(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 27 March 2024) Easterlies affecting the eastern section of the country. Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Easterlies / Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.


PIA News Service - Monday, June 8, 2009

Employment contracts, livelihood funding checks and certificates of training to be awarded on June 12

BUTUAN CITY - 9,015 employment contracts, 64 livelihood funding checks, and 750 certificates of training will be awarded during the Kalayaan 2009 awarding ceremonies on June 12 at Almont Inland Resort. 

The employment contracts will be awarded to employees of the different government agencies employed through the emergency employment program of the government. 

The DENR has the highest number of employment contract awardees with 8, 322. This is closely followed by the PNP with 300 and the Agusan del Norte- LGU with 200. 

DOTC will also be giving 46 employment contracts; DTI, 39 employment contracts; NIA, 27 employment contracts; and DOLE, 20 employment contracts. 

Both DepEd and TESDA will have 15 employment contracts awardees; DSWD and Parole and Probation Office, 5 employment contracts; CSC and HLURB, 1 employment contract. 

DBM, CDA and DILG all has 2 employment contracts to be awarded. Other agencies who will be giving employment contracts include DPWH, 10; DOT, 3 and CSC 1. 

Livelihood checks will also be awarded during the Kalayaan 2009 awarding ceremony. DOT will be releasing 6 checks for the tourism infrastructure and livelihood projects. DOLE will also release 16 checks amounting to 2.4M to 16 organizations. 

OFW dependents will also be given livelihood assistance. OWWA will be awarding 40 checks to OFW dependents amounting to P2.5M. Three organizations will also be granted livelihood checks by DSWD. 

Meanwhile, the certificates of training dubbed as “Pangulong Gloria Scholarships” will be simultaneously awarded throughout the region during the ceremonial flag raising activity of the Independence Day. 

Each province is allotted with 150 certificates of training. 

“During the ceremony in Inland we will only be giving 15 certificates but we actually have 750 certificates of training which will be simultaneously awarded during the ceremonial flag-raising in the different provinces,” says Director Florencio Sunico of TESDA-Caraga. (Lovely Laudette D. Gamba, PIA-Caraga)
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Giant loggerhead Pawikan found in Masao, Butuan

BUTUAN CITY – A giant loggerhead pawikan was found in Masao, Butuan by a fisherman named Milanio Malinao last June 4, 2009.

The pawikan measuring 104.1 cm in length and 86.4 cm in width was identified as belonging to the Loggerhead specie by Forester Requerme Hebia, Chief of the Protected Areas & Wildlife of CENRO Butuan.

Of the 7 known species of marine turtles in the world, 5 are found in the Philippines namely, the loggerhead, leatherback, olive ridley, hawksbill and green turtle.

“This is the 3rd time in 2009 that a pawikan was caught in the same area but the previous two are undocumented, and this is the largest so far”, said Forester Hebia.

Forester Hebia upon examination of the rescued giant Loggerhead pawikan showed that it has no injuries, no markings or tags on its flippers which are an indicator that it has not been caught before.

After the tagging on her right flipper, at exactly 11 o’clock in the morning, Forester Hebia, CENRO Staff, along with personnel from the City Environment and Natural Resources of the city government of Butuan and several Masao residents, the loggerhead pawikan was released back to the sea.

Last year, 4 pawikans were found in Caraga identified as a Leatherback specie and was properly documented. 
(Jocelyn E. Morano, dxBN-Radyo ng Bayan Butuan/PIA-Caraga)
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Butuan boat is complete, sets to sail to circumnavigate the world

