RAMA URGED TO CONSOLIDATE ENVIRONMENT OFFICE
The City Council is urging Mayor Michael Rama to speed up consolidating the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO).
City Councilor Nida Cabrera, said consolidating all environment-related offices would result in easy coordination and prevent duplication of functions.
Rama signed an executive order last Feb. 16, 2011 to consolidate CCENRO with other environment offices within three months and have an initial P7 million budget. At present, the office has only one staff member.
The proposal is to integrate the Clean Air Law Enforcement Office, the Mines and Quarries Section of the City Planning and Development Office, the Coastline Management Board, Solid Waste Management Board, Bantay Dagat Commission, Cebu City Rivers Management Council and City Mining Regulatory Board, and the City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team
Randy Navarro, the new officer in charge of CCENRO, recommended 59 personnel mostly specialist positions with drivers.
Navarro is the assistant head of the Department of Public Services (DPS) and manager of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill. /Correspondent Tweeny M. Malinao
KING COBRA TRANSFER DELAYED
The planned transfer of the King Cobra in the Cebu City Zoo to a government research facility in Metro Manila was postponed to next week.
The poisonous snake was scheduled for transfer last Sept. 10, but the zoo manager was not available on that date, said city veterinarian Dr. Alice Utlang.
Permits for the transfer of the wild snake were secured from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau.
The snake is due for donation at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila to help in antivenom research.
The snake became prominent after it bit zoo keeper Ronald Aventurado who tried to capture it after it strayed into the zoo.
Aventurado’s snake-bite case drew interest from experts as he got healed after being treated with Philippine Cobra venom antidote which was flown from Camiguin Island./Correspondent Jessa J. Agua