The eMagazine of Philippine Information Agency 10
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016
City hospital scales up psychiatry services
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – To provide proper medical attention to mentally-ill persons in Cagayan de Oro city, the JR Borja General Hospital (JRBGH) in partnership with the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) held the soft launching of the Telepsychiatry Project on August 23.
JRBGH Executive Officer Dr. Ramon Nery said that the Telepsychiatry is the first in the country and it is “in line with the Duterte health agenda of really improving the access of health to the poorest of the poor especially those living in remote areas where the services of our specialists are really very rare.” Currently, Nery stressed that there are only around two to three psychiatrists in the city making it impossible to cater to the needs of the mentally-ill patients. With this number of professionals, the city was also forced to bring the patients to Davao City for consultations and evaluation. The chief added that such process is costly on the part of the government and risky for the patients who will need to travel for hours.
Gregorio Candelario of the SPMC shared that the project blends medical with technology and with it they are now able to fast track better and faster processing to bring in a lot of patients. During the soft launching, a 41-year-old patient diagnosed with schizophrenia talked via video conference to Dr. Reagan Joseph Villanueva where the former was given follow-up evaluation. Through telecommunications and video conferencing, patients are given psychiatric assessment without any hassle. The soft launching of the Telepsychiatry Project is one of the highlights of the 53rd Founding Anniversary celebration of the JRBGH. (RTP/PIA10)
August is Innovation Convergence Month in Iligan ILIGAN CITY – August is celebrated as Innovation Convergence Month of Iligan. Aimed to foster sustainable Innovation Ecosystem in Northern Mindanao, the Innovation Convergence is a collaborative consortium of different offices and agencies in Iligan City, namely: iDEYA, FabLab Mindanao, DTI Negosyo Center,
MSU-IIT’s Technology Application and Promotion Unit (TAPU) including Bamboo Technology Center and Ceramic Training Center, Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) and Intellectual Property Unit (IPU) and InnoHive.
Its main collaborators are the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region X, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE), MSU-IIT’s College of Engineering and College of Business Administration and Accountancy. The consortium is supported by Ideaspace Philippines, USAID, Negosyo Center, PLDT Innolab, RISPh, DICT Region X. Based on its event brief, the consortium is geared towards providing sufficient and sustainable innovation, technopreneurship, and science and technology ecosystem for the community by the community. Its goal is to create an avenue for collaboration and innovation for
the community, discover homegrown talents and build up portfolio, open opportunities and promote innovation to different colleges and universities, and support and strengthen research and development activities around the community. The whole month of August is filled with Innovation Convergence activities. All of the activities are held in MSU-IIT and are for free but registration is compulsory for each activity. A calendar of events is posted with this news and in their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ innovationconvergence/home. For queries, email or through f b. c o m / i n n o va t i o n c o nve r g e n c e . (Michelle Jeanne C. Caracut, OPI/ MSU-IIT/PIA-10 LDN)
NPA murders Lumads, displaces clan before ceasefire MALAYBALAY CITY – The New People’s Army (NPA) killed a Lumad family head Manlumakad Bucalas and his 10-year old son, Itsahan Bucalas in remote Binicalan sub-village, San Luis, Agusan del Sur, Wednesday, August 17. The NPAs opened fire at Bucala’s residence around 10:30 a.m killing Manlumakad and his son. Family member survivors fled just hours after the attack and went to hide
in the forest to avoid being captured by NPAs. On 19 August 2016, the survivors reached Barangay Indalasa, a rural village of Malaybalay City, Bukidnon
where they sought refuge for protection and security. This happened before the Communist Party of the Philippine’s (CPP) declaration of the seven-day unilateral ceasefire took effect on August 20, 2016. The NPAs have been targeting the Bucalas clan for refusing to join the revolutionary movement. Not long ago, in 06 June 2016, the Bucalas clan suffered the same fate when NPAs ambushed clan members namely Mankulubi Bucalas, Lando Bucalas, and Julina Bucalas—who was then pregnant— together with four children. Said ambush killed three adults— Mankulubi, Lando, Julina—and a child. The child victim was left dead in the mountains. Only three children survived who were able to narrate their ordeal with the NPAs. It can be recalled that in October 3, 2015, a small Talaandig village was attacked by NPA rebels and murdered their tribal leader Rene Bucalas or Datu Manhadukan Sandigan, in front of his tribesmen after refusing to allow his tribe to support and submit themselves to the NPA’s ideology. This forced Talaandigs to flee and leave their ancestral lands. They then sought refuge in the municipality of Cabanglasan, Bukidnon, where they started new lives. Lt. Col. Lennon G. Babilonia, Philippine Army’s
8th Infantry Battalion Commander challenged the NPA leadership to abandon the armed struggle and spare the Lumads from their ill-motivated cause and allow the Lumad people to live peacefully in their ancestral lands. “If indeed the NPA and their leaders are true to their pronouncements that they are pro-people and pro-Lumad, I challenge them to stay away from the Lumad communities and stop sowing seeds of fear and conflict among our Lumad brethren. If the NPAs cannot help these people, then they should just leave them alone in peace, stop exploiting their culture and never confuse them with armed struggles that oblige them to kill one another. Because of their false ideology, they are killing not only innocent people but also the culture and the rich heritage of the Filipino people, which these Lumads carry with them,” he said. (Erwin P. Bugarin, CMO, 8IB, PA/RLRB, PIA-Bukidnon)