PNP reports Holy Week generally peaceful
QUEZON CITY, April 1 (PIA) — The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the observance of Holy Week was generally peaceful.
Monteagudo also said that PNP’s ‘Oplan SumVac’ will remain operational until Easter Monday as travelers are expected to go back to Metro Manila.
“Public Assistance Centers (PAC) put up in strategic locations along major thoroughfares and transport terminals, airports and seaports are under strict orders to remain in their posts until after the last traveler has safely returned,” he added.
Meanwhile, PNP Spokesman Chief Supt. Generoso R. Cerbo, Jr. said continuing law enforcement operations during the long Holy Week holiday netted more violators of the COMELEC-imposed gun ban, including drug law and street crime violators.
As of Black Saturday, March 30, the PNP has arrested some 2,032 gun ban violators and confiscated 1,982 firearms, and other deadly weapons.
Cerbo added that regular law enforcement operations including accounting of wanted person continued during the Holy Week. (PNP-PIO/PIA-NCR)
Ifugao women celebrate Women’s Month; informed on RH law
ASIPULO, Ifugao, March 19 (PIA) — Women from all over the province convened in this municipality to celebrate Women’s Month last March 14 and 15.
Jane Fortich, president of the Ifugao Women’s Organization, said that aside from the different activities that showcased the different talents or skills of the women, they listened to talks on the reproductive health (RH) law RH programs of the government and on the male involvement on RH during the forum.
Congressman Teddy Baguilat Jr of the Lone District of Ifugao, one of the authors of Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 or Republic Act No. 10354, and the keynote speaker during the event, explained the law in the local dialect.
The law which was signed by President Aquino on December 21, 2012 provides for a national policy on responsible parenthood and reproductive health. It provides for universal access to reproductive health care services including maternal care.
He emphasized on some common issues and concerns such as the freedom of choice on what contraceptive to use; the benefits of having the right number of children whom the couple can afford to raise so they can provide their basic needs such as food shelter, clothes, health needs and education.
Baguilat further explained that some of the provisions law include the upgrading of all health stations, and increase in the honorarium of health workers.
As the beneficiaries of the said law, the women should know more about this in order to improve their health and assert their rights in relation to RH which can save their lives and improve the well being of their families, Fortich said.
On the other hand, Rom Dongeto, executive director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation Incorporated (PLPCD), gave a talk on male involvement on RH saying that males play an important role in the success of the program of the government because in most cases it takes two to tango, meaning both the woman and man in the family should plan together for the benefit of their family.
The participants voiced out their concerns such as the side effects of contraceptives and affordability of contraceptives to the poor which were readily answered by the speakers. (JDP/VDB- PIA CAR,Ifugao)
‘Pray for new Pope’ – VP Binay
QUEZON CITY, March 19 (PIA) — Vice President Jejomar C. Binay urged Filipinos to pray for the new Pope that he may lead the Church with wisdom, humility, compassion and grace.
“I’ll be representing the country in the inaugural mass and the installation of the Pope. And I’ll be bringing likewise the letter of the President congratulating the Pope,” said Binay.
The new leader of the Roman Catholic Church will be officially installed on March 19. Heads of state are expected to attend the mass that he will be celebrating.
The Vice President added that it was an honor for him to witness the installation of a new Pope and represent Filipino Catholics in what he termed a historic event for Catholics worldwide. He also praised Pope Francis’ compassion for the poor.
Meanwhile, Binay is also expected to again meet with the Filipino community in Italy and to give them an update on government programs and the state of affairs in the country. (OVP MEDIA/RJB/JEG/PIA-NCR)
PNoy sked to open new ER complex in Pangasinan
DAGUPAN CITY, March 15 (PIA) — President Benigno S. Aquino III is scheduled to fly to this city today to open the nearly P24-million emergency room complex of a regional medical center.
It will be the first visit of PNoy this year to Pangasinan and the fourth since he became president in 2010.
After the facility’s opening, the President will later sit down with Pangasinan leaders for separate consultations at the CSI Stadia here and at the Sison Auditorium in Alaminos City.
