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. 4| NO. 38 November 3 - 10, 2016
Siquijor intensifies drive against trafficking
SIQUIJOR (PIA) -- The Interg-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT-7) through the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor here has intensified the information campaign on R.A. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003. RA 9208 is a law penalizing human trafficking, sex tourism, sex slavery, and child prostitution. Regional State Procutor Fernando Gubalane said that Siquijor, being one of the top ten tourist destinations in the country, should create a provincial anti-trafficking council that monitors its six towns particularly San Juan that is known to be the island’s tourist capital. “The council will help prevent cases of trafficking in the island,” he said as he calls for strong coordination and convergence among the Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of the Interiopr and Local Government (DILG), local government units (LGUs) and the media.
(R-L): Provincial Prosecutor Jose Imaculado Palmitos, Vice-Governor Mei Ling Quezon and Deputy Provincial Prosecutor Ulysses Andora during the Info Campaign on RA 9208. He added that trafficking in persons is a serious and major problem in the country and the world and cited the significant roles of the various government partner agencies. Deputy Provincial Prosecutor Ulysses Andora also pointed out that trafficking in persons
Anti-TB coalition envisions Siquijor as a TB-free province
The Siquijor Island Coalition Against Tuberculosis (SICAT), a multi-sectoral alliance among provincial and municipal governments, private agencies, and non-government organizations, has envisioned a Siquijor TB-free province. This was made following push from the Department of Health (DOH) national office to make Siquijor a TB-free pilot province in the country. National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) Nurse Regional Coordinator Ponciana S. Selim said that SICAT has undertaken activities and measures leaning towards attaining the vision. “To date, TB is a major public health problem in Siquijor province making it a big challenge to SICAT and all stakeholders to give their support and cooperation for a unified effort to work for a TB-free Siquijor”, Selim said. Selim has stressed the value and the important roles played by the healthcare providers in the six municipal health offices and one hospital in the province.
The provincial government assures its financial and moral support to the TB program in the province. Selim said that one of the measures to be done is the creation of an alliance to oversee and supervise the wide-ranging unified control interventions towards enhanced prevention, detection and management of programs pertaining for minimizing and eradicating TB in the province. The six rural health units (RHUs) in Siquijor province are TB-Directly Observed Treatment Short (TB-DOTS) Course accredited facilities. These TB DOTS facilities ensure quality TB services, Selim said. SICAT’s vision is TB-free, healthy Siquijodnon. Its mission is committed to eradicate TB in the province through strengthened, unified and sustainable multi-sectoral alliance approach using health policies, innovative programs and accessible quality services to all Siquijodnons. (PIA w/ reports from IAAbatayo)
is the fastest growing and second largest criminal industry in the world and stressed that it is high time the province should know and study about the law. Earlier IACAT reports revealed that the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II as chairperson led government agencies, NGOs, members of civil society and faith-based organizations in strengthening the country’s commitment in fighting human trafficking. Aguirre reiterated that one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s marching orders to the Department of Justice is to prioritize the prosecution of heinous crimes, one of which is trafficking in persons. “We have to realize that the crime of human trafficking is a close second to the drug trade in terms of being the most lucrative organized transnational crime,” he said. Aguirre added that the reason for its high profitlow risk nature is that unlike the drug trade where its products can be consumed, human beings used as commodity can easily be re-used and abused repeatedly. In the recent State of the Nation Address, President Duterte showed his contempt against human traffickers and illegal recruiters who prey on Filipinos. To deal with this, he declared his intention to intensify the government’s war on this form of abuse. (rmn/rac/PIA7-Siquijor/ with reports from IAAbatayo)
ISLAND VIEWS
iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS
Siquijor Island... a true sense of Paradise Repost: http://www.siquijorislandphilippines.com/
There are places over the world with something special, something different. Places where, without knowing why, the time goes by slowly. Siquijor is a peaceful philippine island right in the heart of the Central Visayas, big enought to spend a few days but his local, friendly and quiet atmosphere won’t let you go back home. His beautiful surroundings, plenty of green and blue colours, palm trees everywhere and unbroken sites, make Siquijor, the perfect tropical island. This is not the party island. If you come here looking for a “full-moon” this is the wrong place but if you want relax and unwind, crystal clear aquamarine water and stunning beaches, diving or snorkelling, swim into lovely waterfalls, unforgettable sunsets, discover each nook by yourself, taste the best filipino food or just talk and share experiences with the local people, Siquijor is waiting for you. Explore every cavity of the Cantabon Cave Cantabon Cave is a wonder of nature that is yet untouched by commercial development. It is ideal for those who like the thrill of adventure and who are not afraid of the dark. Be prepared to get dirty and wet, so bring fitting clothes and a comfortable pair of shoes or sandals for hiking/spelunking. The trail can be narrow and slippery, but the local guides will give you plenty of tips and advice on how to tackle every obstacle.
