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Healing huts boost Siquijor’s healing tradition
population — always combined with as much sustainability and environmental protection as possible,” said Bartsch. He said, “the aim of RMS is to initiate planned meeting at eye on eye level in addition to spontaneous encounter, so to speak, modern encounters that are not just photo spectacle, but much more experience that can give both sides something.” “In other words, real exchange between peoples and cultures,” Bartsch said, as he stressed the idea behind the program. “On our trips, you are not travelled, you experience yourself.” The inauguration of the healing huts showcases not only the diversity, strength, and variety that Siquijor can offer but also the camaraderie present among community and stakeholders, said
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DOT-7 Regional Director Shalimar Hofer Tamano in his message relayed by Judy Gabato, DOT-7 Chief Tourism Operation Officer. “What we are most excited about is for the rest of the world to discover the warm, passionate and resilient spirit of Siquijor. These make Siquijor a place to discover — the distinctive charm exuded by every Siquijodnon you will meet,” Tamano said. Meanwhile, TAP Board of Director and Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) Chairperson Joy Dominie Uy Chan calls on all tourism stakeholders to promote Siquijor not only for its beautiful beaches but for its traditional healing. “It is so sad that in the Philippines, most traditions have been dying, it has become a shame for us. We don’t want
Inauguration of “Balay Pahauli” and “Batong Hakot” healing huts in barangays Cantabon, and Canghunoghunog, Siquijor, Siquijor. The healing huts are one of the PPP projects o f Tr a v e l A u t h e n t i c Philippines, in partnership with Reisen MIT Sinnen, a German Tour Operator and the German Ministry on Entrepreneurial Development (KFW DEG) through the public private partnership in the Philippines. This project is also supported by the Siquijor P r o v i n c i a l To u r i s m Office, Siquijor Provincial Tourism Council and the Department of Tourism Central Visayas.
to expose our poverty to the tourists, we want to join them in the modernization so that signs of commercialization even in traditional healing have been apparent already,” Chan said. She said it is already difficult to tell authentic medicines or souvenir items of the island because people tend to take advantage of the healers’ expertise and make them part of the commercialization and promotion strategy. This makes tourists believe that is easy to tour the whole island in a day. “One day should not be enough if we want them to experience the healing Siquijor,” she said as she appealed for the local government units and other partners to help promote Siquijor not only as another “getaway” place but as the Healing Island. (rac/PIA-Siquijor)
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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. 07| No. 22 June 24 - July 1, 2019
Healing huts boost Siquijor’s healing tradition
By Rizalie Anding Calibo
SIQUIJOR (PIA) -- “This is primarily our purpose of establishing Healing Huts in the island province of Siquijor,” says Travel Aunthentic Philippines (TAP) General Manager Vianney S. Tumala as she presented the “Balay Pahauli” and “Batong Hakut” healing huts during the inauguration of the projects recently. TAP, in partnership with the Reisen Mit Sinnen (RMS), a German tour operator, and the Deutsche InvestitionsUndentwicklungsgesellschaft (KFW DEG), a development finance institution in Germany, through the public private partnership (PPP) included Siquijor in their tourism products under the project entitled, “Sustainable Tourism in the Context of Ethnic Groups Philippines.” The project aims to promote and integrate indigenous and marginalized communities to community-based tourism as it aims to provide livelihood assistance to the traditional healers and preserve the island’s culture and traditional healing, Tumala said. It is also supported by the Siquijor Provincial Tourism Office, Siquijor Provincial Tourism Council, and the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas (DOT-7). A component of the project is the establishment of the two healing huts in barangays Cantabon and Canghunoghunog in Siquijor town in a bid to preserve the tradition and culture of Siquijor for both locals and tourists to have a special experience of the island. “We included Siquijor Island because apart from it being less touristic yet loved by many, we want to offer something different and special to the tourists. We want the healing tradition and the culture of Siquijor to continue for our children and grandchildren to appreciate and be proud of,” she said. “We want them to see that Siquijor traditional healing is still alive,”
Travel Aunthentic Philippines (TAP) General Manager Vianney S. Tumala said they included Siquijor Island in the project entitled, “Sustainable Tourism in the Context of Ethnic Groups Philippines” because apart from it being less touristic yet loved by many, they want to offer something different and special to the tourists. “We want the healing tradition and the culture of Siquijor to continue for our children and grandchildren to appreciate and be proud of,” she said she added, as she relates her first hand which means “to gather.” experience of the healing and relaxing The beneficiary, Rogelio, is said effect of the tuob (fumigation) and to be gifted with the Batung Hakut, a hilot (massage) at Juanita Torremocha’s magical stone used as a component to Balay Pahauli and the bolo-bolo, another draw ailments or negative energies. healing ritual using a glass of water with Bolo-bolo as the healing practice a black stone and a straw at Rogelio he offers, is said to afford relief and Lugatiman’s Batong Hakut healing hut. cleansing experience to anyone who seek Juanita Torremocha is a long- refuge in this hut. time practitioner of tuob ug hilot, an The healing experience that the ancient Filipino art of healing that healers have to offer caught the attention combines fumigation and massage. Balay of TAP and its partners, which led to the is a Visayan term for house and Pahauli establishment of the healing huts. means to recover. It also refers to a native As TAP’s German partner, medicinal plant with different varieties RMS representative Stefan Bartsch said commonly used by locals to relieve they have committed themselves to several ailments. sustainability in tourism and they see it as As the name suggests, Balay their mission to develop the fairest, most Pahauli is aimed to be a rejuvenation environmentally friendly, and socially haven that offers healing from ailments responsible tours “with a high quality of and restores health by warding off travel experience.” negative energy. Batong Hakut, on “RMS focuses on intensive the other hand, is made for Rogelio and active travel experience in small Lugatiman, one of the known bolo-bolo groups or on individually arranged healers in the island. trips with encounters with the local Batong Hakut is coined from to page 4 bato, a Visayan term for stone and hakut,
