loQal - Nation and World | Philippines

Increased surveillance cuts car theft cases by 68% – PNP

loqal.ph — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:21:17 +0000

By Anna Valmero

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA – Car theft incidents in the metro continue to plunge in April as the Philippine National Police (PNP) stepped up efforts against organized crime groups.

Mainly thru the efforts of the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG), a significant 68.3 percent decline in recorded car theft cases was posted in April, bringing down the total number of cases to only 39, down from 123 cases recorded last year.
On January and February, there were 102 cases recorded, which went down to 84 and dipped further to 39 last month, said PNP-HPG Director Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina.
Espina said aside from aggressive anti-car theft operations, the HPG is also stepping-up “market denial’ operations to eliminate trafficking of stolen vehicles and cannibalized car parts in the underground market.

A total of 327 car theft incidents were recorded during the first four months of 2012, a 28.9 percent decrease from the 460 cases recorded during the same period in 2011.

Citing statistics generated from the automated HPG Vehicle Information Management System (VIMS), Espina said the 39 motor vehicles stolen in April were made up of 25 motorcycles and 14 four-wheeled vehicles, mostly stolen while parked.

The National Capital Region posted 87 percent of the car theft cases in April while 13 percent were recorded in Calabarzon.

Manila and Quezon City topped the list car theft-prone areas in Metro Manila with seven and six cases, respectively, followed by Parañaque and Makati each posting two cases of stolen motorcycles.

How much debt do Pinoys really owe? About 3 trillion pesos, says NSCB

loqal.ph — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:57:15 +0000

By Alexander Villafania

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA –The Philippines owes a total of 3 trillion pesos in debt, according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

Nearly half of this total is from foreign debt (P1.2 trillion pesos) while the rest is domestic debt (P1.74 trillion).

In one of their regular “Sexy Statistics” report, the NSCB showed that each Filipino – assuming the current population is at 95.8 million -owes P51,675.

Against a real per capita GDP (gross domestic product) of P61,719 for Filipinos, per capita debt is still pegged at P31,391.

These figures indicate that for the Philippines to be able to pay off all its debts, it has to use P51 for every P100 worth of goods and services that is domestically produced.

It essentially stressed that Filipinos will continue to pay for high prices of goods and services just to pay off debts.

Fortunately, the Philippines is a good debt payor, which lessens any chance of it going on default much like what happened in Greece, which suffered from incurring huge debts. Each of the presidents since Corazon Aquino has been diligently following its debt service payments.

And while President Benigno Aquino III has been paying our debts (14.6 percent of debt service to outstanding debt), it was during the time of his mother that the country was paying its debts the highest (19.8 percent of debt service to outstanding debt).

This was followed by former President Gloria Arroyo who was paying our debts at 15.6 percent debt service to outstanding debt.

With these figures, NSCB Secretary General Romulo Virola stated that it was the female presidents who were really trying to pay all our dues in time.

‘Helmet Law’ takes effect in Region 7 this July

loqal.ph — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:36:54 +0000

By Alexander Villafania

CEBU CITY, CEBU – Republic Act 10054, or the “Act Mandating All Motorcycle Riders to Wear Standard Protective Motorcycle Helmets While Driving,” which was signed in 2009 is only going to be fully implemented by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Cebu.

In a statement, LTO-7 (Central Visayas) Regional Director Raul Aguilos said that there would be monitoring and road inspection in the coming days and as such, motorcycles riders (including their “back riders”) should be prepared.

Aguilos said that the Helmet Law should apply further in provinces than in cities primarily because of the number of “habal-habal” riders, which are rented motorbikes where single passengers are driven to specific destinations.

Habal-habal riders are more prone to accidents, he noted.

Under the Helmet Law, riders must use standard helmets that are determined through the Import Commodity Clearance and Philippine Standard stickers. Aguilos reminded riders that the standard protective helmets are more durable and less prone to damage during accidents.

There have been many incidences of motorcycle accidents wherein victims die despite wearing helmets. This is because cheap helmets are unable to withstand the force of impact of a rider hitting solid objects.

LTO reported that in Metro Manila alone, the number of accidents involving motorcycles have increased to around 20,000 as of 2011. This accounts for 14.6 percent of all motor vehicle accidents in Metro Manila last year.

Statistics show that of the 6.6 million registered vehicles in the Philippines, 3.5 million are motorcycles.

Related stories:
Training center advocates road safety among Pinoy bikers
Father-and-son racing duo prove that Filipinos are natural offroad drivers
Students test eco-friendly concept cars at the Batangas Racing Circuit
Race car driver for a day at the Clark Speedway
A considerable problem of motorcycle safety

’Sandwich Heroes’ helps feed kids in war-torn Mindanao

loqal.ph — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:27:42 +0000

By Nikka Garriga

LANAO DEL SUR, MINDANAO – The World Food Programme (WFP) recently received P400, 000 worth of donation from the Sandwich Heroes project that aims to end hunger among children in Central Mindanao.

