Nutrition Month celebration centers on the nutrition of school-age children

By RODRIGO S. VICTORIA, (PIA Biliran)
July 4, 2006

NAVAL, Biliran  –  With this year’s 32nd nutrition month celebration held throughout the country in the month of July, the proper nutrition of the school-age children between 6 to 10 years old is the main focus of the activities to be undertaken by the different nutrition program implementors and stakeholders in the country.

The theme for this year’s Nutrition Month Celebration is “Kumain nang Right, para maging batang Bright”. The theme reinforces the vital role of proper nutrition in creating a bright child which is in fulfillment of the child’s basic right to adequate nutrition and care as provided for in the Philippine Constitution.

In the latest results of the national nutrition surveys conducted in 2003 by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST), it showed that 27 in every 100 children 6-10 years old or about 2.5 million children are underweight for their age.

The results conducted by FNRI-DOST also showed that 37 in every 100 children 6-10 years old or about 3.4 million children are stunted or short for their age and 37 in every 100 children 6-12 years old are anemic.

In a nutrition related document released by the National Nutrition Council (NNC), it enumerated the three consequences of poor nutrition among school-age children such as undernutrition which can lead to poor mental and physical development, high risk to infections and poor performance in school and ultimately lower levels of productivity in adulthood.

The paper also mentioned iron deficiency anemia as the second consequence of poor nutrition among school-age children which can lead to growth retardation, inattentiveness, decreased social responsiveness, low levels of concentration, less motivation for intellectually challenging roles and low level of over-all intellectual development leading to lower scores on mental and motor development tests.

The third consequence mentioned is the overnutrition and obesity which can lead to serious heart problems and diabetes at a young age which could have serious health, economic and social implications in adulthood.

The paper further mentioned some nutrition and health-related behavioral concerns of school-age children which greatly affects their nutrition such as skipping meals, high intake of foods that are high in fats and sugar but low in other nutrients, frequent snacking or snacking too close to the main meal resulting to loss of appetite during the main meal, practices that increase the risk of parasitism and water and food-borne diseases like diarrhea, gastro-enteritis and hepatitis A and inactivity due to long hours of watching TV or playing computer games.

In order to address these concerns, the NNC suggested several things to be done like setting a sleeping time for the child, give a well-balanced breakfast, emphasize healthy eating, practice hand washing before and after eating and after using toilet, teach personal hygiene and encourage physical activity like doing some gardening with the children.

Prevalence of Underweight, 0-5 year-old Children in Region 8
Year 2005

source: OPT

Charter Change deserves full support of the people – Sec. Claudio

By BONG PEDALINO, (PIA - Southern Leyte)
July 4, 2006

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte – Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs, Secretary Gabriel Claudio, expressed gratitude to the leaders and the people of Southern Leyte for the "outspoken and unequivocal support for charter change," saying this priority advocacy of the administration "deserves the full support of the people."

"I would like to thank you for your outspoken and unequivocal support for charter change. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Gov. Lerias, together with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), in support of the People’s Initiative as a mode of changing the Constitution," Claudio said in his speech at the Capitol Sunken Garden here July 1 on the occasion of the 46th founding anniversary celebration of Southern Leyte province where he was the Guest Speaker.

"Likewise, I would like to cite the efforts of Cong. Mercado in support of a constituent assembly as a mode of amending the Constitution. Either way will bring us to our desired goal -- the emancipation of our people from the archaic and anachronistic political and economic provisions in the present Constitution that hinder our growth and prosperity," Claudio added.

He scored the opposition for trying to belittle and malign efforts on cha-cha and relating it to allegations that it was a move merely to extend the President’s term or to stop the new round of impeachment.

The present leadership has called for changes in the charter "practically from its inception" and, in fact, one of President Arroyo’s campaign platforms in the 2004 polls was anchored on constitutional reforms, the political adviser, who was also assigned as the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development (CORD) for Region 8, said.

He declared that efforts at changing the country’s basic law were "not self-serving, short-sighted or sinister."

"The purpose of charter change is reforms. A change in the Constitution will put in place the necessary structure to minimize the destructive effects of politics and bring about an environment more conducive to stability, growth, and progress," he said.

In a press conference at the Governor’s office right after the anniversary dinner, Claudio admitted that attempts for both Houses of Congress to form a constituent assembly and the people’s initiative to effect charter change were competing with each other.

He was hopeful that talks between the Senate and the House were not yet closed, adding that by Congress’ opening on July 24 the controversial issue may once again gather momentum for an intense discussion.

The people’s initiative, on the other hand, had gathered almost 9 million signatures already, and only the verification outcome of two legislative district were being awaited before filing the petition to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Sec. Claudio further said.

