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THE COUNTRY’S oldest miner, Benguet Corp., has transferred the Mineral Processing Permit (MPP) for the Balatoc Tailings Project to wholly owned subsidiary Balatoc Gold Resources Corp.

In a disclosure, the listed miner said it had signed a Deed of Assignment transferring the MPP to Balatoc Gold Resources.

The MPP, which allows mineral processing and related activities, was approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and issued to Benguet Corp. last June 29.

The Balatoc Tailings Project involves reprocessing of impounded mill tailings or wastes at Benguet Corp.’s Acupan mine, for the recovery of residual gold.

Balatoc Gold Resources was formed to implement the project, Benguet Corp. said last June 29. – Kathleen A. Martin

By DEXTER A. SEE

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — The Board of Regents of the Benguet State University (BSU) here has approved the segregation and grant of a two-hectare site for a P500-million multi-faceted modern trading post for local vegetables.

The technical working group headed by the Office of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala is now in the process of drawing up the technical plan for the facility geared towards giving the local vegetable industry a competitive edge in the market.

After the completion of the plan, an agreement will be drawn up between the Department of Agriculture (DA), the BSU, the local governments of La Trinidad and Benguet, and the association of farmers for the realistic implementation of the plan to increase the viability of locally grown vegetables.

The target is for its implementation within the first 100 days of the term of President Benigno S. Aquino III to help restore the vibrancy of the lucrative vegetable industry.
Under the proposal, the trading post forms part of a network of trading centers nationwide that the Aquino administration intends to set up as appropriate support to agricultural development, especially in identified agriculture-based local governments like in Benguet, which has been described as the Salad Bowl of the Philippines being the major source of vegetables being distributed nationwide.

Furthermore, the multi-million trading facility will be strictly for trading purposes and will include quality control laboratory and a pre-processing facility among its major components.

At the same time, it shall also be used as a laboratory for students relative to courses that are connected with agriculture.

Several groups of farmers in the province welcomed the proposed establishment of a new trading post in the province, saying that it has come at a time when it is needed most since the farmer population in the province has been rapidly increasing and the existing trading post could no longer meet their needs.

The proposed trading post will be capable of hosting at least 150 vegetable trucks at any given time.

Rizal, Kalinga (7 September) — In efforts to reach out to more beneficiaries, the local government unit (LGU) of Rizal is willing to provide counterpart for implementation of Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Program (ARISP-III) projects.

Mayor Marcelo dela Cruz assured the validating team that the LGU is willing to meet half-way in order to push through with the projects such as the concreting of the eight kilometer Macutay-San Quintin-Liwan East farm-to-market road (FMR) and the construction of a Communal Irrigation Project (CIP).

The Japan for International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program of the Department of Agrarian Reform is providing a grant of P32 million for the ARISP projects.

The LGU added the improvement of the Baggas and Bulo FMRs at its own expense.

“For the great benefits the populace will get from the CARP projects, the LGU has to give in return so that the maximum benefits will spread out to the beneficiaries,” dela Cruz.

Other ARISP’s component projects is the provision of post harvest facilities, cooperative and agriculture development and the construction of the CIP that will irrigate a total service area of 320 hectares in Bulbul, Macutay and San Quintin.

Kalinga-DAR Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer Agustina Duyan said the all-titled service area makes the project highly visible with a variety of products to be raised. It has high impact on the farmers since the area is also a corn production area, she added.

According to Duyan, the Japanese consultant who joined in the final validation of the project was impressed on the sites, sights and the people. “This is the kind of place we want to help since the LGU leaders are supportive, the land is productive and the IRR and return of investment are sure,” Duyan quoted the Japanese as saying. (PIA Kalinga)

by Larry Lopez

Tabuk, Kalinga (3 September) — Joining the multi-sectoral fight against dengue, some barangays in the province allotted their food-for-work appropriation for the clearing of canals and water passages to eradicate possible breeding places of mosquitoes.

Imelda Polig, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Cordillera Regional Representative to Kalinga, said many barangays of this town and in Balbalan municipality utilized their food-for-work allocation for the cleaning of breeding places of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

Polig said the DSWD program committee approved this move by the recipient barangays because of the upsurge in dengue cases in the province that reached 740 in August. Most of the cases were recorded in Tabuk.

