BICOL 
on its way to
OPEN SOURCE COMMUNITY

   Some 34 participants completed the 3-day Resource Valuation Orientation for Local Decision Makers conducted by the Haribon Foundation in coordination with the Regional Development Council (RDC5) on January 24-27, 2006, at the Villa Caceres Hotel, Naga City.

   Held in the context of responsible eco-governance, bio-diversity awareness and resource valuation as a tool for decision making, Haribon geared the Orientation toward local application. It drew the attendance of representatives from five provincial and 5 city LGUs, four national government agencies, and the Camarines Sur State Agricultural College. Eight Private Sector Representatives (PSRs) of the RDC5 likewise actively participated in the interactive workshops.

   Mr. Antonio Altamarino, RDC5-PSR, initiated the Council’s co-sponsorship of the activity with Haribon Foundation.

   Small and Medium Enterprises in Bicol now have the available resource to have their products presented in packages that can be classified as globally-competitive, innovative and sustainable. RD Josefina P. Abilay of the DOST 5 announced this technological assistance being offered by the DOST during the RDC5 meeting last January 31, 2006, held at the NEDA5, Legazpi City,

   Director Abilay said that DOST’s services cover consumer and transport packaging for both food and non-food items. They also extend testing and analyses of packaged products, which include shelf-life testing and product-package compatibility tests, among others. Training and consultation services on packaging technologies including the design, sourcing of materials and equipment for packaging can likewise be availed of by SMEs through the DOST at Bicutan, Metro Manila.

   In the Bicol Region, RD Abilay offered the DOST 5’s consultation services on packaging problems among SMEs for free. For packaging facilities, the DOST Director cited the Albay Packaging Center at Camalig, Albay, whose services include canning, vacuum and shrink film packing. Accordingly, the Center has procured packaging materials such as shrink film vacuum bags, cans and PE bottles through the initiative of the Office of the Albay Provincial Governor. She clarified that those packaging materials are being made available for SMEs at a reasonable fee.

   A total of 55 information and communication technology (ICT) stakeholders from the government, academe, and the private sector met to sort out details for the 1^st Bicol ICT Pre-Congress at the NEDA Conference Room, Legazpi City, last November 16, 2005. The meeting generated and consolidated provincial data inputs on important issues that need to be addressed by the ICT Congress slated for April 2006.

 

   The pre-congress agreements included the following:

• creation of a local ICT Committee per province, which shall serve as a consultative body and as official member of the Regional Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Committee (RITECC) in the RDC. The LGU, with the assistance of the private sector and the provincial offices of various government agencies, shall spearhead the activity;

• enhancement of the Provincial ICT Scorecard to include indicators such as the status of telecommunications infrastructure, education data, presence of internet services, LGU computerization projects, among others, for purposes of planning, identifying and generating potential ICT projects and investments;

• preparation of the Bicol ICT Profile based on the accomplished Provincial ICT scorecards;

• inclusion of four topics in the ICT Congress, namely: Business, Policy and Governance, Technical, and Human Resource Development.

   RITECC Chairperson and DOST V Regional Director Josefina P. Abilay encouraged the cooperation and support of the participants toward achieving the pre-congress agreements.

  Considered as the year-end meeting of the Regional Development Full Council, a set of development projects and regional concerns were given due course during the 3rd Regular Meeting held on 22 November 2005 at the NEDA Regional office in Legazpi city. the meeting also formally ushered the assumption of the new NEDA 5 Regional Director and RDC 5 Vice-Chairperson, Atty. Romeo C. Escandor, formerly of NEDA Region 7.

   In reference to the Luzon Area Development Coordination Committee (LADCC) meeting updates, the interest and support shown by the other RDCs in Luzon on the novel and meritorious proposal of RDC 5 to review the BIR-NIRC (National Internal Revenue Code) such that establishments will have to pay their taxes where their businesses are actually located and operated, Chair Luis Raymund Villafuerte requested for a more comprehensive project study/position paper to be presented and further discussed in the next LADCC meeting.  

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   A goat raising and dispersal project of the Concerned Environmentalist Group of Sigamot, Incorporated (CEGSI) of Barangay Sigamot in Libmanan, Camarines Sur is succeeding.

 

   Assisted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippines Federation for Environmental Concern (PFEC) and funded by Philippine German Development Foundation Incorporated (PhilGerFund), the said project aims to increase the income of Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) program participants who are tasked to protect and rehabilitate some 723 hectares of public forests in Sigamot under CBFM Agreement, DENR Regional Executive Director Oscar M. Hamada said.

 

   Hamada said the project started on September, 2004 with a fund allocation of Php 180,925 from Phil-GerFund, and 70% of the fund or Php 126,647.50 was released on August 30, 2004.

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