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iSIQUIJOR THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF THE PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.PIA.GOV.PH and the DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.DOST.GOV.PH

VOL. 2 | NO. 16 May 12-19 2014

DOH sees need to boost anti-TB advocacy in Siquijor

SIQUIJOR, May 15 (PIA) — The Department of Health (DOH-7) has seen the need to to boost the antiTuberculosis drive in Siquijor province.

This was disclosed by DOH -7 regional TB program coordinator Jocelyn Tabotabo during the recently conducted one-day orientation and advocacy activity for the establishment of a Multi-sectoral Alliance for TB in the province.

DOH-7 has earlier felt the need for a more unified and concerted effort and guided by the Comprehensive and Unified Policy (CUP) for TB control here.

Tabotabo cited the number of unreported TB cases that have attributed to its prevalence.

Tuberculosis, the DOH noted, has been a major cause of illness and death in the country and yet TB control efforts have historically been fragmented and uncoordinated.

The DOH’s National TB Control Program has made significant advances in improving the quality and extent of its control efforts but the private sector and even other government agencies have not been fully integrated into

One of the “Stop TB” advocacies by the Philippine Coalition Against Tuberculosis (PhilCAT), a 63 member coalition of government and non-government organizations, academe, medical and nonmedical professional societies, research organizations, patient and advocacy groups, corporate foundations and pharmaceutical companies together with other partners in TB control.

the over-all TB Control Framework, according to Provincial Health Officer Redempta Cortes.

“Health authorities alone cannot fight TB,” Tabobo said as she urged the public’s cooperation with the provincial government to take the lead in the activities.

Meanwhile, a recent study of state think

1,500 public school teachers attend training in Silliman University

DUMAGUETE CITY 19 (PIA) – Almost 1,500 public school teachers from Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces is undergoing a m a s s t r a i n i n g f o r G r a d e 9 Te a c h e r s i n S i l l i m a n U n i v e r s i t y ( S U ) .

This is in line with Department of Education‘s (DepEd) K to 12 Basic Education Program.

The event, which started last May 16 and ends on the 21st, aims to build the capacity of Grade 9 teachers for them to appreciate the K to 12 coded curriculum and practice using the curriculum guides, teaching guides and learning materials, according to SU Information Officer Mark Raygan Garcia.

The mass training also aims to demonstrate teacher’s understanding of the issues or concerns relative to content, performance standards, assessment and rating system,

tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and DOH revealed that the leading cause of high TB cases in urban poor communities is the patient’s delayed visit to the doctor.

Titled “Barriers of Early TB Diagnosis among the Poor in Highly Urbanized Areas in the Philippines”, the study noted that although there is a significant drop of TB prevalence over the last decade, TB remains the fourth leading cause of mortality among Filipinos.

The 2007 Philippine National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey revealed that there are approximately three TB cases in every 1,000 Filipinos. Moreover, the DOH confirmed that there is a prevalence of the multidrug resistance TB in the country, a fatal form.

“Higher risk of tuberculosis can be attributed to delayed diagnosis,” Krishna Reyes, study co-author and PIDS research consultant, said in a press release. (RAC/PIA7-Siquijor w/ PIDS report)

identify the most appropriate pedagogies and understand how to localize and indigenize the curriculum, cite concrete measures of interventions to assist all types of students and cite connection of daily teaching and learning to the development of learning outcomes.

Teachers from DepEd, SU and Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) who participated in the National Training for Teachers last month in Cebu City led the training sessions in seven key areas of education namely Science, Math, Filipino, English, Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies), Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) and Edukasyon sa Pagkatao (EsP) for public school teachers during the training.

Participants came from DepEd divisions of Dumaguete C i t y, Bayawan C i t y, Ta n j a y C i t y, B a i s C i t y, G u i h u l n g a n C i t y, N e g r o s O r i e n t a l , a n d S i q u i j o r .

T h e t r a i n i n g i s a p a r t n e r s h i p b e t w e e n S U a n d D e p E d .

It can be recalled that SU is one of the first schools in Central Visayas which have comprehensively prepared for the implementation of the K to 12 Program.

It also helped other schools in Visayas and Mindanao for the integration of the said education program. (rmn/ral/PIA7-NegOr with reports from SU-Office of Information & Publications)

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

CENTRAL VISAYAS

Protect and conserve caves - DENR

CEBU CITY, May 12 (PIA) --- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 urged the public to help in protecting and conserving caves which are home to specialized mineral formations with unique and diverse flora and fauna.

According to DENR 7 Regional Executive Director Dr. Isabelo Montejo, the protection and conservation of caves is mandated under RA 9072, otherwise known as “National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act.”

