Let's Adventure to Mindoro!

The wedding month is approaching and for couples who ran out of ideas how to make that special day truly exciting and memorable, Cocobeach offers that unique setting.

Ive been there myself several times because I just really love the place and the warm reception from the staff.


Share

Share

Candidates for the Miss Philippines-Earth pageant have invaded Calapan, Mindoro on Friday for their long gown competition and first elimination round.

Of the 48 hopefuls for the Miss Philippines-Earth title, 10 will be eliminated after the formal gown showdown at the Calapan Gym.

Meanwhile, the candidates took part in the town’s Santacruzan watched by more than 20,000 people who lined the parade route.

The beauty pageant participants then went straight to Sto. Niño Church and Holy Infant Academy, where ABS-CBN President Charo Santos studied high school and graduated as valedictorian.

They then went to the town's coastal barangays to plant mangrove trees.

This is part of the pageant’s advocacy to take care of the environment.

The Miss Earth beauties also took time to see the natural wonder of Caluwagan Lake created by the earthquake that struck Mindoro in 1994.

After Friday’s tour around the town and the long gown competition, eliminations for the pageant will be held every week until the top 10 finalists are chosen.

Coronation night for Miss Philippines-Earth will be held on June 5 in Puerto Princesa.

Aside from Mindoro, the beauty queen hopefuls are also set to visit the provinces of Ilocos, Rizal, Quezon and other towns where the Miss Earth beauties came from.

Miss Philippines-Earth is the second beauty pageant which ABS-CBN supports after Binibining Pilipinas. - With reports from Ginger Conejero, ABS-CBN News; and ANC


Share

Residents of Oriental Mindoro province would have better access to health care with the opening Friday of the new provincial hospital, the Oriental Mindoro Medical Center, in this city.

Governor Alfonso V. Umali Jr. said the province could now offer better health service to its people with the opening of the 200-bed facility in Barangay Sta. Isabel.

The hospital, built for P200 million, was mainly funded by a European grant with counterparts from both the local and national governments, said Umali.

The Department of Health recently approved P232 million for the completion of all satellite hospitals in Oriental Mindoro located in the towns of Pinamalayan, Bulalacao, Roxas, Naujan, Mansalay, and Puerto Galera; the rural health unit in Socorro; as well as its counterpart fund in the construction of the Oriental Mindoro Medical Center.

The establishment of a new provincial hospital in Oriental Mindoro was part of the Health Sector Development Program of the national government, which was launched in 16 pilot provinces in the country, according to a statement released by the provincial information office here.


Share

Kabayanihan Foundation (KF) founder and chairman emeritus Alex Lacson was the guest of honor at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new classroom for the Daan Elementary School in Brgy. Villareal in Socorro, Oriental Mindoro, donated in memory of barangay chairman So King Hui and initiated by the KF.

Kabayani Gerardo Gamez grew up in this barangay and he experienced firsthand the difficulty of not having enough classrooms for students. When he was in grade five, he remembered sharing the same classroom with other grade levels and studying while rain waters flooded the room. As part of the advocacy on education and community development of KF, he decided to help give back to the community by helping them build a classroom.

The turnover ceremony began with a performance of the Socorro Hymn and the Mindoro March by grades 4 and 5 students. The school principal Merlene Fabregas and district supervisor Celestina Patulot thanked the donors, saying they hope that more individuals and organizations will take interest in helping schools provide the facilities the students need.

A donation from Robert So of Ecotech Systems Inc. helped build the classroom structure while the Alpha Kappa Rho Alumni Council provided the tables and chairs for the students. Other donors helped complete the classroom painting and provided other amenities.

In the spirit of true bayanihan, parents and students worked together to build the classroom before the next school year begins this June.

Lacson shared his own experience as a student coming from a provincial elementary school. Although it can be difficult, he pointed out that the experience molded him into the man he is today.

