EDITORIAL: CAN THEY REALLY STOP JUETENG IN BICOL? 
Farmers implore NIA fund release By Rey M. Nasol LIBON, Albay -- Some 600 farmers in Albay's 'rice granary' are awaiting the release of P56 million fund from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in order to consistently support President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Rice Sufficiency Program. Mrs. Visitacion N. Racho, president of the South Quinale irrigators' Association Inc., (SQIA) said the fund is still unmoved for unknown reason. "The said fund is intended for construction of the distribution canals of the existing rubber dam at the South Quinale River which was built replacing the old facility that was devastated by past typhoons particularly 'Reming' in November 30, 2006," Racho explained. In a resolution, the SQIA sought the NIA-Bicol regional office through the NIA-Albay Provincial Irrigation Office Caretaker Engineer Cristeta E. Mesias for the immediate implementation of the P56 million out of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) Fund of 2008 for the repair and construction of South Quinale Communal Irrigation System. The resolution said that "the repair of the Left Main canal first will irrigated the 550 hectares of rice field in Barangays Gumabao, Linao, San Vicente, Burabod and part of Bulusan and will make the 600 farmer-beneficiaries very much happy if they can plant rice this coming 'wet season.'" Racho has lamented that the irrigators' board of trustees received no information of whatever hindrance or reason for not implementing the project soon and while the farmers are not too busy in their respective farms so that they can actively participate in the construction. On motion of Jaime B. Pacampara and duly seconded by Board Director Cresencio B. Llarenas, the resolution was forwarded to the concerned agency whose copy furnishes also went to the NIA regional director and the NIA-PIO Caretaker, Engr. Cristeta E. Mesias for their information and appropriate actions. Racho said the rubber dam would be fully beneficial to the farmers if the distribution canals would be put up as soon as possible, if only to convince the Albayano farmers that the government is truly sincere in its Rice Sufficiency Programs.
Vege-farming tech wonders By Mabelle R. Ilan WHO SAID that salad vegetables could only be grown in the highlands or in greenhouses? This is not true with Renato Norte of Topas Sogod, Nabua. He has proven that these vegetables could be grown in the lowland. Encouraged by MAO Arnel Duran of Nabua Mang Rene converted the once grassy vacant lot into an organic garden. He has proven that it only takes industry and patience to convert the 2,000 square meter lot into an organic garden without using tractor or carabao. He only used hoe in land preparation.
Starting anew is not easy. A retired plant mechanic Mang Rene tried his luck in Mindanao after his retirement in 1993 but his wife Charito was homesick. So they settled in Nabua last year. A friend offered a vacant lot in Topas Sogod. They constructed a nipa hut and began to cultivate the land. He collected rice hull and produced his own carbonized rice hull to improve soil tilth. He also applied chicken dung and prepared insect repellant made from oriental herbal nutrient plus citronella leaves. He used indigenous microorganisms, which he used as spray for pests. He also prepared fish amino acid, the extract of which are sprayed on the plants as fertilizer.
Some of the highland vegetables he planted include: cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, romaine and chives. His first attempt was successful. He obtained the seeds from the Municipal Agriculture Office of Nabua and from the Department of Agriculture Programang Gulayan para sa Masa program. He planted the vegetables on a staggered basis to sustain a regular supply. He has been harvesting lettuce since December and his wife Charito is in-charge of marketing. Lettuce was sold at Ps 120 per kilo but they also have smaller packs ranging from ¼ to ½ kilo. Mang Rene proudly reported that he was able to sell 150 kilos of lettuce from December to mid February this year. Experimenting and testing new technologies are challenging says Mang Rene. He does research on how to grow organic vegetables and how to produce organic fertilizer to avoid overspending on commercial fertilizer. With only one son, Mang Rene is happy that they found a new source of income. He can now sustain his son's college education out of his income from vegetables. Aside from lettuce, Mang Rene also planted other crops like brocolli, cauliflower and romaine lettuce, which according to him command better price. He is now harvesting his romaine lettuce, which he says is an excellent source of vitamin A, foliate, vitamin C, manganese and chromium. He added that it is also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and the minerals potassium, molybdenum, iron, and phosphorus. To promote his produce, Mang Rene has his favorite line "salad days are here again… keep your heart young eat vegetable salad everyday".
