Agusan del Sur, Philippines

BUTUAN CITY –  The no non-sense drive against illegal logging operation continued “hitting the nail” to timber smuggling syndicates as the anti-illegal logging task force of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) seized at least 5,152 illegally-cut dipterocarp and miscellaneous species of logs in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur and Magallanes, Agusan del Norte on Wednesday.

Agusan del Sur Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Sixto C. Badua, said the apprehended 4,297 pieces of illegal logs are now stocked along Agusan river near Batohon Checkpoint (Esperanza town) and are slated to be transferred for safekeeping at designated depository areas in this region’s capital city.

To give more teeth to the all-out forest protection drive in that timber province, PENR Officer Badua, also dismantled all mushrooming checkpoints established along the Maharlika National highway in the province.

Journal Online

by Dave M. Suyao

Manila (8 May) — Filipinos now reached 88,574,616 as result of the latest census of population conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and made official with the signing of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Proclamation No. 1489 on April 16 this month.

The same census placed Agusan del Sur population at 609,447 persons as of August 1, 2007 where Bayugan City marks as the most populous having 95,032 count followed by Prosperidad with 75,390 and San Francisco with 62,881 counts.

Esperanza town ranks 4th with 47,659 counts, followed by Trento with 46,247, Veruela with 36,862, Bunawan with 35,757, Loreto with 34,549, Talacogon with 33,093, Rosario with 31,293 and San Luis with 30,424 counts.

Ranks 12th is Sibagat with 30,074 counts, followed by Lapaz with 25,214 and Sta. Josefa with 24,972 counts.

In 2000 census of population and housing, Philippines has 76.50 million counts while it recorded 68.62 million in 1995 Mid-decade census.

Some 40,000 were deployed by the NSO during the nationwide census last year. The population counts proclaimed by the President as official for all purposes were based on census questionnaires from the different barangays all over the country. These questionnaires were processed in Regional Data Processing Centers adopting a new technology which involved digital imaging and intelligent character recognition. The census was conducted pursuant to Batas Pambansa Blg. 72 and Commonwealth Act 591.

According to NSO, the projected average annual population growth rate for the period 2005 to 2010 was 1.95 percent. This projection was based on the 2000 Census of Population and Housing. (PIA Agusan del Sur)

IRKED by the persistent lack of quorum during plenary debates, a senior member of the House of Representatives said lawmakers should be locked in to prevent them from leaving.

Camiguin Rep. Pedro Romualdo made the proposal after the chamber failed to pass important measures due to lack of quorum.

Some solons leave the session hall after roll call for snacks at the South Lounge and then do not go back to join plenary debates.

“We close the door after roll call, lock it, so nobody will get out,” Romualdo said.

On Tuesday, congressmen failed to pass House Bill 3971 which grants higher exemptions to taxpayers.

“Had there been a quorum, the bill would have been approved,” Romualdo said.

Quorum problem also hounded former Speaker Jose de Venecia.

Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza however said locking the session hall is not the solution. By: Jester P. Manalastas

Journal Online

By Chris V. Panganiban
Mindanao Bureau

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur, Philippines — The National Food Authority (NFA) said there is sufficient supply of rice in the Caraga Region, but a rice trader who is the outgoing chair of consumers’ group here raised doubts if the government has enough funds to buy the produce of farmers during this harvest season.

Edilberto Bernal, outgoing chair of Bantay Konsumo sa Agusan del Sur and owner of Alfa Rice Mill, said there is indeed a bumper harvest among farmers in this cropping season that already adds up the rice surplus in the province, but he expressed apprehension if the NFA has money to buy their produce to protect it from “strikers” coming from Davao and Cotabato.

Bernal agreed with the observations by other Konsumo members during their recent meeting that the government does not have enough fund allocations to prevent hoarding from unscrupulous rice traders whom he believes were responsible to the prevailing rice crisis in the country.

INQUIRER.net