ALBAY PDCC IS 2010 KALASAG AWARDEE ANEW - SALCEDA

LEGAZPI CITY — For the second time, the provincial government of Albay has been bestowed the 2010 Kalasag Awards by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) for being the Best Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) Category.

Albay Governor Joey Salceda said this is the second consecutive year that Albay has topped the highly competitive selection in an activity that is regarded as a national imperative disaster risk reduction measure.

While Albay bested other provinces and received the prestigious 2010 Kalasag Award for the Best PDCC in the country, five other Albay-based entities secured awards in various categories: (a) Legazpi City - 2nd in component city category (b) Child Sponsorship for Community Devt. Inc. - 1st in NGO category (c) Simon of Cyrene Children's Rehabilitation and Development Inc. - 2nd in NGO category (d) Daraga National High - 3rd in Best School Category and (e) BRTTH - 3rd in Best Hospital Category.

Salceda thanked the NDCC and the selection committee for recognizing the fruit of the unified effort of Albayanos to secure a safe and shared development.

“Clearly, the award belongs to Albay and its people and the provincial government is merely a steward of their aspirations,” he said.

He also noted that the six awards given to Albay proves that the DRR ethos or culture of preparedness has become a pervasive character of the province that is confronted with multiple hazards from typhoons, volcanic eruption, floods, landslides, and storm surges.

Salceda said “certainly, we are aiming for a Hall of Fame by securing our third Best PDCC in 2011”.

He said to attain the goal, the PDCC will be stepping up strategies to the next level of preparedness and resources have been committed to the effort.

“All these are for a higher goal - that development can proceed in the midst of disaster risks,” he averred. (MDRama, PNA Bicol/PIA/mal)

PHILHEALTH SABADO ENLISTS CLOSE TO 50,000 MEMBERSHIPS IN BICOL

LEGAZPI CITY — PhilHealth has distributed more than 5,000 membership cards to the very poor Bicolanos while close to 50,000 enlisted to the government’s health insurance program during the Nationwide Registration Day dubbed “PhilHealth Sabado” last October 2, according to a regional official of PhilHealth Bicol.

Dr. Veronica Mateum, PhilHealth Bicol regional director, said the 5,076 locals who got their membership ID were previously identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the National Household Targeting System (NHTS) as true indigents and already enrolled by their respective local government units (LGUs).

Furthermore, according to Mateum, PhilHealth has recorded some 39,271 walk-in clients in Sorsogon, 4,025 in Albay, 3,047 in Camarines Sur, 1,467 in Masbate, 806 in Camarines Norte and 518 in Catanduanes totaling to 49,134 individuals who enlisted in various registration sites across Bicol..

PhilHealth Bicol has also collected payments form individually paying members totaling to P170,000 for the entire region in the one-day event.

Mateum added that PhilHealth Bicol has established the regional and service offices and government as well as premiere commercial centers in Bicol as registration sites for non-members, including the indigents, individually paying members, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), self-employed, among others.

DOH Undersecretary Alexander Padilla, gracing the opening rites in Albay province, stated that PhilHealth Sabado is the start of a continuing advocacy program to increase awareness and knowledge of every Filipino on the importance of becoming a PhilHealth member that will ensure access to quality health services to the member and his/her dependents.

Padilla stressed that PhilHealth Sabado fulfills universal health insurance coverage providing each and every Filipino access to quality healthcare within three years as promised in the first State of the Nation Address of President Benigno S. Aquino III.

He added that the state-run health insurance program was made a priority item in the new administration’s health agenda which aims to hit 100 percent of the Philippine population within three years.

The program intends the registration of non-member informal sector under the individually paying program (IPP). It also provides for an opportunity to automatically register and distribute PhilHealth cards to about 800,000 indigents identified in the National Household Targeting System (NHTS).

The health insurance program mainly targets those from the self-employed and informal sector who comprise some 53 percent of the population, a substantial portion of which, can afford to pay for health insurance as individually paying members. LGUs and other non-governmental organizations may choose to sponsor families without the means to pay but were not included in the DSWD.

Padilla furthered, “I encourage all Filipinos especially those who are not yet members of PhilHealth to avail of the opportunity to be registered with PhilHealth even beyond October 2. Let us protect ourselves from the financial effects of health emergencies and medical situations in the family.” (MALoterte, PIA V)


SORSOGON SCORES 20,000 NEW PHILHEALTH REGISTRANTS
… “Philhealth Sabado”, overwhelmingly successful

SORSOGON Province — Thousand of Sorsoganons flocked to various registration sites and enlisted as new members of the government’s health insurance program during the Nationwide Philhealth Registration Day held Saturday (October 2), according to a provincial official of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) provincial office here.

Chief Social Insurance Officer Alfredo Jubilo said some 20,000 registration forms were received by their office now being cross checked by their membership staff so PhilHealth can also immediately generate the member’s identification card.

“Aside from this number, many individuals here still expressed desire to enlist themselves as PhilHealth members only that one day is not really enough to cover them all,” he said.

Jubilo has assured that they can still enroll as members saying that what happened on Saturday is a kick-off activity of their intensified membership campaign. He further said that PhilHealth membership registration is still one of their on-going programs.

