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Drowned teen in Benguet still missing

TUBA, Benguet (July 27) — Rescuers who had been combing the Elew River since Monday morning have not found a teenager who was swept with two others by rough rampaging waters last Sunday.

Noby Magnayon, 14, and a resident of Genesis Point, Irisan barangay in Baguio City had not been found yet though rescuers have already found the body of 14 year-old Sonny Centeno, also of Irisan Wednesday afternoon.

Rescuing teams of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Baguio City Emergency Medical Services, City Disaster Coordinating Council, civilian volunteers and residents and the Baguio police found Centeno whose body now lies in state at the Baguio Memorial Chapel.On Monday, rescuers found Melvin Magnayon, 16, of Purok 2, also of barangay Irisan. He was badly hurt when found downstream the same river.

The Baguio based-OCD-Cordillera bared that the three were swept by a sudden rise of river water along Elew River in Lamtang road, along the boundary of Baguio City and Tuba town, in Benguet.

The three, the OCD said, who were together with other teeners on Sunday morning were on a picnic and decided to bathe in the river. A downpour in Baguio and nearby towns in Benguet on Sunday afternoon caused the river waters to swell, sweeping the three.

OCD officer SPO2 Isabelo Cacho said rescuers are still doubling their time looking for Magnayon downstream to barangay Nangalisan in Tuba town and even as far down the river in adjacent Aringay town in La Union. # Ace Allegre for NORDIS

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Dengue fever upsurge in Tadian

TADIAN, Mt. Province (July 31) — An upsurge of dengue fever has been reported here during the last few weeks prompting the municipal council to declare a state of calamity.

The total number of cases has yet to be determined. However, according to Councilor Uliver Turtem, as of last Thursday, there were already 47 admissions including one death in the district hospital in the neighboring Bauko town since April.

“There may be more cases but we were not able to monitor those who underwent treatment in their homes or in other hospitals,” Turtem said.

Bauko Mayor Constito Masweng earlier sought the assistance of the regional health office and Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center for the anti-dengue fever drive.

Meanwhile, Baguio City Mayor Braulio Yaranon asked City Health Officer Dr. Florence Reyes to lend one of the city’s fumigation machines to Tadian.

In response, Reyes asked the Rotary Club of Downtown Session Road to lend its machine instead so the regular anti-mosquito fogging schedule in the city would not be disrupted. # Ramon Dacawi/PIO

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Bontoc PWD want to enjoy senior citizens’ privileges

BONTOC, Mt. Province (July 29) — Persons with disabilities (PWD) here appealed to the provincial board to grant them the same privileges that senior citizens enjoy.

Except for the 20 % discount on transportation fare, PWDS do not enjoy the other privileges of senior citizens provided in the Senior Citizens Act, such as discounts from drugstores, hospital pharmacies, hotels, restaurants, recreation centers and funeral parlors.

In addition, the Expanded Senior Citizens Act also grants exemption from the payment of individual income taxes, provision of employment, and free skills training, among others.

The PWD is one of the marginalized and neglected sectors of the community. As of 2003, there were about 1,102 PWDs listed in the province.

Relative to the fare discount, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved last July 4 a resolution authorizing the provincial governor to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the National Council of the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) for the localization of identification cards for disabled persons. NCWDP is a Manila-based office responsible for the issuance of discount ID cards for.

The MOA also provides that the provincial government will give financial assistance for the reproduction of ID cards, application forms, guidelines and other related expenses in the implementation of the project. # PIA-MP

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Mt. Prov. SP approves special educ fund

BONTOC, Mt. Province (July 29) — The Provincial School Board (PSB) recently approved the 2005 budget for the Special Education Fund (SEF) amounting to P1,299,063.96.

The SEF would be used for aid to provincial meet, aid to school activities, survey of school sites, purchase of communication facilities, repair of Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School, miscellaneous expenses and honoraria of volunteer teachers and Alternative Learning System (ALS) facilitators.

During the joint PSB and Provincial Literacy Coordinating Council meeting, Governor Maximo Dalog, reiterated that non-formal education or alternative learning should be priority, given the decreasing literacy rate in the province. He suggested massive campaign against illiteracy through the conduct of basic literacy classes in identified barangays with lower literacy rate.

Based on the 2000 Census, literacy rate of Mt. Province is 86% down from the 94.61% in 1997.

With the approval of the SEF, the different municipalities including are assured of equal distribution of one ALS facilitator each. However, the slot a municipality that could not come up with one class of 15 to 20 basic illiterate learners would be forfeited and would be allocated to other districts with more learners.

Aiming to eradicate illiteracy by 2007, the provincial government urged all local government units to allocate 20 percent of their Development Fund for the continuous implementation of literacy programs for the illiterates and out of school youth in the province. # PIA-MP

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Kalinga gets hybrid rice cold storage project

TABUK, Kalinga (July 29) — A cold storage facility to preserve the viability of hybrid rice varieties is now under construction in Barangay, San Juan, here.

Senator Manny Villar and the Department of Agriculture (DA) funds the P6 million worth project.

Provincial Agriculturist Gerry Jose said this facility, when completed, would address the difficulty of the Kalinga farmers, who need to go to Philrice in Isabela and Cagayan for storage. He explained that as “guest users,” Kalinga farmers are the last priority in using the facility in other places.

Jose said the project would be completed in time for this cropping. # Larry Lopez / PIA Kalinga

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