NNC-7 launches “Tutok Kainan” simultaneously in Central Visayas, other LGUs nationwide

CEBU CITY – The National Nutrition Council (NNC-7) conducted the soft-launched the newest Dietary Supplementation Program dubbed “Tutok Kainan” on November 23 in all its 27 targets LGUs in Cebu City, Negros Oriental Province and Siquijor Province simultaneously with the other targeted LGUs in the country, that aims to prevent stunting in the region and targets pregnant women to receive additional meals and food commodities to improve their nutrition.

According to NNC-7 regional director Parolita Mission that “Tutok Kainan” is a dietary supplementation program that aims to contribute to the prevention of stunting among children 0-23 months old by improving the quality and quantity of food and nutrient intake and the use of related ECCD F1KD services among nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and children 6-23 months old in the target program areas.

Mission said that “Tutok Kainan” pilot beneficiaries are pregnant women, especially those teenage pregnant women, anemic, and with low BMI and to be launched simultaneously throughout the country which initially targets Camarines Norte, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Cebu City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Bukidnon and the National Capital Region-Caloocan, Navotas, Parañaque and Pateros.

The areas heavily hit by Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses were also targeted including Cagayan, Isabela, Albay, Catanduanes and Rodriguez, Rizal, Mission added.

NNC Executive Director Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang said that the program initially targets some 34,000 nutritionally at-risk pregnant women in provinces that have high rates of child stunting and areas affected by recent typhoons. 

By next year, the program hopes to expand to include malnourished children 6-23 months old. She explained that malnourished pregnant women and 6-23 months old children are specifically targeted to prevent child stunting in the first two years of life, or the period referred to as the First 1000 Days.

 “If we lose this opportunity to intervene in this critical period, we expect children to be stunted for the rest of their life as stunting becomes irreversible beyond 2 years. Stunting not only affects physical development but also mental development,” Dayanghirang stated.

“Tutok Kainan” program will provide the Enhanced Nutribun, ready-to-eat lipid-based nutritional supplement and hot meals for three months starting December this year alternated with other food commodities with the same nutrient content given in the first month and followed by the wet feeding for the next two months, Dayanghirang said.

Tutok Kainan is done in collaboration with the Interagency Task Force (IATF) on Zero Hunger chaired by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles who also led the ceremonial feeding to a few pregnant women from the national capital region during the nationwide soft launch of the program.

About 500 participants attended the online event coming from the local government program areas, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Business Network and Civil Society Alliance as well as other government agencies.

During the launch, the targeted LGUs were requested to provide counterpart resources including human resource and other logistics to complement the food commodities from NNC. Other partners were encouraged to provide additional support too.

Tutok Kainan is one platform of the National Dietary Supplementation Program of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022).  Aside from Tutok Kainan, the DSWD and DepED also implement feeding programs among children enrolled in day care centers and elementary schools to address malnutrition as well as some local government units and non-government organizations.

 

 

 

Women advocates push for passage of “Safe Spaces” ordinance in Mandaue City

MANDAUE CITY – The Zonta Club of Cebu II pushed for the passage of a local ordinance in Mandaue City, Cebu that adopts to implement the provisions of R.A. 11313 otherwise known as the “Safe Spaces Act” or the “Bawal Bastos Law.”

According to the Zonta Club that this piece of legislation is seen to address the existing gaps and issues on equality, security, and safety of both women and men in private and public spaces and intends to expand the scope of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 or RA-7877.

Zonta Club believed that local legislations that aim to protect women and girls leads to the creation of more secured places in the City to continue their livelihood, studies, careers, and their daily endeavors, safely and equally.

To expand the information regarding the Safe Spaces Act, Zonta Club conducted some creative advocacy project to bring the “Safe Spaces Act” and its effects to greater public notice. 

The Club distributed advocacy Tote bags with infographics about RA 11313 and art contest that was open to all UP Fine Arts students with entries that illustrate salient information about the law and the four designs that were used for the bags were the winning entries.

The four most informative art works chosen were created by UP Fine Arts students Anil Yap, Christopher Neive Hisanan, Nathaniel Sheene Niño and Josh Kolleen Collado.

The bags were distributed to various women’s groups, Gender and Development front liners and barangay health workers in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue.

According to the women advocates violation of the “Safe Spaces Act” can be committed in streets and public spaces; restaurants and cafes, bars and clubs, resorts and water parks, hotels and casinos; cinemas, malls, buildings and other privately-owned places open to the public.

Violations are also committed in Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs); streets and public spaces committed even by minors; online; in the workplace and educational and training institutions.

Violations may be punishable with fines, community service, and/or imprisonment.

Zonta Club of Cebu II calls public for 18-day activism against gender-based violence in communities

CEBU CITY – The Zonta Club of Cebu II marks its advocacy for women’s rights with the 18-day activism against gender-based violence in communities on November 25 to December 12 highlighting the role and essence of the barangays as part of a VAW-free community adhering to the theme “VAW-free community starts with Me”. 

