Fight vs. kidney disease continues

DIGOS CITY, Davao City, June 27 (PIA) – Fighting and preventing kidney disease has been a continuous battle cry of advocates from the government sector and medical practitioners.

Kidney specialist consultant Dr. Franklin Guillano of Davao City raised the need to keep on with the advocacy for the public to fully understand about renal health care, and consequently avoid the debilitating disease.

“The public must know that kidney disease is very common, but very deadly,” Guillano conveyed to the media practitioners of Davao del Sur on Wednesday’s (June 26) special edition of the Kapihan sa PIA-XI at Arnaldo’s Hotel and Restaurant in Digos City.

He said that though there are treatments for the disease such as dialysis and kidney transplantation, it is still best for people to prevent damaging their kidneys.

For normal persons to evade the illness, Guillano strongly recommended a healthy lifestyle, proper food intake, adequate intake of water, and regularly undergoing annual urinalysis which could detect early symptoms of the disease.

For those with the disease, he said prevention efforts must still be undertaken to avoid progression of the illness such as averting stage 1 from leveling up to stage 2, and more efforts to stop it from developing to stage 5 or the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

ESRD is chronic or the severity of the acute kidney disease, that requires kidney transplantation as the best treatment to prolong the patients’ life, explained Guillano who is also a kidney transplant specialist of the Southern Philippines Medical Center, Davao Regional Hospital and Davao Doctors Hospital.

He also raised the importance of controlling the three major causes of kidney disorder such as secondary diabetes, hypertension and chronic glomerulonephritis, saying that the growing problem of these diseases would result to the rising number of kidney disorder cases.

The crusade against kidney disorder has been intensified following a notable growing number of new patients undergoing dialysis a year based on the data from the Philippine Renal Disease Registry (PRDR) which is being administered by the National Kidney and Transplant Institute-Renal Disease Control Program (NKTI-REDCOP).

Guillano cited a PRDR report showing that there were 10,491 new patients undergoing dialysis nationwide in 2011, 506 of which were patients from Davao Region.

He said around 1,000 patients in Region XI are undergoing maintenance dialysis mostly from Davao City.

He mentioned another indication that cases are increasing based on PhilHealth’s account that number of dialysis patients has currently ranked one in the most served by the health insurance corporation, overtaken by the number of birth deliveries.

Last year, it was reported that Davao Region ranked number four in the number of kidney patients nationwide, followed by Bicol Region, Region 4 and the National Capital Region on the top spot.

With the present state of the renal health in the country, Guillano urged the Davao del Sur media to be partners in the advocacy effort to fight kidney disease, conveying his self-composed slogan “Let’s stage a world war K.”

His call was in time for the celebration of the 2013 Kidney Month this June, bearing the theme “Malusog na Bato, Yan ang Gusto Ko!”

The campaign against kidney ailment in the country has been spearheaded by NKTI-REDCOP in partnership with the Philippine Society of Nephrologists and Philippine Information Agency. (PIA-XI/Carina L. Cayon)

Davao City LGU to press charges against DIA personnel

DAVAO CITY, June 27 (PIA) Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio stood firm in pressing charges against the management of the Davao International Airport for its slow response in attending to the welfare on the passengers of the flight 5J-971 of the Cebu-Pacific plane that veered away from the runway when it landed 7:00 pm in June 2.

She said the city government wants to know why the Davao International Airport management did not respond to attend to the passengers immediately after the incident.

Duterte-Carpio said it is no longer the concern of the city about the reason and the manner the plane incident happened.

“We have already filed the complaint and it is now up to the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct its own investigation,” she said.

Duterte-Carpio said the complaint is supported with pertinent annexes and attachments as required by law .

She chided the national office of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines for its alleged inaction on the local government’s plea even the in the past to remove and replace the current management of the DIA.

Duterte-Carpio declined to declare the nature of complaint against the DIA management and personnel so that they cannot prepare immediately their defense in the investigation.

“It is best that we will not announce our complaint against them so that they cannot cover their tracks,” she said.

