Iloilo City News July 2017

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Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

Iloilo City to host lighting of ASEAN landmark

By Perla G. Lena (PNA)

ILOILO CITY -- Iloilo City was chosen as among the 50 sites in the Philippines that will host the historic lighting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) landmark slated this coming evening of August 8.

The landmark lighting is among the activities lined up to commemorate the historical milestone of the ASEAN. Fifty historic landmarks will be lighted in areas that served as venues for ASEAN meetings and activities or as hosts of ASEAN centers and institutions, according to a letter addressed to Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and signed by Catalino S. Cuy, officer-in-charge of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

City tourism officer Junel Ann P. Divinagracia, in an interview Thursday, said that they plan to mount the six-foot fiberglass lantern in front of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) where ASEAN meetings were hosted.

The fiberglass lantern will have 80 pieces of 10-watt incandescent bulbs and the design will be composed of ASEAN logo and colors with anahaw leaves and sampaguita flower. The lantern design was by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

She added that the lantern would be prepared by the inmates of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for them to also earn an income.

Dinagyang warriors will perform to usher the event, Divinagracia said. The nationwide simultaneous switched on will be held at exactly 7:00 p.m.

Volunteers who served during ASEAN meetings in Iloilo will be invited to join. They will be given certificates for the services they rendered, she added.

It is an honor for the city to be chosen as one of the hosts for the lighting of the ASEAN landmark, she said as this would highlight the city as a MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibits) destination.

Iloilo City hosted the 22nd Senior Officials Meetings for the Asean-Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council and 17th ASCC Meeting on March 6-9 and the 3rd Asean Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Good Regulatory Practice Network Meeting on March 14-15.

Tour on two wheels: Seeing Iloilo City's historic sights by bike

By Katerina Francisco (Rappler.com)

A local biking community hopes to promote cycling by holding 'visi-tours' – a tour-by-bike to the famed tourist spots of the city

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – By day, the historic heritage street of Calle Real is bustling with activity, as Ilonggos go about their daily lives in the decades-old business district.

By night, however, Calle Real comes alive in a different way. The roaring jeeps and cars are gone, and instead incandescent street lamps light up the quiet street, rendering it a scene straight out of the Spanish era.

This was one of the stops on a Tuesday night biking tour held by members of iFOLD, a group of cycling enthusiasts who hold regular biking activities around the city. For this particular night, the group held what it calls a "visi-tour" for Rappler – a tour-by-bike to the famed tourist spots of Iloilo City.

One of the group's members is Wilfredo Sy Jr, an architect by profession who also runs café and bike rental shop Fitstop, where visitors can avail of tours to discover the city on two wheels.

Iloilo City, after all, is hailed as one of the Philippines' most walk-friendly and bike-friendly places. Aside from hosting an annual biking festival, the city is also investing in infrastructure to encourage more people to bike. A 5-kilometer bike lane runs on Diversion Road, and soon, another 4-kilometer bike lane is set to connect to that, running through the city's university area.

Through its weekly night rides, iFOLD hopes to encourage more Ilonggos to bike to work and around the city instead of using motorized transportation.

The proposed university bike loop, a project in which Sy is involved in, would go around 6 major tertiary institutions and would stand to benefit some 58,000 students.

"Part of the logic why we did it with university groups first is that there are active cycling groups there," Sy said.

He also pointed out that even before Iloilo City had bike lanes, people were already going around the city on two wheels.

But the city is banking on the idea that with better bike infrastructure that would help protect cyclists as they go around the city, more people would be encouraged to use bicycles instead of cars.

Tour by bike

One of the ways iFOLD is promoting cycling is by linking it up with tourism. On this particular "visi-tour," the 20-kilometer route would cover the heritage areas of the city that most tourists only get to visit in the daytime.

From Fitstop's headquarters along Diversion Road, the group kicked off the tour on the bike lane running on the highway – a smooth, easy ride, as the lane helped protect the group from motor vehicles sharing the road.

For around two hours, the bike tour covered Iloilo City's famed tourist hotspots, such as the Jaro Cathedral, the old Iloilo provincial capitol, Calle Real, and Plaza Libertad, among others. With the city streets almost deserted at night, it was like being on a private city tour without the bustling crowds.

With a total travel time of just around two hours, bike tours like these also highlight the fact that one can get around Iloilo City quite easily by bike.

But the challenge, Sy said, is convincing people that biking to work – for many, just a 5-kilometer distance – is possible.

Raising awareness is also another challenge, because even with the bike lanes, other road users seem to have an apparent disregard – or even outright hostility – towards bikers.

"There are jeepney drivers or taxi drivers who try to corner you. Sometimes you can talk it over with them," Sy said.

"On the other hand, there are traffic enforcers who even help us out during a bike ride, stopping traffic for us when we cross the road," he added.

But Sy is also aware of the risks that bikers like him face. In May 2016, Sy figured in a road crash, after a vehicle rear-ended his bicycle, sending him tumbling down on the road. Fortunately, he did not sustain major injuries and was able to recover completely after two months.

