RDC approves 2013 budget of CL offices of gov’t agencies

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga, April 15, 2012-Regional Development Council (RDC) had passed a resolution favorably endorsing the 2013 budget of the Central Luzon offices of some national government agencies.

 

Approved funds include the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) – P165.579 million, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)- P855.909 million, Department of Agriculture (DA)- P930.1 million, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)- P1.39 billion, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)- P147.63 million, Department of Science and Technology (DOST)- P60.51 million, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)- P9.962 billion, Department of Education (DepEd) – P34.604 billion, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)- P113.747 million, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)- P620.901 million, Department of Health (DOH)- P2.10 billion, and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)- P148.264 million.

 

In a statement, RDC 3 said “the review and endorsement to the national government of the annual budgets of the these agency regional offices as well as of state universities and colleges and special development authorities is pursuant to Section 4.d of Executive Order 325 of former president Fidel Ramos.”

 

“Such review of RDC was mandated to ensure transparency as well as consistency in the utilization funds to the development goals of Central Luzon in general as stated in the Regional Development Plan and the seven provinces within the region namely Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales in particular” the council added.

 

Among the development goals of the region and the provinces are building globally competitive, progressive and resilient citizenry; minimizing natural disaster casualties and economic losses; promoting sustainable land use activities; ensuring food security; reducing extreme poverty; and maintaining conflict-free and safe communities.

 

DILG will utilize a portion of its fund next year for the computerization of business permit and licensing systems of low-income municipalities while DTI will allocate around P5 million for the establishment of a Regional Product Development and Design Training Center.

 

Moreover, DepEd targets the creation of 16,855 teaching and 15 non-teaching positions which are needed in the implementation of its K + 12 Basic Education curriculum and Alternative Delivery Mode program while DOH eyes the upgrading of Mariveles Mental Hospital.

 

RDC 3 is the highest policy-making body in Central Luzon and serves as the counterpart of the NEDA Board at the subnational level.

It is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region and serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities.

Council members include all governors, city mayors, municipal mayors of capital towns, presidents of municipal mayors league, regional directors of national government agencies and representatives from the private sector. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu)

Failed rocket launch shows Friday the 13th is no unlucky day for Aurora

BALER, Aurora, April 15, 2012–Friday the 13^th may be a perennial jinx to most people but to Aurorans, including its leaders, it’s no unlucky at least insofar as the failed rocket launch of North Korea is concerned.

Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo stressed this yesterday as she and the rest of Aurorans heaved a collective sigh of relief that North Korea’s heralded long-range rocket test ended in failure Friday, disintegrating in mid-air soon after blastoff and plunging into the sea.

“To many, Friday the 13^th may be a bad sign. But fortunately, this is not the case with Aurora,” she said. She said the failed rocket launch was clearly an act of God and that Divine Providence spared the calamity-prone province from yet another tragedy of epic proportions.

Angara-Castillo said divine intervention played a part in the failed rocket launch because human errors could have caused it to stray somewhere and hit the province.

“You never know what to expect. When human error comes into play, it could cause irreparable damage even to our province. Thank God it failed,” she said.

But she cautioned against nations relaxing their guard, saying North Korea might make up for a loss of face by staging another rocket test in the future.     

At least five of this province’s towns were earlier identified by disaster officials as possible danger zones due to the satellite launch.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director Benito Ramos said among the areas threatened were  the northern Aurora towns of Casiguran, Dilasag and Dinalungan, Dingalan in southern Aurora and this capital town.

This province is no stranger to calamities. Aside from the destructive typhoons which sowed destruction in the province in 2004, a tsunami also wiped out the oldtownship of Baler, wiping out 500 families. Only five families, including the Angaras, survived.

 Angara-Castillo expressed grave concern over the lack of safety measures by the national government in dealing with the threat of the missile launch. She said that while the missile launch is alarming, also equally alarming is the lack of safety guidelines drawn up by the NDRRMC.

Angara-Castillo convened the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council and the provincial government and implemented the “no-sail zone” and “no-fishing zone” over areas covered by the declaration in the province. 

TREKKERS MEDITATE ON CHRIST’S RESURRECTION IN THE MOUNTAIN JUNGLES OF AURORA PROVINCE

MARIA AURORA, Aurora, April 15, 2012-As part of the “Akyat Para Sa Turismo at Kalikasan” Program of the Noble Blue Falcons International( Environmentalists, Peace Crusaders) and  in support of the Tourism campaign of Aurora Governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo and Maria Aurora Mayor Ariel S. Bitong,  32  combined Pinoy mountaineers from Isip Berde Mountaineering Club(IBMC), Concerned Aduana Mountaineers of the Philippines(CAMP) and Noble Blue Falcons Environmental Mountaineers(NBFIEM) climb and do mountain clean-up and outreach of Mt Maaling-aling(Mt Vincent) in Brgy. Villa Aurora, Maria Aurora,Aurora,Philippineslast Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, April 5-6, 2012 dubbed as “Lenten Climb for Tourism and Nature.”

