Butuan City Government, to Go Full Blast for Tourism Development

by striker_jem

Butuan - The Regional Museum in Butuan City will soon undergo renovation. Recently, the Sangguniang Panglunsod approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Democrito D. Plaza II to enter a memorandum of agreement with the National Museum who will be tasked to conduct cultural mapping, to be able to identify Butuan City’s cultural and historical interests.

The cultural mapping will be made in all 86 barangays to include in identifying their culture, food, games, and events that could trace back the history of Butuan.

It has a budget of more or less 2.6 million pesos, part of which will be allocated to renovate the now dilapidated building of the Butuan Regional Museum, putting at risk the artifacts put on display.

City Councilor Ramon Carampatana, Chairman of the Committee on Tourism also revealed that the National Museum already approved the construction of one additional gallery for the Butuan Regional Museum.

A plan is also in progress, between members of the Butuan Global Foundation, Inc and the Butuan City Government, to Go Full Blast for Tourism DevelopmentButuan Regional Museum to restore the labels of each tree around the museum that contains the date it was planted, and its scientific name, among those are Narra Tree, Batuan Tree, and Mahogany Tree.

The Sangguniang Panglunsod of Butuan also approved a resolution to prioritize the 4 established tourism sites for improvement, imposing an entrance fee to cover expenses in maintaining the area.

DENR allots P82.88 M for ‘green collar jobs’

By MIKE U. CRISMUNDO

April 29, 2009, 4:29pm

BUTUAN CITY – The Region 13 (Caraga Region) office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has allocated some P82.88 million for the implementation of the “green collar program which is being initiated by the DENR under the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program” (CLEEP) of the government.

It was learned that there are two components being implemented under the “green collar program” – the “Bantay Gubat” (forest guard) and the Upland Development Program (UDP).

DENR 13 Executive Director Edilberto S. Buiser said the DENR is almost ready to hire the services of at least 362 qualified persons for the “Bantay Gubat.”

He also said the DENR will be providing livelihood opportunities to some 3,552 residents of upland villages in the different areas of the region through planting of fruit-bearing trees, high-value crops and forest tree seedlings.

“The details of the guidelines and procedures on proper cash flow of funds for the Bantay Gubat and Upland Development Program are almost done by the technical personnel of the Forest Management Services,” said Buiser in an exclusive interview with the Manila Bulletin.

He said those who will be hired for the Bantay Gubat will receive an allowance of P3,000 per month.

“Their main task is to conduct regular foot patrol in the forest and immediately report any detection of timber poaching to the nearest DENR authorities. The other task is to monitor for any sign of forest fire and collect seeds while on patrol,” he said.

Meanwhile, a total of 21,000 hectares of open lands within the country’s watershed areas have been targeted to be planted with various fruit-bearing trees and high value crops.

As this developed, DENR Secretary Lito Atienza said the UDP will, as much as possible and as appropriate at the watershed landscape level, be 40 percent for agro-forestry development of upland farms in order to cushion the impact of the world economic slowdown by stimulating rural growth through job creation and food production while, at the same time, addressing global warming and climate change.

Atienza also made it clear that the livelihood activities of forest-based communities in protected areas are highly regulated and planting of tree species are restricted to indigenous trees thriving in the area using a planting technique called “Assisted Natural Regeneration” (ANR).

The ANR involves enhancing the growth into full maturity of tree wildlings that have already taken root on the forest floor through minimal human intervention like ring weeding or clearing of grasses or weeds from the immediate surrounding of a wildling, application of organic fertilizer, and planting of indigenous tree seedlings in the area being reforested.

Butuan's Fast Changing Urbanscapes

Butuan City's urban landscapes have seen rapid changes for the past 5 years now as newer establishments and developments are put in place within or around its busy urban district. In the heart of the downtown alone, you can always chance a building along every major road either being renovated, constructed or upgraded. One may wonder why all these activities despite that looming global meltdown.

This phenomena could probably be due to the resiliency of the local economy who have developed certain flexibility or adaption as it has encountered previous ups and downs. Butuan City have survived the logging industry slump in the eighties...it has survived the previous natural calamities. Clearly Butuan City is on the move.

More pictures about the city can be found at www.butuantoday.tumblr.com

Butuan Welcomes Easter

Thousands of Catholic faithfuls trooped to the Libertad Sports Center last April 12 Sunday in Butuan to celebrate and welcome the Easter Dawn Mass. People from all walks of life join the procession early morning from the city's main parishes then congregated at the sports center where a concelebrated mass was made.

Unlike other prior clebrations where they are held at the Capitol Complex grounds, the new venue in Libertad is fitting for this city's growing populace.


photos by robert_4tis

Cebu Pacific Offers Additional Flights for Butuan this Summer

Airbus 320 climbs out of Bancasi runway

April 14, 2009
Mindanao News

Butuan – The daily A320 service of Cebu Pacific, an airline business owned by the Gokongwei conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc will mount additional flights to Butuan to accommodate travellers during this summer period.
Beginning May 17, 2009 Cebu Pacific will add 4x weekly, with their A319 flights to Butuan on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The additional flight departs from Manila at 6:10 am and arrives in Butuan at 7:35 am. It departs from Butuan at 8:05 am and lands in Manila at 9:30 am.
In a statement released by CEB Vice President for Marketing and Product Ms. Candice Iyog she expressed confidence that they can sell additional seats with low fares and further stir domestic travel to Butuan destinations. She boasts their airline as the biggest carrier operating the most flights to Butuan.
The lowest ‘Go fare’ to Butuan starts from 688 one way. Fare is exclusive of applicable surcharges and government tax.
Increasing the flight frequencies for Butuan is a big push in improving the tourism industry in time for the month long Balangay Festival in May.

Mayor to meet with top city water district officials on mining operations within Butuan watershed area

source

BUTUAN CITY, April 10 (PNA) –- Butuan City Mayor Democrito Plaza is set to call a meeting with the city's top water district officials on the alleged mining operations around the source of potable water that endanger the health of almost half a million inhabitants in this progressive region’s capital city.

The mayor will also discuss with the Butuan City Water District (BCWD) officials the numerous complaints received by the city government on the alleged silted water and bad odor emanating from the consumers' pipeline.

Environmentalists said that Under Section 31 of Presidential Decree 198, the local water district must have the right to protect the watersheds within the territorial boundaries.

The Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is also checking the alleged reported mining operations around the watershed areas in Taguibo, the source of water supply to Butuan City.

Mayor Plaza has tentatively set the meeting with the BCWD officials after the Lenten Week. (PNA)