Butuan Kidney Alliance strengthens info drive
for ESRD awareness
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, May 5 (PIA) – The Butuan Kidney
Alliance, Inc. (BKAI), a non-profit organization of volunteers chaired by Dr.
Rene Vargas, is promoting further a public awareness on the early detection,
prevention and treatment of diseases and conditions that can lead to chronic
kidney failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
“As an advocacy group, we are dedicating in
dealing the plight of patients suffering from ESRD and support universal access
to its remedies including hemodialysis services,” said Dr. Vargas in a press
conference on Friday at the Philippine Information Agency Caraga regional
office.
Vargas reiterated that the cost of the
life-saving dialysis is prohibitive, way beyond the reach of even the average
Filipino family. The financial burden is even more painfully felt by the
indigent families.
By revealing figures, it was learned that each
dialysis session costs about P5,000, and patients optimally need three sessions
per week, or P15,000 a week, or P780,000 for the 156 sessions per year. There
is also an added expense for medicines, repeated laboratory tests, plus the
professional fees.
“To the indigents, this expense is fatal. It is
not surprising that we see many patients taking dangerous risks, receiving
dialysis only once a week or even less, some not at all,” stated Dr. Vargas.
He said that vital information and facts must be
disseminated in order to prevent and minimize the occurrence of ESRD especially
that presently there is no free dialysis offered in this city, unlike other counties
where dialysis is provided at no charge.
“The incidence of ESRD and the need for dialysis
in the Philippines and in Butuan City are increasing at an alarming rate. There
is also a critical need for more adequate government support to alleviate the
suffering of patients and their families and to make dialysis services
available to everyone in need,” he added.
However, the Phillippine Charity Sweepstakes
Office (PCSO) is giving financial assistance to the families of patients with
ESRD in the amount of P10,000 every two months of dialysis. While this amounts
to P60,000 per year, the amount seems insignificant when compared to total
dialysis expenditure.
Meanwhile, Dr. Wilfred Mallonga said that most
kidney failures are mainly caused by hypertension and diabetes.
He encouraged to maintain healthy weight, avoid
eating excessive sweets, increase intake of water, quit smoking and manage
stress to avoid suffering from chronic kidney failure.
Perla Ponce, member of the board of trustees of
BKAI positively relayed also that it is a good thing to know that kidney
failure is preventable. She suggested to eat the right kind of food, to get
involved in daily exercise and shift to a healthy lifestyle. (VLG/PIA-Caraga)
AgSur PNP organizes advisory council for
transformation, development
By David M. Suyao
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, May 5 (PIA) -
Agusan del Sur Police Provincial Office (ADS-PPO) organized recently an
advisory council for transformation and development whose advisory strategic
role is to interpret and analyze the PNP Integrated Transformation Program –
Performance Governance System (ITP-PGS) (PNP PATROL 2030), including the
ongoing programs, projects and activities pertaining or relating to the reform
and development of the ADS-PPO.
“The primary role of the council is advisory in
nature. It does not have an administrative or operational authority over, nor
responsibility for specific operational decisions within the provincial police
office,” Police Provincial Director P/SSupt. Alexander Sampaga said.
According to P/SSupt. Sampaga, the council has
three primary functions. First: To advise and assist the PPO in identifying key
priorities and strategic issues in accordance with the PNP ITG-PGS (PATROL Plan
2030), provide insights in aligning the PPOs policies, plans programs with the
political, socio-economic, cultural and moral development needs of the
organization; Second: Together with the Technical Working Group (TWG), the
council will evaluate and revise the strategies for the implementation of the
PGS in accordance with the PPO thrusts, programs, projects and advise on the
necessary amaendment to the current and development of future programs,
projects and activities and; Third: To assist and advise the PPO on possible
ways to generate additional enabling resources in order to support and sustain
the PPO’s present and future plans and programs.
Even in his absence, Agusan del Sur Gov. Adolph
Edward Plaza was nominated by Veruela Mayor Salimar Mondejar being the chief
executive of the province. Gov. Plaza was then voted as the Chairman of the
ADS- PPO Advisory Council with Mayor Salimar as Vice Chairman being the
chairman of the League of Municipalities of Agusan del Sur. All the selected
members who attended the meeting automatically became members of the council.
