After ‘Pablo,’ massive tree planting

With forest denudation identified as among the reasons for the devastation wrought by Typhoon “Pablo” in Mindanao, cooperatives on the island embarked on a massive tree-planting campaign last week.
On Dec. 10, at least 6,000 tree seedlings were planted in various areas by members of cooperatives hoping to prevent future flash floods and landslides and to raise awareness on the Mindanao Nurturing Our Waters (MindaNOW) program of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda).
Minda is a government development agency under the Office of the President. Its MindaNOW project aims to consolidate all efforts for the development and management of Mindanao’s watersheds and river basins.
Greening program
“We thought of tying up with Minda under its MindaNOW program to align our efforts with the national government’s thrust on the national greening program,” said Bernadette Toledo, chief executive officer of Mindanao Alliance of Self-help Societies-Southern Philippines Educational Cooperative Center (Mass-Specc).
The cooperatives have been planting trees in the past years, but not as massive as last week’s activities, Toledo said in a statement. Mass-Specc is composed of 300 primary cooperatives all over Mindanao, with combined assets worth at least P11 billion and gross membership of more than 1.5 million.
Among the areas where the tree-planting activities took place were Bayog in Zamboanga del Sur; Cugman in Cagayan de Oro City; Marilog in Davao City; Barangay Pamantingan in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat province; Nasipit in Agusan del Norte, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
While eradicating poverty was one of the primary roles of a cooperative, Toledo said Mass-Specc had launched a program dubbed “Co-ops Love Green Earth,” pointing out that sudden floods and landslides have become serious threats not just to Mindanao’s economy but also to the lives of its people.
Lessons from ‘Sendong’
“We’ve learned our lessons from Tropical Storm ‘Sendong’ to Pablo. We at Mass-Specc see the need for a long-term solution to these problems,” she said.
While the organization hopes to contribute to efforts to help the country achieve its millennium development goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, Toledo said the cooperative principles have also expanded to ensuring environmental sustainability.
Cooperatives are mandated to allot, at most, 10 percent of their net surplus for the community development fund, which includes allocation for green projects, she said.
“This is where we get our financial resources for the Mindanao-wide tree growing,” Toledo said.

Livelihood goals
To sustain this undertaking, Mass-Specc agreed to provide host communities and partner organizations with livelihood opportunities.
Manny dela Peña, a board member, said the livelihood opportunities were aimed at ensuring that the trees planted would serve their ultimate purpose of preventing flooding in the lowlands.
“In areas where we are going to grow timber trees, Mass-Specc will pay for the honoraria of the caretakers for them not to cut down the trees to make way for kaingin (slash-and-burn farming),” Dela Peña said.
In other areas where fruit-bearing trees were planted, host communities could turn their harvest into cash in three years, he added.
Toledo said Mass-Specc was also willing to extend other forms of assistance—from farm inputs to capability building activities—to ensure that the planted seedlings are nurtured.
Romeo Montenegro, director of Minda’s investment promotions and public affairs, said the agency had also organized river basins and watershed councils all over Mindanao to ensure coordinated ridge-to-reef planning.
“Minda welcomes this partnership with Mass-Specc, and we hope that more organizations, big or small, will join our cause,” he said.
Compostela Valley
In Compostela Valley, Mayor Lorenzo Balbin of New Bataan has denied allegations of illegal logging and mining in the town’s mountainous range, which purportedly worsened Pablo’s impact.
“How can we allow that when we have our watershed, which is our source of drinking water up there?” he asked. Most of the trees found all over town in the aftermath of the typhoon were “uprooted trees and not cut ones,” he added.
“The typhoon uprooted those trees,” he said. “We are already fallen and we felt like being kicked again by these charges [of hosting illegal mining and logging].”
A longtime resident of Barangay Andap, the hardest-hit area of New Bataan, said logging operations were indeed prevalent in the town but these happened years ago.
Compostela Valley Gov. Arturo Uy also said no mining activity had taken place in Andap in recent years. “How can mining be allowed there when it’s a tourist area?” he asked.
Uy said it was also unfair to blame mining as a worsening factor because even in known mining areas such as in Maragusan and in Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo, only a few people had died. With reports from Dennis Jay Santos and Frinston Lim
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/328531/after-pablo-massive-tree-planting

