Philippine News by MySearch Philippines

SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija (PNA) – The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), based at the Central Luzon State University here, will prominently figure in the World Buffalo Congress the Philippines will host o0n October 20-23 at the Shangri-la Hotel in Makati.

The four-day congress will have for its theme “Buffalo-based Enterprises: Development Prospects Under Changing Trade Regulations and Consumer Demands.”

Dr. Liberato Cruz, PCC executive director and president of the International Buffalo Federation (IBF), said the congress will survey current knowledge on water buffalo production in various regions of the world.

The meet, he said, will also examine the growing role buffaloes play and determine more efficient modes of utilization of the animal in the context of obtaining future socio-economic developments.

The Philippine carabao belongs to the family. It is a water buffalo and traditionally has been the Filipino farmer’s best friend both as a helper in plowing his farm and as a beast of burden tasked to carry heavy loads, as well as an animal vehicle to ride on.

In addition , the carabao has also become productive dairy animal that provides the milk requirements of the rural family and earns extra money for the family kitty.

The animal is likewise the source of carabeef or carabao meat, a local delicacy.

Prepared as “tapa” or dried meat, its coarse texture and distinctive flavor makes it a favorite delicacy and finger food in drinking sessions.

Lately, the carabao has won special attention after ousted former President Joseph Estrada established the Philippine carabao Center here.

Tasked to undertake studies on how to further improve the animal’s genetic character, physical size, and dairy potentials by crossbreeding it with the India murrah buffalo, the PCC is now one of the primary science and research institutions that serve as backbone of the Science City of Muñoz.

Aside from its offices and laboratory facilities at the CLSU campus here, PCC also maintains a breeding farm at the foot of the Caraballo Mountain in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija.

Dr. Cruz said recent and forthcoming global trade developments are likely to have significant impact on the viability of buffalo-based enterprises.

Various stakeholders, he said, will need to “fully understand an appreciate the implications of these emerging global trade regulations and future consumer demands for buffalo-derived products.”

Cruz said the congress will also discuss new technologies developed from the conscientious efforts of many scientist worldwide designed to improve and enhance the viability and profitability of buffalo-based enterprises.

The World Buffalo Congress is a joint undertaking of the IBF, Philippine Society of Animal Science, PCC and the Department of Agriculture.

JOHNNY NUÑEZ, October 19, 2004, Manila Bulletin

Proceed to Best of Pinoys

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two Filipino-Americans – Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba and Pulitzer Prize winner Cheryl Diaz Meyer – and a Filipino science teacher from Iloilo City were honored here with the Philippine American Foundation (PAF) Friendship Awards in recognition of their outstanding achievements.

Taguba, now US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Reserve Affairs, Meyer, 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography winner, and Dr. Josette Biyo, a science teacher who received the Intel Excellence in Teaching Award, were feted at a gala dinner at the National Press Club (NPC) building in Washington D.C.

Some 300 guests representing various Filipino and American groups attended the awarding ceremonies called “A Salute to Excellence,” a yearly affair in the US capital recognizing Filipino and Fil-American achievers.

The Philippine American Foundation is a 20-year-old organization based in Washington is a 20-year-old organization based in Washington, D.C. It is one of the largest and most influential Fil-Am associations in the US.

This year’s awardees have hogged international limelight and have made many Fil-Americans and Filipinos proud of their achievements.

Taguba, who was born in Sampaloc, Manila, is the second highest ranking Fil-American in the United States Armed Forcers.

He is best known for his role in the probe of abuses by US soldiers against Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. He earned praises both in the US and abroad for his candor, professionalism and integrity in his investigation of prison torture. His testimony before the US Senate about those abuses made headlines all over the world.

Cheryl Diaz Meyer is photographer for the Dallas Morning News. She won this year’s Pulitzer photography prize year’s Pulitzer photography prize with fellow photographer David Leeson for their body of world depicting the invasion and aftermath of “operation Iraq Freedom.”

