Cagayán Valley Region

[allan_dude]

New Cagayan Valley PNP to focus on prevention of road accidents

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya -- Newly installed police regional director Chief Supt. Roberto Magaway Damian vowed to work on the reduction of road accidents in the region in coordination with other concerned agencies.

Damian, in an interview with reporters recently acknowledged that most of the crime incidents listed in the police blotter were due to homicide and reckless imprudence.

"I was alarmed by the number of these incidents in the region and these are actually preventable incidents. These are not intentional and we value the lives of our constituents," Damian said.

The new police director said he has also given marching instructions to all provincial directors in the region composed of the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya to undertake preventable activities in coordination with the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

"In fact, they have started already in Isabela and we intend to do the same in other provinces," he said.

With proper education campaign and other preventable activities and programs, Damian said he intends to reduce the number of road accidents by 50 percent.

Road accidents, he said were caused by farm equipments such as 'Kuligligs" and small and light vehicles such as tricycles, motorcycles and bicycles who usually ply the national highway. (PIA NVizcaya)

[fil07]

Originally Posted by freightrunner

Not a good idea. What will be left of Cagayan Valley? Batanes, Cagayan and whatever is left of Isabela? Nueva Vizcaya is one of the two original CVL provinces where three other provinces were carved out from and now they want to include the whole province to the proposed new region? Is Angara out of his mind? If he doesn't know what to do with his province of Aurora because it's not economically viable to stand on itself then he should just make a proposal to dissolve the province and distribute the towns to the provinces that they are closed by.

How about an Eastern Tagalog Region for Aurora, Quezon del Norte, Quezon del Sur, and Marinduque? Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Mindoro provinces then become Southern Tagalog while Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Rizal and Bataan become Northern Tagalog.

[kiretoce]

Since when was there a Quezon del Norte and Quezon del Sur?

[dark_knight_detectve]

UP medical campus opens in Aurora
By Manny Galvez
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

BALER, Aurora – A medical school of the University of the Philippines has opened in this province, only the second such school of the university’s School of Health Sciences outside Metro Manila.

The UPSHS-Baler campus was inaugurated here last week and will offer medical courses intended to produce graduates in midwifery, nursing and medicine to solve the dearth of health professionals in the countryside caused by the mass exodus of doctors, nurses and midwives for greener pastures abroad.

Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said the newly opened campus is a dream come true for the people of the province. She said it has long been her dream to be able to establish a branch of the best university in the country.

Angara-Castillo said the UP branch was initiated by her elder brother, Sen. Edgardo Angara, a former UP president and UP president Emerlinda Roman. She said the UPSHS-Baler campus, will be the first UP specialized school on health in Luzon which will serve the health needs of people in the host province and also the provinces of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Nueva Ecija.

The newly opened school will temporarily hold office in the campus of the Aurora State College of Technology Zabali campus while the UPSHS building is under construction. A memorandum of agreement has been signed between the UP administration and ASCOT represented by its president, Dr. Eusebio Angara.

Senator Angara said that the UPSHS-Baler campus will be put up at a five-hectare lot in Barangay Reserva at a cost of P154 million to be financed jointly by the Department of Health and the local government.

Construction of the satellite campus, which is expected to be completed in a year, will be in three phases, involving two to three-story schoolbuildings to house the administration building, academic rooms, laboratory, social hall and staffhouse with identical floor areas of 1,200 square meters each.

An initial 59 students had been enrolled in the ladderized education curriculum, including 35 from the province. The curriculum is unique in that it is community sponsored and the people in the impact zone have a stake in the selection of scholars.

The student scholar is bound by a social contract wherein he is required to go back to his community and render health service, thus applying the knowledge he gained from the program.

Roman for his part, said the UPSHS in Baler is a Centennial Project, referring to the Centennial Celebration of the university. She said she is looking forward to an academic partnership with ASCOT through faculty exchange and enrolment.

She said that UP will also open its extension programs in South Cotabato to service North and South Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and Shariff Kabunsuan.

Julia Elisa Puertollano, director of the UPSHS-Baler said each student will avail of free tuition fees which would be shouldered by the local government units (LGUs) in the beneficiary areas and the community.

Aside from free tuition, the student will be provided with living subsidy, books and transportation allowance and uniforms worth P24,000 annually.
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[dark_knight_detectve]

Benguet-Vizcaya road rehab already completed

Upgraded, 103-kilometer highway ready for inauguration

By DEXTER A. SEE

BAGUIO CITY – The P1.7-billion rehabilitation of the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya road, which links the Cordillera to Cagayan Valley, has been completed and is now ready for inauguration by President Arroyo.


