Working through the
night negotiators struggled to understand the status of the so called
“Copenhagen Accord¹ as the Copenhagen Climate Summit came to an
inglorious, incoherent and fiercely disputed close.
Greenpeace
International Executive Director, Kumi Naidoo, warned: “The world is
facing tragic crises of leadership. Rather than coming together to
secure a future for hundreds of millions of people by agreeing an
historic deal to avert climate chaos, leaders of the world¹s most
powerful countries have betrayed future and current generations.
Averting climate chaos has just gotten a whole lot harder.”
The Copenhagen Accord
is being hailed by some as a step forward. It is not. In fact it has
not even been formally adopted by the Conference of the Parties
(COP). It does not contain strong measures for emission reductions in
developed countries. It is a major concession to climate polluting
industries, especially in the fossil fuel sector which lobbied hard to
undermine a deal and now has a license to continue to pollute.
There are a few plus
points, however, it provides for the establishment of a new Climate
Funding Mechanism and agrees on the need of large scale finance, up to
100 billion dollars a year, to allow developing countries to protect
their forest, to put their economies on a low carbon pathway and to
help them adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Furthermore developing
countries agreed to take both voluntary action to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and to increase those actions if financial support was
provided by developed countries.
“Even as we welcome
the establishment of the Climate Funding Mechanism that will provide
positive incentives for the protection of forests, we regret the lack
of deforestation reduction targets. This is a missed opportunity both
for the forests and for the climate,” said Shailendra Yashwant,
Greenpeace Southeast Asia Campaign Director.
“Although the fund
could thankfully undermine the use of carbon projects and offsetting
tricks of developed countries, the lack of [deforestation reduction]
targets is a loophole which will see the positive impact of real
efforts to reduce deforestation undermined by national activities
which will lead to international leakage.”
The conference did not
agree a way forward to establish a legally binding agreement.
Although
negotiations will continue next year, the loss of the ‘legally
binding¹ objective made the Copenhagen Summit a huge missed
opportunity. The world now has to resume the journey on the road from
Bali to Mexico where a fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement
to avert catastrophic climate change must be adopted.
Army troops encounter
anew killing two rebels, firearms recovered
Press Release
By Office of the Division Public Affairs, 8ID PA
December 14, 2009
CAMP LUKBAN,
Catbalogan, Samar – The Army’s 63rd Infantry Battalion
successfully carried out their mission in an encounter against the
terrorist rebels in Brgy. Cagmanaba, Jipapad, Eastern Samar on
Wednesday afternoon.
Report reaching to
this headquarters by 1Lt. Josephus Emar M. Rempillo, public affairs
officer of the aforesaid battalion disclosed that around 1:00 p.m. on
December 9 while conducting security operations in the forested area
of the afore-mentioned barangay, troops of “A” Coy under 1Lt Rodrigo
C. Sinoy Jr. encountered some 20 NPA bandits under unknown leader who
believed to be heading to said barangay for extortion activity.
Accordingly, firefight
lasted for about 15 minutes before the enemy was forced to withdraw
upon sensing their inferiority. The said incident has resulted to the
recovery of two M16 rifles, ammunitions, personal belongings and
subversive documents.
This also resulted to
the killing of a terrorist whose identity is still being find out up
to this press time and wounding more as evident in the bloodstains in
the site of encounter. No casualty has reported in the government
side.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col.
Arman Rico, 8ID’s spokesperson said that Maj. Gen. Arthur I. Tabaquero,
commander of 8ID has already conveyed his congratulations to the 63IB
for the successful implementation of ISO and the laudable feat in the
pursuit of peace and development initiatives of the local government
in their area.
Lt. Col. Rico also
said, the said success was the result of information being provided by
the localities with regards to the terrorist activities in their
area. “This is the result of the continuous information campaign
being carried out by all Army units in our area of responsibility”, he
added.
Meanwhile, the 63IB
is continuously conducting pursuit operations to track down the
fleeing terrorist and let them face with their violations of the
people’s rights in the said part of the region.
ANAD hails lifting of
martial law in Maguindanao
Press Release
By
ANAD Partylist
December 13, 2009
QUEZON CITY – “The lifting of
Presidential Proclamation 1959 is a manifestation of government’s
sensitivities and full reliance on factual developments on the
ground,” said ANAD Partylist Rep. Jun Alcover in reaction to the
lifting of martial law in the province of Maguindanao, in the evening
of Saturday (December 12, 2009).