BUTUAN CITY – On June 5 after 40 days of construction, the now famous Balanghai (pronounced as Ba-la-ngay) Boat is complete, and will soon be transferred to Manila Bay on June 12, 111th Independence Day Celebration, and will finally set sail on June 24 in time for the Araw ng Maynila.
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Last April 24 of this year, the The Kaya ng Pinoy Foundation, together with the Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition team, spearheaded the ceremonial laying of the keel held at the CCP grounds, Pasay City with Former President Fidel Ramos as the keynote speaker.
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The event signals the start of the construction with the age old tradition in boat building that this will bring good fortune and safe voyage.
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According to former DOTC Undersecretary Art Valdez, the team will attempt to set a record by travelling around the world using the ancient Filipino sailing vessel called Balanghai or Butuan Boat, the first phase consists of 7 legs around Philippine waters namely Manila, Boracay, Mactan in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, General Santos, Davao City and Siluag in Tawi-tawi before it begins to retrace the trading routes in Southeast Asia on 2010.
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Butuan Boat primarily was chosen because it is the very first mode of transportation used by the forefathers in trading with the Chinese and other Asians and it has been used long before the Philippines was discovered, as Butuanons proudly say: “There was no Philippines, but there was Butuan”.
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The same group of men and women who had set the record as the first Filipinos to have reached the summit of Mount Everest in 2006, and the first Filipino women, who carried out the same feat a year later will make up the Balanghai circumnavigation team composed of Leo Oracion, Edwin “Pastor” Emata, Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayondon, Janet Belarmino-Sardena, Dr. Ted Esguerra, Fred Jamili, Dr. Voltaire Velasco, and Usec Art Valdez who heads the team.
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The Balangay was created using ancient construction methods. The shell is made of Dungon, which is the wood used by Philippine ancestors, while the planks are connected with pegs (the "dowels") and to make the Balanghai water-tight, the builders used natural resin from mangrove trees.
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The Balangay measured 15 meters long and 3 meters wide is located near Folk Arts Theater and the Sun Cruises Ferry going to Corregidor. (Jocelyn E. Morano, dxBN-Radyo ng Bayan Butuan/PIA-Caraga)

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Gov’t workers in Butuan City join call for public support to mitigate climate change

BUTUAN CITY – Government workers led by the DENR personnel have staged a five-kilometer early morning hike through the well-paved streets in Butuan City on Friday in celebration of World Environment Day on Friday, May 5, 2009.

The celebration is focused on the theme “Your Planet needs You-Unite to Combat Climate Change”. 

The government workers were apparently moved by the global concern on climate in which many countries including the Philippine are affected. 

Residents were greeted by the sirens blast as the participants have passed through the streets of the busy commercial center sending strong message to the people to unite and find effective measures they can possibly contribute to reduce heavy emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).

DENR Secretary Lito Atienza,Jr has enjoined the citizenry to take active part in various environmental protection activities as the country joins the global community in celebrating World Environment Day (WED). 

“Let us all join the fight against climate change. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and we at the DENR are very much committed to address this issue, so let us work together to combat climate change which is the biggest and most threatening environmental issue facing mankind today,” Secretary Atienza said.

The Philippines, he said, is one of the countries most susceptible to climate change, especially extreme weather events. “Climate change could have a devastating impact on the Philippines, which could lead to widespread destruction of the country's flora and fauna, flooding and landslides,” he said

Every individual's efforts, no matter how small, can contribute to the sustainable development of our economies and communities around the world, he added. 

Atienza said the special day could be celebrated by taking part in waste recycling and clean-up campaigns as well as tree planting and other reforestation activities. 

In an interview with the local newsmen shortly after a brief program at the Rizal Plaza in Butuan City, the DENR Technical Director for Forest Management Services Virgilio dela Cruz said the “ global climate change has affected the weather system in the country”.

Experts on climate change reported that more than 100 years now the people worldwide have been burning fossil fuels releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse into the atmosphere. These added greenhouses gases have caused Earth to warm more quickly than it has in the past.

“How much warming has happened? Scientists from around the world with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tell us that during the past 100 years, the world's surface air temperature increased an average of 0.6° Celsius (1.1°F This may not sound like very much change, but even one degree can affect the Earth the report said. 

