New dengue strain can cause outbreak

By: Tara Yap

THE ILOILO Provincial Health Office (IPHO) is worried that a new strain of dengue fever may cause another outbreak again.

“We know that the new strain emerges within a span of three years,” said PHO chief Patricia Grace Trabado.

The Serotype 4 dengue strain became prevalent in 2010, the same year when a dengue outbreak occurred in Iloilo province.

Approximately 6,500 dengue cases with 32 deaths were recorded in 42 towns and one component city of Iloilo during the outbreak.

From January 1 to June 8 of this year, a total of 1,290 cases were recorded including 10 deaths.

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Massive blackout hits Panay, Negros Islands

By: Maricyn delos Santos

PANAY and Negros Island suffered from a massive blackout Tuesday afternoon due to the tripping of the 138 kilovolt (KV) Kabankalan-Bacolod transmission lines 1 and 2.

The massive blackout started 2:39pm which froze operations of government and private offices in franchise area of five power distributors in Iloilo and Negros Occidental.

The blackout affected the consumers of Panay Electric Cooperative, Iloilo Electric Cooperative 1, VMC Electric Cooperative, Central Negros Electric Cooperative, and portions of Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative.

In Iloilo City, the 164-megawatt coal-fired power plant at Brgy. Ingore, La Paz tripped due to the fault in the grid, according to Nicelee V. Morales, external affairs officer of Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC).

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LTO to study habal-habal proposal

By: Tara Yap

WHILE habal-habal is illegal, the hierarchy of Land Transportation Office (LTO) can look into proposals to regulate this mode of transportation.

LTO-6 assistant regional director Anuel Bonite said habal-habal or motorcycles used as passenger units are prohibited by the Land Transportation Code.

“If we follow existing rules, it is illegal.  However, it is prevalent in far-flung areas,” Bonite noted.

Bonite apprehending habal-habal operators is very difficult.

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In honor of the news: Media reexamination of the news in a democracy

June 19,2013 12:48 AM

(Last of 2 parts)

By: Ramon R. Tuazon

(Speech delivered during the Philippine Press Institute’s National Press Forum, June 13-14, New World Hotel, Makati City)

PRINT journalists observed that the culture of impunity is experienced by other sectors but was made more pronounced among journalists because “maingay lang tayo (the media is loud and outspoken)” unlike other sectors which do not have direct access to mass media to publicize their plight. Read more...

Culture of death still gaining ground

June 19,2013 12:46 AM

By: Fr. Roy Cimagala

JUST learned that the Belgian parliament is poised to approve euthanasia even for children. This, to me, is a new low in the slippery slope of the culture of death that can start with what many people say as harmless like contraception, or even way before that. Read more...

ROTC, once more

June 19,2013 12:44 AM

By: Modesto P. Sa-onoy

THE Department of National Defense has expressed support for the plan to revive the Reserve Officers Training Corps or ROTC as part of the college course. Before it was abolished on a knee-jerk reaction by Congress, ROTC was mandatory for male but also open to female college students. Read more...

Exceptions to the rule

June 19,2013 12:42 AM

By: Luis V. Teodoro

WHETHER FORMAL education is necessary or not is a question often raised about journalism more than about other callings and professions–and it’s often raised by journalists themselves. Read more...