Agusan Sur LGU adopts FARMASI to support
small-scale farmers, intercropping systems
By David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, May 22 (PIA) -- Fully cognizant
of the the sad state of agriculture for the past two decades that heavily
promote monocropping and the use of biotechnologies (Palitza, 2009), the
Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur (PGAS) acknowledges that the
marginal/small farmer-Agusanons are at the disadvantage.
According to study by the Foundation for the
Development of Agusanons (ADFI), the widespread promotion of Green Revolution
technologies in the 1960s radically transformed agriculture from traditional
farming systems to input-dependent systems characteristic of industrial
agriculture. Yet several years after, the sustainability of this model of input
and energy-intensive agriculture has been found to be questionable at best, and
it is now increasingly acknowledged that the environmental and social costs of
industrialized agriculture have been great.
According to Rex Linao, Executive Director of
ADFI, scientists and economists attending the Governing Council meeting of the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome in late February
2009 echoed that the best way to mitigate climate change and gain food security
is to support small-scale, ecological farming, which is a turnaround from
international agricultural strategies of the past two decades that heavily
promote monocropping and the use of biotechnologies (Palitza, 2009).
“It is in this context that a program dubbed as
FARMASI was introduced. The name of the program is a play of words as it could
actually mean pharmacy, as the farm to be developed will produce foods that are
full of vitality, full of life. As it was said in the olden times, let medicine
be your food, let food be your medicine, so the name FARMASI. But ASI in the
program name is also an acronym that refers to as Agricultural Sustainability
Interventions,” Dr. Linao said.
Generally, Dr. Linao said, FARMASI aims to
deliver alleviation from the difficult situations of Agusan del Sur farmers who
have fallen victims to the vicious cycle of chemical agriculture.
This cropping, ADFI, adopting the principles of
FARMASI, has developed large area in front and the side of the provincial
capitol building planted with black rice and chemical free. (DMS, PIA-Agusan
del Sur)
FNRI-DOST accorded GEMS recognition
By Salvador R. Serrano
MANILA, May 22 (PIA) -- The Regional Office for
the Western Pacific of the World Health Organization (WHO) under the United
Nations (UN) has recognized the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the
Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) as the Philippine government’s
designated national institution to participate in the work of the WHO Global
Environment Monitoring System (GEMS), particularly on the Food Contamination
Monitoring and Assessment Programme (CMAP).
The recognition stemmed from a communication
sent to the Philippine government through the Department of Health by Dr. Shin
Young-soo, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, proposing FNRI’s
membership to the GEMS Food Network.
Furnished with the WHO’s letter is Dr. Ruby J.
Apilado, Senior Science Research Specialist of the FNRI’s Food Research
Development Group, who is the officer-in- charge of the Food Quality and Safety
Section.
Upon acceptance of the proposal through
channels, the WHO now officially recognizes the FNRI as a participant in the
GEMS Food Network for a year, subject to tacit renewal before the end of each
year.
As a member of the GEMS Food Network, also
referred to as “GEMS/Food” by the WHO, the FNRI is expected to share updated
data and information on food cluster diets, food consumption areas, short-term
diets, total diet studies, publications and other related research outputs.
The National GEMS Food Centers (NGCs) are
national institutions designated by national authorities and recognized by the
WHO for participating in the work of GEMS-CMAP.
Since 1976, the GEMS/Food has informed
governments, the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other relevant institutions,
as well as the public, on the levels and trends of chemical contaminants in
food and their contribution to dietary exposure.
The Codex Alimentarius, a Latin word which means
“food law” or “code” is the result of the Commission’s work: a collection of
internationally adopted food standards, guidelines, codes of practice and other
recommendations, according to the FAO-WHO website on the codex.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission is an
intergovernmental body with over 180 members, within the framework of the Joint
Food Standards Programme established by the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The
purpose is to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in food
trade, the website further disclosed.
The Commission, which publishes the codex, also
promotes coordination of all food standards works undertaken by international
governmental and non-governmnetal organizations.
According to the WHO, one of the three GEMS/Food
main areas of activity is data collection for hazard occurrence, food
composition and food consumption and sharing of information for accurate
international risk assessment.
The second main area of activity of GEMS/Food
involves training and capacity building at national and regional levels for
chemical exposure assessment based on Total Diet Studies, the WHO added.
The WHO also underscored the third GEMS/Food
main area of activity concerning development and dissemination of guidelines
and recommendations for exposure assessment methodologies.
