COMMUNITY BILLBOARD

26-year old lady needs to sustain dialysis treatment

BAGUIO CITY A-- Janice Bobila is 26,  the second of three children of Jovita (nee Fiao-ilan) , a 42-year old widow who raised her children alone  by doing laundry and odd jobs after her husband succumbed to cancer in 1998.

Janice herself learned early that life is no fairy tale. After graduating from the Benguet National High School, she stopped going to school. Not because her mother could hardly cope with the demands of single-handedly providing for three kids.

“Janice stopped schooling after graduating in high school when she was diagnosed (for) brain tumor,” noted social worker Kryslyn Pantaleon in a report she prepared last April  to support the girl’s application for financial assistance from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

The girl licked the tumor through surgery and cobalt radiation therapy.  Just when she thought her medical trial was over, she learned she was diabetic and had to learn to inject herself with insulin.

 Last March 31, another big blow came. She was diagnosed for end-stage kidney failure, a long-term complication of diabetes. She was advised to maintain her insulin dosage and start her life-time dialysis treatment/

 What worries her mother nowadays  is that the PCSO support will be good only until the end of this month. The girl had also  her fund assistance from the Philhealth. She will  need Samaritans to maintain her life-time treatment for kidney failure.

“She has to be on twice-a-week hemodialysis treatment scheduled from 8 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center,” Jovita said. “We simply don’t know how we could pay P2,200 per treatment session as  her PCSO fund guarantee will last only until  next week.”

Jovita said her daughter was eligible for 45 treatments  a year under the Philhealth package. “What I didn’t know was that the number of treatments was reduced as the support fund was used to pay her other medical and hospital bills when she was confined due to complications,” she added.

Last Tuesday morning, hours before Jovita asked that her family’s appeal for support be publicized so Samaritans could respond, Philhealth president Alexander Padilla said the government health insurance agency is still studying a proposal to increase the sponsored dialysis sessions of kidney patients from 45 to 90 a year.

 “We are studying this proposal as no less than (Baguio) mayor (Mauricio) Domogan noted the increasing number  of patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment,” Padilla said during a press conference when he arrived her to inaugurate the new Philhealth building along Leonard Wood Rd.

 The mayor noted the growing number of dialysis patients in a message welcoming the Philhealth’s move to transfer to a more spacious office here.

 Pending action on the proposal, Janice and other patients – including 191 of them at the BGHMC – are keeping their fingers crossed while figuring out how to fund their next treatment session.

 Like those of many others, here orphaned family had long been drained – financially and emotionally – by her medical trials.

Her brother Jordan, 28 and works as a security guard , has a family of his own. Their brother Jake, 19, is in third year college, leaving their mother as the sole bread winner.

People who can help may ring up Janice’s cellphone number 09193834890 or that of her mother – 09301224699.

 Meanwhile, two members of Elementary Batch 1980 and High School Batch 1984 of Easter College recently came to the aid of their batch-mate, 46-year old Winston Kilongan who is on twice-a-week dialysis session at the BGHMC.

 From Australia came P5000, sent by Irwin Patol through a batch-mate. From Malaysia, Shriley Bastasa also sent P8,000, of which P6,000 went to Winston and the remaining P2,000 used as “abuloy” for  someone who recently died.

 Winston is in the same boat as his maternal uncle, Angel Bangcawayan, who is also on twice-a-week treatment in the same medical center.

 Another member of Easter School Elementary Batch ’80, Lennon Cambod of Riuverside, Baguio City, also succumbed to kidney failure last Monday.

 Our family is indebted to all the people who supported Lennon in his treatment and helped ease our suffering over the loss of a son,” his father, retired police officer Policarpio Cambod, said. – Ramon Dacawi

Bakun passes ordinance on wildlife preservation

BAKUN, Benguet — Officials here passed an ordinance to conserve and protect indigenous wildlife in this remote town..

Ordinance Number 04-2014  is now  with the Provincial Board for deliberation.

Vice Mayor Edwin Bandao who authored the ordinance, said  wildlife  in the area were tagged as  critically endangered and endangered.

“We are indigenous peoples yet we cannot show any indigenous wildlife in our area,” said Bandao. “Our next generation will question us on what have we done to preserve all those,” he added.

Among the critically endangered flora are orchids, blackberry, Benguet Lily, Almaciga tree while fauna include the Philippine brown deer and bearded pig. Some endangered species are the cloud rat, wild cat, wood pecker, and giant ferns.

Contributing  to annihilation  of  indigenous wildlife are illegal acts such as killing and destruction, hunting, trapping, collecting, possessing, trading,  and transporting such species.

Dumping of waste products detrimental to wildlife, squatting or occupying portions of the critical habitat, mineral exploitation and/or extraction, curning, logging and quarrying are  identified as unlawful acts in identified critical habitat.