Under this Act, DENR is tasked to formulate, develop and implement a national program for the management, protection

NEGROS ORIENTAL

and conservation of caves and cave resources, with the cave coordinating agencies, the National Museum, National Historical Institute, the Department of Tourism and Local Government Units concerned.

Caves are any natural occurring void, cavity, recess or system of interconnected passages beneath the surface of the earth or within a cliff or ledge, large enough for an individual to enter, whether or not the entrance is located either in private or public land and is naturally formed or manmade, Montejo added.

There are about 145 caves recorded, discovered, and mapped as of December 2013 based on data from the Protected

TESDA NegOr offers free assessment, certification for NATCAC

DUMAGUETE CITY, May 21 (PIA) --- The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) here has announced the ongoing conduct of free assessment under its National Technical Vocational Education and Training Competency Assessment and Certification (NATCAC) program.

According to TESDA’s information officer Geraldine delos Reyes, the target of 1,000 applicants for this year’s program may be composed of trainers of private and public technical vocational institutions, including TESDA Technology Institutions.

This is also include trainers from local government units and other government agencies providing TVET programs and private enterprises with registered TVET programs; Department of Education trainers; public utility vehicle drivers; workers/industry practitioners/professional/career shifters who want to undergo competency assessment; returning OFWs/Filipino expatriates with relevant experience; and industry practitioners who are prospective competency assessors, said delos Reyes.

The weekly schedules set for NATCAC for specific sectors started on May 12 to 23, Automotive and Land Transport and Heating, Ventilating Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC) Sectors, and July 14 to 25 for Construction and Metals and Engineering Sectors.

For Tourism, Electronic and ICT sectors, it will be on August 11 to 22, while for Health and other Social Community Development Services on October 13 to 24.

Applicants may get their application forms and list of requirements for assessment at TESDA Negros Oriental Provincial Office, Capitol Site, Dumaguete City.

The forms may also be downloaded at TESDA website www.tesda.gov.ph.

The identified accredited assessment centers or TESDA Provincial Office processes the application for assessment and inform the applicants of their schedule.

For queries, please call (035) 422-9481 or (032) 225-1578 or visit TESDA Office. (rmn/jct/PIA7-NegOr)

BOHOL

Areas, Wildlife and Coastal Zone and Management Services (PAWCZMS), said DENR 7 Information Officer Dr. Eddie Llamedo.

Llamedo said that out of the 145, 39 have been classified while 106 remained unclassified.

Of the classified caves, 16 belong to Class III, Class II with 15, and Class I with eight.

The classification was in line with RA 9072 which mandates the agency to formulate, develop, and implement a national program to conserve, protect and manage caves and cave resources.

Upon classification, DENR field offices oversee the preparation of a management plan on related ecotourism, scientific, educational and economic activities.

The approved plan is implemented by the Protected Area Management Board for caves within protected areas (PAs), or in coordination with the concerned local government unit and land owner for those outside.

Similarly, Montejo issued a moratorium on cave assessment for safety of DENR 7 personnel in Bohol province following a 7.2-magnitude earthquake on Oct. 15 last year.

Montejo added that the gathering, collecting, possessing, consuming, selling, bartering or exchanging or offering for sale of any cave resource without authority is prohibited.

Caves may be open for public view only after the result of the Rapid and Detailed Cave Assessment to be conducted by the DENR Regional Cave Assessment and Classification Team (RCAST).

“Open caves do serve special purposes such as sites for educational tour, exploration, survey, and mapping, scientific research and venues for cultural and religious practices,”

There are about 364 already classified caves as part of the nation’s natural wealth and therefore require sustainable management and conservation, said Llamedo. (rmn/JSME/PIA-Cebu/DENR7).

Mangroves take center stage at Ocean Month celeb

TA G B I L A R A N C I T Y, B o h o l , May 9 (PIA)—Ocean Month in May this year highlights the critical roles of the mangroves in protecting communities and supplying food and resources enough to rally people to plant protect and conserve these crucial links in the marine ecosystem.

The Ocean Month adopts Mangroves protect: Protect Mangroves as this year ’s theme.

At the kick-off activities last week, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Nestor Canda said that coastal communities with mangrove cover were spared from lashing waves and howling winds during the onset of typhoon Yolanda.

Making his rounds and ocular inspection all over eastern and northwestern Bohol during the storm, Canda said communities without mangroves had registered more

damage, pounding waves threatened houses near the beaches while strong winds toppled and crumpled houses.

Speaking during the opening program attended by members of the Bohol Coastal Resources Management Task Force and students from Bohol’s key fishery schools, Canda added that communities with mangrove covers were protected from the disaster which also ravaged islets north of Bohol.

