Samar gov’t turns over 125 safety gears to river guides

PARANAS, Samar, -- The Samar provincial government has turned over 125 safety gears to Tenani Boat Operators for River Protection and Environmental Development Organization, Incorporated (Torpedo, Inc.) on Monday.

The PHP200,000 worth of gears include throw bags, rash guard, personal floatation device, knee and elbow padding, booties, and helmet, which can be used for the boat-riding activity along Ulot River.

“We needed to revitalize the activity because we know that it has so much potential,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Karina Tiopes during the turn over ceremony.
Number of visitors in the river has reached up to 200 during rainy season and 500 tourists during summer days.

“We cannot deny the fact that the eco-tourism is one of the potentials that we have here in Samar,” said Governor Sharee Ann Tan-de los Santos.

Concrete road, trail, and hanging bridge will be constructed in 2016 to make the river more accessible and tourist-friendly.

“We are very thankful for this project because it helped divert our livelihood from transporting illegal logs,” said one of the river guides.

In the past, the Ulot River was the nautical highway for transporting people and illegally cut logs. (PNA)
FFC/RCK/SQM/REDNAXELA MAE ALCOBER

BFAR bans harvesting Cambatutay Bay in Western Samar and other areas

BFAR LOGO

MANILA -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has banned the harvesting, selling and eating of shellfishes collected in Balita Bay in Davao Oriental, Irong-Irong Bay and Cambatutay Bay in Western Samar, and the coastal waters of Dauis in Bohol and in Milagros in Masbate.

According to the latest bulletin from BFAR, shellfishes collected from these areas were still found to be positive of paralytic shellfish poison that is beyond the regulatory limit.

BFAR said all types of shellfish, including "alamang" harvested from the identified areas, are not safe for human consumption.

However, fish, squids and crabs are safe to eat provided they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking, it said.

On the other hand, BFAR said the following areas continue to be free from toxic red tides: coastal waters of Cavite, Las Pinas, Paranaque, Navotas, Bulacan and Bataan (Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Orani, Abucay and Samal) in Manila Bay; coastal waters of Bolinao, Anda, Alaminos, Sual and Wawa, Bani in Pangasinan; Masinloc Bay in Zambales;

Coastal waters of Mandaon in Masbate; Juag Lagoon in Matnog, and Sorsogon Bay in Sorsogon; Honda and Puerto Bays in Puerto Princesa City, and Inner Malampaya Sound in Taytay, Palawan; coastal waters of Pilar, President Roxas, Panay, Roxas City, Ivisan, and Sapian in Capiz; Batan Bay in Aklan; coastal waters of E.B. Magalona, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, Valladolid, Talisay City, Silay City, Bacolod City, Hinigaran, Cadiz City, Victorias City, Bago City, Binalbagan and San Enrique in Negros Occidental;

Coastal waters of Gigantes Islands in Carles, Iloilo; Maqueda Bay, Villareal Bay, and coastal waters of Calbayog City in Western Samar; Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar; Ormoc, San Pedro, Cancabato and Carigara Bays in Leyte; Biliran waters in Biliran Province; Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur; Tantanang Bay in Zamboanga Sibugay; Murcielagos Bay in Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental; Hinatuan, Bislig and Lianga Bays in Surigao del Sur; and Taguines Lagoon in Beboni Mahinog, Camiguin Island. (PNA)
SCS/LGI

DENR reiterates warning vs. catching pawikans after infamous 'selfie' in Samar

From FB account of: Rey Anthony Abarquez Rosalado

PARANAS, Samar -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has reiterated its warning to fishermen not to catch sea turtles following the capture of the reptile last week in Marabut town.

DENR Regional Director Leonardo Sibbaluca issued a directive to field personnel to step up watch in coastal areas to ensure that people do not catch and slaughter endangered species like sea turtles locally known as pawikan.