Philpost assures to do away with 'Return to Sender' mails in Bicol True to its commitment of continuing service to the Bicolanos, the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) for Bicol region, launches another commendable initiative to be known as 'Bringing the Postal Service to the Grassroots." This project will be piloted in 17 far-clung barangays in this city with the sole purpose of eliminating undelivered mails or what is better known as 'return to sender' (RTS) mails. Philpost region-5 (Bicol) director for finance and administration Apolonio Cantuba, said that his office in coordination with Legazpi City Director Elmer Pecson of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will finalize the formal launching of said project within the coming weeks. Cantuba said that Philpost and DILG, being partners for progress and development in the countryside, will be putting up linkages with the local officials of the 17 barangay beneficiaries of the project. The barangay officials will be requested to assist in the delivery of non-recorded mails and notices which make up the bulk of undelivered mails so that all mails will promptly be delivered to their addresses thereby minimizing, if not totally eliminating RTS. To carry out this services-oriented project, a dialogue with the barangay captains of Barangays Bagacay, Banquerohan, Bariis, Bonga, Boyuan, Buenavista, Cagbacong, Estanza, Homapon, Imalnod, Lamba, Mabinit, Mariawa, Maslog, Matanag, Padang, and Taysan was set on March 25 2009 to solicit their assistance in the realization of 'Bringing the Postal Service to the Grassroots"
'Cutest' Butanding rescued off Pilar, Sorsogon gave rise to scientific probes By Rey M. Nasol ENVIRONMENT activists have rescued what they believe might be the smallest living offspring of the world's biggest fish, a whale shark (rhincodon typus) the size of a forearm. The 'cute' gentle giant was sighted off the shores of Pilar, an adjoining town of 'Butanding Capital' of Donsol, Sorsogon last weekend. This serendipitous rescue cum discovery has led to mounting theories that Sorsogon was a birthing place for the world-renowned friendly giant. The World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature said maritime officials, along with the environment activists in Pilar, Sorsogon, a town in eastern Philippines, rescued the 15-inch (38 centimeters)-long, believed to be a newborn whale shark and released it in deep waters. It's tail was tied to small rope on a beach when the rescuers discovered the creature. The group called it "arguably the smallest living whale shark in recorded history." WWF said the discovery was the first ever indication that these parts of Sorsogon coastlines, which included Donsol town, known as the whale shark capital of the world, may really be their birthing ground The group has encountered very few baby whale sharks and could only compare the size of its new discovery to embryos found in a dead female shark in 1996 - which measured 14.6 to 18.9 inches (37 to 48 centimeters), according to Elson Aca, project manager for the WWF whale shark tracking project.
