Philippine News by MySearch Philippines

The Philippine version of Singapore’s Jurong BirdPark and the home of the Malagos Garden's Interactive Bird Show is now a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

Malagos Garden resort, 12-hectare art and nature theme park in Davao City, is the first property in the country and the 39th in the world to be certified in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Business and Properties of Audubon International, a worldwide organization based in the USA.

Audubon International is a non-profit, environmental education organization that spearheads education and conservation assistance programs that promote environmental sustainability.

The Malagos Garden facility provides a habitat for Mindanao lorikeets, a number of rehabilitated native hornbills and some smaller eagles, and butterflies.

The Malagos Garden's landscape is also strewn with a vast collection of assorted plants, orchids, fruit tress, palms, and the Waling-waling (dubbed as the Queen of Philippine orchids).

Malagos Garden is best known for the Malagos Garden’s International Bird Show, the only full production bird show in the country and seen by over 300,000 people in its four-year run.

Hosted by Roberto "Dr. Bo" Puentespina Jr., DVM, the project is meant to help urban dwellers to appreciate the wonders of Filipino exotic birds and to teach important lessons in environmental responsibility.

The show's second in Metro Manila will be mounted at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, QC, from Oct. 20- Jan. 29, 2006.

The Malagos Garden's Interactive Bird Show is spearheaded by the Malagos Wildlife Preservation Foundation, Inc., in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

November 20, 2005, Manila Bulletin

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KIANGAN, Ifugao – Rep. Solomon Chungalao and Vice Mayor Patrick Puguon here approved the released of P1.9 million for the construction of over two kilometers of an irrigation canal to water over 20 hectares of small paddies in the world-famous, centuries-old Banaue rice terraces here.

Ifugao ancestors had ingeniously carved out the rice terraces from the Banaue mountain slopes centuries ago, using crude farming tools and sourcing water for irrigation from upland streams that where kilometers away.

The terraces have been hailed globally for its modern engineering design. Through the ages, the Ifugaos maintained this world heritage, including its irrigation canal. During the pre-war, a village crier would shout for help downstream whenever a portions of the terraces’ canal eroded.

Each household would carry a shovel and join the rest in following the irrigation canal upstream to riprap damaged portions.

Today, younger generations are struggling to maintain worn-out terraces and irrigation canals through the "bayanihan spirit" known in Ifugao as "Ubbo." But constant canal repairs uses up farming time, prompting younger generation farmers to formally organize an irrigators association to negotiate for government's assistance.

The government needed the call of the Indutmog Farmer's Association in Kiangan, Ifugao for a more permanent irrigation canal with the release of P1.9 million irrigation fund sourced out by Ifugao Congressman Chungalao and Vice Mayor Puguon.

Though it will water only over 20 hectares of small patches of terraced rice paddies, the canal, once in operation, will benefit over 100 farmers and their families.

Wilbert Bayawon, 37, a village councilman and president of the association, said that Puguon assured him last Tuesday that funds would be released for the over two-kilometer community irrigation canal under the "Patubig Program" of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

The association members will construct the canal themselves with a counterpart fund of P190,000.

October 26, 2005, Mike Guimbatan Jr., Manila Bulletin

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The Philippines has released a bio-fortified rice rich in iron and zinc as a first stage of a long-term development of multi-nutrient rice which is seen to become a trend over the decade.

"Philrice (Philippine Rice Research Institute) released it. It's now being planted in Bukidnon and Laguna," said International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) deputy director William G. Padolina in an interview.

IRRI, a little reluctant to label that the rice called Maligaya Special (MS 13), is "iron-rich," stressed the commercialization of the bio-fortified rice as approved by the National Seed Industry Council will continue to undergo evaluation, testing, and improvement.

"We're saying this is just an initial release. As time goes, we'll be releasing improved bio-fortified rice. We don't want to say it's iron rice, and then its price will go up so that only the rich can afford. Who's going to buy it? Our aim is to improve iron content without labelling," said Dr. Glenn Gregorio, IRRI scientist.

IRRI started developing the bio-fortified rice in 1996 and was in fact a flagship program of then Estrada administration. While rice is basically all starch, some varieties have higher iron level. Here, an iron-rich rice variety from Africa was crossed with a progeny that is high-yielding and iron-rich.

