Monday, July 11, 2011

Southern Leyte Celebrates Its 51th Founding Day Anniversary

July 11,2011

Southern Leyte Celebrates Its 51th Founding Day anniversary
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-The province o f Southern Leyte, comprising 18 municipalities and one city, has recently celebrated its 51th founding day anniversary at the provincial capitol grounds with a theme: “Southern Leyte: Sustaining The Growth”.
The celebration started with the parade at the Anatalio Gaviola plaza down to the provincial capitol. It was participated in by municipal mayors, Vice-Mayors and their respective Sangguniang Panlunsod members, provincial and city officials, heads of line agencies, including the public presentation of Miss Southern Leyte 2011 and her court
Mayor Maloney Samaco and Governor Damian Mercado delivered their welcome addresses during the anniversary program at the sunken garden’s public stage.
Also present at the stage were Vice-Mayor Ma. Effie Abiera-Sabandal and some City Councilors;Vice-Governor Miguel Maamo,11; ,some SP members,DPWH Regional Director Angel Sia,DAR Regional Director Castillo, Coral Cay representatives, Regional Tourism Director Karen Teopes and other personalities.
Congressman Roger Mercado in his short speech said “let us continue what we are doing” and urged the people of the province to be industrious,coursteous and hospitable in their dealings with different people including tourists that they are going to meet in their day to day living.
He also strongly enjoined the inhabitants to plant a variety of crops on their vacant lots and should give time also in clearing their respective places and surroundings.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri was still able to come as the guest speaker despite his busy appointments in some other places like North Cotabato and in Davao where he chose to visit the place on the eve of its anniversary so that he could come to Southern Leyte, he said.
However, he did not deliver any kind of meaningful speech, as if all he wanted to say were already spoken by other public officials.
Zubiri ,an adopted son of Southern Leyte who has had passed numerous laws in environmental conservation and protection, like renewable alternative energy and waste management ,among others,has merely repeated that indeed, in unity and teamwork, and with the cooperation of the constituents, a province like Southern Leyte can really move on to progress.
He likewise disclosed that whenever there’s an opportunity to talk about Southern Leyte, he always tells the people he knows to also include the place in their eco-tourism tour or perhaps invest in the province.
Plaques of Rajah Kolambo Awards were likewise handed over to the most outstanding Southern Leyteños 2011 by Governor Damian Mercado in behalf of the provincial government.
1)Vice-Mayor Ma. Effie Abiera –Sabandal-government service;2)Domingo P. Espina-retired government elected official and being the Mayor of the municipality of Libagon for 16 years and as COCOFED Partylist Representative-government service; 3)Patrick Rimbert S. Galia-international motorcross champion(young achiever category)-champion in various national, international and Asian motorcross competitions,65 class category,10 years old and below;4)Patrick Joseph S. Galia-international motor cross champion(young achiever category)-champion in various national, international and Asian motorcross competitions,50 class castegory,8 years old and below;5)Placida Go-Saga(Posthumous Award as writer/author/educator)- for her downright and deep concern and sincere interest in preserving the precious cultural heritage of the province through her book “Folk Poetry of Southern Leyte”.
Winners of Ms. Southern Leyte 2011: 1)Beryl Lynn Yu-Ms .Southern Leyte 2011-Sogod;2)First runner up Marian Mate-Anahawan;3)Second runner- up-Beverly Ann Orais-Maasin; 4)Third runner up-Shara Tibon-Bontoc; 5)Fourth runner up-Sheila Diokno-Macrohon.
Winner of showdown Sinugdan Festival: 1) Grand winner-Maasin;2)First runner-up-Bato;32)Second runner-up-Anahawan; 4)Third runner-up-Malitbog.
1) Best in street dancing-Bato, Leyte;2)Best in costume-Maasin; 3)Best in Choreographer-Kobol Abres-Maasin; 4)Festival Queen-Aisha Umacob-Anahawan.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

Kinamot Sa Abgao Restaurant.Tel. no. (053)381-3878.
Villa Romana Hotel.13 airconditioned rooms with TV sets,etc.
Tel no.(053)381-0639.Tomas Oppus St.,brgy. Abgao, Maasin City.

N.B.The almost eleven years old city of Maasin has no skin specialist yet until now. Only those w ho have the means can go to Cebu City for their skin problems. But those with little income cannot afford to go to Cebu for consultations. We hope that a skin specialist or dermatologist from nearby cities will be interested to put up a clinic here to serve those who have skin problems.

Natasha Service Center/MSE Marikina Shoe Service Center,
A.Bantug Street,Tunga-Tunga,Maasin City,Southern Leyte
Tel nos. (053)570-8144;(053)381-0430.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

