RP To Ban Mercury-based Medical Devices in 2010

The Philippine government, through the Department of Health is finally taking steps to phase-out mercury-based medical devices in all health facilities in 2010. The measure was made following a worldwide campaign to eliminate mercury-laden tools in all medical facilities, citing the high toxicity level of the substance which could affect humans in all probability. The mercury which was already in use for a long time in some medical implements like thermometer and blood pressure apparatus has become an issue only in recent years. The authorities and medical experts, however late in their actions on the dangers of the substance, were relentlessly campaigning about the health hazard of mercury in the community. In the Asia-Pacific Region, Taiwan came first in introducing regulations banning mercury in all of their medical facilities until 2011 owing to the fact that the island-nation has one of the best medical services and facilities in the world.

Aspiring OFWs Attends Various TESDA Trainings for Overseas Jobs

Manila – Many aspiring Overseas Filipino Workers are attending various Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) trainings being offered nationwide. The trainings are part of the national government program for OFWs to meet the high standard of work ethics and procedures in rich countries which usually hosts Overseas Filipino Workers.
The training program serves as knowledge-based tool for OFWs which they could easily use in their respective jobs as specified in their contract. The TESDA training, in partnership with different training centers comes up with different skills development like hotel and restaurant service, welding, masonry, carpentry and other trainings that highly in-demand abroad.
Before, departing OFWs are not required to take TESDA trainings but after a significant study the national government implemented new guidelines for OFWs to prepare themselves by taking specific trainings being offered by the different training centers accredited by TESDA.
The training programs has positive results because OFWs continuously leave the country to fill various jobs in Canada, Europe and in international vessels sailing around the world.

Seafarers’ Training a Tough Act for Women Trainees

Seeing women trainees in a male dominated training center for seafarers make oneself think that women are now in equal footing with men. Female crews can be seen in every luxury ships or passenger vessels sailing in the different parts of the world. But before they could have a promising job onboard ships, female crews undergoes the same training that men usually take as seafarers.

Women trainees are required to take Basic Safety Training like; Personal Survival Techniques, Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting, Elementary First Aid and Personal Safety and Social Responsibility. Thus, upon completing the IMO requirement, women trainees are now ready to face the briny world as seafarers.

But behind the excitement and challenges as trainees, women however experience some kind of insult, sexism, stereotype and mischievous conduct from their male counterpart which usually act as a dominant factor in treating women as sex object. In that case, women are forced unnecessarily to play the game of their naughty male counterpart.

This kind of system is downgrading to women. And women should be taught on how to conduct their selves in a male dominated training centers. Seafarers’ training is really a tough act for women trainees looking for a promising job as seafarers.

Sailing Around the World Seafarers’ Adventure of a Lifetime

[gallery]Ahoy There! For seafarers it means to greet fellow seafarers after a long voyage in the high seas. Plainly, seafarers are the men and women who greet you whether you are on vacation aboard cruise ships or meet you at the port unloading tons of goods for delivery from one country to another.

Seafarers provide unlimited services to the world 24/7 which is why the world needs them more than ever. The connection of seafarers to the world is greatly immeasurable compounded by the courage and sacrifice that the men and women always intended to display.

The seafarers make the world turn where their adventure start and end. But for them the adventure is worth to cherish for a lifetime. They sail around the world and see its beauty as seafarers. And like any other, seafarers may come and go. Changing of guard is always the key to continue the life of sailing.

New recruits make-up the life of sailing and as new seafarers they are dispatched and assigned to continue crewing ships all over the world. And the Philippines continue to send the best seafarers the world needs. And yes, we continue to do so as what the new batches of trainees taking-up Basic Safety Training and related courses at the Far East Maritime Foundation Inc. hoping to join fellow seafarers now working onboard ships around the world.

Mini Forest within Baguio City under Study for Commercial Development

A mini forest owned by the Government Social Insurance Service (GSIS) located within the prime land of the City of Baguio is under study for commercial development. SM, the country’s biggest mall operator in tandem with GSIS plans to construct a commercial building to cater to both local and foreign tourists.

The plan if push through, will make the place a jungle of concrete edifices eliminating of what remains the only lush greeneries in the city. The various sectors, driven by their love of the environment and the green foliage that makes the place serene, lambasted the development plan.

But the oppositions are up against a formidable nemesis. The GSIS head is a tough lackey of the administration and the SM Malls spread all over the country is owned by one of the richest taipans in Asia.

Portrait of Poverty Fades Away

Sixteen years after the “portrait of poverty” was made popular by former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos to the Filipino nation, the portrait is now ready to be buried and be gone forever. The portrait that the former President literally saw from a colony of squatters in the infamous Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City actually was a poor and uneducated family man of eight.

The man called Mang Pandoy by name became popular when he was used by the former president for political propaganda in 1992. Mang Pandoy was portrayed as a symbol of poverty by the then Ramos administration. The former president promised that he would do everything to improve Mang Pandoy’s lot in particular and the nation’s poverty in general.

