DA-7 urges public to plant vegetables amidst decreasing in vegetable production and consumption

By Amorganda A. Saludar

CEBU CITY, June 20 (PIA) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) -7 urged the public to practice organic farming and urban gardening in order to increase the production of chemical-free vegetables. It said that vegetable production in the country is decreasing. 

“Vegetable production is (declining) despite government’s intervention so we advise people to go into urban gardening and organic farming,” DA-7 High-Value Development Program (DA-7, HVCDP) Coordinator, Nenita Seno said. 

Seno also urged everyone to help increase the production of fruits and vegetables. “If you want to live longer, plant your own vegetables,”she added. 

Based on the Bureau of Agriculture Statistics records, vegetable production in the region dropped between the years 2010 and 2011. 

Vegetable production in Cebu for 2010 recorded 57,529 but decreased by 3.57 percent the following year with 55,478. In the same period, Bohol pegged its production at 37,249, which went down to 26,940 the next year or a decrease of 27.68 percent. 

On the other hand, Negros Oriental’s vegetable production reached 34,487 by 2010 but took a dive the following year with only 30,769 (10.78 percent) while Siquijor’s production in 2010 was at 1,603, but decreased by 10.87 percent the following year with 1,429. 

In view of this, the government is intensifying moves to increase vegetable production not just in the region but in the entire country. 

One of these moves is HVCDP–RA 9700 or HVCDP Act of 1995, which is aimed at promoting the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of high-value crops as this is the priority program of the Department of Agriculture created to help address food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable growth with its strategy to increase income, create livelihood opportunity, and contribute to national development. 

It is also the objective of the bureau to promote vegetables and increased consumption of the general public and increase the demand to support local crop farmers. 

It is also aimed for families, schools, and communities to establish and maintain vegetable gardens as well as to increase the awareness of the people on the benefits vegetables can offer. 

This will also address the declining consumption of vegetables and to emphasize the importance of vegetables as the main source of vitamins and minerals as well as in prevention of diseases. 

This year’s Nutrition Month Celebration to be commemorated next month is also seen to boost vegetable production in the country as this bares the theme “Pagkain ng Gulay Ugaliin, Araw-araw Itong Ihain.” (rmn/AS/PIA-7, CEBU)

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Helmet suppliers to flourish with enactment of Helmet Law – DTI-7

By Fayette C. Ri�en

CEBU CITY, June 21 (PIA) -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7) expects the number of helmet traders and dealers to flourish with the implementation of Republic Act No. 1054 or the Helmet Law of 2009. 

DTI regional director Asteria Caberte bared there are currently 51 suppliers of helmets, which is actually increasing as the DTI listed 40 compliant brands of helmets that are in accordance with the law. 

Caberte, during the “Kapihan sa PIA,” said she would furnish a copy to all media outlets the list of 40 compliant brands of standard helmets for them to help the government inform the public about the law. 

The two agencies tasked to strictly implement the law are the DTI and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) which are set to fully implement it starting August 1. 

“We are now finished with our region-wide information dissemination campaign here in Central Visayas. I could say that awareness level in the region is already quite high,” said Caberte. 

Caberte said their office is now monitoring commercial establishments selling helmets whether these fall in accordance with the standard helmet as required by law. 

“We have already pulled out quite a number of helmets that do not conform to the law’s requirement based on our monitoring and inspection,” said Caberte. 

The DTI-7 chief however admitted that prices of approved-standard helmets would go up given the greater demand with the strict implementation of the law. 

“We are now looking into the behavior of prices of helmets but so far, I would say the prices are still within normal range,” Caberte said but admitted that their office cannot put a cap on the costs nor control the prices of helmets. 

“The standard price would be around P800 but there are other brands coming that would cost as low as P500,” she added. 

One of the main objectives of RA 1054 or the “Act Mandating Motorcycle Riders to Wear Standard Protective Motorcycle Helmet While Driving” is to reduce the incidence of motor vehicular accidents. (PIA 7, Cebu)

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Confidentiality in the processing of PhilHealth claims for HIV/AIDS assured

By Hazel F. Gloria

CEBU CITY, June 21 (PIA) -- PhilHealth assures its members diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the region of confidentiality in the processing of their benefit claims. 

