Director Gonzaga said
that the DOH team will go around the Region to oversee the first round
of deworming of school children. He said that for this endeavor, the
Department of Education is its implementing partner.
Director Gonzaga said
this is part of the Expanded Garantisadong Pambata Program of the
Aquino Administration which was launched in the Region in March of
2011.
Director Gonzaga
informed that instead of focusing only on child survival intervention
of preschoolers, 0-5 years old, the newly designed Garantisadong
Pambata program has expanded to providing service and information on
health, nutrition, and environment for newborn babies up to 14 years
old children.
This essential health
package, Director Gonzaga said, includes the promotion of exclusive
breastfeeding for six months; providing routine immunization among
infants; giving vitamin A supplement and de-worming tablet every six
months; education on proper hand washing with soap and water; brushing
of teeth regularly; using the toilet properly; and keeping homes
tobacco smoke-free.
The new design of the
program aims to make Garantisadong Pambata as a way of life, Director
Gonzaga stressed. Anything that will ensure that children are healthy
and living in a safe environment is GP, the good DOH Director added.
Under the new GP good health of children is a critical foundation for
a healthy adulthood.
Director Gonzaga said
that instead of confining child health services in health facilities,
the new GP now involves non-tradition community outlets like day care
centers, schools and workplaces.
The GP program
targets 100% of children aged 1-5 years old and those aged 6-12 years
old enrolled in public elementary schools to receive de-worming
tablets every six months to reduce prevalence of parasitism in these
aged groups.
Only 3 municipalities
in East Visayas are doctor-less
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January
5, 2012
TACLOBAN CITY – With
the recent deployment of ten young medical graduates to ten
doctor-less municipalities, only three municipalities in Eastern Visayas remain as doctor-less LGUs, the Department of Health informed.
DOH-8 Director Edgardo
Gonzaga identified the three doctor-less municipalities as Santo Nińo,
Jiabong and Tagapul-an, all in the
province
of Samar.
Director Gonzaga
expressed hope that in the next deployment, these three municipalities
will be included.
He recalled that in
2009, there were 15 doctor-less municipalities in the Region. So he is
happy that after two years, only three local government units are
without doctors.
The DOH Director said
that due to the absence of doctors in rural communities, indigent
patients have to travel long hours to seek medical attention from
clinical specialists in provincial or city centers.
Director Gonzaga said
that in order to qualify as a doctor-less municipality, the LGU must
have been without doctor for at least five years.
The thrust of the DTTB
Program is to provide medical care by deploying competent, dedicated
doctors twice a year to far-flung areas that needed them most.
These areas were
typically underdeveloped and economically challenged municipalities
described as isolated, depressed, and hard to reach. Doctors are
expected to render two years of service in the municipalities where
they have been deployed.
These Doctors to the
Barrios receive about P28,000 (US$995.231) a month in salaries and
other benefits. They serve the municipality for two years.
Several of them
however, remain in the municipalities because they get married to a
local. A few have been taken in by the local government units (LGU) as
their municipal health officers.
The Department of
Health pay for the salaries of the Doctor but on the third year, the
doctor and the Department of Health negotiates with the municipality
to take in the doctor as the regular municipal health officer paid by
the LGU.
Smoking ban stays
during EVRAA in Maasin City
By BONG PEDALINO, PIA Southern
Leyte
January 5, 2012
MAASIN CITY, Southern
Leyte – Coaches and trainers from other school divisions in Region 8
who smoke tobacco or cigarettes better be warned: they should kick the
habit – at least while living in this city for the week-long duration
of the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) January
29 - February 4, 2012.
This was made clear by
Fernando Salapi, Sports Coordinator of the City Schools Division,
Department of Education (DepEd).
Aside from smoking,
adult participants of the regional sports meet are also not allowed to
be seen in public drinking alcoholic drinks, saying that sports
requires discipline, Salapi said during the cable TV program “Action
Center” yesterday.
The strict regimen to
preserve one’s health was in line with the theme for this year’s EVRAA,
which is “School Sports: Foundation to a Healthy Lifestyle”, he added.
Salapi said the ages
of participating officials was limited at 55 and below as a matter of
policy, to prevent any untoward incident with regards to the health of
these delegates.
During the first EVRAA
in the city in 2005, one of the officials ended as a fatality after
the opening parade, an incident the organizers do not want repeated.
It was learned that
some players, coaches and trainers, or staff of visiting delegations
do smoke, but once in the city they will be forbidden under pain of
being penalized once caught smoking in public places.