“There are a lot of great leaders and successful men and women who studied in schools similar to Daan Elementary,” he said. “I hope that the next great businessmen, leaders or even the next president would come from the classroom that we’ve built here.”

Kabayanihan Foundation believes that every Filipino is a kabayani – isang kabayan na isa ring bayani (a fellowman/woman who is also a hero).

In response to the shortage of almost 152,000 classrooms reported by the Department of Education, KF hopes to bring together individual and group donors with the goal of building more classrooms around the country.

For more information, visit www.kabayanihan.org or email info@kabayanihan.org


Share

The Department of Health (DOH) released a total of P232 million allocation to beef up the funds needed for the completion of all satellite hospitals in Oriental Mindoro.

The funds also included the completion of the newly-constructed Oriental Mindoro Medical Center here, according to DOH Secretary Enrique T. Ona,

Ona ordered the release of the funds to boost the condition of public hospitals in the area following his visit to the island-province recently.

The DOH secretary announced the national government’s fund assistance as part of President Benigno Aquino III’s commitment to increase the level of health services in the entire country.

Accompanied by Governor Alfonso V. Umali Jr., Provincial Health Officer Normando Legaspi and Provincial Administrator Angel Saulong, Ona not only made rounds of all hospitals here but also in other satellite public hospitals outside Calapan.


Share

SUNG BY: MEL ANTHONY I. ATIENZA
MUSIC & ARRANGED BY: ROMMEL ATIENZA
LYRICS BY: BEVERLY NARTEA-AGUILA

Produced by the Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro
thru the Provincial Information Office


Share

THE Sandiganbayan anti-graft court has ordered Oriental Mindoro Gov. Alfonso Umali Jr. suspended for 90 days over a graft charge filed against him in 2004 claiming that he illegally released a P2.5-million loan to a private shipowner.

The court’s Fourth Division rejected Umali’s argument that he no longer could influence the investigation because the prosecutors had finished presenting evidence against him.

The court said suspension was mandatory in such cases, and it was meant to prevent public officials accused of corruption “from committing further acts of malfeasance while in office.

“The presumption is that, unless the accused is suspended, he may frustrate his prosecution or commit further acts of malfeasance or do both,” the court said.

Umali was accused of disbursing the loan when he was the provincial administrator. His co-accused were Oriental Mindoro Rep. Rodolfo Valencia, who was governor at the time, and then provincial board members Jose Leynes and Jose Enriquez and former Vice Gov. Pedrito Reyes.

Alfredo Atienza, the owner of the passenger vessel MV Ace, and who received the loan, was included in the suit.

The anti-graft court suspended all the accused on Sept. 9, 2008, after it rejected their arguments. It sentenced each of them to six to 10 years in jail and barred them from holding public office.

The court sustained the prosecution’s findings that the accused had acted in bad faith in lending Atienza P2.5 million from provincial funds to finance the repair, operation and maintenance of his ship.

Valencia had admitted he released the loan to help Atienza repair and maintain his roll-on, roll-off vessel, which he said the province had used in its recovery efforts in the aftermath of four strong typhoons that hit the province in 1993.

The defendants have appealed the decision.


Share

Over a thousand families have been affected by floods which hit 13 barangays in Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro on Friday.

Mayor Angie Casubuan said several of these barangays were inundated in man-deep waters.

The flooding started when waters overflowed from a watershed in the mountains of Naujan. It coincided with the high tide when the sea water level rose 1.9 meters in Barangay San Antonio.

Thirty families have left their homes for evacuation centers in barangays Santiago and San Carlos. Naujan’s gymnasium has also been opened to accommodate other evacuees.

Rescue operations by the military and police, meanwhile, were still ongoing, as of press time.

Some families, however, opted to remain in their homes. From a report by Sarita Kare, ABS-CBN Batangas

Share

Oriental Mindoro is stepping up efforts to protect its already fragile marine resources against abuse by “irresponsible and illegal users,” the provincial governor said.