To protect patients’ rights to confidentiality, all claims for PhilHealth’s outpatient HIV/AIDS treatment (OHAT) package shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope, marked “confidential,” and submitted to the PhilHealth regional office, according to a statement from PhilHealth. 

This is due to the rising incidence of people with HIV in the country. 

Only three pre-identified PhilHealth employees of the regional office will be directly involved in the processing of claims for HIV/AIDS, and they are required by the corporation to sign a confidentiality agreement to further this. 

The OHAT package is for PhilHealth members and qualified dependents confirmed with HIV/AIDS infection. To be covered, patients must undergo treatment in a Department of Health (DOH)-accredited treatment hub. 

Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center is the accredited treatment hub in Central Visayas. 

Coverage under this package amounts to P30,000, released in four quarterly payments. The covered treatment is in accordance with the guidelines set by DOH on anti-retroviral therapy among adults and adolescents with HIV infection. (PIA-7/HFG/PhilHealth)

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LTO-7 seeks public’s cooperation on helmet law

By Amorganda A. Saludar

CEBU CITY, June 21 (PIA) -- The Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Region 7 is seeking the full cooperation of the public on the implementation of the helmet law, which is set to be implemented in full swing on August 1 this year. 

Republic Act 10054 or the Philippine Helmet Law mandates all motorcycle riders to wear standard protective motorcycle helmets while driving, and imposing the equivalent penalties to those violating the said law. 

LTO-7 Regional Director Raul Aguilos disclosed in a recent "Kapihan sa PIA" forum that it is important for the public to understand the reason and the purpose of implementing the helmet law. 

“The important is the public can internalize and understand the reason and the purpose of implementing this law. They should know that this law is implemented all for the purpose of safety and security of the public in the road," Aguilos said. 

He added that people should not only think and look on the negative effects of this law, but rather look after the welfare and the benefits the law can offer to the general public. 

“It is very important to not just look and think of the implementation of this law as negative but we should know and understand the reason why it is implemented. People should look at the positive side and not just look after themselves,” Aguilos stressed. 

He noted that the national figures given by Department of Health pegged road accidents involving motorcycles at 60 percent, also wherein the fatality is high. 

Aguilos said that LTO will go after the law violators or motorists not wearing the standardized helmet and helmets without ICC stickers, once this will be fully implemented. 

“Among giawhag ug gihangyo ang katawhan nga magtinabangay ta, kay kini dili lang para sa opisina para ni sa kaayohan sa tanan, mosunod lang ta sa balaod (We are urging and requesting the public that we should help each other because this is not for the office only; this is for the welfare of everybody, let us just follow the law)," Aguilos concluded. (rmn/AS-PIA 7, Cebu)

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Search for country's most outstanding volunteer launched

By Amorganda A. Saludar

CEBU CITY, June 20 (PIA) -- The Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) launched a search for the Most Outstanding Volunteers in the country to recognize the contribution of Filipino volunteers in building strong communities in the country. 

The search is open to all Filipino citizens and Filipino volunteer organizations and local chapters of the foreign volunteer organizations that render volunteer assistance here in the country. 

Two types of awards will be conferred to the most outstanding volunteers. First is the National Outstanding Volunteer Award (NOVA), which is categorized into individual, which is then classified into youth and adult and the organization which is also classified as non-profit and corporate. The second is the Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award (VLAA) conferred as individual volunteer Filipino citizenship or Filipino volunteer organization or a local chapter of a foreign volunteer organization serving here in the country. 

NOVA is a recognition given to an outstanding volunteer, whether an individual or an organization chosen from the regional qualifiers. 

For the individual category, this refers to a volunteer, that in his or her own free will, has involved himself or herself in any activities, of which the primary purpose and reason is for humanitarian rather than monetary, spend time, do activities geared to benefit the community, the environment or individuals outside one’s immediate family. 

Youth volunteers qualified for the individual category must be 15 to 30 years old, while adults must be at least 31 years old at the time set for the submission of the nomination. Volunteers should also have been providing volunteer assistance to socio-economic, civic and humanitarian programs or projects in institutions or communities consistently for at least three years for youth category while at least five years for adult category. 

