Davao de Oro vies awards in ATOP-DOT 2022 Pearl Awards

Five entries from Davao de Oro made it to the final list of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines- Department of Tourism 2022 Pearl Awards (ATOP-DOT) Best Tourism Practices of the Philippines right after the preliminary round on September 17, 2022, at the University of Sto. Tomas.

In a letter sent by DOT to Davao de Oro Governor Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga, the organization congratulated the provincial government for having been listed as one of the finalists for the prestigious awards. 

The following entries from DdO made it to the finals: Best Practices in Responsible Tourism-Community Based Heritage Conservation Project/Program (Including LGU Assisted Programs on Heritage Tourism Indigenous Cultural Tourism, Best Tourism Week/ Month Celebration Best Tourism Promotions Video from PLGU-DdO Tourism, and LGU Nabunturan’s Best Tourism Event-Festival, and the Most Outstanding Tourism Officer. 

Senior Tourism Officer Christine Dompor, along with Municipal Tourism Officer of Nabunturan Leah Calamaba joins the final presentation of the entries at the Blessed Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, University of Sto. Tomas yesterday, September 23, 2022.

According to ATOP, the 17th Pearl Awards Night will be held on October 27, 2022 during the 23rd ATOP National Convention in Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay City, Cavite.

Meanwhile, DdO’s Technical Working Group and Management Board of Davao de Oro Farm with Acting Provincial Administrator Fatima Montejo visited the province of  Misamis Oriental for a learning visit and exploration of possible potentials for agri-tourism in DdO.

The group benchmarked various agri-processing centers: MisOr Agri Development Complex, Silkwork Facility of PTRI DOST, LGU-operated tourism facilities in Claveria and Gingoog, and Oolong Tea Processing Facility.

According to Dompor, the group visited various agri-processing centers to redirect priorities and improve the value chain of agriculture and agri-business management in Davao de Oro. (JA. PAO-IPRD DdO, photos by C. Dompor)

PH short of 106,000 nursing staff—DOH

by Analou de Vera, Manila Bulletin

Nurses in PPEs

The Philippines is currently facing a shortage of healthcare workers, particularly of nurses, the Department of Health (DOH) bared on Thursday, Sept. 29

“Ngayon, ang nakikita natin talagang kakulangan would be our nurses (Now, what we are seeing is that we lack nurses),” said DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press briefing.

“We have a shortage or a gap of around 106,000 para mapunuan natin yung mga facilities natin (We have a shortage or a gap of around 106,000 so that we can fill our facilities) all over the country, both public and private,” she added.

The country is also struggling with shortage of doctors, especially in far-flung areas, said Vergeire.

Aside from doctors and nurses, Vergeire also noted that the Philippines is also in need of pharmacists, radiologic technologists, medical technologists, midwives, physical therapists, and dentists.

“If you talk about shortages in healthcare workers, marami tayong shortage ngayon (we have a lot of shortages now),” she said.

Migration

Among the reasons why there is a shortage of medical workers in the Philippines would be the migration of healthcare workers, said Vergeire.

Vergeire said that the DOH wants to maintain the current deployment cap of healthcare workers. Currently, the government has set a 7,000 cap on the deployment of medical workers overseas.

“Kung kami po ang tatanungin sa Department of Health, we would like to sustain and maintain this cap na wala na pang magiincrease pa sa mga naipapadala nating mga healthcare workers natin abroad (If the DOH is to be asked, we would like to sustain and maintain this cap so that there will be no increase in the number of healthcare workers to be sent abroad),” she said.

The DOH is also coordinating with the Department of Migrant Workers and the Department of Labor and Employment regarding possible “incentives” for healthcare workers in order “ for them not to leave the country.”

Vergeire said that they are also pushing bills in Congress that seek to improve the conditions of medical workers in the Philippines.

Plantilla positions

Vergeire also urged medical professionals to apply in the plantilla positions being offered by the DOH.

“We have around 624 plantilla positions for nurses, 1,332 midwives plantilla [positions], and we have around 63 dentists na kailangan natin (that we need),” she said.

“We are calling our nurses here in the country, midwives in the country, our dentists, and other healthcare professionals, we have vacant plantilla positions,” she said.

“Kayo po ay makipag-ugnayan lamang sa aming DOH-HR Bureau para maiproseso natin ang inyong mga papel (Just contact our DOH-HR Bureau so we can process your papers),” she furthered.

The DOH is doing several measures to encourage health workers for them “to stay and work here in our country,” said Vergeire.

“Kailangan po namin ang tulong niyo sa ngayon, para po mag continue ang operations ng bawat facility dito sa ating bansa (We need your help right now, so that the operations of every facility in our country can continue),” she appealed.

Metro Manila under moderate risk classification for Covid-19 – OCTA

by Charie Mae F. Abarca, Manila Bulletin

Amid its “slow” but “steady” rise in infections, Metro Manila remained at the moderate risk classification for Covid-19, said independent OCTA Research group on Thursday evening, Sept. 29.

(Unsplash)

The growth of Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila has slowed, but cases are still rising. This was according to OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David who noted that the seven-day positivity rate in Metro Manila has climbed from 17.5 percent on Sept. 1 to 18.9 percent on Sept. 28.

In contrast, the reproduction number or the average number of secondary infections by each infected individual, has decreased from 1.28 on Sept. 19 to 1.10 as of Sept. 26.

“The average daily attack rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) was 7.42 per day per 100k [population] as of Sept. 29. This is considered moderate,” said David in a tweet. He then added that despite the slow increase in cases, the region’s healthcare utilization rate and intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy remained low.

