Gov Aris, DA led in PAFFF

to 752 Bohol beneficiaries

Teresita Ello, 82 years old from Corella town never expected to be among the 752 beneficiaries of the P10,000 Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk and their Families (PAFF).

A widow who is now living alone in a crumbling house in the hinterlands of the town, Ello survives by her pension which she uses to buy for her maintenance medications, milk and food, the rest of her needs she gets from her backyard where she tends a few crops and plants.

Born as a daughter to small time farmers growing ubi, corn and camote in their family-inherited patch of land in Barangay Cancatac, she has built in herself the habit to go and touch earth and grow whatever the family needs in their small farm.

Working as a Barangay Health Worker for over 30 years, Teresita alternately volunteers to help in the community’s health needs and as a small time farmer that she never considers herself fully into food production that she did not expect to get the presidential assistance.

On October 18, 2024 however, she was among the 10 beneficiaries of the PAFF who would receive the cash assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA) representatives and local officials led by Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado.

On that day, along with beneficiaries from Alburquerque, Corella, Maribojoc, Dauis and Sevilla, Ello, along with 9 other beneficiaries in the ceremonial turn-over of assistance, would personally tear the sealed brown envelop containing the cash aid to show to the witnesses that they received the government’s assistance to people who have to get through the crisis.

First distributed to some of the identified over 7,000 beneficiaries in Bohol last June with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., himself distributing the assistance in fitting ceremonies at the CPG Sports Complex, the PAFFF has to get back to the initial list and provide documentary evidence for the beneficiaries, explains Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, during the continuation of the presidential handover at the Capitol’s Café Caloy lounge.

Aumentado, who has also heard about the rising complaints on the selection process of the beneficiaries, told the farmers that Capitol is careful that the resources of the government do not get wasted to beneficiaries who do not deserve the assistance, thus the delay in the hand-over.

DA Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Coordinating Officer Roman Dabalos, during the event, called on the farmers and fisherfolk beneficiaries to continue their heroic mission of feeding the country, even as the challenges in farming continue to double.

“This is a huge help,” Ello said as she showed the money she received, which she did not expect.

Living alone, the retired BHW has however rendered honorable service to the community, which has kept her from fully devoting her life in farming.

But as a daughter of a farmer and now living only from the fruits of a small farm and a small pension, the drought has severely affected her life, making her eligible to the assistance.

Elsewhere, families who have pegged their lives on the ayuda mentality, but could not get to the cash windfall have been vocal against the system in determining the beneficiaries.

However, the DA insists that the list was based on the registry of basic sectors in agriculture as validated and verified by the local agriculture offices.

Understanding this, Ello, who initially was adamant in receiving the aid, finally understood that she too, as a farmer and accomplished government health volunteer living alone and without anybody to help her, also deserves the help.

Daghan kaayo’ng salamat, sa mga naghago aron madawat namo ‘ning hinabang, plano nako nga ako kining hinayhinayon og palit og pagkaon ug patrabaho sa akong mga tanom, she revealed as she slowly slipped the cash back in the envelop and into a dilapidated purse. (RACH/PIA_7/Bohol)

TOO OLD TO BE FARMING. The PAFFF turn-over showed to Bohol officials the bleak scenario unfolding before their eyes. 90% of the farmer and fisherfolk beneficiaries were over 50 years old, which shows how food security, if left to the oldies, can be a future concern.

22 photographers compete

in Jagna’s Estokada contest

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol Oct 19 (PIA)—Twenty-two local photographers had their day of fun and shoot with the newfound motivation to help boost local tourism through the Sinuog Estokada photography contest and documentation, which released its winners recently.

Sinuog Estokada, or the local festival in Jagna which recounts the story of the epic battle between Saint Michael the archangel and the devil, depicted in measured dance and colorful contrasting costume, is Jagna’s top street-dancing offer spilling to the town’s main thoroughfare every September 29, feastday of Saint Michael.

Introduced to the locals sometime in the era when the Augustinian Recollects administered the faith, the story of the epic battle also explores the popular Christian tales under the theme of the triumph of the good over evil.

In Jagna, locals have seen that under Mayor Joseph Rañola, a notable push on tourism has been one of the LGU initiatives.

Instead of commissioning professional photographers to help in documenting this year’s Sinuog Estokada, we succeeded in convincing local authorities in empowering the community and local photographers to show talent.

While the LGU would be spending for tourism collaterals development, we allowed local artists to showcase the richness of the culture and the vibrant heritage of the town, immortalized in pictures, explained Sherwin Sapong, whom the LGU tapped to help organize the photo contest September 29.

