Bohol records all-time-low

64% dengue case decrease

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol June 27, (PIA)—Dengue cases in Bohol dives to record low in the last three years, registering a 64% decrease from 2,878 monitored cases in 2016, but health authorities are not resting on their laurels.

Such is because in the last year and in the beginning months of this year, five people have died of the dreaded mosquito borne disease.

And in the fight against dengue, simply emptying water containers which had mosquitoes laying their eggs may not be enough.

Bohol Anti-dengue campaign provincial coordinator at the Provincial Health Office (PHO) Leonidas Saniel revealed that “the eggs of the aedes mosquito can stick to the sides of the container and still survive for two to four months.”

Aedes egypti, that infamous spotted mosquito, which bites between the beginning hours of dusk and the late hours of dawn, has been tagged as the vectors for the disease that has caused many lives in Bohol in the past years.

“The moment that container is again filled with water, all it takes is three days, the egg develops into a wriggler and matures into a dengue carrying mosquito,” he warned.

Speaking at the weekly Kapihan sa PIA June 14, Saniel who is a nurse, said instead of just upending the containers, it would be better if people brush its insides to dislodge any egg which has stuck upon emptying it.

Or, chlorinating the water can also do the trick, he added. 

However, after cleaning, it would be ideal when people start to tightly cover the containers, to deny mosquitoes a breeding pond, the nurse and former population control officer suggested.

Saniel also said, the past year’s anti-dengue campaigns may have worked as health authorities have seen the huge decrease in dengue cases since 2015.

The Provincial Epidemiological Services Unit of the Department of Health (DOH) in Bohol reported that dengue cases in 2015 reached 2,872.

This slightly increased by 6 cases in 2016, but with the massive campaign in 2016, by 2017, Bohol only had 1,028 cases, Saniel read from the PESU data.

In the beginning months of 2017, that is from January to June, dengue vases reached 439, with two mortalities, he cited.

By the end of the year, Bohol had a total of 1,028, which, he said is a huge 64% dip from the previous year’s monitored cases.

But two deaths are two, too many.

On this, he said the PHO shifted its advocacy campaign, not any for training, but the proven effective cascading of information to the communities.

With the help pf barangay officials and grassroots health monitors, the PHO brings down its team to barangays with high reported cases of dengue and focuses on the puroks with high dengue affectation, to focus their information campaign and search and destroy operations.

In the beginning months of 2018, he said that Bohol only had 178 cases, but sadly added that there have been three dengue deaths already.

Over this, he reminded communities to always be vigilant and help each other in following the search and destroy, self-protection, seeking early treatment and saying no to indiscriminate fogging operations. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

After emptying the containers, brush the sides and refill with water, and cover it tightly so the mosquitoes can not lay their eggs there, instructs dengue program coordinator Leonidas Saniel, during the weekly Kapihan sa PIA. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Chatto to endorse to RDC7 

more Panglao airport funds 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, June 26, (PIA)—Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto is set to endorse to the Regional Development Council in Region 7 (RDC-7) meeting in Bohol June 29, a request for additional funds to upgrade the Panglao Bohol Airport (PBA), before the facility could open in August of this year. 

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) through its Airport Project Manager Engr. Edgardo Mangalili told local media that the additional funds which they seek from the national government would form part of the future development plans and those which makes the new airport in Bohol operate as efficiently and safely as possible. 

Part of the upgrades that PBA needs is a cargo terminal, a runway extension, a parallel taxi way running along the length of the runway and a fuel depot and hydrant system that allows uninterrupted airport operation even with plane re-fueling ongoing. 

When the airport opens in August, there is no cargo terminal yet, said Engr Mangalili, during a briefing prior to a media tour of the facility ongoing construction last June 12. 

DOTr reasoned out that part of the cost saving measures which the government planners adopted before was for the airport as designed and to be operated according to a public-private-partnership model. 

This means, as soon as the contractors complete the project, it would be operated by the private sector and part of the requirement would be for the private investor to build developmental components of the airport. 

This means the airline companies or the airport operator which is a private company would put up the cargo terminals in allotted spaces within the airport complex, Mangalili added. 