Dr. Roland Joseph Mejia, R1MC chief, said the project is in line with the DOH’s “Kalusugang Pangkalahatan (universal health care)” program.
“The new emergency room complex is dedicated to deliver quality, emergent treatment to gravely ill and injured patients. It is designed to be more responsive to victims of disasters, terrorism, and contagious diseases,” he said.
Damaged by previous typhoons, the old ER complex building was rehabilitated and expanded in December 2010 to make it more roomy, spacious, and organized.
It was upgraded with modern diagnostic and therapeutic tools and facilities, complemented with trained and experienced staff.
The construction of the structure was initially funded from the hospital’s income amounting to P3.98 million. Another P5 million from the General Appropriations Act 2010 was later given until the structure was completed with another fund support from the Health Facilities Enhancement Program 2013 amounting to P15 million.
The new emergency room complex now offers the following services: a bed capacity for 50 patients, (sectionalized into four major clinical departments such as medical, pediatrics, surgical, and OB-Gyne), animal bite center, toxicology room with decontamination facilities, isolation room for highly infectious diseases, satellite laboratory and radiology sections, pharmacy, admitting section and medical social services unit, two operating rooms, one delivery room, resuscitation room, counseling room, and an ambulance bay.
The structure boasts of a spacious lobby which can be utilized to accommodate mass casualty patients, roomy waiting area, modern equipment and instruments, health emergency management staff (HEMS), operation center (OPCEN), with office and a multifunction room.
Based on initial coordination meetings with Malacañang representatives and provincial organizers, some 800 participants composed of doctors, nurses and administrative support of the R1MC are expected to grace the event.
The inaugural activity will start at 10 a.m. upon the President’s arrival.
The President will be received by Dr. Otto Raguindin and Dr. Gerard Gazmen.
A short program follows at the hospital’s conference room where the President will be given a project briefing (MCA/AM-PIA1, Pangasinan)
DILG-4A personnel undergo seminar on HIV-AIDS
CALAMBA CITY, Laguna, Mar 12 (PIA) — Key personnel of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) underwent a seminar on basic HIV-AIDS dubbed “Scaling-Up Effective and Sustained Response on HIV-AIDS.”
The seminar aims to further enhance knowledge and awareness on HIV-AIDS, to strengthen the local AIDS responses through the development of leadership capacities, and provide technical support to target LGUs, as well as to plan future local strategies to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS in the region.
The activity was conceptualized to capacitate and empower DILG officers in the crusade against HIV-AIDS and to help LGUs in the region especially those with high rate of reported HIV cases. The seminar will also promote universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support to achieve the Millennium Development Goals commitment.
Regional director Josefina E. Castilla-Go, assistant regional director; Ariel O. Iglesia, Region 4A division chiefs, provincial directors, cluster heads, as well as the HIV-AIDS focal persons from the five provinces attended the event.
According to the National AIDS Registry of the Department of Health (DOH), the epidemic is not just a possibility but a threat. This can be attributed to nine out of 11 reported cases daily nationwide. It may be recalled that at present, Calabarzon ranks second with reference to the number of HIV-AIDS cases throughout the country.
Resource speakers included Celestino “Ka Tino” Ramirez of the Positive Action Foundation, Inc. (PAFI) who discussed “The Basic STI, HIV and AIDS or HIV and AIDS 101; Sex and Sexuality; and the Stigma and Discrimination as deterrent to HR infected and affected by HIV-AIDS”.
He also facilitated a role-playing activity dubbed “wildfire exercises” for the participants, followed by a sharing of a person living with HIV who is also with PAFI.
ther speakers included Dionisio Quinto of Pinoy Plus who shared the “Voice of PLHIV”, as well as Dr. Joselito Feliciano of the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) who discussed the “Local HIV/AIDS Action,” an integral part of good governance and RA 8504. An action planning was also conducted and the outputs were submitted to the Secretariat. (DILG4A/PIA 4A)
‘More vacancies than job applicants in Cagayan province’ – DOLE
TUGUEGARAO CITY, March 12 (PIA) — The Department of Labor and Employment in Region 2 (DOLE – 2) has found out that there are more job vacancies in the province of Cagayan now than applicants as a result of the recently conducted series of job fairs here.