This is where road safety education comes in. Sy hopes that more people would be educated on how to properly use bike lanes, and that motorists accord cyclists respect while sharing the road.

Despite these risks and the challenges they face, Iloilo's biking enthusiasts hope that their weekly rides – making them a staple presence on the city's roads – would promote more awareness of cycling and encourage others to join their community.

Aside from promoting a healthy lifestyle and an alternative mode of transportation, the group's weekly night rides allow them to see their own city with new eyes. This is one thing they'd like to share with their fellow Ilonggos.

"Sometimes we revisit old places, sometimes we look for new routes. We constantly explore the city," said Sy.

Free use of district hospital ambulance for indigent patients

By Cindy B. Ferrer (PNA)

ILOILO CITY, July 27 -- The use of ambulances in 12 government-owned hospitals operating in the province of Iloilo is now free of charge for all indigent patients.

This after Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. signed on Thursday, the Executive Order No.183, directing all chiefs of hospitals and administrative officers to grant indigent patients free use of the government ambulance.

The EO also covers the free ambulance transportation of patients in urgent and emergency cases.

The provincial government has been hearing complaints over the refusal of district hospitals for patients to use their ambulance if there is no prior payment.

Recently, there was a report that the ambulance driver of the Sara District Hospital refused to transport a five-year-old patient admitted last July 17 to another hospital in Iloilo City.

In a press conference Thursday, Provincial administrator and head of the Hospital Management Office (HMO) Raul Banias, explained that the patient has microscopic hematuria based on the result of the urinalysis. The doctor of the hospital advised the patient to consult a nephrologist or a specialist in kidney problems.

The family of the patient opted to go home on July 18. The patient was brought to a city hospital the following day using a public bus for transportation .

A report prepared by Nurse IV Ma. Delia Alpasan and noted by chief of hospital Dr. Jeremiah Obanaña, revealed that the patient’s mother was told that the ambulance fee was PHP1,800 when she inquired from Brittany Pradel, a staff nurse in the hospital.

"She was told the amount and was even advised to visit the social worker if they cannot afford the fee," Banias said.

The governor said that the patient might not have consulted the social worker and did not insist to use the ambulance.

"If only they visited the social welfare of the hospital, they might have been assessed and if they are indigent, was granted the use of the ambulance even though the patient is ambulatory," he said.

Meanwhile, Banias said that he called for a two-day meeting with 42 drivers of various hospitals in province to remind them of guidelines in the use of ambulances. The first meeting was conducted on Wednesday while the second was conducted on Thursday.

Banias added that the drivers were also re-oriented of the code of ethical standards for government officials.

A separate meeting will be conducted Friday with the governor, Banias and all chiefs of hospitals and administrative officers to tackle the newly-signed EO.

Iloilo City village officials undergo disaster risk reduction training

By Perla G. Lena (PNA)

ILOILO CITY, July 26 -- Selected barangay officials of Iloilo City are undergoing a four-day enhancement training program on Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction Management (CBDRRM) as a follow up to their DRRM training that was held wayback July 2013.

The training is in two batches: the first batch started today at the La Carmela de Boracay in Malay, Aklan until this Saturday. The second batch will be held August 1-4, 2017, also in the same venue, according to Liga ng mga Barangay president Reyland Hervias.

“The Community Based Risk Reduction Management is a process by which communities at risk are actively engaged in the identification, analysis, treatment, monitoring, and evaluation of disaster risks to reduce their vulnerability and enhance their capability. This initiative allows ordinary people to participate in the planning and development of safer and more disaster resilient localities,” he explained.

The training is in coordination with the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).

He said that since the appointment of Donna Magno as CDRRMO head, she has been in close coordination with barangay officials, citing their need to prepare in case of calamities. This resulted in the crafting of a DRRM training design for barangay officials.

Hervias explained that since their first training was more on theories, this CDRRM training will already include simulation exercises. Also, there will be discussions on the Philippine DRRM Systems and Inclusive Community Based DRRM, Conducting Community Based Preparedness, Prevention and Mitigation and Disaster Response.

Each barangay is allotted four slots composed of the Punong Barangay, Secretary, Councilor who chairs the committee on disaster and head of their tanod.

“Hopefully we will get the proper training and download this to our respective barangays,” he added.

The activity is also very timely as President Rodrigo Duterte during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday underscored as of “urgent concern” disaster resiliency of Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.

Hotel 101 group brings top accounts to Iloilo

(PR)

THE Hotel 101 Group held an appreciation party for their top accounts, corporate bookers, and partners from Iloilo, at the Horizon Café in Injap Tower Hotel in Iloilo City.

Hotel 101 Group’s top 10 accounts were flown in from Metro Manila to be recognized in the evening’s program, also witnessed by the hotel’s Iloilo top partners. The event was hosted by Mutya ng Pilipinas Miss Asia Pacific International 2016 Ganiel Akrisha Krishnan.