On the other hand, environment specialists Juliet Paler of the local environment office and Bohol coastal Resource Management Coordinator Adelfa Salutan agreed that beyond the obvious role of mangroves as natural breakwaters stopping or if not, significantly dampening sea surges, mangroves hide a far more important role in balancing marine systems.

At the Kapihan sa PIA recently, Paler said mangroves are not just home to wildlife but to human dwellers who settle within and near mangrove areas for their close proximity to food banks which mangroves provide.

Salutan explained that leaves falling from mangroves and into the water rote and form detritus which feeds millions of fingerlings, newly hatched fish eggs that take their refuge from the predators in the shallows of mangrove forests and tideflats.

Fishes go to the mangroves to spawn, where their eggs are better protected by the shallows, and where food is abundant, the mater temperatures conditioned to be fitting for the hatchlings.

Mangroves have been known to absorb carbon dioxides and other pollutants from the atmosphere and give off oxygen that makes the nearby areas fresh, Paler added. (mbcn/rahc/PIA7-Bohol)

CEBU

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

DOST 7 allots P50M to make Cebu SMEs more competitive

CEBU CITY, May 14 (PIA) --Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Cebu are urged to avail of the government’s financial assistance program aimed at boosting productivity and increase competitiveness using technology especially in the light of the economic integration of ASEAN-member countries by next year.

Engr. Samuel Parcon, provincial head of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – Cebu Office, bared that a budget of P50 million has been set aside under its agency’s banner program dubbed ‘Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program’ (SETUP).

SETUP is a nationwide strategy designed to assist SMEs to implement

Growing number of HIV cases in Cebu is “fast and furious”

CEBU, May 15 (PIA) --- Health officials here have described the increasing number of HIV cases in the region as “fast and furious.”

Records from the Department of Health (DOH-7) show that Central Visayas accounts for 17% of the total new HIV cases detected nationwide for the month of March this year.

There were 498 new HIV cases recorded nationwide in March this year.

From January to March 2014, there were 1,432 new HIV cases recorded in the country.

In Central Visayas, 133 asymptomatic cases and four AIDS cases were recorded from January to March 2014.

This is 35% higher compared to the number of cases detected in the same period last year, according to DOH-7 HIV/AIDS Nurse Coordinator Boel Espinas,

“Asymptomatic is that stage where there are no symptoms yet but the person has been tested positive,” explained Espinas during yesterday’s Kapihan.

Almost 90% of the cases in Region 7 are in Cebu province, he said.

In Cebu City, there has been 1,079 total HIV cases reported since 1987 up to the present.

The spurt in the cases in Cebu City was noted starting 2010.

“Since 1989 to 2004, the cases detected have been low and slow. But for 2005 until 2009, the number of HIV cases started growing, and in 2010 until now, it’s been fast and furious,” said Dr. Ma. Chona Loma of the Cebu City Health Office.

Loma said as young as 15 year olds have been tested positive for HIV in Cebu City.

Dr. Abelardo Alera, HIV/AIDS physician of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), said the jump in cases can also be attributed to the increased number of people submitting themselves for testing.

The health officials stressed the importance of early detection and for more people to get tested for HIV and AIDS.

“There is a wrong notion that HIV is limited only to gays, but HIV can infect anyone. We need to get more people tested,” said Dr. Alera.

He assured that testing is confidential and lasts for one day, while results are released within one to two weeks.

Most vulnerable to HIV are those who engage in unsafe sex and sharing infected needles, said Gerson See of Cebu Plus, a non-government organization helping people with AIDS in Cebu.

“Testing is free and it’s confidential. No one else aside from the patient and the physicians know about the result,” said See.

There are a total of five testing facilities that conduct free HIV testing in Region 7, namely, the two HIV treatment hubs in Central Visayas which are VSMMC in Cebu City and Tagbilaran City Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Hospital in Bohol, and the social hygiene clinics in Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City.

“Danao City and Dumaguete City are starting to set up their own social hygiene clinics also,” said Espinas.

Cebu Plus is also deploying three mobile vans that hold free mobile HIV testing.

“We’re doing this for those who don’t have the luxury of time to go to the social hygiene clinics, so we provide free HIV testing at their doorstep,” said See. (RMN/PIA Cebu)

technological innovations to improve operations and enhance productivity, making SMEs more competitive.

“Since 2002, DOST-7 has assisted almost 200 SMEs throughout the region and released an estimated over P200 million in financial assistance,” said Parcon.

Parcon said six priority sectors were focused for financial aid since SETUP began in 2002.

These priority sectors identified are food processing, furniture, decors and handicrafts, marine and aquatic resources, horticulture and metals and engineering.

