Summit On Climate Change Held At Silago

Oct. 25,2011

Summit On Climate Change Held At Silago
by Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Brgy. Hingatungan,Silago,So. Leyte-Congressman Roger Mercado has initiated a summit on climate change held inside a church building here to less than 300 high school and college students representing the 7 parishes in the Pacific towns during the recent Saturday.
The aforesaid affair was in coordination between Congressman Mercado and the assigned Parish priest Hope Lambunao several days earlier.
Mercado said that climate change or global warming is a worldwide man-made phenomenon triggered by heavy pollution from carbon dioxide emitted by hundreds and thousands of vehicles and factories from various countries,particularly among the industrialized nations.
He explained that pollution from various pollutant elements converge in the earth's atmosphere would prevent the release of Earth's heat to the open space and bounce back. “The result would be too much heat”,he said.
The Congressman disclosed to the students that it was in the 1960s that man started to use too much of the natural resources. There were many cut-and burn farmings,to much cutting of forest trees,denudation of forests like that of Sierra Madre,Marikina Valley and other kind of environmental abuse are the root causes of climate change or global warming today.
He claimed that because of climate change we have experienced erratic weather condition like El Niño or El Niña, typhoons,flashfloods destroying houses and killing people,landslides,earthquakes in varous places of the world.
The ice in the North and South poles are now gradually melting,he intimated, including icebergs in various cold places of the earth which add to the rise in sea levels.
Mercado further stressed that one of the effective ways to combat climate change is to plant forest and fruit trees in the denuded forests,to plant mangrove seedlings along coastal areas of the province. It is also important to take care of all the planted trees so that it will grow into full maturity.
He pointed out that forest and fruit trees would provide shades and shelters to the birds and man,hold soil to prevent erosion,trees also absorb volumes of rainwater as drinking water among mountain and lowland springs. It also provide us with fruits and trees release oxygen that humans need and can be used as construction materials.
“WE have now several laws on environmental protection and conservation”,he said.”There's now a total log ban in Southern Leyte”.
One of the places that cutting of logs or trees are strictly prohibited are the watershed areas of the province,in the mountain forests and in mountains with soft sandy-like soil which would easily be eroded comes heavy and continual rains.
The representative further underscored that there should be a regular schedule of tree planting activities in every municipalitiy/barangay to achieve the Aquino Administration’s target of 6B trees from 2011 up to 2016.”We will also be building nurseries in every municipality for seedling production”,he said.”We will not stop the tree planting activities that we have been doing”.
He also encouraged the people to plant trees and vegetables on their arable lands,vacant lots and idle lands..
Although there's a total log ban in the province,he admonished the planters,(those whose trees were planted in the lowland areas or considered as industrial planting) to register their trees at the DENR. He said the owners can cut their planted trees in the lowland areas after 12 or more years if they need money or construction materials to build houses.
Furthermore,he believed that his clean and green program he initiated , one of which is the tree planting activities has served as the contributory factor that change the direction of the destructive winds from typhoon ”Ramon”which was scheduled to hit Southern Leyte. Additionally,he estimated that thru the tree planting activities conducted in Maasin and in other parts of Southern Leyte for the past several years, it has already reached about a million trees being planted. This is thru the help also of other officials and employees from different government agencies and some private sectors that join in the efforts to help minimize the effect of climate change.
On that same afternoon after the lecture ,the students led by Congressman Mercado and Rev. Lambunao trekked towards the coastal area of brgy. Hingatungan where they planted some seedlings of mangrove trees. (Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

Alliance Forms To Strengthen Bantay Dagat Activities Against Illegal Fishing In Pacific Towns

Sept. 12,2011

Alliance Forms To Strengthen Bantay Dagat Activities Against Illegal Fishing In The Pacific Towns
by Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte- With the existence of illegal fishing activities that proliferates in various parts of the province, including the Pacific areas covering six municipalities facing the open Pacific Ocean, have decided to organize themselves into an association called Pacific Alliance of LGUs for Marine Development.

This was the information relied by PENRMO(Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office) head Eva Abad during a recent interview of which fisherfolks in the province consisting of 18 municipalities were under its supervision.

Abad disclosed that 1% part of the 20% Economic Development Fund from the IRA’s of each town was set aside as part of the organization’s funds for their Bantay Dagat operation in the municipalities’ respective municipal waters.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was assigned last September 2010 by the Chief Executive of each six towns of St. Bernard, San Juan, Anahawan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan and Silago.

The PENRMO head also revealed that the MOA is being renewed every 3 years, based on the mayor’s term of office. It would be followed by an election of new officers of the fishermen’s association.

Prior to the existence of the PAO-LGUsMD,a feasibility study on the proposed project and other activities relative to the Bantay Dagat activities was conducted for 3 years before it was adopted and implemented, Abad said.

The fishermen-members have also undergone workshop/seminar and planning to build up their capability and capacity which was under the sponsorship of GTZ (now German International Cooperation (GIZ) and the provincial government thru the PENRMO office.

Abad informed that during the workshop/seminar the fishermen were strongly encouraged to actively participate and contribute their ideas and opinions which could be utilized for inclusion in their manual of operation.

She further said that whoever would be elected as chairman and vice-chairman of the fishermen’s organization, who were customarily are both mayors, incidentally the trusted Treasurer’s office would be holding his office at the Chairman’s town hall.

She also disclosed that the German International Cooperation has provided the Pacific fishers’ alliance some equipments /gadgets to 6 municipalities in accordance with their various requests as needed like searchlight,binoculars,waterproof flashlights,2 digital cameras, first aid kits,compass,megaphone,life vest,laptop,LCD and Geographic Positioning System(GPS).

However, Abad did not reveal if the Pacific alliance of fishermen in the Pacific towns have already apprehended some illegal fishers in the area.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

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