Colorful pennants and festive music signal that it is no regular day in Sitio Purakay, Brgy. Pamurayan, Sorsogon City on May 15, 2017. Amidst scorching summertime heat, homeowners flock the coasts of Sorsogon Bay as well as evaluate the horizon. After three hrs of breathless waiting, everybody was filled with cheers as 20 red and blue non-motorized fiberglass boats parade the sea. Among the crowd, two guys relocated better to the seashore, slapping their hands in awe– Roberto Salgado, President of the Samahang Mangingisda ng Tomalaytay (SMT) and Mariano Saldy Jesoro, President of the Samahang Mangingisda ng Gimaloto (SAMAGI). Salgado and Jesoro are the recipients of the fiberglass watercrafts from the Philippine Rural Development Project’s (PRDP’s) microenterprise subprojects for calamity-stricken locations in Bicol. Twenty PRDP-funded non-motorized fiberglass watercrafts worth P20,500 each were provided to Samahang Mangingisda ng Tomalaytay (SMT) and also the Samahang Mangingisda ng Gimaloto (SAMAGI) in Sitio Purakay,...

Bokod, Benguet– The distribution of risk-free potable supply of water will quickly be taken pleasure in by at the very least 14,338 residents of Bokod, Benguet, with the installment of around P12, 613,905.68 million worth of potable water system– a job moneyed by the DA’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP). ” The municipality of Bokod can currently get rid of its long-lasting trouble of not enough water supply,” said Dir. Lorenzo M. Caranguian, PRDP Project Director in CAR. Caranguian introduced that the PRDP Project Support Office (PSO) lately materialized authorization of the awarding of contract to F.B. Bantales Engineering Construction to proceed with the building of Naubanan-Daclan Potable Water System in the municipality of Bokod, Benguet. ” Barangay Daclan shall straight take advantage of this sub-project, with a minimum of 1,889 beneficiaries, while Barangays Bila and also Tikey shall be indirectly benefited, with at least 1310 and 645 beneficiaries, respectively,”...

In a bid to provide accessible, adequate and safe water supply to both farming and non-farming residents of Cavinti town in Laguna, the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) has started the construction of the municipality’s new water system, replacing the worn-out and hazardous asbestos pipes. Howard Miras, supervisor of the Cavinti waterworks office, said that the deterioration of the pipes, which were installed in the 1950’s, has recently become worse, making it more difficult and costlier for the local government unit (LGU) to conduct repairs. Miras added that there have been recommendations for them to replace the asbestos pipes as the government has long banned the use of the material because of health hazards it poses. Inhaling or ingesting asbestos fibers may cause mesothelioma, a rare, aggressive cancer that develops in the lining of certain organs or spaces within the body, known as the mesothelium. Symptoms, which...

The project for the protection of the rich resources of Bohol’s Danajon Double Barrier Reef will soon begin. This was declared by World Bank representative Jim Hancock during the recently concluded 4th World Bank Implementation Support Mission held on May 15 to 18 in Bohol. Speaking during the Mission, a regular activity of the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), Hancock said all marine protected areas (MPAs) and seaweed proposals are all set, and the budget expected to be released in no time. The Bilangbilangan East Marine Sanctuary boasts its rich coral reefs. Of the total projected fund of P33 million, P23 million is a grant from the World Bank for the proponent groups to foster stronger and deeper marine protection efforts for resources such as the Danajon Double Barrier Reef. The Danajon Bank has long been heavily exposed to extreme pressure of illegal and overfishing practices. It...