(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 11 December 2024) Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting the western section of Mindanao and Palawan. Shear Line affecting the eastern sections of Central and Southern Luzon. Northeast Monsoon affecting Northern Luzon and the rest of Central Luzon. 𝗙𝗒π—₯π—˜π—–π—”π—¦π—§ π—ͺπ—˜π—”π—§π—›π—˜π—₯ π—–π—’π—‘π——π—œπ—§π—œπ—’π—‘: Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms. 𝗙𝗒π—₯π—˜π—–π—”π—¦π—§ π—ͺπ—œπ—‘π—— 𝗔𝗑𝗗 π—–π—’π—”π—¦π—§π—”π—Ÿ π—ͺπ—”π—§π—˜π—₯ π—–π—’π—‘π——π—œπ—§π—œπ—’π—‘: Moderate to Strong winds coming from East to Northeast will prevail with slight to moderate seas / (0.6 to 2.5 meters).


PIA News Service - Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Feature: Engineer promotes organic hog raising

By Venus L. Garcia

BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 16 (PIA) - Heddy Padayhag Sumalpong, a civil engineer by profession and vice-president of Butuan Pork Producers Association, is positive in encouraging the community to venture in raising hogs the organic way.

Sumalpong has been engaged in organic hog production since 2003. “When I initially acquired my Large White breed of pig, I opted to apply organic method of raising,” she said.

Organic farming is a natural way on how to raise pigs. The idea is to rear healthy and leaner livestock. Consumers are assured that no synthetic feeds and antibiotics are induced, which can cause malady both to the pigs and the consumers.

Sumalpong’s interest in organic farming brought her course to search for more techniques that turned everything to her advantage. She said that organic farming does not require intensive effort where one should spend laborious hours operating and maintaining the sanitation of pigpen and its surroundings.

At this time, she is raising five productive pigs which are housed in a well ventilated pigpen, with a full sawdust beddings sprayed with Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO). “We prepare our own simple concoction of IMO. It’s easy and very beneficial in keeping the area odor-and-housefly free,” she said.

IMOs prevent the build-up of bad bacteria and hasten composting. Thus, eliminating the inconvenience of frequent wash-and-bath of pigs.

 “I basically feed the pigs the natural way, rame-rame and birds of paradise leaves became an every treat for my pigs,” Sumalpong said. She emphasized that feeds that contain chemical elements are not good to human body.

She cited that naturally raised hogs are hardly ever prone to animal sickness. They are regarded as a healthy and tolerant hogs that can withstand variations in climate and other environmental factors.

In a decade of organic hog raising practice, she is able to sustain in the business with a stable financial profit.  Her plant-eating pigs, also named “vegan pigs” can produce a litter of piglets twice each year. “Organic farming not only triple your return of investment, it likewise assures a healthy option of buying and consuming toxic-free products,” she added.

She is anticipating for her pregnant sow to farrow this week.

When asked about the taste and quality of meat from the organic hogs she produces, “a pleasant taste, fine texture and fresh smell plus low fat constitute its distinctive quality,” said Sumalpong. (FEA/VLG/PIA-Caraga)


DOH-Caraga promotes ComPack Program

By Jennifer P. Gaitano

BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 16 (PIA) – The Department of Health (DOH) Caraga has continued to promote its Complete Treatment Pack (ComPack) Program for Caraganons.

“The Complete Treatment pack (ComPack) Program is a free medicine access program designed to reach the poorest of the poor with the complete treatment regimens for the top most common diseases in the country like hypertension, diabetes, asthma, hypercholesterolemia and other common infections which contribute to increasing morbidity and mortality and high out-of-pocket spending for medicines and health services to majority of Filipinos,” said Haydee Senaca, registered nurse and ComPack Coordinator of DOH-Caraga.

Senaca also said the medicines shall be provided to patients who are in the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) list of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) including Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) beneficiaries as well as to patients not in the NHTS-PR list but are Sponsored Program members of the PhilHealth.

“The medicines shall be provided only upon consultation, diagnosis and prescription by the Rural Health Unit doctor,” clarified Senaca.

