People often go to a place like Catanduanes and say, "Wow, parang wala ka sa Pilipinas..." A place like this is so rich in photographic possibilities. - Manila Bulletin
Winners of this year's Catandungan Festival held at Virac Catanduanes last October 22-24. And included are videos available for now on sharing sites. Post will be updated once related multimedia is available.
Festival of Festivals Showdown:Streetdancing Competition
Champion – Paray Festival (Viga) - P 100, 000.00
1st Runner Up – Maparoy Festival (Gigmoto) - P 75, 000.00
2nd Runner Up- Badas Festival (Baras) - P 50, 000.00
Special Awards
Best in Moving Choreography - Maparoy Festival (Gigmoto) - P 15,000.00
Best in Costume – Paray Festival (Viga) - P 15,000.00
People’s Choice Award- Maparoy Festival (Gigmoto) - P 10,000.00
Pinaka for Abaca ( biggest and tallest) - Winner - Avelino T. Tapel – P 1,000.00
Best in Abaca Stripping
1st Prize – Dante Dominguez - P 1,500.00
Second Prize- Alberto Tayamora - P 1,000.00
Conventional Stripping
1st Prize – Socito Ragos - P 1,500.00
Second Prize- Alberto Tayamora - P 1,000.00
Best Dressed Booth - LGU Pandan - P 3,000.00
Top Seller Booth - LGU Panganiban - P 3,000.00
Herbert DLS. Evangelista - Event Chair
Dir. Ireneo B. Panti Jr. - Co-Chair
Pauragan (Quiz Bee)
First Prize - Bato Rural Dev’t. High School - P 5,000.00
Second Prize - Catanduanes State Colleges Lab.High School - P 3,000.00
Third Prize - Palta National High School - P 1,000.00
Consolation Prize - ICASAS - P 500.00
Consolation Prize - Viga Rural Dev. High School - P 500.00
VG Alfred M. Aquino - Event Chair
PA Luis L. Surtida - Co-Chair
Isla Karera
Champion Team SUUNTO – Julius Ahleem Zape and Ricardo Samayo - P 15,000.00
1st Runner-Up Team SOLOISTA - Christopher Rodriguez and Marx Lin Fernandez -P10,000.00
2nd Runner –Up Team Virac Native Products - Jaymon Guerero and Joedel Brutas - P 5,000.00
SILANG Mountaineering Society - Event Organizer Bb Catanduanes
Bb. Catanduanes - Mae Geraldine Samar - P 25, 000.00
Bb. Catandungan Festival - Ma.Fatima Velchez - P 20, 000.00
Bb. Catanduanes Tourism - Amylou Buendia - P 15, 000.00
First Runner – Up - Mary Antonette Rodriguez - P 10, 000.00
Second Runner-Up - Ma. Amabelle Macabia - P 10, 000.00
Special Awards
Best in Talent - Adelle Monique Condeno Rima - P 5, 000.00
Best in Production Number - Ma. Amabelle Macabia - P 2, 000.00
Best in Swimsuit - Gretchen Arcilla - P 2, 000.00
Best in Evening Gown - Fatima Velchez - P 3, 000.00
Ms. Photogenic - Amylou Buendia - P 2, 000.00
Julieta M. Tasarra - Event Chair
Sonia P. Villaluna - Co-Chair
DLC Competition
1st place - Catanduanes State Colleges - P 15,000.00
2nd place - San Andres Vocational School - P 10,000.00
3rd place - San Miguel Rural Dev’t. HS - P 5,000.00
Consolation Winners @ P 2,000.00
Viga Rural Dev’t. High School
Catanduanes College
Calatagan National High School
Rudy M. Rojas - Event Chair
Leny T. Sarmiento - Co-Chair
Source: Catanduanes Tribune - 07 November 2009
RELATED LINKS
09 Catandungan Trade Fair Earn Good Sales - The three-day Catandungan Agro-Industrial and Technology Fair held at the Virac Youth Center on October 22-24 was a huge success in terms of sales and viewers attendance, with a daily average of 300 visitors.
EBMC Nurse is 09 Bb. Catanduanes - Nurses do have the "IT" factor as a 20-year old casual nurse at the Eastern Bicol Medical Center walked away with the Bb. Catanduanes crown during the pageant night at the Virac Sports Center Oct. 23.
Majestic Surfing Cup Postponed - Typhoon "Pepeng" left minor damages to infrastructure as it skirted the province last week, with its biggest impact the postponement of the 7th Governor’s Majestic Surfing Cup set Oct. 7-11 in Puraran, Baras.
Though still years away from implementation, the second phase of the improvement of the Catanduanes Cirfumferential Road project has nonetheless moved forward and is now undergoing appraisal by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee (ICC).
Approval by NEDA-ICC could come by February 2010, said DPWH Catanduanes section chief Engr. Rey Bejo in his report to the Provincial Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council (PSMEDC) during its meeting last Thursday (Nov. 12). The project would be undertaken under the Road Enhancement and Asset Preservation Maintenance Program (REAPMP) funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Under the schedule, procurement of consultants would be done from January to September 2010, with the procurement of civil works contractors set April to December 2011. Actual construction would be done from 2012 to 2014. Preparatory surveys have already been completed by JICA consultants this October.
