TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur – The city government here started its clean and green competition in an effort to help eradicate the dreaded dengue disease and the effects of climate change. A Clean and Green Task Force was created to oversee the cleanliness and beautification competition.

The event specifically focused on the six central villages, and two entrance villages of Rosario and San Antonio. Winners of the competition will be announced at the 389th Tandag Fiesta Celebration on September 10. Mayor Alexander Pimentel said the competition will be highlighted with a “people’s awareness” drive on global warming, and combating dengue and other diseases. (Mike Crismundo)

Goodwill games

TUBOD, Lanao del Norte (PIA) – More than 200 government employees are set to see action from September 2 to 4, for the anticipated Lanao del Norte-Malaybalay City Goodwill Games to be held at the sprawling Mindanao Civic Center (MCC), here.

The athletes will be competing in five sporting events – basketball (men), volleyball, lawn tennis, table tennis, and badminton (men and women). The three-day competition will be the elimination round with the top two teams in each sporting discipline advancing to the finals which will be played in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, on a later date.

Davao strawberry

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – Two experts on strawberry production technologies from La Trinidad, Benguet, recently conducted lectures and demonstrations to farmers at Sitio New Calinan in Barangay Baganihan, Marilog District, this city.

Department of Science and Technology (DoST) Region 11 Director Anthony Sales said the two experts – Sergio Gayao and Peter Bulangen – conducted a three-day lecture on strawberry production technologies, which includes various varieties and characteristics of the crop to farmer-members of the Baganihan Agri-Eco Ventures Cooperative. Barangay Baganihan is also the site of the construction of the nursery facility of the city.

Siargao event

GENERAL LUNA, Siargao Island – Barely three weeks to go, preparations for the “2011 World Junior Surfing Competition” went into high gear with the various committees pooling their resources for the weeklong competition.

Officials of the provincial and municipal governments, with their respective committee officials, have been conducting meetings for the week-long activities slated from September 21 to 28. It was learned that at this early, bookings and reservations have already been noted by island resort owners. Rehabilitation of various structures had also started on the coastal areas where the competition will take place. (Mike Crismundo)

Organic farming

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – The city government here is eyeing Barangay Sibulan as pilot area for organic farming. City agriculture office chief Leonardo Avila III said that once the city’s Organic Agriculture Ordinance goes full blast, about 10 hectares in Barangay Sibulan has been identified as a priority area for organic farm production.

At present, organic farming is already practiced by a tribal community in the area dominated by the Bagobo Tagabawa tribe that had declared to stop using conventional or industrial farming in their farms, he said.