“In far flung areas, registration of members may be facilitated by their respective Local Government Units (LGUs) and the Social Welfare and Department Office (SWDO) or their counterparts in the barangay levels,” he said.

He further explained that for those who have the means to pay for their premium contributions, can visit the nearest PhilHealth Service Offfice in their respective areas or can seek assistance from their local officials or barangay health workers to know the procedures.

He also said that after the ID generation, they will turn-over the IDs to their respective LGUs for the distribution to members. Jubilo is also positive that by the last quarter of this year, they can already have the IDs distributed.

Meanwhile, he said, they also welcome other moves or initiatives from LGUs, establishments or private individuals that will help PhilHealth in its membership and contributions mapping efforts.

The PhilHealth Nationwide Registration Day dubbed as “PhilHealth Sabado” aimed at tapping Filipinos who are not yet members of PhilHealth.

The nationwide activity initiated by the Department of Health (DOH) and the PhilHealth, in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd) and Local Government Units (LGUs) is also an advocacy activity meant at further educating PhilHealth members about their benefits, rights and responsibilities. (BARecebido, PIA Sorsogon/mal)

NOTORIOUS NPA BANDIT COLLARED BY GOVERNMENT FORCES IN CAMSUR

TIGAON, Camarines Sur – A notorious NPA banditry gang member was collared by government troops here yesterday, (October 4), a military report said.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Cruz, the commander of the Army’s 42nd Infantry Battalion, said that he sent a platoon of his soldiers together with some policemen to arrest the suspect who was spotted by neighbors inside his house in Panoypoyan village of Bula town at around 8:00 am.

Cruz identified the bandit as a certain Benhur Romano a long time member of the CPP-NPA-NDF’s Front Committee 75. The suspect has a standing warrant of arrest for the killing of Sergeant Alfredo Valencia and Private Domingo Alcantara Jr in 2007.

“Many of his former comrades who had surrendered to my unit pinpointed him as one of the principal suspects in the killing of two soldiers of this battalion three years ago. He was also tagged as one of those who detonated a roadside bomb which killed 5 soldiers in Presentacion town in July 2010 and the killing of two unarmed militiaman in Bula town in May 2010,” said Cruz.

Colonel Teodoro Cirilo Torralba, the commander of the Army’s 901st Brigade which as jurisdiction over Camarines Sur has cited the invaluable help provided by the civilian tipsters in the series of arrests and digging of the NPA’s arms cache.

“It was also a civilian informant who led the troops to the staging area of the bandits resulting to an encounter in Lagonoy town on October 1 which left one soldier dead. Bandit members usually go back to their homes when pursuit operations are launched by soldiers but we are lucky to have gained the support of the civilians in the area,” said Torralba.

Torralba also commended the gains of the 42nd Infantry Battalion when the pursuit operations on October 2 yielded three anti-tank mines, 5 anti-personnel mines which according to him, and several bomb-making materials which according to him, “indicated the NPA’s plan to stage ambuscades with roadside bombs against government forces”.

The death of a high-ranking NPA leader identified as Elmer Osila a.k.a. Ka Fredo, the Secretary of the Front Committee 75 has crippled the capabilities of the bandit group.

Ka Fredo was considered as one of the dwindling number of experienced NPA cadres in the Bicol Region. (HMCabunoc, DPAO 9ID PA/PIA/mal)

CATANDUANES MOST VULNERABLE TO LANDSLIDE, FLOOD

LEGAZPI CITY— The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Bicol has declared Catanduanes as the most susceptible area to landslide and flooding in Bicol.

Dr. Arlene Dayao, Chief Geosciences Division of MGB Bicol, said that the majority of island province’s area is landslide and flood-prone. Dayao emphasized that this is due to the “natural ground formation of the province” likewise the altered land use system in the area such as kaingin, deforestation among others.

“Presently MGB Bicol is in close coordination with municipal disaster management councils and local governments to heighten the public awareness on the geohazard risks that affected areas would be facing”, Dayao said.

She cautioned the local residents on possible incidents of landslide and flooding in identified areas stressing that when signs of apparent disaster loom they should automatically evacuate.

Meanwhile, MGB Bicol Regional Director Reynulfo Juan pinpointed at least 49 municipalities in the region at risk to landslide and flooding.

Among the critical areas in Albay includes Bacacay, Libon, Malilipot, Malinao, Manito, Rapu-Rapu, Sto. Domingo, Tiwi and Ligao; in Camarines Norte, Basud, Capalonga, Labo, Mercedes, Paracale, San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente and Sta. Elena; in Camarines Sur, Buhi, Caramoan, Garchitorena,Goa, Lagonoy, Libmanan, Lupi, Pasacao, Presentacion, Sagnay, Sipocot and Tinambac;

In Catanduanes, Bagamanoc, Baras, Bato, Caramoran, Gigmoto, Pandan, Panganiban and San Andres; in Masbate, Aroroy, Baleno, Mandaon, Milagros and Mobo; in Sorsogon; Bulan, Irosin, Juban, Magallanes, Matnog, Sta. Magdalena and Sorsogon City. (ASAraya, RPAO DENR V/PIA/mal)