According to mandate, the council will meet at
least once every two months except when there is an emergency need to meet. The
PPO also welcomes suggestions and reports from the members of the council
whenever they found it necessary. (DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Surigao Norte celebrates 113th Founding
Anniversary
By Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, May 5 (PIA) – The province of
Surigao del Norte is celebrating its 113th Founding Anniversary with a
week-long activity from May 2-15, 2014.
This year’s celebration is anchored on the
theme, “Kultura Surigaonon, Kabilin na Bililhon” (Surigaonon Culture: Precious
Legacy).
The celebration kicked-off on Friday, May 2 with
the opening parade around the city followed by an opening program at the Provincial
Sports Complex then, centennial On-The Spot Painting Contest (inter-secondary).
At around 7:00 p.m., a teachers’ folk dance competition was held at the city's
Luneta Park.
This coming May 11, a half marathon dubbed as
“Run for One Surigao” - a marathon for peace and unity spearheaded by the
Surigao Runners Club (SRC) will be conducted and on May 13, the Search for
Binibining Surigao 2014 will highlight the week-long anniversary celebration.
Other lined up activities include: Coastal
Clean-Up; Cultural Shows; Mountain Bike and BMX Tournament; Konsierto sa Luneta
Park; Oratorical Competition (inter-secondary); OPM Singing Contest; Paduwa
2014; Agri-Aqua Trade Fair; Hip-Hop Dance Contest (inter-secondary); Photo and
Art Exhibit; Dance Showdown (Surigao’s Festivals); Fireworks Display;
Surigaonon Food Festival; Local History Writing Seminar; Skills Competition
(table skirting and arrangement, fruit carving, cooking contest, wine mixing);
and Centennial Float Parade.
Just recently, the office of the Provincial
Governor issued Executive Order No. 012, series of 2014 declaring May 2-15 as
the official week-long activity celebration and enjoining all government
offices, public and private schools, non-government organizations, civil
society organizations and private sector within the territorial jurisdiction to
participate in the opening of the celebration and the subsequent activities
thereafter. (SDR/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
DILG Caraga chief presents Caraga’s State of
Disaster Preparedness during INAP Roadshow
By Don Manuelo O. Patrimonio
BUTUAN CITY, May 5 (PIA) - Department of the
Interior and Local Government Caraga Region (DILG 13) regional director
Lilibeth A. Famacion presented Caraga Region’s State of Disaster Preparedness
and highlighted the Seal of Good Local Governance as having Disaster
Preparedness as a core element during the Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate
Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA) Roadshow entitled Iba na ang Panahon: Science for
Safer Communities last April 29-30, 2014 at the Gateway Hotel, Surigao City.
The forum which was rife with technical inputs
on scientific tools for weather forecasting and monitoring for disaster
preparedness, prevention and mitigation also became a venue Local Chief
Executives and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers (DRRMOs) to
apprise themselves with the National State of Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management and the state of disaster preparedness in the region. The former was
presented by no less than the lady director of the Office of Civil Defense,
Liza R. Mazo, and the latter by DILG regional director Lilibeth A. Famacion.
During her presentation, Famacion revealed the
results of the assessment conducted by the DILG-13 across the 77 Local
Government Units in the region (i.e. 67 municipalities, six cities and four
provinces excluding Dinagat Islands) for the Seal of Disaster Preparedness (SDP)
last 2012. The SDP is a proof of local
government resilience to risks and vulnerabilities. Based on DILG Memorandum
Circular No. 2012-79 dated April 25, 2012, it intends to assess performance
gaps of LGUs and link them to policy or program intervention and monitor
improvement on disaster preparedness.
Results as presented showed how our LGUs fare
relatively low-medium in most of the indicators with some indicators with high
ratings.
The areas wherein majority of the region’s LGUs
rated high are in Leadership Structure in terms of organized DRRMOs; and
External Support in terms of Partnership and Volunteerism.
Areas wherein majority of the region’s LGUs
rated medium are in Leadership Structure in terms of organized DRRMCs, Disaster
Operations or Emergency Center; and Operational Readiness in terms of
Simulation Exercises, and Evacuation Alert System.
And the areas wherein majority of the region’s
LGUs rated low are in Leadership structure in terms of Incident Command System;
Risk Assessment Planning and Budgeting; Operational Readiness in terms of Early
Warning System, Local Policy on Forced or Pre-Emptive Evacuation Enacted, and
Stockpiling and Equipping; External Support in terms of Community Awareness;
and the likelihood of preparedness. The Likelihood of preparedness is the
capability of the LGU to address the potential effects of a disaster to human
life. It implies a window of 6 to 12 hours before a disaster takes place.