It was also learned that the DOH ComPack Program shall be implemented in all RHUs serving families who are in the NHTS-PR list of the DSWD including CCT beneficiaries and Sponsored Program members of PhilHealth.

The said members can avail of the medicines under the following conditions: 1) must have a DSWD or PHIC Identification number; 2) must be registered in the in an RHU included in the CCT program; 3) must be seen and diagnosed by an RHU physician; and 4) must adhere to the treatment regimen and comply with the follow-up schedules as advised by the physician.

For more information, the DOH-Caraga can be reached at this number: (085) 342-5724; 341-1595. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)  


Implementing agencies report price, supply situation in Agsur

By PD Lolita I. Dorado, Cerila P. Inson, Marson Jan S. Dolendo

PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, Oct. 16 (PIA) – Implementing agencies reported recently on price and supply situation of basic necessities to the Local Price Coordinating Council (LPCC), here.

The LPCC chaired by Mayor Albin D. Magdamit recently met to discuss the issue of increasing price of rice as well as the price and supply situation of the products that each agency is tasked to monitor per RA 7581 or the Price Act of the Philippines.

Mayor Magdamit said that the locality is facing low supply of rice in the local market while waiting for the harvest in the coming months and that this might further push prices upward.

The National Food Authority (NFA) reported that there is sufficient supply of NFA rice available in the province which can be bought at P27.00 per kilo.

The council tasked the NFA tomake available its rice to more outlets.  One of the identified outlets is the Farm Level Grains Center (FLGC), a Spanish-Government funded project which provides rice milling, palay buying and selling.

NFA Assistance Manager, Hugo Sarigumba, requested the council to submit to their office the volume requirement of NFA rice for the municipality of Prosperidad.

The LPCC also considered tapping barangay council halls through the barangay captainsas alternative outlets to ensure that NFA rice can reach the different communities in the municipality.

DTI-Agusan del Sur Provincial Director, Dir. Lolita I. Dorado, for her part reported that prices of basic necessities and prime commodities under DTI jurisdiction, as monitored in the municipality and the whole of Agusan del Sur, are within the suggested retail prices (SRPs) set by the agency.  She said further that there is adequate supply of these products which include canned products [sardines, luncheon meat, meat loaf, corned beef and beef loaf], processed milk [condensed, evaporated and powdered], coffee refill, soap [detergent/laundry and toilet soap variants], bread, instant noodles and flour. (DTI-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Caraga)


DOH-CHD Caraga leads Consumer Welfare Month

BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 14 (PIA) - The month of October has been declared as the Consumer Welfare Month as per Presidential Proclamation no. 1098 dated September 26, 1997, which also created the National Consumer Affairs Council (NCAC). The Department of Health as a member has been designated to lead the celebration for 2013. This year’s theme is “Health Products, Quality, Efficacy, Safety and Transparency – Everybody’s Concern”.

The DOH Center for Health Development Caraga in coordination with other agencies have lined-up different activities in celebration hereof, such as a holy mass at the St. Joseph Cathedral Diocesan Shrine at 5:00 am on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 followed by a fun walk from Guingona Park to the Provincial Capitol Grounds. A Hataw was then conducted led by the DOH CHD Caraga staff after the joint opening ceremonies of the Consumer Welfare Month, National Research Month and Cooperative Month celebrations. To better foster comradery and socialization, a Budol Feast highlighted the day’s activities.

On October 25, 2013, a ConsumerNet Meets the Public, a DOH Policy Dissemination and Advocacy forum on the implementation of the Electronic Drug Price Monitoring System (EDPMS) will be conducted in one of the convention centers in the city with a resource speaker coming from the DOH CHD Caraga.

Also, on October 31 a Regional Quiz Bowl and culmination program will be held at the DTI – Caraga Conference room with the DOH as a contributor to the questions for the said quiz bowl.

“Consumers, especially of health products, be it services of health professionals or health goods in different forms; should be knowledgeable of what they are accessing and availing. It is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard their health. The DOH will help in ensuring a nation of consumers with good and improved health seeking behavior towards cost efficient/effective interventions for better health outcomes.” – Dir. Minerva P. Molon. (DOH-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)