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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

DOH approves purchase of P16M Cobalt Source for Zamboanga Hospital

by Jocelyn P. Alvarez


ZAMBOANGA CITY, Jan. 31 (PIA)- Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) will soon have a brand new Cobalt Source, replacing the “half life” that has aged to 10 years serving patients not only from Zamboanga but also from nearby provinces.

The acquisition comes after Health Secretary Enrique Ona approved the purchase of the Cobalt Source with the efforts of the Deputy Speaker for Mindanao and Zamboanga City 1st District Representative Beng Climaco-Salazar.

Costing the government some P16 million, the cobalt source will be purchased by the Department of Health (DOH) in Canada and is expected to arrive here first quarter of this year.

ZCMC Chief of Hospital Dr. Romeo Ong said, awaiting the arrival of the cobalt source, the hospital’s Department of Radiation Oncology (DRO) has temporarily suspended acceptance of (new) incoming patients referred for radiation therapy.

He assured though that patients who are presently undergoing therapy with the DRO will still get to finish sessions, and there are at the moment 8 patients undergoing regular therapy sessions.

Cobalt Source is being used in Radiation Therapy, a method used for patients with cervical, colon, rectal and breast cancers.

Radiation Therapy costs P400.00 per session in ZCMC, informed Dr. Ong. (JPA/PIA-ZBST)

3 DSWD-IX personnel recognized for outstanding performance


by Franklin P. Gumapon

DIPOLOG CITY, Jan. 31 (PIA) - - Three personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-IX bagged national awards for their outstanding performance recently.

Fatima S. Caminan, Fidel C. Empeynado and Ma. Eva E. Avila bested other nominees in the annual search for best employees through DSWD’s Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE).

Caminan was adjudged best division chief for the technical category while Empeynado was accorded the best social worker award for center-based category and Avila got the best support staff award for professional category.

Caminan serves as the center head of the Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC) for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Zamboanga City. The two other awardees are based at the Regional Rehabilitation for Youth (RRCY) at Anastacio, Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte as Psychologist and Social Welfare Officer, respectively.

In an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Avila disclosed that his best contributions to the agency centered on the activities she initiated at the RRCY such as the therapeutic community program, parents’ group meeting, summer camp and other similar activities that would help in the rehabilitation of “children in conflict with the law” (CILC).

Other PRAISE awardees were Director Arnel B. Garcia of Region II as best manager, Assistant Regional Director Prescila N. Razon of Region XI as best assistant manager, Ms. Maribel M. Blanco of Region III as best division chief, support category, Mr. Arwin O. Razo of Region V as best technical staff, professional category, Mr. Jorge B. Dolatre of NCR as best technical staff, sub-professional category, and Ms. Juanita G. Infante of Region III as best support staff, sub professional category.

PRAISE, which is an annual search for outstanding DSWD personnel, recognizes and rewards employees who have made extra ordinary contributions to the fulfillment of the agency’s mission. (FPG/PIA-Zamboanga del Norte)

Crime volume in Dipolog up by 11 percent in 2011


by Franklin P. Gumapon

DIPOLOG CITY, Jan. 31 (PIA) - - A slight increase in the crime volume has been noted in this city last year.

Based on the crime statistics released on Monday by the City Police station headed by P/Supt. Joven Parcon, the crime volume in the city for 2011 went up by 11 percent from that of 2010.

Actual figures showed that in 2010, the city had a crime volume of 242 and this had increased to 268 in 2011 involving crimes against persons and properties as well as violations of special laws.

Of the 268 crimes recorded in the police ledger last year, 253 were reported solved, registering a crime solution efficiency of 94.4 percent.

Violations of special laws or non-index crimes like illegal drugs, illegal gambling, illegal logging and others accounted for 128. However, police records showed that majority of these were related to prohibited drugs.

It could be recalled that the city government here headed by Mayor Evelyn T. Uy initiated an all-out war on illegal drugs resulting in the arrest of a number of drug pushers including some members of the local press.

Presently, the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the city government of Dipolog have forged a strong alliance in fighting drug abuse.

In a related development, the “Barkada Kontra Droga” (BKD), a flagship program of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) has gone down to the barangay level with the PNP and the city government taking the lead. It aims to educate both the young and the adults on the ill-effects of drug abuse.

