Rabies in IGaCoS: A Public Health Concern

ISLAND GARDEN CITY OF SAMAL, March 21 (PIA) - More than 200 hundred undergraduate students of Holy Cross of Babak Inc.(HCBI) gathered for the Rabies symposium as part of Rabies Awareness Month Celebration at Babak school campus, Babak District, Island Garden City of Samal last  March 15, 2013.

For a better grasp of rabies virus contamination, a film showing on Rabies Case at HCBI social hall and actual rabies vaccination was made by the staff of the City Veterinary Office at their campus. 

The symposium was facilitated by the city government through the City Veterinary Office, Rabies Control Committeein partnership with the Department of Education, Davao del Norte Hospital Samal Zone andin coordination with themanagement of HCBI.

Dr. Catherine Mancio Valera, Davao del Norte Hospital- Samal Zone Head present during the occasion emphasized control and prevention of rabies and  urged students  to become responsible pet owners  in order for Samal  to achieve the  rabies free IGaCoS in 2015.

“Ang tao ang pinaka- smart  sa tanan animals , so kailangan we are responsible for our pets, atong pabakunahan ang atong iro, liguan ug talian para dili makapaak”(The humans are smartest among animals, so let us be responsible with our pets, submit them for vaccination, bath and leashed them so they cannot bite), Renz Allan S. Lacorte, Grade 7 (First year) of HCBI urged his fellow students.

The students assured cooperation to disseminate information to others as responsible pet owners and help the city government’s campaign for free rabies IGaCoS.

As per report from Davao del Norte Hospital Samal Zone, Samal got zero canine and human rabies case and 294 cases of animal bite cases from January to December 2012. In 2011 data, IGaCoS had zero rabies case but registered 226 animal bite victims,  a difference of 68 cases compared to 2012.

“An increase in animal bite was observed but this was probably  due to the intensified advocacy  campaign regularly made in the barangays with the help of the BRAVES Team wherein the people became  knowledgeable of the program and readily report cases to the concerned authorities”, Dr. Edunel Sala, IGaCoS  Veterinary Officer said.

“Our target on dog vaccination for this year is 10,000 dogs and we are glad to say that in the first quarter (January 2013 – present), we were able to vaccinate a total of 2,723 heads of dogs, an excess of 223 to our 2,500 target  in the first quarter,” Sala added.

Rabies vaccination was regularly conducted in the barangays by Barangay Rabies Control Team known as BRAVES. The BRAVES Team was organized by the City Veterinary Office after a Barangay Rabies Awareness and Vaccination Enhancement Seminar was conducted in the Barangay.  The Team was trained on proper rabies vaccination,  given pre-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for  rabies protection and to also perform other tasks in eliminating rabies in their respected areas.

One rabies case was reported but as per investigation the puppy containing the rabies virus was purchased in Davao City coming from an unknown source.   The puppy died due to rabies in three days after biting the owner fortunately the owner was safe after he underwent complete anti-rabies vaccination.

The City Veterinary Office continuously conducts dog registration, vaccination and information campaign in the barangays. They also impound stray dogs in major thoroughfares though sometime they were restrained by necessary resources needed to conduct the activities.

Sala appealed for a concerted effort in attaining rabies free city.  He urged the cooperation and participation of all the stakeholders here in Samal which is known to be a  tourism destination in Mindanao.

City Mayor Aniano P. Antalan persistently asked for cooperation and support to the program emphasizing its enormous effect on tourism and its great impact to the economic development of the city.

Samal City is aiming for a free rabies city by 2013 in close coordination with the Department of Health –Center for Health Development, Department of Agriculture, Department of Education and other national and local agencies in intensifying the campaign and implementation. (Melrose SAMAL CIO)

Peaceful settlement on framework agreement and Sabah claims urged

DAVAO CITY, Mar 21 (PIA) Peace advocates supporting the peace process urged the government to pursue the peacetalks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front anchored on the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and not to be distracted by the Sabah claim espoused by certain sector.