Dr. Josette Biyo, who came all the way from Iloilo City, is a science teacher who gained recognition for her achievements in teaching science in a Third World country. She has shared her teaching methods not only in the Philippines but also with other countries where she continues to receive numerous invitations.

Some 4,000 teachers all over the world vied for The Intel Excellence in teaching Award but it was Dr. Biyo who got the award in 2002.

Recently, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) named a minor planet between Mars and Jupiter Planet Biyo in her honor.

In their acceptance speeches, Taguba and Meyer never forgot their Filipino heritage and emphasized the Filipino values of family and discipline.

They expressed hope for the future and are confident that many Fil-Americans will follow in their footsteps.

Biyo meanwhile, said that she will continue to teach science subjects in high school. She, however, said that there must be reforms in the Philippine educations system and hoped for a big increase in the education budget.

Many who attended the awards night were misty-eyed at they listened to the awardees during the emotional and touching ceremonies. After the program, a long queue of admirers waited to have their pictures taken with the recipients.

Manila Bulletin

Proceed to Best of Pinoys

DUMAGUETE CITY – Coconut farmers and copra traders in Negros Oriental have vowed to work together to prevent the loss of the country’s biggest foreign copra market-the European Union (EU).

Brendan Transmonte, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) provincial chair, said the two stakeholders passed a joint resolution early this month after the EU demanded higher-quality copra.

According to the resolution, copra traders or buyers who do not have dryers who do not have dryers will no longer buy fresh coconut meat. The traders also promised to reject copra of poor quality.

The resolution also sought the creation of the Provincial Copra Quality Improvement Program Management Committee that will monitor the quality of copra produced locally and formulate policies and plans on the implementation of the PCA’s copra quality improvement program, among others.

It is also pushed for an intensive information drive on the EU directive that was adopted by most of its members last year, which demanded a higher quality of copra.

Transmonte said the directive stipulated that the acceptable content of afltoxin in copra should not be more than 20 parts per billion. Aflatoxin is a toxic compound produced by a mold or fungus in agricultural crops that have not been carefully stored. It can cause hepatitis and liver cancer.

In a recent study conducted by the PCA, the level of aflatoxin contamination in copra produced in the country went as high as 103 parts per billion in Central Mindanao.

In Central Visayas, where Negros Oriental belongs, the aflatoxin contamination was 100 parts per billion.

Trasmonte said the coconut industry, one of the country’s major dollar earners, will be in serious trouble if the quality of copra from the Philippines does not conform to standards set by the EU.

“This is a serious problem and could put the coconut industry in the country in jeopardy. That is why stakeholders of the industry should work together to upgrade the quality of copra,” Trasmonte said.

More than 50,000 people in Negros Oriental are directly dependent on the coconut industry. There are 50,460 hectares of land in the province planted with coconut trees.

Trasmonte said improper techniques and procedures in the processing of copra, from harvesting to drying, as well as the improper handling of coconut meat were the main culprits in the poor quality of the product.

Romy G. Amarado, August 24, 2004, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Proceed to Best of Pinoys

SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan (PNA) Features) – Barangay Gamata, about 40 minutes from this city, is as common as any outlaying rural barrio.

But what makes Gamata outstanding from other villages is the conspicuously abundant rows of mango trees and its thriving bamboo industry, generating P350 million annually for barrio folk selling mangoes.

Mango fruits are aplenty during the summer months of March, April and May. San Carlos City “carabao” mangoes, though green, are known for their sweetness.

Visitors visiting Gamata for the first time can pick up the mangoes hanging from the trees and eat all they can for free.

“Whenever we have tourists around here, we let them pick as many mangoes as they can. We want them to taste the Philippines’ sweetest mangoes,” said Aling Lenny, whose family is taking care of about 50 mango trees owned by a couple who has migrated to the United States.

A “tiklis” containing about 18 to 20 kilos can be had for just P80.
In Manila, it costs about P350.

