‘Tour de Antequera’ MTB

Trail ‘in epic’ competition

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb 25 (PIA) – If you missed the Bohol Epic Race in the past three annual events, chances are you would be clocking in a similarly daunting personal mission of completing a shorter version, although definitely far from less challenging mountain bike trek in Tour de Antequera.

Spinning off from a mass start in Antequera Plaza, the race winds through the 21 of 22 barangays in the town, and thus places the biker singularly facing his personal biking demons in the ridges of Quinapon-an, Canlaas, Ubojan and Cansibuan and the daunting climbs even in the lowland barangays of Tupas to Bitaugan.

Sponsored by LGU Antequera in cooperation with Antequera local bike group called Brotherhood Engaged in Environmental Rides Bringing Oneness and Genuine Satisfaction (BEERBOGS), the race course comprises of cross country roads and trails that span some 50 kilometers, organizers said.

Tour de Antequera Mountain Bike Trail Competition which happens on March 12, 2023, Sunday, opens to three categories: 18-29 years old, 30-49 and 50 and above category and has P7K, P5K and P3 K for its podium winners for each race division.

Rolling off in a mass start in Poblacion, mountain bikers are expected to try to leave the competitors as they pedal off to Villa Aurora and start dropping each other in the climbs to Tagubaas and Ubojan where killer climbs await those who are not as judicious in using their glute reserves.

The killer climbs is easily compensated for the bikers to recover in the Cansibuan to Celing killer downhills where the rampage guys are expected to use the trails to their maximum advantage.

Then recovery is set from Celing to danicop in rolling up and down pedaling before starting to the pinching climb again to Canlaas, Quinapon-an and the mossy trails to Tabuan where the sneaky downhill can not be downplayed.

Then they would be off to the national road back to Danao and then take the Mandahunog to Bicahan and then to Bantolinao, where one is overzealous rider would certainly feel the muscles cramping and involuntarily twitching.

From Bantolinao, the next challenge is how to nurse an already sore drained body cruising through the canopied passes to Angilan, down to Viga and then to the ricefields of Tupas on to the Abatan riverside to Santo Rosario, where an unfamiliar biker on 3X crank would face a daunting wall climb to Bitaugan.

As one successfully conquers the Bitaugan to Bungahan trails, it is generally a sprint to the finish through Can-omay and then back to the Poblacion.

The race is expected to take about two to five hours to finish, and is generally fought on rough terrain that bikers are ascertained to come in reasonable protection: helmets, hydration and trail food if warranted.

Registration which has already opened, is P500 for each participant which includes race kit, event t-shirt and packed meal.

Registration can be done at the Balonda Architects along del Rosario Street in Poblacion 1 Tagbilaran City, or at the Antequera Municipal Hall Poblacion Antequera or via an online facility. (PIA-7/Bohol)

EPIC’S TRAILS. If you missed the Bohol Epic races because over 80 kilometers of extreme mountain biking is out of your leage, this might be it. Tour de Antequera promises epic trails that would certainly separate the boys from the men, in 50 kilometers or so. (PIAbohol)

MARSAHLED RACE. Against the epic where the race course can only be seen via a mobile phone map, this Tour de Antequera is expected to be a compact epic with marshals and provision points like water stations and marshals who may help guide the bikers. (PIAbohol)

Guindulman tops Bohol town

areas with DAR’s indiv titling

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb 25 (PIA)— Guindulman tops the towns with the largest coverage of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Support to the Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project with 96.7943 hectares now titled to 55 beneficiaries of the breaking into parcels of titled landholdings formerly owned by the landed families.

No less than DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III, grandson of the first DAR secretary Conrado Estrella Sr., who handed in 69 titles, some of them in the form of a Certificate of Land Ownership Agreement (CLOA) and some in electronic certificates.

According to DAR Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO) Dr. Ronald Pumatong, the distribution of titles, some of them accomplishments of the DAR SPLIT Project, should allow individual farmers to break off parcels of lands they used to have communal ownership.

With this, farmers who are now in possession of individual tiles tend to be motivated better to work on their owned lands, to which they would also pay taxes and use the titles as collaterals to loans that they can tap from government financial institutions for financing farm improvement, he explained.