Nominees must be a member of a volunteer organization or institution that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); or registered by PNVSCA or duly recognized by an accrediting government institution; or is recognized as a volunteer by communities, groups or institutions which the volunteer serves. 

Nominees under the non-profit organization these are any of the non-stock, non-governmental organization including schools and academic institutions and not affiliated with any company or corporation and one that engages the services of volunteers in socio-economic and cultural development, humanitarian, civic activities, advocacy, capability building and networking for volunteerism or is created specifically to recruit, train and deploy volunteers for such purpose. 

While corporate refers to the companies that engage employee volunteering as an approach to achieve corporate social responsibility; or to corporate supported or affiliated foundations that engage volunteers to implement volunteer programs. 

To qualify for these category nominees must be providing volunteer assistance consistently at least five years for non-profit organization while at least three years for corporate. 

Nominees must be formally organized by with SEC registration or duly registered by the PNVSCA or granted accreditation by government or non-government organizations recognized by the government; or is formally established but is recognized as a volunteer organization by communities, groups or institutions it serves. 

Recipient for the VLAA must be consistently involved in volunteering activities for at least 25 years, has attained national status and recognition in the field of volunteerism, must be a recipient of national and international awards, plays a significant role in promoting volunteerism and encourage others to render volunteerism practice and serves as role model through positive representation of volunteerism for development. 

Deadline for the submission of nominations must be received by the SOV Regional Search Committees not later than August 17, 2012 while mailed nomination must be postmarked not later than the same date. 

Regional qualifiers will receive certificates of recognition; national awardees will receive trophies while recipients of VLAA will receive medals and certificates of recognition. VLAA awardees outside Metro Manila will be provided round-trip transportation and accommodation for their presence during the awarding ceremony which will be set in Manila on December 2012. (RMN/AAS-PIA7 Cebu)

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Slight difference in classroom set-up due to K-12 says Cebu DepEd officialno additional fees to be collected

By Amorganda A. Saludar

CEBU CITY, June 20 (PIA) -- An official from the Department of Education (DepEd) here declared, there was a “slight difference” in this year’s opening of classes now that the K to 12's implementation is in full swing affecting the basic education system in the country. 

Edgar Baring, Lapu-lapu City DepEd program supervisor, bared this during the June 2 episode of "Pagtuki," the official radio program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), as he said that the national government will surely exert extraordinary effort to address the needs of the students in this new system of education and the changes it will cause. 

"The local and national governments are trying their best to attain the needs of the students in this new scheme of education," Baring said. 

Some of these changes include the additional subjects to take account in grades 1, 2, and 3, which will result to the decrease in the contact time of teaching in some of the old subjects as based on the DepEd Order no. 31 series of 2012. 

K-12 entails the addition of the subjects Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) in grades 1, 2 and 3; and Edukasyong Pagkakatao (Edukasyong Pagpapahalaga in the old curriculum) and with this based on DepEd Order no. 31 series of 2012 Science’s span of teaching is now only 240 minutes instead of 360 minutes per week. 

Mathematics, English, Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE), MAPEH and Filipino, from 300 minutes a week falls to 240 minutes, 180 minutes a week for Araling Panlipunan (AP) and 120 minutes a week for Edukasyong Pagkakatao (Values Educ.). 

"Lapu-Lapu public schools are expected to increase 8-10 percent of the population because of the transferees from private schools who decided to move to government schools due to tuition fee increase of their respective schools and there are lots of migrants from Cebu province and even from Mindanao," Baring shared. 

Another change to take place in this year’s education system in the country is the revival of the mother-tongue based medium of instruction from kindergarten to grade 3. 

Despite this full implementation of K-12 this year DepEd reminds the public that no fees should be collected in any public school nationwide apart from the fees for Boy Scout of the Philippines and Girl Scout of the Philippines, which is P50, P35 for Philippine Red Cross (PRC), and a unanimous decision of the parents for the contribution of Parents-Teachers Association (PTA). 

"Pagtuki" is aired over DYLA every Saturday at 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The program tackles timely and relevant issues affecting the Cebuano community. 

For more information about the radio program, visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph. (RMN/AS-PIA7 CEBU)