DOH-8 intensifies campaign against diarrheal diseases in Eastern Visayas

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 4, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  As the region braces for more rains brought about by the LPA in Mindanao, the Department of Health in Eastern Visayas is set to conduct monitoring of diarrheal cases in the Region and to intensify information campaign against the disease.

Mr. Boyd Cerro, sentinel nurse of the Department of Health Region 8 informed the Philippine Information Agency that with rains prevailing in the Region, the sources of water are prone to be contaminated and might result to diarrheal diseases outbreak.

Mr. Cerro disclosed that on January 5, together with Dr. Edgardo Daya of the Leyte Provincial Health Office, will go to Calubian, Leyte, particularly at the Nortwestern Leyte District Hospital, where cases of diarrheal diseases have been observed.

Dr. Daya who received the report from the District Hospital Director Dr. Felicidad D. Sales, suggested to Mr. Cerro for a joint fact-finding and monitoring team to visit Calubian.

Since before Christmas, about 67 diarrheal cases have been recorded at the Northwestern Leyte District Hospital based in the municipality of Calubian, Dr. Adelfa Jaboco, Calubian Municipal Health Officer told the Philippine Information Agency.

Dr. Jaboco was quick to add that not all the 67 cases are from Calubian, but from the nearby municipalities of Leyte, Tabango and San Isidro. In fact the first case was from the municipality of Leyte.

Of the 67 cases, less than five patients mostly of the younger group died because when they were brought to the hospital, they were already severely dehydrated, Dr. Jacobo informed.

Dr. Jaboco said that the local health office has already advised the people on the necessary precautionary measure they could do and has already conducted water treatment.

She said the situation is under control. In fact, as of press time, only three diarrheal patients are confined at the district hospital and they are on the way to recovery and will go home anytime, Dr. Jaboco said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Daya and Mr. Cerro both encouraged proper sanitation, boiling of drinking water, proper food handling as the best prevention against diarrheal diseases.

Diarrheal Disease is a major cause of mortality in the Philippines. Over the past 20 years, it has ranked 1st to 4th leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Among children under the age of five, it is a major cause of illness and death.

Diarrheal disease in general and in particular among children under five is a serious public health and development problem. In view of this, the DOH launched a national program to control diarrheal disease (CDD) in 1980.

To reduce mortality from diarrhea particularly among children under five through extensive case management utilizing oral rehydration therapy (ORT), environmental sanitation, maternal and child health, nutrition and health education activities.

In fact, the Department of Health (DOH) is set to conduct a nationwide vaccination this year against rotavirus, which causes severe diarrhea among young children, making the Philippines the leader for other Asian countries in lowering infant mortality from the preventable ailment.

An estimated 3,500 Filipino children below five years of age die each year from severe diarrhea, half of which are directly caused by rotavirus, according to DOH statistics. The virus causes inflammation of the stomach and severe watery diarrhea often accompanied by vomiting and fever, leading to loss of body fluids and, in extreme cases, death among babies and young children.

DPWH-SoLeyte bags Best Engineering Office 2011 in Eastern Visayas

By ES GORNE, PIA Southern Leyte
January 3, 2012

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte  –  The Southern Leyte Engineering District (SLED) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has been awarded as the Best Engineering Office in Region 8 for 2011.

The award given last December 21, 2011 at the DPWH Regional Office was based on the collective performance of each section. The said engineering district has ranked first in both Materials and Quality Control and Maintenance Sections, according to SLED Administrative Officer Lilia Mulaan.

The performance of the following sections such as Comptrollership (20%), Construction (20%), Materials and Quality Control (30%), and Maintenance (30%), Mulaan reported.

While, District Engineer Carlos G. Veloso has been awarded also as the Best District Engineer in the region, she added.

Mulaan also disclosed that Engineer Manolo Rojas is also awarded as the Best Assistant District Engineer, Engr. Allan Eway is the Best Maintenance Engineer and Engineer Leonides Olarte is the Best Materials Engineer, all of Southern Leyte Engineering District.

