The eMagazine of Philippine Information Agency 10 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016
Information drive vs HIV/AIDS stepped up in NorMin
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Both the government and nongovernment organizations are now working together to step up an information campaign on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country.
In “Talakayan sa Limketkai” held in Cagayan de Oro city on Oct. 18, Ian Jose Baang of the Infectious Diseases Cluster, Department of Health (DOH)Northern Mindanao disclosed that as of June 2016, there were 841 reported HIV/AIDS cases in the country and two percent of these came from the region. Baang also said the National Capital Region (NCR) had the most number of HIV/AIDS cases, which account for 40 percent. The DOH statistics also showed that the persons infected with HIV/ AIDS are mostly male and the age group with the highest number of cases is between 15 and 24 years old. The modes of transmission of this disease are sexual contact, needle sharing among injecting drug users and mother-to-child transmission through infected mother’s milk. “HIV can be transmitted from an
infected person through blood, seminal fluid, vaginal secretion and mother’s milk,” a health worker explained. Unlike other infectious diseases, HIV cannot be transmitted by holding, hugging or sharing food with the person living with HIV (PLHIV), as the virus dies in two seconds when exposed to the air. Moreover, Fritzie Estoque, chairperson, Misamis Oriental Cagayan de Oro Aids Network (MOCAN), a group pushing for HIV-related causes, said HIV/AIDS is everybody’s concern. “Every week, nagsaka siya (it is increasing) and Cagayan de Oro is number two in terms of prevalence and incidence,” Estoque pointed out. “Let us not single out one sector here because anybody can be infected with HIV,” she added. PLHIVs are given antiretroviral therapy (ART) to suppress HIV virus and stop the progression of HIV diseases. (FPG/PIA-10)
ARMM to reinvigorate local health boards MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur – After finishing a two-year, three-module program under the Health Leadership and Governance Program, 19 local chief executives and nine local health officials have vowed to reinvigorate local health boards in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The participants received Hotel in Pasay City on October 14. program certificates of completion Dubbed “ARMM Colloquium: Moro during graduation rites at Heritage Leaders in ARMM as Champions thru
Health Leadership,” the program was aimed at training local chief executives and health officers in every local government unit to become responsive leaders capable of addressing the health needs of their constituents. “We are grateful to the Zuellig Family Foundation for giving us a chance to prove our worth and develop our homegrown champions,” ARMM’s Health Department (DOH) Secretary Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr. said. The foundation was established in the Philippines in 1997 by the Zuellig family, which is engaged in pharmaceutical business as well as other ventures. Vice-President Leni Robredo who was a guest in last week’s event said the “key to ARMM’s progress are good governance, strong and honest leadership, transparency and accountability, and an ability to love its history, beautiful and tragic as it may be.” “The program allows the participants to understand the problems and become a catalyst for change. The mayor understands that he needs to go beyond medical missions, or paying for the medicine and hospital bills of his constituents, establish a clear vision for health change, and be a health ambassador so that his constituents develop coownership of the health programs,” Vice-President Robredo said. ARMM local leaders and health personnel shared their acts of leadership in health and how these
contributed to better health outcomes that benefited their constituents. Speaking on behalf of ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman, Dr. Sinolinding said ARMM used to be the example to show what not to do in government. Today, the ARMM is referred to as a model for empowered and decentralized governance. Improved delivery of health services has always been a priority in the region, Dr. Sinolinding said. In recent years, the ARMM has installed rural health units in 105 of the 116 municipalities and two cities in the region. Within the same period, he said, the regional government increased the number of PhilHealth cardholders by 80 percent from 834,153 to 1.5 million. “We also increased the number of PhilHealth-accredited units by 85 percent, from only 47 in 2012 to 87 in 2014,” said Dr. Sinolinding Making health services accessible to all is key in improving the quality of life in the region, especially in the island provinces, the regional chief of the Health department said. The DOH-ARMM will strengthen the linkages between the local government units and the department to provide the medical needs of the ARMM constituents, Dr. Sinolinding said. (BPI/PIA-10)
CDO to put up 1-megawatt solar power in Cogon Market CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The City Economic Enterprises Department (CEED) is now reviewing the technical aspect of the proposed solar power project. City Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, chairman of the committee on economic enterprise, said that in the initial study on the viability of the project, the city has the capacity to earn from it based on their consultation with the engineers from the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company, Inc. (CEPALCO). “Parehas sa ilang 1-hectare solar power facility sa Indahag nga income kaayo (Just the same with their 1-hectare solar power facility in Indahag, the project will earn a lot),” Nacaya added. The project is envisioned not
only to provide an additional supply of energy but also to augment the income of the city to about P1 Million per month. The facility will be placed on the rooftop of Cogon Market that will cover 1.2 hectares. This will then become the very first power facility in the country. Part of the committee’s study is the stability of the market’s rooftop as well as the whole building itself to make sure that there will be no problems in the future and ensure the security and safety of the vendors. (ALR-CIO/PIA10)