by anyajulia | Aug 24, 2009 | Headlines, National News
MORE and more Filipinos in the last three months are hopeful that things will be better, survey says.
The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey show a bigger drop in pessimists compared to optimists netting an improved +17 as of June.
At the survey exclusively run for Businessworld, running from February to June, 29% of adult respondents expect life to improve over the next 12 months, over 12% who said it would worsen.
“Net optimism has been at double-digit positives for the past three quarters at +14; +17, +9 following –6 last year. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Aug 24, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
ONLY pharmacies and drugstores with automated ordering systems are mandated by law to implement the mandatory reduction of prices of selected medicines effective August 15, clarified Sangguniang Panlalawigan Health Committee Chairman Cesar Tomas Lopez.
At the Kapihan sa PIA Thursday, Lopez, who is also a medical practitioner states that pharmacies with manual operations are given until September 15 yet to comply with the law.
By Executive order 821, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo effected the 50% cut in 7 categorized drugs as voluntarily given by pharmaceutical companies after meetings with the DOH.
Some of the categorized drugs fall under anti-hypertensive, anti-cholesterol, anti-thrombotic, anti-diabetics, anti-biotics and anti-cancer drugs.
Complaints about non-implementation of the drugs price-cut, Dr. Lopez said, would be forwarded to the Food and Drugs Administration (formerly BFAD) at JA. Clarin Street, this city. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Aug 24, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
JOINING Vice Governor Julius Caesar Herrera in his calls for drug-stores to comply with the cheaper medicines act, Board Member Cesar Tomas Lopez also urges the people to help an undermanned office tasked to spearhead the monitoring of the implementation of the law.
Over the fact that the local Food and Drugs Administration is clearly undermanned when tasked with the massive job of monitoring compliance, Lopez, who is also a doctor by profession urged people in the community, government entities and the private sector including non-government organizations to help in monitoring compliance.
In reports, Vice Gov. Herrera said some complaints have reached his office about non-compliance by some drugstores.
He also stressed that generic drugs should be more accessible by the public in as much as prices of prescription drugs have already been cut into half.
Both legislators have said they would gladly open discussions, dialogs and public forums on the matter to effectively disseminate the good news. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Aug 24, 2009 | Headlines, National News
THE Commission on Elections spurned the police proposal for a total gun ban this coming elections saying the plan may even be a violation of the Omnibus Election Code.
In an apparent attempt to advance the drive to account for all the loose firearms as well as curb gun-related election violence mostly involving loose firearms, the Philippine National Police submitted the proposal, reported Bohol Police Director Edgardo Ingking during a recent press conference.
According to the PNP, the 2007 elections had 279 election related violence, and 178 of them involve the use of loose firearms.
The PNP drive is also based upon the National Fire-arms Control Policy, which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed into law just a few weeks ago.
The COMELEC however have other ideas.
Junking the plan, the COMELEC, in reports said, that the PNP proposal may endanger the lives of some government officials and very important persons.
The government poll commissions also added that the proposal may even violate of the Omnibus Election Code.
Article 22, sections 261 paragraph P entitles the COMELEC to assign any public officer who shall supervise the election to carry a gun to preserve peace and enforce the law.
Paragraph T of the same law also allows the implementation or at most three armed bodyguards after COMELEC deliberations and finding the life and security of the candidate is under jeopardy.
Instead of getting frustrated however by the spurned proposal, Police Chief Director General Jesus Versoza said the PNP is going to come up with other strategies to plug on the election related violence especially those involving loose firearms.
As of press time, Police General Versoza has accordingly convened the PNP Task Force Honest Orderly and Peaceful Elections (HOPE) in preparations for their meeting with the COMELEC to map out general security measures especially on gun control.
The PNP wants to solicit advice from the poll body on what is the best gun control measure that can be implemented for the upcoming elections. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Aug 22, 2009 | Headlines, National News
IN possibly one of the most advanced strategic response to mitigate climate change in the country, the Department of Agriculture has crafted three of its sector groups to exhaust measures to adopt to the changing climate patterns here.
The sectors on crops, fishery and research and development would soon start drafting mitigating measures to be included in the DA action plans, said Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations Jesus Emmanuel Paras.
He said most of the sectors would seem to be most affected by it, reasoned Secretary Arthur Yap after a UN Commissioned team of climate experts briefed the DA to help strengthen the Philippines institutional capacity to adapt to climate change.
Now the created climate change adaptation teams are in response to the climate change mitigating actions pointed out by the UN team.
The teams would come out with their climate change adaptation plans for their sectors.
The UN sees the DA as key implementors of mitigating programs to respond to the ill effect of the changing climate patterns affecting the country.
However, the DA sought UN help to fast track release of information on climate change so they could also appraise farm officials the lead time to adjust their production programs to new situations especially on the various climate affects for each region.
Yap stressed that is important to upgrade advanced technology to capacitate forecasting and monitoring of erratic climate changes and weather patterns.
During a briefing, UN consultant Lourdes V. Tibig informed the top DA officials that warming up of the climate in the Philippines is going to pour more rains in provinces that experience the southeast monsoon season from June to October, which means more floods and landslides in wide swatches of Luzon and the Visayas.
The dry season in monsoon season affected provinces will get longer, Tibig said. The same phenomenon is also expected to spawn more droughts in Mindanao.
The “unequivocal” climate change, the retired PAGASA official said, has been seen to hit the agriculture and fishery sector hard with bad effects on productivity, the spread of old and new plant and animal diseases.
Without adequate preparations, countries like the Philippines may see its farm and fishery productivity drastically go down, the climate experts warned. (PIA)