https://www.tripzilla.com/7-things-siquijor-true-island-retreat/28327
The best option to get there is by motorcycle which you can rent for a day or just for the trip. The entrance fee is PHP 500 for the first 3 people, which is inclusive of the guides.
iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS
CEBUANO NEWS
Comelec, nanawagan sa mga botanteng na-deactivate sa pag-parehistro og balik
(PIA)--Nanawagan ang Commission on Elections (COMELEC) sa mga botanteng na-deactivate ang registration sa ahensya nga
pahimoslan ang lima ka buwan nga gitakdang voting registration nga nagsugod niadtong Nobyembre 7 hangtud sa Abril 29, 2017.
DepEd, nipasalig nga magpadayon ang SHS voucher alang sa Grade 11 sa 2017 (PIA) -- Ang Department of Education (DepEd) nipasalig nga ang Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program magpabiling mohatag og tabang pinansiyal sa mga kwalipikadong nakatapos sa Grade 10 nga gustong mo-enroll sa non-DepEd SHS taliwala sa taho nga ang maong voucher program dili na modawat sa school year 2017-2018. Agi og pagsubay sa pasalig sa paghatag og dekalidad nga edukasyon alang sa tanan, ang DepEd nipagawas niadtong Oktubre 28, 2016 sa Department Order No. 66, series of 2016 (DO 66, s. 2016) nga nagtinguha sa paghatag og klaro ug detalyadong sumbanan sa implementing processes kalabot sa application for vouchers gikan sa prequalification ngadto na sa katubsanan. Ang DepEd nag-abli usab og SHS VP online application niadtong Nobyembre 2, 2016. “We will continue cooperation with the private sectors and private communities, as well as with bilateral and multi-lateral institutions. Hindi natin sila maiiwasan dahil malaking contribution ang magagawa nila. Pero tayo ang magsasabi kung anong gusto
natin. We will cooperate with them,” matud pa ni DepEd Kalihim Leonor Magtolis Briones. Ang SHS VP nagtinguha sa pagbulig sa katungod sa mga estudyante sa quality basic education, paghatag katakos sa pagpili sa mga estudyante, pagpausbaw sa kadaiyahan sa senior high schools, ug paghupay sa pinansiyal impak sa higher educational institutions nga makasinati og pagkunhod sa enrolment sa unang pipila ka tuig sa implementasyon sa SHS. Sa 2017 budget sa kapin P550 bilyon sa departamento, P23 bilyon niini ang gigahin sa SHS VP, samtang ang nahabilin alang sa public sector education. Mga estudyante sa Grade 10 lamang ning kasamtangang school year ang madawat sa SHS VP. Kining mga nakatapos sa Grade 10 bahin-bahinon ngadto sa awtomatikong kwalipikadong estudyante ug voucher applicants (VA). Walay bayad ang aplikasyon ug mahimo kining ipahigayon manually. Gitakda ang deadline niini sa Enero 13, 2017 samtang sa online application, sa Pebrero 10, 2017 ang deadline. (ecb/PIA7Bohol)
Matud pa sa tigpamaba sa COMELEC nga si James Jimenez, daku ang matabang sa maong mga botante nga na-deactivate mao nga angay maningkamot sa pagpa-rehistro og balik aron makabotar sa sunod nga eleksyon. Ubos sa Republic Act 8189, o mas gi-ila sa Voters Registration Act of 1996, bisan kinsang mapakyas sa pagbotar sulod sa duha ka national elections, awtomatikong deactivated na ang rehistro ug dili na makabotar sa sunod nga eleksyon. Kun wala naka-botar sa 2013 ug sa piniliay niadtong Mayo 2016, dili na maka-botar sa umaabot nga piniliay sa Oktobre 23, 2017 Barangay ug SK elections ug sa mga umaabot pang piniliay kondili magpa-reactivate, pasabot ni Jimenez. Pahinumdom pa ni Jimenez sa mga magparehistro, magdala og valid IDs sama sa mga government-issued IDs, corporate IDs, current school IDs, senior citizens ID, ug NBI Clearance nga kasagarang mahimong problema sa mga election officers. Gipaabot sa Comelec nga naa sa tulo ka milyong botante ang magparehistro alang sa barangay elections samtang duha ka milyon usab sa SK elections. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
FOI, i-implementar na sa Nob. 25
(PIA) -- Gi-anunsiyo ni Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Kalihim Martin Andanar ang implementasyon sa Freedom of Information (FOI) sugod sa Nobyembre 25, ning tuig. Matud pa ni Andanar, nangandam na ang mga ahensya sa gobyerno sa pagpatuman sa FOI nga parte sa inisyatiba mismo ni Presidente Rodrigo Duterte. Kahinumdoman nga ang Executive Order No. 2 gilagdaan ni Duterte niadtong Hulyo 23, ning tuig. Kini isip tubag sa Presidente sa panawagan sa pagpatuman sa kasihag o transparency sa gobyerno ug “full public disclosure” sa impormasyon. “We have conducted workshops for the agencies of the Executive branch, aiming to ensure that all agencies will be able to institute their own internal procedures on handling the FOI requests,” matud pa ni Andanar. Gihisgotan usab ni Andanar nga magpa-printa ang ilang buhatan og People’s Manual nga gamitong giya sa mga magrequest og impormasyon. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Siquijodnons opt for herbal home cures vs. modern medicine
