Angara wants incentives for coconut farmers
With many Filipinos still dependent on the coconut industry, Senator Edgardo Angara called on Monday on the government to provide economic incentives to coconut farmers, especially the small-scale tillers, to encourage them to plant more trees and boost coconut production in the country. Angara issued the call following the announcement of President Benigno S. Aquino III that quite a few American companies have pledged multimillion-dollar investments to the country’s coconut industry. “We must encourage our coconut farmers, especially the small-scale tillers, to plant more coconut trees to replace the ones that have become unproductive. To do this, we must offer incentives to make up for the waiting period before the new seedlings grow,” said Angara , chair of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (COMSTE).
Escudero urges DBM to itemize lump sum entry in education budget
Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Monday to itemize the lump sum entry in the 2012 budget for state universities and colleges (SUCs) to allay fears and doubts against the slash in funding. Last week, students and teachers across the country protested the cutback by P146 million in the proposed spending plan of SUCs for next year. DBM Secretary Florencio Abad Jr., however, said that contrary to the protesters’ claim, SUC funding had been increased to P26.1 billion from this year’s P23.7 billion. The proposed SUC budget for next year, Abad said, is broken down as follows: P23.6 billion for the automatic appropriation for SUCs; P2 billion to fill up vacancies lumped under the Miscellaneous and Personnel Benefit Funds (MPBF); and P500 million under the Commission on Higher Education for SUC Development. Escudero said the lump sum entry of MPBF should be disaggregated to show the real budget for each agency.
AFP: attack on Sulu patrol base a test mission
for 'Awliyah' recruits
A military official disclosed Monday that the attack on marine troops guarding a school building project in Sulu was a “test mission” for the attackers. This was disclosed by Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, who said the attackers' are new recruit members of a newly-formed group known as “Awliyah.” Fifteen people, including two marines, died while six other soldiers were wounded when around 50 fully armed gunmen attacked around 4:45 a.m. Sunday the patrol base in Barangay Kabungkol, Talipao, Sulu. The troops have also recovered seven high-powered firearms when they repulsed the attackers. The attackers failed in their mission to overrun the patrol base though they used the cover of darkness when they staged the attack, Cabangbang said. The patrol base was established to guard the construction of a school building funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
GSIS tells old-age, survivorship pensioners:
No need to undergo the ARAS
Effective May 1, this year, all old-age and survivorship pensioners of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) residing in the Philippines are no longer required to comply with the Annual Renewal of Active Status (ARAS), on their birth month. This was clarified by Robert Vergara, GSIS President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) during the Stakeholders’ Dialogue held at Mallberry Suitres, here, recently. Vergara, however, said this provision does not include the following who will still be required to comply with ARAS for the last time: Pensioners who are on suspended status as of April 30, 2011 and pensioners whose birth month falls on any of the following months – February, March or April and have not complied with their ARAS. Likewise, old-age and survivorship pensioners residing abroad will still be required to comply with the ARAS on their birth month, every year, using Skype or GSIS Voice Activated Processing System ( G-VAPS), as there is no way for the GSIS to monitor the status of these pensioners.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
As the whole country commemorates Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) urged the public to engage in early detection and prevention measures to fight breast cancer. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Cebuano women, based on the Cebu Population-based Cancer Registry of EJACC. From 1993 to 2007, EJACC recorded a total of 3,005 reported breast cancer cases in Metro Cebu. Breast cancer, which is characterized by an abnormal growth of breast cells, is most common in women ages 30 to 59. EJACC initiated its own efforts to raise public awareness on the importance of early cancer detection and prevention. One of these is Moonwalk: A Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness, a unique advocacy campaign of RAFI held every full moon of October, which aims to promote the importance of observing monthly breast self-examination for women aged 20 and beyond. Moonwalk also aims to popularize the importance of early detection practices, including breast self-examination, regular clinical breast examination, and annual mammography screening. This year, Moonwalk will be held on Oct. 12
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WEATHER:
Pagasa warns of heavy rains as "Pedring" intensifies, signal No. 3 up in some areas
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services (Pagasa) has placed several provinces under Signal No. 3, as Pedring (International name: NESA) slightly intensifies with a maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour, moving West NorthWest at 19kph.
Signal No. 3 is up in the following areas: Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Northern Quezon including Polillo Island , Aurora , Quirino and Isabela.
Signal No. 2: Albay including Burias Island , Sorsogon, Rest of Quezon, Rizal, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Benguet, Mt. Province , Kalinga, Cagayan and Metro Manila.
Signal No. 1: Ticao Island , Masbate, Marinduque, Batangas, Cavite , Bataan, Pampanga, Zambales, Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Apayao and Calayan and Babuyan Group of Islands; and Northern Samar .
Nathaniel Servando, Pagasa administrator said in a press conference 5:00 pm Monday that Pedring is expected to make landfall between Isabela and Aurora areas Tuesday dawn.
"Inaasahan na lalakas pa ito (We expecting it to intensify)," he told reporters, noting that Pedring might have "25-30 percent ng rainfall" of September 2009's devastating typhoon, Ondoy (Ketsana).
A Pagasa bulletin says Signal No. 3 may mean "heavy damage to agriculture, some large trees uprooted, majority of nipa and cogon houses unroofed or destroyed, considerable damage to structures of light to medium construction, moderate to heavy disruption of electrical power and communication services.
Travel by land, sea and air is dangerous, Pagasa added. Pagasa said classes up to high school level are automatically suspended in areas under Signal No. 2.