The city local
government did not tolerate smoking habits by visitors during their
stay for certain events, like boy scouts on a jamboree, or any other
gathering. City enforcers and Police personnel were seen issuing
citation tickets to strangers who violated the city’s anti-smoking
ordinance.
Meanwhile, Salapi also
said that officiating officials for this year’s EVRAA will undergo a
refresher course from January 25 to 28 so that they will be updated on
current rules and regulations, including some policies that must be
followed as the games progress.
Non-attendance to
this four-day course will disqualify an official to officiate in the
games, Salapi added.
LGBT Hate Crime Watch
hit father's cruel attack on gay son
By PROGAY
Philippines
January 5, 2012
MANILA – The
Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch (PLHCW) condemned the brutal and
homophobia-fueled attack on a gay teener in Northern Philippines.
The group is demanding
justice for 19-year old Edmund Padilla who suffered burns and blisters
after his drunken father Erano scalded him with boiling water. The
PLHCW also demanded Congress to hold the hearings that would
investigate motive-driven crimes based on the perceived sexual
orientation and gender identity of the victims to prevent future
repeats of the barbaric crime, according to Reighben Labilles,
spokesperson of the PLHCW.
The elder Padilla told
police that he committed the crime because of his pent-up feelings
against three of his children turning out to be gay. He is now
detained and charged with physical injuries on the instigation of the
victim.
In 2010, the Gabriela
Women's Partylist passed a House resolution calling for a formal
inquiry on the origins and effects of hate crimes committed against
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) on the prodding of the
hate crime watchers group. Congress has yet to act on the resolution.
"We plead to the
government to initiate pro-active programs that provides parents and
LGBT children the opportunities to promote freedom of expression of
sexuality and gender. In a free society, the parents should respect
the rights of their LGBT and stop altogether corporal punishment. We
are born this way and you cannot punish us to change our sexuality,"
Labilles said.
"Since Edmund Padilla
is already 19 years old, he may no longer be covered by the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child and our national child
protection laws, yet we fear that so many violent acts perpetrated by
parents and legal guardians against their LGBT children go unreported.
It is so urgent for Congress to find ways to protect sons and
daughters of whatever age from family-based violence and the
Convention is a good place to start," Labilles said.
Article 19 of the
Convention declares: States Parties shall take all appropriate
legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to
protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence,
injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or
exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parents,
legal guardians or any other person who has the care of the child.
Maasin City ready and
prepared to host EVRAA 2012
By BONG PEDALINO, PIA Southern
Leyte
January 4, 2012
MAASIN CITY, Southern
Leyte – With just twenty-four days to go, this city has been all set
for action for the week-long Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic
Association (EVRAA) sports competition, scheduled to be held here
January 29 to February 4.
Everything has been
laid out for the accommodations, from the billeting quarters of
athletic delegates and officials to sports venues and other physical
facilities, said Dominador Rojas, City Sports Coordinator.
On the part of the
Department of Education (DepEd) City Division, all the teachers were
already oriented on their specific roles to ensure a successful
hosting of the annual sports tournament among elementary and secondary
schools students all over Leyte and Samar, said Fernando Salapi,
Division Sports Coordinator.
Both Rojas and Salapi
were the guests during this year’s maiden edition of the cable TV
program “Action Center” this morning.
Rojas said the only
problem he foresaw was the weather, if it keeps on raining as the
games went on, suggesting that playing venues must have alternate
sites to counter the ever changing climate.
Games such as
volleyball and basketball that are set to be played in the open arena
at the provincial sports complex, or at the Tomas Oppus Pilot School
(TOPS) oval, will be transferred to covered gyms when it rains, and
for this purpose all the barangay gyms in the city may be used, said
Rojas.
City Mayor Maloney
Samaco had said he wanted this year’s EVRAA hosting as a memorable
experience for the visiting delegates, estimated at over 6,000 from
ten school divisions around Region 8, even as he also wanted athletes
of the home division to be the champion.
This will be the
second time Maasin City played host to the regional, annual sports
meet, the first time was in the year 2005 where the city emerged
overall champion, a feat Mayor Samaco wants repeated.
A total of seventeen
sporting events will be competed, and in all these games, except for
Archery, the City Division has been training hard its players in close
coordination with the city local government unit, said Salapi.
