DENR Caraga chief bows on religious groups combat
on Climate Change
By Reggine Cruz-Ga
BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 9 (PIA) – Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Caraga regional director Nonito M.
Tamayo in his message during the Interfaith Dialogue on Climate Change held
recently at Dottie’s Convention this city stressed the need to plant trees to
cushion the impact of climate change in the country.
“Malaki ang bahaging ginagampanan ng pagtatanim ng
mga puno at sa tulong nito maisasakatuparan ang layunin ng NGP na maibsan ang
patuloy na pagdami ng carbon dioxide na nagiging sanhi ng climate change,”
Tamayo said.
Tamayo was one of the resource persons in the
Interfaith Dialogue on Climate Change. “The implementation of Executive Order
(EO) 26 mandating the National Greening Program (NGP) aims to plant 1.5 billion
trees in 1.5 million hectares for a period of six years from 2011 to 2016
within forestlands, mangrove, protected areas, ancestral domains, civil and
military reservations, urban areas, abandoned mine sites, and other suitable
lands. EO 23 imposes a moratorium on harvesting and transport of naturally grown
trees,” he said.
“The NGP is more than a reforestation program,” he
said. Tamayo said NGP is a national effort that also addresses food security,
poverty reduction, environmental stability, and biodiversity conservation. It
seeks to develop a mechanism for climate change mitigation strategy to enhance
the country’s forest stock to absorb carbon dioxide.
The Interfaith dialogue on climate change headed
by former Senator Heherson T. Alvarez promotes action on environmental
protection and sustainability based on religious teachings. The dialogue
encourages communities to build climate resilient projects that would enhance
environmental support on national policies and programs through social action
programs.
Tamayo said, the objective of the dialogue also
supports the DENR’s mission and vision. He thanked the Philippine Council of
Evangelical Churches, Climate Change Congress of the Philippines, Philippine
Center for Islam and Democracy and Climate Change Commission for initiating the
dialogue. (DENR-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
FNRI develops supplementary feeding guide for
school children
By Jund Rian A. Doringo
MANILA, Oct. 9 (PIA) - Undernutrition still
prevails in the Philippines.
Undernutrition is defined by the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as the outcome of insufficient food intake and
repeated infectious diseases, which includes being underweight for one’s age,
too short for one’s age (stunted), dangerously thin for one’s height (wasted)
and deficient in vitamins and minerals (micronutrient malnutrition).
The 8th National Nutrition Survey (NNS) by the
Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and
Technology (FNRI-DOST) revealed that 29 in every 100 school-age children, 5-10
years old, suffered from acute malnutrition, where the poorest quintiles has
the highest prevalence of underweight.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
undernutrition is a major underlying cause of child morbidity and mortality in
low-income settings.
In preventing the prevalence of undernutrition to
continuously increase, interventions in supporting the nutritional well-being
of children are sought after, one of which is supplementary feeding.
Supplementary feeding is the provision of extra
food to children or families beyond the normal ration of their home diets. It
can take place in the home, feeding centers, healthcare centers and schools,
WHO also stated.
In line with this intervention, the FNRI-DOST
developed a simple nutrition tool as a guide to supplementary feeding for
school children.
The guide features 12 viand and snack recipes with
estimated energy and nutrient contribution per serving size, cycle menus, and
useful information and tips in conducting supplementary feeding.
The preparation of the guide involved focus group
discussions, recipe development and sensory evaluation. Estimation of energy
and nutritional contents, photo-documentation of the recipes, and finalization
of layout design and printing were also done.
The guide is downloadable from the FNRI website
(fnri.dost.gov.ph).
It is said that children are the future of the
nation. The FNRI-DOST is committed in keeping the Filipino children healthy and
disease-free for a well-nourished country.
For more information on food and nutrition,
contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director,
Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology,
General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; Telephone/ Fax Nos: 837-2934 or
837-3164; Direct Line:839-1839; DOST Trunk Line: 837-2071-82 local 2296 or
2284; e-mail: mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph or at mar_v_c@yahoo.com; FNRI-DOST website:
http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph. Like our
Facebook page at facebook.com/FNRI.DOST or follow our Twitter account at
twitter.com/FNRI_DOST. (FNRI-DOST/PIA-Caraga)
FDA warns public against use of unregistered,
adulterated Sehat Badan powder
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Oct. 9 (PIA) –
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its Advisory No. 2015-072 advises the
public against the use of unregistered and adulterated Sehat Badan product.
According to Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI) Surigao del Norte provincial director Celestino L. Negapatan the advisory
warns the public to be vigilant sine the product poses potential danger of
injury to the consuming public.
The importation, selling and offering for sale of
the said product is in direct violation of Republic Act No. 9711 or the Food
and Drug Administration Act of 2009.
Negapatan said that the advisory indicated recent
findings showed the said product is being offered for sale as unlabeled powder
repacked in a small plastic nag with a piece of paper stating the list of
therapeutic claims.
He said the illegal marketing of Sehat Badan is
still prevalent online and in some areas of the country despite the issuance of
the FDA advisory No. 2014-006 and 2014-056 in 2014.
He further said that the misuse and/or chronic use
of steroids like dexamethasone may result to serious adverse reactions such as
gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, obesity,
dyslipidemia and increase risk for infections, poor wound healing and if
stopped abruptly could cause withdrawal signs and symptoms such as hypotension,
shock and coma.
Moreover, chronic use of nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like diclofenac sodium, paracetamol and
ibuprofen could lead to kidney failure, gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeding,
worsen heart failure, increase cardiovascular risks and create an illusion of
getting better while masking the root cause of the illness. (SDR/DTI-Surigao
del Norte/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
TESDA mulls sustainable skills, livelihood
training for lumad evacuess in SurSur
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Oct. 9 (PIA) – The
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Caraga region
continues to look into the possible skills training and provision of livelihood
assistance for the lumad evacuess at Surigao del Sur Sur Sports Center here.
Florencio Sunico, Jr., Caraga TESDA regional
director, said his office would not only content on the holding of training
inside the evacuation center but also contemplating on what could be done “even
outside upon going back home,” referring to the same evacuees.
Recently, some 106 lumad individuals had undergone
or participated in chips- and cocopretzels- making conducted in the evacuation
center, which was jointly sponsored by Governor Johnny Pimentel and Board
Member Glenn Plaza, Sunico bared.
The lumads
received the training warmly, he added.
Meanwhile, Sunico disclosed about the plan to
conduct “inventory” of the lumad evacuaees—“how many are the out-of-school
youths, mothers and fathers—for possible carpentry and agriculture training.”
Sunico said TESDA had already experienced holding
training for lumads in cooperation with concerned local government units (LGUs)
like in the towns of Lianga, Marihatag, and San Miguel towns, this province, admitting
that conducting one inside an evacuation center was something new. (NGBT/Radyo
ng Bayan-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
