VOL. 2 l NO. 6 l February 09, 2012
CPA allots P12M budget for more CCTV to strengthen port security measures By Fayette C. Riñen CEBU CITY, February 8 (PIA) -- The Cebu Port Authority approved this year a P12M budget allocation to purchase more closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras inside the port premises to strengthen security operations within the area. CPA Director Oscar Lopez who heads the Port Security Safety and Environmental Management Department bared this during a recent PIA kapihan that tackled the topic “Strengthening Port Security to Boost Tourism.” Lopez said there are already around 50 CCTV cameras inside the port premises which are being supplied by their service contractors. “ T h e C PA w a n t s a d d i t i o n a l CCTV cameras to be placed in other strategic areas inside the port. This is part of strengthening our security measures to ensure that peace and order is maintained within our territorial jurisdiction,” Lopez declared. Lopez said the installation of additional CCTV cameras will be done within the second quarter this year. The CPA director also boasted
EARTHQUAKE AFTERMATH BROKEN BRIDGE: Broken bridge in Tayasan town. that since illegal squatters and tricycad drivers were removed just outside their fence, crime incidence rate significantly declined. Cebu is a popular tourist destination and “we do not want to taint its image with news that tourist-passengers going and leaving the ports are being
victimized by snatchers and holduppers,” Lopez stressed. Lopez said the CPA is continuously doing its best to improve its image and provide highly-efficient world-class services to the public. (mbcn/fcr/PIACebu)
Coastal clean-up drive yields almost 100K of trash in Cebu coastal town By Hazel F. Gloria CEBU CITY, (PIA) -- Nearly 100 kilos of trash mostly plastics were collected by over 200 volunteers in a coastal cleanup drive conducted in Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Lapulapu City, Cebu last February 2 in celebration of the World Wetlands Day (WWD). DENR-7 regional executive director Maximo O. Dichoso said, “garbage in our beaches and in our waterways is posing a potential threat or danger to our marine resources where we rely on for food and livelihood.” Dichoso said, "We want to make sure of the integrity of our coastal resources by way of a coastal cleanup by soliciting the help of the communities and other stakeholders as it is important
to increase their level of awareness on the effects of garbage to our marine resources." February 2 of every year is designated as WWD by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, also known as the Ramsar Convention. It is also declared the National Wetlands Day by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 74, series of 1999. The WWD this year carries the theme “Wetlands and Tourism.” Wetlands are lands that may be permanently or seasonally inundated. These include lakes and rivers, swamps and marshes, peatlands, estuaries, tidal flats, mangroves and coral reefs, and even man-made sites such as fishponds, rice paddies, and reservoirs. Participants of the coastal cleanup included the Department of Tourism-7
officials, Korean and Taiwanese volunteers, Pook Elementary School, Suba Elementary School, Tinggo Elementary School, Santa Rosa High School, Pangan-an Elementary and National High School, and out of school youths. DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said the Puerto Princesa Underground River best exemplifies this year’s WWD theme as it is a wetland and has long been considered a prime natural jewel for our local tourism, drawing both foreign and local tourists. According to Paje, the underground river is part of a national park that encompasses various interconnecting ecosystems from the mountain to the sea, including forests, inland wetlands like rivers and swamps, and coastal wetlands such as tidal flats and seagrass beds.(fcr/hfg/PIA 7 and DENR-7)
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