Apart from the recognition of top accounts, raffle prizes were also given out to treat the group, like accommodations to any of the hotels under the group’s three brands, as well as two tickets to any of the Air Juan scheduled destinations as grand prize. While an acoustic performer ushered the evening, the rest of the night was spiced up by the local show band, The Four Elements, as musical entertainment.

Hotel management team played hospitable hosts to their clients including Hotel 101 Group general manager Lei Policarpio, group head of Sales and Marketing Gel Gomez, Revenue Management partner Earl Tanmantiong, and Injap Tower Hotel assistant hotel manager Con Tubera.

“Tracing our roots from Iloilo City, we wanted to showcase not only our group’s first property, which is Injap Tower Hotel, but also the rich heritage, culture, and natural beauty of Iloilo,” general manager Policarpio said.

The Hotel 101 Group also treated their top partners to sample the best of what Iloilo has to offer, with a city tour and island hopping at Islas de Gigantes.

The Islas de Gigantes or Gigantes Islands is a remote group of islands located off the coast of Carles and Estancia towns in northeastern Iloilo. These islands showcase beautiful seascapes with pristine white sand beaches, bountiful fresh seafood, and jagged limestone rock formations shrouded by mystical tales of locals.

The Hotel 101 Group is a subsidiary of Double Dragon Properties Corporation, which manages homegrown hotel brands Hotel 101 – Manila in the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City, Injap Tower Hotel in Iloilo City, and the franchised hotel brand from China Jinjiang Inn, with Jinjiang Inn – Ortigas and Jinjiang Inn – Makati, located in the central business districts.

Iloilo City eyes ‘SMART excellence’ tag

By Leonard T. Pineda I (JCM/LTP/PIA-Iloilo)

ILOILO CITY (PIA6) --- Iloilo City eyes to become a premiere ‘SMART City of Excellence’ as it recently launched the 40-day celebration of the city’s 80th Charter Day.

SMART stands for Services, Manufacturing and agri-business, Arts and culture, Research and technology, and Tourism, as these are priority potential areas of investments and inclusive growth that benefit the people.

City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said the city government’s commitment and dedication to good governance and exemplary public service will be sustained.

“For 80 years, we have seen the significant, meaningful, beautiful, peaceful and progressive changes that have happened in the city,” he said.

However, he stressed that there are still more things to be done and all of these could only materialize if each one of us will continue to cooperate, participate and collaborate in order for us to achieve our dream to make Iloilo a premier SMART city of excellence.

He encouraged all the Ilonggos to work together in the programs and activities in order for Iloilo City to reach this vision.

“We have to help one another because being united and making good plans for the city and doing what is morally right rather than what is politically correct, I am quite sure that our beloved city and the Ilonggos have nowhere to go but up,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Charter Day celebration kicked off with a parade on July 17, participated in by city government officials and employees, schools, and barangay officials.

This year’s big event, which will culminate on August 25, banners the theme "Celebrating 80 Years of Ilonggo Culture and Pride."

Malacañang, through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, issued Proclamation No. 253 declaring August 25 as a special non-working holiday in Iloilo City.

CCTV law now covers motels, drive-in hotels, lodging houses

By Maricyn A. De los Santos (PNA)

ILOILO CITY -- The Iloilo City Council approved the inclusion of motels, drive-in hotels, pension and lodging houses, and seaports in this city’s CCTV Ordinance on Tuesday.

Councilor Ely Estante, author of the amendments, said the CCTV ordinance has been useful in solving crimes and to determine liable individuals or perpetrators.

The Sangguniang Panlungod (SP) approved Estante’s amendments to Article 3 of “An Ordinance Requiring All Business and Commercial Complexes and Establishments and Other Places and Space Considered as High-Risk to Install Video Surveillance Cameras or CCTV and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof” by adding motels, drive-in hotels, pension houses and lodging houses in the list of high-risk establishments in the metro.

The councilor moved for the inclusion of “motels, drive-in hotels, pension houses, and lodging houses” because he said these became susceptible to murders and crime incidents due to ease of access in obtaining a room and uncomplicated check-out scheme.

Estante pushed for the amendment of the previous ordinance after a court dismissed due to “lack of coverage” the city government’s case against the owner of Moonlight Lodge in Arevalo, where a teenaged girl was killed by an older male companion sometime in June 2016.

Councilor Joshua Alim, on his part, suggested to specify seaports as high-risk area, too.

The ordinance calls for the installation of CCTVs in banks, including their satellite offices, branches and ATM; money changers; pawnshops; and other credit, lending and/or financial institutions; hotels, malls, and supermarkets; fuel, petrol or gas stations; transport terminals; convenience stores operating 24 hours or which operate during nighttime; private schools; stores selling liquor including but not limited to disco houses or clubs; places and spaces where critical assets or properties of the city government are situated; other high-risk areas subsequently declared as such by the SP.

New Iloilo City grandstand to be completed in 2019 – mayor

By Maricyn A. De los Santos (PNA)

ILOILO CITY, -- This city will have its new grandstand in 2019 and bidding will start soon, Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said on Monday.

