Marquez vows to modernize agriculture in Aklan

Newly-elected congressman Carlito Marquez vowed to prioritize the modernization of agriculture in the province of Aklan.

This was the gist of his message during the inauguration of the newly-elected officials of the town of Kalibo, Thursday.

"Few days after the election, our newly appointed agriculture secretary Manny Pinol visited me in my house. We talked about the modernization of agriculture in the province," Marquez said.

Before the election, Marquez ran as independent candidate. After his winning, he immediately joined the PDP-Laban party of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"In other countries, those people working in the agricultural sector are rich. We wanted to attain such standard," he said.

He also added that the modernization of agriculture in the province is needed to enhance food security especially on tourism industry.

The province of Aklan is home to Boracay Island considered as the Philippines' premier tourism destination.

Canadian firefighter donates goods in Boracay

A retired firefighter in Canada has donated firefighting gloves and rescue shirts to be used during emergencies in this resort island.
Commodore Leonard Tirol, adviser of the Boracay Action Group (BAG), said he personally received the items from David Civitarese. Tirol works for the Philippine Coast Guard-Auxilliary.

Civitarese, a retired firefighter in Canada, came to Boracay to personally hand his donations.

"We are grateful for his help. We will be using the donated items for the Boracay Fire Rescue Ambulance Volunteer (BFRAV)," Tirol said.

The BFRAV is under the operational command of the BAG.

Malay bats for waste-to-energy program

 The town of Malay will introduce a waste-to-energy program to minimize its problem on wastes.
Councilor Manuel Delos Reyes said the Sangguniang Bayan is nearing the approval of the proposal from Vietnam-based El Elyon Orion Renewable Solutions Corp. The company has selected the town for their waste-to-energy (WTE) program.
“The proposal has already passed the committee report in the council. The WTE would provide an additional 60 megawatts of electricity for our town,” he said.
For several years, the local government of Malay has been having problems with tons of garbage as the tourism industry continues to flourish in Boracay Island, the Philippines’ premier tourism destination which is under the geographical jurisdiction of Malay.
Delos Reyes is confident the town council will approve the said program once it reaches the second and final reading.

Briton swims around Boracay for Red Cross

 In a historic swimming feat, British national successfully circumnavigated Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan province by swimming non-stop for seven hours.
Richard Macartney, a retired 49-year-old British, swam non-stop, covering a distance of 18.5 kilometers last Sunday, June 12, 2016.

Macartney started his feat at exactly 6 a.m. and was able to finish his feat through heavy drizzle by 12:50 noontime.

“I was in constant muscle pain and that slowed down my swimming pace. The heavy rain that hit when I was near Tambisaan Port was another challenge,” Macartney told Manila Bulletin after successfully completing his feat.

Part of the resort island’s commemoration of the 118th Philippine Independence Day, Macartney’s swim was also to raise funds for the Philippine Red Cross-Boracay Island Chapter.

Specifically, the local chapter of the Philippine Red Cross is aiming to get more local children to become part of local search and rescue groups on the island by training them intensively for search and rescue activity.

When Macartney was done circumnavigating the island, children on shore welcomed him with cheers.

Macartney’s feat was closely monitored by the Philippine Coast Guard-Auxilliary – Boracay.

Council alarmed over hike in HIV/AIDS cases in Aklan

The Provincial AIDS Council expressed alarm over the increasing number of Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) cases due to male to male sex.

Dr. Vic Sta. Maria, chief of the provincial health office, said that based on latest data, there are a total of 78 cases of HIV/AIDS. In 2015, the province only recorded 51 cases since 1984.

Based on the data provided by the Department of Health to the PHO, 74 of the cases are male and all of them are involved in male to male sex.

Sta. Maria said the strong influence of tourism brought by Boracay Island, a premier tourism destination, is a contributing factor to the increasing cases.

"Members of the council have identified their respective strategies on how to prevent HIV/AIDS cases in the province from increasing," he said.

The PHO sits as chair of the council. Members include the Philippine National Police, Philippine Red Cross, World Vision, and the Department of Education, among others.

Briton to dare swim around Boracay for seven hours

 A British national is set to do a daring record with his plan to swim around this resort island for seven straight hours.

Richard McCartney said the event to be held on June 12 is meant to raise funds for the benefit of the Philippine Red Cross-Boracay.

"I am planning to swim seven straight hours around the 18.5-kilometer Boracay beach," he said, adding that he is currently undergoing training in preparation for the tilt.

The activity also aims to increase awareness for Boracay youth to participate in the swimming trainings of the Red Cross.

McCartney is a retired private company director in the United Kingdom. He opted to become a resident of Boracay since last year.

PNP eyes putting up hotlines in Boracay

The Provincial Anti -Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group is eyeing the installation of hotlines in public areas Boracay in its intensified campaign against illegal drugs on this resort island.

Task group provincial chief, Police Senior Inspector Jigger Gimeno said that illegal drug dealers on the island usually pose as tourists. Because of this, Gimeno said the police force on the island is also asking tourists’ help and cooperation in the fight against illegal drugs proliferation.

The task group said around 20 suspected illegal drug personalities are on their watch list.

“We need the help of tourists especially since there are exclusive night parties held on the island. Police are often not invited to provide security in these parties,” said Gimeno.

Gimeno said the hotlines will soon be installed at public areas, particularly at the Caticlan and Cagban jetty ports.

The Aklan Philippine National Police (PNP) says it is bent on undertaking an intensified campaign against illegal drugs to make this resort island a drug-free tourism destination.