“Malacañang wants the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to issue its position on the land dispute involving farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon by the time the farmers reach Metro Manila next week, at the end of a month-long march from Mindanao.”
“DAR knows the marchers are coming in next week so they better act on it and better prepare for it,” he (presumably Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita) told reporters on Wednesday”.
Malacañang has granted the appeal of the Sumilao farmers to have the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) hear their petition to stop the conversion of their former farmland. Read the rest of the report here.
I checked on the MindaNews website yesterday and found a familiar image.
Its a big surprise to meet Nanay Julia Cacay or Nanay Juling to those who met her, on the internet.
I had opportunities talking to Nanay Juling in my visits to Dalwangan along the highway in the more rural part of Malaybalay City. She is a woman of wisdom.
She is a member of the Council of Elders of the Bukidnon tribe in Dalwangan, Malaybalay City. A traditional midwife and healer, she is known as Bae Mangunguyag. The name means a person with an extraordinary gift of healing.
MALAYBALAY CITY — The local handicraft industry is losing business due to scarce supply of abaca, Bernadette Valdez, onwer of Malaybalay’s renowned Valdez Native Handicraft, said.
Although the demand for the products had been increasing, supply of woven abaca is going down, she said.
Her business, which started as a home-based cottage industry in the late 1980’s, is losing around P100,000 sales a month because of the supply problem, Valdez said.
“I have to turn down some of the orders because I don’t want to commit when I cannot deliver because I know the supply can’t catch up,” she said. The Department of Education in Bukidnon, for instance, ordered around 1,800 conference kits made of abaca but “I only accepted 800 pieces.” Read the rest of the report on MindaNews.com.
I chanced upon this nine-minute AVP (audio-visual presentation) of an observatory of the Philippine Eagle in Cinchona Forest Reserve Kaatuan,Lantapan, Bukidnon.
I think this is an interesting subject, the Philippine Eagle being a symbol of efforts to conserve, preserve and protect nature and the environment. Read the rest of this entry »
Ten years after their famous hunger strike in 1997, the militant Sumilao Farmers are back on the streets, this time, in a “march for land” from Bukidnon to Manila.
As of the November 7 (Day 29) update from Balaod Mindanao, the farmers are reportedly in Calbayog, Samar.
The Sumilao farmers started the march on October 10 from Impasug-ong municipality to Cagayan de Oro, 56 kilometers away, then walked across Northern Mindanao to Surigao City, take the ferry across Visayas and hike towards Manila, according to Raul Socrates Banzuela, national coordinator of the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA) in this initial report on MindaNews.com.
Starting this year, Jollibee’s restaurant in Valencia City has opened its doors for 24 hours. This should be the first round the clock presentable food house in Bukidnon.
I have heard the service is not exactly 24/7. One night in September, I remembered passing by the restaurant around 1a.m. and I though it looked closed. Anyway, I will verify.
I have experienced dropping by, however, at 4a.m. after a tiresome six-hour drive from Davao City in my friend’s 10-wheeler truck. They did not fail me, as the store was open.
I sipped a tasty cup of brewed coffee just to try their 24-hour offering.
I knew of course that coffee is available for about a fourth of the price from the “pamainit” tents that lined the highway. I often go there. But this time, I picked the Jollibee promise.
Of course, from time to time we have to test Bukidnon’s transformation(s).
A typical middle size farm scene in the town of Wao in Lanao del Sur province along the western side of Bukidnon. The border town in Bukidnon side is Kalilangan. MindaNews photo
The Road House Cafe, along the national highway in Valencia City, Bukidnon is now a franchised business in SM City malls in Mindanao.
The restaurant offers a fusion of Asian and Western cuisine. After successful runs in Cagayan de Oro and Valencia, Bukidnon, Roadhouse Cafe brings to SM City Davao its good food and service.
The ambiance is of course homey, country-like and a unique experience. Now this is really a pride of Bukidnon.
The website, www.bukidnon.gov.ph is online. Yes, its been there since 2003 or 2004.
But what ’s happening to this official website of the Province of Bukidnon? An announcement in its homepage says “Website is under construction.” It has been like that for more than two years, if I am not mistaken.
There could only be two possibilities: either it has been neglected or they have a router to a new and probably better website. But where is it?
In 2002, the Department of Interior and Local Government issued memorandum circular no. 2002-91 outlining the requirement for LGUs to put up their websites. The government provided its “.ph” portal for the purpose.
We hope to see the province’s website back on line.
There’s a lot of talk about rich gold deposits in Pantaron Mountain Range in San Fernando, Bukidnon. All these gold panning stuff we hear from treasure hunters tickled our imagination over the years.
This time, however, it has become official. The government started to include Bukidnon’s mining potentials in its marketing presentations to foreign investors.
In this MindaNews report, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau cited mining potentials in Bukidnon and even included a project “already in the pipeline” in Libona, a town in northern Bukidnon.
At a glimpse, it sounds interesting. We could see investments in this news coming as when resources are tapped well and people have job opportunities development could just be around the corner.
But are the people ready to discuss the hard facts on ushering in mining operations into their communities? Read the rest of this entry »
