CagayandeOroBlog » Public Advisory

New flu kills fast, says WHO

cdo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:06:35 +0000

WASHINGTON D.C. (Reuters) – The new H1N1 flu is “strikingly different’’ from seasonal influenza, killing much younger people than ordinary flu and often killing them very fast, World Health Organization officials (WHO) said on Friday.

A review of studies done during the seven months the virus has been circulating shows it is usually mild, but can cause unusual and severe symptoms in an unlucky few, according to a WHO-sponsored meeting in Washington this week.

“Participants who have managed such cases agreed that the clinical picture in severe cases is strikingly different from the disease pattern seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza,’’ WHO’s Dr. Nikki Shindo told the meeting.

Swine flu was declared a pandemic in June and has been circulating globally. WHO stopped trying to count cases, as there are nowhere near enough tests to formally diagnose everyone who gets sick.

Separately on Friday, Dr. Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 86 US children had died of swine flu, most in the 5- to 17-year old age group that normally escapes serious bouts with flu.

“In severe cases, patients generally begin to deteriorate around three to five days after symptom onset. Deterioration is rapid, with many patients progressing to respiratory failure within 24 hours, requiring immediate admission to an intensive care unit,’’ Shindo said.

While most such patients need to be put on ventilators right away, some are not helped by this treatment, Shindo noted.

In some places, she said, emergency rooms have been overwhelmed with patients, many requiring critical care.

The good news is that quick treatment with the antiviral drugs oseltamivir, made by Roche AG under the brand name Tamiflu, and zanamivir, made by Glaxo-SmithKline as Relenza, helps a great deal, she said.

240 people have died in severe flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana (Ondoy)

cdo — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:37:31 +0000

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-d0Oz6OpMI

The Philippines government says 240 people have died in severe flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana. The disaster has also left more than 450,000 people displaced.

But while flood waters recede, questions about the government’s response to the crisis have begun to surface. With homes still under water, many Filipinos remain homeless and despondent.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQA0XJ7F4CE

Abaday twits Dongkoy on TV antic

Sun.Star — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:23:12 +0000

“IF YOU want a safer city for our constituents, try doing your job by attending City Council sessions.”

Councilor Roger Abaday dished out the advice to Cagayan de Oro Vice Mayor Vicente Emano, who was seen and heard in a television report pleading to an official of a Muslim rebel group to spare the city from bombings.

Vice Mayor Emano made the call, televised over ABS-CBN Northern Mindanao TV Patrol late last week, after last Tuesday’s bombings in Iligan and Jolo, Sulu.

Apparently speaking with Eid Kabalu, spokesman of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the vice mayor was somewhat seeking reassurance that Cagayan de Oro be spared from what Iligan and Jolo had suffered.

Councilor Abaday described the televised call a “stunt” and a “drama” that “only Emano can pull off.”

“Grabe nga drama. For negotiating with rebel elements on a televised stunt, our vice mayor deserves a Famas Award,” said the councilor, part of the three-member minority group at the City Council.

If Emano really wanted the city to be safer, Abaday said this can be done by buying more equipment for the police and activating the City Peace and Order Council.

“Because he is the vice mayor, a good start would be to attend Council sessions aron makahatag siya og output aron safe kita dinhi sa siyudad. Dili nga magpagarpar siya diha sa kahanginan ug telebisyon,” Abaday said.
Emano has not appeared in Council sessions for two years now; he has only presided once—during the Council’s inaugural meeting in 2007.

Police had issued a full alert early last week after two hand grenades were found at a local mall. Authorities, however, later said the grenades were defective, and may only be meant to sow fear among the population.
In a press statement last Wednesday, Emano said he was able to contact several groups that be involved in the Iligan and Jolo blasts but none had admitted to the bombings.

When he was Misamis Oriental governor, Emano was involved in peace negotiations with both Muslim and communist rebels. He is presumed as having retained contacts with these groups.

