Author: ltadmin

MANILA: The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) provided Psychological First Aid (PFA) to 332 schoolchildren affected by a recent armed encounter between government forces and communist rebels in Tubay town, Agusan del Norte.

‘The PFA was provided through a request from the Tubay social welfare office in assisting the elementary students of Doña Telesfora Elementary School (DOTES) to overcome the aftermath of the distressing encounter between government forces and the lawless elements last Feb. 23, 2024,’ the DSWD-13 said in a statement Friday.

On Thursday, at least 17 social workers from the agency with the support of 13 interns joined hands in the conduct of the PFA to the schoolchildren.

The PFA, through different activities, is aimed to alleviate stress symptoms and support the positive recovery of the children after their stressful and traumatic experiences.

‘Following a series of engaging activities, the PFA team observed the resilience of the children, noting
their cooperative participation and openness in expressing their emotions regarding the incident,’ the DSWD-13 said.

During the exit conference, professional assessments showed no significant signs of extreme stress among the schoolchildren as they were ready to resume their studies without impediment.

DOTES head Liezel Santos expressed appreciation for the response of the DSWD-13 to the situation of the children.

‘Your presence made us feel that we are not alone with the prompt response you made,’ she said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The National Integrated Research Program on Medicinal Plants-Institute of Herbal Medicine (NIRPROMP-IHM) has presented medicines made from plants in the recent Philippine Pharma and Healthcare Expo in Pasay City.

The new medicines have gone through the required pre-clinical trials and various phases of clinical testing as required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medicine formulations.

These medicines include ulasimang bato, yerba buena, ampalaya and tsaang gubat.

Ulasimang bato (pansit-pansitan or pepper elder) can be used as a drug to treat hyperuricemia or high uric acid in the blood.

“The ones taken by patients and patients who took ulasimang bato did not experience side effects,’ Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) director Lourdes Marie Tejero said.

Yerba buena was proven to relieve pain due to operation, dysmenorrhea, childbirth and circumcision; ampalaya is treatment for diabetes; and tsaang gubat, an anti-colic, is proven to relieve kabag or stomach g
as.

‘There was a dream in the 1970s that we should have affordable medicines for Filipinos. We have so many herbal medicines and the challenge was to make these into medicines,” Tejero said.

“One success story is Lagundi has yielded more than PHP1 billion in sales, and Sambong made PHP17 million in sales in 2018,’ she added.

The TTBDO at the University of the Philippines-Manila facilitated the transition of scientific innovations into commercial products.

It plays a crucial role in translating research into tangible benefits for society by promoting intellectual property applications, patent cooperation treaties and business development strategies.

The pharma and healthcare expo showcased breakthrough medical advancements to attract commercial partners to manufacture and distribute to local markets.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Clock Tower Museum inside the Manila City Hall will also be open on weekends starting March 2.

‘Now, you can enjoy our museum even on Saturdays and Sundays,” Mayor Honey Lacuna said in a statement Friday.

Jose Ma. Belmonte, project head of the Manila Clock Tower Museum, said visitors are welcome from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays to Sundays.

It features the colorful history of Manila as well as modern art galleries with changing art exhibits.

The nearly 100-feet Manila Clock Tower, which was completed in 1930, was designed by Filipino neoclassical artist and architect Antonio Toledo.

The rehabilitated clock tower was formally opened to the public in October 2022.

Just recently, the museum was picked Golden Leaf Presidential Awardee of the Philippine Leaf Awards Tertulia at Parangal 2024, an award that acknowledges integrity, creativity and excellence in Philippine live entertainment, performing arts, fashion and festivals.

The Leaf awards will be handed out March 8 at the Manila Metropolitan
Theater.

In November last year, the museum was hailed by the National Commission of Culture and the Arts as the grand winner in the Museums and Galleries Month 2023 Audio/Visual Presentation Museum Competition.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Host Philippines got two more medals from Jamesray Mishael Ajido and Heather White in the final day of the swimming competition Thursday night at the 11th Age Group Championships at the New Clark City Aquatics Center here.

Ajido, a Grade 8 student from La Salle Greenhills, clocked 25.50 seconds to secure the silver in the boys 12-14 50m butterfly event won by Japanese Yusei Nishiono (25.43s). Iranian Yashar Soleimani got the bronze in 26.02s.

It was sweet revenge for Nishiono, who settled for the silver when Ajido pocketed the gold medal in the 100m butterfly event last Wednesday.

Ajido’s 55.98s time in the 100m butterfly broke the meet record of 56.36 set by Chinese Yu Xiang Wang in 2019. Nishiono’s submitted a record-breaking 56.05s while Chinese Taipei’s Yung-Cheng Kan was third in 56.79.

