B4
SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017
Jimbo Gulle, Editor
Roger Garcia, Issue Editor
LGUs
mslocalgov@gmail.com
‘PAOAY KUMAKAWAY’
TOURISM IMPACT LIVES ON By Brenda Jocson
L
AOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte—To showcase the province’s natural and manmade wonders on local and international television, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte filmed the “Paoay Kumakaway!” (PK) tourism brand sometime in January 2012. Production was done by award-winning director Mark Meily and his wife, Lee, a renowned cinematographer. Joining them were filmmakers from the Creative Media and Film Society of the Philippines, a Best Picture Awardee during the 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival. The video was dubbed necessary by Gov. Imee R. Marcos as tourism had proven to be one of Ilocos Norte’s greatest employers, consistently generating more jobs and revenues two years prior. The PK campaign was also PGIN’s response to the 2010 Luneta hostage crisis, which had led to numerous cancellations from Chinese visitors who had been flocking to Ilocos Norte each year as the province’s main tourism clients. Marcos also clarified that the PK campaign was a consolidation of must-see
destinations and not only a promotion of the San Agustin Church or Paoay Church. “We coined the brand as a total package for travelers who wish to visit the province’s great sites,” she said. As a result of the campaign, Ilocos Norte recorded a total of 259,148 day visitors in the year 2012. Efforts to boost the province’s tourism sector, including the pioneering of “film tourism” and the promotion of sports and cultural tourism, added to this growth. Triathlons and international dragon boat races have been held in Ilocos Norte, while events like the “Tan-ok ni Ilocano Festival of Festivals” and “Himala sa Buhangin!” Arts and Music Festival have enticed thousands to visit the province for more than the natural landscapes and heritage structures. In 2016 alone, the province welcomed 2,031,884 visitors, signaling an increase of
more than 600 percent in tourist arrivals in just four years. The Holy Week season of 2017 alone recorded 472,989 visitors. Tourism in Ilocos Norte still anticipates sustained growth, as the sector continues to thrive. Last March 20, the first luxury cruise ship line, Star Cruises, made its maiden arrival through Superstar Virgo docking at Currimao, a southern coastal town in the province. “We see the biggest growth in our tourism sector, very dynamic and still growing,” said Marcos. Meanwhile, the 2017 Himala sa Buhangin! Arts and Music Festival, staged by the provincial government on the Paoay Sand Dunes, will feature OPM rock icon Ely Buendia and DJ Jennifer Lee, the former Viva Hot Babe, this year. Himala! is known as the event that pioneered Philippine film tourism, paying tribute to cult classic films like “Himala,” (1981), “Ang Panday,” (1980), and “Temptation Island” (1980, 2011). Buendia rose to fame in the 1990s as lead vocalist and guitarist of nationally acclaimed band Eraserheads. While he left “E-heads” in 2002, Buendia still performs for bands Pupil, The Oktaves, and Apartel. He is expected to perform the E-heads greatest hits for Himala! on May 13.
Families have their picture taken in front of the big Paoay sign with the town’s famous church in the backdrop. Tourism is a big part of the economy of this Ilocos Norte town and the whole province as well. Brenda Jocson
Scan this icon to view the PDF
Local Gov’t Units
VIZCAYA EYES P4-M DA PRIZE FOR RICE BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya— This province is expecting P4 million from the Department of Agriculture as incentive for being chosen as one of the country’s Search for 2016 Rice Achievers Awardees. Provincial officials headed by Gov. Carlos Padilla are expected to receive the award and incentive on May 23 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. “This award is also attributed to the efforts and hard work of our farmers, who continue to produce quality rice yields despite our small rice production areas compared to other province,” he said. Other provincial awardees are Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Pangasinan, La Union, Lanao del Norte and Compostela Valley with P4million incentive each. The RAA outstanding municipalities and cities are Luna, Apayao; Solsona, Ilocos Norte; Santiago City, Isabela; Victoria, Tarlac; Pila, Laguna; Paluan, Occidental Mindoro; Ligao City, Albay; Talibon, Bohol; Hinundayan, Southern Leyte; Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur; Lala, Lanao del Norte; Hagonoy, Davao del Sur; Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat; Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur; and Villadolid, Negros Occidental, with P1 million each as incentive. Ben Moses Ebreo
RP ENERGY TO TEACH CAWAG FOLK FISH SKILLS By Butch Gunio
P50 MILLION SET FOR KALINGA FARMERS By Dexter A. See TABUK CITY, Kalinga—Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has announced that the national government will be downloading to a capable credit cooperative or rural bank an initial amount of P50 million to be given to farmers from the province in the form of soft loans to help them improve their production. Piñol, who visited the province to have a dialogue with farmers, said the initial funds to be made available to them through soft loans will be under the government’s Production Loan Easy Access, which is geared to provide farmers with the needed capital for them to have better productivity. Under PLEA, each farmer could avail of
maximum loan of P50,000 with an annual interest of 6 percent and with a grace period of two years for rice farmers and six years for coffee growers. However, Piñol said the farmers must be able to present proper identification cards showing that they are farmers with the assistance of the regional and provincial agriculture offices who will subject the farmers to geo-tagging among other means to establish and monitor their identity. Engineer Domingo Bakilan, Kalinga provincial agriculturist, said the downloading of funds that farmers could avail through low interest loans is a welcome development considering that many farmers really need sufficient capital to help improve their production for the various cropping seasons.
