GOD BLESS YOU PRESIDENT CORY!

GOD BLESS YOU PRESIDENT CORY!
Congratulations to our new doctors led by topnotcher Melissa Mariano of UST!

Paalam Ka Erdy and God Bless!

Paalam Ka Erdy and God Bless!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Chiz Escudero Is Running for President in 2010

12 October 2009

In a brief interview with Karen Davila aired in tonight's editin of TV Patrol, Senator Chiz Escudero announced that he is running for the presidency in 2010.  Chiz said that his decision to run was further firmed up after he saw the extent of the destruction brought to Northern Luzon by typhoon Pepeng.  




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Friday, October 9, 2009

Overstaying Typhoon Pepeng Brings Disaster, Humanitarian Crisis to Northern and Central Luzon, October 9 - 10, 2009

9 - 10 October 2009

Pepeng has long ago ceased  to be the super typhoon that it once was but just when many people in Northern Luzon and Central Luzon thought the worst was over came disaster from the strong rains it brought worsened by the release of water in several dams in the area. 

Worse hit in terms of flooding is the province of Pangasinan where 30 out of 48 towns are under water.







But in terms of human lives lost, the areas hardest hit are Baguio, Benguet and La Union. 




The devastation is such that it takes a considerable amount of effort simply to keep track of what's happening where.  

This is the satellite image of Pepeng as of 9:00 am, October 10, 2009.

As of 4:00 am, October 10, 2009, tropical depression Pepeng was located 240 kms west southwest of  Vigan City moving West at 13kph in the direction of Vietnam.  

Severe Weather Bulletin Number THIRTY-NINE
Tropical Cyclone Warning: TROPICAL DEPRESSION "PEPENG" (PARMA)
Issued at 5:00 a.m., Saturday, 10 October 2009
Tropical Depression "PEPENG" continues to move away from the country.
Location of Center:
(as of 4:00 a.m.)		240 kms West Southwest of Vigan City
Coordinates:17.2°N, 118.1°E
Strength:Maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near center
Movement:Forecast to move West at 13 kph
Forecast Positions/Outlook:Sunday morning:
510 kms West of Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

We join the nation in praying for and in contributing to the relief effort for our countrymen who suffered and are still suffering because of typhoon Pepeng and storm Ondoy.  

 









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Monday, October 5, 2009

Typhoons Pepeng and Quedan Converge on the Philippines, October 5, 2009

5 October 2009

In my last update yesterday to my post on erstwhile super typhoon Pepeng, this is what I wrote:

FUJIWHARA EFFECT OR 
FUJIWARA INTERACTION

In the meantime, you might want to take a look at this Pagasa update on typhoon Pepeng courtesy of GMANews.tv.  The 24 Oras video clip was posted at the GMA News website at 8:19pm. 

It shows Dr. Nathaniel Cruz of Pagasa discussing with Mel Tiangco the possibility of typhoon Pepeng remaining more or less stationary for the next two or three days.  He attributed this phenomenon to the presence of a high pressure area in China and the approach of the typhoon Melor farther out in the Pacific.  These two factors combine to force typhoon Pepeng to stay more or less where it is right now.  Dr. Cruz explained that after typhoon Melor enters the Philippine area of responsibility within the next day or two, it will then turn northward and only after that will typhoon Pepeng be able to move away from its present position.  The phenomenon is known as the Fujiwhara effect or Fujiwara interaction named after the Japanese meteorologist who first described it in a 1921 paper about the motion of vortices in water.


Before Pepeng eventually moves away from its present position, it is expected to swing back and pass over Northern Luzon anew, according to Dr. Cruz.
Typhoons Pepeng and Quedan (international codename Melor) have actually managed be within the Philippine area of responsibility at the same time when Quedan entered the Philippine area of responsibility this afternoon.

Pepeng was located at 4 this afternoon at around 220 kms. North northwest of Laoag, Ilocos Norte with maximum sustained winds 105 kph and gustiness of 135 kph.  It is expected to remain stationary for about two days. Quedan at 4pm was situated at 1,130 kms. East southeast of Basco, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 205 kph and gustiness of 250 kph.  It is expected to move West northwest at 26 kph. 

More on this story in this  News on Q report featuring a discussion of the two typhoons among Dr. Nathaniel Cruz of Pagasa, Lala Roque and Ivan Mayrina.

  

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Saturday, October 3, 2009

HEAD Statement on the 2010 National Health Budget of the Philippines

3 October 2009

I received by email the following media release from the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) through Dr. Gene Nisperos, Vice Chair of HEAD.  I reproduce it below in its entirety. 

Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD)

2/F Doña Anita Bldg, 284 E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City

Telefax: (02) 725 4760        Email: headphil@gmail.com

 

Media Release

17 September 2009

 

The 2010 National Health Budget: Bigger Numbers, Smaller Value!


Once again, the Arroyo government is shortchanging the Filipino people by allocating a paltry budget that is grossly inadequate.


Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) today joined health professionals and hospital workers in a brief rally at the Philippine General Hospital to highlight the inequities of the 2010 national budget and denounce the continuing failure of the Arroyo administration to address the needs of patients and healthcare providers.


“The 2010 health reflects the total abandonment by the Arroyo government of its obligation to uphold the health of the people.” According to Dr. Geneve Rivera, HEAD secretary-general.


The proposed national budget for 2010 is a whopping P1.541 trillion, which is P115 billion higher than the P1.426 trillion 2009 national budget. While debt servicing again gets the biggest allocation, amounting to some P340.8 billion, the amount allocated for health is only P33.678 billion or 2.2% of the national budget.


Worse, according to HEAD, the numbers are misleading.


“The actual budget of the DOH is only P23.737 billion, almost the same as its budget last year. After considering inflation and peso depreciation, the actual value of this budget is much lower.” added Dr. Rivera. “This translates to 252.49 pesos per Filipino per year, which is not even enough for one month’s supply of an anti-hypertensive or anti-ulcer drug!”


HEAD also noted that the substantial increase in the DOH budget is in the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (P3.2 billion). This, together with another P6.156 billion (25.9%) for capital outlay, is directly associated to the department’s preparation for medical tourism, which it continues to promote abroad.


In contrast, only P16M is allocated for indigent patients in all DOH hospitals. If P2000 is spent on each patient, only around 8000 patients will benefit from this, or less than 0.01% of the population!


Scrutiny also shows that there is still nothing in the budget to keep nurses and health workers from leaving the country in droves.


“Notably absent from the budget is the allocation for the implementation of the Nursing Act of 2002 and the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers. Both laws provide for additional income and benefits for nurses and health workers, measures that would help convince them to stay and serve the patients here.”


Both laws, which may stem the exodus of health personnel, have yet to be fully implemented by the national government.


“The health budget measures how little the Arroyo administration cares for the Filipino people. The poor and the sick have no place in a country under the rule of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This must change.” ###

 

References:

Dr. Geneve E. Rivera

Secretary-General, 0920 460 3712

 

Dr. Gene Alzona Nisperos

Vice-Chair, 0916 214 5724



I believe that the message that HEAD wants to impart is even more timely now than when the media release was first issued two weeks ago on September 17, 2009.

The devastation wrought by storm Ondoy has few comparison in terms of human loss but in terms of damage to our public hospital facilities in areas like the eastern section of Metro Manila and Rizal, it is probably unprecedented. This throws overboard a lot of the information that was factored into the national health budgeting process and requires new calculations to be made.  

In this article, GMA News reports about the damage sustained by four DOH hospitals namely the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center, the East Avenue Medical Center, the Tondo Medical Center and the National Center for Mental Health.  Worse hit was the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center which serves the needs of approximately 2.6 million people in Marikina, Antipolo, Pasig, Cainta, San Mateo and Rodriguez.

FYI, these are the DOH hospitals listed in the DOH website:

DOH Hospitals


The immense setback to our public hospital facilities can only mean that the figures cited by HEAD mean more today than they did two weeks ago. And this is only in terms of the physical infrastructure alone.  The P16M cited by HEAD with respect to allocation for indigent patients in DOH hospitals is even more horrendously inadequate.

The complexity alone of public evacuation measures in times of national calamities which require evacuation facilities, relief operations, sanitation facilities and public health measures dictate that these factors should be taken into account in formulating the 2010 national health budget. For sure the budget for this type of operations is borne by several government agencies but the capabilities of the DOH in this regard should be considerably strengthened.   

As a nation, we need to join hands to avert a national health disaster.  

For once, the issue of debt servicing which gets by far the biggest chunk of the national budget needs to be thrust into the forthcoming national discussion of election issues.  If we Filipinos want a bigger budget for health, education and other social services, we have to grapple now with the longstanding issue of debt servicing.  To fail to do so would guarantee a continuing abject failure to exact from government even the minimum basic services that our people badly need.
 

 
  


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