Regional center site move out of Legazpi By Rey M. Nasol DARAGA, Albay -- The further development of Legazpi City and this premiere town is no longer seen within the main thoroughfares. This is according to Governor Joey Sarte Salceda after massive threats of lahar, tsunami, flashfloods and volcanic catastrophes were proven in previous years of succeeding calamities which brought the economy down to almost flat zero in the midst of taking center-stage prior to super typhoon Reming in 2006. The main catalyst for this shift is the ongoing construction of the Southern Luzon International Airport at Barangay Alobo of this town. The area being elevated compared to present business district will become home to new 'offspring' of residential, business developments and the nearby spot for the regional center site at Barangay Villahermosa, near Alobo. The regional center which is currently located at Rawis, Legazpi City is a government lot where the offices of the national agencies are found. But the present regional center site is considered prone to flooding, the threat of lahar and tsunami as it sits next to the shorelines and below the lahat pathways. Asked of what would happen to Legazpi and this town proper, Salceda said there is no compulsory moving out of the present settings "pero pag nanganganak diba hahanap at hahanap ng bagong lugar (But in case of new offsprings, there should be new dwellings for them)," Salceda told this writer. A number of civil engineers consulted by this writer prior to writing, have opined that residential and similar human activities have to really move to safer areas while the frequently flooded areas may still be utilized for various industrial purposes such as manufacturing plants, navigation farming and other production related activities whose edifices can be ensured for easy capital recovery in cases of calamities. Salceda noted that because of sad experiences to calamities especially from floodings, new house builders opt for higher elevations and that the area around the prospected airport site is ideal for new developments because it sits on top of a huge plateau. Earlier, the local chief executive of Camalig town, next to Daraga, had also manifested eagerness to conquer the upland areas where the railroad and new road openings meet towards the airport site. Camalig was one of the towns mostly devastated by lahar during the height of 'Reming' and every heavy downpour thereafter. By operation of nature and the climate change adaptation, being one of the advocacies of Salceda and his Consultant Nong Rangasa, people should seek new areas for home developments and business activities in safer elevation that are also not prone to landslides. They both believe the new international airport site is indeed the 'catalyst' for new growth areas of this town and the rest of Albay province.
Bicol tourist arrivals 1.3M in ‘08; up by 45.5% from 2007 By Ed de Leon, PIA-5 Tourist arrivals in Bicol continue to grow over the years as it registered a growth rate of 45.59 per cent over the 2007 figures according to the Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office here. Maria Ong Ravanilla, DOT Bicol regional director, said that a total of 1,306,792 tourists visited Bicol last year which is 409,292 over the 2007 figures. She said that of the total number, 1,057,735 were domestic tourists while 249,237 were foreign nationals. She added that total gross receipts generated by the tourism industry jumped to P781,995,280 million from P443,558,400 million in 2007 or an increment of 56.72 per cent. While the total job generated reached 499,336 or 181,462 over the other year. Ravanilla said that the highest number of tourist arrivals last year was registered by the province of Camarines Sur with a total of 721,024 comprising of 523,580 domestic and 197,444 foreign or 55.167 per cent of the total tourist arrivals in Bicol. Foreign tourist arrivals to Camarines Sur also top the six provinces of Bicol hitting 79.21 per cent or a total of 249,237 foreign nationals that visited the region. She said this was because the province invested heavily on tourism facilities like the now world famous Camarines Sur Water Sports Complex (CSWC) inside the provincial capitol compound; the world class Gota Beach Resort in Caramoan town; and now the newly opened Lago del Rey, an 18-hectare man-made lake just beside the CSWC which is expected to attract more tourists to the province this year. She disclosed that Albay was second in terms of tourist arrivals with 173,959; Masbate, third with 166,784; Camarines Norte, fourth with 105,051; Sorsogon is fifth with 83,541; and Catanduanes, sixth with 56,613.
Albay pursues Philhealth enrollment for 122,000 Medicare beneficiaries By Rey M. Nasol THE provincial government of Albay is renewing some 122,000 Philhealth membership to cover almost the whole population which is around 1 million as of latest statistics report. The massive distribution of "Medicare Para sa Masa" through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) cards for this year is already 50 percent with 70,000 distributed so far across the province, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer (PSWDO) Yolly Guanzon told the Philippines News Agency in an interview Wednesday. Guanzon said distribution is still to be completed in the town of Oas where some 5,000 PhilHealth cards were coursed through the barangay captains who shall then distribute them to their constituents regardless of political affiliations and ethnicity. Oas town was allocated a total of 10,000 PhilHealth cards and Wednesday's turnover represented 50 percent of the number. "Depending on the size of population, each municipality and city is entitled to a corresponding number of PhilHealth cards to reach out to as many family beneficiaries as possible," Guanzon explained. Last year's allocation reached some P36 million for the start of this program entitling heads of families as the primary members to the PhilHealth "Medicare para sa masa" and that their corresponding dependents are also eligible for the health services. PhilHealth services cover hospitalization, medications and related emergency services to its members. However, the PSWDO revealed that the office has received several reports on difficulties among the beneficiaries and that "We are trying our best to address some myths and the need to inform and educate them on their rights to avoid frauds by deceitful practices among hospitals and clinics," Guanzon assured. She advised the card holders to be vigilant against frauds by not signing blank documents and lending their original papers to the doctors or hospitals upon billing stages to avoid overcharging the PhilHealth beyond the member's knowledge, among other things. The PSWDO has decided to course the distribution through the barangay captains and sought to avoid politicking to be able to reach out to all eligible beneficiaries without biases and favoritisms.
