NEWS BRIEFS

1 dead in Vigan motorbike mishap

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur -- A man died while another was wounded when their motorcycles collided here along Quirino Boulevard Tuesday. Joel Penol, 25, a resident of Barangay Bulag Centro in Barangay Bantay, was declared dead on arrival at the Gabriela Silang General Hospital, where Darwin Sayson, 18, was also brought for treatment, said Chief Inspector Greg Guerrero, Ilocos Sur police spokesman.

Initial investigation showed that Penol  hitSayson’s motorcycle while overtaking another vehicle at around noon.

The victims were not wearing helmets. – Raymund Catindig  

Mt Province sustains livelihood program        

BONTOC, Mountain Province-- The livelihood program of the provincial government here has benefited 10 individuals and one farmer’s association this year.

Started in 2011 by the late governor Leonard G. Mayaen, the Provincial Development Livelihood Program helps organizations, associations, cooperatives and jobless individuals in the province who want to start potential livelihood projects through the provision of financial assistance in the form of loan with a very minimal interest.

 Minimum loanable amount is P20, 000 up to a maximum amount of P100, 000.00 which payable in 16 months from the date of release with annual interest of five percent.

The borrower is given four months to roll the money they have loaned and payment of loan starts on the fifth month. Collections from loan payments are also lent out to other applicants.

Dominga Ortiz of the Provincial Cooperatives Office said borrowers invest  the money they loaned in hog raising, coffee shop, computer shop, snack house, weaving, sari-sari store, poultry, farm gardening, furniture making, buy and sell, tailoring shop.

So far more than 300 individuals have benefited from this program.  The provincial government has also allocated this year another amount of P1, 000,000 for the program. -- Juliet B. Saley

DSWD turns over houses to Pangasinan typhoon victims

ROSALES, Pangasinan – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) turned over 150 housing units to typhoon victims in this town Tuesday. 

Marcelo Nicomedes Castillo, DSWD-Ilocos Region director said each 20-square-meter housing unit costs P70,000.

The DSWD spent P22 million for the project intended for those who live in vulnerable areas and need to be relocated during typhoons.

Castillo said another 170 housing units would be constructed on the four-hectare government property.

He said recipient families would also receive P1,800 cash-for-work assistance for helping build the houses. – Eva Visperas         

UK provides grant, training to 23 Benguet entrepreneurs 

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Twenty-three people budding entrepreneurs were provided assistance by the Balloon Ventures and British Council in the Philippines with a start-up fund of P25,000.

The grant included a six-week mentoring on entrepreneurship which started July 18 and will run until August 26.

The Philippines is the fourth country where Balloon Ventures provided the grant, choosing Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet as pilot areas.

The British Council is the UK’s international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations. They create opportunities for the people in the UK and other countries and build trust between them.

In the Philippines, their social enterprise program draws on the UK experience in social enterprise to promote its growth around the world. They work with local and international organizations in creating a new generation of social entrepreneurship, equal opportunity and diversity, migration, social inclusion, engagement and active citizenship.

Dough Cochrane, co-founder and chief operation officer of Balloon Ventures said 12 volunteers from the Balloon Ventures-UK are now working with the recipients focusing on uncovering new business opportunities.

He said Baguio was chosen due to its strategic position as a commercial center that brings together products from different provinces, with a growing entrepreneurial culture.

The program is intended for micro-small and medium business enterprises, as well as cooperatives and non-government organization with the 12 UK volunteers collaborating with them to come up with and pilot sustainable enterprises.

Gov. Pineda assures subsidy for treatment of cancer patients

CITY OF SNA FERNANDO, Pampanga — Individuals particularly children and seniors who have cancer will continue to benefit from the provincial government’s medical assistance.

Gov. Lilia Pineda said Tuesday the provincial government will shoulder all their medical expenses.
The governor said the medical subsidy will cover treatments for cancer patients, including bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy.

Pineda, who is now on her third term, said the provision of assistance has and always been part of the regular program of the Capitol, stressing the health of her constituents especially the less fortunate, is of paramount importance.