Residents of communities surrounding Mt. Bandilaan, the highest peak in Siquijor island, prefer self-medications and folk healers than a visit to the doctor when seeking medical cure. In a study led by Dr. Josel B. Mansueto, Research Director, Siquijor State College, doctors and hospitals are considered the last treatment option for the residents of barangays San Antonio, Cantabon, Cangmatnog, and Ibabao in Siquijor. Mt. Bandilaan, being a protected nature reserve, is home to several plants species that locals often use to treat several illnesses. In a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) conducted with the community residents, it was found out that these Siquijadnons resort to self-medication and folk healing through herbal medicines because such methods are readily available and more affordable for most of them. Also, the use of these herbal plants as cures had already been proven and passed on from generations to generations. This has contributed to the respondents’ high regard for traditional medicine. While they do not discredit the curative effects of modern medicine in treating the sick, respondents consider this as the last curative resort. In cases where the use of modern medicine cannot provide a cure for their illness, the community residents still return to herbal medication, study says. The study, “Folk Healing Practices of Siquijor Island: Documentation of Philippine Traditional Knowledge and Practices on Health and Development of Traditional Knowledge Digital Library on Health” was awarded as one of the five Outstanding Research Presentations during the 1st Philippine Herbal Medicine Summit Research Competition at the Century Dr. Josel B. Mansueto (2nd from right) receives Certificate of Recognition as one of the five Outstanding Park Hotel, Manila last 27 October 2016. Research Presentations during the 1st Philippine Herbal Medicine Summit Research Comptition last Source: http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index. 27 October 2016 at Century Park Hotel, Malate, Manila. php/news/5870-siquijadnons-opt-for-herbalhome-cures-vs-modern-medicine
Central Visayas Consortium holds health research conference; emphasizes importance of communication in health research
TALAMBAN, CEBU CITY- As part of the 2016 Central Visayas Health Research and Innovation Conference, communicators including writers, journalists, communication professors, videographers, and bloggers from Cebu met for the first time in a meeting of health research communicators last Thursday at University of San Carlos Talamban Campus. The meeting aims to gather communicators from the region to form SHARE, an initiative of the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) to reach more stakeholders. SHARE is a community of health research communicators who believes in the power of communication to share health research stories, advocacies, local and national initiatives. The community will support PNHRS and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) in communicating and translating research to benefit health research stakeholders. During the meeting, Dr. Laurence Garcia, Central Visayas Consortium for Health Research and Development (CVCHRD) on Research Information and Utilization Chair, also presented the plan of the region in establishing their network of health research communicators. Among their planned initiatives are the use of broadcast media and quad media to enable interactive information-sharing, Youtube to communicate challenging health researches, and capacity-building workshops to capacitate members. “The community of health research communicators [SHARE] will help improve the dissemination of health research results in the country,” Dr. Garcia emphasized. For communicators who are interested to join SHARE, you may contact Ms. Ladylove Baurile at lmbaurile@gmail.com or 837-0031. You can also visit www.healthresearch.ph for more information. Source: http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index. php/news/5883-central-visayas-consortium-holdshealth-research-conference-emphasizes-importance-ofcommunication-in-health-research
SPIRITUALITY
iSIQUIJOR iSIQUIJOR iSIQUIJOR
from Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation
Image credit: Le Bateau-atelier (detail), 1874, by Claude Monet (1840-1926), Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands
Nature as a Mirror of God
What some now call creation spirituality, deep salvation, or the holistic Gospel, was voiced long ago by some Eastern fathers, in the spirituality of the ancient Celts, by many of the Rhineland mystics, and surely by Francis of Assisi. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) communicated creation spirituality through music, art, poetry, medicine, gardening, and reflections on nature. She wrote in her famous book, Scivias: You understand so little of what is around you because you do not use what is within you. [1] This is key to understanding Hildegard and is very similar to Teresa of Ávila’s understanding of the soul. Without using the word, she recognized that the human person is a microcosm with a natural affinity for or resonance with its macrocosm, which many call God. Our little world reflects the big world. The key word here is resonance. Contemplative prayer allows your mind to resonate with what is visible and right in front of you. Contemplation is the end of all loneliness because it erases the separateness between the seer and the seen. Hildegard spoke often of viriditas, the greening of things from within, similar to what we now call photosynthesis. She