We released the contest guidelines and posted entry forms to get an inventory of participating local artists in case of local projects, and on September 29, during the street-dancing parade and the ritual showdown, we did not expect such talents, Sapong said.

Awarded winners were First: Angel Baldapan Jr., Second: Gerald James Cabal, Third: Alfe Boloron, fourth: Angel Baldapan Jr., fifth: Angel Baldapan Jr., Sixth: Bryan Jay Bagaipo, Seventh: Angel Bandapan Jr., Eighth: Gerald James Cabal, Ninth: Angel Baldapan Jr,. and tenth: Leah Carmel Regatuna.

Eleventh: Maxigne Lou Delusa, 12th: Angel Baldapan Jr., 13th: Gerald James Cabal, 14th: Angel Baldapan Jr., 15th: Bryan Jay Bagaipo, 16th: Harold Edulan, 17th: Christian Bongcawil, 18th: Maxigne Lou Delusa, 19th: Angel Baldapan Jr., and 20th: Bryan Jay Bagaipo.

The winning photographs are now on exhibit at the Jagna Municipal Hall, after which these would comprise the campaign materials for Sinuog Estokada tourism collaterals, organizers said. (PIABohol)

TRUMPH OVER EVIL. Saint Michael Archangel, Jagna town’s patron saint, is celebrated here in the Sinuog Estokada which retells the story of the archangel fighting side by side with the natives to repel marauders. A photo contest was launched to capture this moment, and the winners were released this week. (PIABohol)

Food price movement slows

as inflation drops to 1.6 %

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Oct 19 (PIA)—Food inflation in Bohol eased to 1.8 percent in September 2024 from 3.7 percent in August this year, as headline inflation in Bohol continues to drop for the third consecutive month, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In its latest data dissemination on the monthly inflation tacking here, PSA through chief statistician Jessamyne Anne ALcazaren bared that from 2.1 percent last month, headline inflation in Bohol still slid down to 1.6 percent.

This is already a feat considering that the inflation rate in September of last year was much higer at 6.4 percent.

PSA credited the slow movement of prices in September to slower annual increment in the indices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, transport and in furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance.

From 3.5 percent in August, price index of food and non-alcoholic beverages crawled to 1.7 percent, while transport recorded 1 3.5 percent to 1.1 percent drop in August.

On the other hand, from 4.5 percent, household equipment and routine household maintenance’s 4.5 percent showed further to 2.0 in September 2024.

As to the PSA, as food and non-alcoholic beverages constitute 44.1 percent share, housing, water and electricity, gas and ither fuels with its 31.8 percent and education services 14.9 percent share contributed largely to the September 2024 headline inflation characteristics.

With this, food inflation in Bohol eased to 1.8 percent in September as against the 3.7 percent in August, Alcazaren points out.

This, according to the female chief statistician is brought about by a slower inflation rate of rice at 2.6 percent from 11.2 percent in August.

Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses recorded a year-on-year decline of 7.1 percent from 3.3 percent annual increase in August 2024.

On the other hand, ready-made food and other food products enjoyed a slower price movement for 7.0 percent from 8.1 percent in 2024.

The deceleration of food inflation in September 2024 was primarily brought about by slower inflation rate of rice at 2.6 percent from 11.2 percent in August, PSA bared in its published release.

As fiood shares 42.3 percent in the over-all inflation, rice which recorded a 77.2 percent share; meat and other parts of slaughtered animals with 35.6 percent and fruits and nuts keeping a 27.3 percent contributed to the food inflation here, PSA noted. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE MONTH. Inflation in Bohol continues to slow down for the third consecutive month as prices tend to behave rather well, according to PSA Alcazaren. Food inflation also slowed to 1.8%. (PIABohol)

One snake bite too many…

Bohol-run hospitals to keep

Anti-venom in its inventory

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Oct 18 (PIA)—Because one sacrificed life is one too many for Bohol, Governor

Erico Aristotle Aumentado is now making sure that no one now dies of snake or venomous animal bites

without getting an anti-venom.

In fact, the governor wants the anti-venom not just available but accessible to all and intends to keep these life-saving shots strategically stored in at least four province-owned hospitals.

This too, as Bohol mourns over the death of a kid, who got bitten by a venomous snake Tuesday, despite

the fact that Loon, where the biting incident happened, is less than an hour away from the apex hospital where the government keeps anti-venom in its emergency inventory.