According to Zonta Club that aside from capacitating VAW Desk Officers and other barangay officials on how to handle VAW and GBV cases, the campaign reiterates everyone’s commitment and contributions to end VAW and calls on the public to make a personal commitment to end violence against women and children.

According to the Abay sa Kahayag Committee of Zonta Club of Cebu II that in the Philippines the national campaign starts on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to December 10, Human Rights Day, of each year as the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

However, this has been extended until December 12 to observe the International Day Against Trafficking via Proclamation No. 1172 signed in 2006 by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the campaign is now known in the country as the “18-Day campaign to End Violence Against Women,” Zonta Club added.

The Philippine Campaign aims to raise awareness about gender-based violence against women as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels and to strengthen local work around gender-based violence against women.

It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

Zonta Club joined the international community in commemorating the 18 Days of Activism to stop violence of women in 2017 and it is held every November 25 up to December 12 of every year.

“So far Zonta Club has reached out to more than 2,000 women in Mandaue City through seminar, workshops, symposia and various forums on gender-related issues and concerns,” Abay sa Kahayag committee co-chair Regal Oliva said.

Oliva went on that the Club has also adopted the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for Women as the Club distributed hygiene kits for the women who are deprived of liberty (PDL). 

The Club has also organized a series of activities and advocacy initiatives to highlight the perils and serious consequences of GBV (Gender-Based Violence) which focused on strengthening local mechanisms and building on the required competencies of barangay officials, Oliva added.

Zonta Club’s 18-day activism campaign kicks off on November 25 with a series of webinars, events and activities with the zoom webinar on the “Bawal Bastos Law” dissecting the proposed Safe Spaces Act or RA-11313 with Atty. Myles Esquivel at 3:00-4:30 p.m. presenting the salient points of Safe Spaces Act and with Senator Riza Honteveros-Baraquel giving the message at 4:30-5:15 in the afternoon

 RA 11313 seeks to prevent gender-based sexual harassment from occurring in streets, public places, online workplaces, and educational and training institutions regardless of the motive for committing such action or remarks.

It penalizes acts such as: cursing, wolf-whistling, catcalling, leering and intrusive gazing, taunting, unwanted invitations, misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic, and sexist slurs, persistent unwanted comments on one's appearance and other such acts.

On November 27, Zonta Club organizes a whole day event of “Tarp/Poster/Leaflet Distribution within Cebu City and on November 28 is an artist’s interpretation of the “VAW Free Community Starts With Me” theme, a design campaign to end all forms of gender-based violence.

December 1 is International AIDS Day.  It is celebrated with a zoom forum on “Beyond the COVID-19 Scare: Battling more Pandemics-- Psychosocial of Women with speaker, Persons living with HIV/AIDS.

December 4 is another zoom webinar featuring personalities who will share their stories and experiences of harassment either as victims or witnesses and how they dealt with the aftermath of the encounters.

This will be followed by a very informational presentation by Dr. Rhodora Masilang Bucoy, Former Associate Professor, UP Cebu and Past Chairperson Philippine Commission on Women (2016-2020), Recognized GAD Consultant on techniques and strategies for creating safe and secure physical, virtual or emotional spaces for all that will be inclusive, accepting and secure.

On the same day December 4 is the launching of the Music Video—“I am Woman” while on December 7 is the schedule for the “Final Reading” via zoom of the Safe Spaces Ordinance sponsored by the Mandaue City Sangguniang Panlungsod.

On December 12, “The Perils of Technology: Easy Access and Target of Human Trafficking zoom webinar with Atty. Katrina Legarda as the possible speaker; and on December 15 is the distribution of Christmas Cheers to Women PDLs at the BJMP Mandaue City to cap the 18-day activism campaign against all forms of gender-based violence.

With the series of activities Zonta Club of Cebu II hopes to enlist the support of active participants in the fight to eradicate violence against women and children; expand accountability and collective responsibility to include all government units, women’s groups, legal entities and non-government institutions.

Zonta Club also called on these groups to harness technology, social media, journalism, business and activism to draw attention to the many ways violence against women and children affects the lives of all people in all communities in the Philippines and around the world.

Zonta Club sends strong messages through the 18-day activism against gender-based violence that the solution to violence, harassment and abuse in all forms lies with all of us.

“It is imperative that society acknowledge that violence against women and children is not solely a government or criminal justice system problem, but a societal issue, and that failure to view it as such results in all efforts failing to eradicate this scourge in our communities,” Zonta Club said. (Photos: Zonta Club of Cebu)

PNP Chief Sinas visits Cebu, OPAV welcomes, thanks him

CEBU CITY – Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) through its Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino welcomed Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Police Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas as he visited Cebu for a thanksgiving and courtesy call to Secretary Dino prior to his other engagements in Cebu, Friday November 20 this year.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma officiated the thanksgiving mass for General Sinas.