Duterte-Carpio said the city government will no longer file complaints against the Cebu-Pacific Airlines since they are already being investigated by the CAAP.

She said it is now up to the CAAP to impose penalties against the airline company.

Duterte-Carpio said they no longer investigate the cause of the mishap since the local government does not have the competence to scrutinize the factors why the plane veered away from the runway after touching down.

The DIA management got the ire of the mayor after its personnel did not allow the medical team of the Emergency Response Center Central 911 to enter the airport immediately after the incident.

Duterte-Carpio recalled the that the medical team of Emergency Response Center returned to the airport and was allowed access only after an airport security guard called up 911 informing about the condition of twenty passengers who needed medical assistance two hours after the incident. (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines) 

MEDIA ADVISORY

WHAT: A global day of action to end the age of coal

WHEN: June 28, Friday 1-2 pm

WHERE: Freedom Park.

Produktong lumad kusog mahalin sa Araw ng DavNor

 By SARX LANOS

 TAGUM CITY (IPID News) – Ang mga nagkalainlaing produkto nga hinimo sa lumad sama sa uway nga bag ug daghan pang uban mao ang halinon kaayo nga mga baligya nga gidisple didto sa Capitol Sports Complex sa Barangay Mankilam, dinhi nga ciudad.

 Ang mao nga produkto didto gayud gihimo sa mga lumad sa ilang gidisplehan ug personal nga makita gayud kung gi-unsa sa paghimo.

 Ang paghimo sa mga lumad sa mao nga mga produkto sugod Hunyo 24 hangtod Hulyo 1, 2013 atol sa pagsaulog sa Kadagayaan Festival sa ika 46 nga Araw ng Davao del Norte gihimo kini isip Livelihood Assistance alang sa katawhang lumad sa Probinsya nga kabahin sa Alternative Learning System nga programang edukasyon para sa mga lumad sa probinsya.

Ang programang edukasyon ug livelihood alang sa mga lumad gidumala sa mga ALS Instructional Managers nga sila Melllie Lanos, Virginia Gamutan, Lilibeth Wahing-Sumaliday, Delia Bermoy, Renante Manlangan, Rommie Damloy, ug Merlinda Ladion.

 Daghan usab ang mga produkto nga hinimo sulod sa probinsya nga gibaligya atoll sa pagsaulog sa Araw ng DavNor 2013 nga barato lamang kaayo lakip na niini ang mga hayop, isda, gulay, lagotmon, mga semelya sa tanom, organikong mga abono ug pamatay insektos ug daghan pang uban. (Sarx Lanos/IPID News).

DSWD-CSO caravan in Davao City slated

Designed to encourage and increase the number of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) participating as partners in the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will conduct a Regional CSO Caravan at the Royal Mandaya Hotel tomorrow,  June 27, 2013.

DSWD believes that opening spaces and institutionalizing mechanisms for CSO involvement in promoting transparency and accountability is a significant step in enhancing sustaining implementation and monitoring the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

These partnerships will pave the way for a mutual sharing of skills, transfer of technology, and resource augmentation for the partners in any area the CSOs may choose in line with their mandate and capacity.

“The continuing pursuits for new partners through the conduct of CSO Caravan in the region is seen as a key step to explore and initiate critical partnership with different organizations both from civil society and the private sector,” stressed DSWD Regional Director Priscilla Razon.

The said activity will include a gallery walk with panels that exhibit a background on the Pantawid Pamilya program, the different areas of engagement patterned from the Bantay, Gabay, Tulay, at Kaagapay framework.

The activity will also include a two-hour program with presentations on the Pantawid Pamilya, its partnership framework, its points of intervention for CSO partner, brief background on the various types of engagements, as well as a commitment ritual to conclude the orientation caravan.

The DSWD with its mandate to provide leadership in social welfare and development, recognizes the vital role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), which includes but is not limited to, non-government organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations, cooperatives, trade unions, professional associations, faith-based organizations, media groups, indigenous peoples organizations, foundations, and other citizen groups formed primarily for social and economic development.