As guests of honor
during the opening ceremony, DepEd invited Assistant Secretary Tony
Umali, while the city government invited Chito Loyzaga, Commissioner
of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), but both have not yet
confirmed their presence to date.
This year’s EVRAA
carries the theme, “School Sports: Foundation to a Healthy Lifestyle”,
a message that jibes well with the city’s no-smoking policy, which
will be strictly implemented as the games unfold, Salapi said.
Sen. Pia pushes bill
to ban use of firecrackers by private individuals, minors
Press Release
January
4, 2012
PASAY CITY – Senator Pia S. Cayetano is set to file a bill imposing stricter regulations on
firecrackers and pyrotechnics, including prohibiting their use by
private individuals, as she cited the hazards that these devices pose
to human health, the environment and air transportation safety during
the annual New Year revelry.
Cayetano, Chairperson
of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said her bill seeks
to amend Republic Act No.7183, also known as ‘An Act Regulating the
Sale, Manufacture, Distribution and Use of Firecrackers and other
Pyrotechnic Devices,’ by allowing only local government unit-sponsored
fireworks and pyrotechnic displays.
The bill also seeks to
prevent the practice of some manufacturers who circumvent the law
simply by renaming or re-branding their banned firecrackers. Aside
from the list of banned firecrackers already enumerated under RA 7183,
Cayetano’s bill also proposes to set standards on maximum allowable
amount of gunpowder as basis for banning certain types of firecrackers
not necessarily included in the banned list as determined by DTI.
“It’s time we put an
end to this vicious cycle of unnecessary deaths and debilitating
injuries that greet us every New Year caused by firecrackers and
fireworks. What’s really disheartening is that most of the victims of
firecracker blasts every year are minors, including very young
children,” Cayetano lamented.
“Where else in the
world do we hear news of firecracker fatalities and injuries during
the New Year revelry but in the
Philippines?
Until when will we Filipinos allow this yearly carnage? Do we have to
wait for a plane crash to happen due to the heavy smog caused by
firecracker pollution before we come to our senses?”
Cayetano noted that as
of the latest count of the Department of Health (DOH), the number of
firecracker and stray bullet-related injuries has already reached 949.
The figure could rise further as reports from DOH’s 50 sentinel
hospitals nationwide continue to come in.
She dismissed the
claim made recently by an official of the Philippine Pyrotechnics
Manufacturers and Dealers Association (PPMDA) that calls to ban
firecrackers is an ‘old tune’ (‘lumang tugtugin’) that will likely
fail. “Of course they will say that. They simply want to protect their
business interests and keep their profit margins in the guise of
preserving Filipino ‘traditions.’ But why would we continue to allow a
tradition that is harmful to our people? It is high time that we
regulate this practice.”
“With government’s
political will and the understanding and cooperation of the public, we
can change everything, including foolish habits and bad traditions. We
need not look far to other countries for examples to emulate. The
local government of Davao City has been enforcing a no-non sense
firecracker ban and has been reporting zero-casualties while jailing
violators in the last ten years. If Davao City can do it, why can’t it
be replicated throughout the country?”
She clarified that
her proposal will not entirely do away with the tradition of welcoming
the incoming year with fireworks. “There will be designated zones in
various localities where people could view pyrotechnic displays which
will be operated by experts and professionals authorized by the local
government.”
Commercial,
non-residential building construction in Leyte cheaper in
Q2 last year
By NEIL D. LOPIDO, PIA 8
January
4, 2012
TACLOBAN CITY – A
decline was observed on the average cost per square meter both for
commercial and non-commercial building construction during the second
quarter in 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, the Leyte
Provincial Statistics Office report said.
For commercial
building construction, the average cost was pegged at P5,764 per
square meter or a decline of 17.9 percent compared to P7,017 area cost
of construction during the same quarter in 2010. The value of
construction for commercial buildings totaled to P80.3 million with a
total floor area of 13.9 thousand square meters.
Applications for the
construction of stores had the biggest share recorded at 55 percent
out of the total applications for the construction of commercial
buildings while the applications for the construction of
condominium/office building/banks/motel/ and other types of commercial
buildings comprised the remaining 45 percent.
For non-residential
building construction, the average cost was P6,031 per square meter
which posted a drop of 13 percent from P6,935 per square meter during
the second quarter of 2010. The total value for the construction of
non-residential building was estimated at P117.4 million during the
reference period with a total floor area of 19.5 thousand square
meters.