During the simultaneous Distribution of Titles and Farm Machineries in Central Visayas, which happened during the secretary’s visit to Bohol, some 544.0470 hectares of lands were titled and awarded to farmer beneficiaries and land-owners who rode on the program to get lot subdivisions.

Other than the 96 hectares awarded to Guindulman land owners, some 59 ARBs got a total of 79.7472 hectares contained in 80 titles, in San Miguel town.

In Danao, 55 ARBs also got formal ownership of the 74.4313 hectares stated in 73 land titles.

Over 70 hectares were also awarded to 101 ARBs through the 140 land titles in Catigbian town.

In Alicia, 51 ARBs also received their ownership documents to the 43.9929 hectares through the 68 titles in CLOAs and e-titles.

In the land of the Chocolate Hills, 53 ARBs waved their new titles of the 40.4359 hectares as stated in 53 individual titles.

Ubay has also some 29.6397 not split into 12 individual and communal titles benefitting 12 ARBs, while Trinidad adds another 23.3506 hectares distributed to 22 ARBs as evidenced by the 24 title documents and Getafe puts in 21.6298 hectares more to the list of new accomplishments with 30 beneficiaries getting 15 titles.

In Candijay, some 12 ARBs received 8 titles now segregating 15.9857 hectares now with individual and communal titles.

The plains of Dagohoy had 10 farmer ARBs getting 13 titles of the 11.8415 hectares as Sierra Bullones had 7 ABRs getting 111 titles for the 10.0978 hectares of farms and residential lands.

In nearby Pilar and served by massive irrigation systems, some 5.7288 hectares are now legally owned by 9 ARBs holding 9 titles, handed out during the ceremonies held at the Bohol Cultural Center February 21.

Dimiao had 5.4 hectares titled to 2 beneficiaries now holding 2 titles, under the DAR SPLIT project, while Talibon, another equally endowed rice producing town has 4.657 hectares now titled to 6 beneficiaries of the CARP SPLIT.

Still into rice production despite the minimal irrigation, Bien Unido has 3.5884 hectares now titled to 5 beneficiaries, while Clarin with Communal Irrigation Systems in place has 2,1292 hectares of its lands now titled to 4 farmer beneficiaries.

With the awarding of individual titles, expect more brisk farm activity in Bohol with 501 agrarian reform beneficiaries getting a lion’s share in the total of 544.0470 hectares, most of them productive farmlands. (RAHC/PIA_7/Bohol

ENTITLED. Now that the farmer beneficiaries are given the formal titles of the lands they tilled now as their own, they too are entitled to more government support like farm development financing, machinery support and inputs, as the government floors it on making food production a priority in this looming food crisis. (RAHC/PIA_7/Bohol)

ROCKSTAR WELCOME. DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III arrives at the Bohol Cultural center lobby and gets a rockstar welcome specially when he, who is barely 250 days in office, has already surpassed his predecessors in handing out 602 land titles as against the accomplishment of the three former secretaries combined. (RAHC/PIA_7/Bohol)

Bohol signs MOU with BOI

on investment promotions

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb 22 (PIA) –Hitting the ground running, Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado sustained his steam in his personal crusade to create jobs and expand the industries here, leading to sealing a deal in investment promotion collaboration with the Board of Investments (BOI), February 22, 2023.

This as the BOI and Bohol, represented by the governor, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing the coordination and facilitation of investment promotions in Bohol and create environments conducive to the expansion of existing investments and attracting more capital to Bohol.

“Since day one to the present, the Administration has been keen in creating jobs, expanding industries and enticing investors to open up the economy after the pandemic onslaught,” said Governor Aumentado, whose efforts start to get traction in making Bohol attractive to investors.

With the document, Bohol and the BOI, which is an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) commit to conduct joint investment promotion activities, trainings, info drives, roadshows, investment briefings with municipalities and the city.

The agreement also allows both parties to share investment guidelines, new ordinances, local incentives, rules and regulations governing issuances of business permits and cost of doing business , investment projects, priority areas of development and promotions, locations readied for occupancy, raw materials inventory, available government lands with special zoning classifications, dedicated focal persons and other information needed by investors, to make investment information available to both parties.

