(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 - Saturday, October 22, 2011

Manobo lumads launch first Sago palm flour enterprise

by David M. Suyao

AGUSAN DEL SUR, Oct. 22 (PIA)
-- A group belonging to the Manobo tribe will engage in the first ever commercial production of sago palm flour in the province.

The Kayumbyahan Sagu Manobo Corporation (KASAMACOR), a business enterprise of the Veruela-Sta. Josefa Ancestral Domain Management Organization (VESTA ADMO), was launched recently in Barangay Sampaguita, Veruela, Agusan del Sur.

Sago, known as lumbya among Manobos, is a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm such as sago palm (metroxylon sagu), which is found in tropical lowland forest and freshwater swamps across Southeast Asia. (
www.wikipedia.com)

The said plant naturally grow in more than 700 hectares of land in Veruela and Sta. Josefa, a Manobo ancestral territory.

The technology was developed by the Manobo community under the Caraga Indigenous Peoples Development Programme (IPDP-Caraga) of the International Labour Organization (ILO) with support from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). It is being implemented in partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the Municipal government of Veruela.

According to Veruela Mayor Salimar Mondejar, the project is part of the continuing effort of the Manobos themselves with the help and guidance of LGU Veruela to strengthen their individual and collective capacity for income and self employment generation in the context of the sustainable development and protection of their ancestral domain.

“Some say they are afraid that the raw materials may not be enough to supply the demand for production, but I want them to know that the sago palm naturally produce shoots fast, and there is no need to replant them," Ikel Asuncion, chairman of the board of KASAMACOR said. "The group is also open to buying supply of raw materials from the neighboring barangays and municipalities where sago palm are also abundant.”

“I am very proud and happy that the lumads (natives) here have this kind of attitude, principles and initiatives to improve their quality of life. I am looking forward that this venture will flourish and become model of other municipalities to follow," said Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza. "I am offering an additional P1 million as the provincial government initial financial assistance to this venture and another P1 million if the demand of supply of sago flour will increase,” he added.

According to Mayor Mondejar, the sago flour can be made into cookies, bread, noodles, ice cream cone and many others. (PIA-Agusan del Sur)

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Higaonons get ancestral domain title

by Maria Rebecca C. Ayaton

BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 22 (PIA)
-- The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) awarded the long-awaited Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title to the Higaonon tribe during the Indigenous Peoples Conference in this city.

After handing out the certificate, NCIP Secretary Zenaida Pawid said the ownership of the ancestral domain is only being acknowledged by the commission.

The lumads are the owners of their native lands, and they can do whatever they want with it, Pawid added.

However, Cong. Teddy Brawner Baguilat advised the natives to be responsible with their ancestral domains. Since their ancestral lands are potential for business, many opportunists dared to swindle the lumads and with that, Baguilat warns the lumads to keep away and be alert with those kind of people.

“Payo ko po sa inyo na huwag kayong magpapagamit kaninuman (My advice to you is that do not let anyone exploit you)”, he said.

Meanwhile, Pawid cited that one of the biggest problems in Mindanao is the partition of ancestral lands. She said the lumads must unite and maintain peace within their society.

“Magtulong-tulong tayong lahat…alam nating marami tayong mga problema pero nasa atin rin ang kasagutan sa ating mga problema (let us help each other… we all know that we are facing so many problems, but we have the answer to solve our problems), said Pawid. (MRA/PIA-Caraga)

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Tagalog News: Pamahalaan, paninindigan ang 20% withholding tax para sa peace bonds ayon kay Pangulong Aquino

ni Maria Rebecca C. Ayaton

BUTUAN CITY, Okt. 22 (PIA)
-- Ayon kay Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III, ang pamahalaan ay naninindigan pa rin sa pagpapatuloy ng Poverty Eradication Alleviation Certificates (PEACe) bonds na 20% withholding tax.

Ito ang ipinahayag ng Pangulo habang siya ay nakikipagpanayam sa mga mamamahayag kahapon.