The list of GEMS/Food collaborating institutions
updated in December 18, 2012 includes the Philippines under the Western Pacific
Regional Office, with the FNRI as the designated National GEMS/Food Centre
(NGC) of Manila recognized by the WHO.
Another NGC of the Philippines recognized by the
WHO is the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health (FDA-DOH).
In the country assignments to the 13 proposed
GEMS/Food Consumption Cluster Diets, the Philippines is listed under Cluster L,
with 12 other Asian and Western Pacific countries.
It can be recalled that the FNRI was once
recognized as an affiliate institution of the United Nations University (UNU)
in the mid-1990s.
Membership in the GEMS/Food of the WHO and other
related international affiliations only re-affirms FNRI’s respectable status in
food and nutrition research and development not only in the country but also in
organized global initiatives.
For more information on food and nutrition,
contact Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, FNRI Director, DOST Compound, General Santos
Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; 837-2934 & 839-1839 (direct lines); 837-3164
(fax); mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph, mar_v_c@yahoo.com (email); www.fnri.dost.gov.ph
(website). (FNRI-DOST/PIA-Caraga)
Feature: Pregnant teens more at-risk to
malnutrition
Pregnancy, according to the United Nations’
World Health Organization (UN-WHO), is the period of about seven to nine months
on the average when a woman carries a developing fetus in the womb.
For most women, pregnancy is a time of great
happiness and fulfillment, but it is also the period when both the woman and
the developing child face health risks.
According to the Food and Nutrition Research
Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST), 1 out 4 adolescent
or teenage pregnant women are more nutritionally at-risk than older pregnant
women.
Many health problems associated with negative
outcomes of pregnancy occur during this vulnerable age. These include anemia,
post-partum hemorrhage or excessive bleeding after childbirth and mental
disorders, such as depression.
Pregnant adolescent girls also have to
discontinue schooling and often have less access to health services and
information due to socio-cultural isolation.
Pregnancy at a young age leads to long-term
counter-productive implications to individuals, families and communities, as
adolescence represents a key stage in development and is a critical opportunity
for ensuring successful transition to adulthood.
Poor reproductive health outcomes can often be
traced to adolescence since educational achievement, life skills and
decision-making on childbearing have profound effects on the lives of
adolescents, families, communities and society.
Related to this, the FNRI-DOST conducted a
national survey on the nutritional status of Filipino pregnant women in 2011.
Results of the survey revealed that one in three
or 35.7 percent of adolescent pregnant women below 20 years old are
nutritionally at-risk.
Studies have shown that the nutritional status
of the mother during pregnancy affects the birthweight of infant such that the
rates of low birthweight are higher among babies of adolescents, increasing the
mortality rate and incidence of future health problems of the baby.
Low birthweight of a liveborn infant, which is
less than 2.5 kilos, is a major health problem because it has adverse effects
on child survival and development.
Low birthweight also affects the person
throughout life and is associated with poor growth in childhood and a higher
incidence of adult diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular
disease.
An additional risk for adolescents is having
smaller babies when these adolescents become mothers.
Adolescent pregnant women need and deserve the
help and support of family members, friends and health professionals.
Such support will be more effective if
government will focus on maternal health advocacy.
More trained and skilled health workers that
adapt to the demands of increasing population are needed.
Since low educational level is closely
associated with early childbearing, responsible parenthood in the school
curriculum should be intensified and economic opportunities for teenage
families must be instituted.
For more information on food and nutrition, you
may contact Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research
Institute, Department of Science and Technology, General Santos Avenue,
Bicutan, Taguig City. Email: mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph. Telefax: 837-2934 and
827-3164, or call 837-2071 local 2296 or visit our website:
http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph (FNRI-DOST/PIA-Caraga)
Tagalog news: Pres. Aquino: Pamahalaan
nakipag-ugnayan sa Taiwan para resolbahin ang sulirananin sa napabalitang
panghaharass sa mga Pilipino sa Taiwan
Ni David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Mayo 22 (PIA) -- Sinabi ni
Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III noong Martes na kasalukuyang nakipag-ugnayan
ang mga opisyal ng pamahalaan sa kanilang mga kapantay sa posisyon na mga
Taiwanese para resolbahin ang kasalukuyang isyu tungkol sa pangharass at
pang-aatake sa mga Pilipinong nasa Taiwan.
Ito ay dahil sa kasalukuyang tensyon sa pagitan
ng dalawang bansa na ang dahilan ay ang pagkamatay ng isang Taiwanese na
mangingisda noong nakaraang Mayo 9 sa mga isla ng Batanes.