already saw that there was a readiness in plants to receive the sun and to transform it into energy and life. She recognized that there is also an inherent connection between the physical world and the divine Presence. This connection translates into inner energy that is the soul and seed of everything, an inner voice calling you to “Become who you are; become all that you are.” This is our “life wish” or “whole-making instinct.” Hildegard is a wonderful example of someone who lives safely inside an entire cosmology, a universe where the inner shows itself in the outer, and the outer reflects the inner, where the individual reflects the cosmos, and the cosmos reflects the individual. Hildegard says, “O Holy Spirit, you are the mighty way in which every thing that is in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth, is penetrated with connectedness, penetrated with relatedness.” [2] It is truly a Trinitarian universe, with all things whirling toward one another from orbits, to gravity, to ecosystems, to sexuality. In another place, Hildegard has God saying: I have created mirrors in which I consider all the wonders of my originality which will never cease. [3] Indeed, for Hildegard nature was a mirror for the soul and a mirror for God. This mirroring affects a complete change in consciousness in how most of us see and experience reality. Later, Bonaventure (1217-1274) wrote: “In the soul’s journey to God we must present to ourselves the whole material world as the first mirror through which we may pass over to the Supreme [Artisan].” [4] The Dominican Meister Eckhart (1260-1327) said the same: “If humankind could have known God without the world, God would never have created the world.” [5] Creation is not a mere scenic backdrop so humans can take over the stage. Creation is in fact a full participant in human transformation, since the outer world is absolutely needed to mirror the true inner world. There are not just two sacraments, or even seven; the whole world is a sacrament! Gateway to Silence: Brother Sun, Sister Moon, help me see God in all things.
Creation as the Body of God
The universe itself can be understood as the primary revelation of the divine. —Thomas Berry [1] The incarnation of God did not only happen in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. That is just when some of us started taking it seriously. The incarnation actually happened approximately 13.8 billion years ago with a moment that we now call “The Big Bang” or the First Manifestation. At the birth of our universe, God materialized and revealed who God is. Ilia Delio writes: “Human life must be traced back to the time when life was deeply one, a Singularity, whereby the intensity of mass-energy exploded into consciousness.” [2] This Singularity provides a solid basis for inherent reverence, universal sacrality, and a spiritual ecology that transcends groups and religions. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) stated, “The immense diversity and pluriformity of this creation more perfectly represents God than any one creature alone or by itself.” [3] However, for some reason, perhaps human self-absorption, Christians thought humans were the only creatures that God cared about, and all else—animals, plants, light, water, soil, minerals—was literally just “food” for our own sustenance and enjoyment. I do not believe that the Infinitely Loving Source we call God would or could be so stingy and withholding. God created millions of creatures for millions of years before Homo sapiens came along. Many of these beings are too tiny for us to see or have yet to be discovered; some have seemingly no benefit to human life; and many, like dinosaurs, lived and died long before we did. Why do they even exist? A number of the Psalms say that creation exists to reflect and give glory to God. The Jewish people already had a kind of “natural theology.” God has chosen to communicate God’s very Self in multitudinous and diverse shapes of beauty, love, truth, and goodness, each of which manifests another facet of the Divine. (See Job 38-39, Wisdom 13:1-9, Romans 1:20.) Christians must realize what a muddle we have gotten ourselves into by not taking incarnation and the body of God seriously. As Sally McFague, a Christian theologian, says so powerfully, “Salvation is the direction of all of creation, and creation is the very place of salvation.” [4] All is God’s place, which is our place, which is the only and every place. Our very suffering now, our crowded presence in this nest that we have largely fouled, will soon be the one thing that we finally share in common. It might be the one thing that will bring us together politically and religiously. The earth and its life systems, on which we all entirely depend, might soon become the very thing that will convert us to a simple lifestyle, to a necessary community, and to an inherent and natural sense of the Holy. We all breathe the same air and drink the same water. There are no Native, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, or Muslim versions of the universal elements. They are exactly the same for each of us. Gateway to Silence: Brother Sun, Sister Moon, help me see God in all things.
iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS
iNFOBYTES
Advocacy group backs protection of children vs toxic exposures
As the National Children’s Month (NCM) is observed this November, the advocy group EcoWaste Coalition rallied all sectors to work together to reduce the effects of toxic exposures among children. The waste and pollution watchdog urged national and local governments, businesses and industries, schools and households to step up ongoing efforts to create healthier and safer environments for all Filipino children in both rural and urban areas. Republic Act 10661 has designated this month as the NCM to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 November 1989. Article 24 of the said treaty declares that “states parties recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health.” “This year’s observance of the NCM provides the lead agencies and other stakeholders the opportunity to bolster practical solutions that will protect our children from the detrimental effects of hazardous chemicals and pollutants,” said Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect. The Department of Social Welfare and
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 /rizalie.andingcalibo @PiaSiquijor
Development, the National Youth Commission and the Council for the Welfare of Children are the lead agencies for the observance of the NCM. In line with “The People’s Right to Chemical Safety: A Fifteen-Point Human Rights Agenda” issued by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in November 2014, the EcoWaste Coalition echoed the need for “special protection measures” to prevent and reduce the toxic chemical exposures among children. “As the World Health Organization has reminded us ‘children are not little adults: they have special vulnerabilities to the toxic effects of chemicals.’ This is why we need to give them ample protection from undue exposure to hazardous chemicals and products as recommended by the CHR,” Dizon said. According to the CHR, “special protection measures must be set in place in homes, schools, day care centers, amusement parks, medical facilities and other places frequented by women and children.” “More particularly, all institutions,
facilities of learning and places frequented by children and especially homes, must be safe from toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury and other hazardous substances,” it said. “The role of schools cannot be overemphasized. Schools must be proactive in ensuring that their environments are safe for children. All school materials and facilities must be safe from hazardous chemicals,” it further said. For example, paints and school supplies laden with lead, a neurotoxin that can affect a child’s brain development, have no place in schools where children are supposed to discover and develop their abilities and skills, Dizon said. `The EcoWaste Coalition had earlier written to the Department of Education to strengthen Department Memorandum 85, Series of 2016, which requires the use of leadfree paints in schools, towards a truly lead-safe school environment. (Ecowaste Coalition)
iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS
REGIONAL NEWS
President Duterte warns against risks of firecrackers
Filipinos may soon, in the coming years, learn to meet and celebrate the New Year in silent fashion sans the use of fireworks, a long held practice and tradition derived from the Chinese. This as President Rodrigo Duterte said that he is mulling the ban of the manufacture and use of firecrackers. “At this time, I’d like to put on notice everybody that I am seriously considering making the entire Philippines like Davao. We observe the Christmas time with solemnity,” Duterte told reporters in an interview at the Wireless Cemetery (Roman Catholic Cemetery) in Davao City where he visited the grave of his father. “I’m putting up a notice that I might. But that decision should not go beyond April,
May kasi but too late na naman. It has to be decided,” he added. The President said he wants Congress to act on it first. “And if I, if they do not want it, well I will see if I can do it by executive order. Tutal naman ang ano diyan is the power of the President to come up with measures to protect public property, public interest, public safety,” he said. The Chief Executive said it would be too late to implement a firecracker ban for the coming New Year, noting that it would not be fair. “Too late na. Nabili na ‘yung ano eh. Everybody has invested… It would not be fair,” he said. “The least that I can say or I do is
just to issue a warning that it’s very, very dangerous,” Duterte said. “If you lose your eye or if your hand is cut or when it explodes in front of you, you suffer burns that is a very serious health issue,” he said. Duterte, who was Davao Mayor for a long time prior to running and winning as President of the country, banned firecrackers from the city. “I decided to ban it in Davao because most of the victims are children,” he said. “We used to hit something like almost, in the previous years, 600 serious cases of the children going blind, losing a limb, finger, a hand, a foot,” the President said. (PND) - S
The Siquijor Island Coalition Against Tuberculosis (SICAT) during its quarterly meeting, has envisioned a Siquijor TB-free province. SICAT is a multi-sectoral alliance among provincial and municipal governments, private agencies, and non-government organizations.
iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS