An emerging agri-tourism barangay in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental

FOR producing more than half of the country’s sugar supply, the province of Negros Occidental has been known as the “Sugarland” of the Philippines.

But there are more attractions than just vast sugarcane plantations, like the province’s mountain resorts and vacation villas, sparkling white beaches, unique arts and crafts, ancestral homes, and now, its diverse rice and vegetable terraces.

The emerging tourism destination is now known as the Codcod Rice and Vegetable Terraces.

The terraces are located at the different sitios of Barangay Codcod, an upland village in San Carlos City, which is located very near the foot of the famous Mount Kanlaon.

Since farming is the main source of livelihood of the people of Barangay Codcod, it is not surprising to know that they carved out these very impressive rice and vegetable terraces from the mountain sides in their village.

Thus, Barangay Codcod has been dubbed “The Rice Granary and Vegetable Basket” of San Carlos City.

The crops planted are mostly cabbage, carrots, corn, pechay, onion, radish, squash, ginger, and of course, rice and sugarcane.

Different varieties of tropical fruits can also be found in Barangay Codcod, like jackfruit which is available most of the time, and mango, among many others.

Of the total land area, thousands of hectares are planted with rice, corn, and sugarcane, where the rest are planted with different varieties of vegetables.

Going to Barangay Codcod will not be a problem anymore because it can be accessible by bus, jeepney, and habal-habal, the common mode of transportation of the locals.

With the beauty of its surrounding mountains, Barangay Codcod can become one of the most sought after tourism destinations in the province of Negros Occidental.

According to Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., they will continue to increase the production areas not just for rice but also for high-value crops, and corn that will feed the local poultry and livestock industry.

High-value crops are given priority because of its market potentials for domestic and international demand.

With certainty in the attainment of 100 percent self-sufficiency of rice for Negros Occidental, the provincial government will be shifting its focus towards supporting food security at the household level.

Marañon says that every household should be able to put food on their tables, and they do not have to look beyond their own backyards.

“We will support backyard vegetable, poultry, livestock and dairy production not only for the table but for additional income as well.”

It was learned that the provincial government will also pursue the thrust towards organic farming by encouraging more stakeholders to produce chemical-free crops not only for the lucrative world market but for good health as well.
In the process, this will help to maintain our ecological balance. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com)

Source of news: Panay News.  Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons 

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Outstanding Tanods and Lupons recognized in Negros Oriental

The Provincial Government Unit (PLGU) of Negros Oriental and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently recognized the most outstanding Barangay Peace and Order Committees (BPOCs) and Tanod Teams and awarded cash prizes for their initiatives at attaining peace and order.

The search for the best BPOCs and tanod teams aims to recognize exemplary performance and commitment in sustaining crime prevention that contributes to the peace and order and public safety program in their respective barangays.

Barangays Motong of Dumaguete City, Sta. Monica of Manjuyod, and Poblacion, Amlan received Php50,000 cash each as first prize winners in three categories as component city, 1st-3rd class municipality, and 4th-6th class municipality, respectively.

Other barangays which bagged the second places received Php30,000.   Barangays Mabigo, Canlaon City; Puhagan, Valencia; and Poblacion, Valencia won in their respective categories.

PLGU NegOr and the DILG also gave Php10,000 each for third ranked barangays: Tangculogan, Bais City; Poblacion, Pamplona; and Tapon Norte, San Jose.

For outstanding Barangay Tanod Teams, the peacekeeping force of barangays Mabigo, Canlaon City; Poblacion, Pamplona; and Poblacion, Amlan each took first places in their categories.

For the second spot, barangays Motong, Dumaguete City; Sta. Monica, Manjuyod; and Poblacion, Zamboaguita; each had Php30,000. 

Meanwhile, barangays Tugas, Tanjay City; Puhagan, Valencia; and Tapon Norte, San Jose each got Php10,000 for ranking third in their respective classes.

During the awarding ceremony, Governor Roel Degamo stressed his administration's support to peace as it has allocated considerable amount to fund peace and order initiatives. 

