Two fires hit 50 has. of reforested areas
In Murcia, Valencia says
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Fires believed to have been started intentionally in reforestation areas of the Negros Occidental provincial government and the Energy Development Corp. in Minoyan, Murcia, destroyed 50 hectares of endemic trees yesterday, Jose Ma. Valencia, chief of staff of Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said.

Marañon Jr. said people who want to squat in the reforestation areas are suspected to be behind the burning. “We will arrest those responsible and arson charges will be filed against them,” he said.

The Murcia police and Task Force Ilahas men were augmented by the Army and police in putting out the blaze, Valencia said.

A P30 million state-of-the-art CT Scan machine was inaugurated by the officials of the Department of Health at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City yesterday.

Health Undersecretary David Lozada yesterday said patients will no longer have to go to other provinces like Iloilo to have a CT Scan.

Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH head, said this is part of the facility enhancement program of the Aquino Health Agenda since the CLMMRH is a DOH-retained hospital. This is just the start of the modernization of the CLMMRH, he said.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro challenged DepEd officials from around the country gathered in Bacolod City yesterday to initiate reforms in basic education to ensure that real learning happens in the classrooms, and to tap the participation of the community to bring back the “lost sheep”.

Luistro was the keynote speaker at the DepEd’s School-Based Management General Assembly attended by more than 300 school officials at the Bacolod Pavillon Resort Hotel.

The SMB is a strategy where the school and community work together to improve learning outcomes, and where best practices and reforms are shared among schools in the DepEd system.