Sen. Go nudges Nordeco to address the power woes in Samal promptly

By MAYA M. PADILLO

The power supply problem of Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) has reached the Senate and no less than Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has asked the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Nordeco) to address the problem immediately.

The Dabawenyo legislator said if the issue is unresolved, a power crisis will gravely affect the island’s economy.

Last week, the local government unit (LGU) of IGaCoS declared a state of calamity due to the power ,isis.

Go shared that based on the information reached to his office, resorts were already folding up on the island due to the power woes such as the 10- hour brownouts on the island.

“The present energy crisis in Samal Island will soon result in an economic crisis if not solved on time. The closure of resorts means a displacement of workers working on these resorts and it also means no food on the dining table of their families,” Go said during the Senate hearing initiated by the Committee on Energy on May 24, 2023.

FSEN., P7

Barangays in coastal areas told to brace for Typhoon

The Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) has issued an advisory on Thursday alerting barangays in the coastal areas to prepare emergency contingencies including evacuation in anticipation of Typhoon “Mawar.”

The areas that advised are Binugao, Sirawan, Lizada, Daliao, Dumoy, Bago Aplaya, Talomo, Matina Aplaya, Bucana, Brgy.31-D, Brgy. 21-C, Brgy. 22-C, Brgy. 23-C, Brgy. 27-C, Leon Garcia Sr, Governor Vicente Duterte, Centro (San Juan), Lapu-Lapu, Vicente Hizon, Pampanga, Sasa, Panacan, Ilang, Tibungco, Bunawan, and Lasang.

CDRRMO head Alfredo Baloran in an interview with Madayaw Davao said there is a forecast that by the end of the week it will enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Baloran reminded that CDRRMO has issued advisories to the barangays, especially those in the coastal areas. He also explained that there is a tropical depression in the open ocean, so it is prone to large waves.

He advised coastal residents in advance, not only on the coast but also in flood-prone areas.

The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) advised the public to always be on the lookout, coordinate with their local DRRMCs,

S. Kudarat IP village all praises for DA support

Aleader of an Indigenous Peoples (IP) community here is elated over the government’s PHP500,000 agricultural support.

The Department of Agriculture-12 (DA-Soccsksargen) provided the IPs with hybrid corn and certified rice seeds, fertilizers, rodenticides, assorted fruit trees, organic fertilizer concoctions, open-pollinated varieties of vegetable seeds, organic fertilizer concoctions, food packs, milk products, and biocontrol agents.

“We thank you for this program. You went out of your way to reach us here in the upland community,” Manobo tribal leader Babing Dondoy told reporters in Barangay Laguilayan here on Friday.

“These projects are of great help to us, I thought we were already abandoned by the government,” he added.

With the vision of empowering IPs through agricultural initiatives, the agency launched in this town Friday the Sustainable Extension Activities: Outreach Program for the IP Communities in Region 12.

DA-12 officer-in-charge Sailila Abdula led the outreach program and distributed inputs for IP farmers.

A tree-planting activity and ceremonial milk toasting were also held during the program to mitigate the impacts of climate change and combat malnutrition among children. (PNA) present energy crisis in Samal Island will soon result in an economic crisis if not solved on time. The closure of resorts means a displacement of workers working on these resorts and it also means no food on the dining table of their families. Samal Island is the primary tourist destination in Davao Region, tourism is one of the most significant industries in Samal Island that relies heavily on a stable energy supply but now with an average of 10 hours of brownout daily how can we expect tourists to still consider

Senior Reporter

GARAY DELIGERO Editorial Consultant

BILLACURA Sports Editor

Which would you like to eat: an eggplant that looks dull or another eggplant that’s so shiny and vibrant in color? The difference between these two eggplants is that the former is grown organically while the latter is loaded with chemicals.

It has been found that some farmers are spraying their eggplants with various chemicals. In Impasugong, Bukidnon, for instance, an eggplant farmer reportedly sprayed at least twice a week. For every 1,000 eggplant hills, he used 0.5 kilogram of Lannate, two bottles (250 mL) of Prevathon, two bottles (250 mL) of Alika, one liter of Karate, one kilogram of Daconil, and 0.5 liter of Selecron.