To be done in two sections, the project will involve the improvement of existing gravel roads to pavements, improvement of bridges to two-lane spans, slope protection and drainage works, and road safety facility construction. The entire project will cost a total of P1,482,500,000, including P212.6 million for bridge construction.
About 3.32 kilometers of roads would be paved in the P148-million Contract Package 2 (Section 2) from Viga to Bagamanoc (9.97 kilometers) while another 44 kilometers would be converted to concrete pavements in P1.334 billion Contract Package 3 (Section 3) from Bagamanoc to Pandan (54.24 kilometers).
Of the other circumferential road section, the Virac-Viga section has a kilometer of bridge approaches to be paved while of the 60.7-kilometer Codon-Pandan section, about 52 kilometers of dirt roads have to be improved.
While local governments pushed for the prioritization of the Codon-Pandan section, the government had no choice but to stick to Sections 2 and 3 after the former section did not prove feasible. On the other hand, the Viga-Pandan section had an Economic Internal Rate of Return higher than 15%.
Source: Catanduanes Tribune - 23 November 2009
RELATED LINKS:
The Catanduanes Circumferential Road Improvement Project - Inaugurated was the 79.818-kilometer road stretching from San Andres to Viga and five (5) bridges, which are components of the fourth phase of the Arterial Road Links Development Project.
Catanduanes Skyway - Wild suggestion to the landslide and flood prone circumferential road going to north Catanduanes.
The Road Going to North - Travelling from Virac to northern towns of Viga, Panganiban and Bagamanoc is much better off now compared to 4 years ago.
This film is about the hunger and poverty brought about by Globalization. There are 10,000 people dying everyday due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of the society. The people who lives on the refuse of men to survive. What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people.
NAGA CITY—Drawing more than 12 million viewers as of Saturday, a short film about hunger shot here by a Bicolano filmmaker has pricked the conscience of people around the world, who said it made them cry.
“Chicken a la Carte” by Ferdinand Dimadura, shot in 2005, beat some 3,600 entries when it won the 56th Berlin Film Festival award for short films in 2006. Its biting commentary has drawn viewers to the website www.cultureunplugged.com and YouTube.
The film is “about hunger and poverty brought about by globalization,” the synopsis says.
Pushcart Educator Named CNN Hero of the Year - Efren Peñaflorida, who started a "pushcart classroom" in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership, has been named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.
ADB Announces Asia-Pacific Climate Change Video Contest - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a new video competition – My View: The Asia-Pacific Climate Change Video Contest – to promote awareness of climate change.
Promoting Good Governance - Bicolanos believe that good governance can help fight poverty, says the 2006 poverty mapping results of the BCDI.
Sunwest Water and Electric Co. Inc. (Suweco) is seeking the approval of its renewable energy service contract applications for 20 hydropower projects in Luzon and Visayas, according to data from the Department of Energy.
DOE documents showed that of the 20 proposed hydropower projects, 15 would have a combined capacity of about 55 MW. The capacities of the remaining five projects have yet to be disclosed.
Although Suweco did not indicate its possible investments in these projects, it may have to spend as much as $110 million.
This is based on the general rule that a company needs to invest at least $2 million to produce a megawatt of hydropower.
Suweco’s proposals are currently being evaluated by the DOE.
Under a renewable energy service contract, companies are given two years to conduct pre-development work.
Suweco is on track to spend P1.1 billion for three run-of-river mini hydropower projects, with combined capacity of 6.4 MW, in Catanduanes.
The Solong mini hydro plant would cost about P404 million to build and would have a capacity of 2.3 MW.
The Hitoma 01 hydro plant would need P242 million in investments to generate 1.5 MW, while the Capipian hydro facility would cost P459.7 million for a capacity of 2.6 MW.
Suweco’s Solong and Hitoma 01 mini hydropower plants are expected to begin operations by March 2010, to be followed by the Capipian facility in March 2011.
By Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:28:00 11/23/2009
RELATED LINKS:
Solong Waterfalls - The mountain resort located in Solong, San Miguel is fast becoming a popular recreation area for nature lovers and mountain hikers.
Catanduanes Hydropower Gets P860-M Loan - The estimated P860-million mini-hydro electric power plant projects in Solong, Kapipian and Hitoma in the province of Catanduanes is now 65 percent complete.
Tragedy of the Commons in Solong - The things we share as humans – air, water, land and other aspects of the natural world – that society shares among its members are generally referred to as commons.
(CNN) -- Efren Peñaflorida, who started a "pushcart classroom" in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership, has been named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.
CNN's Anderson Cooper revealed Peñaflorida's selection at the conclusion of the third-annual "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday night.
The gala event, taped before an audience of 3,000 at the Kodak Theatre, premieres on Thanksgiving, November 26, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the global networks of CNN.
The broadcast, which honors the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009, features performances by Grammy Award-winning artist Carrie Underwood, R&B crooner Maxwell and British pop sensation Leona Lewis.
Peñaflorida, who will receive $100,000 to continue his work with the Dynamic Teen Company, was selected after seven weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 2.75 million votes were cast.
"Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry," Peñaflorida said upon accepting the honor. "Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.
"So to each and every person inside in this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. As I always tell to my co-volunteers ... you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be."
The top 10 CNN Heroes, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an initial pool of more than 9,000 viewer nominations, were each honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. Each of the top 10 Heroes receives $25,000.
"With the recognition they receive on our stage," said Cooper, who hosted the tribute, "they'll be able to help thousands and thousands of people. Through their efforts, lives will be changed and lives will be saved."
Maxwell sang "Help Somebody" from his first album in eight years, 'BLACKsummers'night.'
Lewis, a three-time Grammy nominee, performed "Happy," from her second album, "Echo."
All three performances echoed the spirit of the CNN Heroes campaign, which salutes everyday people whose extraordinary accomplishments are making a difference in their communities and beyond.
Presenters included Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Neil Patrick Harris, Pierce Brosnan, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Randy Jackson, Greg Kinnear, George Lopez and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
"This record number of nominations is further evidence of the momentum CNN Heroes has built in just a few short years," said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide.
"Viewers have been engaged by these stories of inspiration and accomplishment beyond our expectations. It is truly an honor to be able to introduce the CNN Heroes to our global audience every year."
Again this year, producer/director Joel Gallen served as executive producer of "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute." Among his credits, Gallen produced telethon events supporting victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, winning an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for "America: A Tribute to Heroes."
The Kodak Theatre is best known as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards.
Here are the 2009 Top 10 CNN Heroes:
Brad Blauser
Brad Blauser is providing hope and mobility to disabled children and their families in Iraq. Since 2005, his Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids program has distributed nearly 650 free pediatric wheelchairs to children in need.
Roy Foster
Army veteran Roy Foster started Stand Down House to help veterans struggling with addiction and homelessness in Florida. Since 2000, his program has provided life-changing services to nearly 900 veterans.
Doc Hendley
Bartender Doc Hendley is providing clean water to communities worldwide. Through creative fundraising, his nonprofit Wine to Water has brought sustainable water systems to 25,000 people in five countries.
Andrea Ivory
Breast cancer survivor Andrea Ivory is bringing early detection to the doorsteps of uninsured women. With mobile mammography vans, her group has provided more than 500 free screenings in Miami, Florida.
Betty Makoni
Zimbabwe native Betty Makoni founded the Girl Child Network to provide a haven for young victims of sexual abuse. The organization has rescued more than 35,000 girls since 2001.
Jorge Munoz
School bus driver Jorge Munoz is helping hungry New Yorkers make it through tough times. Since 2004, he has handed out more than 70,000 meals from his mobile soup kitchen in Queens -- for free.
Efren Peñaflorida
Efren Peñaflorida gives Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. His Dynamic Teen Company's 10,000 members have taught basic reading and writing to 1,500 kids living in the slums.
Budi Soehardi
Budi Soehardi founded a children's home in one of the poorest areas of Indonesia. Today, Roslin Orphanage in West Timor provides food, shelter and education to more than 45 children.
Derrick Tabb
Derrick Tabb started The Roots of Music to give young people an alternative to New Orleans' streets. His music education program provides free tutoring, instruments and music instruction to more than 100 students.
Jordan Thomas
Jordan Thomas, 20, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, lost both of his legs in a boating accident in 2005. Since then, his Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised more than $400,000 to provide prosthetics for children in need.
Source: CNN Heroes
RELATED LINKS:
A Salute to Our Brave Fisher Folks - Video to highlight ordinary groups of individuals who contributed extraordinary efforts to make our life easier. Our everyday heroes.
A Crab Cartel - Another video dedicated to abaca, coconut and rice farmers of Catanduanes. Our everyday heroes.
A New Breed of Payonhons - A new breed of Catandunganons are taking the initiative to use the internet as a platform to promote Catanduanes as an eco-tourism destination in their own way.
Reading this news item “Attacks Get Nasty as Noynoy Maintains High Survey Ratings” is not new in Philippine politics, but one that interests me most, is the column of former Senator Ernesto Maceda, campaign manager and senior political adviser of Estrada, who floated a rumor that "a major national candidate" was autistic.
Interesting enough, but some of the world’s most celebrated individuals were autistic—including Isaac Newton, Beethoven, Mozart, George Orwell, Hans Christian Andersen, Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Immanuel Kant and (oops!) Adolf Hitler.
Searching for more information about autism, I found this article from telegraph.co.uk, you be the judge.
Albert Einstein 'found genius through autism'
By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent
Published: 4:01PM GMT 21 Feb 2008
Telegraph.co.uk
Many leading figures in the fields of science, politics and the arts have achieved success because they had autism, a leading psychiatrist has claimed.
Michael Fitzgerald, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin, argued the characteristics linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) were the same as those associated with creative genius.
Prof Fitzgerald cited Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, George Orwell, H G Wells and Ludwig Wittgenstein as examples of famous and brilliant individuals who showed signs of ASDs including Asperger syndrome.
Beethoven, Mozart, Hans Christian Andersen and Immanuel Kant have also received post mortem diagnoses of Asperger's.
Speaking at a Royal College of Psychiatrists' Academic Psychiatry conference in London, Prof Fitzgerald said argued the link between ASD's, creativity and genius were caused by common genetic causes.
"Psychiatric disorders can also have positive dimensions. I'm arguing the genes for autism/Asperger's, and creativity are essentially the same.
