‘Fighting dengue not just capitol’s responsibility’ BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA, Panay News, July 16, 2013 ILOILO – Today, Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. is meeting all mayors to ask for their support in the campaign against dengue. He sees the important role of local chief executives in the campaign. Dengue has already killed 40 individuals across Region 6. Thirteen of the casualties were from this province. Defensor said all Iloilo towns and the component city of Passi now have dengue cases. “The mayors can help a lot. They are the leaders in their respective areas. They can motivate their constituents to take action to stop dengue from spreading further,” Defensor said. The Department of Health (DOH) Region 6’s epidemiologist, Dr. Glen Alonsabe has blamed public apathy and lack of awareness about the disease for the steady rise of dengue cases. “The fight against dengue is not the sole responsibility of the provincial government; community participation is important,” Defensor stressed. The time calls for the mayors to show they have the political will to implement measures against dengue, he stressed. DOH has forged a pact with various government agencies on dengue-control efforts nationwide. These agencies include the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Education (DepEd). Under the agreement, the DILG is tasked to lead all local government units to implement the campaign dubbed “Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue,” particularly in high-risk communities such as urban centers with poor environmental management of household waste. DOST and DepEd, in collaboration with the health agency, will also scale-up the homegrown “ovi trap technology” against mosquitoes in select schools. Aside from dengue, Defensor said he is also seeking the mayors’ support for another round of tree-planting activities this year under the revitalized Action for Regreening and Transformation (ART) for Climate Change Adaptation (CCA). ART for CCA will be launched on July 27 in Brgy. Vista Alegre, Barotac Viejo town. Defensor said the synchronized tree-planting activity aims to plant 1.5 million trees this year. Since the institutionalization of ART Program in 2011, the province was able to plant 2.9 million trees, including mangroves, with 60 percent survival rate. ART Program also offers livelihood and food security to various people’s organizations tapped to protect and manage the planted trees./PN
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 03:13:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015