The food-for-work is an alternative program intended for typhoon victims by providing them food stuff instead of cash payment for their community labor.

A worker is entitled to 10 kilos of rice per day of work on the rehabilitation and repair of public facilities damaged by typhoons like schools, rural health centers, day care centers, hospitals, communal irrigation systems, farm-market-roads, de-clogging of canals and similar works.

Kalinga is one of the beneficiary areas under the United Nation’s World Food Program. (PIA-Kalinga)

September 1, 2010, 6:07pm

BONTOC, Mountain Province — The improvement and development of various road networks in the different parts of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) so that they will be built in accordance with international quality and safety standards will be one of the major priorities of the Aquino administration, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson said Wednesday.

Singson was in Baguio City as the guest of honor and speaker during the 101st Baguio Charter anniversary program held at the Baguio Convention Center where thousands of local residents and tourists participated in an hour-long civic-military parade after the ceremony.

According to Singson, tourism development is anchored on infrastructure development, thus, the need for the national government to prioritize the improvement and development of roads that will improve accessibility to the countryside.

Among the priority projects outlined by Singson in his speech before Cordillerans include the completion of the 21-kilometer Baguio circumferential road, the optimum solution to the flooding of the City Camp Lagoon, the improvement and rehabilitation of roads linking the Cordillera to the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions.

Singson clarified the 19 Japan International Coordinating Agency-funded projects that were earlier suspended by the agency were not actually cancelled but they will be implemented in the coming months after the completion of transparent bidding procedures to ensure that there will be no problems to be encountered in relation to the award and implementation of the said works. (Dexter A. See)

by Ed Biado

The country’s summer capital, Baguio City, is a favorite destination during the warm months because it doesn’t get as hot as the rest of the country. It’s also a great place to be during the cooler months if you want to experience the cold. Right now, it’s between 15 and 24 degrees Celsius. It can dip as low as seven degrees in December and January. In Baguio, it’s all about enjoying the scenery and taking it all in. Here are some of the best places to do just that:

1. The strawberry farms – Take lots of pictures while picking and munching on strawberries at the fields. Just a jeepney ride from city center, the farms are open to the public and the strawberries there are cheaper than the ones in the markets.

2. Camp John Hay – What used to be an American military facility when the Philippines was under US control, John Hay was used by US personnel for their R&R. Today, it’s essentially a resort with its own golf course and campsite.

3. Burnham Park – Named after the city’s designer, the park an important Baguio landmark and a must-go-to place. There’s a small man-made lake where visitors can pick up the oars and go rowing. A lot of outdoor activities also take place in the area, so watch out for concerts and other events.

4. Mines View Park – Some say this is the most popular sightseeing attraction in the city. It provides a panoramic view of the Benguet mountain range at the observation deck. On the way up, there are snack and souvenir shops all around.

5. Session Road – Perhaps the greatest thing about Session Road is that it reflects that Baguio is indeed a city. It’s a dense strip of everything cosmopolitan that can get really busy depending on the time of day. The top end of the road leads to the iconic Baguio Cathedral. Near the lower end is the public market. Get everything from the famous Tantamco’s peanut brittle to brooms and native products like woodcarving and blankets at the market, where all the great deals are. And also check out the best ukay-ukay in the country.

6. The Mansion – The official Baguio residence of the President of the Republic, the Mansion has a garden area that’s a staple in any picture-taking session.

7. Wright Park – Horseback riding is what this park is known for. A trip to Baguio is incomplete without taking a picture of yourself beside or on a horse. The park is also where the rectangular Pool by the Pines is, another good photography spot.

8. Philippine Military Academy – One of the country’s premier military schools, PMA is also a favorite tourist attraction. There, you can get a glimpse of how military training is while basking in the fantastic view.

9. Asin Hot Springs – Under the mountains 16 kilometers from Baguio City proper, the hot springs, a phenomenon made possible by the presence of sulfur in the water, can be enjoyed through a resort with a vast swimming pool. It is ideal to take a relaxing dip there when it gets too cold.

10. Tam-Awan Village – Have a cup of authentic Igorot coffee at this village while examining the native huts on stilts. To get there, one has to trek up hills and climb narrow ladders, which makes for a great exercise. The main hut serves as the information center and souvenir shop. Tam-Awan Village is located along Tacay Road near La Trinidad.

