SC asked to stop P1-B Boracay reclamation project SOPHIA DEDACE, GMA News 06/01/2011 |

A Boracay-based group on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to prevent the Aklan government from proceeding with the construction of a 40-hectare reclamation site between Boracay Island and the coastal village of Caticlan. In a 35-page petition, the Boracay Foundation Inc. (BFI) asked the high tribunal to issue a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) to stop the P1-billion project which has supposedly adverse impact on the environment. The group, composed of some 160 businessmen and residents on Boracay Island, also asked the SC to compel Aklan to conduct a comprehensive environmental impact assessment. "The actions of [the Aklan provincial government] clearly endanger the already frail ecological balance in Boracay. Any further actions to reclaim land in Caticlan and Boracay without the proper comprehensive environmental impact assessment shall cause grave and irreparable injury to the area," said the petitioners. They added: "Boracay Island, with its status as the country's premier tourist spot, as well as for its surrounding coral reefs and mangroves, had been declared an environmentally critical area (ECA) as early as 1981. As such, any project undertaken in the area requires the performance of a comprehensive environmental impact assessment." GMA News Online tried to reach the office of Aklan Gov. Carlito Marquez for comment, but it could not be contacted as of posting time.

Citing a study conducted by marine biologists from the Marine Environmental Resource Foundation and the University of Philippines' Marine Science Institute, the foundation also said the project will affect the current and flow of the tides between Caticlan and Boracay and may cause further erosion of the sands on the island, a premier tourist spot in the Philippines. In their petition, the BFI also claimed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) gave the project its green light by giving the Aklan government an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) even if the latter has failed to submit the necessary requirements, such as the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) or Programmatic Environmental Report and Management Plan (PERMP). "[The Aklan provincial government's] scheming machination to circumvent the regulations governing the issuance of an ECC for development projects are manifested by its failure to submit a PEIS and/or PEPRMP in applying for the ECC over phase 1 of the reclamation project," the foundation said.

The petitioners added that the Aklan government failed to consult with the local government units (LGUs) and other stakeholders before the start of the project, which local officials from Malay town and Caticlan village have strongly opposed. "Not only is the implementation of the reclamation project in violation of the laws pertaining to EIS [environmental impact statement] but, likewise, violates the most basic principles enshrined in the Local Government Code," they said. "That Respondent Province [Aklan] was denied a favorable endorsement by the LGUs concerned the Malay Municipality and Barangay Caticlan stems from the failure of Respondent Province to enter into consultations with the aforementioned LGUs. Likewise, the Liga ng mga Barangay-Malay Chapter also expressed strong opposition against the reclamation project," they added. RSJ, GMA News

IRRI scientists discover genes for rice 'chalkiness' ANNA MAE LAMENTILLO 07/21/2011 Researchers at the Philippines International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) recently made a major genetics breakthrough, having discovered the genes responsible for chalkiness" an undesirable trait that can devalue rice by as much as 25 percent. The high presence of chalk" the white, opaque portion of rice grains increases the possibility of breakage during milling, thereby downgrading the quality assessment rating of rice. Conversely, chalk-free" rice is less likely to break, boosting potential returns for farmers by increasing the potential amount of rice that can be recovered. Causes of chalkiness Two things cause chalkiness in a rice grain: genetics and environment," explains Dr. Melissa Fitzgerald, leader of IRRIs grain quality and nutrition research. But because the genetic factors were largely unknown, farmers could only do so much to the environment to provide optimal conditions for the growth of commercially-viable translucent rice grains. Over 15 years of research Until now, rice scientists did not know where in the rice genome the genes for chalkiness resided," asserts Dr. Fitzgerald, a scientist who has been working on uncovering the genome

behind chalkiness for more than 15 years. Currently, there are only a few commercially available rice varieties that have genuinely low chalkiness," says Dr. Fitzgerald. Our discovery can help us improve on this." Dr. Fitzgeralds team, which includes Dr. Xiangqian Zhao, a postdoctoral research fellow, Dr. Adoracion Resurreccion, Ms. Venea Dara Daygon, and Mr. Ferdinand Salisi, worked with a number of rice varieties exhibiting various degrees of chalkiness. Classification of rice varieties their research led them to group the varieties into three classifications: rice that was always very high in chalkiness; rice that varied in chalkiness depending on the environment; and rice with extremely low chalkiness. The groups were identified after data came from field tests done in eight countries with different growing environments. The scientists, after analyzing the third group the extremely low chalky ones were able to identify major regions in the rice genome, or candidate genes responsible for chalkiness. The discovery puts IRRI scientists closer to identifying the actual genes causing rice its chalky trait. We are now working with the extremely low-chalk rice to generate different breeding lines to develop new chalk-free rice varieties," declares Dr Zhao. These can help farmers increase the amount of edible rice they harvest, produce higher quality rice, increase profit, and deliver higher quality rice to consumers." TJD, GMA News