PALO,Leyte-In areas affected by natural disasters, the risks for adolescents are high. They are often forced to flee their homes, frequently leaving behind family and friends and the familiarity and stability of their former lives. The breakdown in health systems and services and support structures increases their vulnerability. Thus, displaced adolescents face a host of difficulties that affect their sexual and reproductive health. To address this gap, the Commission on Population (POPCOM) regional office, through its Adolescent Health Youth Development Program (AHYD) has joined forces with international development partners in its full humanitarian response in areas affected by super Typhoon Yolanda that hit the region last November 8, 2013. Melanie Alberto, AHYD Program focal person, said the stakes are highest for adolescent girls when aside from increased exposure to rape and sexual violence, young women who have been uprooted from their homes often face economic strains and may be forced to trade sex to meet their basic survival needs. “These situations leave our adolescents and youth vulnerable to early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STI) and psychological distress among other consequences,” Alberto added. “As part of the urgent need to scale up services for adolescent sexual reproductive health, we joined Save the Children’s program called ASRHiE or Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health in Emergency,” she added. Alberto said ASRHiE aimed to consistently provide access to information, services and referrals with results demonstrating positive reproductive health outcomes for young people. ASRHiE would run for six months up to one year and to be implemented in 11 areas in Leyte particularly in the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc, and the municipalities of Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa, Dulag, Mayorga, MacArthur and Alangalang. About 5,000 adolescents (10 to 24 years old) from these areas are being targeted for its various adolescent sexual reproductive health programs and activities. “Part of the project was the launching of youth-friendly spaces in project areas to provide adolescent and youth sexual reproductive health related services,” Alberto said. Tents were set up in each project area as a temporary Youth-Friendly Space that provide services on Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) education sessions, counseling, basic first aid, recreational activities, visual and creative arts, ration of hygiene and dignity kits for pregnant and lactating teenage mothers, and referral of cases to both public and private health facilities. These referrals include medical consultation, FP counseling, pre and post-natal check-up, immunization and infant and young child feeding counseling. Alberto said that part of the ASRHiE activities include the mobilization of youth volunteers/peer educators where they are to deliver health information; distribute hygiene kits; collect data; do peer counseling; facilitate psychosocial support activities in YFS-creative/art sessions, games, sports, music and dance; act as formal referral agents and perform other related tasks. “We are thankful to our development partners that they were here to implement programs that are in line with our advocacy on youth participation in the promotion of responsible adulthood, responsible romantic relationships and on the other proper management of their adolescent reproductive health concerns,” Alberto said. (PR)
ILO to help provide SSS, Philhealth to workers
(by EI NAZARENO-BALLESTEROS)
TACLOBAN CITY- A top official of the International Labor Organization (ILO) revealed that they are planning to provide social and health protections to workers employed under its emergency program. The ILO provided work assistance to victims of supertyphoon Yolanda that hit Eastern Visayas more than six months ago. Jonathan James Price, chief technical adviser of ILO-Manila, informed in an interview that the agency has started with the second phase of their assistance which is to provide sustainable livelihood in order for the workers to have the means to sustain their membership and pay their contributions regularly in these social protection programs. He underscored the importance of workers being placed under the Social Security System and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) in order for them to enjoy the rights and benefits that correspond to their being members in good standing. For now Price added, the ILO is targeting to involve over 20,000 beneficiaries in areas affected by Yolanda, giving it the great challenge to generate the needed sum from donations made by foreign states. The ILO has set up offices in Tacloban, Ormoc, Northern Cebu, Negros Occidental, Coron, and Bohol in the aftermath of Yolanda. Price pointed out that the introduction of the social protection element of the work is to let the beneficiaries understand their rights and their benefits from the SSS and Philhealth if they are able to make contributions, which received a favorable response from the workers. “The beneficiaries really appreciate this opportunity because it really opens their eyes to their rights for that kind of protection. If their income is not that stable, they are not able to continue making finances quite steadily that they want to, “Price said. From an emergency employment that lasted only about four months, especially starting the months after Yolanda hit the Visayas on November 8, 2013, the ILO has expanded its work assistance to provide the workers new sources of income and new skills. The ILO is integrating trainings into the program working closely with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority on this aspect. Price reported that as of December last year, the ILO has provided emergency employment to about 5,000 people as immediate response. The ILO targets an additional 10,500 workers under their emergency employment program. (EILEEN NAZARENO-BALLESTEROS)
UN body form technical working group to further boost PHL disaster preparedness
TACLOBAN CITY- A technical working group (TWG) is to be formed by the United Nations Development Assistance Framework to ensure that areas hit by a disaster could immediately respond and recover. The disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction (DP/DRR) TWG is a parallel measure of the United Nations to the government’s Recovery Assistance on Yolanda (RAY) where “risk reduction and building back better” is cited as top priority. Sudhir Kumar, a DRR specialist from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said that there are reasons why the TWG was formed. One of which is the vulnerability of the Philippines to typhoons, including the risk reconfigured by number of drivers like climate change and skewed development. Another potential threat is unplanned development in urban areas like Tacloban and its adjacent LGUs that are also bent on developing. Kumar emphasized the need for coordinated effort in DRR like what our neighboring countries like Vietnam and Myanmar have done to avert future disasters. The primary objectives for the TWG is to bring synergy on DP and DRR interventions by humanitarian and development actors and making the group act as a platform for knowledge exchange on DP and DRR. Kumar said that this can be achieved through periodic meeting of the working group members and if possible, pooling of resources. Another is to provide a 3W (who does; what and where) for all actors to avoid duplication and potential conflicts. Meanwhile, Blanche Gobenciong, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, said that international and local partners are most welcome to emphasize efforts in reaching out to the communities so that they may be aware of potential risks and how to avert it. “Let us help each other. You will learn a lot from the government and at the same time, the government will also learn a lot from you,” Gobenciong said while addressing UN personnel and international NGOs during one of the working group’s workshops. (REGIN OLIMBERIO, Communitere)
Calubian hospital opens its new emergency room
TACLOBAN CITY- The Northwestern Leyte District Hospital (NLDH) in Calubian, Leyte has a new emergency room which was constructed at a cost of P2.8 million. The construction of the new emergency room of the NLDH was made through the health facility enhancement program of the Department of Health (DOH), said its chief of hospital, Dr. Norberto Oja. The DOH has allocated more than P400 million for the upgrading or repair of health facilities in the region like that of the NLDH. The upgrading and rehabilitation of public health facilities is in line with the DOH’s goal of providing universal health care in partnership with the local government units. Quality healthcare and providing a better health service are expected with the upgrading of health facilities. It was learned from Oja that the new emergency room of the NLDH is also equipped with rabies vaccines. Thus, victims of animal bites, particularly from dogs, would no longer go to hospitals based in Naval, Biliran or in Tacloban for treatment. Calubian is located in the northwestern tip of Leyte and faces Biliran Island. Travel time to Tacloban City, the region’s capital, takes at least three hours ride. Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, who was present during the turn-over ceremony and inauguration of the new health facility for the NLDH, said the ER would provide great help for people living in northwestern part of the province. Other hospitals in Leyte which received financial assistance from the DOH under its health facility enhancement program are the Leyte Provincial Hospital, Tabango Community Hospital, Villaba Community Hospital, Baybay City Health Office, Tabango rural health unit, Carigara District Hospital, Dr. Manuel B. Veloso Memorial Hospital, Ormoc District Hospital, Isabel Medical Center, Abuyog District Hospital and Hilongos District Hospital. (AHLETTE C. REYES)
Red Cross spearheads recovery projects for Yolanda victims
TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will carry out a $363 million recovery projects in areas hit by supertyphoon Yolanda. Gwendolyn Pang, PRC secretary general, said that responding to early recovery needs of Yolanda survivors is their biggest rehabilitation projects, which involves millions of Filipino and foreign volunteers. The project, with a funding support of 320 million Swiss Francs (US$363 million), will run for three years. It will primarily help survivors rebuild their shattered lives and enhance the PRC’s capacity to respond to future disasters through training for volunteers. “So far, this is the biggest work that we are going to do in terms of recovery. This is eight or 10 times bigger compared to other disasters in the country. We have put in a lot of preparatory work for that for us to be able to meet that magnitude work needed,” Pang told reporters. Specifically, recovery works would focus on restoring shelter, livelihoods, education, disaster risk reduction and access to health care, to help affected communities overcome the hardships of the past six months and restore self-reliance. For permanent housing alone, 40,000 homes will be built and 50,000 units will be repaired, according to Pang. “This response is very wide in terms of area affected. Many people come to work and help the Philippines. Red Cross is contributing not less than 25 % of full recovery in our country, making us the key player here. We are supported by the whole Red Cross with Crescent Movement internationally,” Pang said. Since the disaster struck, the PRC, together with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and over 50 national societies from around the world have been sending aid for all areas hit by Yolanda. These were emergency relief, including food, shelter items and cash to more than one million people. Thousands more received medical attention from Red Cross emergency facilities. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement distributed cash grants to 75,000 families and met 25% of the emergency shelter needs of survivors, providing tents, tarpaulins and other materials to almost 140,000 households. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)
Sambawan Island: hidden treasure no more
MARIPIPI, Biliran- This island town of more than 7,000 people could become among Eastern Visayas top tourist destinations. Maripipi, considered to be the farthest town in Biliran, is home to an island known as Sambawan that is dotted with white and powdery sand that is also rich with marine life and aplenty of coral reefs as well as a stunning view during sunrise. Sambawan Island, which is actually composed of three islets which are all visible during low tide, is about 30 minutes away by boat from the town proper of Maripipi. While the island, which is about two-hectares in area, has been frequented by the locals and those coming from nearby towns for years now, it remains to be unknown and unexplored by the tourists at large. Aside from swimming and fishing activities, the island is good for snorkeling, kayaking, scuba diving and camping. And with a mountainous coastline, trekking is another fun thing to do in the island. The island is owned by the municipal government and was officially opened as a tourist attraction back in 2001 although needed facilities like cottages and even comfort rooms were not available. And fully aware of the big potential of the Sambawan Island as a tourist haven and a source of income for the municipal government, Mayor Uldarico Macorol is planning to develop the less than 2-hectare island. Macorol said that he had just signed a memorandum agreement with a foreign developer to provide needed facilities in the island as part of the development. The needed facilities like cottages, comfort rooms and canteen (for food and water are not that readily available in the island), are projected to be fully operational by next year under the agreement. Macorol said that with all the facilities available, it would now be easy for them to promote and invite tourists to the island which was in the news after a fishing boat ran aground and hit the coral area of the island back in 2013. In 2012, Sambawan Island was ranked as number 23 in the list of most-visited tourist sites in all Eastern Visayas. And aware of possible destruction of its natural wealth once tourists start to visit the island in volume, the municipal government will craft ordinances and regulations as a safety net. Protection nets will also be put in place in the swimming area of the island for possible shark attack protection as tourist police will also be put in the island for security and assist the tourists, Macorol said. The regional office of the Department of Tourism last May 10 initiated a familiarization tour in the Sambawan Island with some members of the media, to include Leyte Samar Daily Express as a way to promote the island. (ROEL T.AMAZONA)