“Our farmers were impressed on the support being infused by the national government to help them improve their production. We hope that we will be able to implement the program once the funds will be downloaded to the accredited credit cooperative or rural bank so that they will be able to realize better production in future cropping seasons,” Bakilan stressed. While it will be difficult for them to come out with a database of the farmers who will be qualified to avail of the loan, Bakilan claimed the inventory and geo-tagging of the farmers will be undertaken by both the regional and provincial agriculture offices so that the noble program of the government will be fully implemented in the province.
SUBIC, Zambales—Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. or RP Energy, as part of its “Protect the Bay Initiative” program, aims to provide additional livelihood for residents of Barangay Cawag here, company officials said. “We want to introduce fish processing to the people of Cawag. This could be fish drying or smoked fish,” said RP Energy Corporate Social Responsibility officer Jason Gavina. “The nearby province of Bataan is very well known for its dried and smoked fish products. Here in Subic, plenty of fish are caught in the sea, which could also be processed for additional income of Cawag folks,” Gavina added. “We will coordinate with the Department of Agriculture about the fish processing training to be able to start this livelihood program,” he said. RP Energy launched recently here the “Protect the Bay Initiative” program with the coastal cleanup in Cawag seeing about 200 community folk participate. The program also aims to promote environmental awareness and curb illegal fishing activities in the area. RP Energy is set to construct a 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Cawag this year.
PINAGPALA IN MUNTINLUPA NOW DRUG-FREE
PITC-PCG DEAL. Philippine International Trading Corp. president and CEO Dave M. Almarinez and Philippine Coast Guard Officer-in-Charge Commodore Joel S. Garcia sign a Memorandum of Agreement on Friday commencing the strategic partnership of the two government agencies. Roy Tomandao
ONE community at a time, the local government of Muntinlupa shows that it means business in making every community in the city drug-free. The City Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Office, in cooperation with Department of the Interior and Local GovernmentMuntinlupa, declared Pinagpala Compound, San Guillermo St., Bayanan as a drug-free community during an inauguration ceremony last May 11. City Government officials unveiled a drugfree community billboard in the compound, the second community to be proclaimed of such status. The first community declared was Gundran Compound in Putatan.
DAPCO director Senior Supt. Florocito Ragudo (Ret.) said the declaration took more than one year before its realization. Ragudo added the Barangay Drug Clearing Operation started last February 2016. The local exec said the clearing operation involved Muntinlupa Police, PDEA, Dangerous Drugs Board, the academe, and community officers. Key components to meet in order to declare a community as drug-free include: the formation and creation of an assessment team, signing of MOA by and between the members of the team, conduct of a community orientation and Drug Awareness Forum, formation of three support task forces,
enumeration and spot mapping of the compound, segregation of suspected drug personalities, posting of drug-free home stickers to households, intervention for those identified drug personalities, and an assessment conference. Muntinlupa City stands with the national government’s campaign to eradicate illegal drug activities and its adverse effects in the barangays. Mayor Jaime Fresnedi vowed to support campaign against illegal drugs and rehabilitate drug personalities. Recently, the local government recorded 618 surrenderers who were given social service assistance such as scholarship and livelihood.