The thrust of the provincial government is “towards the construction and promotion of policies and programs which will set forth the conservation of our marine biodiversity and enhancement of its resources,” Governor Alfonso Umali Jr. said.

Umali vowed to support the initiatives of nongovernment organizations, in partnership with the local government and line agencies, in guarding the province’s 20 marine protected areas (MPAs), including a mangrove forest reserve and a marine turtle sanctuary.

“By doing so, we are certain that our fragile and diminishing resources in coastal and marine areas of our territories will not be exacerbated and abused by irresponsible and illegal users of our marine life,” the former Oriental Mindoro Second District representative said.

The Oriental Mindoro Marine Protected Area and Law Enforcement Network was established last year to coordinate marine conservation efforts among the province’s coastal municipalities. Currently, the network is composed of 12 municipalities and one city.

In partnership with Conservation International-Philippines, the network conducts resource management assessments and surveys to establish new MPAs and correct the boundaries of existing areas for improved management.

CI-Philippines said other activities include the operational planning for Bantay Dagat members, participatory development of MPA management plans, communication campaigns and formulation of relevant marine protection laws.

Romeo Trono, country executive director of CI-Philippines, said, “We are very pleased with the progress of our partnership so far with Oriental Mindoro, and are glad to know that the local government fully recognizes the importance of MPAs and the effective enforcement of fishery and conservation laws.”

“It is also equally important to point out another recent milestone—the first joint meeting of the MPA networks of Oriental Mindoro and Batangas, which happened last May,” Trono said, adding that the meeting was attended by members and officers of the two networks who discussed relevant concerns and areas for collaboration.

“It is a very promising development for the conservation of the Verde Island Passage,” he said.

Verde Island Passage covers more than 1.14 million hectares between the provinces of Batangas, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon. It is among the four priority marine biodiversity corridors of the Sulu Sulawesi Seascape, one of the world’s most diverse and productive ecosystems. The Verde Passage Corridor contains more than half of the Philippines’ documented fish species as well as many globally threatened species.

Ely H. Vargas, municipal agriculturist of Naujan, said that the MPA and Law Enforcement Network are useful tools for easy facilitation and implementation of programs and projects on marine resource protection.

“Through the network, linkaging and close coordination between and among MPA managers are strengthened, and vigilance and access to information among Bantay Dagat members are intensified,” he said.

CI-Philippines cited the successful rescue of a stranded dolphin in San Teodoro as a fruit of increased collaboration among stakeholders. The rescue was carried out through the combined efforts of the municipal Bantay Dagat and Fishery Management Office, with technical guidance from the Provincial Agriculture Office’s Fishery and Coastal Resource Management Division.

Aside from technical assistance in resource assessments and MPA establishment, CI-Philippines said it provides logistics support for enforcement, including patrol boats, searchlights, global positioning system (GPS) units, cameras, life vests, megaphones and binoculars.

Trono said these will be distributed to the network members to beef up the capacities of their respective Bantay Dagat groups.

Share

Ormin Power, Inc. LISTED JOLLIVILLE Holdings Corp. will build a 10 megawatt (MW) hydroelectric power plant in Mindoro through subsidiary Ormin Power, Inc.

In a statement Friday, Jolliville said mini-hydropower plant will harness the Inabasan River and benefit the municipality of San Teodoro in Oriental Mindoro province.

The power plant is estimated to cost P1.5 million and is expected to be operational by 2012.

Ormin Power is also constructing an 8-MW diesel power plant in Sta. Isabel, Oriental Mindoro which costs around P380 million and will be operational by 2011.

Jolliville recently increased its stake in Ormin Power to 60% from 46.8%

For the nine month period ending September, Jolliville posted a net income of P46.7 million.

It has interests in leasing, management services, property development and local water works.

Share

The wonderful and educational expriences situated at Brgy. Little Tanauan. Visit an orchards and vegetable gardens. Watch the harvester at work or bring home as basketful of your favorite fresh fruits and vegetables.

