Meningo death reported in Davao

Davao City Health Officer, Dr. Josephine Villafuerte has reported to the media that a young girl was admitted to a “private hospital in Davao City” on Sunday, and died several hours later.

Dr. Villafuerte said that the poeple who came in contact with the victim have been given antibiotics, and the hospital room, morgue and family residence have been disinfected to kill any remnants of the virus.

Although the hospital that treated the victim has not been named, the rumor that is going around is that it happened at Brokenshire Hospital in Davao City.

This is the second death in Mindanao from Meningo in the past few days, with other cases reported on the island as well.

Davao City mulls imposition of garbage fees

Davao City (30 November) — The city government of Davao is mulling the imposition of garbage fees to increase revenues and provide better services to the public .

During the Kapehan sa Dabaw held last Monday at Greenwich, SM City Davao, Vice Mayor Luis Bonguyan said the new tax code has included garbage fee as one of the newest scheme that could increase the city’s income.

“The city government saw additional income from garbage collection with the imposition of fees on the trash that Dabawenyos produce daily” he said..

The vice mayor however said that poor families are exempted from the scheme.

The solid waste management division of the city environment and natural resources offices reported that Davao City has a daily garbage volume of between 450,000 to 500,000.

The collection of garbage according to Cenro is twice daily for some areas especially those in strategic places that are most frequented by people and visitors and is done late at night.

Cenro also said that the special collection with a fee of P500 was no longer practiced and hauling of garbage through this process has to be negotiated with the private hauler.

Bonguyan said that while the residents are still exempt from paying garbage fee at this point in time, charges will be made after the approval of the new tax code.

The charges, he said is based not on the volume of garbage but on the size of the lot a family occupies.

Those occupying over 100 sq. meters will be charged a monthly fee of P50 while those below the specified lot size will only pay P20 each month, he said.

For the industrial sector, the charges will be per truck load of P3,000, he said.

“If the establishment will have ten truck loads of garbage a day then the city could generate some revenues everyday with the disposal of the trash alone,” he said.

He said unlike before where establishments are only charged about P20,000 yearly which is incorporated upon payment of business registration and permits annually, the new tax code will charge them according to the volume of their garbage.

“The new tax code is fair enough and it is but a normal reaction of people that when there are changes especially in the schedule of revenues, they easily complain not realizing that this will all redound to their benefit,” he said.

With some innovation in the new tax code, the city is expected to generate an additional income of P300 million from its 2005 projected income of P1 billion generated out of local taxes.

Bonguyan also said that they are studying how they could implement tax measures in the underground economy.

He admitted however that he has no idea yet on how to go about it as it has to be undertaken by the City Treasurer’s Office although he said that everybody doing business in Davao City must pay the corresponding business taxes.

He said there are those who operate underground and are earning good enough and yet does not pay the corresponding taxes.

“But some of them are not paying taxes because they got discouraged during the filing of their business permit and has to wait long enough or come back the next day before they are entertained,” he said.

“But with the one-stop-shop already in place I hope the number of business registration and permits will improve and people will be encouraged to have their businesses acquire legal personality with the payment of mayor’s permit fees and other charges, he added. (PIA/pdbanzon)

Tagum women fuel local economy

by JMD Abangan

TAGUM CITY (30 November) — The women sector has indeed become a significant force to reckon with as a fuel to the local economy and as backbone to prop up household income.

Amidst hard times, women now have found financial relief from day-to-day expenditures in micro enterprise ventures like sidewalk vending; hawking goodies; selling delicacies, home-made processed meat, and others.

The Savings Credit with Education (SCWE), a micro-finance program of the Credit Union Empowerment and Strengthening (CUES)-Philippines has put significance to their being “small-time businesses.” It has made them proud borrowers.

“Dili kay mangutangay lang mi. Ang pagsulod namo sa SCWE dako ug kaayuhan para among pamilya. Daghan pud mi ug nakat-unan. (We are not mere borrowers. Our getting into SCWE has helped our family a lot. We are also learning a lot from it.),” Dardanilla del Santos of Nabunturan Integrated Cooperative in Compostela Valley said.