The donation will allow WFP to feed some 40,000 children under its school meals program in poverty-stricken areas of Maguindanao and Lanao del Norte.

The Philippines is one of the 36 countries worldwide recording the highest burden of under nutrition, according to WFP Philippines Representative and Country Director Stephen Anderson.

Prevalence of “undernutrition” in the country is estimated at 90 percent for children under five years old.

The organization is assisting about 100, 000 school children in Mindanao alone under its school meals program.

“This campaign has become a creative strategy to mobilize funds for the children of Mindanao. This will help us and our government counterparts provide hot nutritious meals for children in remote, conflict-affected areas,” Anderson said.

Sandwich Heroes, initiated by Unilever Food Solutions, partnered with 13 restaurants which offered their signature sandwiches for the campaign.

Proceeds of every sandwich sold from October last year to January this year by partner food chains like Bigg’s Diner, KFC, and The Sandwich Guy were donated to the WFP.

“We are very grateful to Unilever for its longstanding partnership with WFP in the Philippines, including its latest creative efforts to help raise awareness of the issue of hunger in the country,” Anderson said.

(Photo courtesy of World Food Programme)

Pinoys urged to avoid wastage to lessen country’s dependence on imported rice

loqal.ph — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:07:46 +0000

By Anna Valmero

MUÑOZ, NUEVA ECIJA—Helping the country achieve self-sufficiency in rice means as simple as getting only the amount of rice you can consume or finishing off the rice you put on your plate.

Doing so means P 6.2 billion in annual savings from rice imports.

On average, each Filipino wastes two tablespoons of cooked rice every day, according to Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) economist Dr. Flordeliza Bordey.

“This wastage, when summed up, easily translates into 308,833 tons of raw rice per year that can feed 2.6 million hungry Filipinos in a year,” Bordey said.

The Philippine per capita consumption of rice is pegged at 119 kilos a year, according to the Food Staple Plan of the Philippine Food Staples Self-sufficiency Roadmap (FSSR) for 2011-2016 spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture.

Households are urged to cook rice just enough for the family, and not to overwash before cooking to cut wastage and control the loss of nutrients.

Parents are encouraged to teach their kids to finish off the rice on their plates or get only the amount of rice they can consume.

On-farm rice conservation is also sought because improper harvest and postharvest activities can lead up to 15 percent production loss or 15 out of every 100 cavans of palay harvested thrown into waste.

“At P17 per kilo, the loss could be worth P12,750,” said PhilRice researcher Arnold Juliano.

Rice experts also recommend that harvesting should be done when 80 percent of the grains are already golden yellow to avoid yield losses.

“Harvesting and threshing on time ensure good grain quality, and an increase in milling recovery,” Juliano added.

On rainy or cloudy days, farmers can use rice hull-powered flatbed dryers that can dry six tons of paddy rice in one operation. Proper drying lessens the risk of spoilage, and diminishes insect attack and discoloration caused by grain heating.

Filipinos are also urged to try other sources of good carbohydrates such as white corn, sweet potato, and cassava.

Ifugao town passes anti-spanking ordinance

loqal.ph — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:13:25 +0000

By Anna Valmero

LAGAWE, IFUGAO—The quiet town of Lagawe is the third municipality in the country to pass a local ordinance that mandates the use of non-violent, positive approach to instill discipline among children.

“The municipal ordinance is an intervention to prevent parents from scolding or pinching their children’s ears to correct bad behavior.”

“The bill advocates the use of positive discipline in the form of explaining to children the consequences of their actions,” explained Irene Hoggang, municipal councilor of Lagawe.

With the help of Plan International Philippines and Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), Hoggang authored Municipal Ordinance 2012-123, which institutionalizes the use of positive forms of disciplining children and penalizes violators of the act in Lagawe.

Penalties include a fine of at least P2,500 and six months imprisonment.

The ordinance complements the existing Children’s Code of Lagawe. It strengthens the protection of children who are below 18-years-old from physical, sexual and verbal abuse from family members, teachers and other members of the community, added Hoggang.

According to statistics from the municipal office,there were at least 18 cases of physical and sexual abuse reported in the town last year.

“Definitely, there are more but most of the cases go unreported because they do not know the children’s rights,” said the councilor.

In particular, the ordinance prohibits parents, teachers, and other adults from pulling the ears or hair of children; hitting the child with hands or objects such as belt, shoes or stick; forcing a child to kneed or squat under the sun; neglecting and confinement of the child for an extended period of time, verbal abuse and intimidation, especially in public areas.

