Vol. XIX No. 960 • Dumaguete City, Philippines • Nov. 4 - Nov. 10, 2018 • P15.00


LGUs urged: Avoid plastic


The Regional Development Council 7 has enjoined all the local government units in Central Visayas to pass ordinances that could significantly minimize and reduce dependence on single-use of plastic. RDC members pointed out that the Philippines was named as the world’s third largest source of plastic leaking into the ocean, despite the fact that it has the highest trash collection rates in Southeast Asia.


The Environment Committee of RDC presented that plastic pollution threatens human health and impacts on to the environment.


The Environmental Management Bureau recognized that the very high dependency on single-use plastics is one of the major reasons for the worsening plastic pollution problem in the country. Long before RDC7’s directive,


Dumaguete had passed and approved Ordinance No. 231 on Aug. 10, 2011 to regulate the offering and selling of plastic bags and Styrofoam packaging by establishments and vendors. The same Ordinance supports the use of reusable alternatives. However, the implementation of the Ordinance was discontinued several years ago after the enforcers were pulled out from the market area. Dumaguete has since


Aside from candle-makers, florists at the public market also report brisk sales during the commemoration of All Saints’ Day. (Photo by Melissa Pal)


strengthened its “No Plastic” policy in the public market, and has urged private businesses to abide by the Ordinance. Households and schools


have also been enjoined to adopt policies against plastic use in their respective homes and campuses to complement


TO PAGE 12


Classroom shortage in NegOr revealed


A backlog in the construction of some P1 billion worth of classrooms in public elementary and high schools in Negros Oriental in the last four years has been blamed for the congestion of classrooms in the Province.


The Municipality of Sibulan celebrates Farmers’ Day by distributing farm implements to farmers, in this program attended by barangay officials and Cong. Manuel “Chiquiting’ Sagarbarria. (Photo by Elvira Alagao)


EDITORIAL / ADVERTISING


Reports delivered during a recent meeting of the Regional Development Council in Dumaguete revealed that a total of 2766 classrooms have yet to be constructed in the provinces of Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor, which is part of the P179 billion infrastructure budget of the Department of Education in the last three years.


Across the country, there is a backlog of around 80,000 school classrooms, according to Everlyn Castro, RDC7 chair of the committee on social development. The DepEd officials who attended the RDC meeting said their agency is helpless in addressing the backlog because of a provision in the 2018 General Appropriations Act that specifies that funds for the construction of school buildings shall be released directly by the Department of Budget & Management and administered by the Department of Public Works & Highways.


For its part, the DPWH said it implements school building projects on a yearly basis. Because of the circuitous process, the RDC 7 passed a resolution requesting the DepEd Central Office to consider alternative modes to fasttrack the implementation of its school building program. Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo had suggested if local government units could handle the implementation of the school building project. For his part, DPWH 7 Director Edgar Tabacon said he will meet all district engineers and schools division superintendents in the Region to determine the total number of classrooms they have yet to construct. (jct/PIA7-NegOr)


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