Decade and a half later, the 73 year old Mang Pandoy met his creator. He died of tuberculosis last Sunday October 31, 2008. His death bring back the issue of “portrait of poverty” immortalized by Mang Pandoy as placed on him by Ramos. The attention given to Mang Pandoy was then expected to change the poverty incidence in the country.

But it was WRONG. Mr. Ramos himself deliberately abandoned his promises and pledges to Mang Pandoy and the nation. Mang Pandoy brought with him the ‘portrait of poverty” to his grave. He was born poor and died poor. He symbolized poverty until his death which he literally fought to the last breath but suffered defeat.

That defeat is the same thing happening to the million of poor Filipinos struggling to get out of poverty. While in stark contrast, politicians like Ramos and the present Philippine leaders are winning in their fight in enriching and amassing wealth by hook or by crook.

The City Of Garbage

waste management

Two days before the 99^th founding anniversary and one year before the centennial celebration, the City of Baguio has yet to find a long term solution to the garbage problem. Added to the problem is the bickering among elected local officials on who should be given contract to haul the garbage and how much the estimate cost allocation to fund the said project which was initially proposed by the city mayor.

The mayor in his eagerness to solve the garbage crisis, unilaterally and may be with the recommendation of his inner circle, inked an agreement with Metro Waste to haul the garbage and transport it to Tarlac, a province in Central Luzon which is absolutely a distant far from Baguio City, a mountain resort north of the Philippines.

Thus the other city officials concerned questioned the agreement. They contend that the project is too costly because it will need more manpower and resources to fund the garbage hauling considering that its transportation to the lowland will cost the city government millions of pesos.

But despite of opposition, disagreement and brickbats, the city mayor won in his desire to resolve the garbage crisis which has been fouling the air of the Summer Capital of the Philippines for the past months. This short term solution of the mayor hopefully will sustain and continue until next year for the 100 years founding anniversary celebration of the former US R&R resort City of Baguio.

Underground Water Source Faces Natural Extinction

underground water source

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underground water source[gallery

Baguio City – An underground water source in one of the villages in this mountain resort city is threatened to become extinct if no action taken. The city government, village officials and the residents themselves had been remiss in their responsibility to protect this gift from nature which has been serving villagers in Irisan and Asin of potable water for a long time.

The underground water source is a strong current of water coming from the stone crevices or fissures which is located inside a cave of a rocky mountain of Irisan Barangay (Village) which is incidentally where the open dumpsite sit on top of it. On the lower part of the mountain (north side) is a newly constructed unfinished road and big houses alongside rock formation that hold pile of garbage from moving downward.

Before, the water is crystal clear, clean, and drinkable. But as time passes by and as the human settlements keep on increasing in the area, coincided with the decades of dumpsite operation, the once potable underground water source is now only good for washing linens and for other purposes except for cooking and drinking.

Rainy season makes the water brown in color caused by water canal coming from the dumping area that goes directly down the cave. As picture shows, the underground water source is a great help to the villagers. Different sizes and makes of water pipes snakes through in and outside of the cave.

Most of the water pipe connection services the Asin Barangay (Village) kilometer away from the main water source. Good for the villagers because water flows down easily to their village. But the serviceability ends there. The water is already contaminated and worst; it could no longer serve its purpose and die naturally. Unless the government and the community save it from deterioration, the cave with its pure water will live for generations or if not for life.

The Marian Tenets of Prayer

One of the fundamental beliefs of the Catholic Church that had been debated since time immemorial is the prayer itself. Religious scholars, agnostics, atheists and different groups have questioned the tenets of the Catholic Church on why they pray to the Virgin Mary, instead of addressing only one God in their prayer.

Many believe that the church leaders inadvertently distorted the holy bible in as much as they distorted religious facts itself. The debate farther put into question the way Catholics perform the Holy Rosary by mentioning the Virgin Mary repeatedly in a recitative prayer speech. And how does it really work to get miracles from God albeit His name was hardly mentioned in the Holy Rosary? It’s a big question mark for unbelievers.

But for the devotees of Virgin Mary, they argued that miracles happen in their lifetime. Their well established faith on Mary all the more gives them extreme admiration and deep worships whom they treat as equal to God. Apparently, the devotees, whom we can safely refer as idolaters, were no longer addressing God in their prayers. Rather, the Marian devotees constantly communicate with the Virgin Mary which unnecessarily omitting God’s name in between prayers.

Websites that Promotes Dollar Earnings Proliferates

There are too many of them actually and netizen like me is just puzzled about its true purpose and authenticity. Their promotional activity is almost the same and one would be attracted once he/she browse the websites’ dollar giveaways. A friend of mine referred me to some of these websites and after reading the agreement and other stuff, I hesitantly signed up. As a new member, I am still on a evaluation mode, taking it carefully whether it is not a scam or something that would give me problem later.

For the benefit of others I am sharing two of the websites that I think is risk free and worth trying. Please feel free to follow the links below.

http://incomebux.webspacemania.com/register.php?r=searchingnomad

http://AWSurveys.com/HomeMain.cfm?RefID=nomadicasian