Below are some effects of climate change that we see happening now.
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o Sea level is rising. During the 20th century, sea level rose about 15 cm (6 inches) due to melting glacier ice and expansion of warmer seawater. Models predict that sea level may rise as much as 59 cm (23 inches) during the 21st Century, threatening coastal communities, wetlands, and coral reefs.
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o Arctic sea ice is melting. The summer thickness of sea ice is about half of what it was in 1950. Melting ice may lead to changes in ocean circulation. Plus melting sea ice is speeding up warming in the Arctic. 
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o Glaciers and permafrost are melting. Over the past 100 years, mountain glaciers in all areas of the world have decreased in size and so has the amount of permafrost in the Arctic. Greenland's ice sheet is melting faster too. 
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o Sea-surface temperatures are warming. Warmer waters in the shallow oceans have contributed to the death of about a quarter of the world's coral reefs in the last few decades. Many of the coral animals died after weakened by bleaching, a process tied to warmed waters. 
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o Heavier rainfall cause flooding in many regions. Warmer temperatures have led to more intense rainfall events in some areas. This can cause flooding. 
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o Extreme drought is increasing. Higher temperatures cause a higher rate of evaporation and more drought in some areas of the world. 
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o Ecosystems are changing. As temperatures warm, species may either move to a cooler habitat or die. Species that are particularly vulnerable include endangered species, coral reefs, and polar animals. Warming has also caused changes in the timing of spring events and the length of the growing season. 
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o Hurricanes have changed in frequency and strength. There is evidence that the number of intense hurricanes has increased in the Atlantic since 1970. Scientists continue to study whether climate is the cause.
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o Heat waves more frequent. It is likely that heat waves have become more common in more areas of the world. 
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o Warmer temperatures affect human health. There have been more deaths due to heat waves and more allergy attacks as the pollen season grows longer. There have also been some changes in the ranges of animals that carry disease like mosquitoes.
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o Seawater is becoming more acidic. Carbon dioxide dissolving into the oceans, is making seawater more acidic. There could be impacts on coral reefs and other marine life. (DENR-13/ PIA-Caraga)

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POLICE REPORTS
By PO3 Arturo Suganob Campania; PO2 Darlin Cabalinan Migullas 
And PO3 Philip Amer Posas Mazo

Report on theft incident

On June 4, 2009 at 4:30 in the afternoon at Punta Bilang-bilang, Barangay Taft, Surigao City, PO1 Jingjong Ederosas and PO1 Jundie Pobe, PNP members assigned at Surigao City Police Station and detailed at Barangay Taft PNP Outpost while conducting roving patrol apprehended Jason Suazo, 19 years old, single and presently residing at Purok-10, Punta Bilang-bilang, Barangay Taft, Surigao City while actually stealing clothes (underwear) hanged at one of the residence of said place.

During the conduct of body search, said Police Officers were able to confiscate sharp pointed instrument locally known as ice pick measuring more or less 7 inches long and scabbard.

Suspect is now detained at Surigao City Police Station for proper disposition. (PNP-13/ PIA-Caraga)

Direct assault upon agent of person in authority

On June 4, 2009 at 9:00 in the evening at Barangay Tambacan, San Isidro, Surigao del Norte, a certain Danny Compra, 34 years old, married, BPLK member and resident of said place while in the performance of his official duty acting as security of the benefit dance of said Barangay was hit by an empty bottle by Salpenito Bertical, 54 years old, married, farmer and resident of Barangay Del Carmen, Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte. 

Initial investigation revealed that suspect while under the influenced of liquor forcibly entered the Dancing Hall, said victim prevented him from entering thus prompted the suspect to strike him using empty bottle hitting the victim's right face.

Victim was rushed to Siargao District Hospital for medical treatment while suspect was also brought to same hospital for liquor test. Appropriate case is now prepared for filing in court. (PNP-13/ PIA-Caraga)

Report on conflagration

On June 6, 2009 at 2:15 in the afternoon at kilometer 2, Barangay Luna, in front of Surigao Education Center (SEC), Surigao City, elements of Surigao City Police Station led by PI Vitalino Pagaran III together with the elements of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) immediately proceeded to the area after receipt of information that about 12 residential houses were razed with fire at the above-mentioned place.

The responding PNP team secured the area, the properties of the affected families and ensures the smooth flow of traffic.

The Quick Action Response Team (QART), Rescue 44-Surigao del Norte, Surigao- Chinese Volunteer Fire Brigade, Traffic Enforcers and other NGOs also responded to the incident.