BKD has already conducted anti-drug abuse fora and seminars in the different barangays of the city, which were attended by students, out-of-school youth, parents, teachers, barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) leaders. (FPG/PIA-Zamboanga del Norte)





Basilan Mufti reminds Muslim couples on birth spacing

by Rene V. Carbayas

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Jan 31 (PIA) – The Grand Mufti of Basilan has reminded Muslim couples on responsible parenthood and family planning methods that is appropriate and accepted by Islam and its religious authorities of the province.

In a radio interview, Ustadz Abdullah Hamja pointed out the Islamic belief on family planning as indicated in a fatwa that provided the teachings and guidance on family planning in the context of Islam. A fatwa is a legal pronouncement in Islam, issued by a religious law specialist on a specific issue.

Hamja was guest at Philippine Information Agency-Basilan’s radio program Noticias, Informaccion con Musica (News-Information with Music) over DXNO-FM Radyo Komunidad in Isabela City, Basilan.

The Mufti said that the fatwa stated that the general concept of family planning is exceptionally recognized as compatible with the Islamic doctrine and even encouraged under Islamic law. “It is acceptable to control the timing of births with the objective of spacing pregnancy or delay it for a specific amount of time,” the fatwa noted.

Hamja added that there is a precondition, however, that family planning will not lead to any harm or will do nothing to terminate an existing pregnancy.

He advised Muslim couples to seek full information about methods before deciding on the most appropriate contraception for them. He, moreover, stressed the important role of both husband and wife in the decision-making process of family planning.

It may be observed that in most Muslim communities, the man in the house usually possesses the decision-making power. But Mufti Hamja, however, stressed that women or the wife also share in this decision-making process as they are basically responsible in the house. The wives are managing the house and taking care of the children. He said that Islam does not forbid women to work to help the husband in raising and supporting the family, economically.

Basilan Family Planning Coordinator of the Provincial Health Office Nida Salain concurs with Mufti Hamja on the role and presence of the husband most especially when the wife visits the health center during pregnancy and other health consultations.

For birth spacing, Salain said Muslim couples may use the following natural methods as indicated in the fatwa: 1) Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM), 2) Basal Body Temperature (BBT), 3) Cervical Mucus or Ovulation Method, and 4) Sympto-thermal Method.

Modern methods that are acceptable to Islam, according to the fatwa, are pills, the Depo-Medroxy Progesterone Acetate (DMPA), and the use of condom.

Based on information gathered from the communities, Salain said that there are mothers and wives who would conceal the use of contraceptives because most often the husband disapproves.

Salain also corrected the notion that family planning is “controlling”, she stressed that birth spacing is crucial in the healthy relationship between husband and wife at one hand, and the readiness of women for child bearing on the other.

“Birth spacing provides women the opportunity to recover from the last birth delivery physically and psychologically,” she said.

The fatwa, moreover, stressed that it is haram or forbidden in Islam, to end a man’s or woman’s ability to bear children through any permanent family planning method. “Unless exceptionally necessary, the finality of these method is seen interfering with the Divine will,” the fatwa said referring to vasectomy for men and tubal ligation for women.

The Mufti, further, encourages future couples to undergo a pre-marriage counseling at least three days before the marriage ceremony. (RVC-PIA9 ZBST)

DTI warns the public against text scams


by Alfonso T. Ruda

DIPOLOG CITY, JAN. 31(PIA)---The Department of Trade and Industry has warned the public against the text scams perpetrated by unscrupulous individuals t victimizing innocent civilians through text messages not only in the province of Zamboanga del Norte but all the over the country as well.

The DTI issued the warning amidst report that some individuals have received text messages informing their would-be victim that their mobile phone number has won in an electronic raffle, even going to the extent of using DTI as the authorizing agency.

Other modus operandi used by the suspects is that they would claim to be a relatives of someone abroad sending a package to a would-be victim or that they are offering a million-peso worth of loan without any collateral but would ask for an advance payment for the processing of the loan.

According to the complaints, they were asked by somebody allegedly connected with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office some favors for the processing of the release of the prize won. Some of which is the provision of cell-phone load and/or advance payment for the expenses that maybe incurred in facilitating the release of the prize.

The DTI reiterated that a legitimate electronic promotions bear a special three or four-digit from the National Telecommunications Commission and not seven as usually used by the suspect allegedly issued by the DTI.

The local office of the DTI in the province urges the public to call its DTI direct line 751-330 for any clarification on the alleged text scam and not voluntarily submit to what is demanded by the suspect.(ATR/PIA9-Zambo Norte)