This is to give importance to the peace and development in the province.

Part of it is to provide awards to the identified frontliners of peace in the barangays, Gov Degamo said.

The governor was also pleased to see that some hinterland barangays are receiving awards even if insurgency problem is one of the priority concerns in the province.

The other concern is stopping illegal drugs, which is President Duterte's major drive.

For his part, PSSupt. Raul Tacaca of the Philippine National Police (PNP) acknowledged the awardees as partners with the police force especially in the apprehensions of illegal drug users and pushers in the barangays.

Tacaca also hailed the Lupong Tagapamayapa for their role in reconciliation efforts and settling cases in the barangay level, thus, criminal cases have been reduced.

With this, the same group presents the Lupong Tagamapayapa Incentives Awards (LPIA) to barangays Motong, Dumaguete City, and Poblacion, Sta. Catalina with Php60,000 cash prize each as first placers.

Barangays Mabigo, Canlaon City, and Puhagan, Valencia got second for Php40,000 cash each; and Php30,000 each for barangays Tangculogan, Bais City, and Tinaogan, Bindoy as third pacers of LPIA.

DILG Provincial Director Dennis Quiñones challenged the barangay awardees to be always at the forefront in responding to public disorder, emergencies, disaster and calamities and even terrorism and scale up their capacities to fight against lawlessness and ensuring the safety of the residents. 

 Source of news: Philippine Information Agency.                      

In Photo: Gov. Roel Degamo (middle) along with BPOC members of Barangay Motong, Dumaguete City headed by village chief Dionie Amores shows the plaque they won during the recognition of outstanding BPOCs, Tanod Teams and Lupong Tagapmayapa Incentive Awards. (PIO/NegOg)

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Regularization of barangay officials and workers pushed

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs  Martin Diño  vowed to  work out for a Magna Carta for barangay officials.  

Diño said he will intercede for the filing of a bill seeking for the regularization of barangay officials including barangay secretary, treasurer, health workers, tanods and nutrition scholars  as regular employees of government.

 “You are the frontline government officials performing duties and functions 24/7 and acting on every issues and concern that needs to be resolved; yet here you are not properly compensated for all those services and your sacrifices,” he told barangay officials of the province.

Under his proposal, barangay officials  will  have  fixed salaries, allowances, insurance, retirement benefits and other fringe benefits  which  regular government employees  are entitled to

Around six million barangay officials will benefit from this measure if acted by Congress, he said.

The first bill filed for this purpose was introduced by former Senator Nene Pimentel during the 14th Congress but it did not prosper.

Diño also announced that he will ask for another one year extension of incumbent barangay officials who are serving their term for only two years until 2022, as expressed gratitude to Pres. Duterte for providing assistance to the barangays.

To reciprocate the national government’s support to the grassroots workforce, he called on barangay officials to help implement Pres. Duterte’s fight against illegal drugs, corruption, violent extremism, and criminality which he described   as the “cancer of society” and the “cause of all evils” besetting our goal for peace and progress. He also rallied village leaders to campaign for federalism.

Dino was here last Sunday (Oct. 14) as guest speaker during the Barangay Assembly Day at Naneng, this city and Federalism Summit for the Association of Barangay Chairmen at the Tabuk City People’s gym.

The Saturdays and Sundays of March and October of ever year are declared as Barangay Assembly Days as provided under Proclamation No 599   issued on October 9, 2018. This amends Proclamation No. 342(s. 2003) declaring the last Saturday of March and the third Saturday of October as Barangay Assembly Days. (JDP/PAB-PIA CAR, Kalinga)

Source of news: Philippine Information Agency. Photo credit: DILG

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Cebu City barangay site of farm business school launching

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) launched a Farm Business School (FBS) that will benefit 35 farmers who are members of the Morales Ouano Cosido Miradel Velasquez Farmers Association (MOCOMVEFA) in Brgy. Guba, Cebu City.

A Memorandum of Agreement was signed on September 21, 2018 for a partnership undertaking with DAR, Brgy. Guba, Cebu City, and MOCOMVEFA which is a DAR-assisted Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization.
 