With the developments in these Covid-19 indicators, David tagged Metro Manila under the “moderate risk” classification of the disease.

Farmers' group warns of rice shortage in 2023

By Bella Cariaso

September 30, 2022

A FARMERS' group on Thursday warned of a possible shortage in the rice supply in 2023 amid the devastation of Super Typhoon "Karding," and the decline in the palay output due to the high cost of agriculture inputs.

In a radio interview, Federation of Free Farmers National Manager Raul Montemayor said that the damage from the super typhoon could reach P4 billion to P5 billion.

"The damage of Karding is between 5 to 10 percent of the country's rice total production. The estimate of the Department of Agriculture (DA) is about P2 billion. But this is expected to double, since it has yet to assess all the affected areas, so we're looking at around P4 to P5 billion," Montemayor said.

While the rice supply is stable until the end of 2022, the buffer stock will be depleted by 2023, he said.

"Our worry is the supply for next year, the excess from 2022 will be limited. The government needs to work double time to increase the production to lessen our dependence on rice imports, which is very expensive," Montemayor added, referring to the peso devaluation.

According to Montemayor, prior to the onslaught of Karding, the farmers were already affected by the high prices of farm inputs.

"Based on the estimate of the DA, the rice output will decline by 1 million metric tons of palay as farmers did not use enough fertilizers and pesticides because of the high cost. Others decided to limit the number of hectares they planted," he noted.

Montemayor said that the DA should immediately release the assistance to the farmers to start planting again.

He expects an increase in the retail price of imported rice between P3 to P4 per kilo amid the high dollar rate.

Half of world's birds in decline – report

Birds fly along the Canso Causeway as wind and rain from Post-Tropical Storm Fiona hit the region on September 24, 2022 in Port Hastings, Nova Scotia, Canada.Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

By Agence France-Presse

September 30, 2022

ALMOST half of all bird species are in decline globally and one in eight are threatened with extinction, according to a major new report warning that human actions are driving more species to the brink and nature is "in trouble."

The four-yearly State of the World's Birds report, which provides a snapshot of the plight of species globally and more broadly a barometer for biodiversity, comes as the United Nations steers an international process to protect nature.

"One in eight bird species is threatened with extinction, and the status of the world's birds continues to deteriorate: species are moving ever faster towards extinction," said the report released this week by BirdLife International.

Using data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the report said 49 percent of bird species worldwide have declining populations, with populations falling even in species not normally rare or at risk.

Roughly 13 percent are considered threatened.

The main threats include the growth of unsustainable agriculture, logging, invasive species, over-exploitation and climate change.

Most bird populations face a combination of human-caused threats.

"The natural world is in trouble. Human actions are driving species rapidly towards extinction, undermining ecosystem functions and services vital to our own survival," the report said.

BirdLife International, which has decades of survey data, said there are now 2.9 billion fewer individual birds in North America than there were in 1970, an estimated drop of 29 percent.

The European Union has seen a net loss of around 600 million birds, roughly 18 percent since 1980.

In both cases, the losses are most acute among long-distance migrants and farmland birds.

Birdlife said many key bird preservation zones were in a poor state and called for a global push to protect and restore habitats.

In December, nations gather to finalize a treaty to halt the decline of biodiversity and set humanity on a path to "live in harmony with nature" by mid-century.

BirdLife International chief Patricia Zurita said the framework under negotiation was "the world's best and perhaps last chance to halt the loss of nature" and restore biodiversity.

"The birds and the rest of nature are depending on us. And we are depending on them," she said.

Covid hospital admissions rise

By Red Mendoza

September 30, 2022

(UPDATE) THIRTEEN of the 17 local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region or Metro Manila continue to see higher Covid-19 cases and some have registered increased hospitalization rates, the Department of Health (DoH) said on Thursday.

The continuing rise in cases prompted the department to again prepare for the mobilization of the One Hospital Command Center.

Only the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela were not considered as moderate risk, acting Health secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a briefing Thursday.

Tagged as moderate risk are the cities of Manila, Quezon, Marikina, Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pasay, Parañaque, Taguig, Las Pinas, San Juan and Muntinlupa, and the town of Pateros.

Vergeire said the national daily average of 2,334 cases from September 22 to 28 is 7 percent higher than the previous week.

Covid-19 hospital admissions are also up in Pasig, Muntinlupa, Malabon, Makati, Navotas and Caloocan.

Vergeire said that despite the increase in admissions, overall bed utilization in Metro Manila remained below 70 percent.

Because the increase is more than 50 percent, the DoH has begun to monitor the situation, Vergeire said.

She said she has met with the DoH Metro Manila Center for Health Development, the LGUs and the different hospitals in the region to prepare the National Patient Navigation and Referral Center (One Hospital Command Center) for possible patient transfers, especially those with mild and asymptomatic symptoms.

Vergeire said there is no need to open additional quarantine and isolation facilities because there are enough quarantine and isolation centers to handle the new cases.

The rise in cases in the region was expected, and should not be blamed solely on the easing of the mask mandate, she said. Also coming into play are increased mobility, the presence of more infectious variants, and waning immunity.

"We all need to change our mindset, and we all need to remember that the virus will continue to stay with us, we will have to live with the virus," Vergeire said.

She added that if hospital admissions continue to rise and the number of severe and critical cases reaches more than 50 to 60 percent, the DoH will recommend bringing back the mandatory wearing of masks outdoors.