This was announced by Engineer Mariano Alquiza, director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the Cordillera.

He said the improvement of the 103-kilometer highway is expected to spur economic activities in the rural areas of Benguet and Nueva Vizcaya which are traversed by the road.

The rehabilitation of the road was done for three-and-half years. The project was implemented under the Regional Development Council’s Cordillera Road Improvement Project (CRIP) which was funded with a "soft loan" granted by the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC).

Alquiza said that all road-right-of-way claims in Benguet, which delayed the completion of the project for several months, had been settled, paving the way for the contractor to do the finishing touches at the critical portions of the road.

Alquiza said the well paved road has significantly reduced the time of travel from this mountain resort city to Ifugao from eight hours to five hours. It has also facilitated the flow of trade and commerce between the Cordillera and the neighboring provinces of Region II, such as Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, and Quirino.

RDC has embarked on a long-term infrastructure program called CRIP with the purpose of securing sufficient national and international attention by concerned institutions which are tapped to support the development of all roads in the region.

The ultimate goal is to speed up the economic development of the upland region. Alquiza, chairman of RDC’s infrastructure committee, cited the significant gains in the region’s infrastructure condition during the Arroyo administration. This came about as a result of the inclusion of major roads in the Super Region program of the President.

Starting in Baguio City, the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Road passes through the towns of Itogon and Bokod in Benguet and Kayapa and Bambang in Nueva Vizcaya.

Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. has constantly monitored the progress of the work on the vital road because of earlier reports of alleged negative slippages in some sections.

After 19 years of seeking adequate national government’s support for infrastructure development, the RDC has been successful in securing foreign and local funds for the region’s infrastructure development.

With the newly rehabilitated Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Road, motorists in Cordillera no longer have to take the circuitous Pangasinan route to reach Region II

The quality of the road is said to be at par with national roads in the lowland.

[pau_p1]

wow.. I really hope one day I can visit Batanes... too bad... medyo mahal ang airfare papunta from Manila...

[dark_knight_detectve]

PAL expands domestic routes


Thursday, August 7, 2008
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will undergo a modest expansion of its domestic network on Aug. 15 when it commences regular jet service to Dumaguete and adds a third daily frequency to Zamboanga.

On the same day, the carrier’s low-fare brand PAL Express will start turbo-propeller service from Manila to three points in Northern Luzon — Tuguegarao (Cagayan), Cauayan (Isabela) and San Fernando (La Union) — as well as to Ormoc (Leyte) in Eastern Visayas.

Dumaguete, a pioneer PAL destination that the airline first served in February 1946, rejoins the network after a decade’s absence. PAL last flew to the Negros Oriental capital in June 1998, when operational difficulties forced a suspension of the service.

This time, PAL will field two flights daily, with convenient morning and afternoon departures. The first service, PR 291, departs Manila at 7 a.m. and arrives in Dumaguete at 8:20 a.m. The return flight, PR 292, leaves Dumaguete at 9 a.m. and lands in Manila at 10:20 a.m.

The afternoon service, PR 293, departs Manila at 3:20 p.m. and touches down in Dumaguete at 4:40 p.m. It returns as PR 294, leaving Dumaguete at 5:20 p.m. and arriving back in Manila at 6:40 p.m.

The Airbus A319 aircraft, which feature the only business-class service in the Manila-Dumaguete sector, will be deployed on the route. The state-of-the-art jet seats 126 passengers in Fiesta (Economy) Class and eight in Mabuhay (Business) Class.

Meanwhile, PAL said it will add a mid-morning flight to Zamboanga on Aug. 15, raising total frequency to three flights daily, in response to rising demand.

The new service, PR 127, departs Manila at 10 a.m. and arrives in Zamboanga at 11:45. The return flight, PR 128, leaves Zamboanga at 12:25 p.m. and lands in Manila at 2:10 p.m. Airbus A319 jets will operate the frequency.

On the other hand, PAL Express goes through its third major expansion in two months. The turbo-prop unit added five routes to its main Cebu hub last July 1, followed by four routes to its Manila hub on July 15 (plus an extra route to Manila on Aug. 1).