A Memorandum of Agreement was signed on September 21, 2018 for a partnership undertaking with DAR, Brgy. Guba, Cebu City, and MOCOMVEFA which is a DAR-assisted Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization. (DAR photo)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Antonio A. del Socorro, who spoke at the MOA signing, said that the 35 participants will join the FBS with 25 sessions through the learning-by doing approach.

The FBS would help farmers respond to the market challenges and for future income generating farm activities.

FBS primarily aims to transform the participants from mere farmers to farmer-entrepreneurs.

DAR Cebu Provincial FBS project point person, Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer (MARPO) Cristina L. Bumatay, will assist the participants from training up to implementation, together with other facilitators Asnawi B. Domado and Suzella S. Talle of Provincial Program Beneficiaries Development Division of DAR Cebu.

MOCOMVEFA Chairman Roel Suquib thanked DAR for this project and assured 100 percent commitment to finish the sessions.

“We are grateful that DAR considered us and surely this will help us increase our crop production and manage our farm produce,” he added.

Guba Barangay Captain Orland Herrera welcomed the project and thanked DAR for bringing the program to their barangay.

He also expressed the barangay council’s support for its successful implementation.

Barangay Guba Councilors and MARPO Liza A. Toroy were also present during the MOA signing.

On Sept. 28, MARPO Bumatay also conducted the first session with the FBS farmers and was impressed to see the interest of the farmers to learn the FBS fundamentals.

DAR 7 Regional Director Luis B. Bueno, Jr. underscored that the successful implementation of FBS would be a big help in improving the farmers' livelihood.

He said that the knowledge and techniques the farmers will gain from the training will improve their farm productivity. (Jan Karla Madrio/PIA7)

Source of news: Philippine Information Agency.  Photo credits: Department of Agrarian Reform.

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Narco-barangay execs eyed in intensified drug campaign

The government’s fight against the illegal drug menace in the country has intensified as it vowed to weed out undesirable barangay officials involved in the illegal drugs trade.

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Martin Diño warned that administrative charges would be filed against barangay executives who fail to create or make their Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADAC) fully operational until October 30.

In targeting the barangay officials, Diño said the familiarity of barangay chairmen and kagawads  with the residents in their turfs would easily make it easier for law enforcement agencies to identify illegal drug personalities.

He said the “DILG can’t wait forever’’ for barangay officials to comply with President Duterte’s lawful order against illegal drugs.

Diño also vowed to crack the whip on corrupt or negligent DILG regional officials saying they have “a lot of explaining to do’’ over the barangays’ failure to make their BADACs fully functional.

“I will only sue them. Secretary [Eduardo] Año had earlier ordered them to monitor all barangays and conduct an inventory. Up to now, no report has reached my office,” Diño said.

He stressed barangay executives must lead the fight against illegal drugs and ensure that measures are being undertaken to implement the anti-illegal drugs campaign and programs.
 
“There should be a Badac desk in every barangay. There is no forever,” he added, referring to the reports to be submitted by the DILG regional offices and all barangays nationwide.

Clinging on the hope for the disqualification of drug personalities from running in next year’s midterm elections, the DILG said it will submit a copy of the list to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

DILG spokeman, Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya, said the department is set to provide the Comelec with a copy of the narco-list after the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) on October 17.

Although narco-politicians cannot be disqualified unless convicted with finality, Malaya said it will be up for the Comelec to make the next move.

Despite the growing objections from numerous legal luminaries, the DILG has insisted on its preference to have narco-politicians stricken off from the list of qualified political aspirants.

Aware of its legal impediments, Malaya said the DILG wants the electorate informed of the list of narco-politicians especially those with pending cases.

“Now if they are to be disqualified or not, that’s no longer the call of the department. It’s now the call of the Commission on Elections. We will reassess what we need to do. Perhaps, we may release the list to the public just like what we did during the last barangay elections,” he added.

The DILG found an ally in the person of newly-designated Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.

Admitting that there is a slim chance that narco-politicians would be disqualified, Panelo said that the DILG still has the responsibility to divulge in public their findings regarding political wannabes dealing in illegal drug transactions.