By Caroline J. Howard, ANC

MANILA, Philippines – Indigenous peoples are urging the Aquino administration to put an end to the marginalization of indigenous communities.

Thirteen years after the passage of the law protecting the rights of indigenous peoples (IPs) in the Philippines, many of them remain mired in poverty, lacking access to basic health and education. They lament the loss of their ancestral lands, the passing of their traditional practices, and how some of them have fallen victim to extra-judicial killings.

Last Monday, around 200 IP representatives marked Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

In an interview with ANC’s The Rundown, Jill Cariño, convenor of the Philippine Task Force for Indigenous Peoples Rights, says they came up with an agenda which they want the Aquino administration to address.

The battle over ancestral land

Foremost on the list: the rights of IPs to their ancestral land.

Cariño admits such goals remain unmet despite the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) and the application for certificate of ancestral land and ancestral domain titles.

“Many have been complaining that 13 years after the IP Rights Act was passed, they still don’t have proof they have legal rights to the land, despite using the land since time immemorial as basis for their survival,” Cariño notes.

Cariño is a fourth generation descendant of Ibaloi Chieftain Mateo Cariño, who fought for land ownership during the American Period. Her great grandfather filed a case for the recognition of their right to land, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. As a result, they were able to acquire the doctrine of native title, which recognizes that they owned the land before the colonizers came.

Since then, she notes, even indigenous Indians have come to use the doctrine, while other indigenous people in Australia have used their case as precedent for the government to recognize the land as private property and not belonging to the colonizers.

But, Cariño laments, the effort has not gone far on the home front.

“The case of our family was won in 1909, but until today, the land that is the subject of the case has not been given to our family.”

Cariño notes a seeming conflict between the concepts of indigenous people on land and natural resources as something passed on through generations, and how the state uses titles to determine land ownership.

In the Cordillera region alone, Cariño says, much of their ancestral land has been taken over by private, government or business ventures.

“The total area of the Cordillera region is 1.8 million hectares. As of now, mining companies have filed claims for over 1.2 million hectares, which is more than 60% of the total land area of the region. This is the ancestral land of the Igorots. This is just an indication of how much of the land is being taken over.”

Pursuing peace

Cariño says peace talks is another point in their agenda, adding the IPs who were not recognized as an official party in the talks, hoped to have an appropriate mechanism through which they could be heard after the botched Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) during the Arroyo administration. The MOA-AD held up the peace agreement.

“The IPs in Mindanao or Lumads would want to be heard in the GRP-MILF [Government of the Republic of the Philippines-Moro Islamic Liberation Front] peace talks because the area that would be included in the MOA-AD covers ancestral domains of indigenous peoples,” she says.

“They are not an official party, so while they may have treaties in indigenous communities and are recognized in the Bangsamoro area, this has not been officially recognized in the talks.”

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says there are over 14 million to 17 million IPs in the country, majority of whom live in the southern Philippines where, the IPs say, they do not have sufficient participation in peace talks.

THE NCIP role

Cariño laments the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), the government agency tasked to implement and regulate the law of IP rights under the Office of the President, falls short of meeting its mandate.

“Since the NCIP was set up, it seems it does not work for the interest of IPs as it is mandated to do. Rather, experience has shown, the NCIP has facilitated the encroachment of mining companies or other private interests into the indigenous territories.”

We’ve been talking about the song, Nan Layad Nan Likhatan, in our other blog [here and here] but we haven’t uploaded any video performance of the song. Good thing the Pe’tune Band have this video which they recorded during their performance at the Baguio Convention Center. Good job, guys.

We will upload a more soulful version of the song when we find one.

Cross-posted at From the Boondocks.

Mapapa-wow ka sa ganda ng kantang ito. I think it typifies the kind of songs we love in the Cordilleras — smooth, kind of quiet (or walang vocal theatricals), and meaningful.

Jun Utleg used to be a member of Binhi, the Baguio band known for that hauntingly beautiful song, “Ang Bata”. I remember hearing “Ang Bata” performed in one of Baguio’s bars, was haunted by it, and went back the following night to buy a copy of the band’s record. I can imagine myself doing that for this song, “Igorota”.

Fellow bloggers: Let’s help promote this song. I-blog na rin ninyo sa inyong blog hehe.

VIDEO CREDIT: Jun Utleg