The rural health unity of
Dr. Fe Tagimacruz, municipal health officer, said the Valencia Non-Communicable Disease Clients can avail of a discounted charge on laboratory examination such a blood profile tests at the health center.
The group was organized during the healthy lifestyle seminar conducted recently that hopes to reduce the prevalence of lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
Dr. Tagimacruz encouraged other possible clients to become a member of the group so they too can receive continuous education of their ailments and proper administration can be done.
Health care is one of the priority thrusts in the President’s social payback agenda under the President’s “8 by 2008” program, a new economic strategy to achieve the eight blessings of a strong economy until 2009.
The eight blessings, according to the President, are: job creation; better cost of living; a strong peso; more investments; pro-poor education; pro-poor health care, housing, food; green Philippines; and anti-terrorism.
The healthy lifestyle program is an initiative of DOH and is strongly promoted by the Metropolitan Local Health Zone mayors from
DepEd approves new school construction in
The P24-million school project will comprise a two-storey building with 8 classrooms, science laboratory, home economics and industrial arts, guidance and faculty buildings. This will be constructed beside the existing elementary school in
Likewise, according to Secretary Domingo Panganiban of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) that for education, the administration’s anti-poverty and hunger thrusts identified several major programs "that will improve sector-specific outcomes, such as school participation rate, enrolment, cohort survival rate, completion rate, and functional literacy rate.
The pro-poor education program also covers construction of school buildings, sustaining the 1:1 textbook-to-pupil ratio, and provisions of scholarships, both at the basic and tertiary-vocational levels."For school building, the Department of Education (DepEd) has already achieved its target of zero backlog one year in advance.
It will further reduce classroom-to-student ratio which they target to be 1:45 and 1:40 in 2007 and 2008, respectively," Panganiban said. "In compliance with the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) targets, 6,000 classrooms will be built for both 2007 and 2008 at a cost of P8 billion per year," he added.
Two years ago, VNHS opened an extension classes in Brgy. Balugo following requests from students and parents living in the feeder barangays of Balugo to open a high school. Virgie Pinili, VHNS principal, said the construction will soon resume as biddings and necessary papers have been accomplished. (PIA/JCT)
Fun Run marks World Red Cross Red Crescent Day
PNRC and MDRC spearheaded the a three-kilometer Clean-up Drive, Power of Humanity Poster Making on May 5, 2007 and the 2nd World Red Cross Red Crescent 3-kilometer Finisher’s Run on May 6, 2007.
The three-kilometer route “Power of Humanity Clean-up Drive” kicked off at the Red Cross Office and ended at the
On the other hand, the 23 participants of the “Power of Humanity” poster making activity were awarded with food coupons. Participants included six children with disabilities and 17 children aged 12 years old and below.
The children’s artworks are displayed at the local Red Cross Office.
For the Fun Walk and Run, a total of 64 runners took part in the three-kilometer walk and run, including 12 children with disabilities, 17 children aged 12 years old and below, a couple aged 71 and 72 and 33 route guide runners composed of the 3-K participant’s families and volunteers.
The 29 children who participated at the 3-k fun run were awarded with 29 food coupons and the six top winners were awarded with a total of 24 kilos of milled rice.
According to Paultom Paras of MDRCI, the prizes and Supplemental feeding “Porridge for the Children” that took place after the fun run were sponsored by private individuals who believe in the MDRC’s goal in promoting the culture of volunteerism and multi-sectoral cooperation.
Meanwhile, another organization that has been working for the improvement of the lives of the Filipino youth was recently awarded a Presidential Citation by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
SU conducts waters tests on Shaw Memorial Pool
After the reports came out, the university immediately closed the pool and water tests were conducted by three separate laboratories.
Silliman will seriously look into the matter, said Silliman University President Ben S. Malayang III in a statement.
He said it may take days for test results to come, but the university is taking the necessary precautionary measures for the meantime.