Dino who praised General Sinas for his well-deserved promotion also thanked the PNP Chief for choosing Cebu as the venue for his thanksgiving.  General Sinas proved that performance-based achievements enabled him to reach the top PNP position, Dino added.

"I have worked with General Sinas and his promotion gives me so much happiness knowing what he can do for his organization.    He was one of the best officials that we had in the Visayas and with this promotion, I am positive that he has our back," Dino stated.

Sinas was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the new PNP chief on November 9.  He was assigned to Police Regional Office (PRO) Central Visayas back in July 2018 before he took over the National Capital Region Police Office in October 2019.

Government officials and the local media whom Sinas worked with had expressed positive feedback following his promotion.  Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella described Sinas as a dedicated official to public service.

“Congratulations on your appointment as new PNP Chief, MGen. Debold Sinas! Prior to your appointment as NCRPO Chief, you served Region VII and I am a testament to your dedication to public service. Your appointment is well deserved,” said Labella.

Sinas and Mayor Labella were worked together during the stint of Labella as the Vice Mayor of the City and during his transition as the Mayor of Cebu City.

Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, who was the former Chairman of Cebu City Police Advisory Council (CCPAC) also praised Sinas for his innovativeness especially during the Sinulog festival celebration.

"Your crowd control template surrounding the Basilica during the Senior Sto. Niño Celebrations is a reminder to us Cebuanos of your innovativeness.  Kudos to the new PNP Chief P/Major General Debold Sinas," Garganera sid.

Sinas who is known to have controversies with national media has a very good relationship with Cebu media.  Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists (CFBJ) President and Tri-media Journalist Arnold Bustamante said that Sinas' appointment is a welcome development as far as maintaining harmonious relationship between the police and Cebu media is concerned.

Bustamante added that during the time of Sinas as PRO 7 director he demonstrated professionalism in his dealings with the Cebu media, particularly the police beat.

"He kept the lines of communication open that enabled us to deliver information that the public needed to know in a timely manner.” Bustamante hopes that Sinas continues to honor the role of the media in shaping a better and peaceful community.

Sinas is known for his witty charm which many described as the father of "Voltes V" of the PNP.  (Photos: OPAV/Herty Lopez)

LTO-7 opens its 15th district office in Ronda town Southwest of Cebu

CEBU CITY – The Land Transportation Office (LTO)-Central Visayas opened its 15^th district office in Ronda town, November 18 to serve its residents and clients in the Southwest of Cebu Province to augment LTO’s existing two extension offices, four licensing centers, three driver’s license renewal office (DLRO), one e-patrol and one Malasakit Lounge.

According to its Officer-in-charge (OIC) chief Mhike Jelord Rollo that the new Ronda District Office can temporarily accommodate 80-100 persons with the implementation of the health protocols such as social distancing.

LTO-7 regional director Victor Emmanuel Caindec in his opening speech thanked Cebu Province 7th district representative Congressman Peter John Calderon for authoring the Republic Act 11437 an act which establishes the district office of the municipality in Ronda. 

Caindec also thanked Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for the continued support of the Cebu Province to the agency.  He explained that when the approval of the establishment of the Ronda District Office was released by LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante, he then challenged Ronda Mayor Terrence Blanco to build the structure for the said district office.

Blanco said that establishing Ronda District Office is a dream come true for his municipality.  Ronda District Office is the only LTO office in Southwest Cebu next to Carcar City.  The mayor added that the Ronda District Office located at the Poblacion is a temporary office, an official office will be built soon.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia described LTO 7 regional director Caindec as the "man with the positive change in LTO 7" and that the new building which was built in 20 days’ time proved that no pandemic can stop the developments in Cebu Province.

"Busa sa paghimo niining LTO, 20 days, salamat kay wa gyud ninyo gigamit nga rason 'di mi uy kay Covid baya'," said Governor Garcia. (When it was built in 20 days, I thank you that you didn’t use the COVID issue as reason not to build the office in Ronda)

Garcia also announced that the direction of the Cebu Province is to rebuild the economy amidst the pandemic.  "Panahon na atimanon ta na ang ekonomiya, atimanon ta na ang panginabuhi sa atong mga kaigsuonan nga Sugbuanon," she said. (This is the right time that we take care of our economy, and the livelihood of the Cebuanos.)

Congressman Calderon also said that the residents under his district and the neighboring towns and municipalities have no reason not to get a license and to register their motor vehicles.

Present during the inauguration of the office were Cebu Board Members Jerome Librando and Christopher Baricuatro, and the mayor of Badian, Dumanjug, Moalboal, Alcantara, Alegria, Santander, and former mayor of Samboan.