Mabilog, in an interview, said the design of the new Iloilo Freedom Grandstand was completed and its PHP100-million budget to be sourced from the city government’s General Fund has been approved. “We are waiting for the bidding of the project to start,” Mabilog said.

The new Iloilo Freedom Grandstand is to be located at corner Aduana-Muelle Loney Streets in city proper district here.

The infrastructure will be built in the more or less 2,600 square-meter property the city acquired from Panay Railways, Inc.

Mabilog said the city government set aside PHP100 million for the project; of the amount, a total of PHP50 million is allocated for the construction of the multi-purpose building at the back of the grandstand, which also gets an allocation of PHP50 million.

The new Iloilo Freedom Grandstand will face the historic and scenic Iloilo River. It is designed to accommodate at least 4,000 crowd, while the multi-purpose building will be the new home of some City Hall offices like the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO), Transportation Management and Traffic Regulation Office (TMTRO), among others.

The city initially targets to complete the grandstand on or before January 2018, in time for the golden anniversary of Iloilo’s prime tourism event, the Dinagyang Festival.

The ICUPAO and the Task Force Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures (TF ASIS) had recently met with the 38 illegal settlers in the city’s property to discuss their relocation to the city’s housing units.

The city gave the illegal settlers 60 days or until the second week of September to voluntarily vacate their houses. An initial of 10 illegal settlers volunteered to vacate their dwellings earlier than the 60-day period.

TF ASIS Executive Director Engr. Roberto Dumanil said the illegal settlers were briefed of the city’s project as early as January this year.

DPWH-6 carry out massive clean-up to prevent flooding

By Cindy B. Ferrer (PNA)

ILOILO CITY, July 18 -- With the onset of the rainy season, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Western Visayas has intensified the cleaning of drainage canals to prevent clogging and flooding.

DPWH-6 maintenance division chief Oliver Zamora, in an interview on Tuesday, said that all district engineering offices in the region have been directed to implement immediate and appropriate maintenance work to declog drainage systems.

They were specifically told to do manual clean-up, remove obstruction and debris along canals and repair and replace drainage structures.

Also, they were instructed to clean river water-wastes to avoid the overflow of water in bridges whenever there will be heavy rains.

For ongoing or recently completed infrastructure projects, Zamora said that they were instructed to remove the debris or spills.

Areas near the major river basins like in the province of Capiz, where the Panay River Basin is located, are prone to flooding, Zamora said.

Also, Zamora said that district offices were directed to cut or trim the branches of trees, particularly along national roads, to prevent road obstruction of falling trees that might happen due to strong winds and heavy rains.

Each district engineering office is required to submit a weekly report to make sure that they are doing their tasks, Zamora said.

The region has 10 engineering district offices - four in Iloilo province; two in Capiz and one in each of Iloilo City, Aklan, Antique and Guimaras.

While DPWH is busy cleaning drainage canals and rivers, Zamora advised the public to avoid throwing their garbage into the rivers, especially the non-biodegradable like plastics.

Zamora said they mostly would gather plastics after they declogging operations in canals and rivers.

He also asked the public to clean small canals near their households to avoid floodings during heavy rains.

CWDs get farm-tour

By Leonard T. Pineda I (JCM/LTP/PIA-Iloilo)

ILOILO CITY, July 17 (PIA6) --- Children with special needs will get a treat from the Department of Tourism (DOT)-6 as the agency is set to take them on a ‘farm tour’ this week.

DOT-6 Regional Director Helen Catalbas said that the special farm tour for children with disabilities (CWDs) is slated to be conducted on July 21, 2017 in relation with the celebration of the 39th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week.

“Tourism is for everyone and that includes persons and children with disabilities,” she said.

She said the agency will introduce these children to the latest tourism product of Western Visayas, which is farm tourism, and to immerse them to outdoor activities.

She said this tour aims to provide an environment for support and enhancing children’s play and development.

“DOT-6 is certain this small act of kindness will go a long way not only for these children but also for the tourism industry,” she said.

She added that this endeavor will encourage tourism establishments to make their facilities and amenities more PWD/CWD friendly.

The farm tour activity is in in coordination with SPED-Integrated School for Exceptional Children.

Training program in Iloilo City to develop leaders with conscience

By Maricyn A. De los Santos (PNA)

ILOILO CITY -- Iloilo City Councilor Lady July Grace Baronda on Friday called on youth anew to take advantage of the city government-funded training program designed to develop future leaders “with conscience and who love their country".

In a press conference, Baronda announced that the Iloilo City Leadership Academy has started the online application for the five-month leadership program for the youth aged 15 to 30 years.

“The Iloilo City Leadership Youth Academy (ICLYA) aims to create a community of young leaders, with diverse interests, determined to ensure inclusive growth and aid in the development of Iloilo City,” she explained.

“Our mission-vision is to create holistic young leaders with conscience, and who love their country by providing intensive learning opportunities that prepare them to achieve positive impact,” she stressed.

The program, she added, seeks to establish a venue for fresh insights and solutions to age-old, recurring and/or recent social, economic and political issues.