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Youth urged to be proactive in protecting the environment DUMAGUETE CITY, June 27 (PIA)--“The lesser you use your trash whether it’s one plastic bag (or) one sachet, you lessen the 60 billion sachets. You lessen the 16 billion plastic bags and that makes a big impact.” This how Miss Earth 2014 Jamie Herrell encouraged young people in this city to protect the environment during her presentation at the recently held Geoskwela event at the Luce Auditorium, Silliman University (SU). The Filipino-American beauty queen was referring to a report from environmental group GAIA which noted that there are 60 billion plastic sachets and 16.5 billion transparent plastic bags or commonly known as plastic labo used and disposed in the Philippines annually. “You have to remember it’s a ripple effect. When you started everyone else will follow. Never think that you are student and you cannot be taken seriously - No! Because the children, the students are not only the people of tomorrow but they are also the people of today. Everything you do right now can make an impact to the world,” Herrell advised the Dumaguete youths. Hundreds of students from Silliman University and other academic institutions attended the activity. Joining Herrell in tackling the
relevant issues concerning the environment during the Geoskwela are SU student and cofounder of student - lead Project Balod marine conservation workshop Rhyn Escolana, SU Professor and “Balik Scientist” of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, and EDC Strategic Initiatives, Legal and Regulatory Office (SILRO) Head Miguel Lorenzo De Vera. The Miss Earth title-holder also discussed her personal advocacy:“Think Twice” Campaign which teaches the public to think twice and find alternative ways of protecting the environment even through practical means of disposing trash properly and in conserving energy and water resources. She also urged the youth to be proactive and not reactive in terms of protecting the environment particularly in addressing the garbage and plastic problem of the country. In a similar note, student leader Rhyn Esolana also encouraged young people to be rethinkers in using plastics. “I want you to be re-thinkers. Rethink if you want to use plastic. When you go to a store, do you really need to put that ballpen, put that notebook inside a plastic when you can put it in your back or you can
just walk away with it?” Esolana said. Esolana also gave a talk on his advocacy in protecting the seas noting his concern on the going trend of increased plastic production and decreased fish production in the country which could result to more plastics than fishes in the ocean in the year 2050. The student leader emphasized that it is important to take care of the environment, especially the seas, to ensure food security, livelihood, and human health. “We all have to think about the now. We have to take care of ourselves. Save ourselves. Love the environment. If we look after the sea, it will look back after us,” Esolana said. Esolana also told his fellow youths to participate in local movements that advocate for environmental protection. In relation also to the threats posed by plastic pollution in the marine life, Dr. Jorge Emmanuel shared that micro-plastics are now seen in seafood. Dr. Emmanuel explained that microplastics come from the large pieces of plastics that people throw away in the ocean which eventually broke down to tiny pieces which can be consumed by marine animals unintentionally. These will remain plastics until 100 years. Dr. Emmanuel disclosed Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) made a study on the seafood caught in southern Negros which showed that a large percentage of seafood have micro-plastics. He also noted that micro-plastics have the capability to attract toxic chemicals. “Just like the loss of biodiversity, the massive amount of plastic wastes, wastes in general, and the chemical contaminants also spread on our earth is also an existential threat to us,” Dr. Emmanuel told his audience. Apart from discussing the potential threat of plastic wastes to humans, Dr. Emmanuel also talked about the existential threat of climate change. EDC’s SILRO Head Miguel De Vera agreed to this saying “The best we can do now is to transition to renewable energy slowly and adopt low carbon technology practices as they become available.” De Vera also imparted some information on the benefits of utilizing renewable energy resources like geothermal energy which he described as clean and stable energy source. Moreover, he also shared the company’s commitment to preserve the forest covers as part of its thrusts on environmental sustainability. Geoskwela is an initiative of the renewable firm Energy Development Corporation (EDC) which aims to bring the young people closer to experts, academicians, and inspirational figures who share the advocacy of environmental sustainability and utilization of clean energy.(ral/PIA7-Negros Oriental)
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Publiko, gipa-amping sa DOH batok sa dengue karong ting-ulan (PIA)--Gipa-amping sa Department of Health (DOH) ang publiko batok sa sakit nga dengue karong panahon na sa ting-ulan. Sa datos nga gipagawas sa DOH, mi-doble na ang natalang kaso sa dengue alang sa unang unom ka buwan pa lamang sa tuig kun itandi niadtong 2018.
