Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federations of the Philippines (UNIFED), stated that around 100,000 hectares of sugarcane fields have dried up in Negros alone due to the dry weather conditions caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

Edna Sobrecaray, Southern Negros coordinator of Task Force Mapalad (TFM), called on the government on Tuesday, March 12, to act swiftly because sugarcane fields in Negros have started to dry up.

TFM is one of the largest groups of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) in the country, claiming to have more than 4,000 ARB-member beneficiaries in Southern Negros alone.

The group’s national coordinator, lawyer Armando Jarilla, highlighted that farmers were rapidly losing money and barely had enough to pay for their loans due to the El Niño weather conditions.

“I hope that the government will hear our collective plea amid the dry spell,” said Sobrecaray.

Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Pablo Azcona, in a news conference on Tuesday, announced that the agency had already allocated P66 million for mitigating measures for the sugar industry of Negros.

Maria Lourdes Almodiente, chief agriculturist for the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), declined to comment on Lamata’s claim regarding the damage caused by the El Niño to Negros’ sugar industry.

“We are still in the process of assessing the damage, and hopefully, we can release our consolidated report soon,” Almodiente said.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson reiterated his call for the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region VI to commence cloud-seeding operations to mitigate the adverse impact of the dry spell, especially in southern Negros.

Lacson said the prolonged dry spell in Region VI had continued to wreak havoc, damaging 1,646 hectares of rice and corn plantations in 11 towns and cities in the southern part of the province.

As of the latest count, he said, at least 1,963 farmers were adversely affected, with their collective crop losses estimated at P77.7 million.

The worst-hit areas are the cities of Kabankalan, Himamaylan, and Sipalay, and the towns of Cauayan, Ilog, Hinoba-an, Valladolid, Hinigaran, Binalbagan, Moises Padilla, and Isabela.

Topping the list is Kabankalan with an estimated P41.7 million in crop damage across 13 barangays covering 978.98 hectares and affecting 1,214 farmers.

Following Kabankalan are the two nearby localities of Cauayan and Ilog with P14 million and P7.4 million in crop damage, respectively.

Water scarcity

In Himamaylan, six villages are now experiencing water scarcity, according to the Himamaylan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (HCDRRMO). These barangays include Cabadiangan, Nabali-an, Carabalan, Su-ay, To-oy, and Buenavista.

Himamaylan Mayor Raymund Tongson stated on Thursday, March 7, that they recorded 18,507 families, comprising 30,825 individuals, suffering from severe water scarcity.

In Bacolod City, water rationing, which started in February, continued in urban barangays.

Two zones in Ellorico, Barangay Mandalagan, are among the listed worst-affected areas of water scarcity in Bacolod.

Meanwhile, Bago, the top rice-producing city in Negros Occidental, remained unfazed by the dry weather conditions.

Engineer Isaias Melendez, division manager of the Negros Occidental Irrigation Management Office (NOIMO), said the Bago River Irrigation System (BRIS) still has enough water supply to irrigate rice fields in Bago and the rice-producing towns of Valladolid, Pulupandan, Murcia, and San Enrique, and La Carlota City.

Bago Mayor Nicholas Yulo said the city government was ahead of the curve because they had implemented viable and sustainable rice farming measures as early as 2023.

In Moises Padilla town, Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo said they had made an emergency purchase of equipment needed to immediately irrigate rice farms in their area.

Lacson said the provincial government would provide financial assistance to the affected rice and corn farmers in Negros Occidental. – Rappler.com

“In the case of the Captain’s Peak Resort, the DENR issued a temporary closure order last September 6, 2023, and a Notice of Violation to the project proponent last January 22, 2024 for operating without an ECC (environmental compliance certificate),” the agency disclosed in a statement on Wednesday, March 13.

The DENR added that as of Wednesday, its local officials have been instructed to check whether the resort was compliant with the closure order.

Speaking with Rappler, Captain’s Peak Resort administrator Julieta Sablas confirmed that their business establishment had received the closure order but that they were appealing the decision.