Tricy men join health advocates on wheels By Mike dela Rama DARAGA, Albay -- About a hundred tricycle drivers have joined as health advocates on wheels by using the vantage space inside their side cars to advertise free Information Hotline as part of their participation to strengthen awareness campaign launched Monday in this developing premier town. Known as the "midnight riders" of the vulnerable sex group, the drivers got on the spot health orientation in the place where their wheels are park near the public market and each received stickers from the personnel of the Daraga Municipal Health Office (MHO) and members of the Peace Corps Volunteer and Bicol Regional Health Information Network (BRHIN). Written on the stickers are: cell phone number 090292074818; Reproductive Health Hotline Curious Ka? Shy Pa? Ask Na!: and an enticing red heart in between the word of TEXT MATE making it perfect. This will open access to every passenger of the tri-mobile, the information on gender & sexuality, pregnancy; human immune virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome(HIV/AIDS); sexually transmitted infections (STDs); condom; pills and other sex related queries, said Dr. Edna Freya Barba-Tan. The free access to health information is expected to heighten awareness not only to workers of entertainment business but also to those transients and moving from one place to place by using the "perfect text mate" hotline.
Farmers implore NIA fund release By Rey M. Nasol LIBON, Albay -- Some 600 farmers in Albay's 'rice granary' are awaiting the release of P56 million fund from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in order to consistently support President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Rice Sufficiency Program. Mrs. Visitacion N. Racho, president of the South Quinale irrigators' Association Inc., (SQIA) said the fund is still unmoved for unknown reason. "The said fund is intended for construction of the distribution canals of the existing rubber dam at the South Quinale River which was built replacing the old facility that was devastated by past typhoons particularly 'Reming' in November 30, 2006," Racho explained. In a resolution, the SQIA sought the NIA-Bicol regional office through the NIA-Albay Provincial Irrigation Office Caretaker Engineer Cristeta E. Mesias for the immediate implementation of the P56 million out of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) Fund of 2008 for the repair and construction of South Quinale Communal Irrigation System. The resolution said that "the repair of the Left Main canal first will irrigated the 550 hectares of rice field in Barangays Gumabao, Linao, San Vicente, Burabod and part of Bulusan and will make the 600 farmer-beneficiaries very much happy if they can plant rice this coming 'wet season.'" Racho has lamented that the irrigators' board of trustees received no information of whatever hindrance or reason for not implementing the project soon and while the farmers are not too busy in their respective farms so that they can actively participate in the construction. On motion of Jaime B. Pacampara and duly seconded by Board Director Cresencio B. Llarenas, the resolution was forwarded to the concerned agency whose copy furnishes also went to the NIA regional director and the NIA-PIO Caretaker, Engr. Cristeta E. Mesias for their information and appropriate actions. Racho said the rubber dam would be fully beneficial to the farmers if the distribution canals would be put up as soon as possible, if only to convince the Albayano farmers that the government is truly sincere in its Rice Sufficiency Programs. Vege-farming tech wonders By Mabelle R. Ilan WHO SAID that salad vegetables could only be grown in the highlands or in greenhouses? This is not true with Renato Norte of Topas Sogod, Nabua. He has proven that these vegetables could be grown in the lowland. Encouraged by MAO Arnel Duran of Nabua Mang Rene converted the once grassy vacant lot into an organic garden. He has proven that it only takes industry and patience to convert the 2,000 square meter lot into an organic garden without using tractor or carabao. He only used hoe in land preparation. 