On the other hand, the DTI-BOI would collaborate with the Bohol Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office (BEDIPO) in implementation of investment promotion activities, provide technical consultations in LGU workshops leading to the operationalization of the BEDIPO as investment arms of the LGU.

On the other hand, DTI-BOI investment promotion service Executive Director Bobby Fondevilla thanked the governor for partnering with the BOI in engaging LGUs in investment promotions.

More than the Chocolate Hills and the Peanut kisses, Bohol is the Philippine provinces ideal for direct foreign investment areas, with the critical infrastructure in place.

He cited the Bohol Panglao International Airport as a key to attract multi-national investments, the growing local workforce with highly skilled talents and the proximity to rest and recreation areas as plus factors.

Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Bohol Information Technology Council representative Engr. Albert Uy also agreed that putting up the right infrastructure and skilled workforce has worked well for Bohol, which now has a strong business process outsourcing industry in a centralized location.

BOI has also acknowledged Bohol’s investment priorities that tread on sustainable environment as a strong magnet for green companies.

The DTI attached agency has picked Bohol as an ideal location for investors in light manufacture, agricultural production and information technology-business process outsourcing. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

PRESENTING BOHOL AS INVESTMENT HUB. BOI and Bohol through Gov Erico Aristotle Aumentado signed a MOU with the DTOI attached agency collaborating with Bohol in pushing for the province as a potential location for investments in light manufacturing, agro-industries and IT-BPO. Signing with Bohol is DTI-BOI Investment Promotion Service Director Bobby Fondevilla, while BOI domescti investment promotions service officer Maria Rosario Dominguez and former DTI Usec Aster Caberte and BEDIPO head Ma. Fe Dominese witness the ceremony. (rahc/PIA7/Bohol)

PRIVATE SECTOR HELP. Gov Erico Aristotle Aumentado hailed Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bohol ICT Council representative Engr Albert Uy for strong guidance in helping prop up an industry that is fast becoming a critical economic driver, moments before Bohol signed the MOU with BOI in investment promotions. (PIAbohol)

DAR hands out 602 farm titles

in simul Central Visayas event

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb 21 (PIA)—In a day, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella III handed out 483 electronic and 119 Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOA) to 501 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBS) in Bohol, more than the total combined number of titles his three predecessors issued in their stints at the agrarian reform agency.

For handling out 602 titles: 483 of them e-titles and 119 CLOAS, Sec. Estrella’s accomplishment sinks the 63 titles accomplished by Victoriano delos Reyes, 18 titles handed by then Sec John Castriciones and the 128 processed by then Secretary Bernie Cruz.

In fact, the 602 e-titles and CLOAs, are just from Bohol, while the DAR issued the same titles to Cebu and Negros Oriental in a region-wide simultaneous distribution, February 21, 2023.

Secretary Estrella III, who is the grandson of the first DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella Sr., during president Ferdinand Marcos period, has successfully handed out individual land titles of the 544.0490 hectares of farms located in Bohol’s 18 Agrarian Reform towns.

Coming in as an effect of the DAR’s Support for Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titles (SPLIT), Sec Estrella personally handed the land titles in plastic folders to the beneficiaries from Alicia, Bien Unido, Candijay, Carmen, Catigbian, Clarin, Dagohoy, Danao, Dimiao, Getafe, Guindulman, Pilar, San Isidro, San Miguel, Sierra Bullones, Talibon, Trinidad and Ubay.

“Wala ko magdahum nga moabut pa kini,” (I never really believed this would come,) says Rowena Eronico, who, along with farmers from the Talibon Trinidad Farmers Association (TTFA) has been fighting to get their CARP shares in the last 30 years.

“Amomahon nato kini, dili nato ibaligya, hinuon, palambuon kini may tinubdan sa atong panginabuhian,”(Let us care for this, do not sell this, rather develop the property as this will be our source of livelihood), she continued, acknowledging the help of local DAR offices and Mayor Roberto Cajes who sent Councilor Dungog to escort Trinidad’s 22 title beneficiaries getting a total of 24 titles.

Trinidad has 23.35 hectares of prime farm lands with new individualized titles and communal CLOAS, from the government.