ICLYA aims to prepare our young leaders to be better leaders in the future, she added.

Those eligible to apply are residents of this city with barangay clearance as proof of residency. Those who will qualify must commit to aid in the development of the city, and must be able to attend 90 percent of the training, submit the required output, and must have the heart for service.

The deadline of submission of online application form is on July 26, 2017. The training will start on August 12, in time for the International Youth Day celebration. The training will be held every Saturday.

The first batch will be composed of 50 trainees.

“They are required to have a legacy project that is in line with the 10-point agenda of Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, and must become members of the city’s volunteer program dubbed Kabalaka Advocacy Program, the city’s Community Based Adaptation and Resilience Against Disasters Project. Kabalaka stands for Kahublagan sa Barangay para sa Lapnagon nga Kahandaan sa Kalamidad (Movement for Community Based Disaster Preparedness).

Baronda said this year’s training will focus on leadership. “Next year, we plan to focus on trainings on entrepreneurial skills,” she said.

Meanwhile, Baronda plans to author an ordinance that will push for the institutionalization of the program.

Billions of infra projects to rise in W.Visayas - NEDA-6

By Cindy B. Ferrer (PNA)

ILOILO CITY,July 13 -- Billions of infrastructure projects will soon rise in Western Visayas, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Region 6.

These projects are under the Public Investment Program (PIP) 2017-2022, a companion document of the Philippine Development Plan. These projects are also included in the Regional Development Investment Program (RDIP) which is accompanied to the Regional Development Plan of NEDA-6.

NEDA-6 Regional Director Ro-an Bacal, in a press conference on Friday, said that among the priority projects they hope to complete under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is the PHP27 billion Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) island bridge project.

Also, included are the PHP30 billion improvement of the Iloilo International Airport; PHP20 billion Silay Airport in Bacolod City,Negros Occidental; and the PHP13 billion Panay River Basin Integrated Development Projects.

The PHP11.2 billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) II in Calinog,Iloilo will also be pursued, Bacal said.

Other than these, they are also pushing for some KALAHI-CIDSS or the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service National Community-Driven Development Project (NCDDP) projects, widening of national roads, development of bus terminals, improvement of ports, among others.

Bacal also said that they are also generating inputs from the regional line agencies and the local government units in the provinces and cities that they would like the national government to do for them.

Chief economic development specialist Gilberto A. Altura said that these project are in the bidding process.

For the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge, Altura said that the project is open for the conduct of feasibility study.

He recalled that there are already feasibility study conducted by the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JAICA) way back in the 1990s for the Panay-Guimaras bridge, however, he said that it has to be updated.

"However, when the new administration came in, there are negotiations already with the Chinese government. There are Chinese representatives who are now interested not only for the bridge between Iloilo and Guimaras but onwards to Negros and even for the whole of Visayas," he added.

NEDA-6 on Friday launched here the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.

NEDA Assistant secretary Mercidita Sombilla discussed the framework of the plan.

PDP contains the strategies that fall under the three pillars of "Malasakit" (enhancing the social fabric), "Pagbabago" (inequality-reducing transformation), and the "Patuloy na Pag-unlad" (increasing growth potential of the economy).

These are supported by cross-cutting strategies for national security, infrastructure development, socioeconomic resiliency, and ecological integrity, which provide the bedrock for all strategies at work.

Over 2 million tourists visited W. Visayas in 1st half of 2017

By Tara Yap

ILOILO CITY – Tourist arrivals in Western Visayas in the first half of the year breached the 2 million mark.

Atty. Helen Catalbas, regional director of Department of Tourism (DOT-6), expressed optimism that the high turnout for the first six months means that the targeted 5.5 million arrivals for 2017 will be accomplished.

Some factors in the increase of arrivals were hosting of major conferences.

These included side meetings for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Aklan, with its world-renowned Boracay Island, had the most number of visitors from January to June 2017 with 1.1 million foreign and domestic tourists, followed by Iloilo City, the regional capital, (410,061) and Bacolod City in Negros Occidental (269,232).

Foreign and local visitors also flocked to Antique, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo provinces.

“Western Visayas already knows its strength. It’s time to enhance other areas to accommodate more tourists,” added Catalbas.

Iloilo Province firms up Tourism Code

By Elsa S. Subong (ESS/PIA-Iloilo)

ILOILO CITY (PIA) — The Province of Iloilo is putting in place its Tourism Code to design and better promote the province’s potentials, programs and projects.

In the last two conferences with stakeholders, Provincial Tourism Officer Bombette Marin said that they have representatives from the academe, government agencies, private institutions, civil society and tourism officers who provided them insights into the development of the code.

“The code, when developed, will be our bible, on how we are going to position Iloilo in terms of promotional activities, programs and support that we need from the government,” Marin said.

Marin added that once developed the code is set to coordinate public and private organizations and institutions and to provide support to the businesses and communities that make up Iloilo’s tourism sector.

“The series of meetings we are conducting with different groups seeks to popularize the contents and to make the provisions of the code applicable and feasible,” Marin said.

Iloilo City Nursing Board topnotchers honored

By Maricyn A. De los Santos (PNA)

ILOILO CITY -- The Iloilo city government on Monday awarded cash incentives to the Nursing Board topnotchers from West Visayas State University (WVSU)-Lapaz Campus here.

Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, with Councilor Mandrei Malabor, former city councilor Perla Zulueta, and WVSU College of Nursing dean, Dr. Rosana Grace Belo-Delariarte awarded PHP5,000 cash incentive, medal and certificate of recognition each to the following: Mary Angelie Cardente Cabanez (1st), Nechelyn Pepito Consular (4th), Alyssa Jude Medioda Montalban (5th), Joane Christine Pedrola (6th), Lourence Ann Cabillo Garrido (7th), Julie May Lauron Suganob (7th), Darlyne Palmes Esposo (8th), and Princess Nillasca Meliton (9th).

In the mayor’s citation, the city government stressed that the topnotchers’ display of academic excellence “certainly brings pride, honor and glory not just to the city but also to her family and mentors, and inspires our Ilonggo youth to dream big and realize it through serious commitment when in school.”

The city government also awarded certificate of recognition to WVSU-College of Nursing for “being an impressive academic institution having named as one of the top performing schools in the country in the recent Nursing licensure exam.”

The mayor said WVSU’s display of academic excellence brought pride, honor and glory “not just to the faculty and students but to the city as well.”

The mayor is hopeful that WVSU’s performance will serve as inspiration to other academic institutions in the city to continuously produce quality professionals.

Cabanez, in her message, thanked the city government for the recognition in behalf of her colleagues.

She thanked WVSU for the support provided to the graduates.

DOH-6 pushes for mass CPR, earthquake drill

By Maricyn A. De los Santos (PNA)

ILOILO CITY, July 10 -- The Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas (WV) targets to teach at least one person per household on how to do CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to improve one's "resilience to disaster".

In a press conference on Monday at Iloilo City Hall, Dr Donnabelle Quindipan of DOH-6 said the DOH conducts mass CPR every quarter of the year. But with the goal of teaching CPR to as many persons as it can, the DOH conducts mass CPR in different local governments in the region monthly.

The DOH targets that every household must have at least one member who knows how to do the CPR.

"But we do not limit ourselves to one person knowledgeable of CPR per household," she clarified, adding that disasters can strike anytime, and it is not an assurance that the one who knows how to do the CPR is in the house.

Teaching of CPR is empowering the public, and stepping up a person's resilience to disaster.

"At least when something happens in a household, there would be an immediate management of the incident until the help arrives," she said.

The mass CPR is not limited to barangays. In 2016, the mass CPR sessions were held in malls.

The DOH, in cooperation with other government agencies, step up public awareness on disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) to improve Pinoy's resilience to disasters.

In Iloilo City, the CDRRMO lined up several DRRM activities to inform and inculcate to the public that risks and threats of disasters are real, and it could strike anytime, anywhere.

Victor Justine Laczi said CDRRMO has been actively reaching out to barangays to train emergency responders.

In celebration of the 2017 National Disaster Resilience Month this July, the CDRRMO set educational tour to Kabalaka Gallery at Johh B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University in Molo, among other activities.

Iloilo City – Remembering the colorful life of the past

By Claude Albert L. Motoomull

MOST of our modern cities have been transformed with the coming of the modern world. We are witness to various construction every now and then and our cities’ skylines can be a good indicator of progress.

But many of our old buildings have little by little been destroyed. Often, many of us only appreciate their beauty once they are gone and sometimes we demolish them without much thought to erect new structures.

For me, old houses or buildings are beautiful. We have our ancestral house owned by my grandparents which have also served as our home for more than half a decade already. It is big and spacious with a high ceiling.

Looking at each detail, you will really appreciate the effort that went into them. It is also very strong and very durable compared to new generation houses.

Today, only few people or local governments give importance of our old buildings. Many fail to understand that old buildings speak of what a nation was way back, of an earlier culture. Old buildings have also witnessed important moments of a town. If for only these, we need to preserve them.

I was in Iloilo City and I was astonished on the many old buildings that are still intact and preserved. For me it is a one of a kind city that gives importance to the life of the past and art, considering that it’s a highly urbanized area and the progress have been continuous. Most of the buildings in the center have existed for almost half a century already.

But the beauty are still present and each of the old structures talk about the past, of the Ilonggo’s colorful culture.

The Ilonggos really give importance to old buildings, aside from internalizing that they have sentimental value and made of the sweat and efforts of their ancestors. And when a structure can no longer be saved and needed to be demolished, a building with a same design is often built in its place.

I am calling on each of our local governments in the country to help save the important old structures in our cities and towns. These are not only buildings but these are symbols or reminders of our colorful past.

Diving for trash in Iloilo

By Tara Yap

Iloilo City — Scuba divers have removed 55 kilos of trash from the coastal waters in San Joaquin town, Iloilo.

