Interfaith dialogue goes to Butuan City to tackle
environmental problems of Agusan Norte
MANILA, Sept. 2 (PIA) - Some 200 representatives
from different religious groups, NGOs, academe, youth, and local government
units will convene for the 8th regional conference for the Interfaith Dialogue
on Climate Change on Thursday, September 3, 2015 at the Dottie’s Place Hotel,
this city.
Climate Change Commissioner Heherson T. Alvarez,
who is the confab’s main convenor, said that holding the dialogue in the Caraga
region is vital to make the residents aware of the grossly negative climate
impacts and how to take mitigation measures.
“The Taguibo watershed in the region faces
increasingly greater hazards because of illegal activities such as timber
poaching and illegal mining. These illegal activities have denuded forests and
destroyed the equilibrium of the region’s ecosystems,” the former senator says.
Alvarez stressed that another major effect of
forest denudation is the regular flooding in Agusan del Norte and nearby areas,
causing millions of losses in livelihood and agricultural productivity as well
as the brutal murder of several forest rangers by illegal loggers.
At the same time, the climate change official
lauded the local government for approving a watershed code that seeks to
protect the watershed in the region and to maintain high water quality for the
population in the area.
Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje of DENR, a co-convenor
of the conference, stressed that “the government is taking concrete steps to
combat the violence against defenseless forest workers and volunteers.”
The problem of Illegal logging will be one of the
issues to be tackled during the IFD workshop, the results of which will form part
of the Philippine report to the United Nations Climate Change Conference
(COP21) in Paris, France November this year.
“The dialogues highlight the need for anticipation
and adaptation measures to climate vulnerabilities with integrated mapping on
floods, soil erosion, landslides, sea-level rise, storm surge, earthquake,
volcanic eruption, and others,” says Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma of the
Climate Change Congress of the Philippines.
Topics of the event will include the climate
vulnerabilities in the region by Dr. Esteban C. Godilano, and mobilizing
faith-based communities by the IFD co-convenors Archbishop Ledesma and PCEC
National Director Bishop Noel A.
Pantoja.
The IFD is co-sponsored by the Climate Change
Commission, Philippine Council for Evangelical Churches, Climate Change
Congress of the Philippines, the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, and the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy. (Climate Change
commission/PIA-Caraga)
New SurSur chief assessor bares plan, vows more
real property tax collections
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Sept. 2 (PIA) – The
new chief provincial assessor of Surigao del Sur, Edwin Acevedo, has bared
plans for increased tax collection by the Provincial Treasurer’s Office (PTO)
on real properties recently.
Acevedo said both offices of the assessor and
treasurer have to work hand-in-hand when it comes to real property taxes,
citing their role in this regard.
He told capitol employees existing ordinances used
in the collection of real property taxes are now on the process of review.
“Most of the rates” in the collection of real
property taxes and fees here have been found out to be outdated, he added.
Acevedo even pointed out that rates in the
province are too low as compared to neighboring provinces.
In the meantime, the new chief assessor claimed
proposal preparation for updated ordinances has been started for consideration
of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Besides, another proposal for an updated schedule
of market value in the evaluation and appraisal of properties is also in the
pipeline, saying this is “upon consultation with our honorable governor.”
“No less than the secretary of finance has also
reminded us that we need to update the ordinances that we are using in the
collection of our real property tax,” Acevedo remarked.
The new provincial assessor, who was appointed to
the post on August 17, has expressed hope his proposal “will be considered.”
Beforehand, Antonio Falcon, assistant provincial
assessor, rendered the accomplishment report of their office for the past six
months.
Among which, he said, was “the approval of 873 tax
declarations for lands, buildings and machineries declared for the first time,
including the revision of tax declarations due to changes of property
classifications which has generated the increase of 1.35 percent in taxable
assessed value as of June 30, 2015 from the previous year’s taxable assessed
value of P4,179,655,342.00 or an increased real property Basic and SEF tax
collectibles of P1,139,810.26.”
In addition, the assessor’s office “has issued 162
certifications covering true copies, landholdings, lien and encumbrances of
real property; annotated 47 tax declarations as collateral properties for
mortgages and bail bonds including its cancellation; and issued 13 Memorandum
Circulars and 38 Travel Orders to assessment personnel including the Municipal
Assessors in connection with the appraisal and assessment functions,” Falcon
said. (Greg Tataro Jr., Radyo ng Bayan-Tandag/PIA Surigao del Sur)
SurSur guv seeks swift justice vs. suspects on
slay of “IPs” school director, 2 civilians
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Sept. 2 (PIA) –
Surigao del Sur Governor Johnny Pimentel has sought the immediate arrest of the
suspects behind the killings of an indigenous people’s (IPs) school
chief—Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural Development (ALCADEV)
Executive Director Emerito “Emok” Samarka, Dionel “Onel” Campos, chairman,
Malahutayong Pakigbisog alang sa Sumusunod (MAPASU), and Orello Senso, native
of Barangay San Isidro, Lianga town.
The incident took place in Km. 16, Sitio Han-ayan,
Barangay Diatagon, Lianga town, 90 kilometers south, this city at around 5:30
a.m. on September 1, according to the Provincial Police Office (PPO) here.
The governor told members of the Provincial Peace
and Order Council (PPOC) in an emergency meeting he called at the Provincial
Governor’s Office (PGO) conference room Wednesday morning that all suspects
must be “arrested, disbanded, or disarmed.”
Attended likewise by Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar,
among others, the said meeting was intended to plan out what actions to take on
the evacuees estimated to have already breached a thousand mark at the Surigao
del Sur Sports Complex. He even said
that such is expected to swell to more than 2,000 individuals.
Meanwhile, P/Supt. Noguerra, representing
Provincial Director P/SSupt. Narciso Verdadero, has initially named three
suspects positively identified as certain Bobby Tejero, Loloy Tejero, and
Garito Layno, who are going to face raps of multiple murder, including arson
since the said ALCADEV School was also deliberately burned down.
Also, for his part, before saying what actions to
take, 402nd Brigade Commander Col. Isidro Purisima condemned the acts of the
perpetrators.
“We condemn the act of violence committed by this
group,” he stressed.
On the other hand, the brigade commander vowed the
army “will not condone this act and they have negated all our peace initiatives
here in the area, led of course by the governor, and they have destroyed
actually what we have started for the past months to have a peaceful resolution
of our context here in the province.”
The 402nd Infantry Brigade has been established in
the province since April, this year.
However, Purisima said they are one with the PNP
in observing “due process” to address the case.
Moreover, Governor Pimentel wanted the charges to
be filed ASAP with the Prosecutor’s Office.
As a result of the “senseless killings,” people
from the area have deserted their respective dwellings en masse to Surigao del
Sur Sports Complex, this city.
Since the evacuees arrived, Pimentel bared initial
needs have already been addressed, citing relief goods and other priorities. (Radyo
ng Bayan-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