Now, all the developmental components would be built under the national government in schemes either by Official Development Assistance(ODA) or the General Appropriations Act (GAA), DOTr revealed. 

When the airport opens in August, it just means that airlines with cargo, would have to build their temporary cargo terminals, Mangalili added. 

On the other hand, to make the airport more attractive to long haul flights, DOTr bared that the existing 2.5 kilometer runway would be extended further by 300 meters. 

This is to encourage international airlines to come in, hinting that DOTr sees Dubai and LA flights as possible. 

Airport designers said a longer runway means more room for larger aircraft to negotiate. 

The builders eye A330 to B777 aircraft, ones that are bigger than the current planes serving Tagbilaran Manila routes and ones that have long haul capabilities. 

By that time too, the runway would be too long that an aircraft can easily exit the runway if a parallel taxiway can be opened and this taxiway can be used for queuing, Mangalili noted. 

As the airport builders have provided the fuel hydrants that lead to the plane parking bays, the next plan is to put up a fuel depot, so that “we can eliminate the presence of fuel tankers on tarmac,” DOTr airport project manager shared. 

“All we need to do is build the depot and tap the hydrants so that any plane refueling can be done just as efficiently and safely,” according to the DOTr. By the time we operate the airport, there will be no interruption, Engr Mangalili added. 

As to the status of these additional funding requests, he said “Right now we have already submitted to NEDA the request for the national government to fund it while Gov Chatto is endorsing this to the RDC Infrastructure Committee during its June 29 meeting set here in Bohol. 

Outside the project funds, the Local Project Management Office (LPMO) which is tasked to assist in the project implementation is now currently implementing road right of way negotiations and acquisition for the widening projects where barangay roads are transformed into four lane roads. 

LPMO Alfonso Damalerio said there is P 300 million DPWH fund for Bolod access road to the airport, and for Tawala access. 

“These are not part of the project but forms part of the local counterpart for an easier access to the airport,” Damalerio said. (rahc/PIA7/Bohol) 

DOTR official Engr Edgardo Mangalili and Local Project Management Office for Panglao Airport Alfonso Damalerio take turns in explaining to the media the features and the airport construction updates, assuring that a substantial completion of the project is expected this August. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

PCOO recruits info warriors

To arrest fake news spread

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, June 25 (PIA)—There is so much good news, but these are drowned by the noise of the opposition, said Secretary Jose Ruperto Martin Andanar, as he basically recruits Bohol and regional media as well as government secretaries and information officers to take on the mission as information warriors arresting the spread of fake news. 

Sec Andanar, who heads the Presidential Communications Operations Office bemoans why so many good and real news are not even printed while the noise of the opposition is that which gets the coverage. 

Did you know that in 2015, foreign direct investment inflow was $5.6B? But if we compare it with 2017 when Duterte came in, from $5.6 B in 2017, it went to 10 billion, almost double the amount, he pointed out. This however is not seldom cites in mainstream media. 

PCOO chief, Secretary Andanar was at the Bohol Tropics June 22 to launch the Provincial Communication Officers Network (PCONet) ang offer them training to spot fake news and dismiss lies and disinformation. 

PCONet is a PCOO initiative to expand its information warriors as the government noticed that the nature of commercial media has pushed news items to highlight on the negative news and that which sells, he explained. 

As the PCOO saw more people are engaging on social media, there are already indications that people are starting to read and be critical, PCOO Director Princess Pebbles Duque explained during the launch attended by information officers, secretaries and the media. 

Along this, Sec. Andanar urged the audience to do service to the country by fighting fake news, giving correct information and dismissing dis-information by twisting information to spin news into controversies. 

If you compare the numbers from July 2014 to April 2016, or before Duterte came to power, total crime volume in the whole country reached 1.2 million, according to statistics the secretary cited. 

When Duterte came in, July 2016 to April 2018, the figure went down 21% to 962,000, there is huge improvement and this is the reason why investors are coming in to the Philippines and Japanese Prime Minister Abe pledges one trillion Japanese yen equivalent to P500 billion. 

Of the amount, about P137 billion has been released to the country, Andanar cites the Philippine Growth Story which he promised to share to everyone. 

Why is it that the Japanese government is investing in the country?