Share

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines—The most modern public market in the Mimaropa region is set to open here but some lease holders are already selling their units ahead of the December 8 launch.

Some stall owners were selling their lease rights at a high price, the Calapan City Information office said in a statement.

Mayor Paulino Salvador “Doy” Leachon stressed that vendors could not sell their leased units.

“Vendors have no right to sell those stalls because this market is owned by the city government,” said Leachon, also the chairman of the League of Cities of the Philippines.

The Calapan City Public Market is currently the most modern public market in Region IV-B, composed of the island provinces of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.

The two-story building, equipped with an elevator and an escalator, houses stalls for dry goods on the ground floor and the wet section on the second floor.

All stalls on the ground floor have been occupied while awarding of rights for the second floor is ongoing, the city government said.

Meat vendors have been sent and invitation to lease but no one has signified interest so far, it added.

Share

This elderly Mangyan from the Alangan tribe in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro may be too old to study. But hundreds of young indigenous peoples all over Mindoro island are aspiring to be educated. They want to preserve their culture passed from generations to generations but at the same time they desire to go beyond the basics of reading and writing.

But there’s little room for them in the past. And they still suffer from discrimination, sometimes from the very people who illegally claimed their ancestral lands.

Theirs is an almost forgotten group of indigenous peoples. 8 tribes in the island. 100 000 people. All of them aspiring to be educated just like any other Filipino in the country.

Sa lunes, sa The Correspondents, kamustahin natin ang mga Mangyan ng Mindoro at ang Tugdaan – ang paaralan ng mga Mangyan, para sa mga Mangyan.

Share

Share

ORIENTAL Mindoro will have another tourism haven aside from Puerto Galera with the development of Polakay Island through a P300-million resort project to be undertaken by Ibayo Island Resort Corp. (IIRC) and the local government of Palo.

The project, to be known as the Polakay Island & Adventure Resort on Kabilang Ibayo Island, also known as Polakay Island, already broke ground last week and is targeted for completion in three years.

IIRC signed a foreshore lease agreement and joint-venture deal with the municipality of Pola to pave the way for the development of Polakay. It is being positioned as an ecotourism haven for both foreign and local tourists and will be an alternative destination to the already-popular Puerto Galera.


“Polakay Island & Adventure Resort is envisioned to be an ecotourism resort highlighting the natural wonders of Kabilang Ibayo Island, including its rich biodiversity,” Roderick A. Ongcarrenceja, IIRC president, said in a statement.

Ongcarranceja said that for its initial phase of development, Polakay Island & Adventure Resort will have hotels, villas and clustered cottages totaling 132 rooms for a capacity of 300 guests. The island resort will be positioned as an alternate tourist destination to Puerto Galera.

Civil works started in 2004 when Pola Mayor Alex Aranas allocated P30 million for the construction of a bridge connecting Kabilang Ibayo Island to the mainland of Pola, a fourth-class coastal town with fishing as the main livelihood of its 31,000 residents.

On Feb. 14, 2006, President Arroyo proclaimed a certain portion of Kabilang Ibayo Island as an ecotourism park by virtue of Proclamation 1002. This island boasts of more than 3 kilometers of beachfront and 400 hectares of mangroves, which is home to fireflies and a wide variety of fauna.

Share

MANILA, Philippines - Armed men torched P30,000 worth of campaign materials of a congressional bet in Mindoro province, police said Wednesday.

Senior Superintendent Sonny Ricablanca, Oriental Mindoro provincial police chief, said at least 10 armed men blocked a campaign truck of incumbent Pola Mayor Alex Aranas along the provincial road in Barangay Dulangan, Baco town.

Ricablanca said the armed men took all the campaign materials, including DVD players and Aranas's campaign posters, from the truck and burned them.

He said that according to Aranas's supporters, the armed men said they are members of the New People's Army (NPA).

He said the armed men also looked for Aranas and told his supporters that they burned the campaign materials for the candidates' refusal to pay campaign fee to the Communist movement.

