17 isiquijor5 26

iSIQUIJOR Information is our business.

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. 17 May 20-26, 2014

Siquijor eyes water program for PRDP funding

Siquijor Provincial Administrator Peter Samson at the PRDP orientation/briefing

LARENA, Siquijor May 25 (PIA)--The provincial government of Siquijor eyes for an efficient water system for the whole island as its priority project under the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP), a 6-year national government platform for an inclusive, value-chain oriented, and climate resilient agriculture and fisheries sector.

Provincial administrator Peter Samson, in an orientation-briefing last week, said that the province’s most and real need is water that have not been given so much focus and/or effective solution since long, long time ago so that local folks continue to suffer and grumble.

“Siquijor has a very poor water system,’

says Samson noting the need to focus on it above all other concerns such as infra development, hospital, electricity, and employment.

“Gamay ra kayo ang atong isla para badlisan ug daghang kalsada” (Our island is too small to be lined up with so much roads). We have to focus on what will really improve our agriculture, he said.

Agriculture, he added cannot prosper without enough supply of water. Water is more important than fertilizers or good seeds or technology.

We can live without electricity, but water? It’s simply indispensable, he said.

He said that as early as June, the provincial government have identified Canggomantong as the biggest and the strongest source of surface water.

The other is in Sitio Tag-ibo of San Antonio.

We want a provincial water system that is professionally run by either government or private operators that will cater the whole island of Siquijor, he said.

Samson said initial steps has been taken with some private consultants such as the identification and evaluation of water sources and coming up with a comprehensive development plan to address not only water problem but other concerns on power, hospital and employment.

He said the cost of the proposed water project alone has an initial rough estimate of P250

Dengue cases in CV decreases in 2014

CEBU CITY, May 21 (PIA) --- The Department of Health (DOH) in region 7 reported an 81.7 percent decrease in dengue cases in Central Visayas for this year compared to the same period of last year.

Dr. Jonathan Neil Erasmo, Communicable Diseases Control Section Head of DOH-7 said 1,150 cases were reported from January 1 to May 17 of this year compared to last year with 6,294 cases.

The number of deaths caused by dengue also went down with 5 deaths this year compared to 21 deaths last year.

Based on the report, Cebu City had the most number of cases with 216 and 1 death, followed by Lapu-Lapu City with 122 cases while Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental with 98 cases and 1 death.

Minglanilla, Cebu and Sibulan in Negros Oriental recorded 38 cases while Tagbilaran City, Bohol had 39 cases.

Other reported dengue cases in Talisay City, Cebu-32; Carcar -22; Guihulngan-20 and Naga City, Cebu 19.

Ages people with dengue cases cases range from one month – 87 years old but most of those affected were under the 6-10 age group.

Dengue, as defined by the World Health Organization, is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito.

Meanwhile, the department intensified its campaign to fight against dengue through the “Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue” program which involve regular clean-up in the communities with the local officials and the people in the barangay.

DOH-7 regional director Jaime Bernadas reminded the public that prevention is the best defense against dengue, to maintain a clean environment or surroundings.

Bernadas urged the people to always check and clean those materials that may store water where mosquitoes can breed.

He also said that an increase in awareness is a factor of the decrease in dengue cases.(mbcn/HFG/ PIA-7 with AGIO-7)

million but will benefit the whole island, farmers and non-farmers alike.

PRDP, according to Reneirio Zeta, DARO7 administrative officer is the upscale version of the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) where new innovations are introduced to address the present demand of times especially climate change to make rural development more effective.

It is one of the tools of the country’s Millenium Development Goal (MDG) that hopes to trickle down economic gains to at least reduce poverty to a minimum level in the rural areas.

The Program, he said is jointly funded by the World Bank, National Government and the Local Government Units with the objective of increasing farmers’ income in agri-fishery sector in program areas and developing a more market-oriented and climate-resilient agriculture and fishery sector developed in program areas.

Implementation of the projects has four major components namely:

I-plan or Investment in AFMP Planning at the local and national levels to enhance the Agriculture and Fishery Modernization Plan (AFMP) through science-based tools including value chain, Vulnerability and Suitability Assessment (VSA), Participatory Resource Aprraisal (PRA), and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA).

It also aims to harmonize the Provincial Commodity Investment Plans (PCIPs) with the Regional AFMPs including the annual planning and budget system.

I-Build Component is the intensified building up of infrastructure and logistics development that aims to put in place strategic and climateresilient rural infrastructure facilities along the value chain.

I-Reap is the investments in rural entereprises and agriculture and fisheries productivity that aims to create marketable surplus of commodities and elevate agricultural production into the next levels of the value chain by installing production and market support facilities; establishing enterprises and up-scaling product at the appropriate commodity value-chain segment, among others.

Finally, I-Support is the implementation of support to PRDP that maintains the effective and efficient program management. It also aims to institutionalize DA engagement with stakeholders.

