Thursday, April 25, 2024

DOH-10 intensifies immunization vs measles, rubella, polio

MISAMIS ORIENTAL (PIA) – The Department of Health (DOH)-10 aims to further increase the immunization status of children in Northern Mindanao with the conduct of a month-long immunization campaign against measles, rubella, and polio this May

According to the health department, immunization coverage for children aged 0–59 months had lowered during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a pool of populations that are susceptible to measles infection. It was also noted that this year, an increase in suspected cases of measles was recorded.

“Nakita namo nga adunay 18% increase sa suspected cases of measles sa rehiyon karon (We have seen that there is an 18% increase in suspected cases of measles in the region today),” DOH-10 Local Health Support Division Chief David Mendoza said.

Mendoza explained that in the same period last year, they only recorded 69 suspected measles cases compared to this year’s 82. There were also no laboratory-confirmed cases last year compared to this year’s three laboratory-confirmed cases: one for measles and two for rubella.

The DOH-10 hopes that the supplemental immunization activity they are conducting against measles, rubella, and polio can help beef up the immunization coverage of the region and prevent a possible outbreak of such vaccine-preventable diseases.

Mendoza added that to strengthen the immunization campaign, fixed sites, and house-to-house initiatives are done throughout the region to make sure that all eligible individuals will be vaccinated and no children will be left behind.

In the vaccination sites, regardless of the vaccination status, oral polio immunization is available for children aged 0–59 months, while measles-rubella immunization can be availed of by children aged 9–59 months.

As the government extends its efforts to protect the children, the health department admits that their efforts together with the various agencies and local government units are futile without the support and participation of the public, especially the parents and guardians and that to combat the possible spread or outbreak of measles, rubella, and polio, it will take a whole-of-society approach.

DOH-10 urges parents and guardians to allow their children to get immunizations for added protection. Protecting children against any vaccine-preventable disease should be a priority for each parent and guardian. (JAKA/PIA-10)

Bukidnon farmers dominate regional coffee competition

Seven farmers from Pangantucan, Bukidnon were awarded for their quality coffee beans during the first Northern Mindanao Coffee Quality Competition. The awarding was held in Malaybalay, Bukidnon last March 18, 2023

Based on DTI Region 10, the coffee quality competition consists of two categories; the Arabica category and Robusta category.

Manolito Garces of New Eden, Pangantucan placed first for his Arabica coffee beans with 87.13% rating. Followed by Aiza Inahan from Pigtauranan, Pangantucan, Bukidnon with 85.15%; Arnold Pina of Pigtauranan, Pangantucan with 84.19%; Marion Inahan also from Pigtauranan, Pangantucan with 83.75%; MILFACO from Miarayon, Talakag, Bukidnon with 82.94; and Aurora Chiong form Claveria, Misamis Oriental with 81.40%.

Meanwhile, Primitiva Mahumot still from Pigtauranan, Pangantucan, Bukidnon won first place in the Robusta category with a rating 84.38%; 2nd place is Ranel Balatero from Pigtauranan, Pangantucan with 83.31%; 3rd is Noel Duyongan from Kibenton, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon with 83.25%; Marvin Dagohoy in 4th place from Pigtauranan, Pangantucan with 82.63%; and Dennis Ong in 5th place from Claveria, Misamis Oriental with 81.5%.

The competition was held last March 14-17, 2023 at the Coffee Cupping Laboratory of Central Mindanao University (CMU), Bukidnon. (MG Mayumi B. Madera)

Agri 10 dept preps for upcoming corn derby featuring hybrid yellow, white corn

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – In its constant pursuit for farmers to attain increased yield and income, the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) held a short preparatory meeting for the conduct of a corn derby featuring hybrid yellow and white corn for this upcoming wet cropping season

DA-10 OIC-Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado said the conduct of corn derbies will continue for this year, especially with the increased allocation of the Corn program for the procurement of seeds.
The agri official added that it will help determine the yield performance and profitability of not only the hybrid yellow corn cultivars but also hopefully, includes the white corn varieties that are readily available from different seed companies.
Said series of the showcase will be participated by private entities such as Syngenta Philippines, Inc., Bayer Crop Science, Corteva Agriscience, Asian Hybrid Seed Tech, Inc., Evogene Seed Philippines, and Bioseed Research Philippines, with each company initially committing to have
2-3 corn varieties as their entries.
Similar to previous years, the corn derbies will be staged in DA’s research stations in Dalwangan, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon; in Barongcot, Dangcagan, Bukidnon; and Lanise, Claveria, Misamis Oriental, with potentially expanding it to an additional site in Balubal, Cagayan de Oro City. (DA RFO-10)