Jim Sampulna, Western Visayas regional director of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said the underwater trash hunting is a component of the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program (CMEMP).

Known as “Scubasurero”, the team consisted of divers from Philippine Coast Guard, Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Far East Scubatech Institute (FESI) and DENR.

Among the items collected were plastic bottles, nylon strings, ropes, fish nets, rubber tires, sacks, steel pipes, styrofoam cups, and clothing.

San Joaquin is included in DENR’s Convergence of Coastal Communities. An action plan has been formulated to improve the town’s 15 marine protected areas.

In particular, there is strict implementation of the 20-meter easement from the shoreline.

“No structures are allowed there,” Sampulna said.

Tags: Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program, coastal waters, DENR, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippine Coast Guard, Scuba divers, Zoological Society of London

"Culture of volunteerism" mark Barangay Nutrition Scholars

Elsa S. Subong (JCM/ESS/PIA-Iloilo)

ILOILO CITY July (PIA) — The Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) are a bunch of selfless volunteers who have been there for years rendering service and mobilizing the community for nutrition.

According to Jocelyn Lumaad, BSN federation president for LuzViMin, there never were instances when the BNSs complained of their work.

“They have become so passionate and committed to their work, that they go on even at age 65 or 70, some of them assigned in far-flung communities,” Lumaad said during a press conference here, July 4.

Some 900 BNSs gathered in Iloilo City for their Biennial Conference, to renew their spirit of volunteerism especially in assuming significant roles in the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2017-2022.

Health Assistant Secretary and National Nutrition Council Executive Director Maria Bernardita Flores said there are about 42,300 BNSs in the country, as of date.

They are volunteers receiving P70 per month for travelling allowance from the NNC, while the local government units, can give according to their capability, from P200 to as much as P2,500 a month.

“Nobody among us complains about this, as we keep in our hearts the spirit of volunteerism,” Lumaad told the media.

“We call them scholars because the NNC give them continuous skills training, seminars and updates on nutrition programs as well as supplies, materials and equipment they need in their task,” Flores said, also in the same press conference.

She added that the BNSs are tasked to provide counselling to mothers on proper nutrition for children and monitoring their growth or recovery from malnutrition, identify children with severe malnutrition and refer them to health facilities and monitor their development.

“They implement the nutrition program in the grassroots by influencing LGUs for support and they serve as our workers there,” Flores said.

“We harness volunteerism which is already a culture and this has done much,” she added.

The BNSs also get the perks, for the NNC has institutionalized an award/incentive system where best performing nutrition scholars are cited and given cash awards for a job well-done.

They are also covered by Phil-Health and have survivorship benefits in case they die in service.

Meanwhile, in her message earlier, at the opening of the conference, Flores tasked the BNSs to make an action plan for their local activities and make sure that they perform their role in delivering services needed by the community to address malnutrition which is considered a national emergency.

“With 33 percent of children under five stunted and short for their age, the impact would be irreversible and negative for their future, then, how can it not be a national emergency,” quipped Flores.

26 LGUs get Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance

By Lilibeth A. French (JCM/laf/PIA6-Iloilo)

ILOILO CITY, July 5 (PIA6) -- The Regional Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children 6 (RSCWC 6) conferred the 2016 Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance (SCFLG) award to 26 local government units in Western Visayas to recognize their commitment in creating and ensuring a child- friendly environment and governance.

Department of Social Welfare and Development 6 Director Rebecca Geamala and Department of the Interior and Local Government 6 Director Anthony Nuyda handed over the plaques of recognition and seals to the local chief executives and representatives of LGU awardees during the Regional Awarding and Conferment held July 4 in this city.

The 26 local government units included Iloilo City and the top five LGUs each from the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo and Guimaras that got the highest SCFLG scores from the results of the Child-Friendly Audit and Validation in the Regional Level.

Regional LGU awardees from the province of Aklan are the municipalities of Kalibo, Banga, Malinao, Ibajay and Tangalan.

For the province of Antique, awardees include municipalities of Pandan, Tibiao, Belison, Bugasong and Lauan.

Recipients of the 2016 seal from Capiz province are Sigma, Sapi-an, Dumarao, Jamindan and Panay.

All the municipalities in the province of Guimaras namely Buenavista, Jordan, San Lorenzo and Sibunag received the SCFLG.

In Iloilo province, conferred with the seals are the municipalities of Dingle, Leganes, Mina, Bingawan and Dumangas.

Geamala said out of the 101 LGUs visited, monitored and audited by the Regional Audit Team, some 84 passed the assessment and endorsed to the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) for conferment of SCFLG.

She lauded LGU awardees’ efforts for ensuring that their children are taken cared of by promoting children’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation.

“You deserve this because you are taking care of the future of your children,” said Geamala.

The review and table validation of the list of eligible municipalities’ provincial entries for conferment of the 2017 SCFLG in the regional level is ongoing.

CWC Planning Officer Raquel Shokouhi and RSCWC 6 Child Representative Josh Cezar Serillo and members Christopher Montano of CHR, Angie Tanongtanong of DOH and Atty. Favi Fanco also witnessed the awarding and conferment ceremonies.

