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MRDP's info team bags 2010 Binhi awards

Davao info officer is agri journ of the year



Communicating development and peace agenda in Mindanao is has its price to pay and rewards to reap.

Rising to the challenge is the information and advocacy team of the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP), which after barely three years of heralding the achievements in Mindanao poverty-alleviation, community development and peace bags 2010 Binhi Awards of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists, Inc. (PAJ).

MRDP’s InfoACE or Information, Advocacy, Communications and Education unit won the Best Agricultural Info/Media Campaign of Year.

MRDP is the poverty-alleviation program of the national government unique to Mindanao implemented by the Department of Agriculture.

The team has engaged and run various media campaigns resulting to strong participation of its stakeholders as well as convey positive message to the general public as government’s efforts has made a dent in combating poverty and contributing to peace initiatives particularly in Mindanao .

“We are elated with the recognition. But this is not just ours, credit is also due to our friends in the media, both local and national, be it in print or broadcast and newswire agencies in the internet who have been our strong and constant partners in delivering positive news and information particularly coming from this part of the country,” said InfoACE head Noel T. Provido.

He added without the support of the media and their regional counterparts it would have been impossible for the team to achieve the feat.

The InfoACE team is composed on Noel T. Provido, the unit head; information and advocacy specialist Sherwin B. Manual; IT Specialist Ma. Lutzie E. Odtojan; and videographer Remjim V. Salido.

Further, Provido, who is also the information officer of DA regional office in Davao region, won third place in the Agricultural Journalist of the Year category.

Over P400,000 in cash prizes and trophies were given away by the PAJ which has been sponsoring the writing contest since 1978.

Other winners were Dr. Anselmo S. Roque of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, who won the first prize in the Agricultural Journalist of the Year and was also conferred the Binhi Hall of Fame Award, Agricultural Journalist of the Year, English category.

Second place in the Agricultural Journalist of the Year category was Rita dela Cruz of the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), who also won the Agricultural Photo Journalist award.

Neil Jerome Morales of BusinessWorld and Amy Remo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer placed first and second respectively for the Agribeat category. Nestor Cuartero of Manila Bulletin, Environment Journalist; DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Agricultural Magazine; BAR Chronicle, Agricultural Newsletter; and Palay-Aralan sa Radyo DA-PhilRice, Agricultural Radio Program.

Now on its 28th year, Binhi Awards board of judges include Mart R. del Rosario, a former UST journalism professor as chairman; and Diego Cagahastian, news editor of the Manila Bulletin; Ray Eñano, business editor of the Manila Standard; Chito Lozada, business editor of the Daily Tribune; and Roman Floresca, agriculture and environment editor of The STAR who was also former PAJ president, as members.

Safe water now flows in Agusan del Norte

Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte -- The old and leaky water system in Brgy. San Roque here which made the people thirsty of safe water for long years is now refurbished bursting with fresh potable water.

This after the local government of Kitcharao and the Department of Agriculture – Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP) equally shared the investment of close to P4 million pesos for the project.

“Water is a basic necessity, that’s why it’s the priority project of my administration,” said mayor Aristotle Montante.
MRDP program director Lealyn Ramos said potable water supply is one of major projects under MRDP earmarked with around US$4.6 million.
“Unsafe household water is counterproductive, it costs us time and money. That’s why it remains as the priority need in rural Mindanao and the program pro-actively respond to that by putting it among our major projects,” Ramos said.


Refurbishing the bad and old
The old water system was in real bad condition. Its intake box has seepages; the pipelines were bursting and leaking, making it susceptible to contamination; and the water pressure was low. While the water barely reached the community and met the growing demand, water-borne diseases in the community was also observed high.

Communal faucets no longer give enough water especially during peak hours. If they have to fetch water, it will take them 45 minutes to reach the nearest water supply. People are also forced to buy commercially packaged water for drinking which entails additional expense on every household.

The rehabilitation of the water system included construction of a 67.48 cubic meter reservoir and chlorination tank, the replacement of the intake box and the main pipelines, installation of 60 units communal faucets and rerouting and replacement of distribution pipelines to better serve the community.

Now serving 2,203 populations in 360 households in Brgy. San Roque including the San Roque Elementary School, the renovated facility promoted proper hygiene in the community as they are now back to using water-sealed toilets instead of dumping human wastes in farmland and the nearby lake.