Ordering a child to do hazardous tasks as punishment is also prohibited under the ordinance.

“This ordinance aims to fill that gap by spelling out the roles of concerned agencies and institutions in the promotion of positive discipline in Lagawe,” Honggang added.

Among the positive forms of discipline outlined in the ordinance are the use of praise for reinforcing good behavior and responsibility building by making a child perform household chores.

To reprimand a kid, a parent must use a command to stop the child from doing bad behavior and an explanation as to why the behavior should stop and what are the alternative actions open to the child.

The ordinance also encourages parents and teachers to use neutral time, which includes the period of calm after a child’s tantrum has passed, to teach new behavior to the kid.

Through the ordinance, the municipal office and members of Plan Philippines and PLCPD are holding awareness and capacity building seminars to educate parents, guardian, daycare workers, teachers, and church workers.

On the national level, House Bill (HB) 4455 which prohibits corporal punishment on children passed the third and final reading at the House of Representatives in 2011 but the counterpart Senate Bill 873 has not yet been tackled at the senate Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations chaired by Sen. Pia Cayetano.

Davao foundation seeks more volunteer doctors for war-torn Mindanao

loqal.ph — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:59:29 +0000

By Alexander Villafania

DAVAO CITY, DAVAO DEL SUR – For nearly 40 years, Maharlika Charity Foundation (MCF) has been doing medical missions in some of the remotest places in the Philippines, especially in the South.

Organized by a group of visionary doctors, MCF has helped thousands of people with visual impairment and dental deformity, especially those living in war-ravaged provinces.

Founded by a group of volunteer dentists and ophthalmologists in Davao City in 1973, it was established as a way to reach out to Filipinos displaced by conflict in remote parts of Mindanao.

While they have conducted ophthalmological missions to help those with cataracts and squints, the majority of their medical missions have been providing free oral surgery especially for those with cleft lip and palate deformities.

The group, composed of about 50 doctors with various specialties, has traveled in and around Mindanao, including Misamis, Zamboanga, Sultan Kudarat, Basilan, and Surigao.

At least four or five doctors and another 10 nurses participate during these medical missions. Usually, they are assisted by the local government units in setting up temporary operating centers but some missions are also done in established medical institutions.

Just recently, the MCF organized a medical mission offering free cleft lip and palate surgery at Zamboanga City Medical Center where they were able to do surgery on at least 50 patients. They also partnered with the Tzu Chi Foundation and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. They also got assistance from the United States Army to hold the medical mission.

The group conducts monthly medical missions, according to MCF Vice President for Public Relations Dr. Benedict Edward Valdez,

Despite the dangers of going into a war-ravaged locale, Dr. Valdez said their volunteer doctors remain steadfast in their goal of reaching out and helping the underserved sector of society.

Valdez said that their focus on cleft lip and palate surgery is largely due to the fact that incidences are high for such a deformity. It is also one of the most emotionally discomfiting physical defects, with many children becoming emotionally scarred due to constant maltreatment from others.

According to him, cleft lip and palate incidences are quite high in the Philippines, about 1 for every 1,000.

“There are areas in the South with children and old people who have cleft lip and palate. We want to give them hope, that they do not have to hide and they can be part in rebuilding their society.”

Each cleft lip and palate surgery could cost around P20,000 or more depending on the size of deformity.“The mission helps these people by removing the cost of the surgery. Many people don’t have that kind of money. However, we will help anyone who would need surgery,” said Valdez.

Part of their advocacy is to get more doctors to volunteer and provide their medical skills to help more people. More than financial assistance, MCF wants to develop linkages with other doctors, medical institutions, and foundations.

Valdez sees these partnerships as a means to share their experiences to other medical professionals. Furthermore, he hopes to work with international medical organizations to highlight their medical projects, which can be replicated in areas where it could be needed.

“Ours is over and above the need for financial gain. We’re hoping to show the world how our doctors can manage to share their skills even as they go through such dangers.”

(Photos courtesy of Maharlika Charity Foundation)

Mangyans in Mindoro get birth certificates

Bill seeks cheaper telco rates for disabled people

Poll precincts need to be more accessible to Pinoys with disabilities

loqal.ph — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:45:25 +0000

By Anna Valmero

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA—Access to registration and polling precincts will determine if the persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the country numbering to three million will be able to cast the ballot in the 2013 midterm polls.

The hearing and speech impaired are most likely to register and vote for the polls, while people who are orthopedically and visually impaired expressed they are less likely to register unless there is an easier way to go to and access voter registration and voting precincts, according to an SWS survey.

Majority or over 80 percent of PWDs who are eligible voters surveyed welcomed House Bill 4048 or the Polling Center Accessibility Act because it will help increase PWDs participation in voting on election day.

“What we need is provide them the access. We need more accessible registration sites and voting precincts so that PWDs will be encouraged to go out and out,” said Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo, whose father and brother are both blind.

After the success of the prisoner and PWD voters in the 2010 automated polls, Commission on Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said that “reaching out to and working with PWDs has legal, constitutional and international support.”

Among the laws supporting PWD voting include the 1987 Constitution, Omnibus Election Code, Law on Continued Registration, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Disabled.

The Comelec official stressed the need for a PWD party list in Congress who would champion their cause and will represent them in the lawmaking body.

Sarmiento, who would retire on February 2013, added that hopes to see a PWD seated as a Comelec commissioner soon.

Aviation authority plans to increase terminal fee in Palawan

loqal.ph — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:14:42 +0000

By Anna Valmero

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN—The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has scheduled a public hearing on May 10 regarding the proposed terminal fee hike at the Puerto Princesa Airport.

The airport terminal fee in Puerto Princesa City as well as in other domestic airports in the country is proposed to be increased from the current P40 to P200 in a bid to generate more funds for the maintenance and improvement of the terminals, according to the CAAP.

Earlier, the proposed hike was met with objections by the business sector, some local officials, and the media especially those who were not informed of the proposed hike on the first public hearing held April 26.

The P40 terminal fee has been imposed to all departing passengers since 1998 by an order from the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Through the second public hearing, CAAP and DOTC aims to inform and gather opinions and recommendations of the public regarding the increase.

To date, the airport in Puerto Princesa has check-in and pre-departure areas were designed to cater to a maximum of 700 passengers.

The public hearing will be held on May 10 at 9am at the Asturias Hotel in the city.

Lawmakers file new bill to curb spread of AIDS

loqal.ph — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:42:04 +0000

By Anna Valmero

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA—Last March, the country hit a record of ten new daily cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), prompting the need for a legislation to help prevent and curb the spread of the infection from becoming a full blown epidemic.

A total of 313 Filipinos were diagnosed with HIV last March, contributing to a rise of a total of 799 cases for the first three months of the year—a 65 percent rise from last year’s 483 cases in the same quarter.

This alarming number is one of the reasons why the Aquino administration should certify as urgent the passage of House Bill 5312, a proposed new AIDS Prevention and Control Law.

“The new legislation has become absolutely imperative to effectively suppress the HIV epidemic,” said Representative Arnel Ty.

The bill seeks to earmark P400 million to jumpstart a new National HIV and AIDS Plan.

Essentially, HIV causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), a disease that ravages the human body’s immune system does not have any known cure.

Citing National Epidemiology Center data, Ty said the latest cases included 290 males and 23 females, with over half aged between 20 and 29 years old.

The cases recorded on March included 37 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who all acquired the virus via exposed sexual contact, and 31 intravenous drug users who were all infected after sharing tainted needles.

Except for the 31 drug users and two cases of mother-to-child transmission, Ty said all of the new cases were contaminated due to unprotected sexual encounters, with males having sex with other males accounting for 83 percent.

Three full-blown AIDS cases–two males and a one female–died in March, bringing to five the known deaths this year alone, Ty said.

The National HIV and AIDS Registry now lists an aggregate of 9,163 HIV cases in the country, with 91 percent of them or 8,369 cases infected on account of sexual contact.

Ty co-authored the bill together Representatives Maria Isabelle Climaco of Zamboanga City, Janette Garin of Iloilo, Jorge Banal of Quezon City, and Kaka Bag-ao of Akbayan party list.

Early treatment better than condoms against HIV, says expert

DoH warns of ‘unprotected’ male-to-male sex as HIV/AIDS cases rise

On a mission to fight HIV/AIDS

Call center agents react to the HIV/AIDS scare

Ang Ladlad plans to put up AIDS centers

Health expert debunks common myths about condoms

loQal - Nation and World | Philippines

Increased surveillance cuts car theft cases by 68% – PNP

How much debt do Pinoys really owe? About 3 trillion pesos, says NSCB

‘Helmet Law’ takes effect in Region 7 this July

﻿’Sandwich Heroes’ helps feed kids in war-torn Mindanao

Pinoys urged to avoid wastage to lessen country’s dependence on imported rice

Ifugao town passes anti-spanking ordinance

Davao foundation seeks more volunteer doctors for war-torn Mindanao

Poll precincts need to be more accessible to Pinoys with disabilities

Aviation authority plans to increase terminal fee in Palawan

Lawmakers file new bill to curb spread of AIDS

’Sandwich Heroes’ helps feed kids in war-torn Mindanao