However, Abaday said it was unbecoming for Emano to call rebel groups and plead for the city’s safety when other places are being bombed.

“What is right is to deplore all these terroristic acts, not cajole or gratify those who are presumed to commit these acts,” he said.

He added: “His purported concern for the safety of the people is belied by his indolence in performing his job. His heydays as peacemaker kuno are over, so it might be good for him to comeback to reality and preside the City Council session so that we can enact ordinance for the safety and security of our people.”

Emano attributes his nonattendance in Council sessions to concerns that are “of equal importance demanded by my office.” He states this reason in his weekly letter to his colleagues, in which he also assigns the presiding chairman for the week. (DVAIII) Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on July 13, 2009.

Patakarang nagapuga sa mga Draybers ug Operators, BATUKAN!

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:22:28 +0000

Transport Strike ang Tubag sa Katawhan.

Karong adlawa, kusganong ipalanog sa Solidarity Of Transport Alliance in Region X (STAREX) – PISTON, ang kasuko ug singgit sa nagkalain-laing grupo sa mga draybers, gamayng operators ug katawhan dinhi sa rehiyon aron protestahan ug batukan ang dili makatarunganong patakaran ug pagpangilkil sa rehimeng US_Arroyo, dungan sa NASUDNONG HUNONG PASADA nga ginahimo usab sa tanang mayor nga syudad sa Pilipinas sama sa Metro Manila, Baguio City, Davao, Bicol, Bacolod ug Cebu.

Atol sa pangkalibutanong krisis sa ekonomiya ug pinansyal, imbes nga proteksyunan sa gobyerno ni Gloria ang iyang katawhan sa grabeng epekto niini, mas nataranta pa kini sa pagluwas sa kita sa mga langyawng korporasyon samtang maoy gipapas-an ug gihimong gatasan ang katawhan aron mosalbar sa nahiagumang krisis.

Pinaagi sa Oil Deregulation Law, padayong gitagaan og ligal nga lisensya ang mga higanteng kartel sa industriya sa lana, ang BIG 3 (Shell, Petron ug Caltex), sa pagpasirit og pagtaas sa presyo sa produktong petrolyo ug pagkawkaw og dagkong tubo gikan sa mga draybers. Dili ra sa Cagayan de Oro halos P5 na ang umento niini sa lima (5) ka beses nga pagtaas sukad Mayo niining tuiga samtang hinay ang pag-rollback sa presyo niini taliwala nga barato nalang ang presyo sa pangkalibutanong merkado.

Samot pa ang pagkalubong sa mga draybers sa daghang balayronon sa pagpatuman sa Department of Transportation and Communications Department Order 38 ug 39 (DOTC DO 38 & 39) niadtong Oktubre 7, 2008. Ang DO 38 nagtakda sa dugang nga minimum 43% sa singil sa pagkuha sa lisensya sa tanang klase nga drayber ug bisan pa konduktor sa bus. Samtang, ang DO 39 nagalangkob sa pagpadako sa mga multa sa mga nakalapas sa palaod trapiko – “reckless driving”, simpleng “wearing slippers”, disregarding traffic sign, pag-angkas sa pasahero ug bisan unsa nalang nga rason aron himuong gatasan ang mga draybers.

Dili na bag-o ang mga multa sa draybers. Dili na maihap sa kadaghan ang mga balod trapiko ug daghanan pud ang mga gitukod nga ahensya aron sa pagpatuman niini. Ginagamit kanunay nilang rason ang pasulbad sa problema sa trapiko apan sa kanunay pakyas kini tungod kay wala man niini gitagad ang ubang problema sama sa guba-guba nga kalsada samtang nagapadayon and kaylap nga pangurakot sa mga proyekto sa gobyerno.