In a statement, Malayang said the university has tapped the voluntary services of senior experts to review the tests and their results, pool maintenance procedures and records and any data or information relevant to determining if the pool is safe and to what extent the children’s illnesses can be materially linked to the pool.
The said experts included Dr. Angel Alcala, a biologist; Dr. Samuel Gregorio, a microbiologist and former Microbiology Laboratory Director of the State of
Other doctors such as epidemiologists and infectious disease experts are also being consulted, said Malayang.
The university president stressed that although a link between the children’s illness and the water in the pool has yet to be established, the university is doing a serious evaluation of how the pool may have something to do with their illness.
“We seek the truth about the children’s illness- for their sake and to ensure that we do all we can to prevent any threat to their health,” he said.
The pool will continue to be closed until it is clearly shown to be safe.
Silliman had been offering summer swimming lessons at its pool for several years now and Malayang said this is the only time that questions about its safety have been raised.
LGUs to fortify avian flu preparedness programs
Local government units in the province are expected to beef up their avian flu preparedness and response efforts following a series of planning workshops conducted by the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO).
The PVO conducted from April 24 to 27 an Integrated Veterinary and Human Health Planning for avian influenza preparedness and response for the LGUs in the province.
A total of 313 participants from all over the province took part in the workshops.
According to Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Antonio B. Mutia , LGU representatives during the workshops were urged to pass and approve a local ordinance to make the LGU’s avian flu preparedness and response plans effective.
LGUs are also expected to create local avian influenza task forces.
During the planning workshops, participants were trained on how to respond to cases of suspected avian flu outbreaks both in chicken and human cases including those who are exposed.
Participants also familiarized themselves with the different strategies needed to prevent and control avian influenza from stages 1 to 3. (PIA/RMN)
PNOC to hold biofuels, feedstocks conference for LGUs
The PNOC Alternative Fuels Corporation (PNOC-AFC) in cooperation with a Singapore-based Centre for Management Technology is inviting local investors or local government units to a conference on Biofuels & Feedstocks Philippines on May 23-24 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in
This conference aimed to promote the use of biofuels in order to reduce air pollution and the reliance on imported fossil fuels, as well as to promote their agricultural industry.
The growth of the global biofuels market has been driven by government incentives and volatile fossil fuel prices.
With the enforcement of the one-percent coco methyl ester diesel blend beginning last Sunday, May 6, the Department of Energy (DOE) said it expects to have a smooth transition of the Biofuels Act of 2006.
The Biofuels Act of 2006 mandates a minimum one-percent blend of biodiesel into all diesel engine fuels within three months from the effectivity of the Act. President Arroyo signed the Biofuels Act last January 12, 2007 which became effective February 2007.
Negros Orienal Environment and Natural Resources Officer Antonio Cabrido said that as a feasible substitute, the bio-fuel can compete with gasoline. “It is more efficient, plus it’s an environmentally effective fuel source,” he stressed.
Various countries around the world are stepping up efforts to use biofuels. In the
The highlights of the conference are: Biofuels framework and fiscal incentives in the Philippines; Global biofuels markets – policies, markets, challenges and barriers; Rice, supply, economics and quality analysis of various biofuels feedstocks; Biofuels supply chain – blending, storage and handling; Ethanol and its feedstock options and supply; and Round table discussion by oil companies on their strategies in Biofuels.
Also, there will be a half-day focus on Jatropha Cultivation and Processing. Jatropha experts from
Public school teachers in NegOr set to do their poll duties
In Oriental Negros, a rough estimate of 3,200 employees of DepEd here - including teachers, principals and supervisors – are expected to do their poll duties, said Lida Sarmiento, local DepEd Administrative Officer 5.
There are a total of 3, 188 clustered voting precincts in the 653 voting centers across the province.
Sarmiento said that majority of the DepEd employees in the 23 school districts here have already been briefed on their poll duties by DepEd and Comelec, although briefings in some areas are still ongoing until May 11.
DepEd Undersecretary Francis Sunga disclosed in a recent interview that DepEd and Comelec had conducted trainings since February this year for DepEd’s some 464,000 public school teachers, principals, supervisors and DepEd lawyers and administrative officers in line with their role in next week’s polls.
