PORAC, Pampanga — Under its environmental awareness campaign, the Ecclesiastical District in Pampanga of the religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) has planted over 3,000 banana seedlings along the three-kilometer stretch of the Mega Dike in Barangay Manibaug Porac here over the weekend. The event was participated by the INC Christian Family Organizations, including the Buklod (for married members), Kadiwa (single members aged 18 and above) and Binhi (members who are under 18 years old). The activity was spearheaded by its District Supervising Minister Manuel Soriano. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)

P.R.C. ACTIVITY

LUCENA CITY, Quezon — Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman Richard Gordon signed on Sunday a Memorandum of Agreement with the Quezon-Department of Education (DepEd) headed by School District Supt. Tolentino Aquino for the promotion of voluntarily blood donation and intensification of the Red Cross 143 volunteer program in all barangays and schools in the province. Gordon, with PRC Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang, led the holding of mass blood donation in celebration of Blood Donors month with the Quezon-Lucena City Chapter here. (Danny Estacio)

LANDFILL PLAN

ALITAGTAG, Batangas — A 13,000-square-meter proposed sanitary landfill by the local government unit (LGU) here passed the requirements set by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 4-A recently. The landfill site, which was located in Barangay San Juan and will be purchased by the municipal government, was confirmed as a suitable for sanitary landfill facility (SLF) after a geological assessment  was conducted by the MGB 4-A geologists requested by Alitagtag municipal councilor Edilberto G. Ponggos, chairman of the Committee on Environment and Municipal Environment and Natural Resources officer Sofronio P. Catanyag. (Ferdinand F. Castro)

PHILHEALTH PROGRAM

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) recently signed an agreement with the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital (JBLMRH) for the immediate implementation of a program that seeks to unburden poor patients suffering from leukemia, breast cancer and kidney failure. Under the PhilHealth’s Z-Benefit Program, eligible PhilHealth members and their qualified dependents covered under the package could avail themselves of rates like P210,000 for three years on leukemia treatment, P100,000 for breast cancer on the entire treatment course, P100,000 for prostate cancer treatment and up to P600,000 for kidney transplant. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)

NUTRITION MONTH

ANTIPOLO CITY — The city is hosting this year’s gathering of nutritionists all over the province in time for the observance of Nutrition Month. The office of Rizal Gov. Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III said this year’s 38th Nutrition Month, with the theme, “Pagkain ng Gulay, Ugaliian, Araw-Araw Itong Ihain, will be held at the Ynares Center in this city on July 27 with the barangay nutrition scholars (BNS) from the 14 localities of the province attending this year’s biggest convention of the nutritionists of Rizal province. The local government units’ Municipal Nutrition Action Office is the organizer of the gathering in partnership with the Rizal provincial government. (Nel B. Andrade)