KALIBO, Aklan, Philippines (PIA) – Aklan’s Chief Social Insurance Officer J’Roel del Rosario asked Aklanons to bear with his office if their needs are not served immediately. He said said some 300 persons come to his office daily to secure such needs as documents for hospitalized relatives, pay contributions and get information on various maters.

“Many people are in a hurry to get their needs, but services are sometimes dependent on the electronic system and if our internet connection is down or there is no power, service slows down,” he says, adding that oftentimes, “Philhealth members or beneficiaries come requesting for copies of their Member Data Records (MDR) but this thing could be avoided if they were able to have their original MDR photocopied, the hospital furnished a copy and if they put the original copy away for safekeeping.”

ITCZ spotted

CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – PAGASA-Mactan said an inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) has been spotted in Mindanao and will bring rains to Cebu and the rest of the Visayas region anytime season.

 Boy Artiaga of PAGASA-Mactan said “it may rain in some parts of Cebu depending on where the formation of the rain clouds are” even as he advised the public just to bring umbrellas and raincoats.

Cebu’s temperature will run between 31 to 33 degrees Celsius, Artiaga said. The Department of Health (DoH) here is also warning the public to wear appropriate clothing during rainy weather to avoid getting sick.

Road project

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo recently led in the blessing and inauguration of newly-improved Taft and Libertad Streets in Brgy. 8, Dumaguete City, the rehabilitation of which had earlier received P1 million from the provincial government.

Among the local government units that has benefited from provincial government-funded road projects, Negros Oriental capital, Dumaguete City has received the biggest share with P13 million, taken from the province’s 20 percent development fund.

Anti-filariasis

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte (PIA) – To heighten the campaign against filariasis, the Department of Health in Region 8 is conducting the Mass Drug Administration (MDA), which is the Department of Health (DoH)’s major strategy in eliminating the transmission of lymphatic filariasis through Eastern Visayas.

DoH 8 director Eduardo Gonzaga said such MDA is giving the combination drugs to all population ages two years and above in all the established endemic area whether infected or non-infected with filariasis. Gonzaga said Region 8 is the first region declared by the National Filariasis Elimination Program as filariasis-free in the country, with Southern Leyte as the first filariasis-free province and with Biliran declared as third province to be free from the disease.

Unlimited time

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) – Just as the Consumer Act of the Philippines outlaws the “no return, no exchange policy,” the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Bohol stresses that there is no time limit for the return of shoddy or defective goods.

DTI Bohol consumer division head Jose Hibaya recently told local media here that “the law is not specific on the time limit for return of defective items. This matter came about just as ConsumerWatch Bohol, an outreach program of the Holy Name Alumni Association reported that it has recently facilitated the linking up of consumers and agencies concerned over complaints of shoddy goods and imperfect services.