This has more than double iron content from 1.5 parts per million (PPM) to five PPM while zinc content is also double. Increased zinc content in the rice variety itself is beneficial for the plant, for insects, and for human since plant cannot readily obtain zinc from the traditionally zinc-deficient soil.

Despite the development, rice breeders must continue developing the variety since iron content still falls below nutritional requirement of iron-deficient population.

Besides, absorption of iron of the body can be a major hurdle.

"There’s only 15 percent absorption which is very low," said Gregorio who stressed Filpinos with iron deficiency should both be given bio-fortified and an education on rice cooking practices.

To retain its iron content, rice must be washed only one or be cooked unwashed since any bacteria in it can be killed in boiling. Rice also has the iron in its coating which is lost in milling. Less rice milling is thus recommended since a 20–21 PPM iron content drops to one to 1.5 PPM with milling.

The bio-fortification of rice is seen as a long-term trend in rice breeding. Since it was established in 1965, IRRI has developed rice varieties resistant to pests and diseases, tolerant to drought or to salty water- all meant toward raising volume of rice production. But now, rice quality is more of the concern.

"Developing good quality rice is a potentially large area for very poor people," said Duncan Mckintosh, IRRI information chief.

To the bio-fortified rice's advantage is its high tolerance to tungro and its minimal fertilization requirement. It is very tough to weevil.

A future work is in developing protein-rich rice varieties.

"This will be more on lysine where we have deficiency. It will be genetic modification where protein gene will be transferred from corn or soybean," said Gregorio.

Brown rice is traditionally a source of richer protein in rice with its vitamins B1 or B2 in the bran, but some consumers do not prefer it because of its hard eating quality. Some local varieties, Milagrosa and Azucena, are rich in protein, too.

October 20, 2005, Melody M. Aguiba, Manila Bulletin

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An in area where lifestyle diseases are on the rise, there's a greater demand for health care. The medical sector's booming technology helps address these demands quickly and accurately.

With heart disease now the major killer in the ASEAN region, it is timely that the latest technology on heart scanning is now operational in the country.

The Computerized Imaging Institute (CII) of Makati Medical Center, located at the hospital's ground floor, has acquired from GE, the LightSpeed VCT, the first true 64-slice Volume CT scanner that ushers in a new era in computed tomography imaging.

This equipment produces the most detailed images available not only the brain, chest, abdomen and spine, but particularly of the heart's arteries in a non-invasive manner.

"This machine is revolutionary that it landed on the cover of the Sept. 5 issue of Time magazine. You no longer have to undergo a battery of tests to know the condition of your heart," says Dr. Benjamin Adapon, recognized radiologist and official member of the American Society of Neuroradiology. Adapon is chief of the hospital's Computerized Imaging Institute.

Adapon came back home 25 years ago a balikscientist to pioneer CT scanning. In 1989 he also established the first operational MRI and in 1997, the first Endovascular Stroke Unit in the country. And just two weeks ago, he had the first true 64-slice CT scanner installed and operational at MMC.

Time magazine reported that new cardiac scans are helping to fuel a more aggressive focus on prevention. The 64-slice CT scanners enable more accurate diagnoses of arterial blockages, aortic dissections and pulmonary embolisms, by using unprecedented resolution and speed.

"A growing number of cardiologists are using the new cardiac scans to determine which of their otherwise asymptomatic patients need more intense medical treatment with stations and other drugs," the report said.

"The most dramatic benefits of the heart imaging revolution will probably show up first in emergency rooms. In just the US alone, about 5.5 million people go to the hospital each year complaining of chest pains," the Time article noted.

An effective tool to managing chest pain, LightSpeed VCT's Triple RuleOut provides high-resolution images from the apex to the based of the lung, assists physicians in ruling out the three leading causes of mortality in patients with chest pain: aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, and coronary artery disease.

All in just 12 seconds, in one simple, non-invasive out-patient examination.

The high-technology apparatus enables physicians and the medical staff to see the whole heart in just five beats. No longer are doctors limited to imaging only those patients who can hold their breath for 10, 15 or even 20 seconds.

"You can diagnose cardiac disease at a remarkable five seconds speed without the need for the other invasive diagnostics. Speed accuracy, and reliability in addition to hard earned experience are vital," Adapon added.

October 16, 2005, Philippine Star

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