Neighboring barangays also come to avail of the clean and safe water as there is still insufficient water supply in other areas of the municipality.

More water projects on the way
With the positive response from the community, the local government is preparing to install new water facility in other Barangays in town.

“We are now preparing the new water project that will cover five more barangays including the poblacion area,” the mayor said.

“Despite the limited resources and costly investments, local leaders should spend on projects that are beneficial for the people. Local governments should not be dependent and wait for national government to fund projects for them,” he said

“And we capitalize on the fifty percent counterpart of MRDP,” he added.


Thankful school

Michael Tadulan, an alumnus and now grade 6 teacher of San Roque Elementary School, said that since his elementary years, he could not remember the school having its own water facility.

“Our pupils now are lucky since there is ready accessible clean and safe water in the campus. Unlike years back when I was a pupil here, we have to go out of the campus to fetch water,” Tadulan said.

“It’s necessary to have water in the classrooms, so prior to the installation, pupils are exposed to high risk in fetching water outside the campus because we are near the National highway,” he added.

Today, two faucets were installed inside the campus.

“As a resident and a teacher, I am so thankful that we became beneficiaries of the program of the Department of Agriculture. So I encourage my community to protect this project and conserve water,” Tadulan said.

He also added that there is a need to educate the community to ensure that the water system would last.


Community Mobilization
The barangay council has agreed to have the facility managed by the Barangay Water and Sanitation Association (BAWASA). Monthly bills of P15 per month will be imposed to raise more revenues to sustain the project.

“We set rules and regulations which among others state prohibition of illegal tapping and doing laundry in near the faucet,” said BAWASA Chairman Danilo Bravo.

“Every member is also asked to guard the faucet installed near each residence,” Bravo added.

With the reduced time for fetching water, Bravo said “we expect our community will be more productive and children to have plenty of time for their studies. So I sincerely thank the government for their efforts.”

With the refurbished potable water system, life is now more refreshing for the San Roque folks.

GEF assesses biodiversity conservation efforts in Mindanao

Zamboanga City --- Mindanao’s biodiversity hot spot will take center stage here.

This as representatives from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) assessed on April 8, 2010 the progress of its biodiversity conservation projects in eleven sites in the island region.

The activity is part of US$6.3 million grant of the facility to reinforce implementation of the Natural Resources Management (NRM) component of the second phase Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP2).

GEF is an organization that plays key role in addressing global environmental priorities such as biodiversity, climate change, ozone depletion and pollution of international waters.

Its biodiversity program, the largest portfolio of 36 percent, aims conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, the maintenance of the ecosystem goods and services that biodiversity provides to society, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

World Bank is one of the implementing agencies of GEF.

Eleven sites in Mindanao have been found to house globally significant species such as dugong, marine turtles, manta rays, giant clams, sea cucumbers, whale sharks, diverse mangroves and shells, endangered fowls, forest trees and other flora and fauna from its mountains down to its seas.

The sites include the towns of Olutanga, Mabuhay, and Tulusan in the province Zamboanga Sibugay; Rizal and Sibuitad, in Zamboang del Norte; and Margosatubig and Vencinzo Sagun in Zamboanga del Sur.

Marihatag and San Agustin, Surigao del Sur in Caraga region; and two more are in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the towns of Datu Blah Sinsuat, Maguindanao and Lamitan City, Basilan.

The discussion will highlight the activities conducted of the covered sites and the outline of it’s the on-ground investments.

“Being at the heart of the coral triangle, the Philippines, particularly Mindanao takes pride of its abundant and diverse natural resources but fears its eventual degradation due unfriendly human activities and other external factors,” MRDP program director Lealyn A. Ramos said.

She added that it is everyone’s concern and duty to preserve the environment since it’s the source of most livelihoods and food.

“As stewards of the gift of rich environment we are duty-bound to protect it for our own use and good,” she said.


In February this year, President Arroyo through presidential proclamation 2003 declared 2010 as the national Year of Biodiversity in support to the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity of the United Nations.

The proclamation recognizes the importance of biodiversity for human well-being and that, Philippines is among the mega diverse countries with immensely rich biodiversity but is facing threats of degradation.