Mao nga klaro nga ang pagpataas sa multa kabahin sa “money-making scheme” sa gobyerno aron masalbar ang bangkrap nga ekonomiya sa nasud. Dugay nang ginahimong gatasan pinaagi sa uban pang mga balyronon susama sa Road User’s tax o Motor Vehicle User’s Charge diin mikita ang gobyerno og P51 bilyon sulod sa pito lamang ka tuig. Anaa pa ang 12% EVAT nga ginapatong sa mga produkto sa lana. Sakwentada sa STAREX, pinaagi sa gipayungang mga lokal nga asosasyon sa mga drayber sa rela diri sa Cagayan de Oro, mukabat og P54,928 matag adlaw ang moadto sa bulsa sa lokal nga pangagamhanan pinaagi sa EVAT ug sa mga jeepney drayber adunay P576,900 ang mohothot niini matag adlaw.

Apan taliwala nga dako ang kotong nga nakolekat gikan sa mga draybers, wala mibalik ang pondo sa katawhan ug sa mga draybers sa porma sa batakang serbisyo ug tarong nga programa alang sa sektor sa transportasyon.

Mibarog ang STAREX nga dili makalmpos sa bulok nga sistema sa transportasyon ang katawhan hangtod dili mawala ang batakang problema sa ekonomiya sa atong nasud.

Karong umaabot nga SONA, ipagarpar na pag-usab ni Arroyo ang mga bakak ug ilusyon sa kuno “kalambuan sa ekonomiya” taliwala nga ang tinuod nga kahimtang sa katawhan mao ang pag-ilad sa grabeng kagutom, kalisod ug kawad-on. Ang mga draybers muuban sa katawhan sa pagprotesta sa unsa mang desperadong lakang sa Malacanang sa pagpalungtad sa gahum ni Gloria ug mga alipoes niini pinaagi sa CHA-CHA o di kaha sa papag deklara og EMERGENCY POWER (MARTIAL LAW) aron kunuhaykgangon ang hulga sa terorismo atol sa serye sa mga pagbomba nga gakahitabo sa Mindanao nga klarong ang nagpaluyo ug utok niining tanan sila ra sab sa Malacanang.
Batakarang serbisyo sosyal sama sa pabalay, edukasyon ug panglawas ang gikinahanglan sa mga drayber, gagmayng operators ug katawhan dili ang dugang paglisod-lisod ug pagpahimulos.

Labaw sa tanan, padayon ang pakigbisog sa mga draybers sa pagpatuman sa nasudnong industriyalisasyon ug tinuod nga reporma sa yuta alang sa bagang ihap sa katawhang nag-antos ug gipahimuslan.

Ibasura ang mapahimuslanon nga DOTC Dept. Order 38 ug 39!
Drayber ug katawhan: salmot sa hunong pasada!
Undangon ang pagpangotong sa rehimeng US-Arroyo sa katwhan!
Makigbisog alang sa tinuod nga kagawasan ug demokrasya!

Solidarity of Transport Alliance in Region (STAREX – PISTON)

Tinnex belittles Monday’s transport strike

Sun.Star — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:15:28 +0000

JUDGING from past strikes, Cagayan de Oro Mayor Constantino Jaraula said he was confident today’s transport stoppage will not paralyze public transportation in the city.

“I don’t think it will cause trouble to our operations at City Hall. All departments are business as usual,” Mayor Jaraula said of the transport strike, to be spearheaded by the militant Solidarity of Transport Alliance in Region X (Starex).

For updates from around the country, follow Sun.Star on Twitter

Past transport stoppages in Cagayan de Oro have not been known to cause trouble to commuters, Jaraula observed, saying drivers and operators would rather earn than lose a day’s income.

The moderate Transport Federation of Cagayan de Oro (Trafeco) said it will not join in the stoppage.

Trafeco and Starex have been at odds over policy differences, each refusing to cooperate any transport strike initiated by the other. This has polarized the local transport sector, with majority of drivers and operators not opting to join transport stoppages by both groups instead.
Despite this, the mayor said he was not taking chances.

“We have transport vehicles on standby to ferry our employees,” he said, adding transports strikes should not be made an excuse for employees not to report to work. However, he said those reporting late may be “excused.”

