VACCINATION IS PREVENTION

PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija -- "Vaccination is prevention." Ito ang binigyan diin sa pagbubukas noong Nobyembre 18 ng Palayan City Vaccine Clinic sa City Health Center dito na itataguyod ng pamahalaang lunsod sa pakikipagtulungan ng Family Vaccine and Specialty Clinics (FVSC). Nanguna sa okasyon si City Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas, na sinamahan ng mga city counsilors at department heads na sumalubong kiana Chito San Agustin ni Dr. Alberto Gabriel ng FVSC na may 40 sangay sa buong bansa.

     "Mahalaga ng magkaroon ng ganitong klinika ang mga Palayanos upang mapaghandaan ang pangmatagalang epekto ng mga bakuna kontra sa mabibigat na klase ng karamdaman" pagbibigay diin ni Cuevas.

     Ayon kay San Agustin mga de-kalidad, mahahalaga at murang mga bakuna mula pre-natal,post natal at maging sa mga animal bites ang makukuha rito bukod sa libreng first 150 anti flu vaccines.

     Isinaad ni Dr. Gabrieel na nananatiling pangatlo ang Pilipinas sa buong mundo na may pinakamataas pa rin sa rabies incidence, sa kabila ng pangakong maalis na ang problemang ito sa 2020.

     Batay umano sa datos ng Animal Bite Treatment Centers ng Department of Health halos 90% ng biktima ng kagat ng mga rabid animals ay mga bata dahil madalas makipaglaro sa mga alagang hayop. - Jojo Deguzman

PHOTO CREDIT TO TV48

     

BIOMASS PLANT SA NUEVA ECIJA

    Isang consortium ng Korean at Filipino companies ang nagpahayag ng interest na mag-establish ng 'biomass co-generation poer plants sa Nueva Ecija na may potensyal na makapag-generate ng 1,600 trabaho sa lalawigan.

      Ayon kay NE Governor Aurelio Umali, tumanggap ng "Letter of Intent" (LOI) ang kanyang opisina mula sa Korean firm na Hankook B&P Co. Ltd. (HBPCL); Plant Engineering Co. Ltd. (SPECL) at Kepco Engineering & Construction Co. (KECC) na nakipag-tie-up sa Phil Bio Agri Industry Corporation (PhilBaico) para magsagawa ng mga pag-aaral para sa biomass power plant at biomass collection project sa pakikipagugnayan sa lokal na pamahalaan at tanggapan ng Agrikultura o'DA.

     Sa LOI na isinumite kay Gov. Umali ng kinatawan ng Consortium na pinangunahan ni Kepco project Manager Lim Yong Ha, sinabi nito na nais nilang simulan aang biomass projects at biomass power plants sa Pilipinas partikular sa Nueva Ecija, gamit ang bionass materials na gaya ng "rice hulls, rice straw, corn cobs, corn stovers, bagasse at coconut tree at residue fuel.

     Ang HBPCL, at HBTL, ay tanyag na mga kumpanya sa larangan ng paggawa ng "power generation boilers, industrial boilers at power boiler system, samantalang ang SPECL ay isang global plant engineering company na may 120 engineers at technical experts.

     Pinahintulutan ni Umali ang Korean consortium at PhilBaico na magsagawa ng "fesibility study' para sa proyekto at inatasan na rin sina provincial agriculturist Serafin Santos at ENRO Engr. Wilfredo Pangilinan na umasiste sa pagreresearch.

     Ayon naman kay provincial administrator Atty. Alejandro Abesamis, aabutin ng dalawa hanggang tatlong buwan ang 'feasibility study' at ang pagtatayo ng power plant ay matatapos sa loob ng tatlong taon. ang Korean at Filipino consortium ang unang dayuhang grupo na nagkaroon ng interest sa biomass facilities sa probinsya na tinaguriang "rice granary of the Philippines" dahil sa sagana sa "rice hulls" at iba pang agricultural wastes na kakailanganin sa nasabing mga proyekto- (Manny Galvez)

NE suffers P2.3-B damage due to Santi -- PDRRMC

The province of Nueva Ecija, considered the country's rice granary, lost a total of P2.3 billion worth of crops, infrastructure and flood control systems in the wake of typhoon Santi with the damage expected to breach the P3-billion mark because of the devastation on properties.

In a final damage assessment report by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, a copy of which was obtained by The Star Friday, the total damage was placed at P2,388,900,715.34.

Dr Abraham Pascua, PDRRMC co-chairman, said the figure was arrived at after validating the field reports submitted by local government units in the five cities and 27 municipalities in the province. "This damage assessment report is final, official and validated," Pascua said.

The figure was considerably lower than estimates based on initial ocular inspection. Earlier, Gov. Aurelio Umali, PDRRMC chairman, said initial assessment placed the damaged at P2.7 billion.

But disaster officials said the actual damaged could shoot up to P3 billion if damaged to properties would be included as 75,914 houses were damaged in the entire province, which has been declared a calamity area.

Pascua said they could not possibly quantify yet the damaged on properties. Based on PDRRMC figures, the fourth congressional district comprising Gapan City and the towns of Cabiao, Gen. Tinio, Jaen, Penaranda, San Antonio, San Isidro, and San Leonardo accounts for the biggest crop damage of P741.8 million representing 33 percent of the province-wide total.