Construction of
commercial buildings topped all other types of non-residential
building construction at 55.6 percent followed by the construction of
institutional, agricultural and other non-residential buildings at
30.5 percent while industrial building construction shared 13.9
percent.
On the other hand, the
average cost of construction of residential building amounted to
P7,503 per square meter or a slight increment of 2.3 percent from
P7,336 during the same quarter in 2010. Estimated amount for the
construction of residential buildings reached P180.1 million with a
total floor area of 24 thousand square meters.
Residential
building is a building for which its major parts or more than half of
its gross floor area is built for dwelling purposes with type such as
single, duplex, apartment and/or accessoria and residential
condominium while types of non-residential building includes
commercial, industrial, agricultural and institutional buildings.
DepEd courts barangay
involvement in education
By NINFA B QUIRANTE, PIA
Samar
January 4, 2012
CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar
– The Department of Education (DepED) is courting the barangays for
its needed support in education.
Claire Menda,
Information Officer of DepEd Samar thinks that this is an idea to
‘solidify’ the school and barangay.
“We train our school
heads, teachers and barangay officials together to make sure that they
have a common understanding of what we envision to achieve,” Menda
said.
Presently, the
barangay officials are aware that DepEd is facing challenges
especially on the holding power of the schools over the children.
“This is one of the
three big goals that DepEd needs to achieve, one is to see to it that
all school-age children are in school, next is to make sure that those
in school, stay until the last day in school and those who are in
school get quality education,” the DepEd official said.
She mentioned that
barangay officials are not only involved during the ‘Brigada Eskwela”
when communities forge alliances to prepare schools during the opening
but also to help the schools weld that ‘holding power’ for students.
DepEd seeks to unite a
grand alliance among government organizations, families and
individuals in meeting the basic learning needs of all children.
During education
summits that are periodically held, the barangays especially those in
remote areas appeal to teachers to minimize their absences so that
school children become inspired always to report to school.
“We can not always
monitor them, the barangays help us do that,” Menda said.
The teachers in turn
renew their commitment to hold classes the whole five days, Menda
said.
The barangays keep an
eye on the schools, make sure that classes are held regularly and in
turn extend affordable support to their activities.
“In whatever form,
the barangays can help us maintain that ‘holding power’ in our
classrooms,” the DepEd official said.
Maasin City highlights
“Sakay-Sakay” Festival in honor of Senior Sto. Nińo
By R.G.
CADAVOS, PIA Southern
Leyte
January
4, 2012
MAASIN CITY, Southern
Leyte – In preparation for the coming Feast day of Senior Sto. Nińo,
Maasin City Tourism Office is now preparing for the Sakay-Sakay
Festival this coming January 15, 2012.
City Tourism Officer
Royenno Segovia in his report over radio station DyDM Tuesday said
that the activity will feature “sakay-sakay” festival, an open
competition with 5 categories to consider for judging, such as the
Bangka Category, Icon category, Pump boat category, the Street dancing
and the Higante category.
He said that prizes
for the competition were allocated by the city government, “though
voluntary support are also coming in” from different individuals and
organizations to assist the said activity.
Prizes are as follows:
Bangka category - P25,000 (1st prize), P15,000 (2nd prize), P10,000
(3rd prize) and a consolation of P5,000 each for the 1st 3
non-winners; Icon category - P10,000 (1st), P7,000 (2nd), P5,000 (3rd)
and consolation of P1,500 for the 1st 10 non-winners; Higante category
- P8,000 (1st), P5,000 (2nd), P3,000 (3rd) and P1,500 consolation
prizes for the 1st 5 non-winners; and the Pumpboat category with
P10,000 for the 1st prize, P7,000 for 2nd, P5,000 for the 3rd and
consolation prizes of P2,000 each for the first 8 non-winners.
While the Street
Dancing that was previously merged with the Icon category is now
separated with P30,000 as 1st prize, P20,000 (2nd), P10,000 (3rd) and
P5,000 consolation prizes for the 1st 3 non-winners, the report added.
Segovia said that the
competition is open to any group who wish to participate, though as of
press time official entry has not yet confirmed, “the working
committee will still meet on Friday, January 6, and hopefully official
entries will come in,” he divulged.
The route and
judges of the competition will also be discussed during the meeting
for the finalization of the said activity. ”Hopefully, this activity
will draw visitors as one of the religious tourist attractions in
Maasin City and the city government is planning to raise the prizes to
attract more participants,” Segovia disclosed.
