Urban planner gives 60 tips on mitigating disaster

MANILA, Philippines–The government should convert open spaces like parks into “disaster prevention sites” where disaster-stricken citizens could be evacuated, an urban planner has proposed.

This was one of 60 measures for disaster preparedness architect Jun Palafox presented to President Macapagal-Arroyo recently.

Palafox’s proposal, a copy of which was furnished the Inquirer, would also mandate the immediate distribution of geohazard maps to communities, the spread of a culture of disaster-preparedness down to the barangay level, and the institution of close coordination between the private and public sectors in preparing for disasters.

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NGO builds livelihood center for waste pickers

More than 200 waste pickers at the Calajunan dumpsite in Mandurriao district here will soon become beneficiaries of a livelihood center building built by a nongovernment organization with funding from Japan.

The Japanese-type center will serve as a meeting place of the waste pickers, training center for the various alternative livelihood activities, venue for feeding program and for weekly learning activity for their children.

Salome Villaroman of the city general services office (GSO) said the multi-purpose center is currently being constructed at 6m by 12m at the 665 square meter lot allowed for free use in three years by lot owner Pastor Levy Padlan. Continue reading…

Lawyers join drive against garbage

Members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Iloilo Chapter will join the multi-sectoral drive against the unwanton solid waste disposal in the barangays and especially along the commercial district here.

This was assured by Atty. Marvin Daquillaña, IBP Iloilo president, after recent consultation with the Enforcement Team of the Iloilo City Solid Waste Management Board and city environment and natural resources officer Engr. Noel Hechanova.

Daquillaña said the IBP will file charges in court against violators of the anti-littering provisions embodied in City Regulation Ordinance 147 and Republic Act 9003 in dumping garbage not segregated as biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes. Continue reading…

City mulls Task Force on clean air and climate change

Mayor Jerry P. Treñas will soon issue an executive order finalizing membership of the proposed Iloilo City Task Force on Clean Air and Climate Change in compliance with the provisions of the Clean Air Act of 2000 and the recent Climate Change Act of 2009.

City environment and natural resources officer, Engr. Noel Hechanova was designated by the city mayor to head the task force and a representative of the health sector as co-chairman.

Other members of the task force include representatives of other sectors such as transport to include taxis, jeepneys, tricycles, buses and pumpboats; energy and industry to include gasoline stations, power plants and other energy industries; academe to include schools and universities and non-government organizations to include the media and other nongovernment organizations concerned with air pollution and climate change. Continue reading…

LGSP-LED extends P10M for agri-tourism projects in Guimaras

The Local Government Support Program-Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) is now working hand-in-hand with the provincial government of Guimaras to further enhance the agri-tourism potential of the province.

Guimaras, according to its provincial tourism officer Angeles Gabinete, is a recipient of a P10-million support for their community-based rural tourism (CBRT) projects that will be developed in 10 months.

The end goal is to raise community awareness on environmental management and protection, cultural preservation and promotion and economic empowerment.

It kicked off with awareness on tourism, appreciation, tourism mapping that covers barangays and municipalities, project planning and implementation.

Angeles said they have identified 36 CBRTs but to date 11 are already matured or those that have been capacitated, trained on project management and operation, financial management and structure and policies. Continue reading…

DOT recognizes excellent partners in promoting tourism industry in Western Visayas

The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the provincial government of Capiz named the region’s local government units (LGUs), private sector and individuals that excelled in their respective fields and contributed much in the promotion of the tourism industry in Western Visayas.

The tourism awards highlighted the culminating activity of the annual ‘Western Visayas Tourism Assembly’ held in this ‘Seafood Capital of the Philippines Sunday evening.’

Committee on Awards chair, Atty. Helen Catalbas, said the event was not only aimed at giving recognition to institutions that “uphold the quality of service in destinations” in the region but also for winners to serve as inspiration for other partners to improve thus enhancing the industry in the region. Continue reading…

Iloilo towns go for hybrid rice

The campaign for hybrid rice in the province of Iloilo is gaining higher grounds as more rice producing municipalities are into hybrid rice production particularly the Pioneer HB varieties augmented by Durabloom organic fertilizer.

This developed as some 170 hectares of rice lands selected as hybrid demo farms in the municipality of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo are being planted to hybrid rice, thereby crushing the notion that hybrid rice is not good for Iloilo farmlands.