Apart from the medical assistance, the governor also gave food and cash assistance to some 32 kids who are being treated from their cancer at Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital here.

The kids, together with their parents and guardians, received P3,500 cash assistance each and some groceries.

Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office head Elizabeth Baybayan said it was “a happy day” for the recipients because all of their treatments will be shouldered by the Capitol. -- Franco G. Regala

DENR Kalinga issues titles to 55 school lots

TABUK CITY, Kalinga --  The provincial office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources here reported it titled 55 school sites and is awaiting Presidential Proclamation of  51 more.

Daniel Iyadan of the DENR survey team said 29 school lots were titled under the free patent within the coverage of Tabuk Community Environment and Natural Resources Office and 26 in Pinukpuk CENRO.

He said the land properties are elementary and high school- owned lots which were donated by individuals.

Iyadan explained that owners of  lots within alienable and disposable lands   may acquire a title through a free patent  from  the DENR  but school lots within forest zones need presidential proclamation before free patent titles are issued.

To solve the problem of donors reclaiming their donations, DENR is urging other school administrators and principals whose lots are not yet delineated to request for survey. -- Peter A. Balocnit

Baguio public school receives building from  SM Foundation

BAGUIO CITY– The Lucban Elementary School along Magsaysay Avenue, this city, is a beneficiary of a two-storey four-classroom building from the SM Foundation.

SM Foundation executive director for education Carmen Linda Atayde, SM Baguio mall manager Rona Vida Correa and Rafael Tallocoy of the city mayor’s office  together with  LES principal Joseph Estigoy and Parents Teachers Association president Girlie Garcia led blessing and inauguration of the newly completed school building.

The new school building is fully furnished with four toilets, 200 armchairs, four sets of teacher’s tables and chairs, eight blackboards, 16 electric wall fans and four wall clocks.

“Four classes for Grade III students will occupy the four classrooms in this new school building,” Estigoy said.

The Lucban Elem. School is the  second  biggest school with over 2,800 students mostly from barangays  Happy Homes, Trancoville, Dizon Subdivision, Quirino Hill, Sanitary Camp, Lower Quirino Hill, Lower Pinget and nearby areas  of La Trinidad,Benguet.  

Garcia also expressed gratitude to the SM Foundation for   the fully equipped new building with an ambience conducive to learning.     

Atayde said that the new building is the 75th school building the SM Foundation has donated as support to the different schools nationwide since its school building program started in 2002.

Recently, the Baguio Central School was a recipient of the high tech gadgets turning an old classroom into a “Smart Classroom” benefitting more than 3,000 elementary students of the city. – Redgie Cawis 

Nueva Vizcaya evacuation center inaugurated

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – A typhoon-proof evacuation center was inaugurated in Ilagan City, Isabela last week. 

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of the Interior and Local Government and the provincial government of Isabela spent P27 million for the construction of the evacuation center. 

The evacuation center has a communal kitchen, comfort rooms, delivery rooms, breastfeeding area and mini-pharmacy. 

Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy III urged local government units to give priority to the construction of evacuation centers in their respective areas. – Victor Martin  

DOST provides support

services to Kalinga town

TANUDAN, Kalinga -- The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) extended support services to this town as start-up mechanisms towards entrepreneurial upbringing, health promotion and resiliency adaptation in its communities.

Alfonso Berto,  DOST provincial director here,  said  according the National Statistics Coordinating Board, Tanudan is the poorest municipality in the Cordillera Administrative Region hence its basis of selection as recipient of DOST’s Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) program.

Services provided include livelihood, scholarship, water and sanitation gadgets, health and nutrition training, and disaster mitigation device.

Under the livelihood component of the CEST, the Nalyawan Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Taloctoc was provided coffee roaster and grinder for their coffee processing; cooking utensils and LPG tank and stove for banana chips and cornic processing.

Two scholarship grants were awarded to two college students in barangay Dupligan.

Some 110 water filters were distributed to elementary and secondary schools in the municipality while 315 water filters were distributed to households.

Berto said 50 barangay health workers and Barangay Nutrition Scholars were trained on baby food preparation using local resources.

