Category Archives: Press release

DOH, DEPED LAUNCH HEALTHY LEARNING INSTITUTIONS TO STRENGTHEN SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMS

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The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH) vowed to strengthen school health and nutrition programs in the basic education sector by launching “Pinalakas na Oplan Kalasuguan sa DepEd, Pinatatag na Health Learning Institution” in Quirino High School in Quezon City.

The ceremony gathered Executive Committee leaders of both DepEd and DOH, local government representatives of the host city, and selected school health and nutrition personnel nationwide to highlight the importance of a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to strengthen school health programs.

https://www.deped.gov.ph/

Institutionalized in 2018, Oplan Kalusugan sa DepEd or OK sa
DepEd is the convergence of DepEd’s health and nutrition initiatives for effective and efficient implementation at the school level in partnership with various stakeholders.

“I look forward to receiving the results of your consultative workshop summarizing the issues, concerns, and recommendations from regional school health and nutrition personnel, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte said.

Early this year, DepEd established a partnership with the DOH, and other national government agencies through Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2022-0001 or Guidelines on Healthy Settings Framework in Learning Institutions. It is to strengthen school health under the basic education sector as Healthy Learning Institutions (HLI) or Health Iskwela, via the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Legal Education Board (LEB), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

According to Section 30 of Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act, JAO operationalizes the designation of schools as healthy settings based on standards set by the DOH and DepEd.

The DOH manifested its gratitude for the efforts of DepEd in prioritizing students’ health and well-being. The Department also expressed its commitment to support the DepEd in this endeavor.

“Through a whole of government and whole of society approach, the DOH commits to helping DepEd in ensuring students’ health and well-being through improving access to health care, creating and writing healthy school policies; creating conducive physical and social environments; strengthening links with the community on health, and reinforcing health skills and education. We are confident that this innovative strategy of deep cooperation between the sectors of health and education at the national, regional, and local levels will be fruitful in maximizing the positive impact of education on Filipino students,” said DOH OIC-Undersecretary Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho

The Health Iskwela framework is being pilot-tested in 273 last-mile elementary schools in eight provinces and one city. The OK sa DepEd will adopt the program framework.

“The HLI Framework, based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) six pillars of health-promoting school, serves as an effective guide as to how we can strengthen the implementation of our existing health and nutrition programs under OK sa DepEd,” Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo said.

Press Release

Allow Only Fully Vaccinated in Malls, Restaurants, and Others Establishments in NCR After ECQ

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With the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, where the transmission rate has exceeded the average countrywide rate of COVID-19 infections, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said that it is time for both the government and the private sector to consider implementing stronger measures in the National Capital Region (NCR) to effectively mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion

“We are pushing for establishments in NCR, such as malls, restaurants, and others, to allow only fully vaccinated individuals so we can create safer bubbles. For example, dining areas with fully vaccinated restaurant crew serving fully vaccinated dine-in customers. This is of course upon having enough fully vaccinated residents in a certain city in Metro Manila,” Concepcion said.

He cited data from the Philippine General Hospital which found 187 individuals out of the total of 265 COVID-19 patients admitted as of August 15 were unvaccinated. The San Lazaro Hospital, meanwhile, reported that 82 percent of the total severe and critical cases of COVID-19 were also unvaccinated individuals.

“Implementing stronger measures during the ECQ in NCR, even if it is extended, will preserve the benefits of the lockdown. It will prevent us from compromising what we have already achieved so far, and what we can achieve in the future. We’ll finally reap the benefits of our sacrifices,” he said.

Concepcion added that the Philippines must benchmark against similar measures in other countries. In Jakarta, malls reopened at 25 percent capacity, but only to fully vaccinated individuals. Singapore, which has vaccinated 75 percent of its population, is allowing the fully vaccinated to resume activities that require the removal of masks and even gather in groups of no more than five people.

“We have seen in France under President Macron’s leadership that restricting the mobility of unvaccinated individuals is not only effective in preventing the spread of the virus, but also in encouraging people to get vaccinated,” he said.

Concepcion said that limiting the mobility of unvaccinated individuals, especially in Metro Manila, is not impossible given the aggressive inoculation rollouts already in effect during the ECQ.

“It will not be imposed unreasonably. That’s why there is a milestone in terms of the percentage of vaccinated individuals. We are aware that we need to vaccinate more people before we drastically do this. That is why we are aggressively rolling out our vaccination program in the country especially here in NCR even during the current lockdown,” Concepcion said.

“In the end, these measures will also encourage people to do their civic duty and take the vaccines. There may be more variants to come, but we have to realize that vaccination is the only key. The private sector wants to see an end to these lockdowns. A ‘close open’ type of economy is something we cannot afford to have.”

Political prisoners’ art exhibit on Independence Day

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Sa Timyas ng Paglaya POSTER

IN TIME for the commemoration of the 118th Independence Day of the Philippines, the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda), in cooperation with Hustisya, Desaparecidos and Task Force Free the Artist, mounts an art exhibit featuring over a 100 paintings and drawings by more than 20 political prisoners, plus some sculptures and an array of handicrafts.

Titled Sa Timyas ng Paglaya, the art exhibit opens at 4 PM on June 11, 2016 at the Bulwagan ng Dangal, Main Library Basement, University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. It will run until June 18, 2016.

Most of the artists have never done any visual work before imprisonment, and only learned the craft in detention. Among the exhibitors are Alan Jazmines, Eduardo Sarmiento, Renante Gamara and Tirso Alcantara who are all peace consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

The opening of the exhibit has been scheduled on the eve of what is deemed as the Independence Day of the Philippines. Because timyas means genuineness, the exhibit hints to probe into the authenticity of our country’s freedom even as it bolsters the campaign to free all political prisoners in our midst.

Of the 543 political prisoners, 48 are elderly, 88 are ailing, and at least 50 are women. Majority have been arrested and slapped with trumped-up charges by the outgoing Noynoy Aquino administration.

In a not-so related event, check out MF NAMM for musical instruments and accessories. It’s a one-stop shop for NAMM’s best products this year.