"We don't know which genes they are yet or how many there are, but we are talking about multiple genes of small effect. Every case is unique because people have varying numbers of the genes involved.
"These produce people who are highly focused, don't fit into the school system, and who often have poor social relationships and eye contact. They can be quite paranoid and oppositional, and usually highly moral and ethical.
"They can persist with a topic for 20-30 years without being distracted by what other people think. And they can produce in one lifetime the work of three or four other people."
Prof Fitzgerald said traits such as a need to be dominant and in control and autistic repetitiveness were critical to the success of politicians such as Charles de Gaulle, who famously said "I am France", US president Thomas Jefferson and Enoch Powell.
Another example he said was science fiction writer H G Wells, whom he described as socially insecure, controlling, lonely, cruel and emotionally immature.
Prof Fitzgerald reached his conclusion after comparing the characteristics of around 1,600 people he has diagnosed with ASDs and the known biographical details of famous people.
He said Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein demonstrated how many with Asperger's traits could work for long periods on topics without taking note of others' views.
Isaac Newton, he said, was known to work non-stop for three days without recognising day or night, often forgetting to eat, and Einstein worked in a patent office because he was too disruptive to get a university job.
Prof Fitzgerald's book "Genius Genes: How Asperger Talents Changed the World" was published at the end of last year,
Estimates of the prevalence of ASDs in the general population vary widely from 60-120 cases per 10,000 people.
Amanda Batten, of the National Autistic Society said: "It is important to avoid stereotypes of people with autism as geniuses or otherwise, as everyone has individual character traits, strengths and needs.
"These might include attention to detail and the ability to pursue something for long periods of time, however apparent ability in some areas may lead people to underestimate the challenges individuals face in other parts of their lives."
If there were festival of the wind, Catanduanes would probably pose a tough lead billing with Batanes. By coincidence, these two small provinces share a homonym and a "windy reputation." If you happen to catch a geographical trivia about "land of the howling winds," that's Catanduanes, for sure. We're neither too small, nor too big a landmass. But we promise as much mystery as the serene beauty of the pacific and the lush forests wrapping up this island afloat in the eastern seas.
So, what could we offer much this time folks? Much of the Manileños today who might happen to bear a poor grasp of geography would mistake Catanduanes as part of any of the islets somewhere in the Frisian or Caroline Islands. Oh gosh, where in Heaven's name is that? I got the same numb answer many years back in some of my sorties in the jungle city. How can I forget?
I say this because we dare to put this relatively little known abode in a map of festival craze nationwide. And somehow, everywhere, there's this and that festival springing out of nowhere. That was not so before in yesteryears.
Catandunganons are happy with the rate things are going on with festival craze. We are joining the bandwagon, I guess.
Catanduanes is basically agricultural province, and we are glad of the prime moving of certain government programs in the local government units, that run in tandem with Government Organizations (including DAR, of course), which put emphasis on pump-priming agriculture.
This has been on paper, so to say, through the province's Integrated Development Plan putting major crops (Lasa, Abaca and Coconut) as focal point of various agricultural productivity efforts.
So many advocacies have been there in place and, I bet, the Sugbo Festival (first time ever) in Catanduanes held last May 14, 2005 in the northern town of Caramoran provided an initial impetus to would be festivals that might follow. I learned that there's a "Dinahit Festival" held in the nearby town of Pandan or the upcoming Abaca Expo in the capital this May. But that's another story.
The activity was initiated by an Advocacy Group of well meaning Caramoranons (townsfolk of Caramoran). Today, it has evolved as the Sugbo Foundation, Inc. Some agencies such as the DTI, DA, DAR, FIDA, and both the Provincial and Municipal Local Government Units were immensely involved.
What's in the name?
A DTI briefer revealed that Tiger Grass (Thysanolaena Maxima Kuntz) is potentially commercial grass specie popularly known as Sugbo or Lasa in Catanduanes. It is a bushy grass, which grows erect to a height of 1.5 to 3.5 meters.
Every tiller in a clump has a cylindrical stalk measuring one centimeter in diameter on which narrow spearhead leaves are arranged alternately at 1-3 inches interval. Each stalk bears a panicle with slender spikelets which is commercially marketed whether in its raw form or as finished product like softbrooms and table dusters, stuffing mattresses and cushions, and decorative items.
Tiger grass possesses wide ecological adaptation. It grows in marginally hilly lands and degraded areas; mostly dominated forests, wherein which, cultivation of other economic crops prove non-feasible. These are planted as an intercrop to coconut, abaca, and banana in both the higher slopes and in flatlands.
It is a perennial crop, which bears panicles yearly starting January until June. The peak harvest is February to April. The panicles could be harvested one to two months after panicle emergence. Highly matured spikelets become brownish and brittle and no longer good for broom making.
Tiger grass is propagated either sexually or asexually. If propagated by rootstock, it will bear panicle within a year after planting. However, if propagated from seeds, it would bear panicle four to five years from planting.
There are three known varieties of Sugbo grown in Catanduanes, which could be classified according to the colors of its panicles - the yellow, the green, and the brown. The yellow variety is the most preferred by farmers. Although late maturing, it produces longer panicles and stronger spikelets making it more durable than the other two varieties. Yield potential of this variety ranges from 1000 to 5000 beer size bundles per hectare.