Dardanilla is one of the 5,000 strong micro-finance borrowers from partner cooperatives of CUES-Philippines in Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Agusan del Norte who attended the SCWE Grand Assembly in Tagum City held over the weekend (November 26).

Before joining SCWE more than six years ago, she was into selling puto and suman with barely P200 capital. She saved and rolled over her measly earnings until the time she borrowed an additional capital of P1,500 from CUES-Phils through SCWE.

Her small business has grown, enabling her to supply local orders of puto, suman, biko and other tasty delicacies in the entire Nabunturan. She is even planning to expand her business in Tagum City.

Aside from delicacies, she has diversified into sari-sari store, banana buy-and-sell business, and has bought for income-generating use two units of tricycles and a jeepney.

Her P8,000 earning a week is more than the monthly salary of a contractual government worker.

“Nakita gyod nako ang kalambuan sa pagnegosyo. (I have found progress in doing business.),” she said.

With her small business, she has been of great help to his husband in sending their children to college and provide for the daily needs of her family.

Cindy Moralla of Kapalong Cooperative in Davao del Norte has seen the same growth in micro business.

With P300 capital, she ventured into selling banana cue in schools and in the neighborhood five years ago before she heard of SCWE.

Getting a start up capital of P1,500 through SCWE, she shifted into fruit vending then diversified into letchon selling and chorizo-making.

She rolled over her profit until she has earned enough to buy a unit of motorcycle she used not only to deliver orders but also to pick up passengers.

Like Dardanilla, Cindy is earning as much as P4,000 weekly. She has more than enough to send her young children to school and build a new house.

Dardanilla and Cindy have both enjoyed the fruits of their labor without compromising their responsibility to pay their dues.

SCWE micro-financing program of CUES-Philippines has built-in discipline for paying dues and compulsory savings. It has an integrated education component which teaches beneficiaries home management, health and nutrition and even family planning. Beneficiaries are also taught simple bookkeeping and small business management

“This is a character-lending program, meaning you can borrow not based on your capacity but on your attitude to pay,” explains Rochelle Ferraren, field agent of Panabo Multi-Purpose Cooperative, a CUES-Philippines partner cooperative.

A management committee in a group of borrowers is set up composed of SCWE beneficiaries who see to it that members are able to pay their loans, otherwise, they all have to shoulder the loan and dues a member failed to pay.

SCWE has also instituted savings discipline, requiring beneficiaries to keep certain amount say P20 pesos with their cooperative.

“If they save more, much better,” says Evalyn Acebes, SCWE field supervisor in Kapalong.

With the savings and education mechanism of SCWE, women no matter how small the business they are into, have become empowered to meet head-on economically strait times.

They’ve freed their families from the bondage of debt, helped send their children to school, answer financial needs of their families, and fuel the economy in the countryside. (PIA)

Meningo cases turning up all over the Philippines, mostly Mindanao

As we reported yesterday, a young boy died in General Santos City on Sunday of the dreaded Meningo infection. Now, cases of Meningo seem to be popping up all over the Philippines, but mostly around Mindanao.

A radio station in Davao reported yesterday that there is a case of Meningo at a local Davao hospital.

According to SunStar Cagayan de Oro there is at least one case of Meningo in Cagayan now as well.

In addition, the Philippine Daily Inquirer is reporting that a death in Manila last week is now confirmed as being from Meningo.

This seems to be very serious. In early 2005 when there was a Meningo outbreak in Baguio resulted in numerous deaths. There is a lot of fear in the general public about this possible outbreak of meningo. I hope that the disease can be contained!

MILF leaders had great time at SEA Games

THE four Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders who graced the opening of the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila Sunday evening had a great time.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu made this statement in an interview Monday morning while having breakfast at the posh Manila Hotel.

Kabalu said North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piñol was a gracious host who accommodated them very well for the entire duration of their stay in Manila.

The rebel spokesman admitted that Piñol impressed him.

He said that the governor he knew before through television and newspaper reports is entirely different from the one he saw in person.

SunStar Davao

Hmm…. the MILF leaders graced the SEA Games opening? Doesn’t that seem kind of strange?