“It’s good that someone informed our forester who advised locals to release the captured pawikan back to the sea. Fishermen would have slaughtered the reptile if authorities were not informed,” Sibbaluca told reporters on the sidelines of equipment turnover in this town.

On August 5, Jessy Amora, a fisherman of Pinamitinan village in Marabut town caught a leatherback sea turtle. The reptile was released back at sea after 10 hours, according to Sibbaluca.

Shirley Galaza, Marabut town agriculture officer and DENR personnel witnessed the release around 11:00 a.m. on the same day.

According to a spot report submitted by the DENR-Community Environment and Natural Resources Office at nearby Sta. Rita village in Marabut, the turtle known as “pawikan” was caught in a fish net by Amora at 1:30 in the morning one-kilometer offshore of Pinamitinan village.

The leatherback turtle (Dermocheleys Coriacea) categorized an endangered specie measures six feet in length, 34 inches in width of carapace and 18 inches thickness. The weight was unknown.

The photo of the pawikan tied to a bamboo post and showed a man sitting on top of it was posted in Facebook (FB) social media by a certain Jose Lastimado became viral. Netizens and environmentalists reacted furiously including the group, Marine Watch of the Philippines.

DENR Bureau of Management Biodiversity (BMB) Theresa Mundita S. Lim alerted the DENR regional office to take appropriate action.

It is called leatherback turtle because of its leathery and rubbery shell that is a distinct characteristic from the common hard bony turle shells.

The DENR will conduct an investigation through the local chief executive and the Environment Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) lawyers.

Under sections 27 and 28 of Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Act, penalty will be imposed by the DENR to the person who was pictured riding, sitting and tying it in the post.

The DENR has been campaigning for the protection of the environment and deputized Wildlife Environment Officers. It also conducted trainings on Environmental law Enforcement in Coastal and Marine Areas in partnership with Tanggol Kalikasan lawyers Ronely Sheen and Genee Mislang with ELAC lawyer Ronnan Christian Reposar.

The DENR is intensifying efforts for the protection of pawikans under the Pawikan Conservation Project. Mere possession and killing of this species under Wildlife Act is punishable under the law. (PNA)
LAM/SARWELL Q. MENIANO & VICKY C. ARNAIZ

Festival, governor’s report to highlight Samar Day celebration

Samar Governor Sharee Tan (photo from Province
 of Samar -Aksyon Padayon! Facebook Page)

TACLOBAN CITY-- Samar province will celebrate on Tuesday its Samar Day Celebration highlighted by two major events - the Tandaya Festivals of Festivals Grand Showdown competition at the capitol ground in the morning and State of the Provincial Address in the afternoon.

Tandaya Festival of Festivals, formerly dubbed as Samar Day Festivals of Festivals is on its third year this 2015. The provincial government introduced Tandaya to support local tourism.

Tandaya is the ancient name of the province, the term being used by the local government in their tourism promotion under Spark Samar campaign.

Previous winners of the festival competition like the Mayaw-mayaw Festival of Pinabacdao (2014 grand champion) and Carabao Festival of Gandara (2013 grand champion) are expected to join the competition on Tuesday.

In the afternoon, Governor Sharee Ann Tan-de los Santos will deliver her third State of the Provincial Address or the Governor’s Report at the provincial capitol covered court. It will be attended by village officials, mayors and national government agency officials in the province.

Fireworks display and street party in the evening will culminate the Samar Day celebration in Catbalogan City with a simultaneous concert of True Faith band in Calbayog City for the culmination of the celebration.

Samar Day was earlier celebrated every November 10 to commemorate the election of the first officials of the province. During Martial law era, the celebration was moved to August 23.

In the late 1970s, officials change the date to August 11 to honor the day when Queen Isabel of Spain signed the royal decree that established Samar as a separate province from Leyte. (PNA)
CTB/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA/EGR

DepEd Eastern Visayas trains more campus journalism mentors

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 10 (PNA) -- Another 400 campus paper advisers from elementary schools in Eastern Visayas joined the second batch of the four-day regional training of division mentors on school paper advising that concluded Saturday at Leyte National High School gymnasium.

