DOH AFFIRMS GRASSROOTS HEALTH CARE STRATEGY
HEALTH Secretary Enrique Ona visited the provinces of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao, to affirm the Department of Health’s support to local government units (LGUs) in achieving Universal Health

Care (UHC), and to visit the health facilities under rehabilitation and expansion in the provinces. “Attaining Kalusugan Pangkalahatan is a tough job that the national government cannot do alone,” Ona said. the Health chief added that the cooperation and dedication of all the stakeholders will be its dividing force. Ona met Governors Faustino Dy of Isabela, Luisa Lloren Cuaresma of Nueva Vizcaya and Eugene Balitang of Ifugao province. In the said meetings, Ona stressed that the expansion of Philhealth membership in the provinces is a key strategy to achieve UHC. ”Enrolling more people to Philhealth will translate to increased revenues for LGUs that can be used to facilitate improvements in their health facilities, or purchase state-of-the-art equipment,” Ona explained. “One way to attract medical and other health professionals to practice in the rural areas is to provide in the area, facilities with modern equipment,” Ona added.
Fatima Cielo B. Cancel

SMOKE-FREE, LESS TRASHY DINAGYANG SOUGHT
ILOILO CITY: There is no exemption to the antismoking and antilittering drives of the city government during the Dinagyang Festival next week, according to Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog. The P15-million Dinagyang Festival in 2013 promises to be the biggest tourism celebration in the fourth weekend of January, which was earlier dubbed as the best tourism event in the entire country. These ordinances must be observed by all city residents and visitors alike and antismoking agents of the Iloilo antismoking task force and antilittering agents of the city environment and natural resources office, or Cenro, will go after the violators even during the Dinagyang highlights slated on January 26 to 27, 2013. Mabilog said that the implementation of theses ordinances are on the go and there is no exception in all public places and city streets in the drive against smoking and littering.
Lydia C. Pendon

GRADE 2 PUPIL FOUND DEAD
THE body of a young girl that was reported missing on Monday was recovered on Tuesday, along a creek in a remote village in Agusan del Sur, police reports said on Wednesday. Reports at the Philippine National Police operations center in Camp Crame, identified the recovered body as that of Kyla dela Cruz, 8, a grade two pupil of Bayugan 2 Elementary School in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur. The reports said that dela Cruz’s body was found by a concerned citizen at about 5:20 a.m. on Tuesday along the creek of the said municipality. Initial investigation said that the young girl reportedly left her home on Monday, supposedly to go to school, but was not able to return back home that afternoon. The reports said that when discovered, the young girl’s body was half naked with her short pants and her underwear was placed on top of her body that also bore deep puncture wound on her head and neck.
Anthony Vargas

LIVE-IN COUPLE PEDDLES DRUGS
A live-in couple was arrested by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), after selling methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, to a poseur-buyer in General Santos City. Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr., PDEA director general, identified the couple as Bienvenido Campus, 43, a habal-habal driver, and his live-in partner Merlina Morales, 43, a factory worker. Both are residents of Lanoy Compound, Brgy. Calumpang, GenSan. An undercover agent of PDEA Regional Office 12, who disguised as a buyer, entered into a transaction with the couple who agreed to meet the poseur-buyer at a prominent bakeshop along National Highway in Brgy. Calumpang on January 14, 2013. After the suspects handed over the illegal drug to the poseur-buyer, PDEA agents, under Director Aileen Lovitos immediately arrested them. The couple yielded five grams of shabu with value of some P35,000, one unit of XRM Honda motorcycle (QN 2059),and the P1,000 marked money used during the transaction.
Jing Villamente

‘LUCES IN THE SKY’ COLORS FESTIVAL EVENINGS
ILOILO CITY: World-class pyrotechnic shooters will vie for honors as the best fireworks displayer in the country as “Luces in the Sky” reels on January 24 and January 27 behind the SM City area along the diversion road. The event is a colorful feature of the weeklong Dinagyang Festival next week as 14 group shooters outside of Iloilo City compete in the Dinagyang side event. Nomer Chavez of the Luces in the Sky committee said that no participant from Iloilo City will compete in the event and only those firework shooters from Cabuyao, Laguna; Baliuag, Bulacan, Taytay, Rizal; Cebu and Davao registered for the competition. Prizes include P120,000 for the champion shooter, P80,000 for the first runner-up and P20,000 for each group.
Lydia C. Pendon

ILOILO LAUNCHES THREE BIG PROJECTS
ILOILO CITY: Three big projects, expected to change the skyline and river pier will be unveiled on Friday in the city. Sen. Franklin Drilon, mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and Rep. Jerry Treñas will join officials of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in groundbreaking rites for the multimillion-peso fast-craft and roll-on-roll-off terminals at Brgy. Progreso, Lapuz District. The twin projects were conceived since 2012 in the Iloilo River Development Council meeting presided by Drilon and Mabilog, in a move to provide a new berthing site for the port terminals in order to decongest the heavily traffic PPA port at the Muelle Loney in the city proper. Mabilog said that construction of these projects will start this month of January after clearing out the informal settlers and other commercial occupants of the over one-hectare government lot in the barangay.
Lydia C. Pendon