She also admitted that they are still in the process of obtaining an environmental compliance certificate.

Protected zone

As pointed out by the DENR, the Chocolate Hills were declared a protected area in 1997 by the administration of the late president Fidel V. Ramos.

“The declaration of the area as a protected area may impose certain restrictions or regulations on land use and development within the protected area, even for privately-owned lands,” its statement read.

The agency explained that such restrictions shall be detailed in the environmental impact statement prior to the issuance of an ECC, which the resort did not have.

Sablas said the property is located in Sagbayan town. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) website, the municipality is among the locations of the Chocolate Hills.

Sablas said her brother, Edgar Button, bought the property – around 5 hectares of land – in 2005 before starting development around 2018. About 2 hectares of the lot were made into a resort with a swimming pool and cottages. 

“Wala gyud mi nanghibalot sa Chocolate hills. Naa mi sukod sa patag nga naa sa regulation (We did not touch the Chocolate Hills. We have a measurement of the plane that is within regulation),” Sablas said. 

“Kung imung ianhi sa personal, kung naay muingon nga gihilabtan, dili gyud namo buhaton kay mahal pud namo ang Chocolate Hills (If you came here personally, if there are those that say we are defacing it, we can honestly say that we did not because we love the Chocolate Hills),” Sablas said. 

Outrage online

The story of the resort went viral after netizens shared content creator Ren The Adventurer’s social media post which showed an aerial view video of the property.

Gerard Jamora, a resident of Bohol, said in a social media post, “Giguba raman ninyo nang Chocolate Hills (You’re just destroying the Chocolate Hills).”

Another netizen from Cebu, Jerome Chavez, said that the resort was an “eyesore” and tagged the Department of Tourism on the viral video.

Their concerns have already reached the legislative branch.

Senator Nancy Binay called out the resort and the government agencies that allowed its development in the protected zone.

She said that the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) approved the proposal for the development and issued a resolution that endorsed its construction within the Chocolate Hills protected zone in the past two years.

“We want the DENR, PAMB, Bohol Environment Management Office, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, and the local government units to explain as to why even with Chocolate Hills’ protected status, construction permits continue to be granted,” Binay added. – Rappler.com

Wenilyn Sabalo is a community journalist currently affiliated with SunStar Cebu and is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2023-2024.

With 22 affirmative votes, and no objections or abstentions, the approved Senate Bill No. 2507 will be transmitted to Malacañang for signing by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“This is what we have been waiting for. This is what we asked from the sitting president during the 2022 campaign period. This is the fulfillment of everyone’s dream here in Negros – to be united and not separated by seas anymore,” said Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer.

Aside from Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, the NIR will also include the island province of Siquijor.

The Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) and Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) hailed the passage of the NIR bill as a positive development for the twin Negros provinces and cities, as well as for Siquijor.

Frank Carbon, chief executive officer of the MBCCI, said the NIR would greatly benefit the areas in terms of electric power supply and peace and order.

With the NIR, Carbon said many roads linking Negros Occidental and Oriental would soon be paved.

That, he said, would mean a significant improvement in the peace and order situation in Negros as the NIR would create a good business climate.

Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, chair of the Senate’s committee on local government who sponsored the measure, said the idea to create NIR was conceived 30 years ago.

Ejercito said he is a Negrense at heart because his mother, former San Juan City Mayor Guia Gomez, is from Silay City, Negros Occidental.

“A promise fulfilled,” said Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri. Although his family settled in Bukidnon in Northern Mindanao, Zubiri said he also considers himself to be a Negrense because Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, is his birthplace.

Zubiri said the measure means that whenever Negrenses need to follow up their documentation in the regional offices, it will only be on the island of Negros.

Bacolod City Representative Greg Gasataya said the Senate approval of the measure would be a “game changer” for people in Negros, including his city, as it would pave the way for easy access to public services.

Gasataya also said he was optimistic that the NIR would significantly improve the quality of life because of the consolidation of government resources and policies to address regional challenges and promote economic growth.

