Presidential Sis Pinky to lead turn-over of 3 AGAPP schools in Camarines Sur on Friday
by Aida Alcazar-Naz

LEGAZPI CITY, June 29 (PIA)-- Presidential Sister Pinky-Aquino Abellada will be the main guest during the blessing and the turn-over of three Aklat, Gabay, at Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa (AGAPP) pre-school buildings in Camarines Sur on Friday, July 1.

Dr. Ofelia Samar-Sy, president of Pinoy Power Bicol Coalition of Volunteers Inc. (PPBCV) told PIA during Monday’s Aramon Ta Daw radio interview that the new two-room pre-school buildings are situated in Bato North Central School located in the municipality of Bato; Nabua East Central Pilot School in Nabua town and Romero Elementary School in Bula, Camarines Sur.

The turn-over rites in Bato is scheduled at 10 in the morning after which Ms. Aquino-Abelleda will motor to Nabua for similar ceremonies. In the afternoon, the Presidential Sister will preside over akin activity in disadvantaged community where Romero Elementary School is situated.

Each of the typhoon-proof school building cum library costs P260,000 financed by the AGAPP Foundation led by Ms. Aquino-Abellada. Every classroom has a comfort room and is furnished with tables and chairs and other furnitures. These structures are aptly called silid-pangarap.

With the completion of the three school buildings in Camarines Sur there are now six pre-school AGGAP buildings in Bicol.

The other schools earlier relinquished are located in Albay. These are situated in Taysan Elementary School, Legazpi City and Anislag Resettlement Site in Daraga, Albay turned-over last January 14 to the DepEd and local governments of Legazpi City and Daraga by Ms. Aquino-Abellada. A little less than two months later an additional pre-school building was completed in Daraga North Central School in Daraga town turned-over March 8 by another Presidential Sister Viel Aquino-Dee.

AGAPP school buildings are admirable exemplars of public-private partnership pushed by the Aquino administration. DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro said the resources needed to achieve education department’s goal can be attained with help from the private sector and the civil society.

In this regard DepEd Memo No. 488 signed by Secretary Luistro urged public school officials to participate in said the AGAPP classroom project of AGAPP foundation.

The AGAPP foundation, according to Luistro, has taken the lead to respond to DepEd’s call by designing a project that actively promotes the mobilization of the private sector resources and talents.

AGAPP provides for the school-buildings and its furnishings while DepEd employs the pre-school teachers.

Meantime Dr. Sy also announced that two more buildings are its final phase of construction in Sorsogon province.

PPBCV is AGAPP Foundation conduit in Bicol. Communities interested to become recipients of similar pre-school projects may contact PPBCV. (MAL/AAN, PIA V)

More Bicolanos enlist with PhilHealth
by Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, June 29 (PIA) -– The government has assured the poorest of the poor among Filipinos of social protection through health and medical care benefits under the Universal Health Care Program in consonance with President Benigno Aquino III health agenda.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or PhilHealth has been in the forefront and tasked to cover all Filipinos with social insurance within a time frame of three years enlisting all qualified to become members, especially the indigent members of the community.

In Bicol region, some 359,903 head of households identified through NHTS are to receive their PhilHealth membership identification cards

Philhealth V regional director Veronica Mateum said that “with the issuance of PhilHealth Board Resolution 1417 s. 2010, the corporation has adopted the National Household Targeting System (NHTS) in determining indigent families to be enrolled under the Sponsored Program of the National Health Insurance Program.”

Mateum said that the Philhealth IDs were turned over to their respective local government units to facilitate distribution to their respective resident.

“The city or towns’ Social Welfare Development Office shall be working in close coordination with village chiefs for the immediate distribution of the said cards with validity dates April 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011,” she explained.

Philhealth V records show that IDs will be distributed to some 52,051 in Albay; 117,652 in Camarines Sur; 28,641 in Camarines Norte; 11,252 in Catanduanes; 91,894 in Masbate; and 58,413 in Sorsogon.

Mateum furthered that the enrollment of the NHTS listed indigents under the sponsored program is fully subsidized by the national government that entitles members to in-patient benefits which can be availed during confinements in PhilHealth accredited hospitals. Members and dependents’ benefits include allowances for room and board, drugs and medicines, X-ray, laboratory, operating room and professional fees.

In addition, she said, sponsored members also have out-patient benefits which can be availed at accredited Rural Health Units (RHUs) which delivers preventive and diagnostic care for these members. They can avail for free primary consultation, blood pressure monitoring, breast examination and rectal exam for preventive care.

Body measurement, counseling for the cessation of smoking, and counseling for lifestyle change for diagnostic; chest x-ray, sputum microscopy, and visual acetic acid screening for cervical cancer and laboratory – urinalysis, fecalysis, and complete blood count.

Members and their dependents can avail of their PhilHealth benefits anytime within the validity period as indicated in their PhilHealth IDs.

“The automatic enrollment of the NHTS identified indigents in the sponsored program is a bold step of the government to give financial risk protection to Filipinos who need it most,” noted Mateum

Philhealth in Bicol has some 3,365,968 Bicolanos, both principal members and dependents, or 57 per cent of the 5,864,592 population of the region insured under the NHIP. (MAL, PIA V/Albay)

Sorsogon City water utility firm tests run new equipment

SORSOGON CITY, June 29 (PIA) -- Sorsogon City Water District (SCWD) begins middle of this month the 24-hour water supply test run for the resident-consumers in this city, according to an official of the utility service firm.