Severely sorrowed by the pointless waste of young life, the governor has instructed the Provincial Health Office through officer in Charge Dr. Fruserma Mary Uy, to initiate the move to make the anti-

venom accessible not just in one facility in Bohol but in strategic province-owned hospitals.

Although anti-venom shots can be had from the Gallares Hospital, the governor believes that it is still way too far off from access to other areas that it would take considerable time for victims to get to the service hospital, losing critical time in the process.

In snake bites, time element is of extreme importance, Dr Uy said, even as she added that the scientific community discourages accessing other alternative ways of treating the bite, which is what usually happens.

In Loon, Bohol, kin of a kid who was bitten by a snake, took over 2 hours to get the victim to the hospital too late.

When the victim arrived, health professionals who failed to observe the presence of victim’s vital signs, noted that the vitals have collapsed and declared the patient dead on arrival (DOA).

Later, embalmers also notice the ‘faint’ pulse in the dead child, prompting them to recommend the sending of the child to Gallares hospital, where she was proclaimed DOA again.

For her part, Dr. Uy, who feels excited about the governor’s plan to have the anti-venom here, admitted

that from time to time, Bohol would have snake bites considering the region is in a tropical country, that snakes are part of the environment.

To this, getting the anti-venom strategically made available for Boholanos is a bold step, she admitted.

Gallares is some two hours away from the farthest town Ubay, and patient’s transport could still take some time that chances of saving a snake bite victim decreases in the moment of delay.

“We have to make the anti-venom available for Talibon, Carmen, Jagna, Catigbian,” the governor instructed the OIC PHO.

Moreover, Aumentado told the health officer, to keep a stock of the vaccines in these province-owned and operated facilities.

With the governor’s instructions, Dr. Uy said they started setting up the mechanism for the procurement as well as the keeping of the vaccines in the facilities.

“These are toxins that we need to have a toxicologist to keep these in stock, and the personnel to handle these have to be properly trained,” according to Dr. Uy.

The preparations as well as the procurement of the anti-venom forms the bulk of the task that the PHO would be immersed in the next few months.

And as the snake anti-venom can only be accessed from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine 

(RITM), these are not mass produced and do not also keep its potency over time.

“We do not need to keep them in bulk, just a few shots in strategic areas in Bohol, because these activated anti-venom have to be kept in the cold chain at the proper temperature and somebody has to oversee its storage and administration,” the PHO hinted. (RAHC/PIA_7/Bohol)

WORKS IN TEN MINUTES. Snake antivenoms are set to start working within the first 10 minutes and additional doses are added when needed. Although supplied by the RITM which conducts research on tropical diseases including tropical venom, the snake bite antivenom has to be injected into the snake bite victim to allow the activated immunoglobins to counter the effect of the toxin in the bite. This is what Gov Aumentado wants to keep strategic hospitals, to get the cure closer to victims anywhere in Bohol.

Get anti-venom shot, no home

remedy for snake bites - PHO

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol Oct 17 (PIA)—There is no such thing as a home remedy for snake bites, bite victims have to be brought to the nearest facility for immediate medical attention, says Provincial Health Office (PHO) In Charge Dr. Fruserma Mary Uy.

Herself a practicing physician and community doctor, Dr. Uy joined the community in bemoaning the loss of a child who unfortunately died without getting the necessary anti-venom that could have saved the victim from certain death.

Las Tuesday, a child got bitten by a venomous snake, but culture would have it, instead of getting the quickest medical attention needed from a first aid facility, the victim’s family decided to get an alternative treatment.

“The family can bring the patient to wherever they believe could help them, but we insist that they have to come first and get the immediate care and the anti-venom shots from a facility, then they can get whatever it is they want” Dr. Uy said.

As a medical professional, she discouraged other alternative measures including the very dangeours sucking by mouth of the venom, or the traditional practice of rubbing garlic, putting in a tourniquet to stop the blood circulation and this the venom’s circulation or resorting to a quack medicine.

“Snake venom can have different effects on humans depending on their antibodies,” the physician said.

Some venom can take its effect in the immediate bite area, where rotting can happen, or the venom can get to the nervous system where it can cause issues with blood clotting, or eventual paralysis leading to difficulty in breathing.

“In certain instances, the neurotoxins can get to the victim’s leading to immediate death when the venom shuts down vital body functions,” she added.

In the case of the bitten child, Dr. Uy, who did a case investigation said the family took nearly two hours to bring the victim to the hospital, preferring to consult with traditional medicine, before getting the victim to the hospital in Loon.

