Number of malnourished kids in Yolanda Affected areas below as projected, says Unicef

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February 27, 2014

pix2nd — BUILD FORWARD. A competition among architectural students in the country to design buildings and houses resilient to strong typhoons and earthquake was launched by property developer Ortigas and Co. In photo are the company’s sustainability and corporate communications supervisor Jaymelyn Nikkie Uy and this paper reporter Sarwell Meniano. (PHOTO BY: TOTEX ARCUENO)

BUILD FORWARD. A competition among architectural students in the country to design buildings and houses resilient to strong typhoons and earthquake was launched by property developer Ortigas and Co. In photo are the company’s sustainability and corporate communications supervisor Jaymelyn Nikkie Uy and this paper reporter Sarwell Meniano. (PHOTO BY: TOTEX ARCUENO)

TACLOBAN CITY – The number of severely malnourished children in Yolanda hit-areas in the Visayas fell short to the expectation of international humanitarian groups, raising concern on how to utilize all the $10 million foreign donations for life-saving nutrition interventions.
Megan Gayford of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and Yolanda response nutrition cluster coordinator, said that there were only 2,702 preschool children suffering acute malnutrition in the three Visayas regions, less than half than their 6,000 expected populations.
“One of our main concerns is where not finding the number of malnourished children. The nutrition cluster planned to find 6,000 in three Visayas regions affected by typhoon, but when we look at the result of rapid assessment, only few are severely malnourished children,” Gayford said.
For the recently concluded Rapid Nutrition Assessment, foreign groups found 2,702 malnourished children under five years old in storm-stricken areas. Of the total, 2,332 were moderately underweight and 370 were severely malnourished.
The survey covered the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Leyte, and Samar
“Some 40% of severely and moderately malnourished children were already admitted for treatment. We have to address this concern immediately before the situation gets worse,” Gayford said.
“We intended to find half of the projected number of malnourished children after the typhoon. Now that we did not find a lot, there are some questions coming out on how to spend the money. We have to wait for result of SMART (Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions) survey and calibrate our targets,” Gayford explained.
SMART is an inter-agency initiative launched in 2002 by a network of organizations and humanitarian practitioners. It is a systematized approach to provide critical, reliable information for decision-making, and to establish shared systems and resources for host government partners and humanitarian organizations.
Gayford head admitted that they will encounter constraints in spending donations for nutrition response since the actual number of underweight is way below than the projected estimates.
The Unicef is now implementing a $10 million provision of critical preventive and live-saving nutrition interventions to children under 5 years, pregnant and lactating women affected by the storm.
Of the $10 million budget, $7.5 million is intended for nutrition technical and operational assistance, $1.76 million nutrition response supplies, and P740,740 for indirect program support costs.
As of this week, 99% of the funding requirements have been donated by major donors such as the governments of United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Norway, and Denmark.
On top of the Unicef-led initiative, ACF International and World Food Programme are also seeking $2 million and $3.02 million funds, respectively for nutrition interventions.

By: SARWELL Q.MENIANO

Tahiti-based group lends help to Yolanda victims

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February 27, 2014

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TACLOBAN CITY- Their intention was only to help four of the members of their organization whose families back home also suffered Yolanda’s wrath but the Tahiti-based Filipino organization ended up helping others who are still suffering from the aftermath of the supertyphoon.
Seeing the devastation personally was the reason why they decided to help their non-members as they could not afford not to extend assistance to those who were affected by the storm, Miguel Pedron said.
Pedron is the president of the Filipino Association in Tahiti-French Polynesia, composed of over 100 Filipinos working in Tahiti whose population of over 180,000 is less than compare to Tacloban’s more than 220,000 people, considered the ground zero of the typhoon.
“All we want was just to extend help to our four members whose respective families were affected by Haiyan (the international name of Yolanda). But seeing ourselves the massive devastation it caused and those affected by it, we cannot afford not to extend help to other victims,” the 64 year old Pedron said.
Pedron said that he never saw such a massive devastation caused by a natural disaster wherein everything his eyes could laid on were nothing but destructions whose magnitude was unparallel.
The group will provide livelihood assistance to the victims in the hope that they would, in turn, help other victims.
The fund that the group used to help Yolanda victims was sourced from the solicitations they made among the 100 Filipino now living in Tahiti, the largest island of French Polynesia in the southern Pacific Ocean.
“We went to television and radio stations and newspapers in Tahiti City to solicit funds to maximize our campaign to raise funds which we intend to give to the victims of the typhoon,” Pedron said.
They also put up boxes in the shopping malls and churches where donors could place their donations. And the response was “moving and overwhelming” as they were able to collect about P1 million in less than a week.
Also, the country’s airline company, the Air Tahiti Nui, provided them free tickets when they informed the company that they would travel to the Philippines to provide assistance to the typhoon victims.
“The people of Tahiti are such a giving and generous people. They never think twice in giving us their monies when they learn that we are raising funds for the typhoon victims here,” Pedron said.
The amount that they raised was the amount that they brought to the country for the victims. With the massive scale of the typhoons resulting to millions of people affected, the amount raised by them was not just enough, Burca admitted.
“That is why, we will do another fund raising and return here once we have raised enough,” she said. They plan to return to this city any time next year.
Pedron was joined by Mary Clare Navarro, the group secretary and Joyce Burca, its information officer, during their visit in Tacloban City to carry out their mercy mission.

