The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) gave a heads-up to local government units (LGUs) to refer to the latest edition of the Drug Price Reference Index (DPRI) for their 2017 drugs and medicines procurement.
DPRI is a national drug pricing strategy to improve the efficiency of drugs and medicine procurement. It lists the ceiling prices of essential medicines for government bidding and procurement set by the Department of Health (DOH) for all national and local government health facilities and government agencies.
DILG Secretary Ismael ‘Mike’ D. Sueno said, “I call on all local chief executives (LCEs) to ensure consumer protection from overpricing as well as to facilitate access to quality and essential medicines. Health remains to be the greatest wealth.”
He also prodded LCEs to ramp up their local health programs in provinces, cities, and municipalities. He noted that Filipinos are now getting more and more health conscious as reported in a recent Pulse Asia survey conducted on December 6-11 last year. The study result says that ‘staying healthy’ is what most Filipinos are highly concerned with.
“I hope Local Health Boards will be more creative, engaging, and far-reaching in delivering health services and facilities to their constituents,” he said.
Meanwhile, with the recent release of the President Duterte’s Executive Order No. 12 tasking the DILG to monitor compliance of LGUs with the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 or RPRH Law, Sueno said that the DILG encompasses health matters in line with its mandate to assist the President in the exercise of general supervision over local governments.
The President’s 10-Point Socioeconomic Agenda includes the strengthening of the implementation of the RPRH Law to enable poor couples to make informed choices on financial and family planning. (PR)
Sueno to LGUs: Check latest Drug Price Reference Index to protect public
DSWD to release additional cash aid for ‘Yolanda’ survivors within six months
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) vowed to release within six months the P5,000 cash aid for supertyphoon “Yolanda” survivors who were left out during the distribution of emergency shelter assistance (ESA).
DSWD Secretary Jody Taguiwalo said on Jan. 25 that there is an ongoing validation of 194,000 beneficiaries in the Visayas who have filed complaints at their office before Nov. 8, 2016.
“While the validation is ongoing, we also have to decide on the mode of payment – by cash, check or cards,” Taguiwalo told reporters.
On Nov. 8, 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte announced the distribution of P5,000 ESA to selected Yolanda survivors.
The DSWD needs about P1 billion funds from the Office of the President for the distribution of across- the- board cash assistance.
The agency has only P46 million remaining funds for Yolanda survivors, just enough for administrative cost.
“The beneficiaries are people who have worked in the past three years to claim what is rightfully theirs. This is in recognition of people who have been asking for justice,” Taguiwalo said.
Between 2013 to 2015, the government had distributed P30,000 ESA for families with totally damaged houses and P10,000 for those with partially damaged houses.
The President also announced the provision of additional P3,000 for livelihood support of selected survivors.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)
School conducts forum on illegal drug use and its ill-effects
TACLOBAN CITY- Effects and how to avoid illegal drugs was the main subject of a forum recently conducted at the Asian Development Foundation College (ADFC) this city.
The main purpose of the forum is to ensure that the students of the school would be clean of drug abuse, said its president Edward Chua.
Aside from the students, the forum was also attended by the school’s teaching staff who Chua admitted are not that informed about the matter.
Chua said that teachers play a critical role in helping their students become drug-free.
The ADFC president said that there could be some students who are into illegal drug use which makes their campaign become more important.
“Most drug use happens off-campus and we assume that parents are talking drug prevention at home while on the other hand, parents often assume also that the school has the subject covered,” Chua said.
“Prevention for us is everything and we wanted to address this problem early,” he added.
The subject on illegal drugs has become a sensitive, if not controversial, issue in the country with the government claiming that there are around 4 million Filipinos who are hooked in the illegal drugs.
The government, under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, launched a massive campaign aim to eliminate the illegal drugs problem in the country.
“Drug addiction is something we openly talk about with our students and we allow them to ask any questions. This is our way of helping the students avoid to be hook from illegal drugs,” Chua said. (JAZMIN BONIFACIO)
Pres.Duterte was fuming mad over slow work of “Yolanda” housing project
TACLOBAN CITY- As he promised, President Rodrigo Duterte visited the city to check the progress of the housing relocation projects intended for families who lost their houses when Tacloban was pummeled by supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013.
On Wednesday (January 25), the President returned but was visibly disappointed when he learned that there are more works to be done and that around 38 percent of the targeted 14,433 families that need to be relocated have been accomplished.
“I will be back on March to check if my directive is followed,” the fuming President said, pounding several times the podium as he stressed of his disappointment.