Guindulman town proved to benefit largely from the event as a total of 96.79 hectares are now with titles.

A total of 544.047 hectares in Bohol are now with either CLOAS or individual titles through the SPLIT Program.

Sec Estrella told Boholanos that apart from the titles, DAR is opening up the floodgates of agricultural support to make sure the farmer beneficiaries can get the most of their farm areas.

That same day, DAR handed out two 50 HP 4-wheel drive tractors with a complement of rotivators, disc plows and heavy duty trailers.

DAR, along with other government agencies have also funded farm to market roads, bridges under the Tulay ng Pangulo, key infrastructure, scholarships for kids of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries, TESDA scholarships with the intention of “aayusin ang buhay nga mga magsasaka, the secretary bared.

“Huwag po kayo bibitaw, tambak po ang suporta upang uunlad ang inyong buhay, Sec Estrella promised. (rahc/PIA_7/Bohol)

THE WAIT IS OVER. DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III and Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado flank two land title recipients when DAR handed 602 electronic titles and CLOAs in a single day, February 21. The beneficiaries waited decades before they received their titles finally, ending their long wait. With them are board members and DAR officials. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

TITLED AND ENTITLED. With individual land titles now in their possession, farmer beneficiaries of the government’s land reform program are now entitled to a while lot of support from DAR and other government agencies to help improve their lives. (PIAbohol)

FEATURE

‘Rousing the Dragon’ for

Fitness, tourism in Bohol

One doesn’t need to be in top shape, all one needs is commitment.

And true to his word, despite stacking commitments as Bohol’s top eye, ear, nose and throat specialist, paddler, Dr. Theodore Dumaluan, still found the time to do what he and his group of paddlers have been doing since 2011.

“Spread the culture of dragon boating in Bohol,” he said, same commitment that takes a huge slice of his time even as he adeptly switches from a water sports athlete to a surgeon and a press relations officer, if the situation warrants.

Stepping into the studio after performing an eye surgery in a nearby hospital, Dr. Dumaluan, or Doc Doyet to his brother paddlers, has been hitting the catch since 2011, when dragon boating was introduced to the Boholanos.

Acknowledged founder and president of the Bohol Paddlers Association Incorporated, Doc Doyet who has been a paddler, organized mountaineers and outdoors men in Bohol to comprise the competitive Bohol Paddlers team which entered a race in Iloilo and went home with two trophies.

“It was in 2011, when Dragonboating was introduced in Bohol, with General Charlie Holganza, he recalls as he was joined in the show by Bohol’s elite paddlers Dominic Borja Aparicio, Jeramel Decasa and their coach trainor Asterio Pocot.

Dragon boating is a team water sports which features 12 or 22 paddlers on an open canoe paddling in a competitive stroke rate stoked by the pace of the drum to get to a finish line in the shortest amount of time.

Everyone in the team has to be focused, paying attention to teammates as they, aided by the steersman, traverse the shortest distance to the end with in the shortest time.

Noting that without its own dragon boats, it would not sustain, Dumaluan, who is also a boat maker asked the help of groups to get Bohol its dragon boats.

The benefits of discipline, commitment, team-work and environmental consciousness are the greatest things a paddler can get training his endurance, resolve and dedication to the end, paddlers enumerate the benefits, not mentioning the physical fitness accumulated in hours upon hours of strenuous paddling.

In 2013, we were training for a race in Penang Malaysia, when the earthquake hit Bohol. At that time, we decided to help ferry the passengers and relief goods crossing the Abatan River as the bridge collapsed and cut the access to Bohol’s western towns, Aparicio recalled, himself contagiously spreading the good feeling as paddlers relived the moment.

“We were there, from 6 am until midnight, without stopping, carrying relief goods and earthquake victims to hospitals, and somebody even lent us a generator to keep us from paddling,” he went on.

Helping those in need then became BPAI’s mission in spreading the dragonboat culture.

In Loboc,when typhoon Senyang dumped above average rainfall into the watershed, the water in the town rushed up to the houses’ roofs, trapping many up in their highest perches.

Paddlers were also there, the advantage of the dragon boats in rescue highlighted by its sleek canoe that can penetrate narrow waterways.