Initially, the NIR was created through Executive Order No. 183-2015 issued by the late president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino.

Regional offices were set up in Bacolod City and Dumaguete City in just a span of two years as a result of that.

But citing funding constraints for the new regional offices and manpower, former president Rodrigo Duterte threw out Aquino’s two-year-old order through EO No. 83-2017. But talk that circulated in Negros at that time suggested that Duterte did so because he lost in Negros Occidental during the 2016 presidential elections.

Months after the 2022 elections, several lawmakers in the House of Representatives and Senate filed bills for the revival of the NIR.

In the Lower House, consolidated bills were pushed by representatives from Negros Occidental: Juliet Marie Ferrer, Alfredo Marañon III, Gerardo Valmayor Jr., Jose Francisco Benitez, Bernadino Yulo, and Mercedez Alvarez-Lansang, Jocelyn Limckaichong of the 1st District of Negros Oriental, and Bacolod’s Gasataya. Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano of Abang Lingkod Partylist also helped push the measure.

In the Senate, the measure received support from Ejercito, Zubiri, and senators Win Gatchalian, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., and Lito Lapid, whose bills were consolidated. – Rappler.com

She is the second woman president of VSU after Dr. Paciencia P. Milan, who served from 1999 to 2007.

Yepes, a VSU alumna, graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, major in Plant Protection (specializing in Entomology) in 1990 from the then-Visayas State College of Agriculture (ViSCA), now VSU.

She got her master’s and doctorate degrees in Science Education at Cebu Normal University (CNU), with her dissertation recognized as the Best Dissertation in 2009 by both CNU and the Philippine Association of Graduate Education (PAGE) in Region 7.

Prior to her application for the VSU presidency, she served as vice president for research, development, and extension from 2013 to 2014. She was elected the 3rd president of Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) in Sogod, Southern Leyte for two consecutive terms from 2014 to 2022.

Her achievements as SLSU’s president include elevating the university’s SUC [State Universities and Colleges] level status from Level 2 to Level 3, obtaining Commission on Higher Education (CHED) accreditations for their secondary and elementary education programs, establishing Research and Extension Centers, and enhancing various facilities.

She has also been recognized as an educator, researcher, and administrator. She is a recipient of the following awards or recognitions, to name a few: Administrator’s Honorific Award (2022) and the Gandilan Award (2022), Outstanding Southern Leyteño (2017), Most Inspiring Teachers (2022), and Garbo sa CNU Award (2017), to name a few.

Vision for VSU

Now poised to become the 7th president of VSU a few weeks before it marks its 100th anniversary, Yepes aims to further the university’s achievements, including attaining Green University status, expanding inclusive educational programs, strengthening the institution’s research and extension arm, and renovating key facilities. She envisions VSU as one of the top universities in Asia by 2027.

Yepes further pledged that the incoming administration will address the needs of its constituents and initiate inventories as a key component of its initial administrative strategies.

She also has her eyes on continuing to establish VSU as a globally-recognized university within the first four years of her term.

“If we fail to plan, then we plan to fail, so the first thing that management will do is to do scenario-based strategic planning using futures thinking lens that will involve all stakeholders’ representatives, and from that session, all aspects like academic program, so that we can sustain academic excellence,” she said.

Yepes also echoed her commitment to addressing student concerns, promising to be a “listening president” who prioritizes student voices.

“Together with the VSU team, we will create or establish well-organized student programs and initiatives wherein we can have an avenue to listen to your concerns and interest,” she said.

Yepes is set to formally take her oath as the new VSU president, succeeding Dr. Edgardo Tulin who held the position for eight years. – Rappler.com

Jerry Yubal Jr. is a campus journalist from the Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay City Main Campus. The executive editor of Amaranth, he is also an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2023-2024.

Residents alleged that this is due to wastewater released by the Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company (BISCOM), which categorically denied the claim.

Lola Cory (not her real name), 86, told Rappler on Saturday, March 9, that the river’s murky color and bad odor initially surfaced in December 2023, but at that time, the stench faded away days after.