Organically-grown eggplants may not be so attractive to look at but at least they are safe to eat. They are not laced with chemicals.

Environment-friendly, natural, not using pesticides and other chemicals, sustainable, regenerative, and healthy – these are the words used to describe organic farming which recently captured the attention of many countries around the world.

“The deteriorating condition of the environment has contributed to the increasing vulnerability of the agriculture sector particularly to extreme weather events,” said the Department of Agriculture in a statement. “Predomi-

HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

Going Back To The Basics With Organic Farming

nance of chemical-intensive farming has contributed to at least 33% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. It is on this premise that the department aims to promote organic farming.”

These days, organic farming is heavily promoted – thanks to the signing of Republic Act No. 10068 on April 6, 2010. It was touted as “a landmark legislation for the development and promotion of organic agriculture.”

“(The Act) is a result of long years of development efforts mostly by non-government community-based organizations and private groups pushing for agriculture sector reforms around ecologically sustainable, environment-friendly and safer production systems. It also concerns the availability of safer and more nutritious staples and food, and increased farm productivity and income opportunities for the Filipino farmers.”

The agriculture’s organic farming program has five objectives. One is better farm incomes and sustainable livelihood for Filipino farmers: “Increased farm productivity, reduced expenses on external farm inputs, better incomes for farmers and reduction of poverty in the rural sector.”

Environmental protection is another reason: “Enhanced soil fertility and farm biodiversity, reduced pollution and destruction of the environment as well as prevention of further depletion of natural resources.”

Still another: improved health. By adopting organic farming, the health of farmers, consumers and the public in general are protected.

Another one: disaster risk reduction and resilience to climate change: “Improved resiliency to disaster risks and climate change vulnerabilities caused by human interventions and naturally induced hazards.”

Final objective: social justice.

“Meeting the basic needs and improving standard of living for all, upholding human rights, gender equality, labor standards and the right to self-determination,” the agriculture department explains.

“Organic farming means going back to the basics,” says Jethro P. Adang, the new director of the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC), a non-government organization based in barangay Kinuskusan in Bansalan, Davao del Sur.

The center has been promoting organic farming since the 1970s. “We want people who come to the center that once they return to their respective places,” Adang points out, “they have learned something which they could use in their own farms.”

Organic farming, according to Laura Reynolds, of Worldwatch

Institute, has the potential to contribute to sustainable food security by improving nutrition intake and sustaining livelihoods in rural areas, while simultaneously reducing vulnerability to climate change and enhancing biodiversity.

Another benefit of organic agriculture is that it uses up to 50% less fossil fuel energy than conventional farming, and common organic practices – including rotating crops, applying mulch to empty fields, and maintaining perennial shrubs and trees on farms – also stabilize soils and improve water retention, thus reducing vulnerability to harsh weather patterns.

“On average, organic farms have 30% higher biodiversity, including birds, insects, and plants, than conventional farms do,” pointed out Catherine Ward, Reynolds’ co-author of the Worldwatch report, “Organic Agriculture Contributes to Sustainable Food Security.”

One organic farmer from Bansalan is the Espinosa family of Lower Mabuhay. During the Regional Organic Agriculture Congress some years back, they were recognized as the organic farming family. On their farm, chemicals are abhorred.

“I have one-hectare farmland and all that were planted are pure organic,” Janilo Espinosa, the head

CHRISTOPHER RYAN MABOLOC, Ph.D THEORY AND PRACTICE

Kuala Lumpur – Thomas Friedman once suggested that the Arab world should have changed after the Taliban fell when the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Instead, the Arabs hated the US more. America has remained the symbol of global domination. With its intent of doing in Afghanistan what it wanted to do in Iraq, the US experimented on a Western-inspired type of government that it tried to support with hundreds of billions of dollars and military weapons, only to fall in less than 10 days to the Taliban after US President Joseph Biden finally pulled out US troops in Afghanistan. Now, the Taliban are back, and with it, its harsh brand of leadership, curtailing women’s rights and putting to risk millions of lives in a country that is in a state of disrepair.