The strong spirit of being in a family and a strong support group is a common paddler bond, as they train and paddle together, tightening the connection to help each other.

Seen as a great diversion from bad peer influence, Doc Doyet points out the critical role of the water sports in helping attain a good mental and emotional health.

The strong support system among paddlers can not be undermined, and that should help build more emotionally and physically stable individuals, many agree.

Now intent on spreading the culture to the grassroots, BPAI is now talking with the local officials to hold and host dragon boat events, trainor and coach Pocot shared.

Paddlers are also eying the use of spectacular inland water reservoirs and dams as venues for these grassroots competitions.

Getting younger paddlers into the sports assures its sustainability and a good supply of young blood.

With local paddlers committing to uncovering exciting race formats, dragon boating in Bohol may indeed be cruising to a better future.

While doing this, tourism stakeholders agree that there are thousands of dragon boat teams all over the world and are just waiting to be invited to play in Bohol’s wonderful water race courses.

A dragon boat team, when they come, would be about 30 in one go, and that is not yet counting the families and friends that tag along them, Dumaluan illustrated, showing the potential tourism revenues the sports tourists can lend to Bohol.

For those interested to join, BPAI is an open group, and we would only need commitment, the eye specialist said.

Join us in our trainings every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 5:00 AM at the K of C Drive. Talk to us through our Facebook page, and paddle with us, Dumaluan urged.

The dream of reclaiming Bohol as dragon boating capital in the region, may still need so much, but for the BPAI, all it needs is one committed paddle at a time. (rahc/PAI-7/Bohol)

HUGE POTENTIAL. Paddlers of the BPAI assert the competitive advantage of Bohol in dargonboating with its magnificent calm water race courses, interesting race formats and the Boholano potential to beat the country’s best. Bohol paddlers once beat the country’s dragon boat race champions in the Philippine Navy. (PIABohol)

BRIEF RESPITE. As dragon boating in Bohol was about to breach into the international mainstream, the pandemic put a respite for the sports that has the potential to be a huge tourism magnet. The lull however allowed local organizers to seek for more interesting race formats, which excited many enthusiasts egging to come in and try paddling here. (PIABohol)

GLOW IN THE DARK. Despite the gloomy days of the pandemic, paddlers saw in the dragon boat another interesting format: dragonboat racing at night with its glow in the dark boats. (PIABOhol/BPAI)

CHAMPIONS. Bohol paddlers won big in their race in Iloilo, beating the favorite and strong Philippine Navy Dragon boat team, which shot Bohol paddlers morale to the sky. Their race in Penang however has to be stopped, seeing that helping the Boholanos during the earthquake was more important. Paddlers gave free river crossing rides when Abatan Bridge collapsed allowing relief and rescue efforts to continue. (PIABohol)

DSWD to fill 17K new

4Ps beneficiaries here

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol Feb 17 (PIA)—The validation for the 17,000 households who would be the next beneficiaries of the 7-year Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) started this week as the government readies the replacement of those household beneficiaries who have graduated or have been delisted from the 77,510 households who were identified beneficiaries in Bohol in the 2010 list.

From the 77,510 beneficiaries in 2010, the government has already scrapped the 15,166 beneficiaries for some good and not so good reasons.

For the good reasons, about 505 households have been found by validation teams to be self-sufficient enough after a decade of help.

Another 158 households have already acquired regular income to afford them buying power after getting help from the program and still another 510 household beneficiaries have graciously waived their rights to allow other needy households to get into the government’s flagship poverty reduction program reported Department of Social Welfare and Development 4Ps Cluster 2 supervisor Ma. Charo Poligrates

Moreover, she said the DSWD found that 4,808 households have shown disinterest in the program for not updating their 4Ps membership, possibly not anymore keen on the help, that they were delisted.

Also, another 181 household beneficiaries have been disqualified from the program after years as the family has already graduates who can potentially find work while another household beneficiary in Bohol as delisted for misbehavior.

As the 4Ps comes with conditionalities that beneficiaries have to abide by, another 30 households were also scrapped from the list for persistent non-compliance, she added.

While the DSWD is still continuing to clean up the list of beneficiaries from the 2010 list, and while families are graduating from the program after their kids have finished school, the DSWD in Bohol sees some 17,299 new beneficiaries that they are getting from the posted list of potential beneficiaries which people can check in their barangays.