Ipinapaala ng Pangulo sa mga mamahayag at sa publiko na ang 20 porsiyentong withholding tax ay dapat sanang ikinulekta sampung taon na ang nakalipas ayon sa 2004 BIR ruling, at sila bilang tagapagpaganap (executive branch) ay walang karapatang ipasawalang bisa ang napaipatupad na ng Kongreso.


Gayun pa man, nilinaw ng Pangulo na ang pagsasakatuparan nito ay nasa kamay ng Korte Suprema na kamaikalan lamang ay naglabas ng temporary restraining order (TRO) sa BIR na magpairal ng panibagong patakaran sa pagkolekta ng buwis mula sa PEACe bonds.

Ani ni Pangulong Aquino, nasa korte na ang desisyong pumili kung kaninong interpretasyon ang tama.

Ang kontrobersiyal na bonds ay nagsimula nang ito ay ibinili ng Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) noong Oktubre 16, 2001 sa pamamagitan ng Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) sa diskuwentong halagang P10.17 bilyones at sa 12.75 porsiyento na interes, ayon sa mga ulat.

Walo sa mga malalaking bangko dito sa Pilipinas ay nag sampa na ng petisyon para TRO sa Korte Suprema na umaapela na ang pagpataw ng 20 porsiyento final withholding tax sa PEACe bonds’ interests ay isang paglabag sa 1997 Tax Code at ito rin ay paglabag sa “non-impairment of contracts” na sugnay sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon.

Bilang pagtatanggol ng Pangulo sa paninindigan ng pamahalaan tungkol sa isyu, sinabi niya na “Yung taxes imposed by Congress—‘pag magbibigay ka ng exemptions o ia-amend, babawasan, dadagdagan puro Kongreso po ‘yan. Kami taga-implement ng batas”. (MRA, ulat mula PCOO/PIA-Caraga)

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Tagalog News: Pamahalaan ng Australya magtatayo ng 5,000 na silid aralan sa Pilipinas

ni Maria Rebecca C. Ayaton

BUTUAN CITY, Okt. 22 (PIA)
-- Ang pamahalaan ng Australya ay magtatayo ng 5,000 silid aralan sa bansa, isang malaking ambag sa sektor ng edukasyon, inanunsyo ni Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III kahapon.

Nagkita ang Pangulo at ang Australian Foreign Minister na si Kevin Budd sa Palasyo kahapon ng umaga. Mahalaga ang pagbisita ni Rudd sa Pilipinas sa pagpapatatag sa relasyon ng Pilipinas at Australya, sabi ng Pangulo.

Inihayag ng Pangulo habang binabanggit niya ang kanyang talumpati sa inagurasyon ng Diagnostic Center ng National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) sa Quezon City na ang pagpapatayo ng bansang Australya ng 5,000 silid aralan ay isa sa mga gagawin nilang tulong sa Pilipinas na gagawin nila sa susunod na taon. Idinagdag pa ng Pangulo na maraming relasyon ang bansang Pilipinas sa Australya lalolong-lalo na sa larangan ng diplomasya.

Sinabi ng Pangulo na pinapanatili ng Pilipinas at Australya ang kanilang magandang relasyon sa kalakal at sa depensa pati na rin sa kooperasyon sa “disaster risk management” at edukasyon.
Samantala, sinabi ni Pangulong Aquino na sinunggaban na niya ang pagkakataon na humiling kay Rudd na makipagpulong siya sa Punong Mininstro ng Australya na si Julia Gillard.

Si Rudd ang dating Punong Ministro ng Australya na bumisita noong Oktubre 20-21, 2011. Ito ang unang opisyal na bisita ni Rudd sa bansa mula ng nanumpa sa kanyang katungkulan noong ika-14 ng Setyembre, 2010.

Isa sa mga tampulan ng ika-65 na anibersaryo ng bilateral na relasyon ng Pilipinas at Australya ang pagbisita ni Rudd sa bansa. (MRA ulat mula PCOO/PIA-Caraga)