The launch of four more services on Aug. 15 boosts the PAL Express network to 22 routes nationwide — 11 apiece from Cebu and Manila. Overall, from Aug. 15, the PAL domestic network will count 18 jet and 22 turbo-prop routes. — Mary Ann Reyes

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[dark_knight_detectve]

if im mistaken, kindly pm me



Japanese mission here to look for Benguet mining prospects



By MELODY M. AGUIBA

A mission from the Japan Mining Engineering Center for International Cooperation (JMEC), a subsidiary of state-run Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals National Corp. (JOGMEC), is in the Philippines to look for prospects in the Benguet mineral district.


JMEC representatives are meeting this week for potential joint venture with companies operating in Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, and other possible sites in Batangas and the Surigao mineral district.

"The trip will look into the possibility of engaging in mineral exploration or development through available means such as (acquisition) of original claims, joint venture, partnership, and exploration agreements," according to a government report.

JMEC, founded in 1976 as a non-profit organization for supporting stable mineral resource supply for Japan, was reorganized in 1991 to conduct technical assistance for metal mining in developing countries and Japan.

The mission is seen to potentially add up to existing Japanese mineral activities in the country. JOGMEC already has an exploration prospect in the Lobo Copper Project in a joint venture with Phelps Dodge. Another Japanese company operating here is the Sumitomo Metals at the Palawan nickel processing plant in Bataraza.

JMEC officials visiting potential mine projects are Haruhisa Morozumi, director of the geological survey department, and Masataka Ochi, senior researcher.

The company’s officials are meeting with officials of Benguet Corp., MRL Philippines Inc., Philex Mining, Anglo American, Itogon-Suyoc-Anvil, Oceana Gold, Royalco Resources, and Abra Mining.

MGB Director Horacio C. Ramos said earlier that Japan is bound to look for more mineral exploration and development sites in the Philippines given China’s increasing mineral operations in the country.

Among the Chinese companies that are now here are the Zijin Mining Corp. which has taken a stake in the Far Southeast copper-gold project in Mankayan, Benguet with Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corp.; Jinchuan which is in a Palawan nickel project with Macro Asia; and Citic-UAA Group Phils. Inc., Dinagat Chromite Project.

JMEC has begun embarking on collection of data for rare metal inventory particularly for private stockpiling and research on supply and demand for seven rare metals. These are nickel, chromium, manganese, cobalt, tungsten, molybdenum, and vanadium.

[dark_knight_detectve]

RP’s 2nd windmill project set in Cagayan

Monday, August 11, 2008

CAGAYAN – After announcing plans to build a P5-billion international airport in this northernmost province, the Arroyo administration is also set to put up here the country’s second windmill project.

President Arroyo disclosed the plan to construct a multimillion-peso windmill along Cagayan’s northern coastline during the first regional peace and security assembly recently held in Tuguegarao City.

The President earlier also announced government plans to establish call centers at the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, now being strengthened as North-Luzon’s economic and tourism hub, and the continued rehabilitation of the Bagabag airport in Nueva Vizcaya, the threshold to Cagayan Valley.

The region also covers Isabela, the country’s topmost corn and rice-producing province, Quirino and the island province of Batanes.

The country’s first windmill project, which generates energy from wind, is located in Bangui, Ilocos Norte. It is a joint project of the Dutch and Philippine governments.

Globally, wind power generation has increased more than fivefold in the last seven years.

“Along with other projects being readied for this region… is the construction of a windmill, which is part of our efforts to further develop the region’s capacity as the country’s food basket,” the President said.

She said the windmill project is also in line with the government’s thrust to increase the use of renewable fuels and save dollars from the importation of petroleum products.

Experts have recommended wind power as a cheap and renewable energy source. It is now one of the major sources of electricity in most developed countries such as Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Ireland. – Charlie Lagasca
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[dark_knight_detectve]

Arroyo create Cagayan River Basin panel
PRESIDENT GLORIA Macapagal-Arroyo has formed a panel that will undertake measures to protect the Cagayan River Basin from environmental degradation and to harness it for economic development.

The panel, named the Cagayan River Basin Project Management Office, was created via Executive Order no. 747 signed by the President last Aug. 1.

It was tasked to prepare an "integrated river basin management and development plan" for the Cagayan River Basin, which covers parts of Isabela, Cagayan, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya and Quezon provinces.

Other responsibilities of the panel include implementing and monitoring of water and watershed policies, studies, management actions and investment in the river basin, organizing and establishing structures and policies necessary to undertake basin-wide programs and projects, and developing a portfolio of local government projects in the river basin.