The mango business is seasonal but a good harvest ensures an income that is good for one year.

San Carlos City Mayor Julian Resuello said the city government extends all the help they can give to propagate two of the city’s top sources of income.

“We hold constant dialogues so I would know their problems and needs,” he said.

Resuello said San Carlos used to be the biggest producer of the country’s sweetest mangoes.

But they now have to compete with mango producing provinces such as Zambales and Guimaras island which is now exporting its mangoes.

Still, Resuello said, San Carlos City produces some of the country’s sweetest mangoes.

The city has about 91,000 mango-producing trees aged 15 years old and above.

The younger ones that are awaiting fruition number about 111,000.

Around 40 metric tons of mangoes are harvested here yearly, yielding gross sales of almost P350 million.

Bamboo-making is also a way of life in San Carlos.

Four men working nine hours for five days can build a six-feet-by-six-feet bamboo hut (similar to those being used in beach resorts) that can be sold for P12,000.

If transported to Manila, the price escalates to P15,000.

A bamboo hut with a small room, measuring 12 feet by six feet, is sold for P25,000.

“Our bamboo huts can last for at least 20 years,” boasted Gener, a bamboo hut maker, who talks to delighted observes while putting the finishing touches on yet another creation.

The bamboo huts of San Carlos City have always been exhibited in various expositions around the country.

Basket-making is another common source of livelihood in Barangay Gamata, with a sturdy, middle-sized basket worked on for about one hour.

On a good day when there are a lot of orders for export, at least 200 basket a day are produced in the town, with a small-medium-large set costing just P50.

Aurea Gutierrez, 42, who is from another basket-making barangay, said the early 1990s were their best years in terms of income.

“I used to make 20 baskets a day and can still save a little. But now we’ve a lot of rivals in the business. Sometimes, we don’t have money to buy materials. Other times, there are no materials at all,” she lamented.

Mang Bert, an official of the city’s Bamboo Manufacturers’ Association, said their main concern is the cultivation of different varieties of bamboo.

“We make sure that bamboo will continue to be a source of livelihood for San Carlos and it would not become extinct,” he said.

Sa Carlos, a second-class city located in the central part of Pangasinan, is bounded by the municipalities of Binmaley and Calasiao in the north; Malasiqui and Sta. Barbara in the East; Aguilar in the South; Basista and Bayambang in the Southeast; and Lingayen and Bugallon in the Northwest.

It is 17 kilometers from Dagupan City and 182 kilometers Northwest of Manila.

A total of 86 barangays and about 28,000 households rest on 17,087 hectares of land.

San Carlos City has a high literacy rate of 93 percent, owing to 93 schools and colleges and an employment rate of 93 percent.

It is projecting a population of close to 169,000 this year, 75,000 of whom are registered voters.

Its major industries, aside from bamboo and mango-related ones, include food processing, pottery making and handicraft.

Also among the city’s prime products are tomato paste, cassava cake and other native cakes.

Every last week of April for the past four years, the country has been celebrating the Mango-Bamboo Festival as a tribute to the products that give them the chance to compete in the world market.

A brainchild of Resuello, the event is not meant to be a mere festival or a source of entertainment.

“We saw the abundance and quality of these products as strengths and opportunities to improve the marketing and increase the earning capabilities and mango growers and those engaged in the bamboo craft industry,” the mayor said.

He noted that since they lack connection and access to export-traders, they rely solely on middlemen-businessmen to sell their products at much lower prices.

The first mango-bamboo fest was held in April 2001.

The following year, they tapped the help of the Department of Tourism to help them promote the event.

Added attraction to the annual festival street dancing, float parades, mangocooking contests, bamboo-making shows and other fun-filled events to attract local and foreign tourists.

“Our products can compare and compete with the best. That is why we always exhort our people to improve and comply with standards so our items would not end us as “rejects,” he said.

ROMINA S. AUSTRIA, May 2, 2004, Manila Bulletin

Proceed to Best of Pinoys