By Ephraim Aguilar, A15 (Southern Luzon page)
Legazpi City
FOR THE FIRST TIME in almost a year, the state-run weather station in Legazpi City had its Internet connected, but an employee had to step up to pay for it with her personal money.
The phone line itself was about to be disconnected due to unpaid bills. When the station was called for updates, the phone line was connected, but the call was mysteriously cut off mid-conversation.
The employee being interviewed was just stating that the phone line was cut off last weekend. She was about to say how they fixed the problem when the call was cut short. Attempts to call back were met with a busy tone.
Similarly, the land line of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) observatory in Daraga town has been inaccessible for the past months.
Dream
A wireless telephone occasionally works, but an employee said more often than not, it is disconnected.
Attempted calls are met with a machine-recorded female voice stating, “The subscriber you dialed is powered off.”
Considering the unstable phone line, the observatory staff can only dream of having a fax machine connected for easier distribution of volcanic and earthquake bulletins to those that need these pieces of vital information.
Both disaster agencies lack not only proper communication facilities but equipment crucial in lessening the impact of calamities.
Albay is prone to typhoons, floods, “lahar,” volcanic eruption and earthquakes.
In January, the Department of Science and Technology installed an upper-air receiving equipment worth P18 million but this has not been in use, said Corazon Samar, chief meteorological officer of Pagasa-Legazpi.
She said it was due to the lack of transmitters.
The transmitter of the upper-air receiving equipment is a small device attached to a big balloon, which could be launched into the air daily to gather real-time information from an altitude of up to 12 kilometers.
At least one transmitter could be launched every day and four during typhoons at a cost of P30,000 for every launch.
Samar said the station’s microbarograph is under repair while the aerovane is malfunctioning.
The microbarograph reads barometric pressure in real time while the aerovane determines wind direction and speed.
Samar said the station now only relies on a barometer which, unlike the microbarograph, has to be read hourly to get results.
Pagasa-Legazpi lacks personnel. Samar said it has only six employees and three security guards.
It also works with a monthly subsidy for operational expenses of only P1,995, excluding water, power and communication expenses.
Samar said her office always receives notices of disconnection due to unpaid bills because of the delay in processing payments from the central office.
Eduardo Laguerta, senior science research specialist of Phivolcs-Bicol, said the lack of seismic sensors around Mt. Mayon makes it hard to locate volcanic earthquakes.
He said since the government has limited resources, most equipment installed for Phivolcs-Bicol were funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
“There are only three stations bearing sensors around Mt. Mayon. If just one of these sensors does not function well, our monitoring will be greatly affected,” he said.
The location of volcanic earthquakes is important in determining signs of magma ascent inside the volcano. The lack of sensors, Laguerta said, makes it impossible to detect low-frequency earthquakes.
He said more sensors would make their findings on volcanic and seismic activities more refined.
Laguerta said there had been cases when villagers living near vital installations would steal station batteries, steel and phone lines.
He said that in places like Hawaii, there are more than enough sensors and other equipment, but people do not pilfer them.
“Here in our country, before you can even turn your back, the equipment is gone,” he said.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 04, 2008
4 nabbed in 'jueteng' den raid in Sorsogon
By Ephraim Aguilar
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 11:15:00 09/04/2008
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY -- Four persons were arrested as joint elements of the Crime Investigation and Detection Group and the municipal police raided a "jueteng" den in Sorsogon province Wednesday, police said Thursday.
The Bicol police identified those arrested as Renato Pura, 27; Antonio Españo, 30; Romulo Españo, 25; and Santos Palle, 29 of different villages in Gubat town.
Confiscated were betting money worth P1,354 in different denominations and illegal gambling paraphernalia.
Anti-gambling witness Sandra Cam attacked four Bicol governors -- Joey Salceda of Albay, Luis Raymond Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, Sally Lee of Sorsogon and Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte-linking them to the resurgence of “jueteng,” an illegal numbers game likened to lotto, in the region.
She also said in the statement published in some tabloids that governors were being protected by "high-ranking officials of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government."
She said other politicians were banking on jueteng money to fund their campaign in the 2010 elections.