“Your challenge is to be fruitful with this encounter,” said Dr. Alejandrito L. Yman, chief of Curriculum and Learning Management Division, as he hoped that the region will have 10 “winnable” school papers for both elementary and secondary levels in next year’s National Schools Press Conference in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.

With the combined training of more than 400 high school campus paper advisers in the first batch and 400 elementary advisers in the second batch, Yman said he expects 8,000 trained student writers in Eastern Visayas, doubling or tripling the effect from the two trainings.

“Journalism contests have elements to consider unlike ordinary essay writing contest so advisers have to be equipped...This is the forum to unify concepts, ideas, and knowledge with particular journalism field so that writers will now have to compete and are at par with theothers,” added Yman.

Journalistic skills introduced during the training include news writing, copy reading and headline writing, feature writing, science and technology writing, editorial writing, sports writing, photojournalism, editorial cartooning, on-line collaborative publishing, and script and radio broadcasting.

Topics on plagiarism, editorial staff management, lay-outing and new trends in campus journalism were also discussed by different resource speakers from the region who were earlier trained in the national training of trainers on campus journalism in Davao City.

Yman added that after the training, participants will serve as new pool of trainers in their respective division and school level.

Harold Naputo of Tacloban division and an outstanding campus paper adviser in the region, who helped introduced collaborative and online publishing during the training, said that online journalism is “empowering.”

“In online writing, we introduce our school paper advisers twitter, instagram, facebook, you tube and wordpress. These social media platforms are to be learned and ultimately be utilized both for recreation and perfecting the craft in e-journalism,” Naputo said.

“By the end of the training, with advisers empowered, we would have taught our pupils or students an alternative to the use of the social media, more than 'selfies' and 'cyber-liking' which leads to bullying, but on how information and opinion-empowering effect these platforms can make,” he added.

In the recently-held NSPC in Taguig City, the region only bagged 21 major awards in various journalistic competitions, with “The Cradle” publication of Palo National High School in Palo, Leyte as the sole winner in school paper category in science and technology.

However, journalism officials in the region vowed to make a better comeback in next year’s nationwide journalistic competition. (PNA)
FFC/SQM/RONALD O. REYES

Samar province gains from summer tourism campaign

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar -– More than three months after the launch of the campaign “Summer sa Samar,” Gov. Sharee Ann Tan said it helped boost the province’s tourism and was proven to be effective.

Following the launching and endorsement of the campaign now popularly known as the Tandaya Trail, there has been an increase in the income and the number of tourists in Sohoton Cave, one of the destinations promoted under the campaign.

“When there is an increase of income, they become conscious of the trainings and services needed to be improved,” said Tan.
She added that the provincial government will continue supporting them, especially now that they are in need of help in some technical aspects.

Moreover, the governor said that after it was launched, the Ulot River in Paranas, one of the towns in Samar, has bloomed.

“There were two weeks that they didn’t accept guest bookings because they were fully-booked. We hope that this coming Samar Day and Catbalogan fiesta, there will be more tourists and they earn more income,” Tan said.

The campaign, which involves tourism activities such as the Ulot Torpedo Boat Adventure, rolling tours in San Juanico Bridge and Yolanda Memorial Park in Sta. Rita, cultural and religious tours in Basey, trips to Sohoton Natural Bridge National Park, and island-hopping in Marabut, kicked off together with “Spark Samar” last April.

These campaigns are initiatives of the provincial government led by Tan and the Department of Tourism Regional Director Katrina Rosa Tiopes.

“Summer sa Samar” and “Spark Samar” aim to set the province as one of the must-see tourist destinations in the country. (PNA)
SCS/SQM/KIMBERLY MAE I. ORTEGO, LNU-INTERN


Visit the Facebook Page of Spark Samar: www.facebook.com/sparksamar

WATCH VIDEO: Sama Na Samar