Starting anew is not easy. A retired plant mechanic Mang Rene tried his luck in Mindanao after his retirement in 1993 but his wife Charito was homesick. So they settled in Nabua last year. A friend offered a vacant lot in Topas Sogod. They constructed a nipa hut and began to cultivate the land. He collected rice hull and produced his own carbonized rice hull to improve soil tilth. He also applied chicken dung and prepared insect repellant made from oriental herbal nutrient plus citronella leaves. He used indigenous microorganisms, which he used as spray for pests. He also prepared fish amino acid, the extract of which are sprayed on the plants as fertilizer. 
Some of the highland vegetables he planted include: cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, romaine and chives. His first attempt was successful. He obtained the seeds from the Municipal Agriculture Office of Nabua and from the Department of Agriculture Programang Gulayan para sa Masa program. He planted the vegetables on a staggered basis to sustain a regular supply. He has been harvesting lettuce since December and his wife Charito is in-charge of marketing. Lettuce was sold at Ps 120 per kilo but they also have smaller packs ranging from ¼ to ½ kilo. Mang Rene proudly reported that he was able to sell 150 kilos of lettuce from December to mid February this year. Experimenting and testing new technologies are challenging says Mang Rene. He does research on how to grow organic vegetables and how to produce organic fertilizer to avoid overspending on commercial fertilizer. With only one son, Mang Rene is happy that they found a new source of income. He can now sustain his son's college education out of his income from vegetables. Aside from lettuce, Mang Rene also planted other crops like brocolli, cauliflower and romaine lettuce, which according to him command better price. He is now harvesting his romaine lettuce, which he says is an excellent source of vitamin A, foliate, vitamin C, manganese and chromium. He added that it is also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and the minerals potassium, molybdenum, iron, and phosphorus. To promote his produce, Mang Rene has his favorite line "salad days are here again… keep your heart young eat vegetable salad everyday". Philpost assures to do away with 'Return to Sender' mails in Bicol True to its commitment of continuing service to the Bicolanos, the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) for Bicol region, launches another commendable initiative to be known as 'Bringing the Postal Service to the Grassroots." This project will be piloted in 17 far-clung barangays in this city with the sole purpose of eliminating undelivered mails or what is better known as 'return to sender' (RTS) mails. Philpost region-5 (Bicol) director for finance and administration Apolonio Cantuba, said that his office in coordination with Legazpi City Director Elmer Pecson of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will finalize the formal launching of said project within the coming weeks. Cantuba said that Philpost and DILG, being partners for progress and development in the countryside, will be putting up linkages with the local officials of the 17 barangay beneficiaries of the project. The barangay officials will be requested to assist in the delivery of non-recorded mails and notices which make up the bulk of undelivered mails so that all mails will promptly be delivered to their addresses thereby minimizing, if not totally eliminating RTS. To carry out this services-oriented project, a dialogue with the barangay captains of Barangays Bagacay, Banquerohan, Bariis, Bonga, Boyuan, Buenavista, Cagbacong, Estanza, Homapon, Imalnod, Lamba, Mabinit, Mariawa, Maslog, Matanag, Padang, and Taysan was set on March 25 2009 to solicit their assistance in the realization of 'Bringing the Postal Service to the Grassroots" 'Cutest' Butanding rescued off Pilar, Sorsogon gave rise to scientific probes By Rey M. Nasol ENVIRONMENT activists have rescued what they believe might be the smallest living offspring of the world's biggest fish, a whale shark (rhincodon typus) the size of a forearm. The 'cute' gentle giant was sighted off the shores of Pilar, an adjoining town of 'Butanding Capital' of Donsol, Sorsogon last weekend. This serendipitous rescue cum discovery has led to mounting theories that Sorsogon was a birthing place for the world-renowned friendly giant. The World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature said maritime officials, along with the environment activists in Pilar, Sorsogon, a town in eastern