The fire was declared under control at about 3:55 in the afternoon of same date with an estimated cost of damaged worth Php 400,000.00. (PNP-13/ PIA-Caraga)

Arrest of illegal drug suspect

On June 5, 2009 at 7:45 in the morning at Purok-5, Caramcam District, Mangagoy, Bislig City, Surigao del Sur, joint elements from Bislig City Police Station (CPS) led by SPO4 Elmer dela Cruz, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Regional Office 13 led by Intelligence Officer 1 Jhalon Prado and 1406th PPMG conducted operation against illegal drugs, which resulted to the apprehension of the suspect identified as Jose Yu Ferrel Jr., of legal age and a resident of San Roque, Lingig, Surigao del Sur, possessing marijuana seeds weighing 500 grams and another 300 grams of the said illegal drugs found at his rented room at one Eleven Hotel at the above-mentioned place, with street value of PhP3,000.00.

 Also seized from the suspect were cash money amounting to PhP 2,936.00 and two units of Nokia cellular phones.

The said suspect was arrested in the presence of two witnesses namely Gloria Cabrera, District President and Reynaldo Cacayan, Purok-5 President, Caramcam, Mangagoy, Bislig City.

Suspect is now under the custody of Bislig City Police Station for proper disposition. (PNP-13/ PIA-Caraga)

PNP arrest wanted person
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On June 5, 2009 at 8:30 in the morning at Barangay Zone II, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur, a certain Seldom Las Piñas Mira, 29 years old, single and a resident of Purok-4, Barangay Agsam, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur was arrested by elements of Lanuza Municipal Police Station led by PI Renars Salubre, OIC by virtue of Warrant of Arrest (WOA) issued by Hon, Judge Romeo Buenaflor of RTC Branch 41, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur for the crime of Rape docketed under criminal case nr. 436.
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Said suspect is now under the custody of Lanuza Municipal Police Station for proper disposition.
On June 6, 2009 at 6:00 in the morning at Purok-3, Poblacion, Trento, Agusan del Sur, elements of Trento Municipal Police Station led by PO3 Rehivenbu Hibaya arrested the suspect identified as Rolando Palen Paciones, 45 years old, married, farmer and a resident of the above-mentioned place by virtue of warrant of arrest issued by Hon. Judge Dax Gonzaga Xenos of RTC 10th Judicial Region, Branch 34, Cabadbaran City, and Charged for violation of P.D. 533 (Anti-Cattle Rustling Law of 1974), docketed under criminal case nr. 2005-112.
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Said suspect is now detained at Trento Municipal Police Station for proper disposition. (PNP-13/ PIA-Caraga)
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Report on shooting incident
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On June 6, 2009 around 11:00 in the evening at Purok Bahe, Barangay Sta Cruz, Rosario, Agusan del Sur, a certain Oliver Gabutan, 20 years old, laborer and a resident of Purok-4 Barangay Cabantao of same municipality was allegedly shot by the suspect identified as Edito Mahusay, of legal age, married, miner also a resident of the above-mentioned place.

Suspect used a homemade shotgun locally known as "Surit". Elements of Rosario Municipal Police Station responded and proceeded to the place of incident and conducted investigation.

Initial investigation revealed that a certain Antonio Guzman and the suspect argued due to intoxicating liquor. Oliver Gabutan tried to intervene when the suspect fired his carried homemade shotgun hitting the different parts of Gabutan's body resulting to his untimely death.

Antonio Guzman was also injured during the incident. Rosario Municipal Police Station exhausted effort to locate the suspect but to no avail as he already fled to unknown direction. Progress report will follow. 
  
Also, on June 6, 2009 around 6:00 in the evening at Barangay Labisma, Bislig City, one Wenico Adlawan, of legal age, a resident of the above-mentioned place was stabbed with a bladed weapon locally known as "Sundangay" by a certain Marlon Abayon, 12 years old, also a resident of the same place.

Victim was brought to ASMH Cooperative Hospital by the responding policemen for treatment.

Victim sustained stab wounds at his left breast and back of his body. Suspect is now under custody of Bislig City Police Station for proper disposition. Progress report will follow. (PNP-13/ PIA-Caraga)