Opportunities
Catanduanes produces the best sugbo or lasa variety in the country aside from being a champion province in abaca. Its abundance (estimated annual production is 563,952 beer sizes) and simple technology required (plantation needs clearing only in order for the shoots to appear after harvest), pave way for bigger investment opportunities for lasa growers. Fortunately, a sizable number of them are Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs).
Caramoran, a northern town where a bigger bulk of lasa production is concentrated and which the DAR gains a greater LAD target, could very well provide a launching pad in this agri-business undertaking.
Promotion
With the bigger economic turnouts for farmers engaged in lasa production, the Sugbo festival proved useful in terms of promotions and marketing.
The human drama and the touch of art made this crop a spectacular protagonist. The street dances, with an array of young men and women clad in raw sugbo green varieties was a sight beautiful to behold.
A young entrepreneur, who happened to be batch-mate years ago, was caught with awe. "I hope event like this should stay, as a sort of mixing trade with fun. This is great."
Meanwhile, an inter-agency cooperation had been in place in support to Lasa industry promotions. The DTI had to spearhead as a matter of mandate together with other sectors and government institutions (including the DAR). There's no doubt the festival showed what it wanted to send to the public; that it means business.
Spill over
Sugbo festival painted a clear picture of how agri-business trends work for the marginalized farming sector. For example, the street drama has shaped a significant niche in the province. Others went on to stage their own mini-festivals that were basically attuned to their agri-business endeavors.
Come every month of October then, the scenario had drastically evolved into a sort of "product-tourism focused" parade. It became the theme of the culminating festival--the Catandungan Festival, which marks the province's foundation anniversary. It highlights all the eleven municipalities' best crops and tourism prowess staged in a diorama of artful street presentations.
The Sugbo festival as it dared to build an investment bridge for Caramoran, started molding a different shape for the province's Catanduangan Festival -- the mother activity being held annually during October.
The bright side of this was gleaned from the farmers' socio-cultural awareness as it mixes with art and ingenuity.
The DAR, as it continues to build Agrarian Reform Communities of hope and empowered beneficiaries, would pretty well embark on this trend and strike where the investment haven is.
What have we got?
Festivals, especially those that cater to agri-business types would be highly encouraged. As a local Mayor quipped, "they make us move with the aim in mind, and with pride."
The sugbo festival provided a substance, I guess, which could stir sagging spirits in the far flung areas. This mode of communicating market cues especially in the rural communities would be fine as channel to sustain focus and interest.
At the same time, it will re-live and pass on to posterity our cherished traditions and culture that's typically unique. In the face of fast-changing civilization that's slowly de-humanizing us; we might as well never lose sight of what we are and those around us.
Festivals provide avenues where we can play around and savor the grandeur of Creation around us. They must stay, as a balancing life force of our gravely complex environment.
Source: DTI-Catanduanes: Logical Framework for Tiger Grass Industry Development 2001-2003 c/o Dir. Ireneo Panti Jr.
RELATED LINKS:
Catanduanes to Reclaim "Crab Capital" Title - Catanduanes would be able to reclaim the title of “crab capital” of the Philippines, which it lost to Negros province about three decades ago.
Catanduanes Remains Top Abaca-Producing Province - Abaca-fiber production in the country’s top abaca-producing province from January to May 2009 went up by 22 percent to 8,646.32 metric tons (MT), said the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA).
Catanduanes Pursues Aggressive Tourism Development Approach - Catanduanes is pursuing an aggressive approach towards the development of its tourism industry capitalizing on its rich eco-tourism potentials and the genial mien and hospitality of its people.
Call it osmosis or adhesion, Senator Benigno Aquino III’s girlfriend, Valenzuela councilor Shalani Soledad, resigned on Tuesday her Lakas membership, looking forward to being sworn in to the Liberal Party.
Her political adviser Ramon Soledad made the disclosure to Standard Today on Friday night at his printing shop in MacArthur near Fatima School.
Last February, aside from Shalani, Vice Mayor Eric Martinez, councilor Gerry Esplana, SK chairman Mark Espiritu, village councilors Martell Soledad, Catherine Martinez joined Nationalist People’s Coalition, the party of Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian.
Mon, as he is known to close friends, said Shalani had not pledged herself to NPC as being circulated.
“Lakas lang talaga ang naging partido ni Konsehala [Shalani]. For sure, maiintindihan naman ni Mayor Sherwin ang naging desisyon ni Lans [Lakas was her only party. Mayor Sherwin will surely understand her decision].”
Shalani is expected to announce today what position she’d pursue, although only non-Valenzuelans are yet to know that Gatchalian was grooming her to unseat Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo of the city’s second district.
The musical chairs continue their round as Shalani exits, Gunigundo signs up with Lakas-Kampi-CMD effective Oct. 7.
A headquarters located on MacArthur Highway in Barangay Karuhatan is being rushed for the Liberal Party in a building of businessman Carlos Lee who extended the use of the second floor up to the fifth; ground level is being leased to a bank.
Tarpaulins are ready for mounting showing Noynoy and his vice-presidential aspirant, Senator Mar Roxas.
Mon also said that niece Shalani was not taking advantage of the boyfriend’s fame.