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 11:15:00 09/04/2008
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY -- Four persons were arrested as joint elements of the Crime Investigation and Detection Group and the municipal police raided a "jueteng" den in Sorsogon province Wednesday, police said Thursday.
The Bicol police identified those arrested as Renato Pura, 27; Antonio Españo, 30; Romulo Españo, 25; and Santos Palle, 29 of different villages in Gubat town.
Confiscated were betting money worth P1,354 in different denominations and illegal gambling paraphernalia.
Anti-gambling witness Sandra Cam attacked four Bicol governors -- Joey Salceda of Albay, Luis Raymond Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, Sally Lee of Sorsogon and Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte-linking them to the resurgence of “jueteng,” an illegal numbers game likened to lotto, in the region.
She also said in the statement published in some tabloids that governors were being protected by "high-ranking officials of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government."
She said other politicians were banking on jueteng money to fund their campaign in the 2010 elections.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Mayon, Taal volcanoes continue to simmer--Phivolcs
By Ephraim Aguilar
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 13:40:00 09/02/2008
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines -- Mayon and Taal volcanoes in Southern Luzon are still tightly watched by state volcanologists as they continue to show signs of restiveness.
For the past 24 hours, 10 volcanic earthquakes were detected around Mt. Mayon in Albay. White steam clouds drifting towards west-southwest and crater glow at intensity 1 could be observed, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported Tuesday.
Phivolcs reminded the public to stay away from the 7-kilometer-radius extended danger zone at the volcano's southeast sector and the permanent 6-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone due to threats of sudden explosions and rock fall.
Taal Volcano in Batangas registered three weak volcanic earthquakes over the past 24 hours. The main crater area remains off-limits because steam explosions may suddenly occur.
Alert level 1 remains hoisted over both volcanoes.
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 13:40:00 09/02/2008
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines -- Mayon and Taal volcanoes in Southern Luzon are still tightly watched by state volcanologists as they continue to show signs of restiveness.
For the past 24 hours, 10 volcanic earthquakes were detected around Mt. Mayon in Albay. White steam clouds drifting towards west-southwest and crater glow at intensity 1 could be observed, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported Tuesday.
Phivolcs reminded the public to stay away from the 7-kilometer-radius extended danger zone at the volcano's southeast sector and the permanent 6-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone due to threats of sudden explosions and rock fall.
Taal Volcano in Batangas registered three weak volcanic earthquakes over the past 24 hours. The main crater area remains off-limits because steam explosions may suddenly occur.
Alert level 1 remains hoisted over both volcanoes.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Albay boy’s drawing bests 1,676 worldwide
31 August 2008 (page A17)
By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
GUINOBATAN, ALBAY—BRYLE NAPAY’S mind is etched with memories of rainy days when he would set aside his black leather shoes and wade to school on slippers as floods would rise fast in their village in Camalig town.
These memories were what inspired Bryle, now 16, to join the Shoot Nations 2008 contest, where his drawing bested 1,676 entries from all over the world.
Shoot Nations, organized by Plan International and London-based Shoot Experience, is an annual photography and drawing contest, which encourages young people to express their thoughts on global issues.
It aims to use these art forms as tools for cross-cultural, language-free communication. Entries are sent online.
This year’s theme revolved around climate change, a global menace that has prompted advocates to launch worldwide campaigns on awareness and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
But Bryle’s drawing, which he finished in just a day using paint and oil pastel, conveyed a simple message out of “a hand holding a seedling.”
It was captioned, “Reminds me that we can still do small things before it’s too late.”
A newbie in outside-the-school drawing contests, Bryle, senior high school student at the Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School here, said he never thought his drawing would win as “Best Overall Drawing” in the all-age category.
Bryle’s winning entry will be printed for exhibition at the World Youth Congress in Quebec, Canada, for the United Nations International Youth Day 2008.
It is also posted on www.shootnations.org and was exhibited at the OXO Tower Gallery in London last Aug. 12 to 17.
Bryle said his awareness of the ill-effects of environmental degradation as experienced by his community vividly showed him the impacts of a changing climate.
