ILOILO: The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has called for an intensified implementation of the 4S strategy on dengue prevention as cases in the province showed a slight increase amid the El Niño phenomenon this year.

IPHO chief Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon said Wednesday Iloilo province recorded 141 dengue cases from Jan. 1 to Feb. 3, a slight increase from the 138 posted in the same period last year.

‘We have to strengthen our 4S strategy most, especially search and destroy breeding places,’ she said in an interview, noting that cases even increase during the dry spell.

The 4S strategy stands for search and destroy mosquito-breeding places, seek early consultation, self-protection, and support fogging or spraying operations when necessary.

Since people tend to store water during dry spells, it can also become breeding places for mosquitoes when left uncovered.

Quiñon said cases could further increase if preventive measures are not observed.

She said only four towns –Anilao, Batad, Concepcion and Z
arraga– of the 43 local government units in the province have not reported dengue cases.

The town of Oton, on the other hand, recorded the highest number of cases with 18 followed by Passi City with 11.

Source: Philippines News Agency

PUERTO PRINCESA: The Western Command (Wescom) has dispatched a ship loaded with personnel and relief goods to provide humanitarian assistance to families displaced by a series of flash floods in Davao de Oro.

Capt. Ariel Joseph Coloma, spokesperson for Wescom, told reporters that the BRP Davao Del Sur (LD602) initially sailed to Manila to pick up about 40,000 boxes of food from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) head office before journeying south to the calamity area.

“They sailed to Manila yesterday to load the food packs from DSWD, which they will transport to Davao. What we know is that by this time, they’re already on their way to Davao,” he said.

Also aboard the Navy’s more than 400-foot-long vessel were troops belonging to the Marine Battalion Landing Team 9 (MBLT9), tasked with supporting the humanitarian mission on the ground.

The military spokesman noted that upon completing their mission of mercy, the BRP Davao del Sur and the marines aboard it will quickly resume their d
uties bolstering external defense operations, particularly in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“They will help (affected families in Davao) for around two days before they go back to Palawan to resume their task,” Coloma added.

He said the deployment of BRP Davao del Sur and MBLT-9 troops underscores Wescom’s commitment to aiding relief operations, complementing the efforts of other government agencies, such as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Philippine Coast Guard.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday ordered the filing of criminal charges against the owners of the M/T Princess Empress and several others for their part in the oil spill that hit Oriental Mindoro and Batangas provinces last year.

Named as respondents were corporate officers, along with several employees of RDC Reield Marines Services, Inc., the shipping company that owns M/T Princess Empress, 19 Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel, and two Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) personnel, the agency said in a statement.

The charges include multiple counts of falsification of private documents, use of falsified documents, and multiple counts of falsification of public documents.

The Feb. 28 sinking of the oil tanker affected more than 75 km. of coastline and 42,400 families from 107 affected areas in the provinces of Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Antique, and Batangas.

“Following a comprehensive evaluation of affidavits and evidence, the panel of DOJ prosecutors uncovered irregularities i
n certain documents related to the construction and certificate of public convenience of M/T Princess Empress,” the DOJ said.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, meanwhile, said “negligence cannot be used as an excuse to destroy the environment and livelihood of people.”

‘It is important to be diligent on land and on our waters,’ he said.

The case stemmed from the cases filed by the National Bureau of Investigation and officials of affected local government units.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: A significant majority of Filipinos believe the country is headed in the right direction under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., according to the latest survey results released by OCTA Research on Wednesday.

Based on the Tugon ng Masa survey conducted from Dec. 10 to 14, 64 percent of Filipino adults said the Philippines is headed in the right direction based on the policies and programs articulated and implemented by the current administration, while 21 percent believed otherwise.

‘The percentage of adult Filipinos who think that the country is headed in the right direction increased from 62 percent last October 2023 to 64 percent in December 2023,” OCTA said.

OCTA said the two-percentage point increase in Filipinos who believe the country is on the right track is the “first time a rise in the positive outlook” on the country’s trajectory has been observed since October 2022.

