RPOC serves as venue for those who wants peace, DILG chief says
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 19 (PIA) -- Interior and Local Government Sec. Jesse Robredo said the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) will serve as venue for those who want to achieve peace in the region.
Speaking before members of the RPOC in Caraga during its meeting on Friday in one of the local convention centers here, Sec. Robredo said the region is in the middle of being poor and rich.
Robredo explained peace and order will never be achieved because there are natural resources that are deemed valuable by both government and the leftists. He added these resources are considered blessings but at the same time a problem.
“’Yung problema sa katahimikan, malinaw na hindi siya matatahimik dahil may likas na yaman siyang pwedeng pakinabangan na maraming nagkakainteres… may interes ang pamahalaan, may interes ang negosyo, subalit meron ding interes ‘yung mga masasabi nating iba ang pananaw sa ating pamahalaan.. at dahil meron tayong likas na yaman, ito’y isang biyaya at isang problema,” Robredo said.
(In terms of peace and order problem, it is clear that peace and order is hard to achieve because of the natural resources where more people will have interest on it… the government is interested as well as the business sector, but those who have different perspectives towards our government also showed their interest… and since we have these natural resources, we can consider this a blessing, at the same time a problem).
To counter this problem, Robredo said the Filipino people and the government should find ways to combat poverty, as well as the government should be firm and strong.
He explained these must be undertaken because he believed that part of the problem in attaining peace is not poverty but the people who are taking advantage of what they can get from the natural resources.
“Dalawang pananaw ang dapat nating itulak… ang unang pananaw ay sugpuin po natin ang kahirapan… ang pangalawa ay dapat maging matatag at malakas ang ating pamahalaan dahil ang kalahating bahagi ng ating problema ay hindi naman kahirapan kundi pagsasamantala dahil may likas na yaman ‘yung lugar,” Robredo said.
(We have to push for two perspectives… first is to combat poverty… the other is for our government to be firmed and strong because half of our problem is not because poverty but the people who are taking advantage because the area is rich with natural resources).
Robredo further said even if poverty will be resolved, it does not guarantee achieving peace in the area.
He added because of this, the RPOC will also serve as venue to strengthen the government by intensifying the local government units, Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Furthermore, Robredo said if the government is firm and strong, everybody will respect its capability, thus minimizing the insurgency problems in the region.
Sec. Robredo was also here in the city to administer the oath-taking of Butuan Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. who was appointed as chairman of the RPOC in Caraga Region. (PIA-Caraga)
Nipa sugar production seen to boost Caraga Region’s economy
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 19 (PIA) -- It used to be that all sugars came from cane and nobody knew any better. But with the changing lifestyle and the rise of specific diseases caused by food, there is today a concerted effort to plan what one eats. “The nipa sugar production is a good potential to boost the economy of Caraga Region,” said Foundation for Rural Enterprise and Ecology Development of Mindanao (FREEDOM) Executive Director Antonio Peralta during a recent roundtable discussion with PIA-Caraga personnel.
Peralta said since Caraga Region is a coastal region where nipa tree is abundant, there is a potential of economic development as this can also be a substitute for coco sugar.
The official said the processing of the nipa sugar is the same with coco sugar but some modifications are still needed to produce sugar which has the same quality with that of coco sugar.
Dir. Peralta further said since nipa trees belong to the same family as that of the coconut tree, the produced sugar has low glycemic index, and according to international standards, if the glycemic index is within 50 or below 50, the product is good for the body.
He added that for coco sugar, the glycemic index is about 35 and for the nipa, it is lower than that of the coco sugar. However, he said this has to be verified first by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
According to http://www.glycemicindex.com, the glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.
Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet. In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended that people in industrialized countries base their diets on low-GI foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
With these developments, Peralta is hopeful that entrepreneurs will invest on nipa sugar production as sources of nipa trees are abundant in this coastal region of northeastern Mindanao. (PIA-Caraga)
Butuan City to grant farm equipment
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 19 (PIA) -- The Sangguniang Panlungsod of the city of Butuan recently approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante Jr., to sign and enter in behalf of Butuan a memorandum of agreement (MOA) by and among the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Unit XIII and the Antongalon-Agusan Multi-Purpose Cooperative relative to the grant of farm equipment (farm tractor) in connection with the implementation of Agri-Pinoy Rice Program.
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 19 (PIA) -- Interior and Local Government Sec. Jesse Robredo said the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) will serve as venue for those who want to achieve peace in the region.