DA-8 Regional Director Urges Farmers To Practice Multicropping

July 8,2011


DA Regional Director Urges Farmers To Practice Multi-cropping
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Department of Agriculture Regional Director-8 has strongly urged farmers to practice multi-stories cropping on every hectare lot to increase plant yields.
This was the statement of Antonio Gerundio in his speech as guest speaker during the opening of Agri-Fish Fair and Garden Show held at mini-forest at the Capitol site.
He pointed out that farmers should not rely on one or two kinds of plants per hectare since with DA technology it can also be planted to other crops, aside from coconuts, vegetables, fruits, spices and rootcrops.
Referring the application of multi-cropping in Cavite, where the Cebuano DA Director has lived for the past 30 years ,he disclosed this was what the Caviteño farmers were doing for many years now.
“With this technique in planting variety of plants in every hectare of their lots”, he said, “the farmers in Cavite have earned more money from their harvests”.
However, Gerundio admonished that farmers, fisherfolks and those who want to engage in livestock industry, to seek the DA’s technical assistance to improve their harvests.
The DA Director also enjoined farmers to plant more jackfruit trees aside from the aforesaid crops and plants since this fruit will easily thrive in the area.”The 30 hectares in Ormoc planted to jackfruits are not even sufficient to provide adequate supply for our processing plant”, he said.
The Director further persuaded rich LGUs to join forces with the poor LGUs and work together to enhance their respective agricultural activities to increase productions.
Gerundio advised municipal mayors and DA officials to have their own road map on agriculture and fishery in their municipalities. This could serve as guide in identifying areas for suitable projects.
He emphasized that construction of fish port should only be located in strategic places to avoid duplication and that there will be no more grants on rice and corn.”The seed funds for the projects were already diverted to irrigation”, he clarified.”What we are offering now at Kagawaran are tractors for farmers”.
He said that request for tractors should be endorsed to his office by the Congressman and the Governor of a particular province.
He also unfolded that there’s money in agriculture and that milking carabao can give 10 to 16 liters of milk per day from 8 to 10 months period.
He also confessed he was able to send his children to college by raising milking carabaos to pay for the tuition fees of his college students.”I have even extra of 10 remaining animals after all my children have graduated from college”, he proudly said.”It depends upon how you apply a technique to earn money”.
The Agriculture Director has observed that many sons of farmers have no interest to follow the footsteps of their fathers and choose to take up other courses or work in big cities.
Nevertheless, he strongly persuaded sons of farmers/fisherfolks to follow the footsteps of their fathers by taking up courses related to agri-aqua.”We cannot be all doctors,engineers,architects,journalists,educators,anthropologists,etc.We also need group of agriculturists and farmers to engage in producing more and more rice and other foods for the people’s consumption”, he stressed.
On the other hand, Governor Damian Mercado divulged that there are now 26 fish sanctuaries in various municipalities of the province.
The Governor said that P10,000 shall be given to barangay officials to encourage them to protect the fish sanctuaries located in their respective jurisdictional areas so that it can increase its fish population.
For his part, Congressman Roger Mercado also enjoined the agricultural sector to plant more and more fruits,vegetables,rootcrops,rice,corn,spices and other crops and make Southern Leyte producer and not only consumer.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

P.S.The 10-year-old City of Maasin still has no skin specialist/dermatologist for several years now. Some people who have the means with skin problems can easily go to Cebu City.However,the less moneyed who have some skin afflictions cannot afford for that travel in Cebu for consultation.We hope there will be a skin specialist who is interested to open a clinic here, even for three times a week.

The Government Should Give Priority To Agriculture-Zubiri

July 8,2011

The Government Should Give Priority To Agriculture-Zubiri

By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin Citiy, Southern Leyte-Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, guest speaker to the recent 51th Founding Day anniversary of the province of Southern Leyte stressed that the present Government and the incoming Presidency must give priority to agriculture to stop the importation of rice and other agricultural products.

The Senator expressed his concern during a presscon held at the Governor’s office as he observed that the nation’s agricultural sector was left behind compared to its neighbors in Asia when it comes to rice production and other agricultural plant produce.

When it comes to budgeting, ours has a very low, he said, than the DSWD, DOTC,DND.”During my schooling at UP Los Baños, Laguna my classmates were Vietnamese, Thailanders, Cambodians and from Laos”, he confided.”And they apply and practice what they’ve learned at UP. Vietnam and Thailand are now rice producers and where we have been getting our rice imports”.

He divulged farmers in the above-mentioned countries were supported by their Governments and cheap cost of tractors, while in the Philippines the farmers cannot afford to buy tractors due to prohibitive price comparable to Mercedez-Benz.

Zubiri pointed out that the Aquino Administration should provide the necessary assistance needed for the farmers-from technical to financial- to improve their productivity yields.”With good monitoring and caring of rice plantations and other agricultural plants, we can gradually stop importing rice and other products from other countries”.

To the areas of Mindanao like Cotabato and other places with similar flooding problems, he said, floodwaters can be tamed by constructing catchment basins in various strategic areas that would lead the abundant water to the newly-constructed dams, thus providing the needed waters to supply hectares of rice fields and other farms.

For the Leyte Island, there’s the need now for the Aquino Administration to provide funds for the improvement of the regional airport in Tacloban City to make it into a standard international airport like Mactan, Iloilo and Silay City in Negros, he said.”The improvements of the Tacloban airport would boost the eco-tourism in region 8 including that of Southern Leyte”.

As for the suggestion of abolishing the NFA due to some alleged anomalies, Senator Zubiri said that we should give time to the new NFA Secretary “to re-configure and re-install it into one that’s really worthwhile and effective in helping the farmers improve their lot”.

A concerned observer claimed that the NFA has only done the importation of tons and tons of rice, but are not helping the farmers.

Furthermore, the Chairman on Environment and Agriculture, also underscored that the incumbent President should make a long term plan for the development of the national infrastructures and agriculture and to alleviate, if not to eradicate, poverty.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

Natasha Service Center/MSE Marikina Shoe Service Center,

A.Bantug Street,Tunga-Tunga,Maasin City,Southern Leyte

Tel nos. (053)570-8144;(053)381-0430.

Panny’s Homebake Products has transferred to a more better location

At the new SJC building infront of the SJC’s old building at Tomas Oppus St. Tunga-Tunga,

Maasin City.

Dr.Jocelyn Verrano Villamor,MD,DPAMLJ

Pediatrics,R.Kangleon St.,Abgao,Maasin City,

Southern Leyte.Tel no.(053)381-2371


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