Famacion also highlighted the Seal of Good Local
Governance (SGLG) as the flagship program of the department, raising the bar of
local governance from that of the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH). The SGLG’s six outcome areas include Disaster
Preparedness and is actually one of the three core assessment areas that the
LGU must pass in the 3+1 scheme. It looks at Hazard Assessment that is linked
to plans; systems, structures, process and budget; and availability of
documents such as Executive Orders creative LDRRMC, designating LDRRMO,
Comprehensive Land Use Plan, DRRM Plan, Contingency Plan, Local Climate Change
Action Plan and Standard Operating Procedures.
The DRRM-CCA initiatives and accomplishments of
the DILG 13 were also presented by Famacion as well as showcased in the form of
an exhibit at the hotel lobby throughout the duration of the roadshow. (DILG-13/PIA-Caraga)
DILG’s LGPMS operationalizes SGLG, no longer
self-administered
By Don Manuelo O. Patrimonio
BUTUAN CITY, May 5 (PIA) - The 2014 Local
Governance Performance Management (LGPMS) is no longer going to be a
self-assessment tool as before. This was brought out during the Caraga Leagues
of Local Planning and Development Coordinators Forum held last April 23, 2014
at Prince Hotel, Butuan City where the LGPMS and the Seal of Good Local
Governance (SGLG) were among the major topics discussed during the activity
which was spearheaded by the National Economic Development Authority – Region
13.
LGOO VI Jocelyn C. Jayoma, LGPMS Regional
Anchor, informed the body of the new LGPMS which operationalizes the Seal of
Good Local Governance. As such, it is no longer a self-assessment tool among
Local Government Units (LGUs), as was the practice before. The new scheme is
based on the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum
Circular Number 2014-39 dated March 24, 2014. This is to remove biases and
maintain objectivity in the assessment since the LGPMS stepped up from being a
mere planning and performance monitoring tool into the performance oversight
tool for the recognition platform for the SGLG that would identify the top
performing LGUs in the areas of Good Financial Housekeeping, Disaster
Preparedness, Social Protection, Business Friendliness and Competitiveness,
Environmental Management, and Peace and Order.
Under the new scheme, a team of assessors coming
from the DILG, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and National Government
Agencies (NGAs) called the Regional Assessment Team (RAT) will be the ones who
will visit the LGUs to make their assessments. The results from the RAT for the
component cities and municipalities will be encoded by the Provincial Focal
Person into the LGPMS data capture form; while the results for the provinces
and highly urbanized cities will be encoded by the Regional Focal Person. Once
encoded, the LGPMS will automatically process the data and generate the list of
qualified LGUs for the SGLG.
For a start, the SGLG embarks on a 3+1 principle
where each LGU should pass all the three core assessment areas, i.e. Good
Financial Housekeeping, Disaster Preparedness, and Social Protection, while
only needing to pass only one of the remaining essential assessment areas.
The SGLG recipient LGUs are eligible to access
the upscaled Performance Challenge Fund, a support fund to finance local
development initiatives in furtherance of national government goals and
strategic thrusts. Access to other program windows and capacity development
assistance from the DILG will also form part of the incentives package, subject
to national policies and guidelines.
To gear up for this, an orientation on the SGLG
and LGPMS is set for all DILG field officers on May 5, 2014 at Pietros Square,
Capitol-Bonbon Road, Butuan City. Here the different Municipal/City Local
Government Operations Officers (M/CLGOOs) and Provincial Civil Society
Organizations (CSOs) involved are to be apprised with the implementation
details of the program. (DILG-13/PIA-Caraga)
Caraga’s entry to Tatak TESDA Video-Making
contest wins Best Video
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, May 5 (PIA) – Caraga Region’s lone
finalist in the first Nationwide Tatak TESDA Video-Making Contest won Best in
Video during the Awards Night Friday, May 1 at the PAGCOR Grand Theater in
ParaΓ±aque City, Metro Manila.