The event was also the graduation ceremony of the 100 students from Barili to Santander who finished the Theoretical Driving Course from November 16 to18, this year.

Over 60,000 students nationwide receive cash aid from CHED under Bayanihan 2

CEBU CITY-- The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) through the Bayanihan 2 for Higher Education Tulong Program (B2HELP) has provided more than 60,000 students in private and public higher education institutions (HEIs) nationwide with a one-time fixed grant of P5,000 each to qualified students whose families are now facing financial difficulties brought about by work stoppage and closure of establishments due to the community quarantine status.

CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III in a virtual briefing said that the P300M fund for the B2HELP is part of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) or Republic Act 11494 to jump start the economy and provide additional amelioration assistance to affected Filipinos.

“It shall prioritize students in private HEIs who still have outstanding unpaid tuition and miscellaneous fees which they incurred in Academic Year (AY) 2019-2020 or AY 2020-2021,” De Vera added.

According to Lourdes Almeda-See, chair of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) that the government’s one-time financial assistance to students under the Bayanihan 2 Act,  even with the modest amount of assistance this will surely go a long way in reaching out to many students who come from families who are financially affected by economic downturn at this time of the pandemic.

COCOPEA is the umbrella organization composed of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU), Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities (ACSCU), Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAPSCU), and Tech-Voc Schools Association of the Philippines, Inc. (TVSA).

Sese said that this also supplements other government assistance to students in private HEIs particularly the Tertiary Education Subsidy or the TES under RA 10931.

Under the B2HELP initiative, private schools will submit the list of students with unpaid tuition and miscellaneous fees to the CHED Regional Office. Once received, the CHEDRO will immediately evaluate the completeness of the application documents and the information/data requested for each potential grantee.

Participating HEIs with complete application documents and approved grantees shall become B2HELP Partner Institutions.   Each private Partner Institution shall be limited to a maximum number of thirty (30) grantees during the initial selection.

If there are more than 30 recommended qualified grantees, the CHEDRO shall select the first 30 names from the HEI list.  The remaining recommended grantees can be considered in the next round of selection until the CHEDRO has filled its regional slot allocation.

If unfilled slots remain after approval of grantees from the private Partner Institutions, the remaining slots can be distributed to the participating public HEIs in accordance with the selection and ranking process of the institution.

Since the start of the pandemic, CHED has been working with HEIs to see the negative impact of COVID-19 on their students.

“We lobbied the Congress to include an amelioration package for affected students, particularly in private universities. CHED thanks the members of Congress and President Duterte for helping our affected students continue their studies,” De Vera said.

In September 2020, CHED and the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) launched the P1B Tabang OFW program to give a one-time educational assistance of P30,000 to dependents of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were were repatriated and could not go back to their overseas work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CHED and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) are currently implementing the Tabang OFW program. (Photos: CHED website)

 

‘Bayanihan’ spurs rural devt, addresses armed conflict issues

CEBU CITY-- The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) through its assistant secretary Anthony Gerard Gonzales has called on the local leaders in the Visayas regions to push for grassroots-led development via community convergence or ‘bayanihan’ to spur rural development and address the issues on armed conflict, insurgency and or social injustice in the barangays and the countryside.

In a “Dagyawan sa Barangay: Talakayan ng Mamamayan” in Dumanjug, Southern Cebu on Wednesday Gonzales said that the “Bayanihan” or “Dagyawan sa Barangay” is a community convergence of key government officials and community leaders and is part of the efforts of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) in Central Visayas that aimed to boost development in the countryside.

“We have been fighting this war on armed conflict for 50 years now and we realize that what we really need is ‘bayanihan or dagyawan’ to put an end to armed conflict.   We are here to plan out how we can further the development in our barangays, municipalities, provinces, regions and our nation.  The source of our progress really emanates from the barangay level,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales stated that part of the government’s efforts on the ELCAC program is to ensure the implementation of key projects for the local communities particularly the insurgency-affected and vulnerable areas at the countryside.

He added that planning is very essential in the process and there is a need to make sure that these projects are being implemented.  Addressing the communist insurgency problem has now been geared towards demonstrating good governance to bring more hope to and regain the trust of the people.

Gonzales said that the government efforts on advance grassroots development as a key to address insurgency has continued despite the challenges faced by the country this year such as the COVID-19 pandemic and natural calamities.

Insurgency has long been tagged as among the biggest threat to peace and development in various regions and in the country and that President Rodrigo Duterte has institutionalized a whole-of-nation approach on ending local communist armed conflict through Executive Order 70.

Gonzales said the Dagyawan convergence meeting was necessary to identify plans and strategies that would address the problems and concerns in the localities that are impeding growth and development.

“Our progress as a region should be unidirectional and complementary. We will direct government programs that are essential for peace and development in this part of the region,” he noted.