In the major areas, the highest percentage of Filipinos who believe the Chief Executive is steering
the country well is in Metro Manila at 81 percentage, while the lowest percentage is in Balance Luzon at 57 percent.

In terms of socioeconomic classes, the pollster said Class ABC registered the highest agreement that the country is headed in the right direction at 76 percent.

On the other hand, 38 percent of those under Class E had pessimism regarding the Philippines’ direction.

OCTA’s survey had 1,200 respondents and a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Hanoi: The Vietnam Writers’ Association (VWA) will present 30,000 books to children in mountainous and far-flung areas in 2024, according to VWA President Nguyen Quang Thieu.

Thieu said that the activity is part of a project to provide free books to children in mountainous and remote areas, which was launched in 2021.

According to the VWA leader, this year, the association plans to implement various activities, including the printing of 50 outstanding works in the past 50 years.

The association will hold the 22nd Vietnam Poetry Day on the 15th day of the first lunar month of the Year of the Dragon at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, and announce the winners of the VWA Awards 2023, the young author awards 2023, and impressive female author awards 2023.

In 2024, the VWA will host the Mekong literature conference in October in Hanoi, while coordinating with the Chinese Writers Association to organise a conference, and welcoming writer delegations from Cuba, Palestine, the Republic of Korea, and Colombia, he
said.

The VWA President said that the association will launch a project to assist Cuban writers in printing their collections. Starting from 2024, the association will print five outstanding works by Cuban authors each year, with about 2,000 copies for each work, which will be sent to Cuba.

Thieu underlined that the VWA had a good year in 2023, with the organisation of the 21st Vietnam Poetry Day themed ‘New Rhythms’ at Hanoi’s Thang Long Imperial Citadel, among other exciting events throughout the year.-VNA

Source: Vietnam News Agency

LEGAZPI: Residents of this city, including employees of the city government and national government agencies, barangay officials and members of non-government organizations, planted at least 3,100 trees in celebration of Valentine’s Day on Wednesday.

More than 1,000 individuals joined the annual ‘Lakad Tanim Para sa Puso’ tree-planting activity, which is now in its 17th year, in Sitio (sub-village) Caridad, Barangay Banquerohan here. The village is adjacent to the Legazpi City sanitary landfill.

The participants included employees of the Legazpi local government unit, Commission on Audit (COA), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Legazpi City Water District (LCWD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Philippi
ne Navy, Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

In her short message, Mayor Geraldine Rosal said the yearly tree planting activity spearheaded by the city government is part of their reforestation and environmental protection programs to cushion the impact of global warming.

She said at least 150,000 trees planted during the previous years are now fully grown and standing tall in different areas, particularly at the foot of Mt. Mayon, the top of the Lignon Hill view deck, at the sanitary landfill, and the golf course in Barangay Padang.

Rosal commended the participants for regularly joining the city’s tree-planting activity, noting this sustained practice has a significant impact on the environment.

‘We have a date with our nature of protecting our environment by way of planting more trees every time we celebrate Valentine’s Day,’ she said.

Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources (OCENR) chie
f, engineer Benju Calleja, in an interview, said the planted tree seedlings were provided by the OCENR’s nursery.

He said the seedlings included fruit-bearing trees such as cacao, jackfruit, santol and avocado.

The ‘Lakad Tanim Para Sa Puso” started a year after Super Typhoon Reming devastated Albay on Nov. 30, 2006.

Meanwhile, personnel of the Police Regional Office-Bicol (PRO5) serenaded and gave flowers and heart-shaped balloons to commuters and motorists in front of their headquarters in Camp Gen. Simeon Ola on Wednesday morning.

In a message, Lt. Col. Malu Calubaquib, PRO5 spokesperson, said the activity aimed to strengthen community relations and convey the love of the police for the people they are serving.

Those who received flowers and balloons were pleasantly surprised and thankful for the policemen’s gesture.

Source: Philippines News Agency