FFCCCII donates P20-M to Oplan Sagip Bayan
The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII), donated P20 million this morning to the Oplan Sagip Bayan, Malacañang’s relief and assistance project for the victims of tropical storms Ondoy and Pepeng.
The President received the check from FFCCCII president Alfonso Uy during simple turnover ceremonies at the Bahay Pangarap on
She then handed the check to Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr. of the Presidential Management Staff in the presence of Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila, Political Adviser Gabriel Claudio, and Deputy Executive Secretary Susana Vargas.
In an interview, Esperon thanked FFCCCII, saying the donation would go a long way in the efforts to ”assist our brothers and sisters who were affected by the two weather disturbances.”
Esperon said that the earlier donations of P40 million given to the
“With the fresh infusion of capital from the FFCCCII, another 60,000 families will be able to receive the much needed basic commodities soon”, Esperon said.
He lauded the volunteers, especially the students who, despite the resumption of classes, have selflessly continued to give their time and efforts to help out in the relief efforts.
PGMA orders resettlement of ‘Ondoy’ victims
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the immediate resettlement of displaced victims of tropical storm “Ondoy” in a move to restore normalcy.
Press Undersecretary Anthony Golez today said in a press briefing that the order is in line with the President’s earlier directive to prevent residents from returning to their former homes in vulnerable areas like riverbanks and mountain slopes.
He noted that with five to six more typhoons expected to hit the country this year, the President’s order gains urgency.
“Government is doing everything it can to bring back normalcy,” Golez said. There is immediate need for resettlement as evacuees cannot stay long in evacuation centers,” he stressed.
He said Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chairman Noli de Casto has identified several possible relocation sites, among which was a Manila Bank property in San Miguel, with
Golez urged local government units (LGUS) to come up with their own rehabilitation blueprint in coordination with the national government. He said they know what to prioritize to meet the demands of their people.
Based on the Oct. 5 report of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), there are 335,740 evacuees in 557 evacuation centers.
N Luzon wet until Friday as Pepeng lingers, Quedan leaves
"Good news is that Quedan may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) Tuesday night and leave for good. The scenario we are looking at is Quedan's force may drag Pepeng with it north northeast or release Pepeng which will then head to Vietnam," Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather branch chief Nathaniel Cruz said.
Pepeng may still stay awhile - about three more days - before leaving.
He noted that the High Pressure Area and Quedan leave Pepeng confined to its current location, which is some
Pepeng moved even closer to the Ilocos region, and may bring more rains over it.
Areas under storm signal No. 3 include Northern Cagayan,
Under Signal No. 2 are the rest of Cagayan, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Batanes Group of
Under Signal No. 1 are La Union, Pangasinan,
Extreme northern
"Pepeng moved closer to the Ilocos region because Quedan is influencing its movements," Cruz said.
Pepeng is forecasted to remain "almost stationary," to be
Meanwhile, Quedan slightly lost momentum and was
It continued to move towards the Okinawa, Southern Islands of
Quedan was forecast to move north at 22 kph and be
"This disturbance is still too far to affect any part of the country," Pagasa said.
The power of breastfeeding in times of emergencies and disasters
Typhoon Ondoy has left a path of destruction and misery in the country after causing massive flooding in many parts of Metro Manila,
Hundreds of thousands of families were affected and many Filipino infants and children have become vulnerable to diseases, premature deaths and malnutrition now that their families are homeless and their parents and caregivers are struggling to cope with this unfortunate crisis.
“Breastfeeding is the perfect shield that will protect our infants from deadly diseases in this time of calamity,” says Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III. “During emergency situations, this is the lifeline for our infants as breast milk provides them the safest and the most complete nutrition and an invaluable source of protection against many infections,“ he added.
Thus, with the threat faced by thousands of infants and young children who now stay with their families in evacuation centers, the Department of Health reiterated its policy to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, to breastfeed exclusively the infant 0-6 months old and to be initiated on safe adequate and appropriate complementary foods at 6 months of age while breastfeeding up to two years and beyond.