Those in the list are still potential beneficiaries, and some of them may not be included in this year’s considering that the prioritization goes to the household which is in more serious need of intervention, according to the DSWD.

To get to the final list, the DSWD is conducting validation through general assemblies which would be dome in coordination with the local government units, and an onsite validation by the DSWD validating team.

This list would also be given to the municipal validation team, so as to make sure that the help gets to where it is needed the most.

For this, the flagship government poverty reduction program sought to improve the health, education and nutrition of the country’s human investments has asked those in the list to attend the general assemblies and bring with them proofs of their identity, to advance their chances into getting educational, health and social assistance through the government’s cash grants.

As the cash grant gives a household a chance to get P700 for a student in the senior high, P500 for a student in junior high and P300 for a pupil in the elementary and preschool, the household leader has to present to the validation team at the assembly his marriage certificate or barangay certification attesting to his cohabitation and his family, birth certificates of kids, school certificates of enrollment for the kids covered by the program and barangay health certificate.

Aside from the educational grant, 4Ps beneficiaries can get P750 for complete attendance to the Family Development Sessions and another P600 for rice subsidy.

These cash grants however could only be claimed after the beneficiaries comply with the conditions of the cash grant.

The 4Ps conditions include regular prenatal and post natal check-ups for pregnant and birthing mothers, regular health services availment and check-up for 0-5 year old in the household, deworming for 1-14 years old members of the household, attendance to early child care and development in care centers, attendance of 85% of classes including the 85% attendance of kids in the 5-18 years in school classes plus regular attendance to the FDS. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

VALIDATION OF THE LISTAHANANS SHORTLIST. DSWD has started its validation of replacement beneficiaries of the 4Ps who have been out of the list for good or bad reasons, in Tagbilaran City. Some 17,299 new Boholano household beneficiaries can potentially get into the new list of beneficiaries but the DSWD explained, the priority are those identified in the 2010 Listahanan and those really in need. (PIABohol)

Missed your 4Ps validation

schedule? Visit your DSWD

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb 18 (PIA) –Seen your name on the potential list of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries posted in your barangays, but missed the validation and general assembly schedules?

Well, you have not totally messed up your household’s chance to get the cash grants allocated for those who still subsist below the poverty threshold, for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) may have one more schedule to come before April.

And even if you missed that too, visit the DSWD office of the Municipal Links, bring your important documents so these can be validated and your chances of getting in the list of new beneficiaries improves.

However, DSWD’s 4Ps cluster 2 supervisor Ma. Charo Poligrates explained that the posted list only includes those who have been listed in 2010 but could not make it to the list of beneficiaries then.

In 2010, the government ran a survey using the National Household Targeting System as a tool to determine the households that could qualify for the government assistance.

Of that list, which later became Listahanan, the government’s 4Ps picked the beneficiaries.

Those who could not make to that list of beneficiaries who were granted assistance from 2010 onwards are the priorities of this year’s list, Poligrates clarified.

“No, they can not apply, there is no application, all we are validating are those in the posted list, to make sure they still can comply with the requirements for the cash grant,” Poligrates said.

Those in the cash grant have to be households with pregnant or lactating mothers, with kids from 0-18 and in school, and those who could attend the regular Family Development Sessions (FDS).

With the government allocating the cash grants for 17,510 households in 2010 and with some 17,000 households getting delisted, the races is on for every poor household to get prioritized into the few slots available as replacement.

First, they have to see their names on the list, and then wait for the validation and general assembly so the new potential beneficiaries can present the proper documents and improve their chances, DSWD instructed. Cash grant can also transfer with them.

For beneficiaries who have moved and resettled to other places, all they need to do is check on the list in their previous barangay residences and then to go to the DSWD office of their new place to update their active membership, so the

Some 4PS clusters are putting up two rounds of validation and general assemblies, or for the one in the list who missed these validation sessions, they can visit the DSWD municipal link office to get validated.

During validation, and in support to the terms of the cash grants, potential beneficiaries need to bring in an identification for the member, marriage certificate or barangay certification for unmarried couples, birth certificates of the kids from 0-18, school certificate for kids in school and a barangay health certificate attesting to the members regular health services avail-ment.

