TACLOBAN CITY- The vice mayor of this city, considered Yolanda’s ground zero, exhorted the public to come out in droves to show their gratitude for Pope Francis coming next year. Vice Mayor Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin said the visit of the Holy Father will surely have an impact to the faithful who are still reeling from the destructions caused by Yolanda which devastated this city more than nine months ago.

Yaokasin also said that he was happy to learn that during his visit in Tacloban, he would be meeting personally with selected ordinary survivors of Yolanda. Earlier, Archbishop John Du said that during his visit, Francis will have among his audience, 30 typhoon victims from Leyte. The Holy Father is slated to visit the country from January 15 to 19 next year. He is slated to arrive in Tacloban on January 17 to hold a mass with millions of faithful coming from other parts of the country and abroad expected to attend.

Yaokasin said that it was good thing that the Pope chose to meet with ordinary survivors and not with politicians like himself. “It would be better if politicians like me should stay only on the sideline, do the groundwork and stay behind the scene,” he said. For Noel Saldan, a resident of this city, the visit of Pope Francis will surely give comforts to the survivors of Yolanda. His coming is an indication that the Pope cares and sympathizes with the survivors, thousands still lives in tents and bunkhouses.
Saldan, who is engaged in selling images of saints and other religious items, said that he is eager to see the Francis, the first ever Pope to visit Eastern Visayas. (REYNALYN BRUSES,LNU Intern)

CALBAYOG CITY- The parents and teachers from the 10 day care centers of Calbayog District II had renewed their strong bond on August 7 at Balud Covered Court during their mass induction and acquaintance party of Day Care Service Parent Group and District Federation. The said annual event for daycare parents and teachers from Balud 1, Balud 2, Balud 3, Capoocan, Carayman, Carmen, Central, Nijaga, Rawis and San Policarpo, was graced with the presence of City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino.

In his inspirational talk, Mayor Aquino recognized the important role of day care parents and teachers in achieving an excellent child day care service of the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development). He said that from the moment the child enters day care, a “mix-up” of involvement of both the parents and teachers should be present especially in molding the children into becoming disciplined and worthy members of the community.

CaLbayog District II area coordinator for day care service Vilma Seragon, meanwhile, thanked Mayor Aquino for the additional eight day care workers for barangays in Calbayog District II. Their district, she added, has now 27 day care teachers serving their day care centers. Also present in the same occasion were Cesar Ventures, designated as chief of staff of City Vice Mayor Diego Rivera, and the barangay officials of said villages. The activity aims to promote camaraderie among daycare parents and teachers in the Day Care Service, as well as, a strategy to advocate and promote women empowerment and leadership.

The Day Care Service of DSWD is supported by the Republic Act No. 6972 or “The Barangay – Level Total Development and Protection of Children Act.” enacted and approved November 23, 1990.” (AIMEE CATALAN/PR)

MANILA, Philippines – Today marks 500 days until the Millennium Development Goals reach their conclusion and the Philippines looks set to miss the target for reducing preventable child deaths.

The 2015 MDG 4 target for Philippines is 20 deaths per 1,000 live births. Whilst there has been some improvement from the 60 deaths per 1000 in 1990, there has been little progress in cutting down neonatal mortality (deaths in the first month of life), which makes up almost half of all under-5 deaths. Save the Children’s global study on newborn deaths. released earlier this year reveals that Philippines is one of the top 10 countries in the world with the greatest gap in equality for newborn deaths between poorest and wealthiest, and between rural and urban households. Babies born to the poorest and hardest to reach groups are most at risk of dying within few days after birth.

Extreme natural disasters are also likely to contribute to deaths among newborn babies due to collapse of health systems and unhygienic conditions in the aftermath of an emergency.

With 500 days left to meet the targets for UN MDG 4, Save the Children is urging the Philippine government to address inequality in newborn deaths and its underlying causes, particularly lack of skilled health personnel in the rural areas to provide quality health services and guide new mothers on breastfeeding. Studies have shown that early breastfeeding may reduce almost a quarter of newborn deaths, and may help cut down at least 75 per cent of deaths from diarrhea and pneumonia. The 2013 National Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) review indicates that out of the 1798 hospitals with maternity services, only 24% percent have been certified as complying with the Mother Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (MBFHI), a global effort launched to implement practices that protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
According to Dr. Amado Parawan, Health and Nutrition Advisor of Save the Children,

“Life is at its most fragile in the first few days after birth. Newborns require healthcare, and life-saving interventions before during and after emergencies.”
Dr. Parawan added, “It is not impossible to reach the MDG target on child deaths but the country needs to urgently invest in lifesaving neonatal interventions and prepare the health system to provide care during disasters.” Earlier this year Save the Children committed ?10m to mitigate newborn deaths in emergencies by providing clean birth kits in storm-proof boxes (the BEACON box) to be used to deliver babies in the case of an emergency.
Save the Children is calling on the government, civil society, local government units (LGUs) , funding agencies and the private sector to commit to the following to improve newborn and child survival:
* Fast-track the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) guidelines and Policy on Integrated Management of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), for both development and humanitarian settings.
* Increase LGU investments for health to trainings, improvement of health facilities and increase the number of health work frontliners and human resources directly involved in the implementation and monitoring of policies related to newborn and child survival.
* Include the coverage for premature births in the national health insurance program.
* Enforce the Mother and Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (MBFHI) in all hospitals with maternity services. (PR)