During the 8-hour grueling ascent to the peak under the summer heat, fruit-bearing trees were planted to augment the food supply of the Aeta (Agta) Indigenous people prevalent in the locale as requested by Brgy Villa Aurora Brgy Captain Henry A. Padilla (also NBFI Villa Aurora Chapter Chairman). The participants are: Benjie Ramosa, Dackie Cagapa, Neyz Royol, Chris Sinadian, Alvin Magistrado, Jonel Valdisimo, Jaime Mendoza, Dan Bagagnan, Marvin Olivar, Ron Baladan, Christine Asignacion, Marlon Pila, Jonar Raon, Joselito Geneveo, Michael John Sayaman   of Isip Berde; Nobert Astamillo and Anasor Inumpa of Aduana; and Alvin De Guzman, Ruel Villar, Vicente Porte, Noriel Salazar, Guides Lito and Randong,  Arjun Nocete, Arnie Somido, Vicente Porte,  Leopoldo Casanova, Rommel Bautista, Ronald Sabalo, Janet Gañosa, Edgar Beliganio and Ronald Go of  Noble Blue Falcons. Among the NBFI participants, the NBFI mountaineers’ song was sung and the Rules and Definition of Environmental Mountaineering were taught.

According to Prof. Joseph Beatriz Usita, National Chairman of Noble Blue Falcons Int’l (NBFI) and the Father of Environmental Mountaineering in the Philippines, “Mountaineering is not only about conquering heights or breaking personal records-it is about motivating people, rich or poor, to the mountains for them to both enjoy and protect it. I would rather climb a single mountain with a multitude of transformed environmental mountaineers with me rather than scale a hundred peaks alone and for my own glory. For I learned in my life, that the hardest things to conquer are not the highest mountains but the hearts of men.”

So, in order to both enjoy and protect the mountain, the Rules of Environmental Mountaineering, according to Prof. Usita, must be observed which states that, “Aside from pictures-take nothing but garbage; Aside from footprints- leave nothing but tree seedlings; Aside from Time-kill nothing but bad habits. Save the only world we have-the Mother Earth.”

This mountaineering event is meant to promote Aurora’s mountains to both local and international tourism as an alternative economy to destructive forest-based livelihoods such as logging, kaingin, wood charcoal-making, illegal vegetable gardening, mining and quarrying. Other famous mountains of the province where monkey-eating eagles are in dangers due to logging and kaingin are: Mt Falcon (Danayag),Mt King(Minoli,)Mt Beatrice(Kabulao)-San Luis; Mt Ravelo (Pamazam-pazam), Mt Rodel (Udok)-Maria Aurora; Mt Egay-Dipaculao; Mt Legaspina-Casiguran; Mt Paradero-Dilasag and Mt Galvez (Anacuao)-Dinalungan.

Meanwhile, other NBFI environmental scheduled climbs are: Sierra Madre traverse (Jan.19-March 19, 2013), The Reunited Climbers: Outreach in Mt Quebal,Gen. Nakar, Quezon (April 27-29, 2012), Summer Climb for Tourism and Nature in Mt Isarog (Mt Agulay), Camsur (May 12-13, 2012), The NBFI: Dumagat Outreach in Umiray, Dingalan, Aurora(May 17-18, 2012) and the nationwide simultaneous Independence climb for Tourism and Nature(June 1-12, 2012) in Mt Balagbag (Mt Emil)- Marinduque; Mt Maaling-aling (Mt Vincent)-Aurora; Mt Arayat(Mt Colambo)-Pampanga in Luzon; Mt Madjaas (Mt Acido)-Antique in Visayas and Mt Apo (Mt David)-Davao Del Norte/North Cotabato and Mt Kitanglad(Mt Gil)-Bukidnon in Mindanao.

Founded in March 19, 1996 in the Philippines, Noble Blue Falcons Environmentalists has 444,000 members(maximum cap) scattered nationwide with 8,000 Environmental mountaineers helping the provincial Government of Aurora to protect the province’s fast diminishing forest cover and promoting Aurora’s tourist spots thru eco-tourism advocacy.

NBFI Environmental Mountaineers hold the Pinoy record of the most number of combined Pinoy and Foreign climbers in a single ascent on a single mountain at 197(American, French, South Korean and Pinoy mountaineers) in the Philippine International Climb 2011 to Save Sierra Madre in the conquest of Mt. Falcon in Ditumabo, San Luis, Aurora, Philippines last April 30-May 1, 2011. A pioneer in Environmental Mountaineering, the Noble Blue Falcons Int’l is the biggest environmental group in the country today in terms of manpower strength. (Noble Blue Falcons Aurora)