Mr. Duterte lead in the giving of certificate of house and lot allocation(Cela) to 1,062 families who are now residing to seven relocation sites- Ridge View Village, Greendale, Guadalupe, Villa Dina, Villa Sofia, North Hill Arbours at New Hope Village in Barangay Santa Elena where the program was held.
“Sabi ko noon, 28 lang ang nakalipat. Kung 28 lang ang nakalipat noong nandito ako November, sabi ko, itong project nyo sunugin na lang ninyo. Sabi ko I will return by December (but) was not able to return last December because I was very busy,” Duterte said.
During the third year commemoration of Yolanda’s onslaught last November 8, 2016, Mr. Duterte visited Tacloban and promised to return on December of same year to check the progress of the work.
Of the 14,433 identified families that need to be relocated, only 5,617 of them have been transferred to their new homes as of January 23, 2017 by the National Housing Authority and the city government of Tacloban.
During his visit, the President gave the government agencies involved in the housing projects until March this year to finish the transfer.
NHA regional manager Rizalde Mediavillo when asked on the directive of the President said that they would comply the presidential directive.
“If we need to do overtime, we will do that,” Mediavillo said.
Mediavillo said some of the causes of delay were identifying the relocation site, buying the property from the owners, titling the property, soil tests, non-availability of construction materials locally especially in 2014, weather concerns.(VICKY C. ARNAIZ)
Some old lessons in public service re-emphasized by Digong and rightly so!
Forget about his foul-language – invectives thrown to Catholic leaders, and other unpalatable remarks which we should already now be used to, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte struck it out right at the nail’s head reminding government leaders and employees to do their jobs with sincerity and in all honesty.
He emphasized that they must report to office on time and be in the office for the whole duration without spending part of the day’s work guiltlessly gallivanting around, or else..!Reports have reached him that many of these employees do it already as a bad habit.
Indeed, employees who do this are short-changing government by being paidfull salary for the whole day.
The President was in Sta. Elena in the city to visit and inspect the housing projects intended for Typhoon Yolanda victims.
To many this may just be an ordinary sound bite of a reminder. But since it came from this President, who really means what he says the call registers and effectively seepsinto the hearts and minds of government workers because the Presidentexpressed them with convincing authority and that they know President really mean it, that if they will justtake this lightly, they know it will be dangerous for them, knowing the President.
Mayor Romualdez to work closely with gov’t agencies at the “Yolanda” resettlement sites
TACLOBAN CITY – Coinciding with the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday (January 25) to New Hope Village Housing Project in Barangay Sta. Elena, this city, Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez committed to work closely with the national government in projects that would benefit “Yolanda”-hit families in the city.
New Hope Village is a project of the National Housing Authority (NHA) for displaced Yolanda-hit families. It has 1,000 units; 900 units have already been raffled off to beneficiaries while some 500 are now occupied.
Mayor Romualdez said that the city government is putting up satellite offices in resettlement sites to bring much needed services to resettled families while committing to work closely with the national government for the benefit of Yolanda survivors.
Meantime, Mayor said, “… the visit speaks a lot of the government’s thrust to ensure that displaced residents gets decent housing… safer, better living condition.”
“It’s an indication that the national government is there to share the city government’s effort to ensure self-sustaining communities that will nurture future Taclobanons,” she added.
Since assuming office in July 2016, Mayor Romualdez has made the transfer of displaced families to their new homes at the relocation sites as her top priority.
In fact, before the November 8 visit of President Duterte wherein he issued orders to fast track Yolanda projects, the city government-led initiative Caring Giving and Reaching Out has moved close to 3,000 households to the relocation sites.
The city government has also endeavored to bring much needed utilities, like potable water to the sites which lack basic amenities.
President Duterte, during his Wednesday visit, issued a stern warning to government agencies involved in Yolanda rehabilitation to complete the transfer of 14,433 families in Tacloban City from coastal communities to resettlement sites by March of this year.
Mr. Duterte said he is giving officials 15 days to submit the required documents and permits.
“So by March…lahat…March, nandiyan na ‘yan. Tubig, ibigay mo sa tao, libre ‘yan…tapusin niyo ‘yan, 15 days, directors,” ordered Duterte.
“’Pag ayaw mo, I will charge you with neglect of duty…I will charge you administratively, ‘wag na ‘yung criminal charges, matagal eh…I can suspend you, then you’ll go to court,” he added
The President promised to return to Tacloban on March to check on the status of relocation in permanent resettlement sites. (HENRY JAMES G.ROCA/CIO)