In her order, Mrs. Arroyo said ensuring proper management of the Cagayan River basin is important since this can be developed as an "efficient and cheaper mode of transportation for products and tourists."

The Cagayan River Project Management Office was placed under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It will have the following personnel: project management officer; deputy project management officer; and technical staff from the following agencies: National Economic Development Authority, Departments of Public Works and Highways, Agriculture, Budget and Management, National Irrigation Administration, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, National Water Resources Board, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, Land Bank of the Philippines and the academe.

The panel’s funds will come from the P500-million River Basin Control Funds released in 2006.

The Cagayan River basin comprises an area of 25,469 square kilometers and the river flows into a northerly direction from its headwaters in Nueva Vizcaya province to its mouth in the Babuyan Channel near Aparri, Cagayan.

The Cagayan Valley Region is one of the top producers of rice and grain in the country. — Alexis Douglas B. Romero

[dark_knight_detectve]

One Town One Product fair in Luzon hikes sales by 8.5%

Sunday, August 17, 2008
The third One Town One Product (OTOP) Luzon Island Fair generated 8.5 percent higher than last year’s fair as more people bought food products.

Sales reached P14.2 million, an increase from last year’s P13.1 million, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported.

Data from the DTI showed that Cagayan Valley (Region 2) emerged as the top regional seller generating P2.7 million, followed by Ilocos Region (Region 1) with P2 million and Central Luzon (Region 3) with P1.8 million.

A wide array of furniture and furnishings, gifts and houseware, processed food, jewelry and fashion accessories, footwear, novelty products, organic and natural products, arts and crafts, and health and wellness products were showcased during the fair.

The top sellers were organic mushrooms from Isabela, pili nut products from Masbate and processed meat from Ilocos Sur.

For the non-food products, meanwhile, the biggest sellers were handloom woven products from Ilocos Sur, fashion accessories made of sabutan from Aurora and loomwoven ethnic crafts from Kalinga.

The top seller for the furniture sector was furniture and fixtures from Ilocos Sur.

DTI said over 200 OTOP micro, small and medium enterprises from the eight regions of Luzon comprised of 37 provinces joined the fair.

The Luzon OTOP fair is one of the three major island fairs organized by the Trade Department to help micro, small and medium enterprises showcase and market their products to local buyers from Metro Manila and the neighboring cities and provinces.

The OTOP program is one of the government’s important strategies for job generation and entrepreneurship promotion. — Ma. Elisa Osorio

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[dark_knight_detectve]

GMA vows P130 M for Vizcaya mountain road

Monday, August 25, 2008
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – Indigenous residents from an upland village here can now look forward to traveling anytime of the day through a well-paved mountain highway.

This, after an initial P130 million had been committed by the Arroyo administration for the improvement of an upland road linking a major vegetable-producing town here to the rest of the province.

Rep. Carlos Padilla said Friday, that the amount would be utilized in the improvement of the Bitnong-Belance road in Dupax del Norte town, which has been suffering from intermittent road closures due to its poor condition.

The said project is a major farm-to-market road where much of the vegetable produce, like premium quality squash, broccoli, cabbage and bell peppers, green peas and cauliflower from the mountain areas in the eastern part of the province pass through.

“The improvement of the road will definitely accelerate the development of our mountain areas and surely boost the economy of the province, which is the vegetable bowl of the region,” said Gov. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma.

Padilla said that the amount committed by the President would be included in next year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Mrs. Arroyo, during her visit in Belance, assured village folk and local officials that she would see to it that the road going to their area would be concreted and completed by the end of her term. – Charlie Lagasca

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[dark_knight_detectve]

OceanaGold to invest additional $29 M in Didipio
By Marianne V. Go
Monday, August 25, 2008
OceanaGold is investing an additional $29 million in its gold and copper mine project in Didipio, Nueva Vizcaya in the next six months.

However, because of its funding shortfall, commercial operation of its Didipio project may be pushed back to the second half of 2009 from the earlier timetable of first half of 2009.

This was disclosed yesterday by OceanaGold vice president for corporate and investor relations Darren Klinck.

In a briefing with reporters, Klinck assured that OceanaGold is proceeding with its investment in its Didipio project in which it has already invested $64 million.

The additional $29 million, Klinck said, would be invested in “value-adding activities” that include more construction, maintenance, administrative and other activities.

Furthermore, Klinck said, OceanaGold is proceeding with exploration activities surrounding its Didipio  tenenment.