By: JOEY A. GABIETA

Various international aid groups donate medical supplies to Leyte

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February 27, 2014

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TACLOBAN CITY- Christian health organization MAP International, Medshare, Ayuda Foundation, community organization in Guam, telecommunication giant Smart Communications Inc., and Guam Telephone Authority recently joined hands to provide critical medical supplies to Leyte province through the Ormoc District Hospital in Ormoc City.
The medical supplies will come in a 40-feet container van which will be turn over to the Ormoc District Hospital through its chief of hospital Ma. Lourdes De Lara-Banquesio.
MAP International provided the pallets of medical supplies, while Medshare provided the 40-feet container van.
MAP International is a global Christian health organization that partners with people living in conditions of poverty to save lives and develop healthier families and communities.
It responds to the needs of those they serve by providing medicines, preventing disease, and promoting health to create real hope and lasting change. It works in partnership programs with over 300 organizations, agencies and medical missions around the world.
MedShare is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare and the environment through the efficient recovery and redistribution of the surplus of medical supplies and equipment. It collects surplus medical supplies and equipment from hospitals, distributors and manufacturers, and then redistributes it to qualified healthcare facilities in the developing world.
Ayuda Foundation is a Guam-based non-profit organization applied for the medical supplies donations, while the Filipino Community of Guam and the Guam Medical City raised the funds for the Medshare container van.
Other groups that put in their help were Smart Communications Inc which paid for all the expenses to transport the container; and Guam Telephone Authority for shouldering the first shipment.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla welcomed this donation of medical supplies saying that with the huge devastation wrought by supertyphoon Yolanda to the hospitals in the province, the provincial government alone would not be able to fund the rehabilitation of facilities and re-stocking of medical supplies.
“I am pleased that private organizations and groups from other countries help us rebuild our hospitals. We alone cannot do the rebuilding of our hospitals. Even with the support from the national government, we can only do so much. Thus, help from the private sector, both here and abroad is always welcome here in the province of Leyte,” Gov. Petilla said in his message.

By: AHLETTE C. REYES

PNoy leads groundbreaking of new EVRMC

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February 27, 2014

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PNOY — President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino visited the town of Tanauan on February 25 as he lead in the groundbreaking of the town’s memorial park to give honor and remember those who died during Yolanda in said town. He was joined by the town mayor, Pelagio Tecson and Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla. Photo by Totex Arcueno

President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino visited the town of Tanauan on February 25 as he lead in the groundbreaking of the town’s memorial park to give honor and remember those who died during Yolanda in said town. He was joined by the town mayor, Pelagio Tecson and Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla. Photo by Totex Arcueno