It is not a surprise for the community to experience this, especially when the milling season starts. But the current stench had been described as “worse than ever,” she said. 

“Indi kami ka ginhawa sang baho. Bisan magface mask ka, ga sungaw gyapon kay ang baho, indi ma agwanta. Kun mag labay ka sa taytay, ga panabon ka sang tualya, indi ka kaginhawa kag makita mo nga ga bukal gid ang tubig nga ka itom,” Cory told Rappler. 

(The stench is making it hard for us to breathe. Even if we wear a face mask, the smell seeps in. We try to cover our noses with a towel when we cross the bridge, but the stench is too strong and you can see the murky water bubbling in the river.)

Cory said the odor becomes especially unbearable during daytime as high tide approaches, and sometimes at night.

A mother in her early 40s, who has three asthmatic children, said they experience difficulty breathing and stomach aches when the foul smell pops up.

“Kalabanan diri sa amon sa pag start sang galing, ga sakit ang ila tiyan pati iya sang mga kabataan,” she said. 

(Most of us here, after the start of the milling season, suffered from stomach aches, including the children.)

BISCOM responds

BISCOM is a sugar mill district for the towns of Binalbagan, Hinigaran, Moises Padilla, and Isabela; and the city of Himamaylan, which processes a total sugarcane area of 28,725 hectares. It is owned by a singer and businessman Jose Mari Chan. 

In a statement sent to Rappler, BISCOM refuted allegations that the company is responsible for the murky and foul-smelling water of the Binalbagan River.

“BISCOM is fully compliant with all the permits required by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and other government agencies before the start of our operation and assure the public that our company is discharging zero waste to the water,” the company said.

“We also have a functional water treatment facility. And as a company that supports efforts to preserve the environment, we can’t break any environmental laws or regulations, especially if it poses a negative impact on the lives of residents living close to our milling company,” BISCOM added.

The company said that there may be other factors that need to be considered in relation to the river’s current condition, including the existence of chicken farms close to the river, and the scarcity of water from the town’s upland villages and neighboring towns.

Next steps

Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer Kenny Zamora told Rappler that one factor contributing to the worsening of the foul odor is the drought or lack of rain, which prevents a fresh current of water from the upstream areas to the river and into the ocean.

Zamora said that they will convene with different agencies of the town to discuss the complaints and for them to draft steps on how to prevent such case again in the future, especially as it has affected three additional villages: barangays Canmuros, San Juan, and Progreso.

Canmuros is one of the coastal villages of Binalbagan town and is the home to the Mangrove Eco Park and Wild Life Sanctuary, which covers a 200-hectare land area for the conservation and protection of the town’s floral and fauna.

On residents’ claim that they had documented instances of fish kill every year, Zamora said, “Regarding the claims made by the residents regarding fish kills, we are unable to verify them because the fishermen did not file official complaints with our office, which would have allowed us to look into the circumstances surrounding the purported fish kills in the area.”

Zamora said that that the alleged waste pollution in the river, if confirmed, “threatens the biodiversity in our coastal area, which could lead to a decline in fisheries catch and negatively impact residents who depend on fishing for a living” and would also affect the marine protected area.

He said that the Department of Natural Resources and Environment-City Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-CENRO) in Kabankalan is the one responsible for water sample analysis. “We are requesting the results of the water tests conducted last year,” he said.

“As to our next steps, we will take action by convening with the sugar company regarding the reports, including what specific chemicals are included in their waste allegedly released into the river, and assess its impact on the health of the residents together with our MHO as well as its impact to the marine animals,” Zamora added.

He also reiterated that before concluding that BISCOM is at fault, MENRO will first ask the CENRO for the results of the water evaluation. They are also going to identify the specific chemicals present in the water that cause an stinky odor and endanger marine life.

“Upon receiving the data, we will look into the results and from there, we will check if it was really the company that is liable to what happened to our river,” Zamora said. 

Youth advocate and DENR’s Tayo ang Kalikasan (TAK) Environment ambassador Aldin Yanos expressed concern over the development, noting the threat not only to the health of the residents living close to the river but also the health of the biodiversity in the sanctuary. 

“As climate change worsens, big businesses that recklessly endanger the environment should be held responsible, and appropriate measures should be implemented by various government agencies to control water pollution, which in turn would later lead to the loss of the biodiversity in the affected communities,” he told Rappler. – Rappler.com

While Aklan may not be hailed as the Seafood Capital of the Philippines, the oyster industry in this town is nothing short of remarkable. Even Roxas City, famed for its seafood, relies on Aklan for its oyster supply because of their briny and sweet flavor.

Bert Macahilig, 24, a Talaba farmer, told Rappler what sets Aklan’s oyster apart is its export-quality oyster. 

“Ro taeaba riya sa New Washington hay kilaea gid dahil mabahoe, matam-is, ag malimpyo. Kung man-o kabahoe ro shell, makaron man ro sueod nga meat. Ag mahaba ro life span, tatlo hasta ap-at nga adlaw, kapin kung properly stored. Pag-abot sa Manila, eab-as gihapon,” he said.

(Oysters from New Washington are renowned for their size, sweetness, and cleanliness. Their meat is almost as big as their shell. With proper storage, their freshness can be maintained for three to four days, ensuring that when they arrive in Manila, they are still as fresh as when they were harvested.)

Asked about the difference in other provinces, Macahilig said it’s because of their brackish clean water.

He said,  “Uwa-uwa gid ro taeaba it Roxas, bisan sanda ro Seafood Capital. Iya sanda gabuoe sa New Washington gihapon, dahil ro among tubi riya, malimpyo. Bukon it polluted.”

(Oysters in Roxas have no match in Aklan, even though they are the Seafood Capital. They still source their oysters here in New Washington because our water is not polluted.)

Start-up

As a neophyte trader, Macahilig said he was merely observing the challenges of buying and selling fresh oysters until he finally took the leap of growing and harvesting them himself.

“Second year ako as an entrepreneurship student kato. Kita ko gid ro kalisod ni mama, ag si papa ron hay construction. Indi gid mag-igo para kamon. Nakabaton ako it P4,000 nga scholarship halin sa province, kag ang ginpuhunan ko sa negosyo,” he said. 

(As a second-year entrepreneurship student at the time, I observed the hardships of my mother and witnessed my father’s challenges in construction work. It couldn’t make ends meet. So when I received a P4,000 scholarship from the province, I made the decision to invest the entire amount as capital into my business venture.)

At that time, he said he was happy to put it all into an oyster farm as an investment.

With his own startup trade business, Macahilig helped meet the needs of his family. His income mostly comes from the sale of his harvests.

As a start-up business owner, Macahilig had to learn the ropes of his oyster farm first.

He said, “Pagkahalin ko sa eskwelahan, mauuli ako sa bahay ng alas-6. Agad akong pupunta sa suba, doon hahanap ako ng bangka. Kahit malayo mula sa bahay, sinusugod ko pa rin. Minsan, hanggang alas-9 ng gabi pa ako nag-aani. Kinabukasan, idedeliver ko agad. Nakakapagod, pero sulit.”

(When I get home from school, I’ll be back by 6 pm. I’ll immediately head to the river to look for a boat. Even if it’s far from home, I still go. Sometimes, I harvest until 9 om. The next morning, I’ll deliver them immediately. It’s tiring, but worth it.)

Like any other commerce, oyster traders like Macahilig are also not immune to setbacks. In his case, it comes in the marketing of their naturally occurring seafood.

He said, “Mahirap dahil ang kontrol sa presyo ay nasa mga mamimili mula sa Maynila. Lalo na ang mga middlemen, sobrang tawad at abuso dahil ang ibang magsasaka ay walang sapat na edukasyon. Binibili nila ang mga talaba sa mababang presyo at ipinagbibili sa mga hotel nila ng P50 hanggang P60 bawat piraso. Ang iniisip ng mga magsasaka ay ang pambili ng pagkain at pamasahe ng kanilang mga anak papunta sa eskwelahan.”

(It’s difficult because the control of the price lies with the buyers from Manila. Especially the middlemen, they haggle severely and take advantage because some farmers are uneducated. They buy oysters at low prices and sell them to their hotels for P50 to P60 each. What the farmers think about is buying food and paying for their children’s transportation to school.)

Growing and harvesting oysters have become a way of life for many farmers in New Washington. The farmers plant their oysters for two months in their nursery and transplant them to their growing farm. They will then harvest and sell them after seven months.

“Mahaba ang proseso, pero sulit naman. Nakabili ako ng sarili naming bangka. Nabayaran ko na ang buwis sa aming bahay. Nakakuha pa kami ng dagdag na sakahan sa ilog. At ngayon, nagdagdag ako ng bangus sa negosyo,” he said.

(The process is long, but it’s worth it. I bought our own boat. We’ve paid for the taxes on our house. We acquired additional farmland by the river. And now, I’ve added milkfish to the business.)

Right now, Macahilig is supplying oysters in the local markets. He is also transporting Aklan’s oysters weekly to five restaurants and hotels in Metro Manila with a profit of P20 per kilogram. He also led farmers in their town to export 2,000 kilograms of oysters to Taiwan recently.

Life and livelihood

Macahilig’s 55-year-old father Roberto has been an oyster farmer for more than half of his life. He said that their harvest is better in rainy seasons.

“Mas maeamig, mas mabahoe, manami, ag quality ro taeaba riya. Kung mainit abi hay gataas ro salinity it tubi, kaisot rayon ro taeaba ag mabuhay mag-abo,” said Roberto, a father of five. 

(In colder seasons, oysters tend to be larger and possess better quality taste. In hotter weather, the salinity of the water increases, leading to stunted growth and slower reproduction of oysters.)

Roberto shared with Rappler that thefts also occur in the rivers. 

He said, “Natatakawan man kami riya. Pagkatapos namon itanom it 7 buean, kung inug harvest eon, uwa eot-ah it sueod ro among mga kariton. Ubos gid ah nanda it buoe, lugi kami nga mayad.”

(We also experience theft of our oysters. After planting them for seven months, when it’s time to harvest, there’s nothing left to gather. The thieves even took our tires. It was a significant loss for us.)

Through oyster farming, Roberto and his wife managed to see three of their children earn their degrees.

“Hara eon amo nga pangabuhian halin sa umpisa. Suwerte kami kay malimpyo ro among suba kag bantog ro among taeaba sa ibang lugar. Responsable man ro mga tawo riya kaya wala gid nasasamad ro kalidad it among taeaba. Kag masuwerte ako kay bisan may mga propesyonal na sanda, nagabalik gihapon sila sa lugar nga halin kami. Palangga nila ro mga taeaba namon, pareho man sa mga kabataan it ibang mga mag-uuma it taeaba sa amon lugar,” he said.

(This has been our livelihood from the beginning. We consider ourselves fortunate because our river remains clean, and our oysters are well-known in other areas. The people in our community are also responsible, which ensures the quality of our oysters. And I feel blessed because even though they are professionals now, they still come back to our hometown. They love our oysters, just like the children of other oyster farmers in our area.) – Rappler.com

Jed Nykolle Harme is an associate editor at Eamigas Publication, and is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow for 2023-2024.

In a press conference Monday, the mayor said in a mix of English and Hiligaynon: “Residential houses that are solar-powered, equivalent to (twenty) percent of their monthly consumption, as certified by MORE (Power), can get an additional discount of twenty percent off their (real property tax). ”

Treñas emphasized that only households, and not commercial buildings, can avail of the tax incentives. According to the mayor, commercial establishments need to use renewable energy sources more than residential units due to their large energy consumption.

The city government program is actually just implementing an ordinance passed over a decade ago.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod passed Iloilo City Regulation Ordinance No. 2009-358 in November 2009.

Titled “An Ordinance Encouraging All Household Entities to Utilize Natural Energy from Renewable Resources,” it provided tax incentives to households which will switch to using “equipment that harnesses biomass, geothermal, hydropower sources, or utilize solar, wind, ocean, or hybrid energy systems.”

However, because of the absence of implementing rules and regulations (IRR), the city council suspended the implementation of the ordinance and the tax incentives in February 2023.

NGCP not culprit in Panay, Negros Occidental blackout – Bacolod chamber 

On May 19, 2023, Treñas signed Executive Order No. 63, which finally approved the ordinance’s IRR and enabled its implementation.

Iloilo has long been installing solar panels in public buildings and schools. More residents are also applying to get tax incentives.

Since January, parts of Western Visayas has experienced a series of power outages which Treñas said has affected the livelihood and welfare of residents in the region. The the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), in a statement, said that the most recent blackout on March 1 was caused by a tripping of Panay’s major power plants.

Of national urgency

On Thursday, March 7, local officials and representatives from power companies in the Panay and Guimaras islands met with the Department of Energy, Energy Regulatory Commission, and NGCP to address concerns over the recent power outages in Western Visayas.

During the meeting, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. told leaders and stakeholders that the issue was “a matter of national urgency.” 

“We are very concerned because electric power is really one of the fundamentals that government should deliver to our constituents,” the governor said.

Treñas shared on Monday morning that the NGCP has promised to finish upgrades to the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid before the end of March. 

“MORE (Power) and (Global Business Power) are in talks for a diesel power plant and they’re asking for exemptions from the DOE and ERC because usually the requirement is competitive bidding…We talked to have it in the island,” Treñas said.

The city mayor hopes that the plant would help provide ample supply to support areas in Iloilo whenever there are power outages. – Rappler.com

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (PAGASA) has issued warnings indicating a heat index or feels-like temperatures of 41 degrees Celsius on Monday to 40 degrees on Tuesday in some areas in Western Visayas.

The city governments of Bacolod, Talisay, Kabankalan, and Silay, as well as the town governments of EB Magalona and Murcia, have separately announced the two-day class suspensions effective Sunday, March 10.

Mayors Joedith Gallego of Silay, Neil Lizares of Talisay, and Marvin Malacon of EB Magalona emphasized the paramount importance of safeguarding the health of school children.

In Bacolod City, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez declared that tertiary level classes would be left to the discretion of the city’s colleges and universities.

Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod (CSA-B) has ordered the suspension of face-to-face classes from pre-school to college levels starting Sunday night. However, the school said classes would continue online according to regular schedules.

Several private schools have also followed suit, suspending classes from pre-school to senior high school. These include the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, University of Saint La Salle, La Consolacion College, STI-West Negros University, John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation, and Bacolod City College. – Rappler.com

The initiative’s story, “Lakbayon (Steps) – Women Steps Toward Sustainability,” clinched second place in the Thriving Communities category. Lakbayon, which translates as “walk along the beach,” is a portmanteau of lakbay (walk) and baybayon (beach).

Sipalay was once home to the largest copper mine in Southeast Asia, and was considered as a mining community in the 1950s. The mining company closed in 2001 following labor disputes and environmental disasters that destroyed croplands, contaminated river systems, and caused dust-related respiratory illnesses.

The city began to shift its economy one year before the mining company’s closure, with tourism as its primary source of income and supported by laws and programs aimed at environmental preservation.

Lakbayon, which has 14,675 volunteers from 11 villages, is aimed at addressing water waste pollution at the city’s Poblacion Beach. The Sipalay City Council for Women and the city government embarked on the project in 2000.

Under the initiative, women from different walks of life were encouraged to help clean up Poblacion Beach every morning through the collection and disposal of ecological waste, led by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).

The local government unit paid volunteers P40 per hour or P1,200 for 15 days for two hours of daily cleanup work.

