CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Regional Office of the Department of Education (DepEd) here has lined up various activities for the Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa (National Language Month) this August. The Education Department, in cooperation with the Komisyon Sa Wikang Filipino (KWF or the Commission on Filipino Language), will also bring to fore the 75th year of the declaration of Tagalog as the basic language of communication. The August celebration is divided into five weeks with each week espousing a different theme. The week of August 1 to 7 highlights the 75th year of pushing Filipino in Philippine education and its use in official communication and correspondence. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)

NARRA SEEDLINGS

FLORIDABLANCA, Pampanga — Some 1,000 narra seedlings have been planted at the mountainous Aeta’s Village of Nabuclod by the provincial government headed by Gov. Lilia G. Pineda, in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) last Wednesday. The tree-planting activity is part of the provincial government’s environment protection and flood mitigation projects aimed at curbing the adverse effects of climate change and global warming. The narra seedlings were provided for by the DENR’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) headed by Engr. Rommel Santiago who also took part in the activity. (Franco G. Regala)

SUBIC JOBS

SUBIC, Zambales — Around 1,200 jobs will be opened for residents of Zambales as Keppel Subic Shipyard Inc. has secured a contract to build the fabrication yard of the Malampaya deepwater gas-to-power project recently. According to the Malampaya consortium, the shipyard will fabricate, install and integrate the substructure and top side modules of the depletion compression platform to support the completion of Malampaya phase 3. “This fabrication yard will not only generate local employment but is also expected to bring technical expertise into the country as it can serve as a possible site for future complex fabrication projects,” Sebastian Quiniones was quoted in a report. (Jonas Reyes)

GREENING PROGRAM

VIGAN CITY — To support the National Greening Program, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) conducted several tree planting activities in various areas in North Luzon, it was reported Friday here. NGCPs North Luzon Public Affairs Officer Lilibeth P. Gaydowen said despite the inclement weather, the staff of the agency planted at least 2,650 assorted seedlings within a period from June 25 to July 3, 2012. “The number of planted trees is expected to increase as more tree-planting activities have been scheduled next week in parts of Central Luzon. (Freddie G. Lazaro)

BENGUET TRANSPORT

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (PNA) — The multi-million peso vegetable industry of Benguet province is expected to further improve with the massive transport infrastructure development undertaken by the Aquino administration in the area. This was the assessment of Benguet Rep. Ronald Cosalan as he asked the residents to bear the inconveniences they are experiencing during this period of construction process. According to Cosalan, improved roads and bridges, including drainage systems, will cut transportation costs and travel time thus increase the income of the agriculture sector once all the projects are completed.