Aranas, however, told radio dzMM that the harassment was politically motivated. He said he believes the gunmen are not NPA members.

The mayor has been abducted by the rebels twice in 2004 and 2007 for allegedly refusing to give in to the rebels' extortion demands. -- Report from Noel Alamar, radio dzMM

Share

LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines – Top official of the military’s Southern Luzon Command based here in Camp Nakar did not discount the possibility that Army troopers committed tactical mistakes when they ran into a fortified camp of New People's Army rebels in Oriental Mindoro that resulted in the deaths of 11 soldiers Saturday morning.

“If our troops committed some tactical blunders, we are also investigating so that we could pinpoint responsibilities and prevent more blunders in the future,” Lieutenant General Roland Detabali, said in a phone interview Sunday.

He said the loss of lives in Oriental Mindoro would only strengthen the resolve of the government to win the war against the communist insurgency.

“Rest assure that we will strive harder, double our efforts and sacrifice if need be to do what we are mandated to do (to defeat the enemy),” Detabali said.

The military said the soldiers were conducting “clearing operations" through security patrols in preparation for the upcoming campaign period for local government officials on March 26 when the ambush happened.

According to Detabali, the rebels who staged the attack were reinforced by communist guerillas from nearby Romblon Island.

“I believed all NPAs from Romblon retreated to Mindoro to reinforce the Island, particularly when the STPRC (Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines) was located there during the capture of Buan (Army Major Noel Buan),” the Solcom official said.

Buan, an Army intelligence officer, was held as a “prisoner of war” by communist guerillas in Mindoro for 22 months. He was released to the humanitarian and peace mission led by Senator Loren Legarda in April 2001 in a remote village in Mansalay town.

Detabali said the withdrawal of the Army’s 68th Infantry Battalion from Mindoro and its eventual deployment to Mindanao to join the battle against the Moro Islamic Liberation Forces two years ago also affected the momentum of the government state security forces against the communist insurgents.

“We were then at the height of our clearing operations in Mindoro and were fast gaining ground,” he said.

Detabali maintained that Mindoro Island which consists of two provinces, Oriental and Occidental, was a big area for only two Army Infantry Battalions.

“Now, we have redeployed one company from Quezon province to Mindoro but we’re still hoping that the 68th IB would be returned to Mindoro to fast track our efforts. We have already discovered arms cache of the NPA rebels in Mindoro,” he said.

Share

Do you believe you can do something to save Mindoro island and its people? Definitely yes! By sharing this video, more and more people will become aware of what's going on in this beautiful island. You can help us in this battle. Awareness is just the beginning, and we have to start it right now!

Start clicking and sharing our struggle! Let us stand for the wonderful people of Mindoro. Let us stand for the mother earth!

Share

Dimapilis, Jesus Mangubat (Lakas-Kampi)
Dy, Jackson Cinco (LP)

Cusi, Agustin Lindogan (Sandugo)
Dimapilis, Violeta Labis (LP)

Advincula, Juan (LP)
Bacay, Juanito (Lakas-Kampi)
Baculinao, Lee (LP)
Baticos, Cesar (Lakas-Kampi)
Bautista, Angeles (Lakas-Kampi)
De la Cruz, David (NP)
Diaz, Nida (NP)
Dimapilis, Napoleon (Lakas-Kampi)
Estrada, Cleto (LP)
Estrada, Jovito (Lakas-Kampi)
Fabon, Arnel (LP)
Fallaria, Rogelio (LP)
Galaran, Elsie (LP)
Lawig, Joseph (NP)
Magno, Gualberto (LP)
Marte, John Felix (Ind.)
Mortel, Bernabe (Lakas-Kampi)
Oquendo, Simeon (NP)
Sinel, Gonzalo (Lakas-Kampi)
Soriano, Eduardo (LP)
Suarez, Nicodemus (Ind.)
Talens, Mae Arlene (Lakas-Kampi)


Share