Reginald Estioco, information officer, said, in a series of three consecutive job fairs conducted in the last two months, in partnership with the provincial government of Cagayan, there were only 773 applicants who registered as against 1, 190 job vacancies posted for both local and overseas employment.
He said the job fairs were conducted in three different venues to include the Medical Colleges of Northern Philippines, Paseo Real Mall, and Saint Paul University wherein employers targeted unemployed and the graduating students.
“Among the job applicants, 43 were hired on the spot by some four local employers. They were hired as cashiers, call center agents, CCTV operators, sales associates, kitchen crews, service crews, and utility workers,” Estioco said.
He specified that there were 38 local employers that participated in the said job fairs and six recruitment agencies on overseas employment.
On his part, Labor director Atty. Sixto Rodriguez Jr. said job fairs has become DOLE’s response to requests for employment assistance in partnership with LGUs through the Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs).
The director encouraged unemployed and graduating students to try their luck in the job fairs as well as on online applications to grab the opportunities for employment. (OTB-PIA 2)
DA to honor CL provinces, towns, individuals for excelling in rice production
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, March 11 (PIA) — Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to confer the Agri-Pinoy Rice Achievers Award to provinces, towns, and individuals in Central Luzon for their exemplary contribution in the attainment of the government’s staple self-sufficiency goal.
“Nueva Ecija and Bulacan were adjudged as among the ten top performing provinces in the country. They will each get P4 million worth of projects” said DA Regional Executive Director Andrew Villacorta.
He added that Talavera, Guimba, General Tinio, Llanera, Sta. Rosa, Sto. Domingo, Cuyapo, and Lupao in Nueva Ecija and San Rafael in Bulacan made it also to the list of the 48 winners in the municipal category and will be recipients of P1 million worth of projects.
Moreover, 87 technicians and officials from Central Luzon were named as Outstanding Agricultural Extension Workers (AEW) and will each be given P20,000 worth of incentives.
Some 350 other AEWs, 10 irrigators’ associations, and three small water impounding system associations across the archipelago will likewise be conferred with the accolade in a ceremony to be held this Friday at the Philippine International Convention Center.
Living up to its reputation as the “Rice Granary” of the nation, Central Luzon has obtained a 138-percent sufficiency level last year despite having had torrential rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon.
“For the two cropping seasons, Central Luzon was able to produce 3,220,607 metric tons of rice out of the 675,781 hectares area harvested, attaining an average yield of 4.77 metric tons per hectare,” Villacorta said
Production in 2012 was 23 percent higher than 2011’s 2,616,083 metric tons contributing 18 percent to the national production in support to the Food Staple Self-Sufficiency Program.
The Regional Agriculture chief attributed the immediate recovery from the calamity and growth in production through the convergence of climate change adaptation measures of national government agencies and local government units. (WLB/CLJD-PIA 3)
DOH holds public consultation on RA 10354 in Manila
MANILA, Mar. 11 (PIA) — The Department of Health (DOH), yesterday, successfully held the “Usapang Pangkalusugang Pampamilya,” a public consultation on the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the R.A. 10354 Responsible Parenthood-Reproductive Health Law at the Grand Ballroom of Century Park Hotel in Manila.
This is the last in a series of public consultations on RA 10354 which were previously held in Davao City and Cebu City.
RA 10354 was signed on December 21, 2012 and became effective after publication and was circularized nationwide last January 17, 2013.
Its corresponding IRR was then drafted by a committee and, through this forum, was made available for comments/inputs from the general public to clarify relevant and significant issues to be considered by the Committee in synthesizing the final draft for signature.