“If you will review from the start, Lans was not even noticed during former President Cory’s wake. Naging interesado lang media sa kanya when Kris Aquino requested his brother Noynoy not to get married yet,” he said in Filipino.
“It was then that the media became curious and started reviewing all their footages and encircled Lans from the shots,” he added. “I understand it’s a normal reaction, pero hindi nakiki-ride si konsehala sa fame ni Noynoy.”
He said Shalani was trying to help Noynoy to corner votes from Valenzuela and Bicol, particularly her home town Catanduanes.
by Gigi Muñoz David
Source: Manila Standard Today - 16 November 2009
RELATED LINKS:
A Closer Look at Shalani Soledad - Beauty-contest connoisseur Gerry Diaz had a close-up look at Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad.
Sen. Noynoy Aquino’s Rumored Girlfriend - Shalani is 29 years old and was born in Catanduanes on April 20, 1980. She's been a councilor of Valenzuela City since 2004.
Producers from Catanduanes amassed a total of P2.75M in sales at the recent Orgullo Kan Bikol (OKB) Regional Trade Fair held at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.
Ten companies coming from the Food (4), Wearables (4) and Home Furnishing (2) sectors participated in the annual regional activity of the Department of Trade and Industry on October 22 to 25, 2009. The companies were: Belen’s Pinahamis na Pili, Elpedes Pancit Factory, Sarilikha Food Products, JERDLMS (Food); ETBal Enterprises and FiberArt Handicraft (Home Furnishing); Nicole’s Embroideries, Nizacch Crafts & Gift Items/Ale’s Handicraft and Catanduanes CARP (Wearables).
Among the six provinces of the Bicol Region, Catanduanes took 3rd place in aggregate sales, with the bulk of the sales coming from the Home Furnishing sector as expected. A total of 142 regional exhibitors joined the OKB ’09.
Congressman Joseph A. Santiago and Gov. Joseph C. Cua extended financial assistance to the exhibitors through the Catanduanes Producers Association, Inc. (CPAI) headed by Cesar Angeles as president. The amount was spent for promo materials, hauling of products, traveling expenses and payment of participation fees.
Governor Joey Salceda of Albay graced the event as the guest speaker while visitors from Catanduanes were DOTC Assec. Cesar Sarmiento, Catanduanes Colleges president Toy Gianan and Rolando Iñigo together with his wife. Serving as partner agencies of OKB ’09 were PhilExport, in its bid to strengthen export tie-ups, and the Department of Tourism, which has strived to promote the Bicol Region as a prime tourist destination.
Source: DTI Catanduanes
RELATED LINKS:
Trade Fair Showcases Bicol's Agri-Based Products - The best of Bicol products and tourist hotspots are showcased anew in the OK Bikol-Gayon Bikol, the annual trade and tourism fair of the Department of Tourism and the Department of Trade and Industry Region V, which will runs until today at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall 2.
Promoting Good Governance - BICOLANOS believe that good governance can help fight poverty, says the 2006 poverty mapping results of the BCDI.
Pushing Dive Tourism - Based on the survey conducted by the TNS in the first semester of 2009, the volume of dive tourists in Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Mindoro Oriental and Batangas grew by 62.8%. German dive enthusiasts posted 131.9% increase while the Koreans dive tourists went up by 104%, American (37%), Japanese (34%), and Chinese (31%).
VIRAC, Catanduanes—Selling and transporting abaca planting materials outside the island-province of Catanduanes, the “abaca capital of the Philippines,” is now a crime punishable with imprisonment and heavy fines.
An ordinance recently passed by the provincial legislative board provides that the sale and transport of abaca planting materials such as suckers, corms and eyebuds outside the province are now prohibited up to five years as a measure to safeguard the local abaca industry.
Suckers are shoots that grow from the underground root or stem of a plant that produce their own roots and grow into a new plant. Corms are seed pieces, and eyebuds are sliced from corms and are also capable of plant reproduction.
The ordinance is also a preventive measure against the spread of abaca plant diseases in the light of findings that the dreaded abaca bunchy-top, abaca mosaic and bract mosaic diseases have been infecting 15 percent of the province’s vast abaca plantations, its principal author, board member Nel Asanza, said here over the weekend.
Violators of the ban would be fined P3,000 or meted with three-month imprisonment for the first offense, P4,000 or six-month imprisonment for the second offense, and P5,000 or one-year imprisonment for the third offense, he said.
The measure, Asanza said, was enacted in response to findings that some abaca producers and traders have been indiscriminately selling planting materials to buyers from the Bicol mainland and transporting them outside the province.
“This practice poses a great danger to abaca-fiber production as it would result to a probable depletion of abaca plantations, and, in time, would lead to the weakening of our abaca industry, to the prejudice of local farmers and traders,” the provincial board member said.
The rampant sale and transport of suckers also present an obstacle to the Catanduanes Unlad Abakamasa program of the provincial government, which seeks to uplift the quality of life of marginal abaca farmers and, at the same time, maintain Catanduanes’s reputation as the abaca capital of the country, he said.
A report of the Fiber Development Authority (FIDA) said Catanduanes remains the No. 1 producer of abaca in the country, accounting for about 9,000 metric tons in fiber production during the first half of this year.