Isabela rejects proposed PNOC coal project

Press Release
By GREENPEACE
July 3, 2006

MANILA, Philippines  – ‘We don’t want your coal mine and power plant’, Isabela community leaders and Greenpeace activists told the Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation (PNOC-EC) Thursday, trooping to the state-owned company’s offices to express the province’s complete rejection of a proposed integrated coal mining and mine-mouth power plant project. Voicing the firm anti-coal stance of residents of the municipalities of Naguilian and Benito Soliven, and the city of Cauayan, in Isabela, the community leaders delivered a petition signed by 15,000 concerned Isabela citizens, resolutions from Naguillan and Benito Soliven municipal councils, and a letter from the Cauayan city council, all strongly opposing the proposed coal project.

To drive their message home, representatives from Isabela and volunteers from Greenpeace, some of whom wore protective coveralls and gas masks, blocked the gates of the PNOC compound with signs displaying skulls, symbolizing how coal plants are a menace to the environment and to human health.

“We absolutely reject PNOC’s proposed mine-mouth coal-plant because it will threaten the lives of the people in the surrounding communities,” said Isabela Anti-Coal Mine Mouth Alliance representative Fr. Tony Ancieta, “This coal project will pollute the air and water and ruin crops, devastating health and livelihoods.”

Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. The acute and long-term environmental and social costs associated with coal usage make it an expensive and unacceptable burden to its host communities. The coal industry moreover is a major contributor to climate change, the greatest threat to our world today. The proposed project would be the Philippine’s first coal-fired power plant located on a mine site. Under the original proposal, the project encompasses an area of 20,000 hectares, straddling the boundaries of Naguilian, Benito Soliven, and Cauayan, comprising more than 8,000 households who will be at risk from the mining and plant operations.

The PNOC has been persistently seeking approval from local communities for an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) endorsement as a first step toward the implementation of the mine-mouth coal plant project. In 2001, the municipal council of Naguilian filed a resolution rejecting the proposed coal project. A similar resolution was filed in 2005 by its neighboring municipality Benito Soliven.

But despite the obvious lack of support from local communities, the PNOC continued to actively push for the project’s approval. With a reworked proposal reducing the mine mouth coal plant’s area to 9,000 hectares, the PNOC once again pursued endorsement, this time from Cauayan’s city council which unanimously rejected the request last June 16. Local leaders, however, feel that the proposal will be revived regardless of the rejection of all three towns.

“No means no,” said Cauayan City Councilor Dr. Francisco Mallillin, “The PNOC’s mine mouth power plant has already been rejected by three towns. Clearly the project should be shelved. PNOC should not revive the proposal in any form, now or in the future.”

“The opposition to the proposed mine mouth coal plant in Isabela is a testament to the growing movement against coal throughout the country,” concluded Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Jasper Inventor, “There is no future with coal. The government therefore should stop the construction and expansion of more coal plants in the country and initiate a massive shift to clean, renewable energy with a clear target of 10% of our total energy needs generated from sun, wind, and modern biomass by the year 2010.”

Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organization which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environment problems, and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future.

 

Study reveals glaring issues on abortion

By NINFA BARCENA-QUIRANTE, (PIA Samar)
July 2, 2006

CATBALOGAN, Samar – “Not all women who experience complications receive treatment because they die before obtaining care!”

Dr. Josefina Cabigon of the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) was referring to abortion, the leading cause of maternal mortality, the study showed.

In the Regional Kapihan at the Hotel Alejandro in Tacloban City jointly conducted by PopCom and PIA 8, several jolting revelations were exposed to the Samar media.

Another alarming issue was the glaring figure that an estimated number of 473,000 women had induced abortions in 2000.

According to the study, only 105,000 women have been hospitalized for complications. Some women do not submit to medical care as they do not experience complications, still some 78,900 develop complications and some 800 of them die.

Abortion, Cabigon added has just been treated recently as a public health issue though it may have occurred since time immemorial.

Cabigon shared that it was difficult to conduct the study because the women themselves did not own up to committing the act for fear of reprisal.

One of the reactors to the presented study, Atty. Imelda Nartea emphasized that laws on abortion are specific and anybody who practices it is punishable under the provisions of the Revised Penal Code.

When asked why some women would resort to this practice that may even cause their own deaths; reasons pointed to economics. In the study, 72% of those who admitted having had abortion said that it is expensive to raise a baby.

The general trend in induced abortion is increasing from 1994 to 2000 as estimated from hospital records.

Low contraceptive use and high unmet needs for contraception contribute to induced abortion, it said.

There is no specific sector of society committing abortion; study showed that women from all segments of society do.

Majority of these women experiencing induced abortion had at least high school education, it said. While they maybe educated by the common standard, education regarding the risk of induced abortion has to be intensified, Cabigon noted.

She advised media to help in disseminating information on the perils of induced abortion.

In this extreme situation said a statement (from Agapay, Ethics and the Filipino, 1999) the parents would be the criminal, the judge and the executioners and the child has no fighting chance to survive.