Negros Oriental Gov allays fears of another natural disaster
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, March 6 (PIA) -- Gov. Roel Degamo urged the public anew not to believe nor spread rumors about another earthquake hitting Negros Oriental province.
“Based on expert studies from Phivolcs, we have nothing to fear because there is no threat of another earthquake here,” said Gov. Degamo.
Capitol has expressed concern over rumors that the province is under the threat of an impending earthquake or tsunami.
“Phivolcs told us that based on expert studies, an earthquake’s main shock doesn’t hit the same area again,” said Adrian Sedillo, executive officer of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) here.
Last February 6, the province was rocked by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that caused bridges and buildings to collapse, and roads to crack. The latest death toll is pegged at 58.
“There may be aftershocks, but not the main shock,” Sedillo told the Philippine Information Agency.
The PDRRMC officer also shrugged off talks of a tsunami scare, particularly in areas jolted by the earthquake last month.
“There is no threat of a tsunami, local or international, in Negros Oriental. Phivolcs has assured us of this,” said Sedillo.
The earthquake and tsunami scares are all hoax messages being spread by unscrupulous people, he added. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
==========
Silliman, Miriam College push for local knowledge promotion
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, March 6 (PIA) -- Two of the leading schools in the Philippines have recently agreed to promote Filipino local knowledge among the academic institutions in their respective areas.
A memorandum of understanding was signed by Silliman University President Dr. Ben Malayang III and Miriam College President Dr. Rosario Lapus on February 21 to bind both schools in integrating local knowledge in their curriculum and research thrusts, said a statement from Silliman’s Office of Information and Publications (OIP).
Under the agreement, Silliman is designated as the lead institution in stimulating interest in local knowledge on matters ranging from native delicacies to livelihood such as weaving and basketry, among schools in Negros Oriental.
The move stemmed from both schools’ concern over the disappearing local knowledge that impact on national identity among the Filipino youths, said SU OIP Director Mark Garcia.
Both Silliman and Miriam agreed to collaborate on research, training, open discussions, resource sharing, and structured utilization of digital technologies.
"The young people's knowledge of the culture and traditions unique to their communities is now slowly vanishing due their access to global information online brought about by their preference for online technologies," said Garcia.
Media is also bombarding young Filipinos with information about global culture which has led to a weakening identity of what makes Filipino culture unique among the youths.
"This is our challenge now, how to reinforce that affinity for local identity so they can appreciate their local culture and who they are in the global picture," he said.
The two schools hope to sustain their efforts in promoting local knowledge in the following years "so we can preserve these practices for the future generation to appreciate their culture," added Garcia.
The terms under the MoU will be overseen by the Asian University Digital Resource Network (AUDRN), a project of Miriam, funded by the Local Knowledge Initiative program of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA).
Silliman's partnership with Miriam on local knowledge springs from the University's involvements in related initiatives funded directly by UBCHEA. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental with reports from SU-OIP)