In his opening speech, Department of Health Center for Health Development – National Capital Region Director Eduardo C. Janairo said that they have fought for this law for 14 years and at this point, there is no need to debate about it anymore. “Huwag nang pagtalunan ang 14 na taon nang pinagtalunan (Do not debate anymore about something that was already debated upon for 14 years),” Janairo said.
“This public consultation also makes people aware of the real processes behind the IRR of the RA 10354,” he added.
Present during the forum were groups like Makalaya, Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking, Women Involved In Nation Building (WIN), Akbayan, Amnesty International, Family Planning Organization of the Philippines, as well as representatives from the Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philhealth, National Youth Commission (NYC), and different local government units (LGUs) like Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Pateros, and Quezon City.
These groups and representatives were all given a chance to voice out their comments and suggestions after the IRR was presented, chapter by chapter, by the drafting committee.
Different comments and concerns were raised by the forum participants especially on the issue of requiring minors to secure parental consent before they can get access to reproductive health care; consideration for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) sector; delivery of newborns during crisis situations; and consideration for senior citizens.
All these were taken note of by the Drafting Committee and were promised to be tackled during their final drafting. The Committee is also welcoming additional comments and suggestions until Monday, March 11, 2013.
“A compromise is better than not having a law,” Dr. Valera said in conclusion. (RJB/JGR-PIA NCR)
Poor households receive DSWD cash packages
SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union, Feb. 25 (PIA) – As part of the continuing government support to the poor, the Department of Social Welfare Development Office here has started distributing cash grants to poor households in the Ilocos region recently.
Allan Lulu, DSWD information officer, said some P28,700 were distributed to 28 households from Ilocos Norte; P18,800 to 16 households from Ilocos Sur; P128,800 to 119 beneficiaries from La Union; and P133,500 to 138 households from Pangasinan.
The total cash grants amounted to P309,800 which were distributed to 301 families for the Ilocos region under the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer for Families in Need of Special Protection (MCCT-FNSP).
The program supports households who are in difficult circumstances from victims of natural and man-made calamities, indigenous migrant families, informal settlers including families with children in need of special protection such as children with disabilities, street children, out-of-school youth, child labor, abandoned and abused children including victims of other forms of exploitation.
Each household will receive a P500-health package and P300 per child (maximum of three children) as education package which will be received every other month, Lulu said.
“These families will receive the support-package for a period of six months to one year. They will eventually become a beneficiary of the conditional cash transfer,” Lulu added.
Salva Lopez, 38, a beneficiary from Dagupan City, said that the grant will go a long way for her children’s school allowance noting that that her husband’s income from driving a tricycle in not enough to support the family. (MCA/MBR-PIA 1 La Union with reports from DSWD-FO1/Allan Lulu)
Aquino signs victims reparation act into law
QUEZON CITY, Feb. 25 (PIA) — President Benigno Aquino III signed into law the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, an act providing compensation to victims of human rights violation during the martial law regime.
The President signed the law, Monday, as one of the highlights of the 27th anniversary celebration of the EDSA People Power revolution.
Around P10 billion funds from the Marcos assets seized by the Swiss government and turned over to the Philippines will be appropriated for victims’ reparation.
The first 80 percent of the said amount will be given to those victims who have already won any court case related to human rights violation during Martial law, while the remaining 20 percent of the allocated money will be given to other victims who have yet to register their claim.
A Human Rights Claim Board has been created to go over the claims of victims which include claimants in Hawaii and victims recognized by the Bantayog ng Bayani Foundation.
The law also mandates the creation of a Human Rights Violation Victims Memorial Commission. It is tasked to work with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to educate people on the history of the People Power Revolution.
Under the law, the commission is mandated to work with the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to educate young people about the abuses committed by the Marcos regime and the heroism by those who opposed it.
In Aquino’s speech, he thanked the Senate and House leadership for passing the law.
Loretta Ann Rosales, chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, herself a victim of Martial law, said her agency was looking at around 6,000 cases of abuses during the Marcos years. If there are two victims for each case, there could be 12,000 more claimants eligible for compensation, she said. (Susan de Leon and Emver Cortez – PIA NCR)
