by anyajulia | Nov 6, 2009 | Headlines, National News
“The public must heed the call for unity and action against Malaria by following the four ways to prevent it.” This is according to the the Department of Health.
First, sleep under the mosquito net every night.
Second, wear long sleeves and long pants and other personal protection measures.
Third, people who reside in a malarious area or people living in a non-malaria endemic area and traveled to a malarious area and has developed signs/symptoms of malaria are advised to consult the health worker.
Fourth, for suspected malaria cases, blood examination for malaria parasites through blood smear or Rapid Diagnostic Test.
Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 1168 signed by President Gloria Macaopagal Arroyo in 2006, the Philippines commemorate the month of November as Malaria Awareness Month. (PIA)
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by anyajulia | Nov 5, 2009 | Headlines, National News
The Department of Agriculture assures the public of enough rice supply even after several typhoons have hit the country.
DA Secretary Arthur Yap explained that the National Food Authority is not the sole rice supplier that the people can depend on. Other sources can be found in stores, groceries, supermarkets, millers and even the households.
As for the supply for chicken and pork, Yap said the local stocks will be supported by imported stocks that will arrive by the first week of December. (PIA)
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by anyajulia | Oct 30, 2009 | Headlines, National News
BURDENED with huge costs for indigent medical assistance, some League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) member mayors eye an investment that maximizes their resources through the Medical Mission Group (MMG) of hospitals.
League President Roberto Salinas said it is high time that local governments think wisely about their resources and putting them in an investment that offers affordable socialized medical service in the MMG with the new Bohol Cooperative Hospital is a step in the right direction.
MMG, through accountant Timoteo Batingal presented to the mayors a schema, which allows towns to invest in the new hospital and in turn, their patients earn discounts, dividends and other perks.
By presenting a matrix of investments amounts and its corresponding benefit for investors, Batingal stressed that paying patients who use the help of private hospitals pay higher and do not earn rebates.
He also added that the MMG charges lower and because it is a cooperative hospital, shareholders share the dividends at the end of the year.
For the mayors, Salinas shared that local government units pay huge amounts for indigent hospitalization and earn nothing.
He added that some LGUs may even over-spend, adding that by investing its resource instead, more and more patients could be admitted because by co-owning the hospital, the LGUs can also earn with the profits.
Now building its multi-million Cooperative Hospital in a hectare-wide compound near Island City Mall, the MMG, which is founded by a Boholano hopes to widen its service catch-ment here, says Dr. Benjamin Galia, medical director.
Capitol Health Consultant Fancy Baluyot accompanied MMG and also asked mayors to consider the offer and be investors rather than simply availing of paid services. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Oct 30, 2009 | Headlines, National News
RECLAIMING the country’s forests is now partly lies in the hands of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).
This as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo released another P10M from the President’s Social Fund for the purpose, reports Boholano SK National Federation president Jane Censoria Cajes.
Over the development, Cajes, who organized with the SK national federation its annual Congress in Subic October 27-30 said the President has showed anew her firm belief of the youthful energy to realize the dream for the country.
Upon sharing the good news to the youth, the President also said the youth should get involved in civic life, speak up, take action and take responsibility for their own fortunes, work to make a better world and use the tools afforded to you by the government for the country.
According to Cajes, after last year’s SK launching of the Green Philippines Campaign, the President is happy because she noted that the country has regained portions of the forest that was lost.
Citing the proper use of the funds for the SK greening program, the president in her keynote address before the SK lweaders from across the country said told the youth she has asked the DBM and the DENR to release another P10M for more reforestation projects through the SK.
It may be recalled that President Arroyo also gave P10M for the SK greening projects during their Congress in Cebu last year.
Moreover, she hinted to the country’s young leaders areas where the SK could partner with the government in its anti-poverty programs.
She asked the youth to aid micro-entrepreneurs access financing support by helping them with the requirements.
The president claimed that the youth can also be partners in monitoring the government’s conditional cash transfer programs to make sure that the program conditions are met.
Finally, she asked the SK to remind their local councils of the obligation to pay for the PhilHealth premiums for indigent patients so as to keep the national government funds flowing for its priority projects while the local governments assume the responsibility, which the national government initiated. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Oct 30, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
IN places where government projects to be implemented find no takers, call on the 53rd Army Engineers.
Fulfilling its mandates in implementing peace and development projects hand in hand with its counterparts active internal security operations, the Bohol based 53rd Engineer Battalion of the Philippine Army has erected 24-two classroom school buildings this year as they waged another kind of war, not with fire-arms.
Surprising many communities with their construction skills, uniformed men under the unit get to far-flung communities brandishing tools of infrastructure development and not fire-arms.
“When we are tasked with the mission of implementing a project that no private contractor is willing to risk, we put all our resources and our men’s lives on the line, all for the cause of peace and development,” said LtCol. Ramon Ruiz, commander of the Cabulijan Tubigon based engineering support battalion.
He claims his army unit undertakes basic infrastructure works as construction of school buildings, health centers, farm to market roads, bridges, electrification projects, water system facilities and other utilities in support of the government’s development program, but does not compete with the private contractors.
“Projects, which private contractors find unattractive could not just be left unimplemented,” he stressed.
Projects that are out in far-flung areas often inaccessible to transport or which expose many private contractor’s assets to risk drop into the army engineers’ laps.
Projects in island barangays or way-off the main road entail double handling, and the overhead costs discourage contractors, making them back off, explains the army engineer commander at the Kapihan sa PIA, Thursday.
Moreover, projects that the army implements often save funds for the government as the labor costs, which accounts to about 25-30% of the project. The government saves on administrative and labor costs, the saving we use to complete the furnishings: monobloc chairs, teachers’ tables and iron rebars on the windows to secure the buildings, he said.
Here in Bohol, the engineer unit coordinates with Governor Erico Aumentado to get the list of projects which the government funds and the unit to implement. (PIA)
