THE Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bicol office expects an increase in ginger output in the region after the distribution of needed farm input in the province of Camarines Sur early this month.

In a statement released on Tuesday, March 13, DA-Bicol and the High Value Crops Development Program announced that it gave out 3,300 kilos of ginger to vegetable farmers in various municipalities.

The recipients from various associations in Libmanan, Lupi, Ocampo, and Tigaon received 50 kilos of ginger each, which will be planted in 1,000-square meter plots.

The crop was chosen for increased production as the DA sees an uptrend in demand given ginger’s “medicinal qualities.”

Libmanan Vegetable Growers Association Chairman Edwin Castañeda said that they have been a constant recipient of DA’s assistance, having received other vegetables crops in the past.

“There is no worry if there is an oversupply of ginger because it is always needed in the market,” he said. “There is always a place for ginger in the market   because health conscious people always crave for it.”

Mr. Castañeda said their harvest would usually be sold in the cities of Manila and Pasig.

“The assistance extended by DA is a big help for us and [will] inspire us to strive more so that they can contribute for the supply of food in the country,” he added. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

By Arjay L. Balinbin

“WE WILL NOT allow big fish to go away,” Malacañang said on Tuesday following criticisms of the Department of Justice’s dismissal of drug charges filed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) against alleged drug lord Peter Go Lim, confessed drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa, convicted drug lord Peter Co, and more than 20 others.

“We would like to assure the public that the dismissal is far from being final. It is in fact subject to automatic review by (Justice) Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II, and we look forward to the review to be made by Secretary Aguirre,” Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in a press briefing on Tuesday, March 13.

He added: “Meanwhile, we understand the sentiments and the frustration of the public over the dismissal, but stress that the police can re-file the case, can introduce additional evidence, but we need to be very careful that at this stage, that the evidence would be complete to sustain a conviction when filed before the courts.”

The DoJ’s petition, Mr. Roque said, will not affect the case of Senator Leila M. De Lima. “There are other witnesses who would testify against the lady senator,” he said.

Asked whether there is a possible negligence on the part of the PNP in its case buildup, Mr. Roque said: “Hindi naman po siguro, at gaya po ng taumbayan (I don’t think so, and just like the public), the Office of the President will take a very interested position in this case and we will closely monitor how the police will act from henceforth.”

“As I said, if upon review, the DoJ finds reasons to reverse the dismissal, then it will be reversed. If, however, it is necessary to file additional evidence, we will prompt police authorities to do so. We will not allow a big fish to go away if there’s evidence to go after him,” he said further.

For his part, Senate blue-ribbon committee chairman Senator Richard J. Gordon said: “I condemn that to the highest heavens. Talagang ewan ko kung anong pumasok sa kanilang kalooban na gagamitin nila sa mas malaking kaso si Kerwin, gawin nilang state witness (I really do not know what popped into their heads that they would use Kerwin as a state witness [against Ms. De Lima].”

Mr. Gordon noted that Mr. Espinosa himself “confessed” before a Senate inquiry that he was involved in drug dealings.

“Ayun na nga ang sinasabi ko, bakit tayo magda-drug war kung ‘yong mga taong malalaki ay idi-dismiss mo rin pala ang kaso (That’s what I’ve been saying. Why wage a drug war if we dismiss the cases filed against these big drug personalities?). I don’t know if the president is aware. He must be aware of it,” he added.

The Liberal Party (LP), for its part, said the clearing of the accused “highlights the administration’s poor record (in) due process and fair play.”

“The poor with a few grams of illegal drugs are killed while the wealthy and political allies caught with P6.5 billion worth of shabu remain free.”

The opposition party also called Mr. Lim a “Presidential Kumpadre,” as he has been also widely reputed to be.

Mr. Roque said: “Unfair naman iyon na palibhasa naging kumpadre sa kasal.” (That is unfair just because they both once stood as wedding sponsors.)

“Wala namang basehan iyong ganyang paratang (Such allegations have no basis),” he added, regarding allegations the government has been soft on Mr. Lim.

As for LP senator De Lima, the party said, “Not one gram of illegal drugs has been found in her possession. The only supposed evidence against her: The testimony of Kerwin Espinosa — who, according to the DoJ, has been cleared of involvement in the illegal drug trade.”

“We continue to assert that Leila de Lima is innocent. Her only crime was to hold government to account for human rights abuses and extra-judicial killings. We call for her immediate release,” the party said in its statement. — with Camille A. Aguinaldo

By Camille A. Aguinaldo

DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) Secretary Francisco T. Duque III on Tuesday said he has coordinated with the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) to formulate sero-testing kits for children who were given the Dengvaxia vaccines under the government’s anti-dengue immunization program.

