TESDA distributes STEP toolkits to EO70 priority villages of AgNor town
By Eliphaz
A. Signar Jr. II
BUTUAN
CITY, Apr. 26 -- On its fourth wave of Special Training for Employment Program
(STEP) Scholars Toolkits Distribution, the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority Agusan del Norte (TESDA AgNor) goes up to Barangay
Casiklan, Las Nieves on April 22, 2021.
A total
of 251 scholars delightfully received their starter toolkits which were made
possible by the initiative of Rep. Lawrence Lemuel “Law” H. Fortun of the first
district of Agusan del Norte. Scholars were comprised from the different
barangays in the municipality of Las Nieves, such as Casiklan, Durian, Mat-I,
Lingayao, Maningalao, Ambacon, and Tinucoran.
The Number of Starter Toolkits distributed
are as follows:
• Produced Organic Fertilizer Leading Organic Agriculture Production NC II – 75
sets;
• Raised Organic Hogs Leading Organic Agriculture Production NC II – 125
sets;
• Carpentry NC II – 19 sets;
• Bread Making Leading to Bread and Pastry Production NC II – 32 sets.
The activity ended with the community singing of Pilipinas Kong Mahal. (TESDA
Agusan del Norte/PIA Agusan del Norte)
BFAR Caraga joins consultation on regulation of catching lobsters
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Apr. 26 -- A consultative conference to discuss concerns on catching of puerulus lobster and its related governing laws and regulations was held on April 22, 2021, in San Agustin, Surigao del Sur.
For the past
seven years, the municipal local government unit (MLGU) of San Agustin in
Surigao del Sur has visibly observed the existence of puerulus lobster in its
municipal waters, a commodity which demand and market pricing are quite
attractive and profitable.
However, the
method by which this specie is caught raised a concern for the LGU, despite the
enacted Republic Act 10654 and its corresponding Fishery Administrative Order.
Dir. Nilo S.
Katada, officer-in-charge of the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) in Caraga, together with the chief of
the Fishery Inspection and Quarantine Service Hanawi B. Alauya and the
Provincial Fisheries Office of Surigao del Sur personnel, attended the meeting
and provided significant insights and clarifications for the regulation of
catching puerulus lobsters. San Agustin Mayor Libertad O. Alameda and Municipal
Agriculturist Genalyn Campos also attended the said consultation.
It was
participated by the barangay and municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resource
Management Councils (FARMCs) and the buyer-consolidators of the said commodity.
The
consultation output shall form part of the Coastal Community Alliance Unified
for Sustainable Ecosystem (CCAUSE) Lobster Ordinance, wherein the MLGU San
Agustin is an alliance member. (DA-BFAR Caraga/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
AgSur eyes 7 towns to become cradle of eco-tourism
By David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Apr. 26 -- Seven towns in this province are seen potential to be developed for eco-tourism. These are the municipalities of Talacogon, San Francisco, Rosario, Bunawan, Loreto, La Paz and Veruela, where the Agusan marsh is also located.
The House of
Representatives Committee on Tourism and Committee on Appropriation has
forwarded House Bill No. 8956 to the Senate after it was approved during the
third reading on March 25, 2021, and received by the Senate on April 12, 2021.
House Bill
(HB) No. 8956 replaces HB 3667 which was filed on February 3, 2020, by Agusan
del Sur Second District Rep. Adolph Edward Plaza and was approved on the second
reading only on March 16 and finally approved on the third reading after nine
days.
During a
virtual “zoom’ meeting in August last year, former Department of Tourism (DOT)
Caraga Regional Director Maria Anna Nuguid laid down her manifestation to House
Committee on Tourism Chairperson Sol Aragones saying the passage of the Bills
filed by Rep. Plaza will help institutionalize more intervention for the
protection and sustainable tourism development of the area and will give due
recognition to Agusan del Sur to take its rightful place in history, not only
of the Philippines but of the world for it to be placed in the international
tourism map. The Bills will also strengthen community-based tourism initiatives
for the indigenous people communities in the area and will create more
livelihood opportunities.
In the same
zoom meeting, former DENR Caraga Regional Director Hadja Didaw Piang-Ibrahim
called H.B. 3667 (now HB 8956) a very important Bill because it will support
the efforts of the protected area management board in protecting Agusan Marsh
having been declared a protected area pursuant to Republic Act 11038 under the
National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) Act. Agusan Marsh is
also declared as ASEAN Heritage Park.
Meanwhile,
in his explanatory note, Rep. Plaza said that the Agusan Marsh Ecotourism
Development and Management Plan shall ensure the preservation of the area and
shall dwell on the carrying capacity of the Agusan Marsh Ecotourism Zone and
its endemic and migratory birds species, specific site assessment,
identification of strategic priorities, product development plans for local
income generation, capacity building for the local community, strategies to
promote the formulation of local production groups and networks, including the
marketing and pricing of products and, marketing strategies that uphold
natural, social and environmental integrity of the eco-tourism zone and its
local residents. (PPIO-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
DA-13 provides livelihood projects as intervention for peace
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 26 -- In support
of the government’s effort to end local communist armed conflict, the Department
of Agriculture (DA) - Caraga recently turned over livelihood projects to three
associations held at the San Toribio Gymnasium in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur.
The Anolingan Farmers Association
(AFS) with 41 members received six sacks of feeds for hog raising, while the
San Toribio Farmers Association with 17 members received two piglets and four
sacks of feeds.
DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resouces (DA-BFAR) also distributed 2,000 fingerlings and four sacks of feed to
the Cebulan Farmers Association (CEBFARM) with 16 members.
Among the recipients were
surrenderers from said barangays and were organized by the security sector to
help them to be productive members of the community.
The turn-over ceremony which was
attended by Regional Technical Director for Operations Rebecca Reyes Atega of
DA-Caraga; Jekem Sanchez, livestock program coordinator; Catherine Juyno, chief
of Del Monte Lowland Rainfed Research Station (DMLRRS) of Talacogon, Agusan del
Sur; and Assistant Regional Director Edgardo P. Balambao of DA-BFAR Caraga.
Also present were officials from
the Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA), National Intelligence
Coordinating Agency (NICA), Philippine Army, and LGU officials. (DA-RFO XIII,
RAFIS/PIA-Caraga)
DA-Caraga hosts 2021 food security confab
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 26 - The Department of Agriculture (DA) - Caraga conducted on Apr. 21 the 2021 Regional Food Security Summit in Butuan spearheaded by the Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division aimed at addressing the issues hounding the agriculture industry and formulate solutions.
In his
message, DA Secretary William D. Dar urged the stakeholders to actively
participate in the discussions and contribute their inputs to come up with
actions and strategies that will change the challenges into opportunities and
steer the agriculture industry towards development.
On the other
hand, DA-Caraga Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo shared
that despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, agriculture performance has
been good.
In fact, he
said that rice production in the country for the year 2020 reached an all time
high at 19.4 millon metric tons.
The
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) also estimates a production 4.57 million
metric tons for January-March, a 7.2 increase from the previous quarter.
For corn,
the PSA estimates a 2.50 million metric tons volume of production, which is a
9.0% increase from the previous quarter.
For
vegetables, Monteagudo said prices have gone down and has been stable while for
the fishing sector, he said, since it is now open season so it is expected that
there will be more supply of fish and other fishery products. (DA-RFO XIII,
RAFIS/PIA-Caraga)
BFAR, UNDP-GEF hold workshop for ‘Octopus Management Framework Plan’
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, April 26 -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-Global Environment Facility (GEF) rconducted a Mindanao-Cluster Stakeholders Consultation Workshop for Octopus Commodity on April 13-14, 2021.
The
activity was attended by participants from Regions 9, Caraga, and Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) via online platform.
The
workshop was aimed at developing a National Management Framework Plan as part
of implementing the Global Sustainable Supply Chains for Marine Commodities
Project.
It
sought to contribute to the sustainability of marine commodities, specifically
octopus and blue swimming crab for the Philippines' component by strengthening
platforms in managing these fisheries and implementing fishery improvement
projects in the value chain.
National
consultant Dr. Asuncion De Guzman served as resource speaker and facilitated
the ‘root cause analysis’ on the Philippine octopus commodity.
The
workshop included the identification of management issues in the Philippine
octopus fisheries and suggested management measures for sustainable octopus
fisheries.
The
output of the virtual workshop will be consolidated with that of the Luzon and
Visayas clusters for the coming up of a holistic National Management Framework
Plan for Octopus including its action plan following the concept of Ecosystem
Approach to Fisheries Management.
The
participants of the said workshop were the octopus gatherers, consolidators,
processors together with the local government units that have octopus fishery,
local non-government organizations, academe, and BFAR personnel from the
Regional Fisheries Inspection and Quarantine Service and from the National
Stock Assessment Program.
In
Mindanao, Region 9, Caraga and BARMM are octopus top-producing regions that
support the local and export industries which generate high income. (DA-BFAR
Caraga/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Online seminar features onion armyworm management strategies
By Jhon
Marvin R. Surio
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Apr. 26 -- Research results on the management of onion armyworm (OAW) were the highlight during the monthly online seminar of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) on Mar. 9, 2021 via Facebook Livestream.
Scientist
Mario Navasero of the National Crop Protection Center of the University of the
Philippines Los BaΓ±os shared relevant information regarding the pest’s
migration and infestation patterns, as well as potential strategies for its
control.
“This is a
‘transboundary plant pest’ which means that it has the ability to migrate
between islands and even countries,” Navasero revealed.
OAW feeds on
the leaves of an array of vegetables and crops including onion, corn, rice,
ampalaya, eggplant, tomato, hot pepper, legumes, and kamote, among others,
which makes it an economically important pest.
Some of the
strategies discussed include traps, some natural enemies of OAW, and chemical
pesticides.
One of the
traps mentioned was the synthetic sex pheromones used to lure the pest’s male
adults. Based on studies abroad, it was recommended to have 20 lures for a
hectare or one lure per 50 square meters.
Another
option was the use of white UV lights which attract both male and female
adults, but with the use of electricity.
Two natural
enemies were also identified such as the parasitoid wasps braconid and
Telenomus sp. which lay eggs on the worms and eggs of OAW, respectively, at the
cost of the pest’s life.
Two microbes
were also seen to potentially control OAW. One is the fungus Metarhizium rileyi
which grows and encloses the pest in its spores. The other is the Spodoptera
exigua Multi Nucleopolyhedrosis virus which causes the pest to disintegrate.
As for the
use of pesticides, Navasero advised to use them properly and to utilize ones
that belong to different groups of known modes of action.
The online seminar was participated in by 483 individuals nationwide and viewed by more than 5,000 people around the world on the said platform. (DA-BAR/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