The province had 23,676 hectares of abaca plantations cultivated by 15,454 farmers, the largest in the Philippines. Others in the top 10 list of abaca-producing provinces are Southern Leyte, Leyte, Davao Oriental, Northern Samar, Davao del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Samar, Sulu and Sorsogon.
Asanza said, “We are determined to keep the production of our abaca lands growing, even as the Fida has projected a slowdown in demand for fiber in the overseas market that would result in a decline by 20 percent due to the global financial crisis.”
Sooner or later, he said, the world economy would recover, and the demand for abaca fiber would normalize, and “that is what we are anticipating.”
To ensure the effective implementation of the anti-abaca planting materials smuggling ordinance, Asanza said a monitoring team composed of personnel from the Provincial Agriculture Support Office (Paso), Fida, municipal agriculture offices, and barangay officials had been created.
This team is tasked to arrest anybody who would be caught involved in the banned activity that depletes the province’s abaca plantations with about 3,000 suckers a week that are sold to traders from outside the province and shipped to Albay at P20 per piece.
That developed as the provincial government recently purchased and distributed 39,000 abaca suckers to qualified farmers under the abaca rehabilitation project of the CUA program. Asanza said.
The program also includes abaca densification, mechanization of fiber extraction, abaca disease eradication, processing, value-adding and research, he added.
Written by Danny O. Calleja / Correspondent
Source: Business Mirror - 09 November 2009
RELATED LINKS:
International Year of Natural Fibres, 2009 - The diverse range of natural fibres produced in many countries provides an important source of income for farmers, and thus can play an important role in contributing to food security and in eradicating poverty.
Perhaps, many in Catanduanes could still vividly remember Category 5 super Typhoon Dindo (Typhoon Nida) when it slammed last May 17, 2004 at 165 mph (266 km/h), taking everyone by surprise. And here is another surprise, a video taken in Gigmoto right after the storm.
Like many, I thought that Typhoon Dindo was a mere tropical depression in the middle of summer. There was no manifestation that it was a powerful typhoon since there was no rain except winds. However, on the evening of May 16, everything became clear, the wind is so strong that when it hit the concrete walls, the whole house vibrates.
At around 11:00 AM, there was a lull and everyone went out thinking that it was over. Some locals then started repairing their damaged roofs and walls. But after an hour or two of calmness, the south monsoon hit back with much powerful winds. It was the first time I saw an empty gin bottle hovered few inches in the air for a few seconds.
The powerful typhoon triggered landslides, destroyed houses and capsized a ferry, killing at least 19 people and leaving hundreds homeless in the Philippines, officials said Wednesday as the storm blew toward Japan.
A one fine day in Gigmoto bay taken last September on the Feast of Peñafrancia.
Philippines Feel the Effects of Kujira (Dante) - Kujira became the first typhoon of the year in the northern West Pacific as it pulled away from the east-central Philippines early on the afternoon (local time) of the 4th of May 2009.
Taming the Howling Winds - Its a good news that Suweco is taking a serious look at the wind energy potentials of our province.
An interview with Mr. Rodolfo Salalima, Senior Vice President for Corporate and Regulatory Affairs of Globe Telecom at the 2009 Session of ITU Council, talks about the construction of a typhoon early warning system pilot project in Catanduanes.
Geneva, 20-30 October 2009. Interview on ICT and Climate Change with Mr. Rodolfo Salalima, Philippines . The ITU Council is responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), coordinating work programmes, approving budgets and controlling finances and expenditure. ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services.
Source: International Telecommunication Union
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ADB Announces Asia-Pacific Climate Change Video Contest - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a new video competition – My View: The Asia-Pacific Climate Change Video Contest – to promote awareness of climate change...
Bidding for New Radar Station Set in Japan - Bids are now being submitted in Japan for the construction of a new Doppler radar facility at the Buenavista station of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in Bato, Catanduanes.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a new video competition – My View: The Asia-Pacific Climate Change Video Contest – to promote awareness of climate change, stimulate debate, and encourage climate change solutions in the lead-up to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
No area of the world is more vulnerable to climate change than Asia and the Pacific, with the region's families, food supplies, and financial prosperity at risk. The poor face the greatest threat from climate change because of their high dependence on natural resources and limited livelihood and mobility options.
While the situation is critical, there are already low-cost measures that nations can undertake to better protect the region's people, economy and environment.
"Every person can play an important role in our collective fight against climate change," said Ann Quon, Principal Director of ADB's External Relations Department. "We hope people will use this contest as an opportunity to share their views, take a stand and make videos that can make a difference."
There are no age restrictions for the contest. Citizens of any one of ADB's 67 member countries are eligible to participate.
Over $10,000 worth of prizes are being offered in three categories for the best videos about climate change in Asia and the Pacific.
"Video has the power to open minds and inspire change, and I hope people across the region and the world will share their vision about how we can solve the climate crisis," said Pepe Diokno, the 22-year-old winner of the 2009 Venice International Film Festival 'Lion of the Future' award for his first feature film, Engkwentro (Clash). Mr. Diokno is one of My View's judges.
Other judges include: Lynden Barber, an internationally regarded film critic and former Artistic Director of the Sydney Film Festival; Zhu Wen, an international award-winning film director and writer from the People's Republic of China; Brillante Mendoza, the internationally acclaimed Filipino filmmaker who won this year's Cannes Film Festival Best Director award; and Jabeen Merchant, a renowned Indian film editor who has edited major Bollywood feature films and many award winning documentaries.
