Surigao City reports first confirmed case of
A(H1N1) flu virus
SURIGAO CITY (28 July) – City Health authorities here confirmed on Monday, July 27 its first case of A(H1N1) flu infection involving a 37 year-old man.
City Health Officer Dr. Aldine Morales said the patient has already recovered after taking Tamiflu, but he didn't say how the patient was infected.
It was learned that the patient has a history of travel abroad. Report said the patient arrived in the city two weeks ago and began to develop cough symptom after seven days of incubation period.
Morales then assured the Surigaonons that there is nothing to worry because there is no community outbreak yet, and measures are now being done to prevent transmission, including quarantine of immediate family members of the first case.
An effective way to prevent from getting sick with flu according to Dr. Morales is to practice the proper hand washing, covering one’s mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, strengthen body's resistance through eating nutritious food, having adequate sleep, regular exercise, drinking plenty of fluids, managing stress and avoid crowded places. (Fryan E. Abkilan, PIA-Surigao del Norte)
CDA Caraga launch coop products display/exhibit showroom
BUTUAN CITY (July 28) – Amidst clamor of cooperatives for extensive marketing of their produce, the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Caraga launch the Cooperative Products Display/Exhibit Showroom in their office premises, at Balibrea Bldg., Pili Drive, Butuan City, recently.
The showroom is expected to provide an alternative venue for cooperatives to display their products. Before cooperative produce are showcase only during cooperative month celebration, coop fora, congress or summits. The showroom will now serve as a year round venue for cooperatives to display and promote their produce.
The endeavor is expected to empower and equip cooperatives with marketing skills and knowledge to promote and sell their products to the local and foreign market. It as to address the marketing needs of agri-base and non-agri cooperatives thru continuing promotion, education and training.
The undertaking aims to network or link producer coops with buyers at the local or international market. It also aims to promote the practice of universal principle of cooperation among cooperatives as well as strengthen and institutionalize existing inter-coop trading system of the cooperative movement.
The effort is also geared towards raising awareness of cooperatives, public and private sector of the existence of cooperative products in the region and to consolidate government support to provide market of cooperative produce.
Just this year, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed into law Republic Act 6938 or the Cooperative Code of the Philippines. One of the provisions of the law is for the state to foster the creation and growth of cooperatives as a practical vehicle for promoting self-reliance and harnessing people power.
RA 6938 directs the government and all its branches, subdivisions, instrumentalities and agencies to ensure the provision of technical guidance, financial assistance and other services to enable cooperatives to develop into viable and responsive economic enterprises.
At the same time, the law recognizes the principle of subsidiary where the cooperative sector will initiate and regulate within its ranks the promotion and organization, training and research, audit and support services relating to cooperatives with the assistance of the government if necessary. (Lovely Laudette Gamba, PIA-Caraga)
JICA’s World Mission Team visits DAR Agusan Norte Agrarian Reform Communities
BUTUAN CITY (July 28) – Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) World Mission Team recently visited some DAR-assisted ARCs in Agusan del Norte to document JICA’s interventions and its impact to the community.
Findings will become part of commitment to the Japan’s Publics by remaining transparent through publication and brochures, as well as “Network,” on their quarterly newsletter, it was learned.
JICA’s Journalist Daigo Ozawa and Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Projects (ARISP) Consultants headed by Yukihiro Kawahara with DAR Regional Director Elmo A. BaΓ±ares and PARO Andre B. Atega, VI made a courtesy call to Agusan del Norte Governor Erlpe John M. Amante.
During the courtesy call, Governor Amante commended JICA for investing in five (5) Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) in Agusan del Norte which benefitted more than 247 million pesos worth of projects through the DAR-ARISP II).
“All of these projects could not be done by the province alone. But with the help of DAR-ARISP II, the province will be able to serve its people through Foreign Assisted Projects (FAPs) particularly from JICA”, Governor Amante said.
Governor Amante reiterated his all-out support to the JICA’s interventions especially the newly-approved ARISP-III projects in TAGBABAPSA ARC that will be implemented soon in this province.
Some ARCs they visited were Basag and LATASS ARCs wherein millions of projects had been poured-out in the past five years. The Agrarian Information & Marketing Center (AIM-C), which is the only kind of project in the Philippines and located in the heart of Butuan City, was the focus of the visit.
JICA’s Mission Team is actively building awareness of Japan’s investment to build food security and to fight poverty not only in Philippines but for the whole world. (Gil T. Miranda, DAR-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Caraga)
Gov. Pimentel: PGMA hears Surigao del Sur people’s pleas
TANDAG, SURIGAO DEL SUR (July 27) - “President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo heard our pleas and despite that tumultuous year for her administration, she steered our national economy to safe level”, said Governor Vicente T. Pimentel during his State of the Province Address (SOPA) held here recently.
Surigao del Sur is geographically located on the Northeastern coast of Mindanao facing the Pacific Ocean. The province is gifted with numerous natural attractions like caves, mountainous ranges, waterfalls, beaches, cloud nine place, enchanted rivers and more. It is rich in mineral resources but due to the worsening condition of unpaved national highways, economic development is slow for the past years.
Governor Pimentel revealed that PGMA allocated the amount of P2.5 Billion for the concreting projects from the municipality of Cortes up to the boundary of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental.
“Past Presidents of the Republic ignored successively the urgent appeal of local officials here to allocate funds in the concreting of our national highways. As a result, we remained a struggling province”, Gov. Pimentel said.
“Compassionate as ever, PGMA is the only President of the Republic to listen to the agonies of Surigaonons thru addressing the problems of Surigao del Sur to attain economic development, and we will be forever grateful to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo”, Gov. Pimentel added.
The legacy of President Arroyo to complete the monumental concreting projects of the national highways before the end of her term in 2010, were her lasting legacy for all Surigaonons and the future generations to come.
The present administration focusing not only on infrastructure but as well as Health and education, that the four municipalities enjoy the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of PGMA, which alleviated malnutrition and decreases out of school youth.
It can be recalled that when President Arroyo visited Surigao del Sur three times in 2008, she gifted this province her presence and unprecedented enormous funding amounting to billions of pesos for the immediate implementation of various projects badly needed by the people, the realization of forgotten concreting of the Surigao Davao Coastal Road (SDCR) Project.
TESDA also awarded recently around 500 scholarship coupon to qualified beneficiaries province wide. (Nida Grace B. Tranquilan, PIA Surigao del Sur)