The SLED office got the highest rank among the 13 district offices in the region, Mulaan reported. She added that SLED has consistently won the Best Maintenance award for three years.

These awards are the department’s recognition of the district’s efforts under the PRAISE (Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence) program to deserving officials and employees and offices in the region, she added.

Leyte releases P11.5-M local cash counterpart for KALAHI-CIDSS towns

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 3, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The Provincial Government of Leyte under the leadership of Governor Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, recently released some P11.5 million as provincial cash counterpart for the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) municipalities in Leyte.

This is a manifestation of the Provincial Government of Leyte’s continued support to the KALAHI-CIDSS project and its objectives, said Governor Petilla, who is acknowledged by DSWD as one of strong supporters of the program in the Region.

Governor Petilla believes in the program’s primary objectives to empower communities and to improve local governance.

Despite the people’s educational handicap, they become like accountants, engineers, lawyers, and politicians, Governor Petilla said. It is because KALAHI CIDSS Project spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has developed their capability, and mobilized their resources as well as empowered them to become active members and implementors of government projects in their area.

They become accountants because they prepare the feasibility study after identifying their social needs in the community. They act as engineers because they can also identify correct materials needed in the construction, its specification and estimates, until construction.

They are aware of the liabilities and responsibilities of every member and can prepare documents with legal essence that will serve as proofs of their efforts as project partners. They can also explain the benefits of the project and campaign for active participation of the community.

All these are learned by the rural folks through rigid and strict guidance of KALAHI CIDSS project implementors, Governor Petilla added.

For the municipality of Javier, the province has committed P1,811,210.00 as counterpart; for La Paz, P2,010,995.00; for Julita, P1,467,636.00; for Mahaplag, P1,561,858.00; for Mayorga, P1,280,410.00; for San Isidro, P1,108,481.00; for Tabango, P803,450.00; and for Tabontabon, P718,895.00.

The next release will include the P1,953,415 the provincial government has pledge for the KALAHI CIDSS in Bato, Leyte. The Municipal Local Government Unit (MLGU) and Barangay Local Government Unit (BLGU) have obligated P2,431,921.00, and delivered P2,115,815 or 87% of the total fund.

On the other hand, Mahaplag, Leyte, which has committed a total of P1,226,243.10 has delivered P1,219,021.10 or 99%, the highest among the nine municipalities.

The local cash counterpart from the province is a requisite for downloading and disbursement of funds from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Central Office for the identified KALAHI-CIDSS sub-projects in the above-mentioned municipalities.

Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan (KALAHI) Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDSS) is a unique program approach of the government to development. It is one of the largest poverty alleviation portfolios of World Bank in the Philippines having flowed in almost 15 billion pesos for infrastructure projects.

The guiding principles are localized decision making, empowering the community, transparent transactions, community prioritization, inclusive, demand driven, simple and sustainable.

East Samar Police bares Command’s biggest 2011 accomplishment

By ALICE NICART, PIA Eastern Samar
January 3, 2012

BORONGAN, Eastern Samar  –  Chief Inspector Edwin Barbosa, of the Police Community Relations Office (PCRO), Philippine National Police (PNP) Provincial Command here reported their major accomplishment for year 2011.

According to Barbosa they consider their neutralization of hold-up incidents in some highways of the province as their major success.

It can be recalled that there used to have a series of hold-up incidents along the stretch of Hernani and Llorente towns.  However, just before the year ended, the suspects were collared by police authorities following the warrant of arrest issued against them.

Since then, it was observed that highway robberies and hold-up incidents have not recurred anymore.

Two attempted hold-ups were likewise foiled by police authorities in the recent past: one at the Borongan LBC branch and at the Rural Bank of Borongan.

Asked about the recent New Year’s revelries, Barbosa said that the celebration was relatively peaceful, no illegal discharge of ammunition whatsoever was reported except for five firecracker-related injuries which were reported by the Provincial Health Office (PHO).