Registration for the contest is easy. Applicants need only complete a short online registration form, and upload their videos to YouTube.com or Youku.com.
"This is an exciting opportunity for people from around the world to put their creativity and imagination to work," said Ms. Quon. "You don't need expensive equipment; you can even use your mobile phone. All you really need is a passion to communicate your vision of what people and nations can do to address the climate change crisis."
Source: Asian Development Bank
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The world's leading abaca producer is the Philippines, where the plant is cultivated on 130 000 ha by some 90 000 small farmers.
While the crop is also cultivated in other Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines' closest rival is Ecuador, where abaca is grown on large estates and production is increasingly mechanized.
Production and trade
In 2007, the Philippines produced about 60 000 tonnes of abaca fibre, while Ecuador produced 10 000 tonnes. World production is valued at around $30 million a year.
Almost all abaca produced is exported, mainly to Europe, Japan and the USA. Exports from the Philippines are increasingly in the form of pulp rather than raw fibre.
Source: IYNF-2009@fao.org
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Abaca: Natural Fiber - Once a favoured source of rope for ship's rigging, abaca shows promise as an energy-saving replacement for glass fibres in automobiles.
International Year of Natural Fibres, 2009 - Resolution 3/2005 of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, adopted on 25 November 2005.
Once a favoured source of rope for ship's rigging, abaca shows promise as an energy-saving replacement for glass fibres in automobiles
The Plant Also called manila hemp, abaca is extracted from the leaf sheath around the trunk of the abaca plant (Musa textilis), a close relative of the banana, native to the Philippines and widely distributed in the humid tropics. Harvesting abaca is labourious. Each stalk must be cut into strips which are scraped to remove the pulp. The fibres are then washed and dried.
The Fiber Abaca is a leaf fibre, composed of long slim cells that form part of the leaf's supporting structure. Lignin content is a high 15%. Abaca is prized for its great mechanical strength, buoyancy, resistance to saltwater damage, and long fibre length – up to 3 m. The best grades of abaca are fine, lustrous, light beige in colour and very strong.
Uses of Abaca During the 19th century abaca was widely used for ships' rigging, and pulped to make sturdy manila envelopes.
Today, it is still used to make ropes, twines, fishing lines and nets, as well as coarse cloth for sacking. There is also a flourishing niche market for abaca clothing, curtains, screens and furnishings.
Paper made from abaca pulp is used in stencil papers, cigarette filter papers, tea-bags and sausage skins, and also in currency paper (Japan's yen banknotes contain up to 30% abaca).
Mercedes Benz has used a mixture of polypropylene thermoplastic and abaca yarn in automobile body parts. Production of abaca fibre uses an estimated 60% less energy than production of glassfibre.
Source: IYNF-2009@fao.org
RELATED LINKS:
International Year of Natural Fibres, 2009 - Noting resolution 3/2005 of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, adopted on 25 November 2005,
A friend mentioned to me this morning to feature the UN General Assembly resolution declaring 2009 as the Year of Natural Fibers, for purposes of increasing public awareness. Although it's barely two months away before the end of year 2009. I am compelled to post it, considering that our province, Catanduanes is Philippines' top-producer of this natural fiber called, abaca or Manila hemp.
International Year of Natural Fibres, 2009
The General Assembly,
Noting resolution 3/2005 of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, adopted on 25 November 2005,
Noting also that the diverse range of natural fibres produced in many countries provides an important source of income for farmers, and thus can play an important role in contributing to food security and in eradicating poverty and hence in contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals,
Decides to declare 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibres;
Invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to facilitate the observance of the Year, in collaboration with Governments, regional and international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and relevant organizations of the United Nations system, and also invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to keep the General Assembly informed of progress made in this regard;
Calls upon Governments and relevant regional and international organizations to make voluntary contributions and to lend other forms of support to the Year;
Invites non-governmental organizations and the private sector to make voluntary contributions to and to support the Year;
Encourages all Governments, the United Nations system and all other actors to take advantage of the Year in order to increase awareness of the importance of these natural products.
20 December 2006
Source: IYNF-2009@fao.org
RELATED LINKS:
Trade Fair Showcases Bicol's Agri-Based Products - the fair is promoting market linkages with the players in the travel industry, trade buyers and investors to further boost Bicol’s tourism, trade and investment potentials.
Catanduanes Remains Top Abaca Producing Province - Abaca-fiber production in the country’s top abaca-producing province from January to May 2009 went up by 22 percent to 8,646.32 metric tons (MT).
Abaca Fiber Exports May Hit $80 M - Philippine export earnings from abaca fiber and manufactures are projected to reach $80 million in 2009, slightly lower than last year’s $100 million, although demand for such products in markets abroad remains strong.
Disclaimer: The information in this weblog is provided “AS IS” with no warranties, and confers no rights. This weblog does not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. It is solely my opinion. Feel free to challenge me, disagree with me, or tell me I’m completely nuts in the comments section of each blog entry, but I reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever (abusive, profane, rude, or anonymous comments) – so keep it polite, please.
Source: Catanduanes Tribune - 07 November 2009