Jaraula said he sympathizes with the demands of the transport sector, but hopes that the protesters and the government would reach compromise so as not to prolong the conflict.

At the heart of the disagreement between the transport group and government is the Department of Transportation and Communications’ (DOTC) Order 39 and 38, which will substantially increase the fines for traffic violations.

“Mosamot kapait ang kahimtang sa mga draybers tungod sa pagpatuman sa Department Order 38 ug 39 sa Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC),” said Sonny Hinosolango, a coordinator of Starex, which is affiliated with the Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide (Piston).

Hinosolango said they are expecting an 80 percent participation of public utility drivers and other selected areas in Mindanao.

The identified protest centers where the protesting drivers will congregate will be Puerto, Ororama Mega Center, Licoan, KSY and Bulua.

Piston, which claimed to have about 200,000 members nationwide and its affiliate groups, is protesting the continuous price hike of oil products.

They also denounced the recent price rollback of Petron Corporation, Chevron Philippines and Pilipinas Shell. The group said the rollback was too small to alleviate the hardship in the transport sector.

Piston is also calling on the government to immediately implement the order of Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 26 for an audit of the three oil players by the Commission on Audit, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Bureau of Customs.

Carmen Area, near KSY junction

Piston and its affiliates in different regions are also protesting the Department of Transportation and Communications’ (DOTC) Order nos. 39 and 38, which will substantially increase the fines for traffic violations.

They want the government to scrap the DOTC orders, which they said will spawn more corruption, particularly extortion by traffic personnel.

George San Mateo, secretary general of Piston, said simultaneous transport stoppages will also be held in Southern Tagalog, Baguio, Panay and Guimaras islands, Davao, General Santos City, Legazpi, and Cebu. (DVAIII/Sunnex) Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on July 13, 2009.

City hall’s lies

Anonymous — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:13:31 +0000

I AM one of the 18 (or possibly more) doctors who resigned from the JR Borja General Hospital last month. I am writing to express disgust on a news item aired over ABS-CBN last Monday (July 1, 2009), in which our own mayor, Constantino Jaraula, said the physicians who tendered their resignations did so because they have higher plans for their career.

I recalled Mayor Tinnex saying “Kay gusto man sila muadto sa Amerika.”

This is a blatant lie that I and my colleagues in the profession cannot allow to perpetuate.

It may be good for the mayor and the general public to know that most of those who resigned had immediately taken positions in community-oriented health care services. Some of us are in small-staffed clinics that cater services to the poor with their low-priced medicines and consultation fees. Some had gone back to their private practice, as they find more peace of mind in the confines of their small, comfy clinics than suffer hell in the politically charged work environment that is our city hospital.

Also, we are sad that ABS-CBN did nothing to verify the mayor’s statement. We physicians may have limited knowledge on what constitutes a balanced news report, but this we know: A dubious claim or declaration should not be left unchallenged so as not to leave doubts in the public’s mind. The ABS-CBN report merely parroted the mayor’s statement. In fact, the report sounded too slanted to favor the mayor’s assertion.

We also decry the suggestion that our erstwhile employment at JR Borja General Hospital was aimed at gathering experience for improved employment prospects in the future. We were there because we love our profession. Some of us stuck there for years despite delayed salaries and poor working conditions. Some of us even had to shell out supplies from our private clinics
because the hospital miserably lacked almost everything that patients badly need.

To suggest that we were carving our stepping stones from the hospital is twice an insult for us. By saying that, isn’t the mayor admitting that the local government can’t pay decent salaries for its doctors to be so desperate as to employ the inexperienced ones? Is this not a tacit admission that the local government is making JR Borja General Hospital a training center for newcomers in the profession simply because it can’t afford to pay doctors who are well established in the medical community?

