Prov'l agri expects increase in harvests due to climate change
By Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY March 1 (PIA) -- The Provincial Agriculturist Office (PAO) in Negros Oriental expects to boost its agricultural production this year due largely to long rainy period and climate change, says Provincial Agriculturist Gregorio Paltinca.
Paltinca added the effects of climate change has somehow help the farmers to continue planting after they harvested the first quarter crop and even as summer approaches.
He said the farmers in the province are looking forward to increase the rice and corn harvests due to sufficient water from the rains and irrigation water from some rehabilitated irrigation canals.
Negros Oriental has an annual rice yield of 70 percent and 61 percent corn sufficiency, more than enough for the 56 percent rice-eating population and 44 percent prefer corn, Paltinca said.
However, he said some of the province’s produce are exported to Cebu and Negros Occidental.
Harvesting for the second corn cropping season from October to February has already started, and farmers have more chances of higher yield and crop survival rate if they planted corn during the first cropping season as early as April, agriculture official said.
Paltinca said with the “Kasaligan Transport Service” of the province, this will also significantly improve the post-harvest handling of agricultural produce.
The free transport service help poor farmers who have a hard time hauling their produce and improve the quality of their farm products so they can command better prices in the market, he said.
In last week’s State of the Province Address (SOPA), Governor Roel Degamo reported that the province is allocating at least 10 percent of the farm lands in the province to purely organic farming.
The governor directed the PAO to keep the provincial government’s position to adopt eco-friendly technologies in agriculture while working for greater productivity. (PIA/JCT)
Philhealth sets new conditions for members' benefit claims
by: Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, March 1 (PIA) -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) has added additional conditions for entitlement of benefits among its members in a bid to ensure the sustainability of the government's health insurance program.
Two new conditions are now in place as stated in Philhealth Circular No. 31, first of which is the status of a hospital or health facility's accreditation with Philhealth during a member's confinement period.
Said circular states that if the hospital's accreditation expires within the member patient's confinement period, the member is still entitled to Philhealth's benefits for drugs and medicines, X-ray, laboratory procedures and others, including coverage for operating room and professional fees.
"However, the benefit for room and board charges of the patient will only cover the days that fall within the validity period of the hospital's accreditation. The patient will not be covered for room and board during the days after that,” clarified Marites Que, provincial officer in charge of Philhealth here.
The second new condition states that if the dependent parent of a member reaches 60 years old in the middle of hospital confinement, the patient is entitled to the same benefits for drugs and medicines, X-ray, laboratory procedures, operating room and professional fee charges for the full confinement period, except for the room and board.
“Again, Philhealth will only cover the room and board charges at the time the patient becomes eligible as dependent parent of the member. In this case when the patient reached 60 years old, he or she becomes a dependent of the Philhealth member, so that's the time we will start covering the charges for the room and board,” said Que.
The new conditions, added Que, were also set to protect Philhealth's funds from possible abuse. She added that the new conditions will not apply for members under the sponsored program, OFWs and lifetime members. (RMN/PIA-7 Negros Oriental)
NORSU garners 100% passing rate in nursing, pharmacy board exams
by: Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, March 1 (PIA) -- The Negros Oriental State University has announced that all its 21 nursing graduates have passed the Nursing Licensure Examination held December 2010.
NORSU President Dr. Henry A. Sojor said this is the second batch of nursing graduates produced by the state university, and the second time that NORSU garnered a 100% passing rate in the nursing licensure test.
The new nurses are Camad Ali Jr., Jeanie Batiancila, Marie Neil Bon, Dibie Grace Cabus, Junsly Ceriales, Sandy Kristina David, France April Dela Cruz, Glady Gelera, Jerry Kinkito, Chryssle Marie Larracas, Richelle Manso, Shiela Pajulas, Saharah Pangcatan, Bayron Regalado, Janini Rondera, Marigine Rusiana, Anthony Rey Saycon, Vretchy Tuballa, Amor Valencia, Paul Kenjie Valerio and Ma. Victoria Zarate.
The university also received a 100% passing rate for its pharmacy graduates during the Pharmacy Licensure Examination held Jan. 24 to 25 in Cebu City.
The examinees from NORSU who passed are Francis Arnel Flores of Dumaguete City, Mark Griffin Gadayan of Bayawan City and Mary Joy Papasin of Cebu.
The national passing rate for nursing is 35.25%, while for pharmacy, 50.05%. (RMN/PIA-7 Negros Oriental)