Author: malaysiang

MANILA: The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has chosen Negros Oriental as its launch pad for its first-ever scuba diving courses in the Philippines.

TESDA-Negros Oriental provincial director Fletcher Gumahad told the Philippine News Agency on Thursday that this comes following the recent signing of a memorandum of agreement between the agency and the Negros Oriental Divers Association (NORDA).

‘We are now in the process of making the curriculum under our Competency Standards Development and it will eventually become a training regulation that can be adopted by training providers throughout the Philippines,’ Gumahad said in mixed English and Cebuano.

TESDA is given at least seven months to formulate these standards before the actual training program, he said.

Other parties are involved in this program, including the academe, scuba divers and operators, he added.

Gumahad said the Competency Standards Development will bring together experts from the academe and divers’ associati
ons, with an existing curriculum from NORDA that can also serve as a guide.

He said there is no definite timeline yet for the actual training pending the completion of certain requirements, including a letter from Governor Manuel Sagarbarria to TESDA Secretary Teng Mangudadatu, on the diving courses to be launched in the province.

The TESDA here has to submit a funding proposal to its central office for the scholarship training.

Those who complete the course may earn national curriculum levels two to four.

TESDA Undersecretary and Deputy Director General for Partnerships and Special Concerns Vidal Villanueva III signed the agreement on Feb. 19 with NORDA, represented by its president Glenn Carballo.

In a statement, Provincial Tourism Board Executive Director Woodrow Maquiling Jr. was hopeful that the diving courses would not only boost the tourism industry by bringing in more tourists, but also provide locals with job opportunities as scuba dive guides.

The province of Negros Oriental hosts several dive
destinations, such as the world-renowned Apo Island in Dauin town.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The city government is offering PHP500,000 cash to anyone who can provide authorities with the information leading to the arrest and prosecution of six gunmen who robbed a pawnshop here Wednesday.

Mayor Eliordo Ogena announced the bounty Friday and expressed optimism that close circuit television (CCTV) footage could help identify the suspects who robbed Agencia Brillantes along Osmeña Street.

‘The city government is offering PHP500,000 cash for any info(rmation) about the suspects; your identities will be kept confidential,’ Ogena said.

Police are still determining the amount of cash and jewelry stolen from the pawnshop.

Col. Samuel Cadungon, South Cotabato police provincial director, said three of the six suspects wore police uniforms.

Based on the CCTV footage, two were carrying long firearms and others were armed with handguns, Cadungon said.

Several hours later after the robbery, police recovered a getaway motorbike, personal belongings, and a firearm used by the suspects in the 11 a.m. rob
bery/hold-up in Barangay Gen. Paulino Santos.

In 2014, the same pawnshop was ransacked by armed robbers, carting away over PHP2 million worth of jewelry and cash. One of the two security guards was killed by the attackers.

Hunt on

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo, meanwhile, said they are now determining how the suspects were able to get police athletic uniforms.

‘Meron na silang mga persons of interest na tinututukan at initially ay hindi po ito mga pulis ang naidentify at yun po ang target ng ating investigation ngayon to determine saan sila nakakuha ng unipormeng suot nila (They are already focusing on persons of interest and initially, we have determined that these suspects are not police officers. We are now determining where they sourced the uniformed they were wearing),’ Fajardo said in a phone interview.

She added that aside from robbery charges, the suspects who used police uniforms to pretend as persons of authority might face charges of usurpation of authority an
d illegal use of uniform and insignia under Articles 177 and 179 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).

‘The pictures of the suspects were already published. I also call on the public to immediately inform the police if they have information on these suspects for them to be caught and held accountable,’ she added.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: A heath official in the Ilocos Region urged the public to be kinder on people with leprosy since the disease is curable and recovery rate is high if patients follow the treatment cycle.

In a forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency-Ilocos Region on Friday, Department of Health-Center for Health-Ilocos Region (DOH-CHD-1) medical officer Dr. Rheuel Bobis said the prevalence rate of the disease in the region is 0.25 percent, way below the 1 percent rate in the national level.

As of end-2023, there are 132 cases in the region — 93 of which are in Pangasinan, 15 in Ilocos Norte, 19 in Ilocos Sur, and five in La Union

The DOH is encouraging village health workers and family members to ensure the patients complete their treatment, Bobis said.

The treatment lasts within six months to a year.

Leprosy, also called Hansen’s disease because of its discovery by Norwegian physician Dr. Gerhard Armauer Hansen in 1874, is an infection caused by the slow-growing bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae.

It
affects the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose.

“We need to remove the stigma and extend understanding to the patients. Leprosy patients are oppressed and avoided and they have the tendency to withdraw. If this happens, they would not be able to avail of the services intended for their treatment,” he said.

Bobis said leprosy can be transferred not merely by skin-to-skin contact or exposure to a patient but through respiratory droplets if there is a long and constant exposure to the untreated patients.

“It is not highly infectious as 97 percent of the world’s population has immunity to its bacteria,” he said.

He said rural health units, city health offices, and other government health centers provide free multi-drug therapy medicines to the patients.

“There is a cure to it although it takes time. But after the cycle is finished, we can be sure that the bacteria causing it is dead,” he said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Five remnants of the Bohol Party Committee (BPC) were killed Friday morning in an armed encounter with government troopers in Bilar town, province of Bohol, the Visayas Command reported.

Government soldiers and policemen were about to serve a warrant of arrest against a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) when they chanced upon a group of rebels led by Domingo Jaspe Compoc alias Silong at Sitio Matin-ao, Barangay Campagao, at 6:50 a.m.

Compoc, with a bounty on his head amounting to PHP2.6 million, was a squad leader of the party committee and former commanding officer of Sandatahang Yunit Pangpropaganda (SYP) Platoon of BPC. He was among those killed during the encounter.

He was wanted for several cases including rebellion, homicide, attempted homicide, multiple murder, frustrated murder and robbery.

Also killed in the gunbattle that lasted for more than two hours and 45 minutes were Parlito Segovia alias Aldrin, the assistant squad leader and political gui
de; Marlon Omosura alias Darwin, squad member; Hannah Joy Cesista alias Maya or Lean; and a certain Juaning, a squad member.

Meanwhile, a policeman identified as Corporal Gilbert Amper also died in the encounter while another, Corporal Gerard Rollon, was also wounded and now being treated at the Congressman Simeon Toribio Memorial Hospital.

They are both assigned at the Bohol provincial police intelligence unit.

Government operatives recovered M16 Baby Armalite, an R4 M16, an M16, and three caliber .45 pistols after the firefight.

Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, Viscom commander, attributed the latest accomplishment to the active support of the people and the strong bond of partnership with the different government agencies.

“This recent success in our campaign was made possible by the active support of our people, who have been providing us with credible information leading to the demise of the CPP-NPA. Likewise, our ironclad partnership with the different government agencies, especially the PNP (Philippine
National Police) who have been our strong partner in ensuring the safety and security of our people in the entire Visayas region,’ he said in a separate statement.

In the clearing operations, government troopers, through their Explosives and Ordnance Device K9 unit, scoured the area to ensure that no remaining explosives were planted in the area.

Members of the Scene of the Crime Operations of the PNP’s Forensic Science Unit in Bohol were deployed to conduct scene investigation.

‘The affected civilians were evacuated to a safe location and secured by PNP personnel,’ the Viscom statement said, adding that the PNP is also conducting checkpoints in all strategic locations to arrest remaining remnants who fled at the encounter site. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The National Authority for Child Care (NACC) on Friday said more Filipinos are becoming interested in adoption after the process has been streamlined.

Executive director Janella Estrada, in a press conference here, said the NACC previously processes huge inter-country adoption because there were more foreigners who want to adopt Filipinos.

‘Pero dahil dumadami na ang Pilipino na may gustong mag-adopt, hindi na nakaka-process masyado ng inter-country adoption dahil marami na ang Pilipinong interesado (But because there has been an increase in the number of Filipinos who are interested to adopt, we’re not able to process inter-country adoption that much),’ she said.

Before the passage of Republic Act 11642, which created the NACC, the adoption process used to go through an administrative process where the adoptive parent approaches the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the matching and placement of a child.

The court will then process the judicial adoption and eventually issues
an order of adoption.

With the NACC in place, the trial court stage was discarded.

‘It takes about nine months for the whole process to be completed compared to the past when it took years for the order of adoption to be issued due to the tedious process,’ Estrada said.

Rose Wacnang Cardenas, an adoptive parent, shared during the press conference that they spent about PHP10,000 for the whole process and brought the child home in four months.

‘We are only waiting for the change in the birth certificate of our child,’ she said, thanking the Regional Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO) for the assistance.

During the same briefing, Imelda Ronda, chief of NACC’s Domestic Adoption Division, said they have 1,424 children declared available for adoption.

Feliza Singlan, officer-in-charge of the RACCO-Cordillera, said they currently have 31 parent applicants, 37 petitions for adoption, 11 approved Orders of Adoption and 17 awaiting orders of adoption.

She said they only have about 10 parent-applicants before
the process was simplified.

Aside from adoption, the NACC also handles the placing of children under the foster care of registered families, which will take care of the child from six months to three years before their reintegration into their adoptive families. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Operatives of the Police Regional Office in Bicol (PRO5) arrested a high-value individual and seized PHP1.3 million worth of shabu in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Concepcion Pequeña, Naga City on Friday.

In a report, PRO5 spokesperson Lt. Col. Malu Calubaquib said the suspect, identified as “Jo”, 41, and a resident of Barangay Salugan, Camalig, Albay province, was arrested after selling 200 grams of shabu to a police undercover agent.

Calubaquib said the suspect was intercepted by different units of the Naga City Police Office in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Bicol.

‘The suspect was informed of his constitutional rights and will face charges of violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,’ she said.

In a statement, PRO5 Regional Director Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon commended the operating team for their dedication in fulfilling their duties. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Oral health care services will soon be part of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) package under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law to improve the oral health of Filipinos.

This was confirmed by Department of Health-Center for Health Development in Ilocos Region (DOH-CHD-1) regional oral health manager Dr. Mark Jason Mina in a forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency-Ilocos on Friday.

“Two weeks ago, we had a consultative meeting and it is being processed by PhilHealth. Hopefully, it will be implemented within the year,” he said.

Once implemented, Filipinos will be able to avail of basic oral health care services such as tooth filling, among others, in government health centers or hospitals for free.

In the Ilocos Region, Mina said the oral fit indicator for its population is only at 41 percent, with 10 percent growth quarterly.

However, he clarified that data do not include those from private practitioners.

“This doesn’t mean that the residents are unhealthy. It’s
just that our data is lacking but we are asking the private practitioners to share their data since data management is part of the UHC Law,” he added.

In the same forum, Mina said they are emphasizing the importance of oral health care in the overall health of a person since proper oral care contributes to disease prevention and healthier nutrition for the digestive system.

The most common oral diseases in the region are tooth decay, gingivitis and some recent cases of oral cancer.

“Visit your dentist and brush (your) teeth every after meals. Maintain a balanced diet for healthier gums, teeth, and oral cavity. Avoid vices such as smoking, vaping, and alcoholism,” he said.

Mina said DOH has been providing oral health care services in different caravans such as the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair and Lab for All, among others. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency