Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr. Mildred L. Garay, CESO III – DepEd Regional Director; Dr. Victorina S. Laroza, CESO V – Aklan Schools Division Supt.; Atty. Selwyn C. Ibarreta, Mr, Disederio S. Mortalla – retired DepEd district supervisor. Dr. Erenita T. Labor – principal, Inter Faith Academy and Mr. Romeo S. Tumaob – retired DepEd district supervisor. They received merits and awards from the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
Dr. Garay was presented Gold Medal of Merit award, Dr. Laroza – Silver Medal of Merit, Atty. Ibarreta – Bronze Medal of Merit, Mr. Mortalla – Gold Service award, Dr. Labor – Silver Service Award, and Mr. Tumaob – Bronze Service award.

Atty. Ibarreta chairs the BSP Aklan Council Board of Directors, while Mr. Tumaob and Mr. Mortalla are members.

Forest Land Use

The Municipality of Altavas and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for-malized their partnership in the implementation of the program "Forest Land Use Plan" after the signing of a Memorandum of Agree-ment on Thursday, July 21 held in Altavas Social Hall, Altavas, Aklan. Forest Land Use Plan is a 5–year project to: 1. protect and improve Tinagong Dagat as important fishing ground; 2. create more resource – based livelihood opportunities for the people of Altavas; 3. to re-green Altavas; and 4. improve social response for the mitigation of impacts of climate change.

Altavas Mayor Denny D. Refol look forward in 5 years that they will have: 1. rehabilitated and developed 200 hectares of upland and 200 hectares mangrove, 2. rehabilitated and planted with trees along the 5-kilometer degraded easements; 3. constructed and maintained 53 kilometers farm to market roads, 4. convinced two fishpond owners to subscribe to aqua – silviculture, 5. organized four peoples organization for upland and mangrove care, and production, and 6. full operation of nature – based tourism in mangrove and Tinagong Dagat.

Altavas is a 4th class municipality south of Kalibo, the capital town of Aklan. It is adjacent to Sapian, Capiz.

Altavas is only 146 kilometers away from Iloilo City, 48 kilometers from Roxas City and 38 kilometers from Kalibo. It has a total land area of 10,017 hectares, 900 hectares of which are upland and mangrove.

The municipality is slightly rolling to hilly with mount Pulilan and Baguio – Dohoe as the highest with 285 meters and 292 meters above sea level respectively.

Altavas, being a coastal town, produces fish and other marine products and agricultural crops.

According to Mayor Refol, Altavas serves as the center of trade and industry of Central Panay Economic Unification, the gateway of Aklan to Capiz, Iloilo, and Cebu.
As of 2010, there were 14 barangays where 25,186 persons live. Barangays Poblacion, Man-up, and Odiong are highly populated ranging from 6.31 persons per hectare in Man-up to 6.9 per hectare in Odiong.

Soft Drinks

Dr. Cynthia Dela Cruz defined distinctly the role of physicians, parents, and school administrators in order to minimize if not stop the negative effects of drinking soft drinks.

She suggested to physicians "to ask parents about soft drink con-sumption, include education on soft drink as part of their anticipatory guidance".

Parents should cease consuming soft drinks, stock their homes with healthy foods, beverages, and milk, and never make soft drinks available at home. School administrators must prohibit soft drinks sale in school, make drinking water available to students, offer nutritious and affordable beverages and stop soliciting assistance from soft drink company. /MP