Phil Health Sabado II gains ground in Camarines Sur
by Lizel S. Macatangay

SAN JOSE, Camarines Sur, June 28 (PIA) -- Focusing this time to financially capable but still unlisted PhilHealth members, the government under President Benigno Aquino’s National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) aspires to enlist new members who have the financial capability to personally pay for their premium contributions but remains unlisted under the said government program.

With this key intention, the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and Department of Education (DepEd) spearheaded the simultaneous kick off of the second Nationwide Philhealth Registration Day (NPRD) on June 25.

Dubbed as "PhilHealth Sabado: Magseguro. Magparehistro," the event was held in four key schools here in the province of Camarines Sur : San Jose Central School , in San Jose ; Ocampo National High School in the town of Ocampo ,; Rinconada National Technical Vocational School in Iriga City and Sipocot Central School in Sipocot, Camarines Sur.

The one-day event, organized by the inter-agency committee, has addressed the need to educate the attendees on the benefits of being a PhilHealth member.

The advocacy was personally reinforced by the presence and words of DOH Regional Director Nestor F. Santiago, Jr. who graced the occasion at San Jose Central School and at Ocampo National High School .

Setting its sight on coming up with actual registrants, PhilHealth personnel here opened an on-site registration, resulting to P34, 400 collected premiums.

After the event, the organizers announced that a total of 2,757 parents attended the orientation, 89 of them were self-employed but already paying their premiums while 177 are non-paying members. The rest are now being targeted to enroll as new members under the NHIP.

Meanwhile, Dra. Vicky Mateum, Phil Heath Bicol Regional Director, together with Ms. Lorena Rubis, Chief of PhilHealth Management Services Division and Mr.David Escandor, Chief of the Field Operations Divisions also visited the PhilHealth Service office here in Camarines Sur under the headship of Ms. Evelyn Logoc, Camarines Sur Service Office Chief Social Insurance Officer.

Logoc said that their office has already turned over a total of 117, 707 PhilHealth cards for indigents and will be released by the respective local government units here in the province after last Saturday’s event. (MAL/LSM, PIA Camarines Sur)

Saringaya Award, 21st Eagle Quiz to cap Environment Month Celebration

LEGAZPI CITY, June 28 (PIA) -- As part of the culmination program of the Environment Month Celebration this month of June, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region V will be holding the 11th Saringaya Awards and the 21st Eagle Quiz “Battle of Champions.”

DENR-Bicol Regional Director Joselin Marcus Fragada said that the Saringaya Awards “will recognize the efforts of various groups like Local Government Units, Academe, People’s Organization/Non-Government Organization, Industry and Individual for their outstanding contributions in environmental protection and conservation.”

The Eagle Quiz, on the other hand will heighten environmental consciousness among the youth through education and worthwhile field actions. The contestants for the Eagle Quiz are chosen through elimination at the provincial level.

The culmination program will be held on June 30, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. at the Casablanca Convention Center in this City.

This year’s theme for the Environment Month Celebration is “Forest: Nature at your Service.” (MAL/JMM, PIA V)

Four drug pushers arrested in Legazpi
by Ed de Leon

LEGAZPI CITY, June 28 (PIA) -- Four suspected drug pushers were arrested during a recent raid conducted by joint elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Legazpi City Police Office, Regional Public Safety Battalion, and Highway Patrol Group in a coastal barangay here.

Archie A. Grande, PDEA regional director, said that the raiding team swoop down on residences of spouses Jose and Elizabeth Ordinario and Eufemia Vargas in Barangay Sabang this city armed with search warrants issued by Regional Trial Court (RTC)Executive Judge Edgar Armes and Judge Pedro Soriao that yielded 13.880 grams of Shabu contained in 21 sachets.

Recovered from the house of spouses Jose Ordinario,52, a retired Philippine Navy Petty Officer 1, and his wife Elizabeth, 44, vendor, were 15 sachets of shabu with a combined weight of 4.771 grams .

While in the house of Eufemia Vargas, 50, the raiding team recovered eight sachets of shabu with a combined weight of 4.85grams and three bundles of one thousand peso bills amounting to P300,000.00.

Also recovered during the raid were eight sachets of shabu with a combined weight of 4.259 grams from Lilet Atondo, 33, a fruit vendor.

Grande said that four arrested suspects will be charged for violations of RA 9165 for drug pushing.

He said the four were under surveillance for several weeks before the raid was made. (MAL/EDL, PIA V)

NE Manila consortium to conduct outreach program in Catanduanes
by Edna A Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, June 28 (PIA) -- The North East Manila ENT-HNS Training Consortium (NEMEC) will have an outreach program on July 15, 2011 at the Eastern Bicol Medical Center (EBMC).

The Consortium was established in the early part of 1999 by the Department of Otorhinolarynology -Head and Surgery of Veterans Memorial Medical Center, together with the Departments of ENT-HNS of Manila Central University (MCU) and Quirino Memorial Medical Center, to strengthen the ENT-HNS training program of its’ different member institutions.

In line with the said activity, the ENT doctors will conduct Out-Patient Clinics for all diseases involving the Head and Neck.

Patients with the following complaints may come and avail for the free services: Ear (ear discharge, ear pain, hearing loss); Nose (recurrent colds, nasal obstruction, patients with allergic rhinitis); throat (hoarseness of voice); Head and Neck Mass (thyroid, mouth or salivary gland tumors, and other tumors involving the head and neck).

Patients treated medically will be given available free medicines.

Those with tumors or other head and neck mass can also avail of free Fine Needle Biopsy with readings of results. Screening of patients for surgery will be done, to be scheduled for operation at a later date.

NEMEC hopes that this program would benefit many Catandunganons. (MAL/EAB, PIA Catanduanes)