We are not leeches. We are humans who are dedicated to the job of saving people’s lives, whether in our private practice or in government service. Contrary to what is purveyed in the media by Mayor Jaraula, we are not the butterfly type who hops from one employment to another. Please stop stereotyping us in the medical profession as a bunch of greedy people itching to go out of the country and earn big. It may be prudent to check our backgrounds from the hospital management itself to establish our credentials.

Unfortunately, it is local officials like Mayor Jaraula who are driving us out of government service. There is too much politicking and corruption going on at the hospital. The hospital suffered greatly in the last administration; it is suffering more under the present one.

We commend The Gold Star Daily and other media entities for exposing the ills at the city-run
hospital. We hope for your unrelenting reportage on the issue would usher in the change we’ve been hoping for.

On behalf of the resigned physicians we remain,

Dr. R.D. (Resigned Doctor)

(PS. Please understand that I and my colleagues have decided to remain in the shadows, as we are aware how vindictive our current officials are.)

A (H1N1) cases in RP rising

cdo — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:07:10 +0000

THRITY-SIX new cases of Influenza A (H1N1) or swine flu virus were recorded Sunday, bringing to 147 the total cases of infected individuals in the Philippines.

Three of the 36 new cases, according to the Department of Health (DOH), were foreigners.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said they are shifting to a policy of mitigation in response to the decision of the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise the Pandemic Alert Level 5 to 6.

“A policy of mitigation means that the DOH will shift focus on preparing households and health facilities to respond to the challenge posed by H1N1 in anticipation of more confirmed cases,” Duque said.

“This means that we have to make sure that our health system is equipped to treat and manage particularly severe cases, which may require more intensive care in our hospitals and that mild cases are appropriately treated at home,” he added.

Under Pandemic Alert Level 6, the WHO has alerted all countries where the A (H1N1) virus is widespread.

It also advised all its member states to focus on the appropriate management of patients, particularly those at high risk for developing flu complications and a decreased emphasis on stopping the spread of the virus.

The mitigation approach also outlines key management imperatives in the areas of activating the command system, surveillance, health facility response, public health interventions, and risk communication strategies.

“I want to make it clear that mitigation will be done in phases and that it will not be applied across the nation completely and instantaneously. This will depend on the presence of community-wide transmission and whether there is a high or low volume of cases in a community. Therefore, in areas where there are few cases and we can still contain the spread of H1N1, mitigation strategies generally will not apply,” Duque said. (MSN/Sunnex)

Save animals in china.

cdo — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:20:02 +0000

In this moving video, Heather Mills McCartney exposes the cruelties of the fur trade in china it is really shocking and horrible that any one can do such a cruel heartless deeds against animals please do spread it to all people u know so that we can stop this.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uN5fC-kdUQ

Valdehuesa: Vice Mayor Should Preside or Resign

Sun.Star — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 06:39:11 +0000

LAST week, a front-page story in this paper unwittingly exposed what right-thinking officials and ordinary citizens could only whisper about since the current administration took over.

It illustrated how privileged Vice Mayor Vicente Emano is, how the rest of officialdom has been indulgent towards miscreant behavior, and how dysfunctional is governance in this city.

So privileged is Mr. Emano that he can ignore the House Rules of the branch of government he heads without being sanctioned or held to account for his misdeed.

As the Council’s presiding officer—its leading member—he seems to regard himself as above and beyond its rules. Section 70 states that any member incurring four (4) consecutive absences from its sessions is liable to censure, reprimand, or suspension. But he ignores it with the confidence of one who knows no one would dare apply it on him.

Not only has he been absent 4 consecutive times many times, he hasn’t bothered to show up 94 consecutive times! That’s 94 out of 95 sessions—a 99.9 percent failure rating! A clear case of abandonment, dereliction of duty, ignorance, or incompetence. Or all of the above.

But until Councilor Zaldy Ocon and his allies denounced it on the floor last week, no one at City Hall bothered to raise the issue.

This puts into question the fitness and dedication of the city councilors as well as the wisdom of the City Government’s acts or decisions.