Philippines, rescued the 15-inch (38 centimeters)-long, believed to be a newborn whale shark and released it in deep waters. It's tail was tied to small rope on a beach when the rescuers discovered the creature. The group called it "arguably the smallest living whale shark in recorded history." WWF said the discovery was the first ever indication that these parts of Sorsogon coastlines, which included Donsol town, known as the whale shark capital of the world, may really be their birthing ground The group has encountered very few baby whale sharks and could only compare the size of its new discovery to embryos found in a dead female shark in 1996 - which measured 14.6 to 18.9 inches (37 to 48 centimeters), according to Elson Aca, project manager for the WWF whale shark tracking project. Regional center site move out of Legazpi By Rey M. Nasol DARAGA, Albay -- The further development of Legazpi City and this premiere town is no longer seen within the main thoroughfares. This is according to Governor Joey Sarte Salceda after massive threats of lahar, tsunami, flashfloods and volcanic catastrophes were proven in previous years of succeeding calamities which brought the economy down to almost flat zero in the midst of taking center-stage prior to super typhoon Reming in 2006. The main catalyst for this shift is the ongoing construction of the Southern Luzon International Airport at Barangay Alobo of this town. The area being elevated compared to present business district will become home to new 'offspring' of residential, business developments and the nearby spot for the regional center site at Barangay Villahermosa, near Alobo. The regional center which is currently located at Rawis, Legazpi City is a government lot where the offices of the national agencies are found. But the present regional center site is considered prone to flooding, the threat of lahar and tsunami as it sits next to the shorelines and below the lahat pathways. Asked of what would happen to Legazpi and this town proper, Salceda said there is no compulsory moving out of the present settings "pero pag nanganganak diba hahanap at hahanap ng bagong lugar (But in case of new offsprings, there should be new dwellings for them)," Salceda told this writer. A number of civil engineers consulted by this writer prior to writing, have opined that residential and similar human activities have to really move to safer areas while the frequently flooded areas may still be utilized for various industrial purposes such as manufacturing plants, navigation farming and other production related activities whose edifices can be ensured for easy capital recovery in cases of calamities. Salceda noted that because of sad experiences to calamities especially from floodings, new house builders opt for higher elevations and that the area around the prospected airport site is ideal for new developments because it sits on top of a huge plateau. Earlier, the local chief executive of Camalig town, next to Daraga, had also manifested eagerness to conquer the upland areas where the railroad and new road openings meet towards the airport site. Camalig was one of the towns mostly devastated by lahar during the height of 'Reming' and every heavy downpour thereafter. By operation of nature and the climate change adaptation, being one of the advocacies of Salceda and his Consultant Nong Rangasa, people should seek new areas for home developments and business activities in safer elevation that are also not prone to landslides. They both believe the new international airport site is indeed the 'catalyst' for new growth areas of this town and the rest of Albay province. Bicol tourist arrivals 1.3M in ‘08; up by 45.5% from 2007 By Ed de Leon, PIA-5 Tourist arrivals in Bicol continue to grow over the years as it registered a growth rate of 45.59 per cent over the 2007 figures according to the Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office here. Maria Ong Ravanilla, DOT Bicol regional director, said that a total of 1,306,792 tourists visited Bicol last year which is 409,292 over the 2007 figures. She said that of the total number, 1,057,735 were domestic tourists while 249,237 were foreign nationals. She added that total gross receipts generated by the tourism industry jumped to P781,995,280 million from P443,558,400 million in 2007 or an increment of 56.72 per cent. While the total job generated reached 499,336 or 181,462 over the other year. Ravanilla said that the highest number of tourist arrivals last year was registered by the province of Camarines Sur with a total of 721,024 comprising of 523,580 domestic