“I’ve been in talks with my counterpart in the PCHRD (Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of DoST) headed by Dr. Jaime Montoya. We’re looking for a technology transfer so that we ourselves develop it,” he said at the Senate hearing on the Dengvaxia controversy, noting that the testing kits were developed at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Hawaii.

“We just need to bring it in and fast-track the mass production of these tests. That’s the only way to find the needle in the haystack. We have 830,000 vaccines and we want to find out who those seronegatives are,” he added.

Analysis by Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur showed that the anti-dengue vaccine may pose health risks for those vaccinated without having dengue or seronegative individuals.

Senator Richard J. Gordon, chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee, urged the government to determine who among the 830,000 vaccinated children may be at risk of severe dengue so they could be given immediate healthcare.

“An effort must be undertaken so we know who are seronegative. Get that medicine whether that’s from Pittsburgh or Hawaii or from Mars. Just get it. This is a problem we have to face,” he told Mr. Duque.

This was also the suggestion raised by known dengue research expert Dr. Scott B. Halstead during the hearing, saying that the DoH should identify who were “seronegative” or those who have not had a previous dengue illness.

“I think a few months ago, I was saying all 830,000 children should be tested. That sounds like a lot of work,” he said, noting further that the mass testing could be “unrealistic.”

He added that he would work on trying to find a booster dose specifically tasked to prevent health risks of the vaccinated children.

“A booster dose that we can get but it has to be different from (the) Sanofi vaccine, some vaccine that has been tailored specifically to take these children out of being at risk,” he said.

Mr. Duque also said the DoH has stepped up in its risk communication strategy to boost its information campaign regarding dengue.

The DoH would also be hiring 500 surveillance officers tasked to monitor the affected children in areas where the mass immunization program was implemented, he added.

Mr. Halstead said he was surprised at the Philippine government’s pushing through with its anti-dengue immunization program after he warned them against the use of the vaccine to those who had never contracted dengue.

“It was logical that they conduct a test and that test allowed them to separate the children who were seropostiive and seronegative,” he said.

In an interview with reporters, Mr. Gordon said criminal charges should be filed against government officials for the “hasty” procurement of the Dengvaxia vaccines, which included former president Benigno S.C. Aquino III, former health secretary Janette P. Loreto-Garin and former budget secretary Florencio B. Abad.

“All of them. Anybody that had anything to do with the speed, the undue haste, the wastage of fund money and above all, the severe pain that has been inflicted by the deaths and the painful stress and experience being faced by our people,” he told reporters after the hearing.

With Monday’s hearing as its last, Mr. Gordon hoped the committee report on the matter would be released before Mar. 20. He is also set to file a bill which would allow the DoH to utilize the unused vaccines refund from Sanofi Pasteur to procure dengue kits for families of Dengvaxia-vaccinated children.

ONE OF THE MOST popular and accessible resorts in the Island Garden City of Samal is protesting the whole morning closure of a major road in Davao City on March 25, which would affect access to its private port for transporting visitors.

The stretch of J.P. Laurel Avenue in Davao City from Azuela Cove in Lanang to the border with Panabo City, Davao del Norte would be closed from 3:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for the Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao triathlon.

An official of Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort said such closure, which covers the location of their Davao-side port, would mean no operation that Sunday morning, which is usually a peak day for day-tour guests.

“Mawawalan talaga kami ng kita at hindi lang kami (We will lose income, and it’s not just us) but the rest of Samal resorts” as other private ferries as well as the public ferry terminal would also be affected, said Paradise Island Park Assistant Manager Emilio D. Diamante, Jr. in an interview on Monday. He said they are now talking with the Samal local government and the island’s resort owners’ association for an appeal to the sporting event’s organizers. Mr. Diamante said, “Imagine Sunday ito, it’s when business is best.” — Maya M. Padillo

UNITED STATES Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim pours champagne over a Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicle during a traditional blessing ceremony before turning it over to Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana at the Villamor Air Base on March 13.

The drone is part of a US grant program to help improve the Philippine military’s capabilities in maritime domain monitoring, humanitarian assistance, and counterterrorism.

THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is now investigating the crash this morning, March 13, of a trainer aircraft owned by WCC Aviation Company, Inc., which left the flight instructor and student injured with second degree burns.

CAAP said in a statement that the plane, a Cessna C152, crashed immediately after takeoff from the Binalonan Airport and sustained a 40% burn from the cabin to half of the empennage. CAAP’s Aircraft Accident Investigators are looking into the cause of the accident.

THIS reconstructed seismic station of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in Palo, Leyte, which was destroyed during supertyphoon Haiyan in 2013, will be inaugurated on March 14.

Last year, several strong earthquakes shook Leyte province, including a magnitude 6.5 tremor on July 6 and a magnitude 5.1 on Aug. 23.

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.