In a not-so-distant past, a terrorist organization called Dawlah Islamiyah, locally known as the Maute Group, raised the ISIS Flag in Marawi City on May 23, 2017. A narrative published by Mindanao State University – Marawi researchers suggested that international terrorists joined that siege, including young women who entered Marawi City as students. The Maute Group had one aim – to establish the first Islamic caliphate in this part of Southeast Asia. Led by two brothers, Omar and Abdullah Maute, the group made an alliance with another terror organization – the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).

The Abu Sayyaf, famous for the Sipadan hostage crisis and numerous beheadings, has been prominent in international headlines. The notorious terrorist organization, with links to Al-Qaeda, was organized by Abdurajak Janjalani. Janjalani fought alongside Osama Bin Laden against the Russians during the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which the Soviets lost. It has of the family, was quoted as saying. “All our animals were fed using organic-based feeds.”

It was his parents who opened his eyes to organic farming. “When I was a child, my family was into organic farming and I can still remember how we put up our garden,” he recalled. “When I got married, I continued my family’s legacy and raised my children through organic farming.”

One good thing about organic farming is that it keeps the family healthy. “Based on our own experience, compared to conventionally-grown food, organic food is much richer in nutrients,” Espinosa said. “It enhances the nutrients of the soil which is passed on to the plants and animals.”

Despite the benefits farmers can obtain from organic farming, not all are following it. One reason is that organic farming is labor-intensive, particularly in the production of organic fertilizers and concoctions. Most farmers are used to having quick fixes by simply buying chemical inputs. Another reason is the low production during the conversion period. The low harvest is due to the use of organic fertilizer. The NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in chemical fertilizers is easily available for plant uptake unlike organic fertilizers which are slow in releasing nutrients.

The World In The Age Of Terror

been reported that Janjalani received six million dollars from Bin Laden to establish the Abu Sayyaf. The militant organization follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. The ASG attracts young Muslim Filipinos, mostly from the provinces of Basilan and Sulu.

Before the US 9/11 attacks, according to Peter Bergen, Bin Laden “was consolidating power as the absolute leader of Al-Qaeda.” Many Muslims did not believe that Bin Laden planned 9/11, writes Friedman, thinking that it was a conspiracy concocted by the CIA and Israel’s Mossad. Confiscated tapes and other documents, of course, after Bin Laden was found and subsequently killed by US Navy Seals in 2011, at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, with then US President Barack Obama watching the whole operation via live feed at the White House.

But who was Bin Laden?

The son of a wealthy Saudi in- dustrialist, Bin Laden inspired his disciples, who often described the experience with the terrorist as a spiritual awakening. Bergen writes that the “first encounters with the Al Qaeda leader by his followers were found to be awe-inspiring.” The same were felt with God-like reverence. Bin Laden gave up a life of privilege in his pursuit of his terrorist agenda. Bergen says that the terrorist was viewed as an extraordinarily charismatic man. Bin Laden, in fact, was the symbol for Jihad or Holy War.

Extremist groups conduct their war as the struggle against what they claim is US hegemony in the world. Terrorist leaders persuade their young recruits to wear suicide vests by presenting to them a type of an unjust socio-political order in which US imperial interests undermine the rights of Muslims. But terrorists have no ideology to speak of. They sow fear and only intend to disrupt peaceful civilian life. Nick Fotion thinks that “there are, of course, degrees of innocence and guilt; but terrorists who choose all their victims in a random or near-random fashion cannot help but victimize people who are innocent of any political wrongdoing.”

In modern times, violence is seen as an effective way to coerce and intimidate not only people, but governments and societies as well, in order to advance political interests and religious goals. Terrorism, however, is not a modern-day phenomenon. Alison Jaggar explains: “The word terrorism was introduced in late eighteenth-century France when Robespierre initiated his Reign of Terror that was meant to deter all of his counter-revolutionary critics.” Jaggar adds between 1793 and 1794, “thousands of French citizens were executed, mainly by the newly invented guillotine.”