A resort owner and a developer in Cauayan, and a conservationist of Danjugan Island , decried during the weekend what they claim a lack of support from the municipal government for the town's eco-tourism activities.

At a press conference in Bacolod City Saturday, Rafael Lizares of the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc., which manages Danjugan Island , and Punta Bulata resort owner Freddie Zayco, called on Mayor John Rey Tabujara to also prioritize infrastructure support which is vital in bringing in investors and tourists to the area.

They were joined by Kenneth Tirthdas of Cartagena Development Corp. that plans to develop a 126-hectare subdivision resort in Cauayan.

Warrants out for
councilor, mediaman
BY NIDA BUENAFE

Judge Demosthenes Magallanes of Bacolod City Regional Trial Court has ordered the arrest of Bacolod Councilor Alex Paglumotan and media practitioner Donard Duane Nojas for libel cases filed against them by Rep. Monico Puentevella and set the bail for them at P10,000 each.

In Criminal Case No. 07-30839 People of the Philippines vs. Alex Paglumotan, City Prosecutor Dennis Jarder accused Paglumotan of an intent to impeach the honesty, integrity and reputation of Puentevella during the May 12, 2007 “Miting de Avance” at the Bacolod Public Plaza by uttering defamatory words in the dialect, information on the case showed.

Using the English translation, Jarder quoted Paglumotan as saying “Somebody texted about the intermittent urination of the thief who is Money Ko, the Cong of Bacolod”.

Rare owl hatched

The new owlet in its nest at NFEFI-BCC.*

A rare Philippine Eagle Owl egg hatched recently at the Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation's Biodiversity Conservation Center in Bacolod City , NFEFI trustee Robert Harland said yesterday.

This is the third successful hatching of an owlet (Bubo p. philippensis) at the center, he said.

NFEFI-BCC holds the world record for the first successful captive breeding of a Philippine Eagle Owl named “Bubo” in 2005.

The latest owlet hatched on Oct. 28 after 35 days of incubation. The bird's parents, named Mahinhin and Hinahon, are currently the species' only breeding pair in the world.