There was one stabbing incident though, with suspect already arrested, but no other crime was reported to have occurred during the New Year celebration.

And yesterday, after a successful campaign vs. illegal discharge of firearms, the members of the PNP Provincial Command, altogether removed the muzzles from the nozzles of their issued long and short firearms, an order they had to follow earlier to ensure a peaceful New Year celebration.

It was an experience several years back when members of the defunct Philippine Constabulary (PC) and Integrated National Police (INP) would fire their firearms every time the 12th hour of December 31 strikes the clock.  Later however, it became taboo as several of them faced due charges, others were dismissed from the service for indiscriminate firing.

The PNP Provincial command is under the leadership of SSupt. Manuel E. Cubillo.

Naval mayor bares priority projects for 2012

By FLOR JACKSON, PIA Biliran
January 2, 2012

NAVAL, Biliran  –  Mayor Susan Parilla of the local government unit (LGU) of Naval bared  some of her priority projects for the year 2012.

In an interview with Mayor Parilla, she informed that the need to complete the drainage projects for poblacion Naval is a priority to avoid flooding in major streets of the area especially now that the rainy season which is usually experienced during the last quarter of the year will spill over during the first few months of 2012.

She said, the fund that LGU-Naval received from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) local funds in the amount of P900,000 as its prize for being one of the municipalities in region 8 that garnered the Seal of Good Housekeeping award will be used to finance the drainage project.

She added that the amount of P1,000,000 as prize of LGU-Naval when it won the Gawad Pamana ng Lahi award last year, the awarding of which was held in Manila last year, will likewise be added to the P900,000 to complete the drainage project.

Mayor Parilla said that aside from the drainage project that LGU-Naval has to complete early this year, to be given focus by her administration is the strict implementation of the solid waste management.

It was learned that during the middle part of last year, LGU-Naval campaigned to step up implementation waste segregation in every household in Naval town.

A team was formed to give instructions and supervise households in the poblacion on proper waste segregation.

She also informed that she will continue the greening program of LGU-Naval by encouraging residents in Barangay Caraycaray, Naval who are living along the shorelines through the initiative of the of barangay officials in the area to plant more mangrove seedlings in their place.

A mangrove nursery will be set up in Sitio Banderahan, Caraycaray to ensure continuous supply of mangrove seedlings every time a mangrove tree planting activity is scheduled.

A total of 1,000 mangrove seedlings have already been planted in the coastal area of Sitio Banderahan in 2011 during the mangrove planting activity set in three different schedules last year,” Mayor Parilla said.

Palompon adopts DOST's bioreactor for its Materials Recovery Facility

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 2, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The newly constructed Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) of the municipality of Palompon, Leyte  which adopted DOST's bioreactor, is one which must be seen by other municipalities in the Region.

The MRF which was partly-funded by the Provincial Government of Leyte, features equipment such as plastic shedder machine and plastic recycling oven that recycles low-grade plastic wastes into another materials.

Another equipment is the much-talked about DOST-developed Bioreactor facility which was adopted by the local government of Palompon in response to the municipality’ problems on waste management and disposal.

Mayor Ramon Onate said the creation of the MRF facility is in compliance with the provisions of the Ecological Solid Wastes Management Act of 2003 otherwise known as RA 9003.

With the 500-kg bioreactor, the municipality’s biodegradable wastes including those from the town’s market wastes are processed and converted into usable farm inputs or organic composts reducing the volume of landfill disposal.

The bioreactor can produce an average of 2.5 tons of composts every month and this may be sold to the local farmers.

An average of 2.5 tons of compost are being produced every month and is sold at P4/kg to the local farmers.

The bioreactor’s operation has low energy cost and does not emit foul odor.  The technology significantly reduces solid wastes problems in the region particularly on biodegradable wastes.  It also conforms to the Ecological Solid Wastes Management Act of 2003 or popularly known as RA 9003.