Speaking to reporters prior to the holding a peace rally supporting the government-MILF peace talks last March 21, Atty. Mary Ann  Arnado, convenor of the Mindanao People’s Caucus said the peace talks between the government and the MILF must continue especially that the peace panels of both parties are almost near the finish line, with the crafting of the contents of the FAB resuming on March 25 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

She observed that recent developments in Sabah sidetracked the peace process with the MILF.

“Regardless of the merits and demerits of the Sabah issue, let us not lose sight of our main struggle for peace in Mindanao.  Mindanaoans are the most benefitted once the talks bring a lasting peace, so must pursue the negotiations,” Arnado said.

She said the current state of the peace talks is similar to the last stretch of a marathon where the finish line can be seen and almost near.

Arnado said any attempt to disrupt and derail the talks is deplorable.

She said calls like going to war with Malaysia are not well thought of, especially that the Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy.

“The Philippines adheres to peaceful dialogue and resolution of conflicts and does not support people who stick on to violent means,” Arnado said.

She said individuals who have claims on Sabah must bring this issue to the proper forum peacefully and not to call for bloodshed in these areas.

Arnado chided groups whose agenda is to derail the talks using the Sabah claim.

She also lauded President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s stance to pursue the peace talks despite calls to focus also on the Sabah claim.

“We need to finish the framework agreement so that within Mindanao itself we can establish the kind of governance for the Bangsamoro before entertaining at looking at other areas, Arnado said.

She said while there may be historical basis for the Sabah claim, any petitioner must establish first the location of its leadership.

Arnado said claimants must not lose the opportunity offered by the framework agreement which invites them to govern themselves first as Bangsamoro instead of making claims on Sabah.

Jehan Abubakar, chair of the Muslim Youth said even with the FAB alone, peace is already felt in many areas in Mindanao.

She hoped that any effort to sabotage the talks through the Sabah claim will not derail the peace process.

“We hope that the government, MILF and the Malaysian government will keep their respective commitment to work for a negotiated settlement for the lasting peace in Mindanao,” Abubakar said. (RGA/JSD/PIA-XI)

DSWD distributes goods, intensifies consultation-dialogues with Pablo Victims

MONKAYO, Compostela Valley --- Assisted by barangay officials, DSWD continue to engage the affected families during distribution of relief goods in Barangay Baylo, Monkayo, Compostela Valley on Monday.

In an effort to clear misunderstandings and accurately inform the victims of typhoon ‘Pablo’ on issues affecting them, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 11 is currently conducting dialogue-consultations in affected barangays in Compostela Valley.

Raquel E. Nuñez, Policy and Plans Division Chief at DSWD Region 11 reiterated that only DSWD can delist beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program contrary to what some quarters are saying that politicians or local officials can delist them if they do not vote for a particular candidate.

Speaking in the vernacular, Nuñez stressed, “para pud maklaro sa inyo, kay nakadungog mi sa istorya nga ingon sila katong mga nikuyog [sa rally] didto sa DSWD tanggalon. Kung kamo nga tinuod nga naga attend og regular session sa inyong FDS, dili biya sayon ang pagtanggal sa inyo (To clarify things, because we have heard of rumors that those Panatawid Pamilya beneficiaries who joined the protest against DSWD will be delisted. If you attend the Family Development Sessions (FDS) regularly, you will not be delisted).”

Further, she clarified that Pantawid  beneficiaries who participated in the protest rallies staged by the Barug Katawhan on January 15 in Montevista, and February 25-28 at the DSWD Regional Office in Davao City will not be delisted from the program. “Again, we are stressing that only DSWD can delist beneficiaries, and as long as you are complying with the conditionalities, you will remain a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.”

Pantawid beneficiaries can only be delisted if: pregnant mothers fail to avail of pre- and post-natal care; if they do not undergo regular health check-ups; if they fail to attend classes at least 85% of the time; or if parents fail to attend the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).

“Walay maski kinsa nga mga pulitiko o kandidato ang magpatanggal sa inyo (No politician or political candidate can delist you),” Nuñez added.