Super Health Center to rise in Pangantucan

PANGANTUCAN, Bukidnon – Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Super Health Center facility in far-off barangay Bacusanon, Pangantucan, Bukidnon, on March 3

Go said the center would provide vital health services with specialized health facilities at the local level, such as an outpatient department, laboratory, X-ray, ultrasound, birthing services, diagnostics, pharmacy, and emergency services.
Asked about the distinction between Malasakit Center and Super Health Center, the Senator explained that the Super Health Center is a medium-sized polyclinic larger than a rural health center but not as big as a hospital.
“I express great bliss that the Department of Health (DOH) chose a strategic location here in town. The government will build additional 20 Super Health Centers in Northern Mindanao this year, with six in Bukidnon, four in Cagayan de Oro, three in Lanao del Norte, two in Misamis Occidental, and five in Misamis Oriental,” Go said.
DOH-10 Regional Director Jose R. Llacuna Jr. emphasized that establishing a Super Health Facility would help decongest other health facilities, as it will supplement rural health centers in the province.
“The goal is to bring government services closer to the people,” he said.
Fourth District Representative Laarni Roque thanked Senator Go for building projects in her district. She said that the Super Health Center would immensely help the people of Barangay Bacusanon, which does not have a government hospital.
Meanwhile, Pangantucan Mayor Miguel A. Silva Jr. urged his constituents to take good care of the government projects.
“Not all cities or towns are fortunate enough to receive such facility. I urge our villagers here to take good care of this Super Health Center,” the mayor said. (BGE/PIA-10/Bukidnon)

DA-SAAD debuts phase 2 in NorMin

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – After getting the go signal in 2022, the Department of Agriculture-Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) officially commenced its phase 2 implementation in Northern Mindanao this year through DA-10 Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado

In a planning workshop with SAAD Phase 2-implementing local government units (LGUs) on February 10 in Cagayan de Oro City, SAAD Northern Mindanao Regional Program Management Support Office (SAAD NorMin RPMSO) outlined Social Preparation activities to be conducted as preliminary steps for the implementation of community-based agri-enterprise projects in priority localities in the region.

SAAD is a special program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) designed to curb poverty in economically depressed areas in the country by providing agri-livelihood projects to marginal farmers.

For phase 2, SAAD will be implemented for a six-year period from 2023 to 2028 in 26 municipalities belonging to the 5th and 6th class, having the highest poverty incidence in four provinces of the region.

Specifically, the municipalities of Sagay, Catarman, Mahinog, and Guinsiliban in Camiguin; Libertad, Gitagum, Sugbongcogon, Balingoan, Lagonglong, Kinoguitan, and Binuangan in Misamis Oriental; Don Victoriano Chiongbian, Baliangao, Panaon, Sapang Dalaga, Sinacaban and Concepcion in Misamis Occidental; Tangcal, Sapad, Salvador, Tagoloan, Magsaysay, Matungao, Pantar, Poona Piagapo and Linamon in Lanao del Norte.

Late in 2022, the SAAD NorMin profiled 1 Farmers’ Cooperative, Association (FCA) in the said municipalities, to ascertain the farmer-members’ eligibility as SAAD recipients.

According to Lana May S. Racines, SAAD NorMin focal person, the program is set to conduct Beneficiary Needs Assessment (BNA) in the first quarter of 2023 to determine the suitability of the proposed agri-enterprise to the FCAs’ locality, the capacity of the FCAs and its members to man the SAAD project, as well as market feasibility of the proposed enterprise.

Under the SAAD guidelines, eligible FCAs may propose agri-enterprise projects focused on rice, corn, livestock, or high-value crop production.

SAAD will grant production-to-marketing assistance to the FCAs. Qualified FCA and their proposed enterprise will be officially endorsed by the Local Chief Executive to SAAD NorMin signifying the DA-LGU partnership in SAAD implementation.

In his message, DA-10 OIC-Regional Executive Director, Carlene C. Collado, challenged the LGUs to implement the SAAD Program with a strong intent to develop the local agriculture sector.

He also called on the LGUs to look after the previously granted SAAD and DA projects for the benefit of the farmers. (DA RFO-10)

Teenage pregnancy declines in PH, Normin tops in cases

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Teenage pregnancy cases in the country had gone down from 8.6 percent in 2017 to 5.4 percent in 2022, yet despite the decrease in cases, Northern Mindanao records the highest percentage of adolescents who have been pregnant at 10.9 percent

“Forty-four per 1,000 female adolescents aged 15–19 have given birth in 2020, which means approximately 30 adolescents give birth in the region daily,” Commission on Population (POPCOM)-10 Assistant Regional Director Richmond Charles Gajudo said.