The Alliance for
Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) Partylist supports PP 1959’s imposition in the face of the so-called
looming rebellion brought about by the total collapse in the delivery
of basic and judicial services by the local government of that
province, and the continued resistance by thousands of armed
supporters of the Ampatuan family, a known political warlord in the
area.
“We, in ANAD, were all
out in support of government’s initiative to restore public order,
return of the delivery of basic services by government, and the
justiciable resolution of the Nov. 22 massacre of 57 hapless
civilians, including 30 media personalities, in Masalay, Maguindanao,”
Rep. Alcover pointed out.
“The lifting of PP
1959 or its imposition was a prerogative solely vested by the
constitution on the country’s Chief Executive,” said Rep. Alcover even
as he describes the petitioners against PP 1959 before the Supreme
Court and the number of mass protest actions as grandstanding and
hallowed noise.
Rep. Alcover cited the
fact that the short-lived martial rule, in Maguindanao, “clearly shows
President Macapagal-Arroyo’s adeptness to the rule of law and
resiliency towards factual happenings in the field. Here, the
President has made an unequivocal statement of her commitment towards
justice and truth which is directly in contrast to what her detractors
had been saying, time and again,” Alcover added.
On the continued
tirades by Maoist terrorist sectoral front and pseudo partylist
personalities even with the lifting of martial law, with a shrug of a
shoulder, Alcover said, “What can we expect from these people? They
always take up and make use of any issue against government to advance
their lost cause. Maka-libre sila ng exposure, di ba?” Alcover
quipped.
“With the lifting of
martial law, Congress should now focus on a number of vital bills,
like the 2010 national budget and other pro-people measures, which our
people needs,” he stressed.
Kananga Municipal
Hospital gets anew financial support from Province for operations
By
Provincial
Media Relations Center
December 12, 2009
TACLOBAN CITY – Even
has full operation and control has already been given to the local
government of Kananga of the Kananga Municipal Hospital, the said
facility would still be receiving financial aid from its former
possessor – the provincial government of Leyte.
With this, the
hospital, fully turned over to the Kananga LGU in September, received
anew financial assistance from the province amounting to P875,000 for
the third quarter of this year.
According to Kananga
Mayor Elmer Codilla, though the province has relinquished its
management and operation of the former community hospital, the
provincial government through Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla has
committed to provide assistance to the hospital for a period of five
years, which at such point would be enough time for the LGU to be
financially stable for its operations.
To recall, after many
negotiations and convincing from the governor this year, Mayor Codilla
finally gave his nod for the LGU to handle the management of the said
community hospital against the alternative option of full closure
since the said facility has not been earning much to support its own
operations.
“We looked for means
to continue the operation of the hospital so that we can still provide
a decent health facility for people from the western part of the
province,” Mayor Codilla said.
It was learned, the
KMH gets an average of 46 patients a day and on peak days, such as
Mondays, patients can number up to 98 a day.
In 1991 the government
introduced a major devolution of national government services, which
included the first wave of health sector reform, through the
introduction of the Local Government Code of 1991. The Code devolved
basic services, to include health services among others, to local
government units.
With the devolution of
health services to LGUs, the provincial governments oversee provincial
and district hospitals, while the municipal governments manage rural
health units (RHUs) and barangay (village) health stations.
During his first term,
Gov. Petilla implemented a hospital improvement plan to make the
district hospitals under the province’s wings independent and
self-sustaining; however, some of these hospitals remain
non-performing costing the province more by subsidizing its
operations.
For some LGUs, the
decentralization process have been favorable, especially those LGUs
which are resource-rich.
Gov. Petilla said
closing the hospitals however weighed heavily in the government’s
thrust to provide health care especially with 70% of the community
hospitals clientele belonging to the low-income level.
Aside from turning
over the community hospital to the Kananga LGU, the provincial
government has also provided it with a financial assistance of P3.5
million to rehabilitate some of its existing facilities and services.