In failing to act on the aberrant behavior of its presiding officer, the council appears as an irresponsible body or, worse, as a co-conspirator in the designs of a wrongdoer.

Sure, Mr. Emano is the second highest official of our city; but no one should fear questioning his deviant behavior. His habitual truancy has deprived the council of leadership and direction in its proceedings, making it an unreliable body for policy-making or legislation.

One can forgive a public servant’s occasional lapses, but to be A SLACKER ALL OF THE TIME is unforgivable.

In his duty as presiding officer of our legislature, Mr. Emano performed once and only once. He did so only to bang the gavel for the council’s opening session two years ago on July 5, 2007. After that, he never showed up again.

His excuse? He was on “official business.” What “official business” is he talking about? His principal and official duty is to steer the Council’s proceedings, along with signing all warrants drawn on the city treasury for all its expenditures. This is ordained by both the Local Government Code and its implementing rules and regulations.

Perhaps he relishes doing only the withdrawals from the treasury — the money-dispensing part of his job, not the presiding part!

He has been quoted as saying that “presiding or even attending regular council sessions was not his cup of tea as he dislikes ‘debates’ that are common in legislative sessions.”

If so, why did he seek the office? Did he run in ignorance of its duties or under false pretenses? Didn’t any of his lawyers, including his allies in the Council, inform him that debates are the heart and soul of legislation?

Ask any parliamentarian. Deliberation, exchange and consensus leading to resolution are the essence of the legislative process. Without these, legislation and its wisdom or propriety is inchoate.

Without debate and deliberation, mediocrity would rule; half-baked policy would result; decisions would not benefit from collegial exchange; and ideas or proposals would not be refined by collective wisdom and experience.

Mr. Emano’s zero presence means he has zero contribution to the crafting or refining of city policy and program planning. It means that the collegial process of legislating for an effective city government does not benefit from his service. It also means that his insistence on acting like a mayor is out of place and an assault on a co-equal branch of government.

One thing sure, he has never missed collecting his salary and all sorts of emoluments from Day One. Truancy has earned him hundreds of thousands yearly, plus more from bonuses and other allowances. It is an indecent way to earn a living or to hang on to power. But no one tells him.

It’s time to awaken and stamp out deviant political behavior. A good start would be to watch the City Council in session and behold how it conducts business without its presiding officer. Street Talk, Manuel Valdehuesa of Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro

Troop to City Hall tomorrow, Tuesday. Session starts 9:00 a.m.
Email your take on this: valdeman_esq@yahoo.com

Pahinumdum: Kunhuran nato basurang ilabay “Mag-segragate”

cdo — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:54:59 +0000

Isulod sa lain-laing sudlanan ang matag matang sa basura, sama sa:

1. Malata

Ipunon ug isulod sa lata, balde o plastic container nga may taklob.
* panit sa prutas ug utanon
* basang tinai ug bukog sa isda
* panit sa itlog, kinhason kon “shells”
* pan-os nga pagkaon
* hugaw sa hayop
* dahon, sanga, abo ug uban pa

Dad-on sa Garbage Picker ngadto sa Allotment Garden para ikompost aron mahimo nga patambok sa mga tanom sama sa mga utan ug prutas.

2. Mahimong I-recycle kon gamiton ug usab

Ilain ang mga basurang mahimon i-recycle ug isulod sa lain-laing sudlanan.
* papel ug karton
* puthaw ug botelya
* plastic containers
* panit sa kendi
* mga lata
* seramiks nga boak
Kuhaon sa Garbage Picker aron dad-on sa Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) aron himoon nga raw material para sa bag-ong produkto.

3. Kinahanglang Ilabay

Isulod sa plastic bag ang mga basurang kinahanglang ilabay.
* sanitary napkins
* panaptong hugaw ug trapo
* mga bulb ug battery, lakip na battery sa cellphone
* styrofoam
* makahilo nga basura
Kuhaon sa Garbage Picker ug dad-on sa “pick-up” point