The launching of hybrid rice production at Brgy. Bungacl, Barotac Nuevo is supported by Mayor Hernan Biron and Cong. Ferjenel Biron of the fourth district of Iloilo and the Department of Agriculture regional office here. Continue reading…

Western Visayas rural women told to assert rights

More than 100 women in rural areas in Western Visayas participated in the two-day Rural Women Congress by asserting their rights and empowering them as major partners in the development of rural economy.

DA Reg. Exec. Dir. Larry P. Nacionales said the women congress held November 11-12, 2009 is the department’s project in helping women farmers and fisher folks in the region as vital partners in agriculture.

Reg. Dir. David Bermudo of the Commission on Human Rights also exhorted women of their rights and helped them understand the law regarding women and family.

Bermudo stressed that rural women are more prone to abuse and sexual harassment than women in the urban sector. He added that only educated women tend to defend their rights up to the judicial level, whereas rural women are afraid to bring their cases to court. Continue reading…

City included in AIM, WB business study

This southern highly urbanized city in the Visayas is included in the global business study of Doing Business in the Philippines Round 2 conducted by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy Center, World Bank Group, International Finance Corp. in cooperation with the Australian and Canadian governments and the Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth (LINC-EG) project.

This was disclosed by Atty. Ma. Lourdes Sereno, executive director of the AIM Policy Center after conferring with city mayor Jerry P. Treñas on the second study covering 25 cities in the country.

In the Philippine cities, the time motion business survey will cover three areas of indicators and business regulations such as starting a business, dealing with construction permits and registering property. Continue reading…

SWM drive goes to govt offices

Policemen at the Regional Office 6 at Camp Delgado have accepted the challenge to make their police facility as an environment-friendly police camp as well as the first police camp outside Metro Manila to have a Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

SSupt. Marietto Valerio, chief of the PRO6 support service staff, exhorted the policemen to comply with the requirement on solid wastes after more than 50 policemen participated in the information, education and communications campaign spearheaded by solid waste specialist Armando Dayrit upon the direction EMB Reg. Dir. Oscar Cabanayan. Continue reading…

Urban Resources

• Building a Resilient Region
  Collaborative Governance in Cities and Communities of the Western Visayas Stories from 15 Years of Philippines-Canada Cooperation About This Casebook Urban centres in the Asia-Pacific region are rapidly growing. While it took London 130 years to grow from a population of 1 million to 8 million, Bangkok took only 45 years... Download full report: Building a Resilient Region - PDF format (29.5MB) *
• Community-led housing program takes centerstage
  The community-driven housing program spearheaded by non-government organizations emerges as one the best practices in urban poor housing program in this southern city. This consensus was arrived at during the Housing Summit ’09 program held on October 29, 2009 that focused on sharing of best practices on urban poor housing initiatives implemented in Iloilo City. Mary Bernadette Albaña, documentor of the Philippine Action for Community-Led Shelter Initiatives Inc. (PACSII) identified the Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) as an effective partner of the city government here in providing decent housing units to the urban poor and informal settlers who were mostly victims of typhoons and those living in danger zones. (more...) *
• Leadership Series: State of calamity
  State of calamity It’s like clockwork. After a region is hit by a disaster, the immediate response is to put it under a state of calamity to allow local governments to tap five percent of their budget for calamity purposes. This has been the practice for a long time... Download full report: Leadership Series: Building Resilient Communities (Issue No. 12) – PDF format (174 kb) *
• Leadership Series: Building Resilient Communities
  Typhoons are here to stay, and they’re getting stronger and stronger as climate change continues to worsen. Rising earth temperature, according to scientists, results to increased evaporation. This then results to an increase in the volume of rainfall. Global warming, reports Greenpeace, “will also induce higher temperature differences between the land and sea surfaces... Download full report: Leadership Series: Building Resilient Communities (Issue No. 11) - PDF format (189 kb) *
• MIGEDC Focus For Action: Presentation by Dr. Gary Davidson and Beate Bowron
  Presentation by Dr. Gary Davidson and Beate Bowron (Canadian Urban Institute) consultants. CUI Urban and Regional Planning Program Iloilo, September 7 – 16, 2008 Beate Bowron, FCIP, RPP, former Director of Community Planning, City of Toronto Dr. Gary Davidson, FCIP, RPP, former Director of Planning and Development, County of Huron Click link below to download MIGEDC Focus For Action: Presentation by Gary and Beate (PDF) *
• Leadership Series
  Download here UPPP's Leadership Series, a learning tool for policy makers to promote understanding of pressing urban issues and encourage policy actions for urban sustainability. (more...) *
• Bangon Iloilo
  Please visit the Bangon Iloilo website at www.bangoniloilo.com. *
• Read more posts...

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