 “A municipal-wide follow-up activity on supplemental feeding using DOST recipe (rice, mongo, iron fortified kernel) will be done for the benefit of six months to three years old children for a period of six months including regular weight monitoring,” he said. 

For disaster and mitigation, an automated, self-reading and self-data relay rain gauge was installed at Banagao last year. -- Peter A. Balocnit

Nutrition Council okays resolutions  to up programs

BAGUIO CITY --  Better implementation of nutrition programs are in progress as the Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) in the Cordillera  approved  four new resolutions during the 2nd RNC meeting held recently.

The  resolutions deal with scaling up nutrition education for the poor, improving the status of Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS), recognition of high performing local government units (LGUs) and adoption of LGU mobilization strategies.

Better knowledge and awareness on proper nutrition for the poor was highlighted.  It intends to adopt nutrition modules developed from the Nutrition Center of the Philippines’ “Pabasasa Nutrisyon”. It will be integrated to the Family Development Sessions (FDS) under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). Pilot areas are  in selected municipalities of Abra namely Malibcong, Luba and Tineg.

Improving status for BNS was discussed with the RNC deciding to help hasten process to amend Presidential Decree 1569 or the Barangay Nutrition Scholar Program. Taking from the petition prepared by the National Federation of BNSs, the RNC supported among others the proposal to upgrade the BNS  to salaried workers with a remuneration of P 5,000  a month plus allowance depending on their respective  LGU’s capacity. The proposal requests security of tenure and scholarships to immediate family members.

Recognition will also be given to LGUs with significant contribution to the Millenium Development Goal  targets for 2015. In particular, those with consistent decreases in malnutrition rates, those with less than one percent malnutrition prevalence and barangays with zero malnutrition rates in the last three years will be provided.  

A resolution is also approved regarding a “shepherding strategy” which aims to improve the nutrition status of low performing areas through assistance from high performing LGUs and from core team of the Regional Technical Assistants on Nutrition (RTAN) members .  The strategy also aims to help improve nutritionally depressed municipalities improve the nutritional status in their respective areas. Moreover,  the strategy also aims to help high achieving LGUs be able to sustain performance or further improve performance as they compete for national awards on nutrition.

Rita Papey of National Nutrition Council  expressed  that  such will empower not only the high achieving LGUs but also improve the status of nutrition in several areas. -- Arianne Nebrida

 Aeta farmers undergo modern aggie training

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Some 100 Aeta farmers from upland barangays of Floridablanca, Porac and Mabalacat City underwent training and seminars on how to properly plant high value crops and vegetables through the initiative of Gov. Lilia Pineda and the Office of Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).

Pineda met with Allied Botanical Corporation, a supplier of  quality seeds in the Philippines, and the Department of Agriculture with some Aeta representatives at the Provincial Capitol here to set a 12-day seminar and actual training for proper planting and soil conditioning.

The training-seminar was launched at Floridablanca National Agricultural School (FNAS) on July 21.

“Starting then, there will be a once-a-week seminar for some 100 Aeta individuals who are, at the same time, farmers in their local communities,” the governor said.

According to the governor, there is a need for such seminars because of her observation that all of the tribes’ farm produce lack quality which decreases their market value.

She also recognized the common problem among Aeta farmers who cultivate, sow, and harvest crops for some landowners.

“With the trainings, they can eventually have their own produce,” she added.

The farmers will be given 6,000 hybrid cacao seedlings and high-value crop seedlings from DA.

“This is a step in achieving the provincial government’s dream of making Pampanga an ideal source of good seedlings in the Philippines.

The provincial government also plans to establish a farmers’ market day at Clark Freeport Zone where some drug suspects who surrendered will be commissioned as workers as  part of their rehabilitation program. -- Franco Regala

BSU dean: Breastfeeding key to child’s good growth

BAGUIO CITY – The Dean of the Department of Human Nutrition and Food of the Benguet State University said mothers and babies properly nourished during pregnancy and babies exclusively breastfed during the first six months achieve optimum growth and better quality of life in the future.