The OIC PHO also said there is an antivenom stocked at the Gallares Hospital, about 30 minutes away from Loon.

While there was a time when Bohol had problems keeping the hard to secure anti-venom in at least a facility here, the Department of Health has kept its stock of anti-venom at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital, the OIC PHO shared.

Snake bites, which can be very fatal, is already a part of the local preparations, considering that snakes are in the environment, so that preparations for bites have to be in place, at the right time, the government physician pointed out.

Snake bites, while many of them can be non-venomous, some of them especially in the tropics can be fatal that stories of getting killed in 8 minutes, 8 hours or 8 days from the biting moment, abound.

Italicizing the critical time for the venom to be rendered ineffective within the first 4 hours after the biting incident to increase the chances of saving the victim, Dr. Uy explained that the antivenom usually takes its effect within the first ten minutes.

“To this, it is important that even bringing the bite victim to the nearest medical facility can spell life and death,” she said.

While the nearest facility, (which in this case is Loon,) may not necessarily have an anti-venom stocked necessary for immediate inoculation, the facility can help in the first aid, to ease the effects of the biting.

To save limb when the bitten area starts to have necrosis, an immediate amputation can help the victim, or when the biting has caused difficulty in breathing, a tracheostomy, may save the life.

A tracheostomy is when a slit is opened in the bite victim’s windpipe to allow air to get to the lungs and facilitate breathing, so the victim can survive until the anti-venom can be administered.

In the case of the child bite victim from Loon, Dr. Uy said that the family took almost two hours to get to the facility in Loon, trusting the fate of the victim to the undocumented folk medicine, that the loss of critical time to save the victim ran out. (RAHC/PIA_7/Bohol)

WEAR PROPER PROTECTION. While snakes are endemic in the tropics, people whose work bring them close to a snake encounter need to wear proper protection: work boots, jackets and thick pants, to be protected. For bite victims, OIC PHO Dr. Fruserma Mary Uy recommends immediately bringing the victim to the nearest hospital facility for immediate care or until the victim can get the anti-venom shots. (PIABohol)

DICT projects showcased in Bohol

By Elvie Bongosia

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) — The Department of Information and Communications Technology in Central Visayas (DICT-7) showcased their projects and programs during the DICT Stakeholder’s Dialogue in Tagbilaran City on Oct. 16.

Bannering the theme, “Bridging the Digital Divide: Showcasing ICT Initiatives Across Sectors,” the activity is in support of the marching order of Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to facilitate the full digitalization of the country.

The stakeholders’ dialogue united key players that discussed digital transformation initiatives from a national agency for the province’s future to ensure Bohol, the country’s first and only UNESCO Global Geopark and Regenerative Island, adopts digitalized systems and streamlined services across government offices and sectors.

Participants include members of the Association of United Development Information Officers (AUDIO)-Bohol, information communications technology officers, and representatives from the academe.

“We are here to share insights, present innovative solutions, and discuss how we can work together to address these disparities. By showcasing ICT initiatives that have made a positive impact across different sectors, we can learn from each other’s experience, scale successful projects, and collaborate to create a future where no one is left behind in our digital journey,” DICT director Frederick DC. Amores said in his message.

DICT-7 assistant director Ramil Jeff Taboso, in his welcome address, emphasized that ICT initiatives are the stepping stones of every Filipino toward accessing digital tools and skills needed in the interconnected world.

“Today’s dialogue is a space for us to exchange ideas, share best practices, and showcase ICT initiatives that are making a real difference across various sectors- governance, education, agriculture, infrastructure, environment, and social services,” Taboso said.

The presented topics on DICT’s initiatives across sectors included eGOVPH by Jesraline Polinar, eLGU by Gian Rick Gallo, IIDB-ICT Industry Development Bureau by Joshua Eleazar Domen, DRRM by Engr. Ira Bermudo, and ‘Free Wifi For All’ by Engr. Jimmy Ratilla. (ECV/PIA7 Bohol)

In support of the marching order of Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to facilitate the full digitalization of the country, DICT-7 conducted a dialogue showcasing their projects and programs at Panda Tea Gardens in Tagbilaran City on Oct. 16. Bannering the theme, “Bridging the Digital Divide: Showcasing ICT Initiatives Across Sectors,” the dialogue was attended by members of the Association of United Development Information Officers (AUDIO)-Bohol, information communications technology officers, and representatives of the academe. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)