Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

National Press Congress

The 16th National Press Congress and the Global Media Forum will be the highlights of the National Press Congress Month celebration set on Dec. 8-10 this year. It will be held in Boracay Island, with the world’s second best beach.

Louie T. Arriola, publisher of Asean BizTimes and Vice President of the Boracay Global Press Corps (BGPC), will chair this year’s joint national and international media event.

Arriola is also a member of the World Association of Newspapers, and Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc.

The 2011 National Press Congress (NPC) and the Global Media Forum (GMF) in Boracay Island will bring together some 300 publishers, broad-casters, CEOs, managing directors, chief editors, senior media executives, as well as global experts, tourism editors, information officers, and publication editors from the academe.

Theme of the Boracay Island media convergence will revolve around "the changing face of Asian Journalism." It will also revolve around the main levers required to move the media industry forward, Arriola said.

The holding of the National Press Congress is in observance of the "National Press Congress Month" and the "Month of the Community Press’ pursuant to Proclamation No. 1187 issued by the President of the Philippines.

Spread of H1N1

The Department of Health on Wednesday, October 5 warned against possible spread on H1N1 (a type of Influenza or flu) in evacuation centers in the provinces specially those flooded.

At a briefing during the regional development council (RDC) meeting, DOH Undersecretary Eric Tayag reported that H1N1 is among the diseases DOH is monitoring from the evacuees who are suffering from upper respiratory diseases.

Tayag said, "DOH personnel would conduct hospital visits and will get swabs from those suffering from upper respiratory illness. H1N1 could easily be transmitted in overcrowded evacuation centers through saliva droplets".

The DOH is also monitoring the possible spread of acute water diarrhea or cholera, dysentery, dengue, typhoid fever and leptospirosis.

The health department is also concerned with inadequate number of portable toilets in evacuation centers, particularly in Calumpit and Hagonoy, Bulacan.

According to Tayag, the ideal ratio is one portable toilet for 20 people but at present 50 to 150 people are using one toilet.

The DOH also expressed concern on the practice of some residents to throw their garbage and human waste in the floodwater.

Tayag reported, they recommended the use of garbage boat to collect the garbage and human waste from flooded houses.

Flood

The flood water typhoon Pedring brought to Central Luzon specifically in Bulacan and Pampanga may stay for another days. It damaged billion pesos worth of agricultural crops.

In Cagayan Valley provinces, flood waters are still damaging lives and properties. It also impedes people from working.

With this damages on rice, corn, and vegetables, food shortage is anti-cipated. Available foods for sale may have increase in prices. Agriculture infrastructures like bridges, farm to market roads, irrigation system will adversely affect food production and prices.

With this situation, it will take months for Luzon farmers to rehabilitate their farm. This will affect food supply in the Visayas like Aklan, and Capiz /MP