“Since [my] kindergarten [days], our village had always been flooded,” he recalled.
This reality, Bryle said, made him easily understand that deeds as small as littering trash have greater effects on a larger population.
He said that as thousands of young people view his drawings, he wants to send a message of unity.
“If every one would contribute in small ways and with all our efforts, we can save mother earth,” he said.
He lamented that most of the so-called “wired generation,” or those born in the advent of mobile technology, have become passive of environmental issues.
“Even if there are environmental laws and education in schools, some young people would not really care. But this can change if the youth are properly educated,” he said.
Dream
Given the chance, he said, he would love to create cartoons, whose content advocates environmental protection.
“I want to make animé about climate change so the youth will be aware of this issue,” he said.
After winning the contest, Bryle said he was motivated to learn more about environmental issues.
Because of his Shoot Nations stint, Bryle received an invitation to become a young ambassador for climate change in the YouthXchange, a international campaign initiative on sustainable consumption and production.
By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
GUINOBATAN, ALBAY—BRYLE NAPAY’S mind is etched with memories of rainy days when he would set aside his black leather shoes and wade to school on slippers as floods would rise fast in their village in Camalig town.
These memories were what inspired Bryle, now 16, to join the Shoot Nations 2008 contest, where his drawing bested 1,676 entries from all over the world.
Shoot Nations, organized by Plan International and London-based Shoot Experience, is an annual photography and drawing contest, which encourages young people to express their thoughts on global issues.
It aims to use these art forms as tools for cross-cultural, language-free communication. Entries are sent online.
This year’s theme revolved around climate change, a global menace that has prompted advocates to launch worldwide campaigns on awareness and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
But Bryle’s drawing, which he finished in just a day using paint and oil pastel, conveyed a simple message out of “a hand holding a seedling.”
It was captioned, “Reminds me that we can still do small things before it’s too late.”
A newbie in outside-the-school drawing contests, Bryle, senior high school student at the Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School here, said he never thought his drawing would win as “Best Overall Drawing” in the all-age category.
Bryle’s winning entry will be printed for exhibition at the World Youth Congress in Quebec, Canada, for the United Nations International Youth Day 2008.
It is also posted on www.shootnations.org and was exhibited at the OXO Tower Gallery in London last Aug. 12 to 17.
Bryle said his awareness of the ill-effects of environmental degradation as experienced by his community vividly showed him the impacts of a changing climate.
“Since [my] kindergarten [days], our village had always been flooded,” he recalled.
This reality, Bryle said, made him easily understand that deeds as small as littering trash have greater effects on a larger population.
He said that as thousands of young people view his drawings, he wants to send a message of unity.
“If every one would contribute in small ways and with all our efforts, we can save mother earth,” he said.
He lamented that most of the so-called “wired generation,” or those born in the advent of mobile technology, have become passive of environmental issues.
“Even if there are environmental laws and education in schools, some young people would not really care. But this can change if the youth are properly educated,” he said.
Dream
Given the chance, he said, he would love to create cartoons, whose content advocates environmental protection.
“I want to make animé about climate change so the youth will be aware of this issue,” he said.
After winning the contest, Bryle said he was motivated to learn more about environmental issues.
Because of his Shoot Nations stint, Bryle received an invitation to become a young ambassador for climate change in the YouthXchange, a international campaign initiative on sustainable consumption and production.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Gov orders police to shut down STL in Albay
22 August 2008
Across the Nation, A19
LEGAZPI CITY—ALBAY GOV. Joey Salceda wants the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to halt small-town lottery (STL) operations in the province following allegations it is being used as a cover for the illegal numbers game “jueteng.”
In a statement, Salceda said he instructed Senior Supt. Joel Baloro, Albay police director, to immediately convey to the PCSO his directive to shut down STL operations in the province.
Salceda also cited persistent media reports about the alleged underdeclaration of STL bet collections.
Baloro, in a mobile phone interview, confirmed having received a directive from Salceda but claimed no knowledge of the reasons behind it.
However, he said he believed it had something to do with the attacks made by antigambling witness Sandra Cam against four Bicol governors last week, which got published in some tabloids.