Because of the lack of adequate safe water and sanitation facilities in destroyed communities and in evacuation centers, the DOH advised all mothers that it is all the more crucial for them to breastfeed and for government, health professionals, communities and breastfeeding advocates to ensure that there is a supportive, healthy and conducive environment fit for mothers and infants.
“The use of prepared powdered formulas in a situation where there is a lack of safe water & sanitation will only increase the vulnerability of infants to acquire infections,” warned Secretary Duque.
Aside from this, Duque added that only breast milk contains immunological factors and probiotics that protect against diarrheas and pneumonias – the most common causes of deaths in young children. These protective factors are not present in infant milk formula.
Duque shared on-the-ground efforts in the Philippines which provide evidence that breastfeeding can be done during emergencies to counter misconceptions that mothers are unable to breastfeed, produce enough milk or restart breastfeeding because of the stressful situation during crises among other factors.
Health officials of the DOH have been going around evacuation centers since the tragedy struck to monitor the health of the typhoon victims especially that of mothers, young children and vulnerable infants.
In the evacuation center of Barangay Panghulo in
“This is an excellent model that we want all mothers to practice in all our evacuation centers so that we reduce the risk of diseases and deaths among very young children (0-3 years), “ Duque said.
The DOH together with the affected local government units in Metro Manila is now mobilizing Breastfeeding Support Groups or Peer Counselors to counsel and provide the necessary care to pregnant women and mothers that will encourage and coach them to initiate and sustain breastfeeding. Other affected regions in the country where there are also evacuation centers are urged to do the same.
The breastfeeding support groups will correct misconceptions, provide coaching and counseling to mothers as well as respond to their health and nutritional needs.
In the Philippine General Hospital, the premiere national university hospital of the Philippines, the Newborn Medicine Lactation Unit and Human Milk Bank already launched a breastfeeding mission to collect as many volumes of donated breast milk from volunteer moms which will be delivered and cup-fed to babies staying at the different evacuation centers.
The
“First, we should make it clear that all women, even those who are malnourished, can breastfeed. We should put all efforts to keep infants and young children with their mothers and support mothers to breastfeed,” Secretary Duque said. “In rare circumstances where breastfeeding cannot be implemented, there are other options such as wet nursing, accessing the milk bank and doing cup feeding,” added Duque.
The DOH is encouraging all partner government and non-government agencies, local government units, private organizations and health professional societies to help promote, protect and support breastfeeding especially during emergency situations.
The DOH through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reiterated its policy not to allow donations of breast milk substitutes such as infant formula or other such products covered by the National Milk Code.
“In these challenging times, we must act to save and protect our babies and children and the most excellent way to do it is through breastfeeding,” Duque concluded.
DBP partners with USAID for clean energy investments
State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) is partnering with the United States Agency for International Development’s ECO-Asia Clean Development and Climate Program (ECO-Asia) to promote clean energy investments in the country through a memorandum of understanding signed last October 1, 2009. ECO-Asia is a regional program funded by USAID that aims to bridge the gap between investments and clean energy business by building partnerships in several of
DBP president and chief executive officer Reynaldo G. David said ECO-Asia’s expertise in providing pro bono technical assistance to clean energy project developers, as well as its ability to harness a global pool of investors for a project, makes it a key partner in promoting new and renewable energy initiatives in the country. He added that DBP’s reputation as a progressive government development financial institution, and its local knowledge, will allow it to effectively channel ECO-Asia’s resources to areas that have the most significant impact to the local population. “Once the fruits of this partnership are realized and green electricity flows to rural communities, business opportunities, local employment, and genuine sustainable development will inevitably follow,” David stressed.
The partnership will help stimulate more clean energy investments in the country, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, which hold the highest potential for clean energy projects due to abundant natural resources and a progressive agricultural industry.
ECO-Asia is the regional coordinator of the Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN), a multilateral, public-private partnership initiated by the Climate Technology Initiative in cooperation with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In addition to the