Sa pinakaulahing datos sa DOH, sugod pa lamang niadtong Enero nakatala na og 87,000 ka kaso sa dengue sa tibuok nasud diin 384 niini ang namatay tungod sa maong sakit. Dinhi sa lalawigan sa Bohol, nagpadayon ang pagsaka sa gidaghanon sa mga kaso sa dengue gikan Enero 1 hangtod Hunyo 22, 2019 may 591%
Publiko, gipa-amping sa DOH batok sa dengue karong ting-ulan (PIA)--Gi-anunsiyo ning bag-o lang sa Social Security System (SSS) nga mokabat na ngadto sa P70,000 ang maximum maternity financial assistance nga mahimo nilang mahatag sugod sa Enero 2020. Sa usa ka pahayag, miingon si SSS President ug Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aurora Ignacio nga tungod kini sa implementasyon sa Republic Act No. 11210 o ang Expanded Maternity Leave Act ug apil na usab ang SSS Act of 2018. Matud pa ni Ignacio, nisaka ang SSS benefits nga makuha sa mga miyembro tungod na usab sa gipatuman nga bag-ong minimum ug maximum monthly salary credit. Giingong tungod niini, mokabat sa lapas doble ang maternity benefit nga makuha sa usa ka inahan nga kaniadto makadawat lamang og P32,000. Gipahayag usab sa SSS CEO nga sukad gipatuman ang Expanded Maternity Leave Act, nikabat na sa kapin 122,000 ka inahan ang naka-avail og dugang benepisyo. Kapareho kini sa P2.67 bilyon nga maternity benefits gikan Enero hangtod Abril niining tuig nga mas taas og 15.09 porsiyento sa susamang panahon sa niaging tuig, segun pa sa SSS. (ecb/PIA7Bohol)
nga pagsaka diin gikan lamang sa 222 ka kaso niadtong 2018, nahimo na kining 1,535 karong tuig base sa datos gikan sa Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) 7. Sa maong datos, nisaka na usab ngadto sa 17 ang namatay sa maong sakit dinhi sa lalawigan sukad Hunyo 22 ning tuig diin may pagsaka nga 466% kun itandi sa gidaghanon sa natalang namatay nga 3 lamang sa susamang panahon sa niaging tuig. Base usab sa susamang datos sa RESU, ang lungsod sa Buenavista ang may pinakadaghang natalang kaso sa dengue nga nikabat ngadto sa 206 diin 1 ang namatay. Gisundan kini sa lungsod sa Talibon nga may natalang 129 ka kaso; Tagbilaran City, 123 ka kaso diin 4 ang namatay; Inabanga, 109 ka akso diin 3 ang namatay; ug Loon 101 ka kaso diin 4 ang namatay. May natala usab nga namatay sa sakit nga dengue sa mga lungsod sa Sagbayan - 2; Danao - 1; Loay - 1; ug Baclayon - 1. Kasagarang apektado sa maong sakit mga bata nga nahisulod sa pangedaron nga 6-10 age bracket. Kalabot niini, gipahinumdoman sa DOH ang publiko nga butangan og takob ang mga pondohanan og tubig ug batasanon ang pagpanglimpyo aron matangtang ang mga gipundokan sa mga lamok. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
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