DEPED, PHO WATCH OVER POSSIBLE DISEASE OUTBREAKS
ON THE ONSET OF SCHOOL OPENING

LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Provincial Health Office (PHO) in Albay are now monitoring and preparing for possible outbreaks of flu and other diseases in time for the opening of classes in June.

Albay Schools Division Superintendent Epifanio Buela he has directed all heads of public elementary and high schools here to ensure the cleanliness of their respective schools and surroundings.

Buela said that while sanitation should perk-up weeks before schools open, students, on the other hand, will be taught the proper hygiene during the first week of school year.

He added that the DepEd will make sure that classrooms and school facilities as well as the vicinity are mosquito-free.

He further said that teachers and parents should also keep watch of students who show signs of flu and fever.

Dr. Luis Mendoza, Albay provincial health officer, meanwhile, stressed that PHO has been on watch for possible illness outbreaks, including dengue hemorrhagic fever and possible second wave of Influenza A H1N1.

Mendoza has warned the public to be wary of dengue noting that there are so far 308 cases recorded from January to May, this year of

Dengue is caused by day-biting mosquitoes while cholera is transmitted through eating of food and drinking of water contaminated with human waste. Both diseases could prove fatal to students and adults alike.

Albay PHO has also released an advisory on different water and food borne diseases in time for the school opening.

Mendoza said that the public should exercise utmost vigilance by making sure that their water and food are clean.

Mendoza noted further that Influenza A H1N1 which hit many countries in the world in 2009, including the Philippines, is as good as gone but there is actually still much that needs to be done in order to prevent another outbreak.

He said that the illness is communicable and that students, especially those who had spent their vacation abroad with cases of Influenza A, can be carriers of the virus.

The health office has advised the frequent washing of hands, proper hygiene and other measures to prevent the spread of the virus. (MALoterte, PIA V)

BIR, LGU TO CONDUCT ZONAL VALUATION IN CAMARINES NORTE

DAET, Camarines Norte — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) District 64 is gearing up for zonal valuations in this province.

BIR Camarines Norte District Officer Marcelino M. Quito said that as a start the agency conducted a series of conference for the sub-technical committee, composed of municipal and provincial assessors and private appraisers.

Quito said that in the meetings the project will prioritize the conduct zonal valuations in the different streets and zones of the different barangays across the province.

He explained that a zonal valuation is an evaluation of value and amount of land in streets, zones in the different barangays, and municipalities in a province.
Another meeting for the final zonal valuations of the sub-technical committee to agree on the amount of land to be followed by a hearing this coming June, he said.

He cited that the final zonal valuations will be submitted to the Regional Technical Committee of the BIR then to the Executive Committee of the BIR, Department of Finance (DOF) for the final approval and a publication to the gazettes before its implementation. (RBManlangit, PIA CamNorte)