Klinck also confirmed ongoing discussions with unnamed parties for a possible “strategic investment” or joint venture to proceed with its now projected $320 million Didipio gold and copper mine development project.

From an original $155 million project cost, Klinck said that the development cost had been adjusted to $320 million.

OceanaGold hopes to raise some $185 million either via equity infusion and possible debt financing.

Other funding options, Klinck added, could include conventional and hybrid debt facilities, a share placement to present shareholders, a joint venture or merger opportunities.

Just this June, OceanaGold had to suspend development at Didipio.

Meanwhile, Oceana Gold legal counsel Joan D. Adaci-Cattiling said the possibility of compromise settlement with the local government of Nueva Vizcaya over the dispute over the payment of so-called “quarrying taxes.”

Adaci-Cattiling said that they had received “feelers” from the Nueva Vizcaya LGU that the provincial government is “open” to a possible settlement of their dispute.

Adaci-Cattiling clarified that the quarrying tax dispute is actually between the LGU and the National Government.

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[freightrunner]

2008/08/29

PGMA to grace 37th Quirino Day
Cabarroguis, Quirino (29 August) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be the guest of honor and speaker at the Quirino day celebration on September 8-10, 2008 marking the 37th founding anniversary of the province.

Gov. Dakila Carlo E. Cua, said the President is expected to arrive on September 9 for the cabinet meeting and the Search for Miss Quirino in the evening.

President Arroyo is also scheduled to inaugurate the Addalam Dam Project in Aglipay, San Agustin and Abbag Bridge in Maddela.

Dubbed as Panagdadapun, this year's celebration will center on the theme "I Love Quirino" which symbolizes the passion of the present leadership to uplift the living condition of every Quirinian and make Quirino as the next tourism and investment hub in the country.

Panagdadapun, an Ilocano term meaning assembly, has been institutionalized as festival name for Quirino's founding anniversary. It showcases the unique culture, convergence of all tribes and colorful history of the province.

The festival will start on Sept 8 with a thanksgiving mass, opening of the agro-industrial trade fair, awarding livelihood and SPES checks, Jobs Fair, Q-LIFE video documentary, inauguration of the Quirino Provincial Hospital extension and ribbon-cutting of the Capitol Nipa Huts.

Basketball enthusiasts are also invited to the launching of the 2nd Governor's Cup at 1:00 pm, and witness the first game to be played by their favorite teams.

The three-day affair is also expected to draw crowds of spectators from other places with the much-anticipated Search for Quirino Popstar, street dancing, motocross, shootfest, tennis, cycling, laro ng lahi and enduro trail competition to be held in different venues identified by the organizers.

On the second day, there will be a tree planting, alay-lakad, skills demonstration, agro-industrial trade fair. In the evening, six young ladies will be competing for the 2008 Miss Quirino crown.

The province will also host the Joint Regional Development Council, Regional Peace and Order Council meetings and mining forum at the CFFQI Training here.

The final day of the festival will feature the street dancing, marching band competition anniversary parade, program and skydiving.

The Biggest Fossilized Flower project will be launched in line with Quirino's goal to be in the Guinness Book of World Record as the province with the biggest fossilized flower.

Fossilized flowers are one of the handicrafts of the province made from different leaves such as butterfly, guayabano, and others which are carefully processed with caustic soda and hydrogen peroxide. (PIA Quirino) [top]

[mrsfields]

Originally Posted by ashley12

starting from March to May, the weather is like here in manila but less heat and a little rain showers. Those are the best months to go to Batanes if you don't want to experience the storm. But if you like challenges then go with in the months of June-September.

I haven't been to Shanedel's Inn tho. If you browse the previous posts, I put there the price lists (prices might already increased a little) of different Inns.

Itbayat is a nice Island too. But I suggest if you allot a day to tour the whole Batan Island (Basco-Mahatao-Uyugan-Ivana) then another day for Sabtang Island which offers beautiful sceneries and old indigenous houses and pathways.

Actually you can tour the whole Batanes in just two to three days.

how's the weather batanes end of December or early January? can we cross to sabtang?

[metrosuburban]

Originally Posted by kaliluzman

Ang ganda ng Batanes. While some people are aiming for infrastructure developement in Batanes, I hope it will not. Mas magandang ganun na lang sya. Kunti na lang ang lugar na ganito kaganda at wag na sanang sirain pa.

If it's going to be developed the way it was done in Capri, i think ok lang...

[dark_knight_detectve]

GMA guest at Quirino’s 37th foundation day, to unveil projects
By Charlie Lagasca
Wednesday, September 10, 2008


CABARROGUIS, Quirino – This region’s youngest province will be celebrating its 37th founding anniversary today, which will be highlighted by President Arroyo’s gracing the yearly event dubbed Panagdadapun.

This year’s Panagdadapun, an Iluko-Bugkalot term meaning “flocking together,” will also be highlighted by the unveiling of a giant fossilized flower for which this province is known as one of its major home industry products.

Aside from gracing this year’s affair, Mrs. Arroyo will be inaugurating several multimillion-peso funded projects here, including the P1.3-billion Addalam irrigation system and the P2.4-million tourism project dubbed GMA cottage in this capital town.

Gov. Dakila Cua said the President’s presence as well as the launching of a giant fossilized flower will surely make the commemoration of this province’s three-day founding anniversary, which will culminate today, more worth remembering.

Besides Cua and his father, Rep. Junia Cua, also expected to welcome the President include Bayombong Bishop Ramon Villena, the chairman of the Regional Development Council.

“We are ensuring that the celebration of this year’s Panagdadapun will be something unforgettable for all of us and for our visitors,” he said.

About 350 kilometers northeast of Manila, this landlocked province, named after the late President Elpidio Quirino, was created as a separate province in 1971 through a Republic Act co-authored by then senator Leonardo Perez Sr. and his brother, then Rep. Benjamin Perez. Quirino used to be a sub-province of Nueva Vizcaya.

Addalam project
During her one-day sortie here, Mrs. Arroyo will also formally inaugurate the Addalam irrigation project, one of her flagship projects here to fortify the region’s role as the country’s food basket.

One of the administration’s highly-funded community-based agriculture projects, the Addalam irrigation is expected to further accelerate Cagayan Valley’s rice and corn production, fortifying its status as the country’s topmost rice and corn-producing region.

“We are thankful to the President for supporting us in the completion of our project. Such is a manifestation of her deep concern for farmers to further enhance their productivity,” Cua said.

The Addalam project, which had been proposed during the term of then President Fidel V. Ramos for his vision of Philippines 2000, is designed to irrigate more than 6,000 hectares of agricultural lands here and parts of southeastern Isabela, the country’s number one producer of corn and second in rice production after Nueva Ecija.

The President will drop by at Jones town in Isabela for the formal inauguration of the national government-funded 350-meter-long bridge worth P167.6 million.

The six-span bridge, one of the priority projects of the Arroyo administration, will serve as a vital link between the province’s southeastern Jones town to the rest of the region.

“With the construction of this road, residents in Jones and San Agustin will have an easier time in bringing their produce to market, therefore alleviating their living condition. This will also have a big impact as far as the economy of the region is concerned,” said Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao whose district covers the two former New People’s Army-infested towns.

Cagayan river basin project
In coming here, the President, who will be meeting with RDC officials, is expected to formally announce her creation of the Cagayan River Basin Project Management Office, which she created last month through EO No. 747.

Based on the order, the CRBPMO is tasked to undertake the preparation and implementation of an integrated Cagayan river basin management and development plan aimed to ensure the protection of the Cagayan Valley river basin from further degradation and at the same time harness its full economic potential.

The country’s longest river system at around 30,000 km long, the major river tributaries of the Cagayan river basin, stretches from the Magat River in Nueva Vizcaya to its mouth along the Pacific coast in Aparri, Cagayan, include Nueva Vizcaya’s Matuno and Magat Rivers, Isabela’s Pinacanauan River and Quirino’s Addalam River.

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[freightrunner]

Northern exposure

Decades ago, the rugged north held sway over the country’s imagination as a rough and awesome terrain, and largely the territory of dedicated adventurers. Its deep and forested valleys surrounded by the misty highlands and snaking rivers, echoed with stories of a world that was all its own. Now, those of us who thirst to behold the raw beauty of nature can do so without the expedition-like preparations. Thanks to regular flights by SEAIR and Asian Spirit (that ply the Manila to Basco, Batanes route), as well as chartered flights by Chemtrad Aviation Corp. in Tuguegarao City and Batanes. From Cauayan City Domestic Airport, it’s now fairly easy to embark on a northern adventure.