Two priority sectors were added in 2012, namely health and pharmaceuticals and Information and Communication Technology.

Majority of those that availed of the program in the region belong to the food sector, bared Parcon, with 60 to 70 percent while over 50 percent of this sector come from Bohol.

The DOST-7 official said the financial assistance is solely used to purchase equipment that would redound to improving operations, product quality and human resources development to boost productivity output among others.

But Parcon clarified the financial assistance is not totally free.

“The SME is required to pay back the amount in a specified number of years but this will be free of interest,” Parcon disclosed.

Other outcomes Parcon cited in the availment of the program are in food safety training, improvement of facilities, packaging standards, productivity training programs and good manufacturing practices.

With the ASEAN economic integration of 2015, economies in the region need to be more competitive in the global market as Parcon stressed that SMEs in the country should adopt technology transfer in order not to be left behind.

The Philippine economy is fueled

by SMEs with over 95 percent of businesses in the country categorized as SMEs.

Parcon admitted there is now more awareness from SMEs on becoming more globally competitive amid the ASEAN economic integration next year.

“In a scale of 1 to 10, I peg the awareness level at six from the previous four,” said Parcon.

For SMEs to be able to avail of the SETUP, they need to submit to the DOST-7 its proposal wherein a template is already in place to make it easier for them to make the feasibility study, said Parcon. (rmn/FCR/PIA-7) -

iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS

Cebuano News

Lapok sa katunggan timailhan sa nasalbar nga kagasangan

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) — Tinuod nga ang katunggan makapalapok, apan kini usab timailhan sa napugngan nga binanlas nga yuta gikan sa kabukiran nga mopatay sa kalusayan ug kagasangan.

Kini usab nagpasabot nga kon walay katunggan nga magpugong sa mga mga binanlas nga yuta, matabunan gayud ang mga bangko sa katigayunan sa dagat nga naa sa kalusayan ug kagasangan.

Kini maoy gibutyag ni Juliet Paler, tinugyanan nga gikan sa buhatan ni Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) Nestor Canda didto sa Kapihan sa PIA.

Ang mga kabaybayonan sa Bohol

kasagaran gigamit alang sa pangturismo nga kalihukan, ug kini gilauman nga unta, mas puti ug mas nindot nga kaliguan.

Kini usab usa ka rason ngano nga may pipila ka tawo dili kaayo moangay nga magtanum og mga bakhaw ug katunggan sa mga kabaybayonan kay kini, sa ilang gituohan makadaut sa puti nga kabaybayonan.

Sa forum nga gitumong sa pagbatbat sa mga kalihukan sa Ocean Month, si Paler mipasabot nga ang kasagaran nga ilang masinati, may mga reklamo sa mga kabaybayonan nga may mga katunggan kay kini malapok.

Apan, matud niya, ang pagkalapok,

Australia, mohatag og ‘Masters degree scholarship’ sa mga piniling Filipino scholars

MANILA (PIA) --- Gikatakdang makadawat og ‘Master’s degree scholarship’ gikan sa nasud sa Australia ang mga Filipino scholars karong Hunyo 2014.

Ihatag sa Australian embassy sa nasud ang scholarship program gikan sa mga nag-unang academic institutions sa Australia.

Ang maong Master ’s degree sa Australia maghatag og dugang kahibalo sa mga napiling kawani ug opisyal sa gobyerno.

Maggikan ang mga scholars sa nagkalain-laing buhatan sa gobyerno gikan sa mga nasudnong ahensiya ug lokal nga kagamhanan.

Gipaabot nga ipa-ambit sa mga komunidad ang mga makatonan sa mga scholars pinaagi sa re-entry action plan. (PIA7-Bohol/ECB)

timailhan nga ang mga binanlas nga yuta gikan sa mga bungtod masangga gayud sa mga katunggan, aron dili na kini makatabon sa kalusayan ug kagasangan.

Importante, matud pa ni Paler, nga ang mga kalusayan ug kagasangan dili madaut pinaagi sa lapok, kay kini usab ang gikabuhi-an sa mga isda ug mga hayop sa dagat.

Sa laing bahin, ang mga pagabuso sa kabungturan ug sobrang human activities, makapadaghan sa pagbanlas sa yuta, butang nga makapapugos unta sa katawhan sa paghatag sa depensa alang sa kabaybayonan. (PIA Bohol)

iSIQUIJOR

is the Island of Siquijor’s first electronic newsletter produced by the Philippine Information Agency-Siquijor Information Center and the DOST - Provincial Science and Technology Center.

It contains snippets of information about Siquijor, Central Visayas and the Philippine Government.

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