DA 11’s onion derby in Monkayo aims to improve Davao Region’s production

By MAYA M. PADILLO

The regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA 11) staged a novel onion derby in the municipality of Monkayo in Davao de Oro on May 4, 2023 aiming to improve the production of onion in the Davao Region and not depend on the outside sources.

Onion derby targets to identify the best and high-yielding bulb onion seed variety that is suitable to the soil quality and climatic condition of the Davao Region.

The aforementioned showcase of onion varieties, which was held in a 5,000 square meter production space, was participated by four onion seed companies.

“Ang derby mura ni siya ug pa contest kung unsa ang seeds na maayo. Naay upat ka players ug same area nga magdungan sila ug tanum,” said Abel James Monteagudo, regional director of DA-11, during the Agribiz Media Forum at SM Lanang Premier on Tuesday. Through this onion derby, seed companies can showcase their best variety and technology, and find out what variety can grow in particular climate conditions.

Hydrogène de France (HDF) Energy Asia furthers the development of its renewable power plants in Asia by bringing its renewable energy to Mindanao.

On May 5, 2023, HDF inked a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), OLTAMA (Olutanga, Talusan, and Mabuhay) Development Alliance and Pagadian City LGU, and the Zamboanga del Sur II Electric Cooperative at the Acacia Hotel Davao for the development of Olutanga Hydrogen Renewable Power Plant Project in Zamboanga Sibugay.

The municipalities of Olutanga, Talusan, and Mabuhay in Zamboanga Sibugay will serve as pilot areas for the said project, which will be developed in Talusan, Zamboanga Sibugay.

But Mathieu Geze, president and director of HDF Energy Asia, said they will still conduct a study of the project, specially the water source as it will need water to produce energy.

French Ambassador to the Philippines Michéle Boccoz said the power plant is expected to contribute to the development of Zamboanga Sibugay and Mindanao as a whole by providing non-intermittent and clean energy to the area.

“I am sure that this project will pave the way to new partnership opportunities as HDF Energy is currently developing its pipeline of projects across Mindanao. As we must now address major challenges such as climate

FHYDROGÈNE, P6

At least 256 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels surrendered and 113 firearms were retrieved in a series of anti-insurgency operations launched by the Police Regional Office (PRO) 13 (Caraga) during the first quarter of the year.

In a statement Friday, PRO-13 said 63 rebels were arrested during the conduct of manhunt operations while the 193 other NPA combatants voluntarily surrendered to various PRO-13 field units from January to April.

Among the NPA leaders arrested were Remon H. Tumanan, 32; Junie H. Tumanan, 28; and a certain “YangYang,” 31, respectively the top three most-wanted persons in the region.

The three, identified as high-ranking leaders of the NPA Guerrilla Front 4B under the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee, were arrested in Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte on Feb. 28.

Meanwhile, the NPA surrenderers handed over 113 firearms and 73 explosive devices during the period.

“The arrests and surrender will further weaken the NPA group in the region,” PRO-13 Director Brig. Gen. Pablo Labra II.

He acknowledged the support of the local government units, communities, and other government agencies in the intensified campaign against the communist rebels. (PNA)

On Monday Executive Order No. 03 allowing the voluntary wearing of face masks in outdoor settings and reiterating the continued implementation of the Minimum Public Health Standards during the State of Public Health Emergency relative to the Covid-19 pandemic:

“Init kaayo,” my nephew said recently.

At that time, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the heat index in various parts of the country “may hit 40°C and above.”

“At midday, expect highest air temperatures at 34-35°C in several areas,” the country’s weather bureau said. “But the heat index – or the heat felt by our bodies – may possibly exceed 40°C.”

That’s too hot to handle, indeed!

As warm-blooded beings, we maintain our body temperature with a narrow range (within one or two degrees of 37°C) despite large fluctuations in external temperatures.

“This internal temperature range must be maintained for the body to function normally,” pointed The Merck Manual of Medical Information. “Body temperature that gets too high or too low can result in serious injury to organs or death.”

Heat sickness, health experts tell us, is a fast-acting, dangerous killer. Examples include

heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.

Heat cramps are associated with a lack of fluids, high temperatures and a lack of physical conditions. They can be treated with water, cool air, and rest.

Heat exhaustion, on the other hand, is a serious illness and should be carefully monitored. Cool, shady environments, liquids, cool rags placed on various areas of the body, and replenishment of electrolytes are used to treat this condition.

Heatstroke is the most severe form of heat-induced illness. In fact, it is a medical emergency. The person must be brought to the hospital at once.

“Heatstroke can kill or cause damage to the brain and other internal organs,” says the website, webmd.org. “Although heatstroke mainly affects people over age 50, it also takes a toll on healthy, young athletes.”

Indeed, heat has a profound impact on our health. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) said that extreme heat is responsible for hundreds or thousands of deaths around the world every year.

“It is also associated with an

increased risk of conditions including heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Heat also exacerbates mental health conditions, hampers cognitive functioning and makes a person more aggressive,” Forbes observed.