According to data from 2020, the three provinces with the highest rates of teen pregnancy are Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, and Cagayan de Oro City. Each of these three provinces is responsible for 43% of all births to teenagers. The youngest age at which a teen was known to be pregnant was 11 years old in Cagayan de Oro City. In Valencia City, the young mother was 12 years old.

Being pregnant at such a young age is bad for young people, both in terms of their health and their finances. It was also said that having a child at such a young age is bad for a teenager’s health because their bodies aren’t ready to carry a child and can sometimes lead to the death of newborns and infants.

Since the childbearing years of a female are between the ages of 15 and 49, there is a tendency to have repeat pregnancies, which may lead to having more children and the possibility of having multiple partners, which is a health risk.

According to the commission, based on studies involving the very young adolescence of 10–14 years old, female teens who get pregnant have older male partners. Due to this, Republic Acts 11596 and 11648 were created to protect the said age group from child marriage and increase the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 years old.

With the number of teenage pregnancies going up, POPCOM-10 and the local government units (LGUs) have stepped up their efforts to stop them. The commission helps the LGUs plan and get ready for programs that will be used, like setting up a teen center to deal with the problems mentioned above.

“We have a new program being implemented for teen moms and their children called a “social program for adolescent moms and their children.” It is like 4Ps, where they will receive a monthly stipend to support them finish their studies and livelihood programs for them to be able to support the needs of their child,” says POPCOM-10 Technical Section Head Jeremias Cabasan.

POPCOM urges everyone to work together to better address the teenage pregnancy case in the region. Teenage pregnancies are caused by many things, including the teens themselves, their families, the community, and even how policies are put into place. This means that the solution can’t just be found in POPCOM, the Department of Health, or the Department of Education. Instead, there needs to be a collaboration between different agencies and sectors. (JAKA/PIA-10)

NorMin logs 8.4% inflation in Jan., ranks 9th in PH

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Northern Mindanao’s inflation rate rose to 8.4% last month, placing the region in the ninth spot nationwide, the regional office of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Feb. 17, 2023

During a media forum here, PSA 10 (Northern Mindanao) Officer-in-Charge Janith Aves said January’s inflation was higher than December 2022’s 7.8 percent and January 2022’s 4.5 percent with food and non-alcoholic beverages mainly accounting for the increase.

“The rise of onion prices was recorded in this period (January 2023) and is one of the major contributors (to the inflation), which was part of the vegetables, tubers, plantains group,” she said.

Under the food and non-alcoholic commodity group, the region’s inflation rate jumped to 12.1 percent, from 7.8 percent in December 2022 and 4.5 percent in January 2022.

Aves said in the region, the provinces of Camiguin and Misamis Oriental registered the highest inflation rate per province with 8.9 percent.

“Camiguin may be the highest for January but it experienced a decrease from its 9.5 percent inflation in December 2022,” she said. Camiguin’s inflation rate in January 2022, however, was 5.3 percent, according to PSA-10 data.

This city has the lowest inflation rate with 8 percent, compared to 8.2 percent in December 2022 and 4.2 percent in January 2022.

Among the 13 main commodity groups where PSA is getting the overall inflation, the financial services sector had zero percent inflation in the region for both January 2023 and December 2022.

Compared to January 2022, the financial services were the highest among the commodity groups with a 45.2 percent inflation rate. (Nef Luczon/PNA)

Linog mitay-og sa pipila ka lugar sa Mindanao

Isa ka 6.0-magnitude nga linog ang nitay-og sa New Bataan, Davao de Oro ug kasikbit nga mga dapit kaniadtong Peb. 1, ala 6:44 sa gabii, matod sa Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs)

Base sa taho sa The Manila Bulletin, ang Phivolcs niingon nga ang 6.0-magnitude nga linog nga nagpasabot nga kini tungod sa paglihok sa isa ka active fault duol sa lugar.

Intensity V ang nabati sa New Bataan ug Nabunturan sa Davao de Oro; ug intensity IV sa Davao City ug Bislig City, Surigao del Sur.

Intensity III ang natala sa Damulog, Kadingilan, Kalilangan, Libona, Pangantucan ug Talakag, sa Bukidnon; Cagayan De Oro; Cagwait, Bislig, Hinatuan sa Surigao del Sur; Kidapawan City, Cotabato; Alabel, Sarangani; Tupi, South Cotabato.

