DOH-Caraga opens search for 100% tobacco-free
environment
By Nora C. Lanuza Molde
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 12 (PIA) – To recognize the
efforts of the different institutions and agencies in Caraga region, the
Department of Health (DOH) is now accepting nominations for this year’s Red
Orchid Award, an annual Search for 100 percent Tobacco-free Environment.
According to regional director Dr. Jose R. Llacuna,
Jr., the search which is now on its 7th year will highlight the achievements in
tobacco control in the different categories, to include the local government
units (province, chartered cities, and municipalities), government hospitals,
government offices, and DOH Center for Health Development and DOH hospitals.
Entries will be judged based on the strength of
comprehensive efforts to implement a 100 percent tobacco-free environment using
the World Health Organization MPOWER initiative, Llacuna said.
MPOWER is an acronym that denotes the six proven
tobacco control policies, namely: Monitor tobacco control policies; Protect
people from tobacco smoke; Offer help to quit tobacco use; Warn against the
dangers of tobacco; Enforce bans on tobacco advertising; and Raise taxes on
tobacco.
The deadline for the submission of self-assessment
and nomination forms will be on February 15, 2017 and the screening and
validation together with partners is scheduled starting February 20 to March
24, Llacuna said. The finalization of entries for submission to central office
Awards Committee will be on April 7, he added.
The Red Orchid Awards is the Search for 100 percent
Tobacco-free provinces, municipalities, cities, government offices, government
hospitals and DOH regional offices nationwide. It was used by the World Health
Organization in its 2001 World No Tobacco Day advocacy as a symbol of a
tobacco-free world and to remind people that campaign to end the tobacco
epidemic is far from over.
From 2012-2015, 45 cities and municipalities were
already declared as Hall of Fame Awardees for winning the Red Orchid Awards for
three consecutive years.
For more information and confirmation, you may
contact Ms. Sunshine A. Alipayo or Ms. Romelyn Torralba at telephone numbers
(085) 342-5208 local 104 or 0918 916861/0930 9396035. (NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
TD Auring inflicts P60M irrigation projects damage
in SurSur
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Jan. 12 (PIA) – The
Surigao del Sur Irrigation Management Office bared that around P60M worth of
damage on irrigation projects was noted due to floods brought about by the
tropical depression Auring over the weekend, here.
Based on the assessment report received from the
National Irrigation Administration-Surigao del Sur Irrigation Management Office
headed by Engr. Ferdinand Amon, some of their facilities and infrastructures
were reportedly damaged and some were washed out due to flooding.
A total of 5,177 farmers were affected from the
cities of Bislig and Tandag and municipalities of Madrid, Cantilan, Tago, San
Miguel, San Agustin, Lanuza, Marihatag, Cagwait, Lianga, Barobo, Hinatuan and
Lingig.
Accordingly, the assessment revealed that the
infrastructures that were reportedly damaged include Sta Felomina Dam in Tandag
City, Hubo Dam in San Agustin, irrigation projects in San Miguel town and other
communal irrigation system (CIS) and national irrigation system (NIS).
It can be recalled that during that time the
province of Surigao del Sur was on a storm signal number 1 it and was
forecasted that TD Auring will make landfall to Surigao del Sur but had later
shifted to the other area. (PIA-Surigao del Sur)
Solon seeks to institutionalize ban on tobacco
advertisement
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 12 (PIA) - Agusan del Norte First
District Representative Lawrence “Law” Fortun filed House Bill 4713, seeking to
institutionalize a comprehensive ban on all forms of tobacco advertising,
promotions and sponsorships (TAPS) in the country.
The said bill seeks to prohibit the placing,
posting, or displaying tobacco advertisements and promotion items including
tobacco products in any place including point of sale sites except for the
placement of a simple sign informing consumers of the availability of the
tobacco products therein.
In his explanatory note, Fortun emphasized the
enormous toll of death, disease and disability caused by tobacco addiction as a
global epidemic. Citing reports by the World Health Organization (WHO), the
solon emphasized that battling this epidemic “should be an urgent concern
especially in the developing countries, where 80 percent of the world’s smokers
come from. In the Philippines, an estimated 87,600 Filipinos die every year due
to tobacco-related illness, or 240 Filipinos daily.”
In 2003, the Philippines signed and ratified the
WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the world’s first public
health treaty which aims to address the global tobacco epidemic and provide
protection to the world’s population against the health hazards of tobacco use.
Article 13.1 of the FCTC contains an explicit recognition that “a comprehensive
ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship would reduce the consumption of
tobacco products.”
By imposing a comprehensive ban on TAPS, the
legislative measure targets to reduce the tobacco addiction in the country.
“TAPS activities project an image of success fun and glamour to tobacco
products that lure new users, especially the youth, into a lifetime of
addiction. These deceive consumers into believing that tobacco is an ordinary
consumer product, and not one that kills half of its regular uses when used
exactly as the manufacturer intended,” Fortun explained.
While certain measures exist, the solon admits that
tobacco addiction has remained prevalent mainly because of poor implementation
of tobacco control policies and inconsistent enforcement. “Driven by its
commercial interest, the tobacco industry has actively promoted both, and has
since been correctly identified as the primary vector of this epidemic”, said
Fortun citing an international study. He also added that there is the issue of
enforcement, particularly on certain restrictions on TAPS that are conditioned
on age, or distance from school public playground or other facility frequented
by minors.” (Media Affairs, First District of Agusan del Norte - Butuan City
and Las Nieves)
