magaaral sa elementarya mula sa iba’tibang bayan ng lalawigan ng Quezon ang makikinabang sa Nutri-Juice Program - Season 4.

Ang programa na magkatuwang na ipatutupad ng pamahalaang panlalawigan, Coco-Cola Company Philippines at Department of Education (DepEd) ang nakapalaman sa memorandum of agreement (MOA) na nilagdaan nina Quezon Governor David “JayJay” C. Suarez at Atty. Adel Tamano, vice-president for Public Affairs and Communications ng Coca-Cola Far East Ltd. Sinabi ni Gob. David Suarez na ang naturang supplemental feeding program ay hindi katulad ng mga feeding program na isinasagawa lamang sa loob ng isang araw

sapagkat ang programang ito ay isasagawa ng tuloy-tuloy sa loob ng 120 na araw.

“Matapos makinabang ang mga piling mga mag-aaral sa elementarya ay makikitang mas tumangkad ang mga ito at bumaba ang bilang ng mga batang hindi pumapasok sa paaralan at tumaas din ang kanilang academic performance,” wika ni Suarez.

Sinabi naman ni Tamano, na patuloy na makikipagtulungan ang Coca-Cola Philippines sa nutrition program ng lokal na pamahalaan dahil upang maging matagumpay ito, kailangan ang patuloy na pagtutulungan ng business sector, government at civil society, at nongovernment organizations.

Ang Nutri-Juice program ay pinasimulan sa lalawigan noong 2010 sa layuning masolusyunan

ang problema sa malnutrisyon sa mga pampublikong paaralan sa elementarya.

Ang Nutri-Juice ay orange juice na nagtataglay ng iron, zinc, vitamins A & C na ibinibigay sa mga batang mag-aaral sa pampublikong paaralan na may edad anim hanggang labindalawang taong gulang sa loob ng 120 na araw o apat na buwan upang mabawasan ang kaso ng Iron Deficiency Anemia sa mga bata.

Sa kasalukuyan, 90 porsyento na sa 5,000 mga batang mag-aaral sa pampublikong paaralan sa lalawigan ang sumasailalim sa nutri-juice program at apat na bayan na lamang sa lalawigan ng Quezon ang hindi pa napagkalooban nito, ito ay ang bayan ng Sariaya, Lucban, Tayabas at Catanauan.| R. ORINDAY

whether incendiary or accidental, for it not only endangered the lives of nearby communities, but more importantly caused damage to the flora and fauna within Mount Banahaw,” he said.

Paje said suspects in the forest fire could face charges for violation of Republic Act No. 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation

and Protection Act, which prohibits the killing of wildlife species and destruction of their habitat.

Mount Banahaw is home to a rich biodiversity of endemic and indigenous plant and animal species. The mystical mountain is a famous site for trekkers and religious devotees during the Lenten season.|

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DOE releases findings on Feb 27 Mindanao incident THE Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) presented at a press briefing last Friday the findings of their investigation on the total loss of power in Mindanao on 27 February 2014.

A supply-demand imbalance caused by the reduced generation of STEAG coal-fired power plant due to a technical problem and the defective equipment of the government-owned Agus 1 hydro power plant led to the incident.

The National Power Corporation (Napocor) acknowledged NGCP’s assistance in correcting and restoring the defective Napocorowned capacitor voltage transformer inside the switchyard of the Agus 1 plant.

For its part, NGCP is pushing for power plants to coordinate and check with the system operator their own respective plants’ protection settings.

Measures to uphold the security and integrity of the grid were in place at the time when two major events, namely STEAG’s generation reduction and the tripping of Agus 1, happened within seconds of each other. In just 85 seconds, around 870 megawatts were dropped from the grid.

“It was practically impossible for

the system to recover from the steep decline in overall system frequency, which directly resulted from STEAG’s generation reduction and the tripping of Agus 1.This, in turn, triggered the safety systems of the remaining generating plants as part of their equipment protection,” stated Mr. Eugene Bicar, NGCP’s Head for Mindanao Systems Operations.

This “con-fluence of uncommon events,” as described by TransCo President, Rolando Bacani, was an unprece-dented occurrence in the grid.

NGCP fully cooperated with the inter-agency team that sought to solve the Mindanao power situation.

NGCP’s internal investigation, which was submitted to the Department of Energy and TransCo, included the voltage and current profile at the time of the incident, and showed that there was no fault in any of NGCP’s transmission equipment.

NGCP remains steadfast in fulfilling its mandate as system operator, “We are one with the power sector in resolving this. As the system operator, NGCP will continue to uphold the security and integrity of the power grid,” said Atty. Cynthia D. Perez-Alabanza, NGCP Spokesperson.|

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GSIS nag-alok ng condonation sa “Study Now, Pay Later,” “Fly PAL, Pay Later” accounts NAGBUKAS kamakailan ang Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) ng one-time condonation program para sa mga estudyanteng nakinabang noon sa “Study Now, Pay Later” (SNPL) at sa member-borrowers ng “Fly PAL, Pay Later” (FPPL) na may outstanding accounts. Bukas ang programa hanggang Hulyo 24, 2014.

Magbibigay ng 100% condonation ang GSIS sa lahat ng surcharges ng SNPL grantees (at co-makers nila) at FPPL borrowers na magbabayad nang buo ng kanilang outstanding balance sa loob ng tatlong buwan matapos makapagsumite ng kanilang application form para sa condonation.

Kung hindi makakapagbayad sa loob ng naturang panahon, maaari uling magsumite ng application ang program availees bago sumapit ang Hulyo 24, 2014.

Ayon sa GSIS, iko-compute ang interes ng account hanggang sa buwan ng full payment.

Ang SNPL ay isang educational program na sinimulang ipatupad noong 1976 alinsunod sa iba’t ibang pamamaraang nakasaad sa Presidential Decree No. 932.

Tinawag na Educational Assistance Loan ang SNPL noong 1988, at sinusugan ng Republic Act 8545, ang batas na nagkakaloob ng tulong na pinansyal sa mga estudyante at guro sa pribadong sektor ng edukasyon.

Ang FPPL program naman ay kahawig na credit facility, na inialok ng GSIS bilang travel assistance at tumagal mula 1978 hanggang 1989.

Sinulatan na ng GSIS ang lahat ng SNPL grantees at FPPL borrowers na may outstanding accounts upang ipaalam ang condonation program.

Maaaring magtungo sa pinakamalapit na GSIS branch office ang interesadong program availees o tumawag sa Contact Center sa telepono bilang 847-4747 para sa iba pang detalye.|