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The medicinal usage of the Philippine’s national flower
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VOL. 1, No. 184
Cagayan de Oro City
Tuesday
BEFORE
December 20, 2011
P8.00
No mass graves, says health dept By RUEL V. PELONE
THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday thumbed down the plan of the city government of Iligan to dig a mass grave where the unclaimed bodies, including those in an advanced state of decomposition, be buried. Yesterday morning, Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz told Umagang Kay Ganda, a morning television show over ABS-CBN, that he is planning for a mass burials of unclaimed bodies through “mass graves.” However, DOH spokesman Dr. Eric Tayag said the plan is not advisable. Tayag stressed that “decomposing bodies have nil risk contrary to general opinion.” Instead, he urged local government units––badly affected by storm Sendong––to give families time to retrieve their dead. “We will dig a mass grave and bury the unclaimed bodies as well as those in
SUERTRES REGALO 2 DIGIT
Today’s Weather M o d e rate to strong winds blowing from the Northeast will prevail over Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the east to northeast with slight to moderate seas. SOURCE : PAGASA
Director sa BCPO bag-o na Sinulat ni MANUEL M. EGAY JR.
Two women hold their children killed during the passage of tropical storm Washi at a village in Iligan City, on the southern island of Mindanao on December 17, 2011. The death toll from the tropical storm rose to 143 on december 17 with more than 100 others missing after widespread flash floods in the southern Philippines. (AFP PHOTO/Cherryl Vergeire)
Govt releases P1.3b to help flood victims
BUDGET Secretary Florencio Abad announced yesterday the government released P1.297 billion in calamity response funds to help the victims of the MASS GRAVES/p.2 devastating floods caused by typhoon “Sendong.” Abad said: “With the calamity fund, the governBALITANG ment is generously equipped SPECIAL to mobilize and support disaster relief efforts in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and other Sendong-affected areas. We are ensuring the quick release of these funds so that victims will receive swift and proper assistance.” He made the statement as Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino slammed
SUREBOL PASAKAY
Christmas
President Benigno Aquino III for vetoing a P5-billion disaster preparedness fund in the 2011 budget. In his veto message, Aquino cautioned against the inclusion of pre-disaster activities. Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda, reacting to Palatino, called on the activist lawmaker not to politicize the issue, adding that the government has enough funds to help those affected by Sendong. Abad also said that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of
National Defense (DND), and the Department of Education (DepEd) “are also adequately supported by separate Quick Response Funds (QRFs), which will guarantee direct and immediate support to Sendongstricken areas.” “In addition to the Calamity Fund and the QRFs, we also have the Local Government Support Fund shares of all affected local government units, for whom President Benigno S. Aquino III will provide Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) and Notices of Allocation (NCAs) tomorrow,” he said. The DBM chief con-
firmed that “if additional disaster-response funds are required, the Administration has sufficient reserves to augment the Calamity Fund and QRFs to expedite relief operations to all affected areas and communities.” Relatively, Abad said that for next year the calamity fund was increased by P2.5 billion to P7.5 billion relative to this year’s budget. Aside from the government, the city government of Makati has also allocated P4 million for the victims of storm Sendong in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and Dumaguete. See related story on Page 3
BUTUAN City––Nanumpa isip bag-ong OIC City Director si P/Supt. Pedro U. Ubaldo Jr. niadtong petsa-15 ning tuiga, 2011. Siya mipuli kang S/Sr. Supt. Jose Carillo, kinsa ibalhin sa laing ‘assignment’ human sa 10 ka bulan niyang pagka-City Director sa Butuan. Ang turn-over ceremony gisaksihan ni P/Chief Supt. Reynaldo S. Rafal, director sa Police Regional Office; Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr., City Councilor Ryan Anthony Culima ug ubang opisyales sa kapulisan. Gipasalig ni P/Supt. Ubaldo nga paningkamutan niya ang pagpalambo sa kahapsay ug kalinaw sa dakbayan bisan nga usa lamang ka bulan ang iyang pagpangatungdanan, isip city police director hangtud nga makapili si Mayor Amante og makapuli kaniya. Dungan sa turnover-ofcommand, gibuksan ang PNP Multi-Purpose Hall ug library likod Butuan City Police Office (BCPO) nga usa sa mga proyekto sa administrasyon ni P/Sr. Supt. Carillo. Na-establisar usab ubos ni P/Sr. Supt. Carillo ang labing unang E-Blotter System sa tibuok Visayas ug Mindanao nga gi-inagurahan bag-ohay ni PNP Chief Nicanor Bartolome.
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