Envisioning a more ecologically sound and healthy community, members of the Divilacan Student Advocates for Forest and Environmental Resilience (D-SAFER) in Divilacan, Isabela have committed to conserve marine and forest biodiversity within their town covered by the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP).

 

In an environmental youth congress recently held by the municipal local government unit (LGU) in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2, the one year-old youth organization has crafted an action plan prioritizing marine biodiversity conservation, native tree growing, and waste management activities.

 

“We need to make the minds of these young students in shape of environmental leadership as the legacy of protecting the northern Sierra Madre will be passed on to them,” said Municipal ENR Officer Arturo Umengan.

 

With the theme, “Engaging the Youth in Environmental Protection and Conservation,” the youth congress engaged the participants in coastal cleanup and sea turtle monitoring in celebration of the month of the ocean.

 

Newly-elected D-SAFER President Randy Sogelio said among their priority advocacies is the conservation of marine turtles that maintain the productivity of coral reef ecosystems, thus, ensuring an increased population of fish for the local’s food consumption and livelihood.

 

“We will conduct information drives in 12 barangays of Divilacan to campaign for sea turtles conservation informing our fishermen to immediately release bycatch turtles and to not disturb when they come to shore to lay eggs,” he added.

 

The organization will also be conducting regular cleanup drives along coastlines and within the waterways in their community.

 

Sogelio said the cleanup within waterways will serve as a preventive measure to avoid the recurrence of flood during heavy rains in the town proper.

 

To promote the ecotourism spots of Divilacan, the organization also committed to improve and develop new sites including the Lanai Marine Turtle Nesting Sanctuary in Brgy. Bicobian in partnership with the LGU.

 

In his closing message, Engr. Ezikiel Chavez of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office lauded the youth leaders for their enthusiam and commitment to safeguard the environment and to sustain a cleaner and healthier Divilacan.

 

During the congress, the members of the organization who are all students of Divilacan National High School were also taught about disaster preparedness, mitigation, and resilience; sustainable ecotourism; ecological solid waste management through the launching of Pinas: Basura Buster; the importance of forest and marine ecosystems of NSMNP; and environmental leadership.

 

Among the resource speakers were representatives from the DENR, LGU, Provincial Youth Development Office, and Isabela Coastal Development Office.#

The Cagayan Valley Bamboo Industry Development Council (CVBIDC) in a meeting yesterday has eyed bamboos as potential lumber alternative to escalate the bamboo industry in the region.

 

Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region (DENR) Region 2 said the Department is now promoting bamboos as better source for lumber alternative aside from the benefits they provide as solution to climate change.

 

“We have been strengthening our efforts in incorporating in our nursery establishment the production of bamboos aside from the indigenous tree species that we are producing," said Director Bambalan who presided over the meeting.

 

In support of bamboo growing, the DENR has partnered with the DTI and Department of Labor and Employment in October 2022 to ensure the survival of the bamboos planted last September.

 

Since 2011 to date, the DENR Region 2 reported a total of 4,401.2 hectares established bamboo sites planted with 636,264 bayog, kawayang tinik and kiling under the National Greening Program to include in areas covered by the Regional Build Back Better Task Force initiative of the government.

 

According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 2, bamboos are good source of material in designing and manufacturing engineered bamboo house kits. "The whole structure of the Cubo modular now known in the provinces of Sarangani and Bulacan were all made up of bamboo," said DTI staff Mona Lisa Valle in her presentation.

 

Winston Singun, assistant regional director of DTI Region 2 stressed the importance of bamboo as viable economic and natural resource. "With the effort of the council, we can enhance our bamboo enterprise and make the livelihood of our local farmers more profitable," he said.

 

Growing bamboo is important in mitigating the effects of climate change as it can sequester more carbon than any other types of trees and can aid in riverbank stabilization.

 

The council meeting also discussed several interventions such as crafting of convergence plan among stakeholders, review of the Bamboo Bills filed in Congress, management of bamboo database, and presentation of bamboo best practices.

 

It was highlighted with the presentation of various Bamboo Project Accomplishments of the 12 council members present comprising government agencies, academe, and the provincial bamboo industry development councils of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya.#

 

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Cagayan Valley launches today online land management services to improve performance and promote accessibility of services to the public.

 

Pilot DENR offices which will cater the online Land Administration and Management System (LAMS)-Public Land Application are located at the regional office and provincial environment and natural resources offices (PENRO) in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino, while the electronic frontline for the land records are accessible at the different field offices in the region.

 

The LAMS-PLA system initiated by the Land Management Bureau headed by Atty. Emelyne Talabis establishes a digital cadastral database capable of managing all the land records of the entire country. It also aims to integrate all land information from the regional and field offices into a centralized database, and unify all land processes in a single application system.

 

Through the concerted effort of members of the regional executives under the leadership of RED Bambalan, the DENR Region 2 was able to conceptualize the said e-frontline services.

 

In her message during the simultaneous launch, Director Bambalan said through the online system, the transacting public can easily access major land records since requesting the document is now available online.

 

“The directions of our Department is to promote efficiency, economy, accuracy and transparency in our operations. This newly-launched online land management services will definitely minimize the cost, time and effort and enable our clients to use their time attending to their livelihood, families and office works instead of traveling to Tuguegarao City just to secure land records from the regional office,” she said.

 

She also underscored that technology will also make the office operation more meaningful and convenient. “The application of technology will improve our ability to serve our clients or customers and promote higher performance among our personnel and make their work effective and efficient,” she added.

 

Available online services are technical description, blue print of approved survey plan, narrative technical description, cadastral or projection map, survey envelop documents; and geographic position and plane coordinates.

 

To avail the online request for land records, one should visit DENR website at r2.denr.gov.ph and complete the required information. The request will be processed and picked up at the concerned DENR office. The requesting party will receive updates on the status of request via email and mobile number.

 

Also included in the region’s developed online systems were the online monitoring system for seedlings inventory and online job portal application.

 

The region is currently developing an online system for the processing and approval of the certificate for wildlife registration, leave management system, and online payment with the Land Bank of the Philippines.

 

Also gracing the event were Assistant Regional Executive Directors Ismael Manaligod and Marcos Dacanay and other DENR officials in the regional and field offices, representatives from the municipal local government units; and the president of the Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines.#

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Nueva Vizcaya has recently launched 'Kali,' a mascot flagship species known as North Rufous Hornbill representing the biodiversity richness of the Casecnan Protected Landscape (CPL).

 

Kali’s head resembles the Bugkalot leaders' headdress worn during festivities. It symbolizes their bravery and strength as headhunters while the bird serves as mountain clock chirping every hour in the mountainous area of Casecnan.

 

The Philippine Hornbill locally known as 'Kalaw' is one of the endangered species included in the national list of threatened terrestrial fauna of the Philippines.

 

Introduced at Kasipegan and Panlingalingan festivals in Alfonso Castaneda and Dupax Del Sur towns, respectively, mascot Kali promotes the importance of preserving indigenous practices in conserving and protecting the environment and natural resources.

 

Kali joined the festival’s parade around the town centers where huge crowd cheered while apreciating the importance of wildlife to nature conservation.

 

Kali gave away information, education, and communication (IEC) materials like eco-tumblers and pamphlets to students and teachers who participated during the campaign spearheaded by the CPL-PAMO under the supervision of forester-lawyer Junny Vic Andaya, protected area superintendent.

 

Conservation measures to enhance protected area management such as reforestation, enforcement of anti-wildlife poaching, self-discipline, and proper segregation of garbage were views generated from the community during the IEC question and answer portion.#

 

By CENRO Dupax

To achieve one of the priority thrusts of the Department which is adopting climate risk lens in national planning and policy making by establishing natural upesource geospatial database, the provincial environment and natural resources office (PENRO) in NV headed by PENR Officer Giovannie Magat conducted capability building for 40 field personnel on April 26-28, this year in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya.

 

The participants are from the sections of Regulating and Permitting, Conservation and Development, Enforcement and Monitoring, National Greening Program, Community-Based Forest Management; and focal persons of Certificate of Stewardship Contract, Protected Areas, and Infrastructure Project.

 

Aritao CENR Officer Lensy Bunuen underscored the importance of Geographic Information System (GIS) as prerequisite in planning environmental programs and activities.

 

“There is a need to equip the personnel in the use of GIS because this will lead in the formulation of action plan to ensure successful development and implementation of the different plans and programs of our Department,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Management Services Division Chief Melody Manzo underlined the need to train more personnel on GIS to facilitate the preparation of accomplishment report for submission to the Regional Office.

 

Topics discussed were shapefile generation, data sources, attribute table management, data management, map layouting, and one control map.

 

Participants in the three-day learning event gained knowledge on ArcGIS system. They were able to submit the different spatial data under their respective sections during the workshop.

 

Foresters Jay Marshal Jasmin, Marlon Jay Bayag, and John Michael Tuazon; and Forest Ranger Reynaldo Bermejo Jr. served as resource persons during the learning event.#

 

(PENRO Nueva Vizcaya)