AHRC launches online
petition to revoke Maguindanao's martial law
Press Release
December
9, 2009
HONG KONG – The
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) today launched an online petition
to call upon the members of the Philippine Congress to revoke a
proclamation which placed the province of Maguindanao, in southern
Philippines, under martial law.
http://www.petitiononline.com/m23p1959/petition-sign.html
Philippine President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed the Proclamation No. 1959 on December
4. However, the justification is devoid of constitutionality as it is
in contradiction to article 7 section 18 of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution which states, "…the Constitution clearly requires that
only in 'case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety
requires it' can martial law be declared,".
The full text of the
petition can be read and online at: A petition asking the Philippine
Congress to revoke the martial law in Maguindanao province
http://www.petitiononline.com/m23p1959/petition.html
The petitioners are
urged to sign and leave comments online. The petition will be
submitted to the Philippine Congress.
The AHRC believes
there was no overt acts of "invasion or rebellion" to justify this
proclamation. The martial law was declared, not for reasons of
suppressing rebellion, but to allow the police and the military to
execute warrantless arrest and detention.
By placing the
province under martial law and suspending the privilege of the writ of
habeas corpus the policemen and the military have been given a
freehand to arrest, detain and conduct searches without court
warrants.
There have been
arrests of the Ampatuans, a powerful political clan accused of
masterminding the Maguindanao massacre, and their supporters, but
there have also been arrests of persons who are then subject to
questioning despite having no involvement in the massacre.
Today, the two
chambers of the Philippine Congress – the House of Senate and the
House of Representatives – have begun deliberating on whether or not
to revoke the martial law.
Samar Island newsmen
condemn massacre of journalists in Maguindanao
By RICKY J. BAUTISTA
November
26, 2009
CATBALOGAN CITY –
This is the darkest day and infamy in the history of journalism in
the Philippines.
The entire community
of journalists in the three provinces of Samar Island has joined
hundreds of media organizations here and abroad in expressing outrage
and condemnation over the gruesome fate suffered by their murdered
colleagues when a political convoy was ambushed and slaughtered by
gunmen in the Maguindanao province of Southern Philippines, Monday,
November 23, this year.
The Samar Island Press
Club (SIPC), a legitimate media organization composed of members
working for print, radio and televisions stations in North, West and
East Samar has also demand speedy solution over this biggest single
massacre of working journalists committed by beasts, bring to justice
the guilty murderers with dispatch, without fear or favor.
Starting today,
members of the SIPC will wear a black t-shirt with “stop killing
journalist” print, condemn in each radio programs and newspaper
columns and will put a wide tarpaulin with full condemnation of this
kind of “barbaric acts” against innocent civilians.
The full text of the
statement released by the SIPC yesterday runs as follows:
“We, the members of
the Samar Island Press Club (SIPC) from East, North and Western
Provinces of Samar Island, condemn in its strongest possible term the
recent massacre in the Province of Maguindanao that claimed more than
40 innocent lives in which more or less 15 of the victims are members
of the media who were merely covering the event as part of their duty
and obligation to the people of Maguindanao.
This despicable and
savage killings of the members of the Fourth Estate perpetrated in
such a horrid and loathsome manner that can only be done by beasts and
barbaric beings who have divested themselves of the tiniest semblance
of humanity is not only a brazen affront to press freedom but shows
lack of respect to human dignity and sanctity.
We can only imagine
the evil lurks in the hearts of these most vicious criminals!
Clearly, their demonic
masters who are behind this barbaric acts are sending us a message to
spare them from exposing their evil and Godless acts against their so
called "enemies" to shut up and zipped our mouth, close our eyes, and
turned our ears deaf.
But, they are wrong
because we fear no one, we will continue to exercise our sworn in duty
because that is where we exist, we will continue to expose and oppose
ills in government bureaucracy.
We will continue to
fight those who would try to quell our God-given gift and our
constitutionally enshrined democratic principles such as the Freedom
of the Press, the rights of the people to information, and the right
of every person to redress grievances against the State.
With one indignant,
persistent voice, we the members of the Samar Island Press Club (SIPC)
proclaim to all concerned government authorities, that we demand
speedy solution over this heinous crime committed by beasts, bring to
justice the guilty murderers with dispatch, without fear or favor.”
The SIPC call came
after a political convoy of over 50 persons, composed of newsmen,
lawyers, and other civilians was ambushed, beheaded and slaughtered by
around 100 armed men in Maguindanao, Southern Philippines. Most of the
victims were peppered with bullets and buried including their
vehicles.