900 nutrition scholars in Visayas to gather in Iloilo City

By Cindy B. Ferrer (PNA)

ILOILO CITY, July 3 (PNA) -- Around 900 barangay nutrition scholars (BNS) from Eastern, Western and Central Visayas will gather in a national conference slated July 4-5 in this city to reaffirm the vision of a malnutrition-free Philippines.

The National Nutrition Council (NNC) is organizing this event together with the LuzViMin BNS Federation, Inc., a national organization of around 42,000 BNS nationwide.

Themed, “PPAN para sa Bayan, Nutrisyon at Serbisyo," the conference underscores the significant role of the BNS in the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022 which was launched here last May.

Jovita Raval, NNC chief of the Nutrition Information and Education Division (NIED), said the conference will specifically update the BNS on the programs and thrusts under the new national plan and their corresponding roles to further address malnutrition in their barangays.

In an interview on Monday, she said the event also aims to address the knowledge gaps and clarify issues and common queries of BNS.

During the two-day conference, Raval said LuzViMin BNS Federation will conduct a general assembly to renew their commitment in addressing malnutrition.

"We hope that they will pledge to have zero malnutrition in their barangays. Our barangay nutrition scholars are the one who monitors the weight of children, so they know well who are these malnourished children in their barangays who are in need of services" she said.

As community-based volunteers, BNS bridge the gap between families and service providers to deliver nutrition and related services.

Raval said the conference will capacitate BNS with new knowledge and skills especially on detecting children who have acute malnutrition.

"They have to find these children who are severely malnourished because these children are at high risk of dying so they really need to find them so they will be provided with immediate treatment to prevent child death," Raval said.

To further concretize actions, a re-entry plan will be made by the BNS to implement their learning from the conference when they get back to their respective barangays.

This sub-conference for Visayas is the first of the four conferences for the different clusters: North Luzon Cluster (Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region), South Luzon Cluster (CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol and National Capital Region) and Mindanao Cluster (Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, SOCKSSARGEN, CARAGA and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao).

Raval said they have invited Bayan Muna Partylist representative Carlos Isagani Zarate, who passed some bills for nutrition, to give his keynote address during the opening of the conference here on Tuesday.

Iloilo City among 1SEC pretest sample areas

By Lilibeth A. French (JSC/laf/PIA6 Iloilo)

ILOILO CITY (PIA6) -- Iloilo City was among the 13 highly urbanized cities in the country chosen as sample area for the pretest of a Unified Socioeconomic Classification instrument called 1SEC.

Iloilo Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida Amolar said the 1SEC instrument is used by Marketing and Opinion Research Society (MORES) in identifying socioeconomic cluster of households.

The staff of MORES member agencies composed of Interviewers and Supervisors conducted the pre-test of ISEC instrument in Brgy. Airport and Barangay San Juan in Mandurriao District which are Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) sample barangays in Iloilo City on June 27 to 30.

Amolar said the updating of the 1SEC is part of the research project in Socioeconomic Classification of Household currently being done by the World Bank and the Statistical Methodology Unit of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The project aims to come up with inputs defining low income threshold as required in RA 10693 otherwise known as An Act Strengthening NonGovernment Organizations (NGOs) Engaged in Microfinance Operations for the Poor.

Over 800K SSS members avail restructuring program

By Lilibeth A. French (JCMlaf/PIA6-Iloilo)

ILOILO CITY (PIA6) -- More than 800,000 members of the Social Security System (SSS) have already restructured their overdue loans with an equivalent collection of P5.1 billion.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Dooc said the Loan Restructuring Program was implemented for one year, starting April 2016 until April 28 this year. It covered short-term loans such as the salary loan and calamity loan assistance, among others.

“Marami ang nag-avail nito kaya bumaba ang antas ng delinquency, dati mahigit 50% ang delinquent, ngayon bumaba na ‘yan sa 48%,” said Dooc in a press conference with the local media, June 27.

He said with the successful outcome they have asked President Rodrigo Duterte for an extension of the program.

“Dahil sa matagumpay na resulta kami po ay humingi nang extension nito sa ating mahal na Pangulo at ‘yan po ay sa kanyang diskresyon kung ‘yan po ay kanyang ibibigay,” said Dooc.

He said there is a proposal in Congress to rationalize the powers of the Social Security Commission including the condonation of penalties. The proposal is currently being deliberated in the Senate.

SSS Visayas Group Operations Sr. Vice President Helen Solito noted that many members have availed of the program especially in big cities like Cebu as their employees have to extend their working time days before the deadline.

She said the program’s extension, if it will be approved by President Duterte will benefit those who were not able to meet the deadline.

Dooc and Solito were here in Iloilo City for the Stakeholders’ Forum conducted by the agency and attended by around 150 employers from this city.

Participants were briefed on the various SSS self service facilities and the proposed Warrant of Distraint, Levy, and Garnishment where SSS can seize real and personal properties, subject to an auction sale, as payment for unpaid contributions.

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