Sa isang panayam matapos dumalo sa ika 115 na
Founding Anniversary ng Philippine Navy na ginanap sa Commodore Posadas Wharf
Headquarters, Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Station Pascual Ledesma, Fort
San Felipe, sinabi ng Pangulo na ang Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO)
na mga representante ay nakipanayam sa kanilang kapantay na opisyal ng Taiwan
para matugunan ang mga pangamba ng mga Pilipino na nainirahan at nagtatrabaho
sa Taiwan.
“At ang balita natin ay naglabas ang Prime
Minister ng Taiwan at saka ang kanilang Ministry of Foreign Affairs ng kautusan
na dapat hindi imaltrato ang ating mga kababayan doon, at magkakaroon ng
kaukulang parusa kung sino man ang mapatutunayan na magmamaltrato sa ating mga
kababayan—nagpapasalamat tayo doon," sabi ni Pangulong Aquino.
Ang MECO ay isang pangkat na siyang magtatala ng
lahat ng ulat ng panghaharass at pang-aatake laban sa mga Pilipino sa Taiwan at
ito ay ibibigay sa ministro ng Taiwan.
Nananawagan ang pamahalaan ng Pilipinas sa mga
mamamayan ng Taiwan na huwag i-harass ang mga Pilipino doon sa Taiwan dahil
wala silang kinalaman sa pagkakabaril at pagkamatay ng mangingisdang Taiwanese
na si Hung Shi-chin.
Si Hung Shi-chin ay namatay sa pagpapalitan ng
putok sa pagitan ng Philippine Coastguard at ng sasakyang pandagat ng mga
mangingisdang Taiwanese na ayon pa sa ulat ay ilegal na nangingisda sa
teritoryo ng Pilipinas sa Kalayaan Group of Islands sa Batanes noong Mayo 9.
Nabigyan na din ng pinakabagong ulat ni Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima ang Pangulo ukol sa pag-usad ng imbestigasyon na
ginagawa ng NBI sa nangyaring pamamaril noong Mayo 9.
"Yung sa NBI naman, kausap natin si
Secretary (Leila) de Lima, at natapos na raw ng kanilang ginawang investigation
except for the physical examination of the subject boat. At ‘yan ay nasa
Taiwan, hinihintay ang clearance for the team to go there to inspect mutually
this boat, to complete the thorough investigation," sabi ng Pangulo.
Inatasan din ni Pangulong Aquino ang NBI na
gumawa ng masinsinan, buo at walang pinapanigang pagsisiyasat sa insidente.
Binigyan din ito ng NBI ng pinakamataas na prayoridad.
Sinabi ng Pangulo na gusto niyang maresolba muna
ang isyu sa pagkamatay ng mangingisdang Taiwanese bago simulan ang
pakikipag-usap sa Taiwan at iba pang bansa para gumawa ng kasunduan tungkol sa
pangingisda.
"Tapusin na muna natin itong kasalukuyang
isyu, merong mga unang dayalogo tungkol diyan. Pero ‘yung sa fisheries ay ating
pinaaaral ang mga limitasyon natin," sabi ng Pangulo..
"Yung guarding the national patrimony
provisions of the Constitution ay darating sa eksena. Kaya, pagnatapos natin
ang isyung ito, makipag-usap tayo sa ating mga kapitbansa at seguradohin natin
sa kanila ang mapayapa at manigong na relasyon,” dagdag ng Pangulo.
(RER/DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Tagalog news feature: Bilang ng matatabang
Pinoy, lumobo
MANILA, Mayo 22 (PIA) -- Sa nakaraang surbey na
isinagawa ng Food and Nutrition Research Institute ng Department of Science and
Technology (FNRI-DOST), nabatid na dumadami ang mga matataba at sobrang taba o
"obese" na Pilipino edad beinte at pataas.
Ang datos na nakalap ay base sa body mass index
(BMI), isang pamantayang hango sa World Health Organization (WHO).
Ang mga matataba at sobrang taba ay dumadami.
Katunayan, noong 1993, ang matataba at sobrang taba ay nasa 16.6 porsiyento
lamang at umakyat ito sa 20.2 porsiyento noong 1998. Naging 24.0 porsiyento ito
noong 2003 at patuloy pang tumaas sa 26.6% ng 2008.
Ayon pa sa naturang surbey ng FNRI-DOST, ang mga
matataba at sobrang taba ay higit na madami sa mga may edad 40 taon hangang 59
at mas madami ang matatabang kababaihan kumpara sa mga kalalakihan.