After the DSWD validation, the list of potential beneficiaries is passed to the municipal team for the final validation before these new 4Ps members can get their cash grants and be in the government’s assistance program. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

LISTAHANAN VALIDATION. Those missed out in the 2010 beneficiaries but in the Listahanan are prioritized for this replacement activity, and as the validation is important in one’s getting into the new list, DSWD 4Ps Cluster supervisor Ma. Charo Poligrates advises listed members to visit the DSWD for validation. (PIABOhol)

Rabies alarms health

officials, communities

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb 10 (PIA) –The rising rabies cases in humans, alarm health authorities who believe drastic measures should be put in place immediately to keep the fatal canine viral disease at bay.

By drastic measures, it means a revisit and community ownership of the Bohol Rabies Prevention and Eradication Program, a rigid information and education campaign on responsible pet ownership and government subsidies on the purchase of anti-rabies vaccines for both humans and animals.

This as Bohol reports 12 suspected deaths due to rabies and 16.5% of biting dog head samples sent for rabies confirmation resulted in them being positive.

According to animal rabies monitoring head and Provincial veterinarian Dr. Stella Marie Lapiz, 14 dog head samples of involved in the 85 biting incidents tested positive for rabies.

In fact, Provincial Health Office through nurse and provincial health and lifestyle coordinator Leonidas Saniel reports that animal bites make up the second in the rates of disease among the 2020 population while third in 2021 morbidity rate.

According to PHO Rabies in Humans coordinator nurse Polizena Rances, their monitoring records some 17,331 recorded animal bites in 2020, and about 90% of these are dog bites.

By 2021, they recorded 17,415 cases of animal bites.

And in 2022, up to the third quarter, PHOP gathered 16,425 animal bite cases, these are as far as the victims go to the 16 animal bite treatment centers (ABTC) spread all over Bohol.

The problem is even made more complicated by that fact that out of poor information, bite victims would rather go to quack doctors than seek immediate medical treatment at the registered animal bite centers.

Moreover, ABTCs also report that a good percentage of bite victims fail to continue the treatment after the initial doses.

Disease is a viral dog disease than can be passed on a human through the animal’s virus-laden saliva or blood that can get into a human body through open wounds like bites and scratches.

“After infection, the virus travels from the bite area to the brain, and in this period, the victim must be given the proper treatment to stop the virus from getting to the brain, when the disease becomes almost always fatal,” says Rances.

After the biting incident, the victim has to immediately wash the wound with soap and water and head directly to the ABTC where he can get the proper assessment and get instructions on the management of the wound and his first anti-rabies injection.

The national rabies low mandates the biting animal owners to immediately submit the biting animal for observation within 24 hours, and spend for whatever costs the biting victim incurs in the line of treatment and accessing it.

If within the next few days, the biting animal shows the symptoms of rabies in animals, the suspected animal’s head would be harvested for confirmatory analysis in Manila.

Depending on the gravity of the bite and its location, the patient may need succeeding booster doses of the anti-rabies injections: after day 3, after day 7 and after day 24.

In the past, an ordinance in Bohol mandates that dog owners, along with the national, provincial and municipal governments contribute for the bite injections, to make sure that a patient gets the proper treatment.

On the other hand, authorities at the Provincial veterinarians Office call on dog owners to be responsible in making sure their dogs are registered, vaccinated and kept under their effective control.

The national law and the provincial ordinance on rabies states that any dog which is not in effective control of the owner, when caught as stray, penalizes the owners.

The vet authorities also said that if owners are incapable of having many pets, they have spaying and neutering operations to render these animals infertile, so that dog population could also be controlled. (PIA-7/Bohol)

EVERYBODY’S CONCERN. Contrary to popular belief that rabies control rests only on the hands of the veterinarians, DR Stella Marie Lapiz says at 200,000 dogs in Bohol, most of them technically stray, there is no way the authorities can get to each one. But if owners are responsible enough to keep their dogs properly, see to it that these have been vaccinated, controlled and cared upon, Bohol can give rabies a final nasty bite. (PIAbohol)

Baclayon ‘museum artifacts’

Need immediate restoration

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb 10 (PIA) –The race is on to safeguard and safe-keep the priceless historical artifacts, works of liturgical arts, religious vessels, artifacts, vestments, sacred icons and archival records that have been soaked and possibly damaged by the typhoon Odette which peeled off the church and convent roofs and drenched the museum pieces and its inventory of equally rare immovable treasures.