At the northernmost point are the islands of Batanes, emerald landmasses surrounded by powerful seas. Flights land in Basco, the capital town. Most of the Ivatan in Basco raise cattle and at approximately 4 to 5 p.m., they leave their offices or schools to tend to their cattle in grazing areas separated from each other by hedgerows. The hilly terrain of Basco, therefore, covered by a carpet of grass and other flora, looks a green quilt of square patches. Away from the pastoral life, the coast is lined with stretches of sand and stone beaches.

Across the channel, in Sabtang Island, you’ll find an even more rugged version of Batanes, preserved in a postcard-perfect setting. Batanes has traditionally been on the path of the frequent storms and strong winds that barrel into the country, so the Ivatan’s homes are made of meter-thick limestone walls and thick roof thatches. A number of the homes that line its quaint streets are nearly a century old, and one or two date back to the 1800s.

Apart from the tempestuous climate and rugged terrain, Batanes is steeped in history, with civilization in the island pre-dating Spanish time. Archeologists from the National Museum, the University of the Philippines, and several visiting experts from Australia, have uncovered human bones, burial jars, and floorings of homes dating back to the 14th century, perhaps even older. Batanes is home to the country’s first wind farm—the Mahatao Wind Farm is the first to be commercially operated in the country inaugurated in August 2004.

Nearest from Manila is the province of Nueva Vizcaya, (from Manila, flights land at the Bagabag Domestic Airport), home to the citrus farms of Kasibu, which offer visitors the chance to pick and pay for citrus fruits and explore the caves all in one day. For some serious hiking and mountain climbing, Mt. Pulag stands ready to be scaled from the takeoff point of Ambaguio town. Mt. Pulag is the second highest mountain peak in the country. For the less vertically inclined, take the road from Bagabag to the Ifugao Rice Terraces or Baguio, the pine-rich, cool capital of the country.

Quirino province, where vast areas of virgin forests are waiting to be explored, is also accessible from Manila by a night bus. It’s a perfect place for roughing it out in the wild and sleeping in tents pitched on designated camping grounds.

Isabela, on the other hand, highlights its industrial centers, in Santiago City and Cauayan City, as well as points of historical and religious interest—it’s where you’ll find some of the oldest Spanish colonial brick-made churches in the region, including the Tumauini church and San Pablo church.

The province of Cagayan boasts the Piat Basilica Minore and the Miraculous image of Our Lady of the Visitacion of Piat, originally called Lady of the Holy Rosary, where devotees and pilgrims visit to ask for special favors, prayers of healing and intercession. The Iguig Calvary Hills and the Spanish colonial church of St. James Parish, offers a magnificent view of the Cagayan River, a larger-than-life size 14 Stations of the Cross and home to a relic of the true Cross of Christ. Callao Caves Tourist Zone, under the Peñablanca Protected Landscape and Seascape, is home to hundreds of caves classified from easy to challenging, the Pinacanauan River and the circadian flight of bats at dusk. An emerging favorite destination for pilgrims, Cagayan also offers Spanish colonial structures of unreinforced brick hornos (brick kiln) and brick churches teeming with Catholic devotees during the Holy Week.

Cagayan Valley Region will be showcased in a Pavilion at the 19th PTM where exciting tour packages await its patrons. The 19th Philippine Travel Mart is organized by the Philippine Tour Operations Association (Philtoa) and is co-presented by the Department of Tourism, the Philippine Tourism Authority and the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp. For more information on the 19th Philippine Travel Mart, call the Philtoa at 812-4513 and Global Visions at 635-0350.

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[dark_knight_detectve]

Quirino irrigation project inaugurated
By Paolo Romero
Friday, September 12, 2008


President Arroyo inaugurated on Wednesday the P1.31-billion Addalam River Irrigation Project in Quirino province that is expected to increase rice and corn production in the region.

The President, who arrived in Quirino after a two-hour land travel from San Jose, Nueva Ecija, led the unveiling of the marker of the project at 10:30 a.m. in Barangay San Leonardo, Aglipay town. The event was part of the activities to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the province.

The ARIP is the biggest infrastructure project in the history of the province funded under the national budget. The project, expected to benefit some 4,500 farmers in the two provinces of Quirino and Isabela, is one of the big-ticket projects of the Arroyo administration designed to increase rice and corn production in Region 2.

She arrived with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap and was welcomed by some 200 residents and local officials led by Quirino Gov. Dakila Carlo Cua, Quirino Lone District Rep. Junie Cua, Aglipay Mayor Jerry Agsalda, and Nueva Vizcaya Archbishop Ramon Villena.