“In the same way, when the President released a list of those names, he was implementing the duty imposed on him in the Constitution that people have the right to information. And since the President has all the resources in the world to have access to information, he felt that it was his duty to let the people know,” he added.

However, Panelo maintained that there are legal recourse for local officials wrongly accused of being involved in the drug trade.

“What I’m saying is we are governed by laws regardless of who is involved, we have to bow to the majesty of the law,” Panelo said.

Earlier, DILG officer-in-charge (OIC) Eduardo Año reported that since 2016, 300 local officials now facing administrative cases might be suspended and dismissed.

He added that 93 local officials are included in the narco-list, while 250 others have pending cases which are now being investigated by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Source of news: Manila Bulletin.  Photo credit: Martin Diño/Facebook page.

Misamis Occidental barangay bags P50,000 Lupon development grant

Barangay Tipolo of the Municipality of Plaridel, Misamis Occidental received Php50,000 development grant after it has been evaluated on the 2018 Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives and Awards (LTIA) and has qualified as the 

Regional Champion for first to third class municipalities category.

The Lupong Tagapamayapa of Barangay Tipolo plans to utilize the development grant to procure equipment to support effective and efficient administration of barangay justice system.

Particularly, they will procure a laptop for proper and systematic records management of cases, digital camera for documentation purposes and LCD projector for meeting and reporting purposes.

Punong Barangay Lucita P. Aviles personally claimed the check which was handed over to her by Provincial Director Pablio L. Benitez, Jr., at Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Misamis Occidental Provincial Office.  

Aviles was very thankful to the DILG stressing that the development grant is of big help to the Lupong Tagapamayapa and assured that they will continue to effectively implement barangay justice system.
 
The Lupong Tagapamayapa of Tipolo, Plaridel is set to attend the 2018 LTIA National Awarding on October 12, 2018 at Metro Manila. 

Source of news:  Philippine Information Agency. Photo credit: DILG Region 10




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DTI-Zamobanga City holds Barangay Negosyo Summit

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Zenaida Cuison-Maglaya called on barangay leaders to look at entrepreneurship with a developmental mindset to help their constituents in the long term.

Maglaya made the call to the barangay officials, who attended the Zamboanga Peninsula Barangay Negosyo Summit held in this city last Monday.

Barangay Negosyo Summit was the first in the country and was conceptualized and initiated by DTI 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula).

Maglaya said the summit aims to invite all barangay chairpersons in the region, together with at least one micro and small entrepreneur in their area.

“Entrepreneurship can bring revenue to their barangay. They should look at this as a help to their constituents and the barangay as a whole. The jobs it will create and capacitating their constituents," Maglaya said.
 
"Imagine our barangay officials who will not be pestered late at night by their constituents asking for emergency financial assistance because they already have money. They are now capable.”

Maglaya said barangay officials should treat the initiative as a great opportunity to empower their constituents, and in creating economic activity in the barangays with DTI as partner.

“What we want is for our officials to look for those who are interested in entrepreneurship and who need our help. They know better the people in their area. We, on the other hand, will come and talk to them and help them with their needs,” she said.

Maglaya added that capacitating the public to engage in business is essential amid surging prices of commodities.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar of Zamboanga City pledged her support to DTI and the Department of Labor and Employment in their endeavors for the people of this city and Zamboanga Peninsula.

The Zamboanga Peninsula Barangay Negosyo Summit was attended by more than 1,500 barangay officials and micro, small and medium entrepreneurs all over the region. (Teofilo Garcia Jr.)

Source of news: Philippine News Agency. Photo credit: DTI Region 9. (From Left: DTI Assistant Secretary Blesila Lantayona, DTI Undersecretary Zenaida Cuison-Maglaya, DTI-9 Director Sitti Amina Jain and Zamboanga City Chamber of Commerce President Pedro Rufo Soliven (left to right) answer question in a press conference during the Zamboanga Peninsula Barangay Negosyo Summit in Zamboanga City.)

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