TACLOBAN CITY- A new, bigger and modern Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) is soon to rise in a northern part of this city.
This after President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino led groundbreaking ceremonies on February 25 signaling for the construction of the new regional medical center that would cater to the medical needs of the people of the region.
The President was joined by several of his Cabinet members who included his rehabilitation czar, former senator Panfilo Lacson and Health Secretary Enrique Ona who announced that the construction of the new EVRMC would be in partnership with different private institutions and the national government through the Department of Health.
Also present during the groundbreaking ceremonies of the new EVRMC, located at Barangay Cabalawan, were Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez.
The new EVRMC will sit on a 25-hectare lot owned by the DOH and will be constructed initially at the amount of P500 million. It will have a 500-bed capacity.
“It is designed to be the best medical center outside Metro Manila equipped with state of the art medical equipment,” Doctor Cirilo Galindez, EVRMC chief of hospital, said.
According to Galindez, the construction of the new EVRMC would start “soon” and is expected to be finished by 2016.
The current EVRMC, which is to celebrate its 100 centennial anniversary in two years time, would be transferred back to the provincial government who owns the lot where it is located along Magsaysay Boulevard.
During the supertyphoon Yolanda, the hospital was reached by the storm surge as it is located just at the back of the Cancabato Bay.
Sec. Ona had earlier said that there is now a need to relocate the biggest government-run hospital in the region to accommodate a bigger number of clients.
At present, the said hospital could only accommodate around 300 inpatients and almost similar number of out-patients.
EVRMC is being manned by 115 doctors and close to 200 nurses.
Mr. Aquino also visited Tanauan town, here in Leyte, to also ground break the town’s memorial park to remember the 1,370 people who perished during the supertyphoon.
He also lead in the groundbreaking of permanent resettlement site located in Barangay Pago which could accommodate 366 families who came from the six no-build zone villages of said town.
The President, in his speech, underscored his purpose why he chose to celebrate EDSA People Power I in Yolanda-hit areas like Tanauan and Tacloban instead in Metro Manila.
“Lagpas sa pagtitipun sa isang kalsada ang kinakatawan ng EDSA.Ang EDSA ay pagdiriwang ng kakayahan ng Pilipino bumangon mula sa anumang pagsubok at daingin ang anumang madilim na kabanata ng ating kasaysayan,” the President said.
His visit to Tanauan, however, was met with protest from the People Surge, a coalition of different organizations, demanding of P40,000 for each family affected, abolish the no build zone policy and to continue the giving of food packs contrary to the March 31,2014 deadline of the government.
“This is to show our disgust to his opposition to our demands,” Jun Berino of the said group said.

By: JOEY A. GABIETA

DOH allocates P85 M for repair of hospitals

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February 23, 2014

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DOH and JAVIER — Health Secretary Enrique Ona (center) and Javier, Leyte Mayor Leonardo “Sandy” Javier (right) together with two foreign donors during the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the repair of health facilities in the region damaged due to Yolanda. (RYAN GABRIEL “RANI” LLOSA ARCENAS)

Health Secretary Enrique Ona (center) and Javier, Leyte Mayor Leonardo “Sandy” Javier (right) together with two foreign donors during the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the repair of health facilities in the region damaged due to Yolanda.(RYAN GABRIEL “RANI” LLOSA ARCENAS) — Health Secretary Enrique Ona (center) and Javier, Leyte Mayor Leonardo “Sandy” Javier (right) together with two foreign donors during the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the repair of health facilities in the region damaged due to Yolanda. (RYAN GABRIEL “RANI” LLOSA ARCENAS)

TACLOBAN CITY – The national government has set aside P85 million for the emergency repair of hospitals and rural health units damaged by supertyphoon Yolanda in the region.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said their priorities are not just hospitals, but health facilities established in local government units.
“This is just an initial allocation. We have enough funds to rebuild all aspects of health programs affected by the storm,” Ona told reporters.
The Department of Health is now reviewing all needs, taking into account financial aids from the private sector and international humanitarian organizations.
Health Regional Director Jose Llacuna dubbed the project as “quick fix” where their main concern is the repair of partially damaged state-owned hospitals and health centers.
“We just have to make it functional by putting roofings, fixing windows and doors, and re-install vital equipments,” Llacuna said.
On February 18, the DOH signed an agreement with mayors of recipient local government units. The national government did not ask cash-strapped municipalities to put up their counterparts in the emergency repair initiative.
“This is a very welcome development for us since local governments have no budget to repair health centers damaged by the typhoon. Our priority now is to provide food and shelter to displaced families,” said Tanauan, Leyte Mayor Pelagio Tecson.
The “quick fix” initiative will benefit 34 towns in Leyte, nine towns in Eastern Samar, three towns in Samar and two towns in Biliran.
The P85 million is on top of the P1.2 billion budget approved for rehabilitation of destroyed health facilities in the three Visayas regions.
“By 2015, we hope to complete the construction of bigger, better and safer health facilities,” Llacuna added.
The official said international groups have committed to build hospitals and health centers in Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa, and Dulag Mayorga, all in Leyte and Lawaan, Eastern Samar.
The DOH has reported that about P1.2 billion of health facilities and equipment were destroyed by the massive typhoon. Of this, P702.76 million was recorded for health facilities and P274.86 million for equipment.
The DOH reported that 1,229 facilities were destroyed by fierce winds and storm surges. About 219 are not functional and 233 are completely damaged.
Of the 1,229 damaged facilities, 991 are barangay health stations, 153 rural health units, 68 locally-managed hospitals, seven city or district health centers, six retained hospitals, three private hospitals and a municipal health office. (SARWELL Q MENIANO)