The Pre-conference on the Preparation of Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) and orientation briefing of the Provincal Program Management and Implementing (PPMIU) was made as the province’s initial step at La Costa, Sandugan, Larena, Siquijor on May 20, this year. (mbcn/RAC/ PIA7-Siquijor)

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MOA signing between the DOST thru Siquijor provincial director Mario E. De la Pena (right, blue shirt in both photos) and Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) beneficiaries Crecencio T. Oyhop (left in yellow above) and Gemma N. Flores, proprietor of Gemma’s Homemade Food Products (left below) last April 22 at the Provincial Science and Technology Center in Siquijor, Siquijor. The MOA aims to seal the technical support and assistance to be extended by the DOST-SETUP to improve their productivity. that said she can’t wait to improve her production facilities. (RAC/ PIA7-Siquijor w/ DOST photo)

CENTRAL VISAYAS

DENR-7 marks International Day of Biological Diversity

CEBU CITY, May 22 (PIA) --- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) led the local celebration of the International Day of Biological Diversity (IDBD) today as it steps up its campaign for the protection and conservation of biodiversity.

“It is a call for everyone to actively participate in protecting and preserving island ecosystems in the Philippines, which is considered as one of the mega diverse countries and world’s hotspots for biodiversity,” said DENR-7 Regional Executive Director Dr. Isabelo Montejo in a press statement.

The theme of the celebration today is “Island Biodiversity” which seeks to promote awareness on the rich natural resources that the island ecosystems harbor.

Montejo said biodiversity is the totality of species and the ecosystems they form, which includes all forms of life from micro-organisms to macro-organisms.

He added that islands are known to contain unique assemblage of life with unique species and the Philippines, being an archipelago, is rich in biodiversity and endemic species of wild flora and fauna.

At the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary (OIWS) Nature Center in Lapulapu City today, DENR 7’s Protected Area, Wildlife and Coastal Zone Management Services organized a biodiversity challenge on birds, mangroves, corals and sea grass identification within the mud flat of the 1,028-hectare OIWS, said Dr. Eddie Llamedo, DENR-7 information officer.

He added that the participants of the biodiversity challenge are students from Cebu Normal University (CNU), Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CITU), and the University of San Carlos (USC).

There will also be a lecture on biodiversity that will educate the participants on the values, benefits and importance of biodiversity, familiarize themselves with various wild plants and animals around the OIWS and commit to biodiversity protection and conservation.

Ninety percent of the calories consumed by people worldwide come from 80 plant species.

Fruits, nuts, mushrooms, honey, spices and other food that human and wildlife consume come from natural ecosystems.

According to Montejo about 80 percent of the world’s population still uses plants as their primary source of medicine, and close to 30 percent of all pharmaceuticals on the market today aree derived from plants and animals.

Also, forests as part of biodiversity, it purifies the air and the water by taking in carbon dioxide, regulating water vapor, releasing oxygen, and cycling nutrients.

Other benefits of biodiversity include good water quality, good climate, protection from soil erosion, and recreational or aesthetic appeal.

IDB is celebrated every May 22 of the year to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992, Llamedo said. (rmn/jsme/PIA-Cebu/DENR-7)

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

Agri, health departments join forces for rabies-free PH

To fully eradicate rabies in the country by 2016, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Health (DOH) signed an agreement

which seeks to prevent the spread of the deadly disease among animals, especially dogs, through vaccination.

Secretary of Agriculture Proceso

Training on Humane Handling of Dog was one of the activities conducted by the Provincial Veterniary Office led by Provincial Vet Bernardita Tabada (Center) with her staff to intensify its advocacy and maintain Siquijor as one of the rabies-free islands in the country.

DOH-7 says proper hygiene, clean environment best shield against dengue

Central Visayas, May 21 (PIA) --- The Department of Health (DOH-7) in Central Visayas reminds the public that proper hygiene and clean surroundings remain to be the strong weapon against dengue.

In a recent Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO 7) forum DOH-7 regional director Dr. Jaime Bernadas said that medicines will only supplement proper hygiene and clean environment as defense mechanism against dengue.

DOH 7 records showed that in Central Visayas for the period January to May 2014 there are about 1,150 dengue cases and 5 deaths due to dengue that were recorded.

This is 81.7% lower compared to the same period of last year with 6,294 cases and 21 deaths.

“First line of defense against dengue is really proper hygiene, clean environment, avoid stagnant water, water storage must be keep close, we should practice cleanliness everyday,” Bernadas stressed.

“Dengue is always in our midst we have to be vigilant to be prevent this,” he said.

He said that as of this time there are no specific medicines for dengue, although at present there are vaccination under clinical trials/tests but this has to undergo many processes that would meet the requirement to treat dengue in its different stages.

In this regard DOH-7 then intensified its Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue (ABKD) campaign, a collaborative effort of LGUs, local health workers and DOH personnel to initiate clean-up activities in the barangay.

Bernadas said that the ABKD campaign should be continued because this has proven to be effective as dengue cases in Central Visayas continue to decrease from 2012-2014. (mbcn/AYS/PIA 7)

Alcala and Secretary of Health Enrique Ona inked a Memorandum of Agreement on May 5, 2014, at the DOH office in Manila, transferring P69.545 million to the DA to augment the Bureau of Animal Industry’s (BAI) funds for rabies prevention.