Buluan vice mayor
Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu told ANC News that his wife, Genalyn, his
sister, and some relatives were on their way to file a certificate of
candidacy on his behalf when they were abducted. Mangudadatu is
running for governor of Maguindanao.
He said his wife
called him at around
9:30 in the
morning to say an armed group, supposedly of the Ampatuan clan, a
political rival, flagged down their convoy on their way to Shariff
Aguak town, where the election office of the province is located.
As of yesterday, the
police and military has taken over the whole province apparently to
“build confident control measures.” All concerned government agencies
has also been deployed in the area to help in the investigations and
control peace and order situation in the area.
ICOT-P opens new
Aquaculture Training & Production Center in Leyte town
By
Provincial
Media Relations Center
November 26, 2009
TACLOBAN CITY – At
least 44 high school students benefits from the newly launched
Aquaculture Training and Production training, started among three
public secondary schools in Leyte, Leyte.
The training course,
called Income Creating Opportunities Technology-Project (ICOT-P) on
Aquaculture Technology Course, is bankrolled by the provincial
government of Leyte to provide livelihood skills to students who are
unable to proceed to tertiary level of education and earn a degree.
Leyte Gov. Carlos
Jericho Petilla, who initiated the training program under his
expanding ICOT-P training courses, led the opening of the ICOT
Aquaculture Training and Production Center in Leyte town that covers
more or less 10,000 square meters of fish pond apportioned for the
aquaculture students.
Already 7,000 square
meters of the area have been developed where the students can grow
their fish variety.
During the recent
inauguration at least 5,000 fish fry or fingerlings of different
variety were spread into the constructed fish pond.
The ICOT-P is a
pro-poor project initiated by Gov. Petilla and is being implemented
by the Provincial Government of Leyte. It focuses on graduating
secondary level students who cannot pursue college education, by
providing technology and skills transfer initially on modern
agriculture and entrepreneurship, thereby creating opportunities for
gainful income with the use of technology even without college
education.
With the success of
the initial implementation in various public high schools in the
province, the ICOT-P program has extented to the field of information
technology when it offered the ICOT-P on IT program and providing them
a venue for an IT training course throuh the ICOT-P on IT Data Center
at the Leyte ICT Park in Palo.
However, with yet
another success story and graduating hundreds of high school students
from various recipent schools, the program expanded this year to
include aquaculture training and production among selected public high
schools.
The ICOT-P envisions
to bridge societal divides in the province of Leyte by providing
opportunities to young students of Leyte to acquire skills and
technologies that will make them productive members of the society
despite economic situation in life.
ICOT-P is has become a
landmark program of the provincial government, a milestone in its
efforts to provide quality life for its constituents through community
development, values formation and development and poverty alleviation.
Bagsakan Center opens
in San Jorge, Samar
By NINFA B. QUIRANTE (PIA
Samar)
November 24,
2009
CATBALOGAN, Samar –
To accommodate the land produce of hundreds of farmers from San
Jorge, a new Bagsakan Center was formally opened Monday with
Department of Agriculture - Regional Field Unit 08 (DA-RFU 08)
Regional Director Leo Cañeda.
The Bagsakan Center,
the fifth in Samar province is one of the support facilities provided
by the national government through DA which is intended to help the
farmers.
This will generate
livelihood by giving them post-harvest and marketing facilities to
market their produce and encourage them to produce surpluses instead
of merely producing for their own consumption.
Ms Concepcion Ursua,
was assigned by Mayor Nancy Grey to manage the Bagsakan Center.
With San Jorge’s
agricultural land of 12,140 hectares, and a forest land of some 26,839
hectares based on her profile, farmers will be able to maximize the
Bagsakan Center.
One Maricar Martinez,
a fish vendor for 15 years is grateful for the Bagsakan Center, at
least here they will be organized.
“Unlike before when we
all had to bring tables for our items, today, we won’t have to do
that, the stalls are tiled and look really neat and presentable“,
beamed Martinez.
Mayor Nancy Grey
thanked DA for the opportunity.
Just last week, DA
launched The Farmers Scientist Training Program (FSTP) for corn
farmers where close to a hundred farmers from San Jorge will benefit
from it.