The Department of Tourism-Western Visayas said in a statement that the project has significantly cleared and cleaned the beach and led to the declaration of 40% of the shoreline as a conservation area for sea turtles and the 11-hectare beach and mangrove forest.

Negros Occidental 6th District representative Mercedes Alvarez said that the initiative encouraged participation from more women over the years, transforming it into a movement that helped solve the pollution problem in Sipalay beaches.

“The consistent cleanup drive has resulted in positive impacts on the environmental, social, and economic areas of the city,” she said.

As a city that advocates green tourism, its decade-long initiative was included in the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for 2023 in Estonia before it was shortlisted for the ITB Berlin 2024 awards.

Alvarez said that the award is a testament that the city’s sincere effort in environmental protection.

“We hope to inspire, to help, to share Sipalay’s best practices with other communities, so that there will be more green destinations, and that sustainable tourism will be inscribed in the DNA of localities,” she said.

The Green Destinations (GD) Top 100 Story Awards at ITB showcased the most inspiring initiatives for sustainable tourism development in six categories: Destination Management, Nature and Scenery, Environment and Climate, Culture and Tradition, Thriving Communities, and Business and Marketing. – Rappler.com

Rather than being disappointed, Tabonares found the experience to be unexpectedly fulfilling.

“I was thinking it was yoga, but it’s laughter…. Yoga and laughter combined together makes sense in our lives because my son is a standup comedian in Manila…. I am still very happy to be here and to realize that our minds need cleansing,” she said.

Tabonares was one of the over 30 individuals who experienced laughter’s healing power at a free health and laughter yoga session held at the Cebu City Public Library on March 9.

The laughter yoga session facilitated by Father Loreto Jaque, a priest and member of the Laughter Yoga International and the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, drew participants from in and out of Cebu.

The session aimed to reconnect individuals with their playful inner child.

“Ang problema gud nato, we have become too serious now with our lives. Nakalimot na ta og katawa. Nagtuo ta nga life is all about working and working,” he said.

(Our problem is that we have become too serious now with our lives. We have forgotten how to laugh. We believe that life is all about working and working.)

He said a study showed that adults only laughs less than 10 times a day, far less from number of times a child laughs, which is around 400 times a day.

Jaque emphasized the importance of laughing more as it entails health benefits by providing extra oxygen to the brain, promoting relaxation and facilitating the release of neurochemicals, such as dopamine and oxytocin.

Participants, ranging from senior citizens to youth, were selected based on the registration received by the Cebu City Public Library, in partnership with the Cebu City government.

Jaque said the participants included individuals grieving the loss of loved ones, as well as those feeling a sense of emptiness and searching for the meaning of life.

Teresa Secuia flew to Cebu from Makati on Saturday morning to join the laughter yoga session. She said the experience was a stress reliever

“It’s something for the soul. I work from 9 am to 6 pm and every day is work and this is a break,” shared Secuia, who said she is a follower of Jaque.

Laughter yoga began in India around 1995.

According to Jaque, laughter yoga is not about comedy. Participants don’t laugh in response to jokes or humor. Instead, it’s an aerobic exercise that allows people to laugh freely, without any specific reason or inhibitions.

Jaque said before engaging in the laughter exercise, participants, many of whom were strangers, took part in a dancing activity aimed at breaking down awkwardness to ease them into the main activity.

“After six to seven dance movements, we became closer, and that’s when we started laughter yoga. I simply guided them through some basic laughing exercises, and because of mirror neurons, laughter became contagious. Every time someone laughed beside you, even if you didn’t feel like laughing initially, you would start laughing along,” Jaque said.

Jaque has been facilitating laughter yoga in other parts of the country, including Cavite, Tagaytay, Davao, and Bohol. 

Laughter, Jaque emphasized, cannot solve problems, or ultimately erase pain and suffering, but it can help people change their perspectives about themselves and the world.

“Life is painful, but to be happy is a choice that we have to make every day,” he added.  – Rappler.com

Wenilyn Sabalo is a community journalist currently affiliated with SunStar Cebu and is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2023-2024.