CSOs are partners of government in addressing the needs of the disadvantaged poor household beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, through continuing collaboration and complementation of resources and services. DSWD/Sheryll Jane B. Sanico

Duterte-Carpio cites finding solution to Mindanao power problem, great challenge in her stint as head of the Regional Development Council XI

DAVAO CITY, June 26 (PIA) Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio cited finding solutions to power generation and depleting power sources for Mindanao as two major concerns closer to her heart during her stint as chair of the Regional Development Council XI.

She told reporters that power remains critical for Mindanao even if she bows out of office on June 30 as mayor of the city.

Duterte-Carpio noted that the Department of Energy, Energy Regulatory Commission, the National Power Corporation and the National Economic and Development Authority Board-Infrastructure Committee and other concerned agencies responded to the Regional Development Committee-Mindanao recommendations ranging from the selective dredging of the Pulangi river to increase generating efficiency of the Pulangi IV hydro electric power plant, funding of the Agus VI hydro electric power plant and the Iligan Diesel Power Plant to its optimal operation power generating capacity.

She said the compounded efficient operations of these power generating facilities will contribute to the overall available power of the Mindanao Power Grid now and in the immediate future.

Dutete-Carpio also expressed hope on the interconnection between the Visayas and Mindanao grid, where surplus power from the geothermal power resources in Leyte will be passed to Mindanao.

She said that the RDC XI under her watch is able to come up a one-stop shop which makes easier for investors of mini-hydro power plants from five to 10 megawatt-capacity to get government nod to operate without going to the national agencies in Manila.

“Small hydro-power sources can also help in the power crisis in Mindanao,” Duterte-Carpio said.

She said her preference for renewable energy like the one generated by hydro-electric power plants is the reason why she pushed for the creation of one-stop-shop processing office for power investors.

Duterte-Carpio said that personally, she remains unsupportive of any coal-fired power plant because on its impact to environment and public health.

“My apprehension is not without basis.  There already plenty of experiences by first world countries on the downside of the coal-fired power plant which impacts particularly on the health of residents,” she said.  (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)

DOST to install water-level sensors in nation’s rivers

DAVAO CITY, June 26 (PIA) -- The Department of Science and Technology has deployed a total of 124 water level measurement sensors (WLMS) and automatic rain gauges on all river basins nationwide, according to Anthony Sales, Director of the DOST-XI.

He told reporters during the public consultation on the implementing rules and regulations of the Republic Act No. 10532 which institutionalizes the Philippine National Research System Act of 2013, at the Men Seng Hotel, that the sensors will serve as early warning devices that warn local officials to conduct pre-emptive evacuation in case of flash flood following a heavy downpour.

Sales said that in Davao Region, 20 WLMS were already installed in all its provinces with active river basins.

He said 28 units more of water level measurement sensors and automatic rain gauges will be set up in other river basins in the region.

Sales said all instruments will be installed on the last day of July, 2013.

“We are focusing the installation of instruments on 18 critical river basins in the country. Unfortunately, the Davao River that traverses the city proper is one of the critical river basins, and the Libuganon River in Tagum City so we are setting up more sensors along these rivers,” he said.

Sales thanked the local government units for providing support like funds for the fencing of the area where the sensors are located.

Earlier, Eric Colmenares, science research specialist of the Department of Science and Technology XI said the instruments along the Davao River comprise four automated rain gauges and three automated weather stations will be used to warn residents of imminent danger as offshoot of heavy downpour like flash floods. 

He said automated weather stations will be installed in Baganga, Davao Oriental, Davao City and Jose Abad Santos, Davao del Sur.

Colmenares said automated rain gauges will also be set up in Bansalan, Davao del Sur, Panabo, Davao del Norte, Maragusan, Compostela Valley and Mati City, Davao Oriental.

“These sites were selected by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, in order to measure the amount of rainfall and the wind generated once a strong weather system like a typhoon occurs,” he said. (Joey Dalumpines/PIA-XI)