For her part, Ms. Jenny Rose Porras of Barug Katawhan, who was present during the relief distribution and consultation-dialogues affirmed the partnership with DSWD. “Naa ning Barug Katawhan ug ang DSWD, partnership ni sila (Barug Katawhan is working in partnership with DSWD), Porras said.

“Ang Barug, DSWD ug Balsa naghi-usa sa distribution sa disaster relief goods (Barug Katawhan, DSWD and Balsa Mindanao are together in the distribution of relief goods for the disaster victims),” Nuñez added.

In view of the election ban on the release of public funds during the campaign and election period starting March 29, the distribution of relief goods will be conducted by private groups. DSWD

“We Were Not Aware of the Rally” - DSWD Protesters

COMPOSTELA, Compostela Valley --- Many people who joined the protest at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 11 on February 25 claimed they have other plans in going to Davao City that day. They maintain their leaders deceived them so they could join the rally.

Among those who claimed they were deceived was Rubeliza Hernane who said her husband’s union leader lured them to join the protest against his former employer, Freshmax Corporation.

“Niadto akong bana sa Davao kay unionista man na siya. Nangumusta siya sa trabaho nila, kung kanus-a ba mag-operation (My husband went to Davao City because he is a member of the union. His concern was about the resumption of operations of his work at Freshmax,” Hernane said.

Marilyn Hingpit, another wife of a former employee who was allegedly illegally terminated, claimed that they received a notice of hearing for their case against the company.

“Akong bana man gud kay unionista na siya sa Freshmax Corporation. Nagpadala sila og notice kanamo. Mao na among giadto didto(My husband is a member of the union of Freshmax Corporation. We received a notice of hearing. That was our purpose of going to Davao City),” Hingpit said.

“Pero ngalan nga niadto mi didto para sa DSWD, wala uy (But we did not go to Davao City to participate in the protest against DSWD),” she added.

Freshmax Corporation is a Korean-owned company that exports bananas. Its employees in Compostela Valley have been displaced due to flash floods caused by typhoon Pablo

Another former employee who was allegedly illegally terminated, Rolan Verdejo, claimed that he went to Davao to get his Social Security System (SSS) number.

“Niadto ko og Davao kay nag follow up ko sa akong SSS number (I went to Davao City to follow up on my SSS number),” he said.

The three, all residents of barangay San Miguel, joined the throng of people who went to the regional office of the DSWD and were surprised that their companions were already protesting against the agency.

"Wala gyud ko kabalo nga moadto mi og DSWD (I really did not know that we were going to DSWD),” Verdejo said.

All of them expressed fear that their participation in the protest would result in them being delisted in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

But Regional Director Priscilla N. Razon assured them that they could only be delisted if they failed to comply with the conditions of the program.

"The agency understands their apprehension. I want to allay their fear,” she said.

Razon added that there was no truth to the rumor that all Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries who joined the protest would be delisted.

“Pantawid beneficiaries can only be delisted if: pregnant mothers fail to avail of pre- and post-natal care; if they do not undergo regular health check-ups; if they fail to attend classes at least 85% of the time; or if parents fail to attend monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS),” she added.

Meanwhile, Jean Montero of Barangay Ngan, Compostela said, “Wala ko kabalo ang adtoan sa Davao rally (I didn’t know we were going to Davao for a rally).”

Edgar Balaga, of Barangay San Roque, Baganga, Davao Oriental, said, “Nagmahay ko nga miuban ko sa ilaha. Wala gyud koy nadawdaw sa akong pag-uban. Wala mi tarong kaon. Giingnan mi nga mangadto daw mi’g Davao ug mangaligo og dagat. Tagaan pud daw mi og tag-P150 kada isa ug tag-isa ka sako nga bugas. (I regretted my joining them. I didn’t gain anything from that. We even had no decent meals.  We were told we will be going to Davao to swim in the beach. We were also informed we will be given P150 each and a sack of rice each.).”