The trainings included classroom preparations, counting of votes, handling and preventing problems and other measures aimed at strengthening their capabilities as members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) and Board of Canvassers (BOCs).
BEI members, said Sunga, are entitled to a total of P3,000 per diem and P300 transportation allowance each, 50 % of which will be given when they get the election paraphernalia and the other half when they submit the election returns to the BOC.
Another benefit for teachers is the setting up of a P5-M fund to cover medical expenses or death claims in the amount of P200,000 by the heirs of a BEI member in case of death in the performance of election duties. (PIA/RMN)
Agri to put up P2-B national grains highway
“We commend this project of the Department of Agriculture so that farmers can easily transport their products to the consumers,” said local NFA Information Officer Rolando V. Lazalita.
He said that agricultural areas in the province need road development, and through the national grains highway project, the gap between farmgate costs and retail prices of basic food items will be bridged.
“This will be good for farmers in areas like Basay, Bayawan and Mabinay who have to cross to the areas in the Occidental side,” said Lazalita.
“Agricultural areas in Negros Oriental that need road development are those crossing to the Occidental areas like Basay, Bayawan and Mabinay,” added Lazalita.
Agricultural Programs Coordinating Officer of the local Department of Agriculture (DA) Constancio T. Hisona said that if there were no roads for efficient transportation of farm products, farmers would have to lessen their production, resulting in a weak agricultural sector.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap has earlier announced the grains highway project to do away with what he calls the inefficient, costly and slow transport system in moving agricultural products from production areas to selling centers.
“This will resolve the problem of unstable food supply and prices in ‘uncharted’ areas and food-deficient communities,” said
The “grains highway” will also directly link the isolated areas especially those prone to natural calamities to rice and corn producing areas in the country.
Aside form infrastructure problems; farmers are also facing post-harvest loss due to the lack of sufficient drying and storage facilities.
According to Yap, under the project, NFA will upgrade it warehouses, putting up grains silos and related post-harvest facilities and marketing support systems designed to reduce crop wastages and losses.
These facilities will be set up in the 37 rice-producing and 33 corn-producing provinces in the country, which Negros Oriental is part of.
In Negros Oriental, NFA’s drying and storage facilities are currently located in
A proposed new storage site is being eyed in Bayawan, said Lazalita.
NFA continues to encourage farmers here to use their drying and storage facilities as safe keeping for products, especially in areas near the Guihulngan storage site.
Rosalie M. Ellasus, president of Philippine Maize Federation Inc., said that the grains highway is really “needed by farmers as it would dramatically improve quality of corn and significantly reduce post-harvest losses.
With the grains highway in place,
Furthermore,
The operations center of BAS in Negros Oriental headed by Officer-In-Charge Ricarda Diamano is the only nominee in
Mrs. Evelyn Tidon, Provincial Agricultural Statistics Officer of
Tidon is among the team of evaluators currently going around the country evaluating the nominated BAS operations centers during the two-week evaluation period.
Tidon in an interview said the evaluation is based on a set of criteria to determine the efficiency and competence of a provincial operation center.
Aside from this, each of the 81 provincial and 18 regional offices of BAS nationwide are rated every month based on the reports submitted to the bureau’s central office.
Tidon said the awarding ceremony is set on June 22, shortly before the bureau’s celebration of its 44th anniversary.
The chosen Model provincial and regional operation centers will each receive a plaque of appreciation and a cash award of P6,000.
Diamano said the bureau’s annual search poses a challenge for each operation center to perform better every year. (PIA/RMN)
Mayor Odol approves renaming of building to Cong. Herminio Teves
Valencia Mayor Rodolfo Gonzalez Jr has approved the renaming of a school building in his town to Cong. Herminio Teves as a tribute to the outgoing lawmaker who, at 84, is said to be retiring from public service.
Mayor Gonzalez said as a Valencianon who has done numerous contributions for
The local school board of
