METROPOST


OCTOBER 13 - OCTOBER 19, 2019 Guihulngan brgy


between the Department of Information & Com m unic ations Technology and the internet provider in northern Negros Oriental has prompted the former to withdraw from providing free Wi-Fi connection to one of the insurgency-affected areas in Negros Oriental. The announcement came


weeks after the Negros Oriental Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NOTF-ELCAC), through its business partner, the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and DICT- Negros Oriental, had committied to install free Wi-Fi to barangay Trinidad in Guihulngan City. Edward Du, Central


Bacong in airport study


NOCCI aids


The Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry is assisting the local government unit of Bacong in Negros Oriental in determining the property owners who will be affected by the proposed new airport project of the government. On Tuesday, Bacong


local officials led by Mayor Lenin Alviola met with NOCCI executives to begin discussions on the identification and survey of households and land in the barangays where the new airport will be built, said Edward Du, regional governor


Visayas of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Du said the survey is required prior to negotiations with the owners of houses and lands that the government may have to acquire or


TO PAGE 9 for Central A pending court case


confirmed that DICT Provincial Head, Engr. Aurelio Tinapay made the announcement during the meeting of the NOTF- ELCAC last week.


“This will cause quite a stir, and will present a bad image for the government, considering that not only has the DICT signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Province for free Wi-Fi in public schools but this is also one of the services promised under the NOTF-ELCAC,” Du said in a telephone interview Monday.


Visayas regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry,


Du quoted Tinapay as saying that DICT could no longer provide the bandwidth required as the agency has a pending case with the contractor that won the bidding in Vallerhermoso, Negros Oriental.


audiences, and Tinapay had then offered the use of its 34 towers in the Province and provide the bandwidth while NOCCI will provide the technology, Du recalled. On the other hand, the provincial government and/or the NOTF-ELCAC will fund the acquisition of the middle-mile wireless infrastructure, and the local government unit, in this case, Guihulngan City, will spend for the last mile infrastructure to connect the


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Canlaon farmers get free services


Hundreds of residents of barangay Bayog in the mountain city of Canlaon have benefited from various services offered during the Serbisyo Caravan on Wednesday. T he ac ti v ity, spearheaded by the Negros Oriental Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, is the second of its kind this year, as part of the whole-of-nation approach of President Duterte to attain inclusive and sustainable peace. Services offered during the Serbisyo Caravan included dental treatment, distribution of medicines and multi-vitamins, medical consultation, minor operation, haircut and massage, seedlings distribution, flu vaccination for senior citizens, animal vaccine and deworming, and distribution of food packs, among others. Police Chief Master Sgt.Edilberto Euraoba III, information officer of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, said the Dagyawan sa


Barangay: Talakayan para sa Mamayan is an “avenue for productive, valuable, and visible engagement between the government and its citizens at the local and grassroots level.” During the activity in Canlaon, focal persons from national government agencies addressed the inquiries of residents such as Pag-IBIG Fund loans and contributions; SSSonline inquiry and verification; National Bureau of Investigation online registration; DTI skills training; and Land Bank of the Philippines loans to rice farmers. The dialogue/ consultation was also held to identify problems, the root causes and possible solutions and interventions, especially in conflict areas affected by the communist insurgency.


Participating government agencies and offices included the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Visayas-Malasakit Cente r , Department


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NEWS and UPDATES 3 CAMPUS NEWS


free Wi-Fi goes pfft...


for barangay Trinidad would have been sourced from Vallehermoso, the town next to Guihulngan City, he explained.


Following the launching of the NOTF-ELCAC in August, the task force of 12 clusters met to organize and identify their respective s e rvi c e s


ta rget The bandwidth intended


400,000 mangroves planted in Tanjay


A total of 400,000 mangrove trees have been planted around the boardwalk in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental and nearby areas in a span of four years. Head of the ROTC Corps Commanders Association in the Province, Sidney Lee, said on Wednesday they were targeting one million mangroves to be planted within a 10-year period in support of the “10M in 10” project of the Energy Development Corp.