The first quarter 6.8% Gross Domestic product growth, which is high as we expected only 6.5 and the BIR tax collection for the first quarter of 2017 as to first quarter 2018, there is 14.9 to 15.8% resulting to 19% increase in Revenues from 996 million to 1.1 billion collections this year. 

We had to tell them that the efforts for the Build, Build, Build is 117 billion dollars in the next six years. The expected infrastructure expenditure from 5.4 % in 2017 will go all the way to 7.3% of the GDP, will result in so many jobs for our people. 

These are good news, real news that you who are connected to the internet world in Tagbilaran can help, Secretary Andanar urged. 

These are the things that are happening that, for sometimes is drowned by the noise of the opposition, who could not accept defeat. 

We must really join the war against fake news because it destroys the principles of fairness in a democracy, the secretary who traced hos roots in Bohol added. 

We had to relay the information on what happened in government and give them the right news, he stressed. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Bohol bishop Alberto Uy walks with PCOO Secretary Jose Ruperto Martin Andanar before the start of the pontifical mass on the Feastday of Saint John the Baptist in Garcia Hernandez, Bohol. Andanar, who traces his roots here, homed after 43 years, after PCOO events in Bohol allowed him the spare time to meet his relatives. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Pray for the president, continue 

to respect him-Bohol bishop Uy 

GARCIA HERNANDEZ, Bohol, June 24 (PIA)—When other church authorities went ballistic over the presidential diatribes against church leaders after unwittingly using the pulpit to criticize the administration, Tagbilaran Bohol bishop Albert Uy has it, his way. 

At the homily during the Pontifical mass celebrating the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of the town, the low key and unassuming bishop shepherd of the Catholic church here urged the faithful: pray for healing, continue to respect him as president. 

Bishop Abet's statement came as a somber pleading, absent the fire which several revered church leaders have recently displayed. 

Stepping off the rostrum and bringing his fiesta message to the community in thanksgiving, the bishop stood below the church apse, aware that among the thick crowd were Presidential Communications Operations Office head Secretary Jose Ruperto Martin Andanar and several politicians. 

Andanar is a Duterte cabinet member. 

In his characteristic meek tone, the bishop admitted, he was hurt when the faith he grew into, was looked down and ridiculed [by the President]. 

He said the President has earned a lot of people’s admiration for the reforms he did and the promise of a better government and added, part of the strong mandate which Duterte earned, came from Boholanos. 

Then he proceeded to ask the PCCO Secretary to tell the President about his feelings and the feelings of those with him, who know what, and how it is to respect authority. 

Earlier, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in apparent disgust over the church meddling into the affairs of the state and some of their leaders’ sudden interest in the changes happening in the country lashed back at the church and the God who has become the excuse for the leaders in sotanas. 

Several church leaders were never were as openly dipping their hands into politics and snapping at the government even when there was more corruption, more disorder and more inefficiency during the past, the President's camp said. 

While the Boholano Bishop of Tagbilaran is aware that the church is not a place for saints, he humbly admitted that there too, are misgivings in the church. 

But what hurts him, is that there are people who give their best to live a Christian life, who are also affected by the President’s tirades against the church and its leaders. 

“Masakitan sad sila kon ang ilang pagtoo na ang mayatakan, (They can be hurt when their faith gets trampled), Uy, who has since been identified with the poor, helping build homes to homeless Boholanos before becoming a bishop, humbly said. 

Bishop Abet explained that there might have been some sad experiences of the president,that prompted him to say those, he reasoned out. 

The bishop then called on Boholanos attending the fiesta mass to continue to pray for healing so that the President’s heart could be healed. 

And, Bishop Abet also called on the flock to continue to respect [our] President, in as much as respecting leaders are still revered Christian values. 

Having said these, he apparently has been unburdened, admitted: Bug-at nga pagbati, (It is a heavy feeling.) 

But since today is the feastday, let us celebrate, he said prompting a ripple of Happy fiesta from the congregation. 

Bishop Uy hopes his message gets to the president through Secretary Andanar. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

Pray for healing and continue to respect the president, exhorts Diocese of Tagbilaran bishop Albert Uy, during the pontifical mass held at the Saint John the Baptist Church in Garcia Hernandez. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)