COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO SAVE IPO WATERSHED

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Luzon forms a strategic alliance with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and the Local Government Units (LGUs) of Norzagaray and San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan to address timber poaching, squatting, kaingin-making and forest fire inside the 6,600-hectare Ipo Watershed. Established under Presidential Proclamation 391 of 1968, the Ipo watershed supplies domestic water to more than 11 million people of Metro Manila. The Ipo dam has a storage capacity of 7.5 million cubic meters of fresh water and lies about 7.5 kilometers downstream of Angat dam.

NYC to youth, students: Plagiarism is wrong!

In light of the recent incidents of alleged plagiarism, the National Youth Commissioncalls on the youth to avoid plagiarism and to respect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

“Even if a public official says that it is alright that he copied from a source and failed to attribute, still, we would like to remind young people, especially students, that plagiarism is wrong.” Undersecretary Leon Flores III, Chairman of the National Youth Commission says.

Plagiarism is derived from the Latin word “plagiaries” or kidnappers, referring to someone who steals other’s work. According to Oxford Dictionary, plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.

In the Philippines, the government ensures to protect and promote intellectual property rights through several policies.  These policies were both in the 1973 Constitution which provides that “the exclusive right to inventions, writings and artistic creations shall be secured to inventors, authors, and artists for a limited period” and in the 1987 Constitution which explicitly mandates that the State shall protect intellectual property.

“With seamless flow of information now provided especially by the internet, it is important that proper attribution be made. We should resist the temptation to copy-paste without attribution because that is still tantamount to stealing. Call it by any other name, but stealing someone’s idea through plagiarism is still stealing. Proper attribution is the difficult right, plagiarism is the easy wrong."  Chairman Flores adds.

 “Sometimes, even if we do not have a law against something that is blatantly wrong, it still does not make it right. In this case, we do have copyright regulations that are clearly outlined in the Intellectual Property Rights Law. But nonetheless, the lack of definition of plagiarism only means that the efforts of our legislative institutions have been found inadequate in pushing for these mechanisms to prevent stealing of ideas and information.”

The National Youth Commission, created in 1995 pursuant to Republic Act 8044 otherwise known as the "Youth in Nation-Building Act", is the voice and advocate of the youth. It operates under the Office of the President of the Philippines as the policy-making, coordinating body of all youth-related institutions, programs, projects, and activities of the government.

DA plans for rice self-sufficiency

The Department of Agriculture and its partner agencies are getting ready for next year’s stretch of the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP) through rice R&D review and planning workshop being held at Philippine Carabao Center in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Sept 4-6.

Supporting FSSP, the government’s banner program to attain sufficiency in rice and other major crops, 16 regional executive directors will present their region’s rice industry profile and databases.

Meanwhile, partner agencies will impart rice science and technology updates.

Glen Ilar, Dr. Karen Eloisa Barroga, Dr. Flordeliza Bordey, Susan Brena, and Thelma Padolina of Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) will update the group on varieties, crop management, machines, and knowledge products and services.

PhilRice experts will also present the national rice industry profile and popularization of Mestiso 19 (NSIC Rc202H) and Mestiso 20 (NSIC Rc204H).

The regions’ rice research and development agenda and priorities in 2013 will also be tackled to ensure the implementation of the programs key interventions, which include improved production-support, enhanced incentives and enabling mechanism, and managed food consumption.

Participating agencies include National Irrigation Association, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Soil and Water Management, Bureau of Agricultural Research, Agricultural Training Institute, Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, and International Rice Research Institute.

DA-PhilRice is a government-owned and –controlled corporation that aims at developing high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

For more information, please visit or contact DA-PhilRice at Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija with telephone number (044) 456-0285 loc 512 or any PhilRice station near you. You may also visit www.philrice.gov.ph or text your questions to 0920-911-1398.

Rice official urges for green, smart farming

Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr, executive director of Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), pushed for green and smart farming to transform the current food system during the 25th National Rice Research and Development Conference held in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Sept. 4-6.

Green initiatives aim to reduce external input, particularly energy, while smart initiatives are knowledge-intensive and labor-reducing technologies.

In his opening address, Rasco said the present food system needs changes as food miles, or the distance that a food travels from the farm to the consumers’ plate, are getting farther.

“Before, we used only to import rice from Thailand and Vietnam, now, we get from India. [Let’s also consider] the hamburger sandwich. The beef comes from Argentina, bread from Australia, cheese from New Zealand, and tomato paste from California. Our food sources are getting farther,” he said.

A transformation is also needed with “Filipinos losing control over what [they] eat and we are losing farming and associated supply such as seeds and agricultural inputs as a source of income.”

New dietary guidelines recommend that fruits and vegetables occupy half of our plates and about ¼ by grains. However, half of the typical Filipino plate contains rice despite recommendations to eat more fruits and vegetables.

In terms of income, Rasco said farmers are losing to imported agricultural products.

 “To transform the food system, we need to transform the energy and information systems that nurture it. We need to be green and smart – a system that is diverse and sustainable,” he said.

With a green and smart technology system, Rasco said the food system, especially on rice, localized sufficiency of food stapes would be possible.

“Green and smart is more than a slogan. It is a vision, a crusade, an agenda, and a strategy. Ultimately, it will become an action plan that hopefully we will commit to [work on],” he said.

As part of its green and smart initiatives, PhilRice crafted its Energy in Rice Farming Program and will soon implement the Philippine Rice Academy, an advanced research and training academy focused on promoting modern technologies.

DA-PhilRice is a government-owned and –controlled corporation that aims at developing high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

For more information, please visit or contact DA-PhilRice at Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija with telephone number (044) 456-0285 loc 512 or any PhilRice station near you. You may also visit www.philrice.gov.ph or text your questions to 0920-911-1398.