Cam accused Salceda and three other Bicol governors—Sally Lee of Sorsogon, Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte and Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur—of being responsible for the revival of jueteng in the region.
She also said these governors were being protected by “high-ranking officials of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government.”
She said other politicians were banking on jueteng money to fund their campaign in the 2010 elections.
‘Guerrilla-type’
Salceda did not address Cam’s accusation in the statement and refused to grant further interviews.
Baloro denied the existence of organized jueteng in Albay but said there could be “guerrilla-type” operations in remote villages, where people think they could not be monitored by authorities.
He added that they were validating reports that STL operations were being used as a front of jueteng.
“There are reports of ‘bookies,’ a scheme where bets below P10 are not being remitted to STL and are instead being drawn outside,” Baloro said.
He said they had arrested some people claiming to be legitimate STL bet collectors but lacked proper IDs.
Lawyer Joel Descallar, president of the Pilipinas Pacific Rim Corp. (PPRC), which mans STL operations in Albay, said they thank Salceda for recognizing it is the PCSO’s discretion to shut down STL operations.
“STL is a national project and it would take only a (national-level intervention) to stop it,” Descallar said in a mobile phone interview.
No benefits
He denied allegations that the PPRC was being used in illegal gambling.
“There is no economic benefit (if we involve in jueteng). We are the legal operators of STL. We operate in the open. We are in the mainstream. We are legitimate business people,” he said.
“Also, there are big risks. Our license could be revoked and that does not commensurate any gain if there is,” Descallar said.
Nelly Loyola, PCSO-Albay lottery operations chief, said they respected Salceda’s directive but the PSCO has yet to receive an official, black-and-white copy of it. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Across the Nation, A19
LEGAZPI CITY—ALBAY GOV. Joey Salceda wants the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to halt small-town lottery (STL) operations in the province following allegations it is being used as a cover for the illegal numbers game “jueteng.”
In a statement, Salceda said he instructed Senior Supt. Joel Baloro, Albay police director, to immediately convey to the PCSO his directive to shut down STL operations in the province.
Salceda also cited persistent media reports about the alleged underdeclaration of STL bet collections.
Baloro, in a mobile phone interview, confirmed having received a directive from Salceda but claimed no knowledge of the reasons behind it.
However, he said he believed it had something to do with the attacks made by antigambling witness Sandra Cam against four Bicol governors last week, which got published in some tabloids.
Cam accused Salceda and three other Bicol governors—Sally Lee of Sorsogon, Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte and Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur—of being responsible for the revival of jueteng in the region.
She also said these governors were being protected by “high-ranking officials of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government.”
She said other politicians were banking on jueteng money to fund their campaign in the 2010 elections.
‘Guerrilla-type’
Salceda did not address Cam’s accusation in the statement and refused to grant further interviews.
Baloro denied the existence of organized jueteng in Albay but said there could be “guerrilla-type” operations in remote villages, where people think they could not be monitored by authorities.
He added that they were validating reports that STL operations were being used as a front of jueteng.
“There are reports of ‘bookies,’ a scheme where bets below P10 are not being remitted to STL and are instead being drawn outside,” Baloro said.
He said they had arrested some people claiming to be legitimate STL bet collectors but lacked proper IDs.
Lawyer Joel Descallar, president of the Pilipinas Pacific Rim Corp. (PPRC), which mans STL operations in Albay, said they thank Salceda for recognizing it is the PCSO’s discretion to shut down STL operations.
“STL is a national project and it would take only a (national-level intervention) to stop it,” Descallar said in a mobile phone interview.
No benefits
He denied allegations that the PPRC was being used in illegal gambling.
“There is no economic benefit (if we involve in jueteng). We are the legal operators of STL. We operate in the open. We are in the mainstream. We are legitimate business people,” he said.
“Also, there are big risks. Our license could be revoked and that does not commensurate any gain if there is,” Descallar said.
Nelly Loyola, PCSO-Albay lottery operations chief, said they respected Salceda’s directive but the PSCO has yet to receive an official, black-and-white copy of it. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Monday, August 18, 2008
Another aftershock rocks Bicol
By Ephraim Aguilar
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 13:23:00 08/18/2008
Inquirer.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines--Another aftershock rocked areas of the Bicol region early Monday morning, following Friday evening’s earthquake and the first aftershock on Sunday afternoon.