The “10M in 10” for a greener Negros is EDC’s program to plant 10 million trees in 10 years, together with their partners in the government, non- government, and private sectors. Lee said they will resume planting 11,000 mangroves in selected areas in November.


that contributed to the 400,000 planted mangroves as part of their commitment to achieve a greener Negros were the Friends of Earth headed by Laarni Lee, with 60,000 mangroves planted; the 79th Masaligan Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army with 10,000 mangroves planted during their stint in the Province; Mangroves Seagrasses Vital Synergy, 80,000 mangroves; Cartronix Logistics & Transport Corp. through Edward Du, 40,000 mangroves planted; Negros Oriental ROTC Association of Corps Commanders through retired Col. Alfred Guath, 60,000 mangroves; corporate volunteer New Bian Yek Commercial Inc. and group of companies headed by Danford Sy, 30,000 mangroves; Tanjay City, headed by former mayor Lawrence Teves, and incumbent Mayor Rey Concepcion, 110,000 mangroves planted; and Salvador del Mundo, 10,000 mangroves planted. These organizations form part of the so-called Allied Mangrove Planting Organizations that target the vast mudflats of barangay San Isidro in Tanjay City.


TO PAGE 9 Among the organizations


SU to present findings on Ocoy River flooding


presents its research findings and key recommendations to the local government units of Dumaguete, Sibulan, and Valencia on Oct. 14 at the Silliman Assembly Hall. The project, supported by the Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation & Disaster Risk-Management Foundation Inc., involved researchers from multiple fields with the ultimate goal of making households and businesses along the Ocoy River more resilient to floods. Ocoy River, which passes through Valencia, Dumaguete,


and Sibulan, has a history of catastrophic floods that have wreaked havoc on homes, businesses, and farms, and resulted in deaths, injuries, and loss of property and livelihood. Despite the dangers, people continue to build homes along the riverbanks.


After a year and a half of research, Silliman University


destructive typhoons and the frequency of heavy downpours, which for the communities along Ocoy River would mean more exposure to dangerous floods,” explained project leader Dr. Jorge Emmanuel of the SU Institute of Environmental & Marine Sciences. To address this problem, the project pulled together multiple disciplines—sociology/anthropology, chemistry/ biology, geophysical science/engineering, and computer studies.


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Kabankalan youth win ‘Battle of the Brains’


sets, engrossed in online games or fiddling with their electronic gadgets, 18-year-old Jandale Samillano sacrificed being away from home for several weeks to prepare for the grand finals of Negros Island’s premiere quiz bee on renewable energy, the environment, and climate change.


high school students of the Southland College Kabankalan in Negros Occidental, spent two months and a half studying for the championship of the Battle of the Brains quiz bee, a project


TO PAGE 7 Samillano, together with Paul Peralta, 18, both senior While most teenagers today are glued to their television


“Climate change will increase the likelihood of


QUIZ BEE WINNERS. Jandale Samillano and Paul Peralta of Southland College Kabankalan are the grand champions of the Battle of the Brains regional quiz bee contest. The BOTB, now in its fourth year, is the premier science-based contest on Negros Island to promote renewable energy and fight climate change. (Photo by Judy Partlow)


National writers’ workshop slated


The renowned Silliman National Writers’ Workshop is now accepting applications for its 59th workshop to be held at the SU Rose Lamb Sobrepeña Writers Village in Valencia and at the university campus.


The workshop is offering 10 fellowships for writers in the Philippines and those chosen will be provided housing, a modest stipend, and a subsidy to partially defray the costs of their transportation, a media release from the organizers said Monday.


Applicants are asked to submit their manuscripts on or before Dec. 6 to be considered for the workshop, as there shall be no deadline extension. All manuscripts should comply with the instructions, otherwise will be automatically eliminated as entries. For Fiction and Creative Nonfiction fellowships, applicants should submit three to four entries; for Poetry fellowships, a suite of seven to 10 poems; for Drama fellowships, at least one One-Act Play. Aside from the categories that should be written in


English, the workshop will also be accepting manuscripts for Balak (poetry) and Sugilanon (short story) both in Binisaya or Cebuano dialect. For additional information, inquiries and requests for forms, interested applicants are to email the organizers at nww@su.edu.ph or call 035-422-6002 local 350. Applications or requests for information are to be sent


Bikers from Team Tindak led by Arch. Bobby Duray have a group photo fronting the home of regular Valencia fiesta hosts Deling and Saning Villegas after Saturday’s breakfast treat. (Photo by Melissa Pal)


to the SU Department of English & Literature, through Dr. Warlito Caturay Jr., workshop coordinator, at Katipunan Hall, Silliman University, 6200, Dumaguete City. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)


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