She was briefed on the project by Yap while Villena led the blessing of the irrigation site in Barangay San Leonardo.

The project involves the construction of a diversion dam across the Addalam River in Barangay San Leonardo, a canal distribution and drainage systems, access and service roads, a Palace statement said.

Local officials said the irrigation system is the biggest project funded through the General Appropriations Act. Scheduled for completion next year, the project will irrigate more than 1,000 hectares of farmlands in Quirino and another 7,000 hectares in Isabela.

“Definitely this is one of the biggest, if not the biggest irrigation projects, and perhaps the only dam that is funded through the GAA. This project is very timely considering our government’s food security program,” the governor said.

For his part, Cua described the project as a “classic example of patience and perseverance” in sourcing out local funds. “The biggest release of almost P1 billion came during the term of the President,” he said.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has constructed new irrigation systems and rehabilitated old ones that have so far increased the country’s irrigable farmlands to an unprecedented 1.5 million hectares.

Quirino province is the third biggest corn producer, and fourth rice producer in Region II.

While in the province, Mrs. Arroyo also distributed P3.2 million worth of checks to farmer cooperatives, and assorted farm implements, including post-harvest facilities.

Aside from the P3.2 million worth of checks under Land Bank’s rice production loan program, she also distributed seven flatbed dryers, and assorted vegetable seeds.

On April 1, the President signed Administrative Order 225, “Harnessing Idle Resources to Uplift the Poor and Boost Rice Supply to Cushion the Country from Price Spikes.”

Under AO 225, she directed government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) to allocate five percent of their 2007 surplus for rice production, microfinance and other pro-poor projects.

From Quirino, she proceeded to Isabela province where she inaugurated the Jones Bridge 2, a P168-million span that is expected to help boost agricultural production.

The bridge spans the Cagayan River and links Jones town’s 12 barangays to the muni*cipalities of San Agustin and Echague in Isabela, and the northeastern parts of Luzon, particularly the commercial centers of Isabela, Cagayan, Kalinga, Apayao and Nueva Vizcaya.

After the briefing, the President unveiled the bridge’s marker and led the inaugural drive through the 361.20-lineal-meter bridge, one of the 113 modular steel bridges built nationwide with funding assistance from the Austrian government.

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[freightrunner]

Crackdown launched against overloaded trucks in Cagayan Valley
FLORO TAGUINOD, GMANews.TV
09/04/2008 | 04:47 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us TUGUEGARAO City, Philippines – Authorities in Cagayan Valley region have intensified the campaign against overloaded trucks in an effort to make paved roads last longer.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 2 Office had recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), Philippine National Police (PNP) and other concerned local government units for the strict implementation of a law banning the use of the roads by over loaded trucks.

DPWH Region II director Eugenio Pipo Jr. said the crackdown was in line with Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr’s directive to implement RA 8794 or the Anti-Overloading Law.

“The early deterioration of our national roads is costing our government billions of pesos annually that’s why there is a need for the concerned agencies to be vigilant in the apprehension of vehicles violating the directive," Ebdane said in his directive.

Pipo in his update said that the DPWH and its partner agencies are now actually apprehending trucks with overloaded cargoes along the Maharlika Highway in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya.

“Considering that our region is one of the major food baskets of our country, majority of the truckers are maximizing the load limit of their shipments to save transport cost which in effect is causing the early deterioration of roads, their cargo should not exceed the 13.5 ton per axle load limit," Pipo said.

“The prices of our products here that are being transported to other areas are severely affected because of additional maintenance costs to cargo vehicles due to roads that are already in bad condition," he added.

As one of the country’s major source of food supplies including vegetables, rice and corn, the upkeep of the pan-Pacific highway traversing Cagayan Valley is important in stabilizing prices of products coming in and out the region.

In Nueva Vizcaya, police director Senior Superintendent Pedro Danguilan said, “The province’s Highway Patrol Group is in close coordination with the police units of municipalities and the highways and transportation office."

“We are active in the implementation of this directive, but we are also asking the help of the citizens especially businessmen who will be affected by unstable prices of their produce due to damaged roads," added Danguilan.

He said that communication lines of the PNP provincial office are always open to those willing to share information.

The Anti-Overloading Taskforce, which will be operating even on weekends and holidays, is composed of personnel from DPWH, LTO and the PNP. - GMANews.TV ArticlesMedia Links