Today, Grey was doubly
grateful for another give-away – three mechanical dryers have been
promised by Director Cañeda one for Barangay La Paz, another for
Barangay Quezon and another for Northwestern Samar State
University-San Jorge Campus.
Farmers and buyers
alike crowded the new Bagsakan Center as it virtually opened yesterday
and sold items at reasonable prices.
Leyte welcomes new
government-run resort
By
Provincial
Media Relations Center
November 24, 2009
TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte’s
western side welcomes the opening of a new P4 million worth local
government run resort seen to boost the local tourism industry in the
area.
The Sibugay Mountain
Resort in Sitio Soob, Poblacion, Albuera,
Leyte is being poised to become an alternative eco-tourism resort
and seen to create jobs and open livelihood opportunities.
Leyte Governor Carlos
Jericho Petilla, who recently led the inauguration rites of the
resort, said investments in tourism yields more positive result if it
comes from the private sector; however, in the case of the recently
opened resort in Albuera, sans interested private investors coming in,
the local government took the initiative and developed the resort
themselves.
Gov. Petilla otherwise
lauded the project started by the local government of Albuera under
Mayor Sixto dela Victoria for making the first move to further their
growing tourism industry in the area.
“Even in the midst of
the global economic crisis, the tourism industry remains a key sector
in generating jobs and various. That is why we have always encouraged
the private sector and even the local government units themselves to
put in their efforts towards advance this industry,” Gov. Petilla said
during the inauguration rites.
He likewise pointed
out that tourism should not be promoted at the expense of the
environment. The provincial government, he added, advocates promoting
and carrying out environmental awareness and solid waste management
programs to ensure the cleanliness and beauty of local tourist
destinations.
The governor noted
that with the Sibugay Mountain Resort, the Albuera LGU has manage to
package the resort as an eco-tourism destination, preserving the
natural beauty of the environment with its lush mountain, green trees
and clean flowing river.
According to Mayor
dela Victoria, the leisure pool they have constructed alongside the
river complements the natural ambience of the place.
Located more or less 2
kilometers away from the town proper of Albuera, the Sibugay Mountain
Resort is accessible by motor ride from the poblacion to Sitio Soob at
a fare rate of P10.
The resort also offers
low entrance fee pegged at P25 per head for any interested patron.
Cottage fee range is from P200 to P300. With this amount, the resort’s
pool and other amenities are all for free.
Aside from the newly
inaugurated mountain resort, Albuera also play host to another
well-known resort – the Baybayon ni Agalon – which has become a
favorite spot for local and foreign tourists visiting the province.
Leyte to recruit,
spend on athletes for championship caliber training
By
Provincial
Media Relations Center
November 19, 2009
TACLOBAN CITY – A
comprehensive sports and education program is cooking up for Leyte
through a good recruitment and training program that would scout
potential athletes from different places in the province.
Leyte Governor Carlos
Jericho Petilla said to improve the provinces’, and subsequently the
region’s, standing in national sports competition, there is a need to
implement a good recruitment program that would provide championship
caliber training for athletes with potentials.
The governor further
bared this would be a comprehensive sports and education program where
the recruited athletes would simultaneously train and attend school at
the expense of the provincial government.
“This would be very
expensive but if it’s the only way to do it, then we have to pursue
this option,” Gov. Petilla said.
The pool of athletes
who would be recruited under this program, it was learned, would be
housed in one place where they would attend sports trainings under
professional trainers and coaches and at the same time complete their
school studies supervised by the Department of Education.
The vacated rooms and
spaces at the former Leyte Colleges adjacent to the Leyte Sports
Development Center is being eyed as the area where these athletes can
be housed for their training and studies complete with the provision
of the appropriate training gears and an athlete’s nutritional diet.
Meanwhile, the Leyte
Sports Development Center, site of the Palarong Pambansa 2009, would
be the training ground for these players, the governor added.
Sports being eyed for
the training program are athletics and swimming that carry most of the
medal haul during sports competition.
“Athletics and
swimming comprise more or less fifty percent of the total medal tally
in a sports competition such as Palaro, so these are the sport we are
going to give focus first,” Gov. Petilla said.
With an improved pool
of athletes, the governor added, the province and the region can
improve it medal finish in national sports competition such as the
Palarong Pambansa.