The amount supplements BAI’s initial funds amounting to P40 million for the nationwide vaccination of dogs.

Alcala said that it is important for national agencies to come and work together for more efficient and positive results of government programs. He also cited the vital role of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in implementing the program at the barangay level.

About seven million dogs are targeted to be vaccinated through the National Rabies Prevention and Control Program (NRCPCP), with a focus on high-risk depressed areas, and places with high rates of both human and animal infections. Alcala also called on the media to help the government in its campaign to protect the public against rabies.

Rabies, a fatal but preventable disease, remains to be a major public health concern in the country.

Originally, the NRPCP targets to eliminate rabies by 2020, but DA and DOH are optimistic that this can be achieved in 2016 through stronger collaboration.

Ona explained that instead of spending a lot of money in attending to people who are infected with rabies, it is better to prevent the spread of the disease among animals and prevent fatalities.

The transfer of funds was prompted by a request from the DA— made by Undersecretary for Livestock Jose Reaño on behalf of Alcala— during a meeting with Ona and other health officials in January this year.

Reaño noted that the anti-rabies vaccine stocks of BAI will not be sufficient if the country wants to achieve zero human rabies cases over the next two years.

According to the DOH, an average of 236 human cases and deaths were reported from 2008-2011. In 2012, there were 231 human cases and deaths, which reduced to 181 in 2013.

Last year, the 16 areas in the country that were identified as rabiesfree include Olimpia Island, Culion, Coron, Busuanga, Boracay Island, Guimaras, Siquijor, Batanes, Apo Island, Malapascua Island, Daan Bantayan, Camotes Island, Biliran, Limasawa, Marinduque, and Camiguin.

iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS

Cebuano News

PhilHealth, nipasidaan sa mga pribadong ospital

MANILA (PIA)--Nipasidaan ang Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) nga pahamtangan nila og suspensyon ang mga pribadong ospital kun paninglan ang mga miyembro nilang pasyente.

Matud pa sa pangulo ug chief executive officer (CEO) sa PhilHealth nga si Atty. Alex Padilla, mahimo nilang pahamtangan og suspensyon ug revocation sa accreditation ang mga pribadong ospital.

Kini human nihatag og pahayag kagahapon si Dr. Rustico Jimenez, pangulo sa Private Hospital Association of the Philippines (PHAP) nga plano nilang paninglan ang mga pasyenteng PhilHealth members tungod sa dakung utang sa ahensya.

Bisan gi-angkon ni Padilla nga adunay gamay nga pagkalangan sa pagrelease sa pondo, apan kini sa pipila ka ospital lamang ug may igo kining rason.

Gipasabot sa opisyal nga may problema lamang sa bag-o nilang sistema mao nga wala dayon nabayran ang milyon-milyong utang niini sa mga ospital.

Gihimakak usab niini nga nikabat na sa unom ka bulan ang utang sa PhilHealth.

Apan gipasalig niini nga mabayran dayon ang giingong mga utang sa ahensya sa dili pa mahuman ang Hunyo 2014.

Gitumbok ni Padilla nga dili angay maapektuhan ang mga benepisyo nga angay ihatag sa mga Philhealth members. (mbcn/ecb/PIA7-Bohol)

Sumpoon ang mga itloganan sa dengue panahon sa ting-init, sumala sa pagtoon sa DOST

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.

THERE IS GOOD NEWS EVERYDAY.

FOLLOW US online! /Pia Siquijor /PIA Siquijor @PiaSiquijor

MANILA (PIA) -- Panahon sa ting-init ang maayong higayon pagsumpo sa itloganan sa mga lamok nga gadala sa dengue virus.

Kini sumala pa ni Dr. Frances Edillo sa University of San Carlos base sa pagtoon nga gihimo niadtong tuig 2012 nga ang bulan sa Abril ang mi rehistrong may pinakadaghan nga pagpangitlog sa Aedes aegypti ang nailang kagaw nga gadala sa sakit nga dengue sa tibook nasud.

Nasusi sa maong pagtoon nga ang mother Aedes nga lamok magsugod ug pangitlog panahon sa ting-init ug gilaoman nga pag- abot sa tingulan modagsa ang daghang kaso sa dengue nga makapaak sa daghan nga katawhan.

Ang maong pagtoon gihimo sa upat ka lugar sa Cebu City diin na susi nga gamay ang kaso sa dengue panahon sa ting-init apan ning kaylap pag abot sa ting-ulan.

Ang research team ni Dr. Edillo migamit sa Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), diin nakita gikan sa sample sa DNA ang tulo ka klase nga dengue serotypes nga nailang DENV-1, DENV-3 ug DENV-4.

Kini nga pagtoon gipadayag ni Dr. Edillo atol sa selebrasyon sa ika 32 nga anibersaryo sa Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD). (rmn/lpp/PIA7-NegOr)