and 197,444 foreign or 55.167 per cent of the total tourist arrivals in Bicol. Foreign tourist arrivals to Camarines Sur also top the six provinces of Bicol hitting 79.21 per cent or a total of 249,237 foreign nationals that visited the region. She said this was because the province invested heavily on tourism facilities like the now world famous Camarines Sur Water Sports Complex (CSWC) inside the provincial capitol compound; the world class Gota Beach Resort in Caramoan town; and now the newly opened Lago del Rey, an 18-hectare man-made lake just beside the CSWC which is expected to attract more tourists to the province this year. She disclosed that Albay was second in terms of tourist arrivals with 173,959; Masbate, third with 166,784; Camarines Norte, fourth with 105,051; Sorsogon is fifth with 83,541; and Catanduanes, sixth with 56,613. Albay pursues Philhealth enrollment for 122,000 Medicare beneficiaries By Rey M. Nasol THE provincial government of Albay is renewing some 122,000 Philhealth membership to cover almost the whole population which is around 1 million as of latest statistics report. The massive distribution of "Medicare Para sa Masa" through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) cards for this year is already 50 percent with 70,000 distributed so far across the province, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer (PSWDO) Yolly Guanzon told the Philippines News Agency in an interview Wednesday. Guanzon said distribution is still to be completed in the town of Oas where some 5,000 PhilHealth cards were coursed through the barangay captains who shall then distribute them to their constituents regardless of political affiliations and ethnicity. Oas town was allocated a total of 10,000 PhilHealth cards and Wednesday's turnover represented 50 percent of the number. "Depending on the size of population, each municipality and city is entitled to a corresponding number of PhilHealth cards to reach out to as many family beneficiaries as possible," Guanzon explained. Last year's allocation reached some P36 million for the start of this program entitling heads of families as the primary members to the PhilHealth "Medicare para sa masa" and that their corresponding dependents are also eligible for the health services. PhilHealth services cover hospitalization, medications and related emergency services to its members. However, the PSWDO revealed that the office has received several reports on difficulties among the beneficiaries and that "We are trying our best to address some myths and the need to inform and educate them on their rights to avoid frauds by deceitful practices among hospitals and clinics," Guanzon assured. She advised the card holders to be vigilant against frauds by not signing blank documents and lending their original papers to the doctors or hospitals upon billing stages to avoid overcharging the PhilHealth beyond the member's knowledge, among other things. The PSWDO has decided to course the distribution through the barangay captains and sought to avoid politicking to be able to reach out to all eligible beneficiaries without biases and favoritisms. Tricy men join health advocates on wheels By Mike dela Rama DARAGA, Albay -- About a hundred tricycle drivers have joined as health advocates on wheels by using the vantage space inside their side cars to advertise free Information Hotline as part of their participation to strengthen awareness campaign launched Monday in this developing premier town. Known as the "midnight riders" of the vulnerable sex group, the drivers got on the spot health orientation in the place where their wheels are park near the public market and each received stickers from the personnel of the Daraga Municipal Health Office (MHO) and members of the Peace Corps Volunteer and Bicol Regional Health Information Network (BRHIN). Written on the stickers are: cell phone number 090292074818; Reproductive Health Hotline Curious Ka? Shy Pa? Ask Na!: and an enticing red heart in between the word of TEXT MATE making it perfect. This will open access to every passenger of the tri-mobile, the information on gender & sexuality, pregnancy; human immune virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome(HIV/AIDS); sexually transmitted infections (STDs); condom; pills and other sex related queries, said Dr. Edna Freya Barba-Tan. The free access to health information is expected to heighten awareness not only to workers of entertainment business but also to those transients and moving from one place to place by using the "perfect text mate" hotline.
No comments:
Post a Comment