The protest was organized by Barug Katawhan, a group who claimed that its members were victims of typhoon Pablo. DSWD/Leslie Lao-Francisco

Philhealth to members: Pay premium before deadline

DAVAO CITY, Mar. 20 – Philhealth-XI expects members to swarm its office for the next few days for the deadline of premium payment this month.

This is why the Philhealth regional office is reminding all members under the Individually Paying program to remit their contribution for the first quarter of the year, covering January to March, before the deadline on March 27.

In anticipation of the high volume of foot traffic, services will be extended to the transacting public at a payment center inside Victoria Plaza, fronting Footstep, on March 26 and 27, from 10am to 5pm.

Office operations will be closed from March 28-29, in observance of the Holy Week. Regular office operations will resume on April 1.

Members are encouraged to pay premiums ahead of time to avoid inconvenience during last-minute remittance.

They may also opt to settle payments at nearest accredited payment centers and collecting banks.

To guarantee continuous availment of benefits, members must be keen in paying their premiums as this will serve them better purposes in the future.

Being established to administer the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) and provide exceptional quality health care services to Filipinos, one of Philhealth’s thrusts is to increase and sustain membership in all categories.

Philhealth regional office is located at Valgosons Bldg., Bolton Extension, Davao City. More information is available at www.philhealth.gov.ph. (Philhealth-XI/Kleah Gayle Dublin)

Sta. Cruz LGU gets P2.9M royalty tax from hydro plant

STA. CRUZ, DAVAO DEL SUR, Mar. 20 (PIA) – The local government of Sta. Cruz, this province, recently received a total of P2,942,263.10 as the municipality’s share of royalty tax from HEDCOR Sibulan, Inc. (HSI) for the latter’s hydropower operations in Barangay Sibulan.

HSI Grid Manager Nuel Medelo has turned over a check to Sta. Cruz LGU which was represented by Mayor Joel Ray L. Lopez in a turn-over ceremony on March 11, 2013.

Medelo said that aside from the royalty tax, HSI has also been extending more projects to the community of Sibulan and Sta. Cruz as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) like medical missions, community infrastructure support, educational assistance and reforestation projects.

For his part, Mayor Lopez was thankful to have received the said amount considering that it would be a big help to the municipality.

He said that all through the years HSI is one of the biggest taxpayers in Sta. Cruz, adding that “Hedcor has been one of the good things that ever happened to this municipality.”

Hedcor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AboitizPower which has 19 run-of-river hydropower plants in the Philippines. (MIO-Sta. Cruz /Julius Paner)

ComVal to host a weeklong National Bayani Challenge

NABUNTURAN, COMPOSTELA VALLEY PROVINCE, March 19 (PIA) - Simultaneous with the other 33 provinces nationwide, ComVal will be hosting a weeklong National Bayani Challenge on March 23-27, 2013 at Barangay Osmeña, Municipality of Compostela.

There will be 50 duplex-type Gawad Kalinga (GK) houses to add the existing SOP Kahiusahan Uswag GK Village, tapping as beneficiaries those poor families still living at the evacuation centers due to fully damaged houses caused by Typhoon Pablo.

National and international teams are expected to join the local teams during the bayanihan.

Part of the Build are daily and nightly events set to empower the team builders such as Fellowship Nights, Children’s Hour, Bayanihan Games,  Bayanihan sa Paaralan, Empowerment Talks, Green Walkathon, Tree Planting, Paraisong Pambata Kids’ Day, and Parangal sa Mga Bayani.

 There will be special events also like Palm Sunday Mass and Rosary Walk where builders will proceed to typhoon-devastated Barangay Andap in New Bataan to offer prayer, flowers, and light candles for the departed souls.

More volunteer-builders signify their intention to be part of this noble event.  Presently, there are 40 registered team builders with a minimum of 15 members per team.   

During the actual build, skilled workers are to be provided by the provincial and local governments to each team with the support of the World Food Program (WFP) through their Cash For Work intervention.  (grace almedilla, ids-comval)