Engr. Jonathan G. Fortades, senior engineer and Officer-in-Charge of SCWD’s Production Division, said that pump operations in the Imperial Pumping Station in Barangay Pangpang and Cabid-An Pumping Station along the Diversion Road in Barangay Cabid-an will be round the clock.

Fortades said “These are the two main pumping stations supplying the main lines in the City.”

Fortades added that the said 24-hour test run operation will try the full capacity of the pump motors, the newly-installed Variable frequency Drives (VFDs) at the same time taking advantage of the current abundant supply of water from the spring sources.

“The test run is also put into operation to answer the need for more water in time of the opening of classes and other local celebrations in the month of June,” he said.

It can be recalled that at the start of the year, SCWD has installed VFDs in its major pumping stations to regulate the water pressure and energy consumption during pumping operations.

Sudden water pressure and high energy consumption are two main concerns of the District during water production operations. The former causing sediments to be pumped out in the distribution lines and the latter causing increase in water production cost.

The test run will continue until tomorrow (June 30) when the Engineering Division will look into the technical capacities of the pump station and the electricity consumption relative to the 24-hour water supply operations.

It is hoped that the test run will prove positive for a continuous water supply operation for the concessionaires of SCWD. (MAL/MLJumamil, SCWD)

1,916 Catanduanes state students benefit from scholarship program
by Edna A. Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, June 29 (PIA)-- The College Education Scholarship Assistance and Reward (CESAR) program covered 1,916 recipients at Catanduanes State Colleges (CSC) Campuses in Virac and Panganiban this first semester of school year 2011-2012.

The said program has covered around 300 barangays from the 11 municipalities of the province, as follows: Bagamanoc- 97, Baras-114, Bato-187, Caramoran-178, Gigmoto-76, Pandan-54, Panganiban-66, San Andres-134, San Miguel- 87, Viga- 125, and Virac, -798.

Under the CESAR program, the annual family income of every applicant is assessed through the presentation of a certification from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Applicants with an annual family income of under P10, 000 to P100,000 are in bracket 1, those earning P100,001 to P200,000 are in bracket 2, while those with incomes P200,000 and above are in bracket 3.

Free tuition and miscellaneous fees are granted to bracket 1 scholars, while those in bracket 2 and bracket 3 are given 75% and 50%.

Congressman Cesar V. Sarmiento has alloted P9 million per year in scholarship grants for Catanduanes State Colleges in his aim to provide accessible quality education for all.

The solon is also looking forward to expanding the twin scholarship program in his desire of producing a college graduate in every Catandunganon family. (MAL/EAB, PIA Catanduanes)

BJMP- Naga City cites accomplishments
by Lizel S. Macatangay

NAGA City, June 29 (PIA) -- Working on a paltry financial setting did not stop the management of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) here to come up with significant accomplishments in line with its intent to provide a compassionate safekeeping of its inmates while assuring the safety of the community around it.

Jail Chief Inspector Wilmor Ploponio, City/ Dictrict Jail Warden Office-In-Charge during the regular gathering of Naga City City Peace and Order Council yesterday, cited some of the significant achievements that they have attained during the 2nd quarter of this year, covering the months of April until June 2011.

One of which is the bureau’s jail decongestion program. BJMP Naga City District Jail was able to release a total of 115 prisoners; 35 in April, 41 in May and 39 inmates in June 2011. Most of these detainees were either released thru a bailbond or their cases were acquitted.

The bureau’s rehabilitation program has also benefited 32 inmates; 25 of them went through a medical check up while 7 undergo mental or psychological examinations.

Plopinio said that they are also offering religious services to the inmates thru the regular mass every Sunday officiated by various religious groups. They are also scheduling a regular confession session for those inmates who would like to seek reparation for whatever misgivings they have committed.

“We are doing these to enhance the spiritual side of their personality which, I surmised have momentarily been set aside during the omission of a crime. With ninety- five (95%) of our inmates attending the mass every Sunday, is a proof that they want to be enlightened and seek for the atonement of their sins,” Plopinio added.

The jail management also encouraged the regular holding of a bible study, which is being conducted every Monday from 1:00 until 3 o’clock in the afternoon. There are also counseling sessions for Seventh Day Adventist members every Sunday being regularly held from 3:00 to 4:00pm every Saturday.

Various livelihood projects have also find a way inside the prison walls. BJMP Naga continuously promotes hog raising, carpentry, tailoring/ rug making, vegetable planting , beadery, coin bank making, pugon making and t-shirt printing among the inmates.

Sports and recreational activities also forms part of their Oplan-Balik Sigla Katawan Program were inmates are given educational activities to engage in various physical activities like playing basketball, volleyball and other engaging games.

Plopinio said that they will try their best to retain these programs despite the shortage of fund coming from the bureau yet looks forward for assistance from the local government units, non government organizations and other agencies to help them create more project and rehabilitation activities for their inmates. (LSM, PIA Camarines Sur)