Like in any local government unit, waste disposal has been a perennial problem in Palompon, Leyte. It has been searching for a technically viable solution to recycle biodegradable wastes to address this problem and seeing the viability of the bioreactor, it collaborated with DOST-8.

Earlier, the DOST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI-DOST) reported that it is offering a package to partially address the surmounting problem on municipal solid waste management with its technology on the biodegradation of solid wastes, using a bioreactor.

The technology package comes with a device that converts biodegradable solid wastes, which account for about 52% of the total municipal solid wastes generated daily, into compost, a good fertilizer for vegetable crops. Biodegradable wastes include spoiled/wilted vegetables, fruit peels, meat/fruit/vegetable trimmings, food leftovers, fish entrails/trimmings, leaves/twigs, seeds, among others.

Technology adopters will acquire the device from an accredited fabricator and the designated operator acquires training on the technology (training manual/Certificate inclusive).

For the protection of the adopters, all bioreactors shall be fabricated solely by those accredited by the Institute, and shall bear a name plate with serial number (issued only by the ITDI-DOST).

East Visayas SMEs created 12,000 jobs in 2011, DTI says

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 2, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector in Eastern Visayas has created at least 12,000 jobs in 2011, the Regional office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) informed.

This exceeded the Region’s target for the SMEs to generate 9,899 jobs for 2011, DTI-8 Regional Director Cynthia Nierras said.

The SMEs creation of more than 12,000 jobs helped reduce the unemployment problem of Eastern Visayas, Director Nierras said. Assisting the operations of the SMEs is part of the major mandate of the DTI.

DTI is happy that the SMEs in the Region are doing well. This will not only help the local economy but at the same time serve as an engine in creating the much-needed employment, Director Nierra added.

“Our SMEs across the region have served as another source of job generation. In fact, as of September, it surpassed our target by providing employment to our people,” Nierras said.

As of September of this year, the SMEs sector has so far generated 12,020 employments which is relatively higher compared to their target for this year of 9,899.

The 12,020 individuals who are employed in the sector are currently working in the 2,751 small and medium enterprises across the region, Nierras said.

DTI is doing everything to help these SMEs like assisting them develop their product by providing the necessary technical assistance and how to market their products, Director Nierras said.

The SMEs are being provided with the necessary avenue by their department to ensure that their products and in the process, their market, will expand.

These include joining trade fairs during which our local products get to be introduced to other market, Director Nierras said.

Director Nierras is optimistic that more jobs will be generated by the Region’s SMEs this year.

Samar welcomes New Year 2012 peacefully

By NINFA B QUIRANTE, PIA Samar
January 2, 2012

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar  –  Samar province welcomed the new year 2012 peacefully according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Police Director Nolasco Bathan, in a text message said that Samar province is generally peaceful this new year.

Samar provincial hospital said that only two victims of firecrackers from Catbalogan named Alejandro Gilhay, 24 and Rex Obrero, 6 sustained only first degree burns and were immediately sent home after treatment.

“On the record there were only three victims of firecrackers and an incident of grenade explosion in Calbayog City,” the text message of Bathan said.

The grenade explosion so far has marred the Samarnons New Year revelry.

Further verification by PIA as regards the grenade explosion revealed that on December 31, 2011 in a remote village near the boundaries of Lope de Vega and Calbayog’s Oquendo District, three rural folks of Barangay Hugon Rosales were having a drinking spree to welcome the new year, as the night wore off towards new year 2012, one of them jested to remove the pin of a hand grenade allegedly owned by a visitor, but as he was drunk, it accidentally exploded and killed on the spot the two male drinking buddies, sparing their woman buddy named Balbina Juanerio who survived the explosion and was slightly injured.

Police are still investigating the matter and could not give any more details as of press time.

Despite the death of the two New Year revelers, the PNP declared Samar, as still generally peaceful.