Ang tatlong rehiyon na may mataas ng bilang ng
matataba at sobrang taba na bata na nasa edad limang taon pababa ay ang Rehiyon
III o Central Luzon, Rehiyon IV-A o Calabarzon at Cordillera Administrative
Region (CAR).
Kinalap din ng FNRI-DOST ang mga datos tungkol
sa uri ng pamumuhay at kaugalian o lifestyle behavior. Naniniwala ang FNRI na
malaki ang kinalaman nito sa well-being ng mga Pilipino. Kabilang sa mga
lifestyle behavior ay ang paninigarilyo, pag-inom ng alak at ang physical
activity ng mga adult na Pilipino.
Ayon sa datos, tatlo sa bawat 10 Pilipino ay naninigarilyo
ng 10 sticks ng sigarilyo isang araw.
Tatlo sa bawat 10 Pilipino ang umiinom ng alak.
Ang gin at beer ang nangunguna sa listahan ng mga paboritong inumin.
Sa physical activity naman, pito sa bawat 100 na
Pilipino ang aktibong nag-eehersisyo, tatlo hanggang apat na beses sa isang
linggo.
Ayon sa FNRI, ang hindi pagkain ng wasto,
kakulangan ng ehersisyo, pag-inom ng alak at paninigarilyo ay mga
"behavioral risk factors" na maaaring mabago upang maiwasan ang
pagtaba, pagkaroon ng alta-presyon, sakit sa baga, pagtaas ng asukal sa dugo o
dili kaya ay sakit sa puso.
Ang mga sumusunod ay ilang mga mungkahi ng
FNRI-DOST upang maiwasan ang mga mapaminsalang sakit na ito.
Una ay ang pagkain ng balanseng pagkain, sa
tamang dami at uri. Ang Daily Nutritional Guide Pyramid ay nagsasalarawan ng
tamang uri at dami ng pagkaing dapat kainin sa araw-araw.
Kung ating pagmamasdan ang pyramid, sa tuktok
nakalagay ang asukal at mantika. Sa mga walang sakit na diabetes, pinapayagang
mag-asukal ayon sa nirerekomendang dami lamang.
Ang mantika ay kailangan din upang magamit ng
katawan ang mga fat-soluble vitamins gaya ng bitamina A, D, E at K.
Ang mga pagkaing mayaman sa protina ay kailangan
din upang magamit sa pagbuo at pagsaayos ng katawan.
Ang gulay at prutas ay mapagkukunan ng bitamina
at mineral upang maging maayos ang ating pangangatawan. Mayaman ang mga ito sa
hibla o fiber para maging maganda ang daloy ng pagkain sa ating bituka.
Ang kanin, tinapay, lamang ugat ang siyang
pangunahing pagkain na makapagbibigay sa atin ng lakas.
Ugaliin din natin ang pag-inom ng walong basong
tubig o higit pa araw-araw upang maging maayos ang daloy ng mga sustansya sa
katawan at nang hindi rin tayo ma-dehydrate o kaya ay dumanas ng labis na
pagkauhaw.
Para sa karagdagang impormasyon tungkol sa
pagkain at nutrisyon, makipag-ugnayan kay Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Food and
Nutrition Research Institute-DOST, Bicutan, Taguig, Metro Manila, sa mga
numerong 837-29-34 or 837-20-71 loc. 2287 o kaya ay sa FNRI-DOST email:
mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph; website:http//www.fnri.dost.gov.ph (FNRI-DOST/PIA-Caraga)
Cebuano news: Presidente Aquino dili motugot nga
madilatar ang barangay elections
Ni Susil D.Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Mayo 22 (PIA) -- Si Presidente
Aquino namahayag kagahapon nga responsibilidad sa gobyerno nga segruoon ang
mandato sa katawhan ug wala siyay nakitang igong rason aron uyonan ang
rekomendasyon ni Commission on Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes nga edilatar
ang pagpahigayon sa 2013 barangay elections nga gikatakda karong umaabot
Oktubre.
Tungod kay matud ni Brillantes plano niya nga
moduso og usa ka Bill ngadto sa Kongreso aron edilatar usa ang barangay
elections sunod tuig tungod kay ang Comelec wala pa gyud mahuman sa trabaho
niini sa niaging mid-term elections.
Sumala pa sa Presidente, nga siya mobarog gyud
sa orihinal nga eskedyul sa barangay elections ug dili siya mosugot nga kini
madilatar pwera nalang kung adunay maayo ug igong rason aron kini madiltar
tungod kay siya nahadlok nga basin subli na usab mahitabo ang mga niagi.
(SDR/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
