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Volume VIII, No. 186
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BOL, national ID top new laws in 2018 Botanists discover new Hoya subspecies
KNOWN for its ball-like cluster of waxy flowers, the Hoya plant is a favorite among many flower enthusiasts especially in Asia. And although there is already a great variety of officially recognized Hoya plants, a new subspecies was recently discovered by botanists from the DOSTForest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI). Hoya meliflua Merr. subsp. escobinae Kloppenb. Conda, Buot & Pitargue was added to the International Plant Names Index (IPNI) in 2016. It was discovered by DOST-FPRDI’s For. Jennifer M. Conda, Mr. Fernando C. Pitargue Jr., and Dr. Ramiro S. Escobin. Conda explained the process of discovery: “Our team collected cuttings of the plant from the Quezon Protected Landscape in 2012. Immediately after the first flowers bloomed, we sent samples for examination to Dr. Dale Kloppenburg, a renowned Hoya expert from the United States. He then confirmed that it was a new subspecies, which showed several similarities with Hoya meliflua Blanco ex Merr. but with some notable differences. Results were published in Hoya New, a publication devoted to studies about Hoya, and listed in the IPNI.” According to her, the calyx lobes (sepals) of the new subspecies are tongue-like and long, as compared to the broadly oval to oblong of the Hoya meliflua Blanco ex Merr. Its corolla lobes (petals), meanwhile, are elongated and have serrated edge, in contrast to the latter’s broadly triangular lobes. “Of the 109 Hoya species recorded See BOTANIST, page 11
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THE Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and the Philippine System Identification (PhilSys) were among the list of 183 new laws signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018. Duterte signed Republic Act 11054 on July 27 to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with a new Bangsamoro government designed to bring the elusive lasting peace in Mindanao. The BOL, previously known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law, is considered as one of Duterte’s biggest legislative achievements which will give the Moro people basic legal tools to chart their own destiny within the country’s Constitutional framework. The BOL has yet to be Yes to Bangsamoro. Residents of Marawi and other parts of Lanao del Sur cheer their approval to the approved through a plebiBangsamoro Organic Law during a rally in Mindanao State University, Marawi City on Saturday, December 22, scite in Muslim-populated 2018. The plebiscite to ratify the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is on January 21 and February 6, 2019. MindaNews photo by Froilan Gallardo
See SIGNED, page 11
Kagay-anon leads research to measure emerging organic pollutants in river systems, coastal areas By MIKE BAÑOS, Editor-at-Large
THE Philippines is under threat from effluents which pollute its rivers systems and the general lack of sewage treatment facilities which pose an increasing threat to the health of Filipinos. Generally, sewage in the Philippines is treated insufficiently, if at all. In 2010, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported that only about 15% of the 11.6 million people in Metro Manila were connected to sewage pipes, and the rest use poorly designed and maintained septic tanks. In 2011, only 16% of the households in major cities around Manila Bay hadaccess to sewage treatment. And in 2016, only 50% of the western service area of Metro Manila was connected to a sewage system; and thatexcludes millions in illegal settlements, and the eastern service area. In 2006, the Philippine Environment Monitor estimated that 95% of the wastewater from households all over the country is released into the environment, after
Dr Caroline B Jaraula, Ph.D; Dr Diane Aga, Ph.D; and And Mt. Jove Tapiador.
minimal treatment, if at all (World Bank, 2007). With these health concerns in mind, a Kagay-anon scientist is spearheading a research project which aims to provide baseline information on emerging and persistent organic pollutants to help local government units (LGUs) devise com-
bined natural and engineered wastewater treatment plans. Engineered wastewater will be studied in Manila and natural environmental systems from a watershed to basin scale will be conducted in Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, and Davao City. See RESEARCH, page 6