Speaking before members of the RPOC in Caraga during its meeting on Friday in one of the local convention centers here, Sec. Robredo said the region is in the middle of being poor and rich.
Robredo explained peace and order will never be achieved because there are natural resources that are deemed valuable by both government and the leftists. He added these resources are considered blessings but at the same time a problem.
“’Yung problema sa katahimikan, malinaw na hindi siya matatahimik dahil may likas na yaman siyang pwedeng pakinabangan na maraming nagkakainteres… may interes ang pamahalaan, may interes ang negosyo, subalit meron ding interes ‘yung mga masasabi nating iba ang pananaw sa ating pamahalaan.. at dahil meron tayong likas na yaman, ito’y isang biyaya at isang problema,” Robredo said.
(In terms of peace and order problem, it is clear that peace and order is hard to achieve because of the natural resources where more people will have interest on it… the government is interested as well as the business sector, but those who have different perspectives towards our government also showed their interest… and since we have these natural resources, we can consider this a blessing, at the same time a problem).
To counter this problem, Robredo said the Filipino people and the government should find ways to combat poverty, as well as the government should be firm and strong.
He explained these must be undertaken because he believed that part of the problem in attaining peace is not poverty but the people who are taking advantage of what they can get from the natural resources.
“Dalawang pananaw ang dapat nating itulak… ang unang pananaw ay sugpuin po natin ang kahirapan… ang pangalawa ay dapat maging matatag at malakas ang ating pamahalaan dahil ang kalahating bahagi ng ating problema ay hindi naman kahirapan kundi pagsasamantala dahil may likas na yaman ‘yung lugar,” Robredo said.
(We have to push for two perspectives… first is to combat poverty… the other is for our government to be firmed and strong because half of our problem is not because poverty but the people who are taking advantage because the area is rich with natural resources).
Robredo further said even if poverty will be resolved, it does not guarantee achieving peace in the area.
He added because of this, the RPOC will also serve as venue to strengthen the government by intensifying the local government units, Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Furthermore, Robredo said if the government is firm and strong, everybody will respect its capability, thus minimizing the insurgency problems in the region.
Sec. Robredo was also here in the city to administer the oath-taking of Butuan Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. who was appointed as chairman of the RPOC in Caraga Region. (PIA-Caraga)
Nipa sugar production seen to boost Caraga Region’s economy
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 19 (PIA) -- It used to be that all sugars came from cane and nobody knew any better. But with the changing lifestyle and the rise of specific diseases caused by food, there is today a concerted effort to plan what one eats. “The nipa sugar production is a good potential to boost the economy of Caraga Region,” said Foundation for Rural Enterprise and Ecology Development of Mindanao (FREEDOM) Executive Director Antonio Peralta during a recent roundtable discussion with PIA-Caraga personnel.
Peralta said since Caraga Region is a coastal region where nipa tree is abundant, there is a potential of economic development as this can also be a substitute for coco sugar.
The official said the processing of the nipa sugar is the same with coco sugar but some modifications are still needed to produce sugar which has the same quality with that of coco sugar.
Dir. Peralta further said since nipa trees belong to the same family as that of the coconut tree, the produced sugar has low glycemic index, and according to international standards, if the glycemic index is within 50 or below 50, the product is good for the body.
He added that for coco sugar, the glycemic index is about 35 and for the nipa, it is lower than that of the coco sugar. However, he said this has to be verified first by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
According to http://www.glycemicindex.com, the glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.
Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet. In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended that people in industrialized countries base their diets on low-GI foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
With these developments, Peralta is hopeful that entrepreneurs will invest on nipa sugar production as sources of nipa trees are abundant in this coastal region of northeastern Mindanao. (PIA-Caraga)
Butuan City to grant farm equipment
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 19 (PIA) -- The Sangguniang Panlungsod of the city of Butuan recently approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante Jr., to sign and enter in behalf of Butuan a memorandum of agreement (MOA) by and among the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Unit XIII and the Antongalon-Agusan Multi-Purpose Cooperative relative to the grant of farm equipment (farm tractor) in connection with the implementation of Agri-Pinoy Rice Program.
The grant was requested by city agriculturist Engr. Alberto B. Buca for the use of the cooperative in dire need of farm equipments to increase its productivity and efficiency.
The resolution, which was unanimously supported by all the members of the SP led by Vice Mayor Lawrence Fortun, was principally authored by Councilor Angelo S. Calo, the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture of the Sangguniang Panlungsod. (NCLM/Butuan City VMO)