Noel Japitana of this city was chosen as one of
the awardees in the Individual Category out of 10 finalists coming from
different regions in the country. He received P25,000.00 cheque plus a trophy
and a Plaque of Recognition from Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) Director-General, Sec. Joel J. Villanueva; TESDA Deputy
Director-General for TESD Operations Atty. Teodoro Pascua; Deputy
Director-General for Policies and Planning Irene M. Isaac and TEVSAPHIL Chair
Col. Alejandro T. EscaΓ±o.
The three-hour show was hosted by Philippine
showbiz comedian Bayani Agbayani and Korean Disc Jockey Grace Lee. The crowd
was likewise entertained by performers of Gateways Institute of Science and
Technology Choir, Asia Pacific College of Advance Study, Jacobo Z. Gonzales
Memorial School of Arts and Trades, TV-5’s Talentadong Pinoy Grand Champion,
and ABS-CBN’s The Voice Artists Thor and Lecelle Trinidad.
For the Individual Category, Bryan Hernandez of
San Pablo City, Laguna won the Grand Prize and received P100,000 plus plaque
and trophy, while Elnard Ympal of San Juan, Province of Siquijor was declared
Best in Story receiving P25,000.00 cheque, and National Capital Region’s Omar
Kevin Mohammad of the host city won the People’s Choice Award and received
P50,000.
In the School category, United Christian Academy
College of Asia grabbed the Grand Prize, winning P1 million worth of Training
for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) slots. The school also won the People’
Choice Award grabbing P500,000 worth of TWSP scholarship slots. Negros
Occidental Language and Information Technology Center of Bacolod City won the
Best in Video award, receiving P250,000 worth of TWSP scholarship slots, while
I-Link College of Science and Technology in Midsayap, Cotabato was declared
Best in Story and also received P250,000 worth of TWSP scholarship slots.
From a total of 137 official entries received by
TESDA Central Office, the top twenty were selected – 10 for Individual and 10
for School categories and from the ten finalists, special awards and the grand
winner were selected in each category.
The five judges were headed by Mr. Robert
Labayen, Head of Creative Communications Management of ABS-CBN.
In his speech, Sec. Villanueva emphasized that
the winning videos will be used by TESDA in the agency’s promotional and
advocacy campaigns which include the showing as advertorial materials in
national and international shows promoting technical-vocational education in
the Philippines. (TESDA-13/PIA-Caraga)
Tagalog News: Palasyo sineguro ang katiyakan ng
pagkain sa gitna ng banta ng El Nino
Ni David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Mayo 5, 2014 (PIA) - Sineguro ng
Malakanyang noong Linggo na may sapat na paraan para maseguro ang katiyakan ng
pagkain sa bansa sa gitna ng banta sa mahaba ng magiging epekto ng El Nino.
Sinabi ni Presidential Communication Operations
Office Secretary Heminio Coloma, Jr noong Linggo na ang katiyakan sa pagkain ay
isa sa mga nangungunang prayoridad ng Kagawaran ng Agrikultura (DA).
“Kaya kapag tinunghayan po natin ang kanilang
budget sa General Appropriations Act of 2015, makikita po nating nakahanay doon
ang mga kongkretong programa sa pagtiyak na magkakaroon tayo ng sapat na
pagkain,” sabi Coloma sa isang pakipanayam sa media na inihayag noong Linggo sa
pamamagitan ng dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
Sinabi niya na ang kagawaran ng Agrikultura ay
pinangunahan at kinunsidera ang mga likas na kalamidad na maaring tumama sa
bansa.
“Isa na po diyan ‘yung pag-diversify ng ating
mga supply kung sakaling tamaan ng bagyo o kalamidad ang isang lugar na hindi
naman mawa-wipe out o mawawala ang ating inaasahang panggagalingan ng pagkain
sapagkat nakapaghanda naman po sa pamamagitan ng pagtatanim sa iba’t ibang
lugar ng ating bansa,” pahayag ni Coloma.
Ang Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Atmospheric Services Administration – Department of Science and Technology
(PAGASA-DOST) ay nagbabala na maaring maramdaman ng bansa ang epekto ng El Nino
sa darating na Hunyo at tatagal hanggang sa unang tatlong buwan sa darating na
taon.
Ang El Nino phenomenon ay isang abnormal na
babala ng temperature ng tubig dagat na makakaapekto sa mga bansa na
nakapaligit sa Pacific Ocean na magdadala ng tagtuyot at magsimula ng abnormal
na desinyo ng panahon. (DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