This was followed by the third congressional district covering the cities of Cabanatuan and Palayan and the towns of Bongabon, Gabaldon, Gen Natividad, Laur and Sta Rosa which suffered P549.57 million in crop damage and the first congressional district (Aliaga, Cuyapo, Guimba, Licab, Nampicuan, Quezon, Sto Domingo, Talavera and Zaragoza) which sustained P549.52 million in crop damage.

The second congressional district (Muñoz Cci. City, San Jose City, Carranglan, Llanera, Lupao, Pantabangan, Rizal and Talugtog registered the lowest crop damage at P385 million.

Crops cover rice, corn, vegetables, high-value crops and livestock. In term of rice, the province lost P1.9 billion, P3.7 million worth of corn, P141.2 million worth of vegetables, P160.9 million worth of high-value crops and P241 million worth of livestock.

Two cities and four towns lost at least P100 million worth of palay each. Cabanatuan was the hardest hit, losing P149.3 million worth of palay, followed by Sta Rosa (P129.4 million,) Guimba ((128.5 million,) San Antonio (P127.6 million), Gapan City (P109.8 million), and Cabiao (P102.7 million.)

In terms of infrastructure, damage was placed at P162.9 million involving P134.6 million worth of road networks and P28.3 million in flood control systems. Of the road networks, P84 million (68%) involve municipal roads and P50.5 million (38%) involve provincial roads.

Pascua said of the 75,914 damaged houses, some 15,930 were totally damaged while 59,984 partially damaged. This affected 111,915 families or 513,159 persons.

Jaen recorded the most number of damaged houses with 11,649 followed by Cabanatuan (8,656) and Zaragoza (8,371.)

Cabanatuan registered the most number of affected families with 32,897 or 161,896 persons followed by Aliaga (13,165 families or 72,324 persons,) and Zaragoza (10,689 families of 28,087 persons.) The provincial government has been distributing roofing sheets to the affected families.

PAALAM TITA CORY

"Salamat sa lahat lahat"

Guard foils rob; suspect slain

An alert security guard single handedly foiled a robbery attempt when he shot dead one of two motorcycle-riding robbers in Kapitan Pepe Subd. Here Saturday night.

Johnson Dulnuan, 24, driver-security guard of Diamond Money Changer shop, quickly drew his gun and shot one of the suspects when they blocked their path and announced the heist.

Police identified the fatality as Joseph Javier, 45, of Purok 2, Barangay Bonifacio, this city.

City police police chief Supt. Efren Ramos said Dulnuan. of Balawis, Banawe, Ifugao, was driving a van, accomplished by Hermie Angayon, money changer shop owner, two employees and Angayon’s son when the incident occurred.

Ramos said Javier, with a gun on one hand, approached them and declared a hold-up.

Dulnuan pulled out his 9mm pistol and shot Javier, killing him on the spot. Javier,s cohorts quickly fled. Recovered from the slain suspect were his gun and a mobile phone.
People’s Journal Tuesday, July 28, 2009 by Steve A. Gosuico

Hospital rapped for violating senior citizens’ law

The city hospital here has come under fire from senior citizens for allegedly collecting fees in violation of the Senior Citizens’ Law.

The Manuel V. Gallego Cabanatuan City General Hospital which is operated by the city government of Mayor Alvin Vergara was accused for allegedly charging fees for laboratory services which were otherwise provided free to senior citizens under RA 9257, also known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act.

One of the senior citizens, Ricardo Eraña said that hospital personnel collected from him payment for laboratory services when he went to the hospital on July 8. Eraña, a resident of Don Manuel Avenue, Kapitan Pepe Subdivision, said that when he went to the hospital for the laboratory examination, a midwife in the said hospital told him that services for laboratory examinations are indeed for free as provided for under the Senior Citizens’ Law.

However, a certain Danilo Bautista, medical technologist insisted that he should pay. He was correspondingly issued an official receipt numbered 8479094. he said that the benefits and privileges of card-bearing senior citizens under RA 9257 include free medical, dental, diagnostic and laboratory services in all government facilities.

In the card which was signed by Vergara and Office of Senior Citizens Affair Julie Rivera, each senior citizen is entitled – aside from free medical, dental, diagnostic and laboratory services to avail of 20 percent discount in purchase of medicines; 20 percent discount in hotels, restaurants, recreation centers, funeral parlors and similar establishments; 20 percent discount in theaters, cinema houses and concert halls, 20 percent discount on medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory facilities; and 20 discount in fare for domestic, air, sea travel and public transportation.
Philippine STAR Tuesday, July 28, 2009 By: Manny Galvez

Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Leon Nilo de la Cruz include Nueva Ecija as election hotpots in Central Luzon, Bataan and Bulacan might also be included. De la Cruz cited reports af armed goons being maintained by politicians in the three provinces.

This, even as police Director General Jesus Versoza identified Nueva Ecija, Sulu, Abra, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, and Maguindanao as election hotspots, less than a year before the 2010 polls, saying these areas will be closely monitored by the police for possible election-related violence.

De la Cruz said he earlier recommended the inclusion of Nueva Ecija in his region as among the hotpots to be closely monitored by the police amid the province's history of election-related violence.

"Rivalry among political families there has remained intense," he said, citing the Joson, Umali, Antonino and Perez political clans.

Earlier, Versoza also said the police plan to address election-related violence by limiting the number of security escorts of VIP's to two each; requiring all security escorts to wear a duly-approved uniform; and imposing stricter penalties on unlicensed and unregistered firearms.