The 5.2-magnitude earthquake, at 4:46 a.m., was felt at Intensity 4 in Virac, Catanduanes, Intensity 3 in Sorsogon City and Legazpi City, and Intensity 2 at the Mayon Volcano Observatory on Ligñon Hill in Daraga, Albay, reports from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
State seismologists plotted the earthquake at around 34 kilometers north and 69 degrees east of Sorsogon province.
On Friday, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit Albay, Sorsogon, and Camarines Sur provinces and was felt strongest in Legazpi City at Intensity 6.
An aftershock was also felt 2:28 p.m. Sunday in Sorsogon and Albay provinces.
Alex Baloloy, senior science research analyst of Phivolcs-Bicol explained that the earthquakes were tectonic in origin.
Magnitude measures the seismic energy unleashed by the earthquake. An earthquake with a magnitude 5.1 is moderate, while that with a magnitude 3.9 or 3.2 is considered minor.
Intensity describes the strength of the quake based on observable effects on the ground.
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 13:23:00 08/18/2008
Inquirer.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines--Another aftershock rocked areas of the Bicol region early Monday morning, following Friday evening’s earthquake and the first aftershock on Sunday afternoon.
The 5.2-magnitude earthquake, at 4:46 a.m., was felt at Intensity 4 in Virac, Catanduanes, Intensity 3 in Sorsogon City and Legazpi City, and Intensity 2 at the Mayon Volcano Observatory on Ligñon Hill in Daraga, Albay, reports from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
State seismologists plotted the earthquake at around 34 kilometers north and 69 degrees east of Sorsogon province.
On Friday, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit Albay, Sorsogon, and Camarines Sur provinces and was felt strongest in Legazpi City at Intensity 6.
An aftershock was also felt 2:28 p.m. Sunday in Sorsogon and Albay provinces.
Alex Baloloy, senior science research analyst of Phivolcs-Bicol explained that the earthquakes were tectonic in origin.
Magnitude measures the seismic energy unleashed by the earthquake. An earthquake with a magnitude 5.1 is moderate, while that with a magnitude 3.9 or 3.2 is considered minor.
Intensity describes the strength of the quake based on observable effects on the ground.
Quake jolts Bicol areas
16 August 2008
LEGAZPI CITY—A 5.1-MAGNITUDE EARTHquake strong enough to prompt people to go out of their houses rocked Albay, Sorsogon, and Camarines Sur provinces, at 6:25 p.m. yesterday.
The earthquake’s epicenter was plotted 42 km. north and 69 degrees east of Sorsogon province, said a report from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in Manila.
Intensity 6 was recorded in Legazpi City; 5 in Sorsogon City and Irosin, Sorsogon; and 3 in Naga City and Bulan, Sorsogon.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said he was not expecting damage but there could be aftershocks. He advised people to be alert.
He added that the earthquake was not strong enough to cause sea level rise but warned coastal villagers to be watchful.
The earthquake was of tectonic origin and not related to the increased abnormal behavior of Mayon Volcano, which spewed a 200-meter-high ash column Sunday. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
LEGAZPI CITY—A 5.1-MAGNITUDE EARTHquake strong enough to prompt people to go out of their houses rocked Albay, Sorsogon, and Camarines Sur provinces, at 6:25 p.m. yesterday.
The earthquake’s epicenter was plotted 42 km. north and 69 degrees east of Sorsogon province, said a report from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in Manila.
Intensity 6 was recorded in Legazpi City; 5 in Sorsogon City and Irosin, Sorsogon; and 3 in Naga City and Bulan, Sorsogon.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said he was not expecting damage but there could be aftershocks. He advised people to be alert.
He added that the earthquake was not strong enough to cause sea level rise but warned coastal villagers to be watchful.
The earthquake was of tectonic origin and not related to the increased abnormal behavior of Mayon Volcano, which spewed a 200-meter-high ash column Sunday. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
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