Assistant museum administrator of the Parrochial Museum of the Immaculate conception in Baclayon, Athena G. Vitor said while museum pieces can degrade over time, the task is to delay as much of the damage through proper restoration and curation and to salvage what can be done to prolong the life of the object so that people who wish to see them can still do so.

However, the drenching rains during the storm and the subsequent drastic climate changes in the museum and its repository areas have hastened the damage, that measures have to be done to save these priceless objects that the museum keeps, she stressed.

The museum in Baclayon however has barely enough money to run its daily operations, that sourcing out the funds for the restoration of these priceless objects may incur, is beyond the capacity of the museum and the diocese of Tagbilaran, she added.

Speaking at Piskay ni Bai, a new online talk show of the Philippine Information Agency in Bohol, Vitor said they are still carefully assessing the state of these objects so they can recommend the priorities for restoration, considering the costs and the degree of work to be done on an object.

During the show, Vitor showed the quaint wooden tabernacle with baroque motif and shows the flaking of possibly gold-leaf materials showing out the gesso primary coating.

While the urna-like 18th century tabernacle has flanking carved double solomonic columns, with flaking but majority of the gold paint still in, with and royal red Chinese-styled paintings, shows an already apparent dullness in the gold, one thing she points out as an after effect of the post-typhoon damage.

The same tabernacle still shows a rare and outstanding reverse painting, which is a skill perfected by the Chinese in the 1th century onwards, and the insides of the sagrario are well preserved paintings

The vice administrator of probably Bohol’s oldest running museum which has been opened for at least half a century, also pointed out that aside from the rare tabernacle, also needing immediate restoration and care are outstanding pieces like the Liberato Gatchalian paintings on canvas, the Misa Cantoral of mass songbooks with neumes written on a standard musical notation on stretched goat skin and bound in leather, and an interesting ramillete that has local fibers topped with a purple silken cloth and equally interesting cut lagang (nautilus shells) adornments.

A Gatchalian painting on wood planks placed at the inner side of the church entrance used up some P5 million in restoration fees in the late 1990s.

Closed after the earthquake in 2013, the newly revamped museum was set to be reopened in 2021, but the typhoon disrupted the schedule, only to be reset to its public reopening last October 15, 2022.

For this opening the gallery exhibit was curated by The University of Santo Tomas Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and environment in the Tropics through Director Eric Zerrudo, with Boholano chair of the Cathoklic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Commission on Cultural heritage of the Church, Fr Milan Ted Torralba.

The Parroquial Museum in Baclayon, although collecting a standard donation has the funds going to conservation of the collection, to put up the security measures in place and to regulate the crowd as the museum simply can not accommodate everyone at a single time in the gallery.

Vitor also quickly added that a museum is not a profit permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage.

Museums are primarily educational and non-profit, but the cost of keeping these objects for public viewing alone, is hurting the museum sustainability, she hinted.

Other than the most immediate need for conservation of the rare museum objects in its collection, the space limitaiions in the museum for the development of additional galleries rise as a challenge. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

CONSERVING THE RARE CANTORALS. An old music in the Gregorian chanting tradition with neumes as notes but written on a standard staff notation is not only what makes the Baclayon Cantoral rare. The fact that it is composed for Baclayon, the cantoral for Misa Baclayana is written on stretched goat skin and bound in animal hide, which makes it even more interesting. (PIA-Bohol)

NOLI ME TANGERE. The flaking gold leaf and the chipping gesso could further be damaged by touching, as some of the damage of the 18thcentury golden tabernacle exhibited at the Baclayon museum gallery shows. The tabernacle also has a rare glass reverse painting, which may be a lost skill now. These needs immediate restoration and conservation to arrest the spreading damage caused by the drenching rain when the museum roof peeled off exposing the rare museum collection to rain and other natural elements. (PIABohol)