Grow Tilapia vs hunger
Residents of
Zamboanguita
construct a floating
tilapia fish cage in
Calango Dam. This
project is assisted by
the Bureau of Fisheries
and Acquatics
Resources or BFAR
in line with its
hunger mitigating
program designed to
provide food and
livelihood. Photo by
Christopher Sabrido
P200M hydro power
plant to rise in Philippine Oil Corporation-Exploration
Corporation Chairman
and former First District
Rep. Jacinto “Jing” Paras
agrees in principle the proposal
to establish a P 200M
mini hydro power plant in Bindoy with a potential power generation
at 3-5 megawatts provided
that it will jibe with President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo’s directive that all
energy related projects should ultimately
result in the reduction of power
rates.
The idea of establishing the hydro power plant in Bindoy was
reportedly first broached to
Paras by Negros Oriental Electric
Cooperative 1 General
Manager Angelito Carriaga
during the Guihulngan fiesta
last May.
Paras relates that
NORECO 1 sent a request for
help from Speaker Prospero
Nograles and according to
Vice-mayor Valente Yap, it was
reportedly endorsed to
Limkaichong for proper action.
However, she has supposedly
sat on it or opposed it. So, “no
matter how good the project will
be, if certain politicians do not
like it because it was proposed
by their opponents, then that
is the end of it,” concludes
Paras.
The former solon believes
the hydro power plant project
is “a good idea since if successfully
implemented it can provide
source of energy to at least
four towns in the first district
and can very well fill up the
current power deficiency in the
area.”
Bayawan city hosts
CVisayas Corn Fest
Agriculture Secretary Arthur C.
Yap is expected to lead the
group of distinguished guests
who will be gracing the opening
of the three-day 2nd Central
Visayas Corn festival
2008 on August 25 to 27, 2008 in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.
The festival aims to showcase and
promote the many uses of corn and
its by-products and provide a
venue for all stakeholders in the
regional corn industry to share information
and new technologies in
the production, postharvest handling
and marketing of corn.
With the theme “Modernizing
the Corn Industry in Central
Visayas: A Key to Improved Productivity
and Profitably”, this year’s Corn
Festival will showcase the products and
skills of corn farmers from all the municipalities of
Bohol, Negros Oriental,
Siquijor and Cebu. As the host
for this year’s corn festival celebration
and under the dynamic
leadership of Mayor German
Saraña, Bayawan City is
gearing up for the arrival of an
estimated 450 delegates and
participants from the provinces
of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental,
and Siquijor and will be composed
of regional DA officials
and staff, congressmen, mayors
, vice-mayors, provincial and
municipal agriculture workers,
corn farmer leaders, corn investors
(input suppliers, processors,
farm implements dealers
and fabricators), and researchers
and resource speakers for
the technical sessions.
The three-day festivities
will include a field day and farmer’s
forum, a series of technical
discussions and for an investment
forum and market matching
as well as corn – based competitions
namely, Best Corn
Cluster, Most Supportive LGU,
Best Booth Contest, Delicacy
Cooking Demo Contest, Handicraft
Skills Demo, Corn Jingle
Contest, Minus-One Singing
Contest, Poster-Making Contest,
Anagon-Eating Contest,
Quiz Bee, Pinaka-Daku Nga
Puso, Pinaka-Daghan Ug
Puso Sa Usa Ka Punu-an,
Pinaka-Nindot Nga Puso,
Largest Provincial Delegation,
Best Corn Farmer, and the
search for the 2008 Corn Festival
Queen.
The festival also hopes
to forge strong cooperation and
understanding among all corn
stakeholders to come up with
viable initiatives that will alleviate
the income and productivity
of the average corn growers
in the region in the face of a
global food crisis. (GRACE
LEN C. DAGALA)
Traders cite loses;
buck higher taxes
While stressing that they are not
against the proposal to increase
the tax rates for business establishments,
the Filipino Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Negros Oriental Chapter has appealed to the members
of the City Council to be reasonable
in doing so.
Its President, Mr. Alex Sy voiced the appeal
during the Thursday regular session and
cited figures to support his contention that the
business sector is not financially strong to bleed
for more taxes as their sales have dipped to an
average of 30 percent.
Per Sy’s statistics: Total sales of grocery
stores have declined by 10 percent; for general merchandise more than 20
percent and construction supply
30 percent.
His counter proposal: Implement
a one time 25 percent
increase in tax rates for the next
five years or until 2013 instead
of a yearly increase from 25 percent
to 75 percent covering the
same period.
“I discourage the city from
increasing taxes every year.
Where else in the country can
you find a city imposing a yearly
increase in taxes? It is highly
unusual,” declares Sy.
He reminded the city that
we are all affected by the economic
slump and if the government
insists on imposing higher
taxes then some business will
force to shut down.
Unperturbed, the City OIC
Treasurer Ms. Cristina Merced
argues that all LGUs are revising
their tax codes and
Dumaguete lags behind the cities
of Tagbilaran and Cebu in
maximizing the allowable tax
rates under the law.
Vice-mayor Woodrow
Maquiling opined that if only
the city government has the
political will to improve tax collection
then there will be no
need to impose new taxes. This
view was echoed by Councilor
Antonio “TonyRems” Remollo
who vehemently opposed all
actions intended to increase the
current tax rates insisting that
now is not the right time for it.
Nevertheless, majority of
the city councilors underscored
the need to speed up the revision
of the city’s omnibus tax
ordinance that they voted to
meet in an afternoon special
session this Tuesday at the
session hall.
NBI raids stores
selling fake sugar
On the strength of a search warrant
issued by Regional Trial Court Judge
Marie Rose Inocando Paras, elements
of the National Bureau of Investigation
swooped down on three
stores allegedly selling counterfeit sugar using the label of Busco Milling
Company Incorporated based in
Bukidnon, Wednesday.
NBI Dumaguete Special Investigator said
the raid conducted at about 9:00 o’clock in the
morning, which resulted in the seizure of 33
sacks filled with fake sugar, was in response
to a complaint by the concerned company. The
NBI identified the stores as the New VG Grocery
along Real Street reportedly owned by
Lilian C. Liu, three sacks; Virgie’s Grocery 2
of Stall No. 54 Building 2 Public Market Complex
operated by Virginia Briones Chiu, twentytwo
sacks and eight sacks from Odessa Trading
along Legaspi Street owned by Stella Sy.
Prior to the raid, the NBI
conducted two surveillance operations
on August 12 and 14
including test buys that confirmed
the illegal activity. Busco
legal counsel Atty. Dirkie Palma
said that his client decided to
seek NBI’s help fearing that the
modus operandi of these stores
will hurt the company’s image
here and abroad.
Authorities are now keeping
watch over a big store that
served as the source of the
three stores. Charges of unfair
competition, violation of the
Intellectual Property Rights
among others are being readied
against the store owners.
(With Neil Rio)
Valencianons donate bloood
Hundreds of Valencia
residents in the
municipality benefited
from the
medical and dental
mission conducted
by the Rotary Club
of Dumaguete recently.
The event
was held at the
town’s municipal
gymnasium where a
blood letting drive
aimed at replenishing
the supply of the
Philippine National
Red Cross was also
donesimultaneously.
