DAVAO CITY, Philippines (PNA) – The Region-11 office of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST-11) has developed a number of food processing equipment specially designed for food safety purposes.

DoST-11 Director Anthony Sales said the equipment that are purposely developed to ensure cleanliness and bacteria-free foods, can be availed by local government units (LGUs), cooperatives, individuals or companies.

Only last week, the DoST-11 developed an immersion freezer in which marine products can be stored. Costing about P90,000, the equipment is a tank with saturated salt solution that gives the needed freezing temperature of marine products like fish.

Relief assistance

SAN LUIS, Agusan del Sur – At least 1,200 families who were severely affected by floods caused by heavy rains last month and early this month in the three villages here already received relief assistance from the provincial government of Agusan del Sur.

The severely affected villages are Poblacion, Santa Ines, and Nuevo Trabajo. Initially, 435 packs of relief goods were given to Barangay Sta. Ines, 365 to Barangay Nuevo Trabajo, and 400 for Barangay Poblacion. The relief assistance came from the five-percent Provincial Calamity Fund. The relief packs contain noodles, coffee sachets, can goods, and five kilos of rice. (Mike Crismundo)

Farming road

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PNA) – The marketing potentials of vegetables produced in a remote village in the town of Tupi, South Cotabato, is getting a major boost with the rehabilitation of a farming road there, an official said.

Tupi Mayor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said the road to Barangay Miasong, considered the “vegetable bowl” of South Cotabato, will be improved to enhance the area’s trading activities.

“Soon, vegetable products from Miasong will reach the town’s bagsakan (trading) center easily,” he said. Miasong, the remotest village of Tupi, can be accessed through Barangay Maltana in a grueling two-hour ride.

LGU support

KIBLAWAN, Davao del Sur – Mayor Marivic Diamante said their town welcomes the Tampakan mining project. Tampakan mine’s proposed tailings dam will be located in this town.

“A recent Social Weather Station survey showed that the Tampakan mining project is very much welcome in Kiblawan,” Diamante said. According to Diamante, they remain optimistic despite the recent denial of an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) application for the Tampakan mine.

 “It is not an outright denial, it can still be worked out as soon as the South Cotabato provincial environmental code is amended,” she said. (Nonoy Lacson)

Tarsier habitat

TUPI, South Cotabato (PIA) – The indigenous people (IP) living within the Mount Matutum Protected Landscape (MMPL) recently extended assistance to the researchers of the Endangered Species International (ESI) in mapping the areas believed to be the habitats of tarsiers in this town.

Using traditional Manila paper and marking pen, IPs from the B’laan tribe together with representatives from the Provincial Environment and Management Office (PEMO) drew an alternative map using the Community-Based Resource Assessment and Mapping (CBRAM).