Recent survey done by Philippines Clark Marketing shows that there is a subtle shift of preferences of Manila visitors heading out of town towards the north to enjoy some peace and quiet time with families. More and more foodies, critics, connoisseurs, frequent diners and wine lovers from Manila travel out of town north to Clark Pampanga to wine and dine in famous fine dining Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar. Most visitors enjoy the fine vintage wines from the cellars of this fine dining restaurant. Some purchase a few good bottles of to bring back home to Manila.

Yats Leisure Philippines

Even tourists and business travelers staying in hotels in Philippines Angeles Pampanga take time off from nightlife, bars and other city entertainment to enjoy a relaxing afternoon of wine shopping in this top rated wine shop in Clark Freeport Pampanga. Foreign and local tourists visiting Clark remember shopping in this wine shop as a memorable experience of their stay in the Philippines, Subic and Pampanga.

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http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

Tel: 0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Road, Ortigas Centger,
Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

Tel: (632) 637-5019 0917-540-3626 ask for Rea or Chay

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ats Wine Cellars Leading Wine Supplier in Philippines

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While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

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The lifestyle in Clark Pampanga is quite unique. For more information about shopping, sports, golf, leisure, hotel accommodation, where to see and visit, what to do, where to wine and dine and good places to hang out, relax, have a drink with friends, child-friendly establishments, log on to
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Those visitors who plan to relax and unwind in Angeles City, Subic, Pampanga, Clark Philippines might make an effort to book a room at the famous beach and lake resort Clearwater Resort & Country Club. This famous hotel in Clark Pampanga is frequently visited by families with children looking for a good place in Clark to see, a good holiday destination for the family to relax and unwind in the beautiful outdoor facilities. For more information, log on to www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com

Buy wine in Cebu, Philippines at good wine shops and boutique wine stores that offer good selection of good vintage wines at all price points. Wine lovers in Philippines can find good red wines in wine shops in Manila and Pampanga. Among the good selections of French red wines from Bordeaux are Chateau Gloria, Chateau Lafite, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Petrus, Chateau Lynch Bages, Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau Ausone, Chateau le Pin, Chateau Palmer, Chateau Pontet Canet, Chateau Carruades de Lafite, Chateau les Forts de Latour, Chateau Pichon Lalande. This makes it easy and convenient for wine lovers to buy wine in Manila. Manila wine and food lovers looking for things to do in Pampanga and Manila can consider attending one of these wine events. The best way to learn more about wine in the Philippines is to attend public wine tasting events that have no sponsors.

Buy wine gift baskets in Manila from leading wine supplier in Philippines
Wine lovers in Philippines can find good red wines in wine shops in Manila and Pampanga. Among the good selections of French red wines from Bordeaux are Chateau Gloria, Chateau Lafite, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Petrus, Chateau Lynch Bages, Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau Ausone, Chateau le Pin, Chateau Palmer, Chateau Pontet Canet, Chateau Carruades de Lafite, Chateau les Forts de Latour, Chateau Pichon Lalande. This makes it easy and convenient for wine lovers to buy wine in Manila. They are also great wines to include in wine gift baskets for delivery in the Philippines Manila wine and food lovers looking for things to do in Pampanga and Manila can consider attending one of these wine events. The best way to learn more about wine in the Philippines is to attend public wine tasting events that have no sponsors. These wine tasting events held by Yats are non-commercial. Yats Wine Cellars does not promote a specific winery, producer or a brand. These wine tastings and wine dinners held in Manila and Pampanga are all designed to let wine lovers explore more interesting aspects of wine.