NewsWires
From PIA Batanes sent via Batanes-IFDCI email service (February 14, 2002)

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LGU BASCO TO LAUNCH PERA SA RESIBO PROJECT

Basco Mayor Manuel G. Viola presented his PERA SA RESIBO project effective January 2002 at a meeting on January 8, 2002 attended by DTI, BIR, Sangguninag Bayan, PIA, DWBT, municipal planning and development coordinator, municipal treasurer, budget officer and barangay captains.

The project helps increase declaration of sales (properly receipted) recorded in businessmen's books. The strategy to be implemented motivates to the maximum business owners and operators to issue receipt for every purchase sales of P 25.00 and up, while this also encourages customers to claim receipts. LGU Basco will sponsor quarterly raffle draw of official receipts and a grand raffle draw in December 2002. Receipts from January to March 2002 qualify for the first raffle draw and winning receipt automatically declares the business establishments which issued the official receipt a winning partner. Beyond trading, these is a big chance of winning twice. DTI, however, presented that there are business establishments with pending business name which hinder them to print official receipt. Mayor Viola asked DTI to provide his office a list of business establishments with pending approval of business name.

With LGU Basco intensifying the campaign on PERA SA RESIBO, the project promotes the local tax enhancement program to the benefit too of traders and consumers.

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DA, PAO, CAMPAIGN USE OF IPIL-IPIL HEDGEROWS

Prime movers of agriculture, the DA and PAO campaign the use of nitrogen fixing trees as hedgerows to protect soil from erosion and to cultivate agricultural hill areas. SALT (Sloping Agricultural Land Technology) is now adapted by some Ivatan farmers. Such is the planting of Ipil-Ipil as hedgerows and is found to have multiple use: windbreakers, fertilizers and for prevention of soil erosion.

Ivatan traditional farmers call hedgerows "liveng" which may be of stones, (stone-piling common in Sabtang and Itbayat; may be of reeds or trees like "bayacbac" and "votalao" and wild trees; yet the liveng has other uses aside from windbreakers. They serve as boundaries of plantation / agricultural crops and boundary of ownership.

PAO emphasized that the goal of SALT is to conserve soil as it introduces new farming system with the focus on changing the attitude of people to be productive-conscious and simultaneously conservation-conscious.

Production-wise, through SALT one can plant 4-5 kinds of crops and sustained by the fertility of the soil. DA said that SALT is integrated with livestock. It has records that support harvests from an 800 square meter area since 1995 planted to vegetables, calamansi, ginger, pineapples in terrace system. When quantified, one makes five times production at the same time raise goats and pigs.

SALT encourages the terracing of hilly agricultural areas adaptable to multi-production per season. The technique of nitrogen fixing trees is making distances closer to each as level becomes higher; and maintaining the height of hedgerows to one meter.

It may be suggested that stone-piling be maintained, for hedgerows where stones are abundant and reeds where these are abundant, but in areas where windbreakers are to be planted yet, Ipil-Ipil is recommended. The traditional hedgerows in Batan Island have been attracting tourists. With tourism considerations, these are Batanes' attractions, therefore, they should be conserved.

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DOH BATANES - BALIK PATAK KONTRA MUTANT POLIO

NCR Center for Health Development conducted Polio-Free Maintenance Immunization Campaign here on January 22, 2002 against the threat of mutant virus affecting children below 5 years old. Although we were successful in Kontra-Polio in 1993-1997, the Polio Virus were found in Cavite on July 26, 2001, in Laguna on July 23, 2001 and in Cagayan de Oro on March 15, 2001.

Since there was no mass vaccination against polio for the past 5 years and due to declining routine vaccinations to infants caused by shortage of vaccine supply in 1990-2000, there is a big accumulated poll of susceptible children of at least 2 million in the country.

This is national emergency; campaign for mass vaccination for children below 5 years old nationwide to interrupt the transmission and to increase population immunity against polio.

Mobile teams implemented mass vaccination adapting a combination of house-to-house and fixed site strategies on February 4-8 for round one including follow-up schedules for missed children. Round two shall be scheduled on March 4-8, 2002 to ensure that every child below 5 gets 2 dosage of oral polio vaccine. Survey shows that the Philippines is among the 36 countries in the Western Pacific Region threatened by Polio.

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FIRST SALT SUMMIT TO STRENGTHEN IODIZATION PROGRAM

Salt iodization in Batanes is eyed at 100% in 2005; expected to escalate after the first salt summit in Batanes conducted by NCR-CHD team for both iodization and polio-free campaign.

Out of sixteen provinces in the country, Batanes is number 15 at high risk of iodine-deficiency disorders; 6-7 out of every 10 children are cases of IDD. Survey in 2000 of households shows that only 1,698 out of 3,568 households use iodized salt. Slow rise of percentage of iodized salt users from 1998 to 2000 is due to limited stock.

Endemic goiter cases prevail on Batanes. Women with goiter likely suffer from miscarriage; if not, fetus surviving of months are born suffering from mental retardation. Consequences of IDD that were explained are coordination abnormalities, impaired learning , dwarfism and infant/child deaths.

Among the challenges cited were the wide gap between awareness and utilization of iodized salt; lack or non-avalability of iodized salt in the market was common reason to discontinuation or non-use of iodized salt, and where iodized salt is available, the price is expensive due to high profit margin.

LGUs were challenged for strong political will, for making salt available in public markets and sustained information campaign on the benefits and use of iodized salt.

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BASCO BARANGAY OFFICIALS PROPOSE PALM PROPAGATION COASTAL PLAINS

Brgy. Kayhuvukan officials of Basco are proposing the utilization of coastal plains that are unpromising for agricultural production due to saltspray be planted to "voyavoy" native palm tree to conserve Ivatan traditional vakul. The endemic plant that could stand constant saltspray and typhoons is good raw material for Ivatan crafts.

Chadpidan of Basco has vast coastal plains ideal for the propagation of voyavoy.

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FUNDS TO ASSIST POOR PATIENTS IN BATANES

Memorandum of Agreement between the Office of Congressman Abad and Batanes General Hospital was signed February 8, 2002 as response to a resolution passed by Hon. Amada Fabi and Hon. Juliet Abas of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan requesting Cong. Abad to load funds in the BGH to assist poor patients who hardly finance hospitalization. The initial funds of P150,000.00 was deposited at the BGH and shall yet be augmented in the future.