Dr. Pelin Belino, Dean of the BSU Department of Human Nutrition and Food, said advantages of breast milk include the fact it is complete food for the baby for the first six months, provides good nutrition and everything the infant needs for healthy growth, contains essential nutrients needed for the baby’s cognitive development, as well as good bacteria and immunoglobulin for strong immunity, protects the baby from respiratory infections, diarrhea and other diseases, and fatty acids uniquely found in the breast milk can increase the intelligence quotient of babies up to seven points leading to better performance in school or at work later in life.

 Consequences of no breastfeeding from birth to six months include the fact that babies will not be able to achieve full potential for physical growth and cognitive development and are exposed to short and long-term health risks.

She said infant formula increases baby’s risk to infections, allergies, digestive problems, as well as obesity, cancers, diabetes and heart diseases in childhood or later in life, and that formula-fed infants are shown to have lower IQs compared to breastfed infants and may experience iron-deficiency anemia, which is also related to impaired cognitive development, risk to iodine deficiency may also increase.

If a mother doesn’t breastfed her infants, she said, it increases her risk to being overweight and obese and is exposed to diabetes, certain types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases and mixed feeding can decrease breast milk production since its supply is driven by frequent, effective breastfeeding in response to the feeding cues of the baby.

Dominga Dawe, nutritionist and dietician of the Under 5 Clinic of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), said those who had been properly nourished from conceptualization up to two years old and beyond are the ones who are intelligent in school and at work, and that health authorities can already predict the maximum height of the baby upon reaching two years old when given the proper nourishment for the first 1,000 days.-- Dexter A. See

Pro-PWD programs laid out in Bulacan

MALOLOS CITY -- Different programs and activities intended for the promotion of inherent rights and concerns of persons with disabilities (PWDs) are lined up in Bulacan as the province joined the celebration of the 38th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week.

With the theme, “Karapatan ng may Kapansanan, Isakatuparan… Now na!” the Provincial Council on Disability Affairs (PCDA) headed by Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado and facilitated by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) conducted a cultural variety show  dubbed as “Basta’tBulakenyo, Kahit May “K” Okey” at SM Entertainment Plaza, SM City Baliwag recently.

The annual event showcased the unique talents of PWDs in singing and dancing, wherein 20 groups from 21 towns and three cities and different SPED schools in the province performed and participated in the event.

As part of the weeklong celebration, PSWD Officer Rowena Joson-Tiongson also announced that PGB with the cooperation of Philippine Band of Mercy (PBM) has conducted free medical screening and operations to over 200 children with club foot problems. – Freddie G. Lazaro

Ilocos Sur primed as cacao growing capital of N. Luzon

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur – A group of cacao growers from the Ilocos region are aiming to transform Ilocos Sur into the cacao production capital of Northern Luzon.

Lawyer Robert Tudayan, pioneer chairperson of the Region 1 Cacao Industry Council (R1CIC), has started formulating the action plans to bring the goal to fruition.

Ilocos Sur currently has the widest cacao plantation area with more than 200 hectares.

“As our expression of full support for the cacao industry development, I urged all farmers in the Ilocos region to plant more cacao trees to reach the region’s target of 1000 metric tons for 2016,” said Tudayan, who is also a cacao farmer.

“The challenge is vast but let’s all work together and exert efforts to strategically push our cacao industry to be globally competitive,” said Grace Lapastora, Department of Trade and Industry-Ilocos Sur provincial director.

To strengthen the promotion on cacao industry in the Ilocos, the DTI Region 1 steered the Regional Cacao Industry Convergence and Technology Forum on July 7-8, 2016 participated in by cacao growers, processors, enablers, and industry stakeholders.

For his part, the DTI’s National Cacao Industry Cluster Director Edwin Banquerigo presented the National Industry Cluster Roadmap incorporating the profile, plans and investment opportunities of cacao industry.

Based on 2015 data, the country’s cacao production was at 14,000 metric tons. About 90% of it came from Davao.

Cacao industry players all over the country aim to increase cacao production to meet the increasing demands for chocolate in the international market.

“The country has a big potential to be one of the biggest cacao exporter in the world. Hence, other regions are being tapped to help improve the country’s cacao industry,” added Banquerigo. – Freddie G. Lazaro