If approved by the provincial board, a task force on wildlife protection and conservation will be created   for the implementation of the  ordinance. — Susan Aro

TESDA Kalinga offers free competency check for workers

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - - The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is accepting workers from the public and private sectors  to undergo a free competency assessment for the grant of national certificate level II eligibility.

John Adawey, Kalinga provincial TESDA director, said the program started in May and will go on until October this year.

“Applicants may come anytime of the week to register at the TESDA office, get the schedule and secure the necessary requirements,” he said. This is on  first-come-first-serve basis because of limited slots.

Those who may avail of the assessment  are those working in industrial and manufacturing firms, and service providers in order for them to gain NC II eligibility as skilled workers.

Teachers teaching technical/vocational course, public utility vehicle drivers, local government unit workers, returning overseas workers,  and self-employed individuals  may also come for assessment.

“NC II eligibility could upscale the position of those already employed or give them leverage for the grant of additional benefits,” Adawey said. — Peter Balocnit

Construction firms urged to renew licenses

LAGAWE, Ifugao — Construction firms are  asked  to renew their respective licenses for fiscal year 2014 on time to avoid additional charges.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), notices were given to concerned  contractors in the different municipalities in the province  for  their guidance.

 The Philippines Contractors’ Accreditation Board (PCAB) through Board Resolution No. 402 series of 2013 has  provided the schedules for renewal and corresponding penalties.

 “Licenses ending with 0 and 1 should be renewed on February; March and April also for licenses ending with 2,3 and 4,5 respectively; May for  6,7 while January to June also for licenses ending with 8,9 including new licenses,” the DTI added.

 Contractors filing their renewal application after the scheduled month will be charged with additional processing fee (APF) and  P5,000. The same amount will also be paid as additional license fee  by contractors who are filing for licenses after the expiry date on June 30.

 Application for new or renewal of accreditation shall be filed  at the DTI Regional Office, Jesnor Building, Carino St., Baguio City. — Marcelo Lihgawon

Ilocos Norte cited  ‘champ’ vs poverty

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Juliano-Soliman cited Ilocos Norte as model champion in poverty reduction.

                Out from the 247,882 identified poor households in Region 1, it was reported that only 10% or 24,890 are from Ilocos Norte and all of them have already been reached out by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) programs and services together with the provincial government.

                In a media forum held at the Plaza del Norte, Laoag City, she claimed that Ilocos Norte is not qualified enough for the poverty                                 reduction programs of the DSWD having 9.2% poverty incidence.

                For her part, Gov. Imee R. Marcos expressed appreciation to the poverty reduction programs being implemented by the DSWD in the local level.

                The lady governor said the DSWD programs and services especially the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) or the PantawidPamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is very effective considering the beneficiaries’ conscious utilization of 

their cash grants as what the program conditionalities require.

— Freddie G. Lazaro

McDo Session closes

BAGUIO CITY — The guy in the yellow suit, big red shoes and big red hair was first seen in person under the “golden arches” here in 1991. And that day will remain a good memory to the people of this city as the first McDonalds store closed shop after 23 years.

The city’s first Mc Donald’s fastfood franchise closed its store at session road Monday after the lease contract between the lot owner and the franchise owner expired on June 25.

Franchise owner Mike Del Rosario said while it saddened him and his crew to close shop, it will not fully be long as they hope to complete the building of its permanent home adjacent the present location.

Solar lights for Lingayen Baywalk

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan — Environment-friendly streetlights will illuminate the Lingayen Beach Baywalk soon as the P2.2-million solar streetlights project is underway.

                The Lingayen Baywalk is a stretch of 659-meter cement-paved straight path along the beach at the back of the Urduja House, a stone’s throw from the golf driving range at the Capitol Resort Hotel. —  JojoRiñoza

Mt Prov employees attend gender seminar

BONTOC – The provincial government of Mountain Province through the Provincial Gender and Development Council started conducting gender sensitivity seminars for its employees.

According to Eunice Andaya of the Provincial Population Office here, seminar participants were provincial government employees.

In his memorandum, Gov. Leonard Mayaen said this seminar aims to ensure gender responsive services to all people and it is also the initial effort to create awareness among employees for them to become aware of gender concerns affecting the office, its clients and even those affecting them and their families.

In lieu of the governor, Provincial Administrator Johnny Lausan said that the seminar aims to enlighten the participants on gender equality concerns affecting them in their homes, workplace and community.

Participants included Provincial GAD Focal Person Shirley Chiyawan, Men Opposed to Violence against Women and Children Everywhere (MOVE) –Mountain Province Chapter President Dale Marrero, MOVE- Provincial Capitol Chapter President Victorino Dines, Tyronne Glenn     Lawey, Prima Te-elan of the Provincial Health Office and MiguelaAngwani of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office. — Alpine L. Killa