Intensity II sa El Salvador, Villanueva sa Misamis Oriental; Aleosan, Antipas, Arakan, Carmen, Kabacan, Kidapawan, Libungan, M’lang, Magpet, Makilala, Matalam, Pikit, ug Tulunan, Cotabato; Tandag, Surigao del Sur Koronadal, Tampakan, South Cotabato; Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat; Cotabato; Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte; Libona, Malaybalay, Bukidnon; Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental; Malapatan, Glan, and Kiamba, Sarangani; Norala, General Santos City.

Samtang Intensity I sa Alamada, Cotabato; Baybay and Dulag, Leyte; Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental; Maitum, Sarangani; Suralla, Santo Nino, T’Boli, and Tantangan, South Cotabato; Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte; Esperanza, Tacurong, Columbio, Sultan Kudarat; Surigao City, Surigao Del Norte

Ang Phivolcs niingon nga parehong aftershocks ug kadaot sa imprastraktura ang gipaabot gikan sa pinakaulahing linog. (Diego M. Hidalgo)

DILG chief vows to probe drug trades in jails

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will launch a deeper probe into the illegal drug trade in jail facilities after receiving information about similar incidents in Northern Mindanao

In a media conference here Monday, DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. vowed that through the agency’s “Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan” (BIDA), incidents of illegal drugs proliferating in jail facilities will end.

“Let us see how to go about it; in the meantime, part of our program is to intensify drug testing (even for government personnel),” Abalos said.

Abalos was joined by officials of the Police Regional Office-10 (PRO-10) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Region 10 in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental province, to lead local activities related to the DILG’s anti-drug campaign.

Abalos said the DILG also considers the mandatory use of surveillance cameras in “sensitive areas” to ensure no persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) are being taken out to trade illegal drugs.

“We will look into the reports of cellphones (being used to communicate outside the jail),” he added.

Between 2019 and 2022, the Misamis Oriental provincial jail based in this city reported incidents involving PDLs caught engaging in illegal drugs with the help of outsiders.

Misamis Oriental Governor Pedro Unabia said he supports the DILG’s anti-drug programs.

During Monday’s event with Abalos, PRO-10 also raised awareness of the revitalized “Kasimbayanan” program, which stands for “Kapulisan, Simbahan, at Pamayanan,” that sought the police force’s partnership with religious organizations and the public against illegal drugs. (Nef Luczon/PNA)

 

Katukuran sa 2 ka RTC branches sa Bukidnon, gihangyo kang Sen. Pres. Zubiri

Gihangyo sa 27th Sangguniang Panlalawigan si Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri sa paghimo og balaod nga magtukod sa dugang duha ka Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch, 10th Judicial Regional nga ipahimutang sa lungsod sa Maramag ug Don Carlos, Bukidnon

Gitandi sa 27th SP ang probinsya sa Bukidnon ug Misamis Oriental, basi sa 2020 Population Census sa Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), nasuta nga adunay dakong diperensya sa kadaghanon sa populasyon sa duha ka probinsya. Diin ang Misamis Oriental aduna lamang populasyon nga 956,900 apan adunay 18 ka RTC Branches, samtang ang Bukidnon, adunay 1,541,308 nga populasyon, apan aduna lamang walo ka RTC Branches.

Mo-ihap ngadto sa 3,685 ang collective caseload sa tibuok RTC sa Bukidnon as of Jan. 2022, diin 3,566 niini ang mga kaso nga natanggong o pending sa RTC Branch 8,9,10,45,46 ug 119 ang pending case sa RTC Branch 11. Samtang as of Sep. 2022, ang pending cases mo-ihap na ngadto sa 3,678, diin 3,589 niini ang gikan sa RTC Branch 8,9,10,45,46 ug 89 ang gikan sa Branch 11.

Gisugyot nga ang RTC Branch nga ipahimutang sa lungsod sa Maramag, adunay territorial jurisdiction unya sa mga lungsod sa Maramag, Quezon, Pangantucan ug Kalilangan, samtang ang lain pa nga RTC Branch nga ipahimutang sa Don Carlos mao usab ang magtutok sa mga kaso gikan sa mga lungsod sa Don Carlos, Kitaotao, Dangcagan, Kibawe, Damulog ug Kadingilan.

Sa maong lakang gikinahanglan usab nga mapahimutang unya ang Prosecutor’s Sub-Office, Public Attorney’s Office, Parole and Probation Office, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology ug Hall of Justice nga magamit sa usa ka RTC sa Maramag ug Don Carlos, Bukidnon, nga gi-inagurahan na niadtong Pebrero 22, 2022 ug Marso 22, 2022.

Gikunsidera sa SP nga kung madugangan ang RTC Branches sa probinsya, mas mapadali ug mapasayon ang paglihok sa kaso, sa ingon, dali na usab ang pagkab-ot sa hustisya. (PR)