Meanwhile, White collected her second bronze medal, this time in the girls 15-17 100m where she clocked 57.86s to finish third behind Japan’s Ramika Taira (56.81) and Hong Kong’s Gilaine Ma (56.86).

The 16-ye
ar-old Filipino-British bagged her first bronze medal in the 100m butterfly with a personal best time of 1:03.09. Hong Kong’s Hoi Ching Yeung grabbed the gold medal with a new meet record of 1:00.50, improving Japanese Aki Obata’s 1:00.73 set in 2009. Sze Ki Mok, also from Hong Kong, got the silver medal in 1:02.73.

Jasmine Mojdeh also contributed to the country’s medal haul, claiming the bronze medal in the girls 15-17 200m butterfly.

Ajido, from Antipolo City, had a total of three medals, including a bronze in the 50m freestyle where he registered 24.34s, a personal best and a national record.

Japan’s Toya Hirata won the gold medal in 23.21s, a new meet record that broke the 24.03s time set by compatriot Yuga Takashima in 2019.

He is a double-gold medalist (100m butterfly and 100m backstroke) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 99. Last year, he won five gold and one bronze medals at the Batang Pinoy National Championships and pocketed two silvers at the SEA Age Group Championships in
Indonesia last year.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 5 (Bicol) has begun implementing the Digital Financial Literacy Program, which will capacitate Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries concerning savings and online banking applications.

In an interview on Friday, Jessica Buendia, DSWD-5 4Ps information officer, said the pilot implementation in Bulan, Sorsogon on Thursday was part of the directives of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian to include the economically disadvantaged population into the financial system of the country.

“This new program seeks to promote financial inclusivity and sustainability among 4Ps beneficiaries. It aligns with Republic Act 11310, also called the ‘Act Institutionalizing the 4Ps,’ which emphasizes the need to provide beneficiaries with capacity-building activities to improve their overall well-being. The initiative aims to offer support that can help beneficiaries achieve long-term financial stability,” she said.

Buendia said as part of a pilot program
, beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer program 4Ps received orientations on financial literacy and digital financial services.

Representatives of partner organizations, including Landbank of the Philippines (LBP), Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Foundation, Ayala Foundation, GCash, and Maya, talked about their respective services. After the discussions, attendees signed up with their preferred digital financial service provider.

“Aside from how to save money, the participants were taught how to use online banking applications since most beneficiaries balance their cash cards at the bank itself, which is costly and inconvenient. Landbank already has a Piso Savings Account, they encourage the beneficiaries to open an account instead of using a piggy bank because there are incidents where the money is taken or lost. The GCash and Maya also discussed their services like digital saving with high-interest and e-loading business,” Buendia said.

He noted that the initiative is expected
to benefit the 400,503 active 4Ps beneficiaries in the region.

Aside from Bulan, Sorsogon, other areas in the country that have implemented the Digital Financial Literacy Program are Quezon City; Cagayan de Oro City; Guiuan, Eastern Samar; Iloilo City; and Agusan del Sur.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Two cities in southern Negros Occidental, whose rice farms are among the worst-hit by the dry spell, are set to provide assistance to affected farmers.

Latest data of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) showed that Kabankalan City recorded an estimated damage of PHP22.834 million, affecting 504 farmers, while Himamaylan City posted a PHP3.732-million damage, with 110 farmers affected.

In a statement on Friday, Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie Miranda said the City Agriculture Office is conducting an assessment of the extent of the damage to determine the assistance that will be provided to the farmers.

‘We are waiting for their recommendation. We are considering the declaration of a state of calamity since the crops are really affected,’ he said.

Miranda added there are farmers insured with Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) with the assistance of the city government.

In the neighboring Himamaylan City, Mayor Rogelio Raymund Tongson Jr. said in a statement that they are processing th
e release of financial assistance from the city’s El Niño fund and the claims of the affected farmer-families in eight barangays from the PCIC.

The mayor earlier led the ocular visits in four barangays to check the needs of the affected communities.

‘The city government is identifying possible water resources and coming up with projects to provide aid to Himamaylanons,’ Tongson said, adding that drinking water is also being delivered to affected households.

The water supply of some 8,507 families or 30,825 individuals from artesian wells has already been affected by the dry spell.

‘We are conducting a joint monitoring led by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and City Agriculture Office to constantly update the working data,’ the mayor said.

Last month, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said in a report that Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, is seen to experience drought from the end of February to May this year.

A dry spell sit
uation is characterized by below-normal rainfall conditions for three consecutive months while drought is characterized by a rainfall condition below normal for five consecutive months.

As of Feb. 26, damage to rice crops in Negros Occidental has already reached PHP55.255 million, according to the OPA report.

Source: Philippines News Agency