CHO urges Dabawenyas to avail of free cervical cancer screening

The City Health Office (CHO) encourages Dabawenyo women to avail of free cervical cancer screening at the city’s district health centers amid the rising mortality rate due to the disease.

are either hesitant for a checkup or they fear knowing anything about their health condition.

She said women as young as 25 can get their cervical cancer screening.

ng Davao City para doon magserbisyo sa ating mga kababayan,” she said.

In 2017, the vice president who was then mayor of Davao City, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with five colleges in Davao City for the implementation of the city’s scholarship program for law school and medicine.

The MOA is an expansion of the city’s Educational Benefits System for medicine and legal

FBEST, P10

CHO non-communicable disease program manager Chona Dazon, during the ISpeak Media Forum held Thursday, May 4, at the City Hall conference room, said that the city’s cervical cancer mortality rate rose from 1.62 in the first quarter of this year compared to 1.38 in the same period in 2022.

She said 19 women from the 40 to 44 age bracket have died as of March 2023.

“Cervical cancer is treatable and curable if it’s diagnosed early and early treatment is provided,” Dazon said. That’s why she encouraged women to care for their health no matter how busy their lives become.

She also said some women

In district health centers, cervical cancer screening is done through visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA).

VIA involves the application of a white vinegar dilution to the cervix, allowing healthcare providers to identify abnormalities. When exposed to vinegar, any abnormalities on the cervix turn white. This screening method is particularly beneficial in areas with limited access to medical services.

“Kung merong reaction, duon na namin ire-refer sa mga specialists like gynecologists ang suspected cervical cancer (If there is a reaction, we will refer the VIA result to specialists like FCHO, P10

Alleged mastermind behind ambush of Lanao del Sur Gov. Adiong killed

Combined police and military operatives in Lanao del Sur killed Wednesday the alleged mastermind behind the ambush early this year of the convoy of Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal A. Adiong Jr. that killed four people.

BGen Allan Nobleza, regional police director of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said Oscar “Tacmar” Capal Gandawali was killed after resisting police and Army per- sonnel who arrived in Barangay Pilimoknan, Maguing, Lanao del Sur to serve his warrants of arrest.

The operatives came from the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Special investigation Task Group Gov. Adiong and 5th Infantry Battalion.

The Lanao del Sur Police Provincial Office said Gandawali opened fire on the operatives, injuring Army SSgt Nio Mickhael Angelo and the barangay chair of

Pilimoknan, and forcing the latter to fire back.

Recovered from the scene were different types of firearms and ammunition, transparent plastic sachets containing suspected shabu with a total weight of 13.216 grams amounting to P89,868, and other drug paraphernalia.

All of the recovered items were turned over to the Maguing police station for documentation.

“The suspect was facing sev- en murder cases and two frustrated murder cases,” said Nobleza.

The ambush on Adiong’s convoy in Maguing on Feb. 17 this year left three persons dead and wounded the governor in the hip.

The fatalities were identified as Juraiz Adiong, Aga Sumandar and Jalil Cosain, all policemen with the rank of patrolman, and a civilian driver named Hassanor Pundaodaya.

Gandawali, an alleged Daw- lah Islamiya member, was also the suspect behind the October 2018 ambush of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency personnel in Kapai, Lanao del Sur that killed five agents.

He was tagged as the Number 1 Most Wanted Person in Lanao del Sur, and Number 4 in the region. He was allegedly involved in gunrunning, robbery, hold-up, and illegal drug trade in the province and neighboring areas. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera/MindaNews)