THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has signed an agreement with the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country in Northern Spain to boost cooperation in the fields of sustainable fisheries development, aquaculture and marine biotechnology during the recent official visit of President Arroyo to the Spanish region.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said the agreement on fisheries cooperation was signed between the DA’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Basque government’s Department of Agriculture, Fishery and Food through its AZTI Foundation.

The agreement covers joint activities in research projects on biotechnology, food technology, sustainable management of marine environment, aquaculture and responsible fishing.

A committee for cooperation, composed of appointed representatives from both sides, will be established to ensure management of the agreement, including identification of specific projects to be undertaken.

The agreement also proposes an exchange of researches, trainers and professional experts and the coordination of research campaigns with the Basque government.

The DA has proposed a P103-million project to develop a mariculture park in Casiguran in Baler, Aurora province, as an initial undertaking.

Yap, representing the DA and BFAR, and Minister Gonzalo Saenz de Samaniego for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the Basque government and the AZTI Foundation, signed the pact.

 Besides the agreement with the Basque government, the Philippines and Spain have also forged a landmark bilateral  deal that aims to strengthen agricultural ties between the two countries, along with an array of other accords meant to open new windows of cooperation between Manila and Madrid in the fields of biofuels production, micro financing and coastal management.

In 2006 the Philippines exported a total of 24,425 metric tons of farm products to Spain worth $20 million. The country’s top agricultural exports to Spain were coconut oil, carageenan, canned pineapple/juice, tobacco, desiccated coconut and tuna.

TARGETING to ensure the stable supply of electricity within the Subic Freeport Zone, Aboitiz Power Corp. (APC) and the Taiwan Cogeneration Inc. is set to put up a 300-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has signed an agreement with the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country in Northern Spain to boost cooperation in the fields of sustainable fisheries development, aquaculture and marine biotechnology during the recent official visit of President Arroyo to the Spanish region.

THE coauthor of the World Development Report (WDR) 2008 urged the government to follow a three-pronged approach to develop agriculture and achieve propoor growth.

REACTING to a proposed amendment to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) that will require verification and confirmation of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc. (Pippa) said that disallowing the automatic pass-through of adjustments will endanger the reliability of power supply.

THE national government is currently seeking additional assistance from donor countries to assist poor local government units (LGUs) finance their projects, particularly the Project Development and Monitoring Fund (PDMF).

DAVAO CITY—Tagum City’s futuristic city hall may well stand, not only for its awesome architecture, but also for its multimillion-peso bold preparation to be an environmentally sustainable urban center.