One sustainable and less expensive way of beating extreme heat is trees. A study published in the Lancet medical journal said that planting more trees in the cities could cut the number of people dying from high temperatures in summer.

We can add the dry spell and long drought which the forthcoming El Niño brings.

“The cooling effect of trees comes largely from shading and transpiration, which is when water within the tree is released as water vapor through their leaves,” explains New Scientist. “This process takes heat energy from the surrounding environment for evaporation, lowering the surrounding temperature.”

Transpiration, my high school science teacher told us, is “loss of water through small tiny pores of leaves called stomata. When this water comes on the surface of the leaf, the

After April 17, 2019, when Republic Act 11326 was approved, Davao City’s Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), at age 102, snared the title as the country’s largest public hospital with a 1,500bed capacity. Before this, the honor belonged to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila, which has a capacity of 1,500 beds, inclusive of the 400 beds clas-sified as private.

SPMC’s provenance dates to December 20, 1917, following the enactment of Act No. 2727. Any mention of ‘hospital in Davao’ in official records prior to this date exclusively re-fers to Davao Mission Hospital (DMH, now Brokenshire), a sectarian sickbay opened in 1908.

It was in 1918 that funds for the acquisition of a property for a public hospital were allot-ted. The Philippine Legislature passed Act No. 2736, on

February 15, 1918, followed by Act No. 2785, approved on December 21, 1918, which budgeted funds for the proposed hospi-tal’s operations and personnel services. The lot bought for the purpose is where the Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine (IPBM) now stands, along Jose P. Laurel Avenue.

The public hospital’s first provisional facility was a sick ward that was turned over by the Bureau of Public Works (BPW) to the Philippine Health Service. Originally, the infirmary was exclusively used by the workers. Outside the military hospital that catered to American ser-vicemen and Filipino conscripts, public health services were wholly handled by the DMH. The public hospital, by now known as Davao Public Hospital, was inaugurated on Novem-ber 28, 1921.

SPMC’s expansions can be water evaporates thereby causing a cooling effect.”

This is the reason why we feel comfortable when we stand under a tree.

“Trees and other plants help cool the environment, making vegetation a simple and effective way to reduce urban heat islands,” the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said.

Studies have shown that areas shaded by trees may be 11-25°C cooler than the peak temperature of unshaded areas. Evapotranspiration, alone or in combination with shading, can help reduce peak summer temperature by 1-5°C.

But where have all our trees gone?

A few years back, I accompanied an American friend who visited a Bible school somewhere in the outskirts of Davao City. It was too late when we arrived at the place. Since there was no more electricity by 9 pm, I decided to sleep immediately.

When I woke up the following day, I didn’t see my companion in his bed. I was wondering where he went. But since it was too early to wake up, I decided to go back to sleep. It was around 6 in the morning when I heard my friend calling my name.

“What’s up?” I inquired. “I just came from that mountain up there. I went jogging. I saw this sign (showing something written on his palm). Can you read what this means?” he begged. Well, it was written in our vernacular so he didn’t understand what it meant. It said: “Guinadili ang pagpamutol sa mga kahoy!”

When I told him what those words were, he smirked. “Are you kidding me,” he said. “There are no more trees out there!”

Some records showed that 54 years after Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan “rediscovered” the Philippines, ninety-two percent (27.5 million hectares) of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares was covered with forests. This went down to 70 percent (20.9 million hectares) in 1863, then to 64 percent (18.9 million hectares) in 1920, and 36.3 percent (10.9 million hectares) in 1970.

Despite laws banning cutting of trees, deforestation still continues. So, don’t wonder why it is very hot these days.

attributed, in part, to several factors: (i) its location in Davao, the most populous region in southern Philippines; (ii) its declaration as the premier public hospital for Mindanao and Sulu; (iii) it’s being the most modern and best-equipped public hospital outside Metro Manila; (iv) it’s being host to a Heart Center and a Burn Center, the only ones outside Metro Manila; and (v) the thriving business, tourism, and healthy envi-ronment of Davao.

During the war, the hospital, like the DMH, became a Japanese military headquarters. It served as an infirmary for sick and injured soldiers and was also used as an operation center. Within a hundred meters from its location, American structures and Filipino residences were taken over by the Japanese soldiers, both infantry and naval, as quarters.

The present SPMC site, meanwhile, was a vital Japanese HQ that hosted barracks, a training ground, and a bunker. Situated across what was known as Cabaguio Airfield (the stretch from Palm Drive to the former Lanang golf course), the complex was also a key sup-ply hub.

During the liberation of Davao, the hospital was not spared from the Allied forces’ aerial bombardments while ferreting out Japanese stragglers. As a result, its iconic buildings sus-tained severe damage. For it to reopen, the provincial engineer’s office spearheaded the reha-bilitation while the U.S. Medical Corps assisted in reconstituting the hospital’s medical ser-vices.

The hospital, according to official accounts, started as a 50-bed sickbay and transitioned, after over nine decades of operation, into a 1,200-bed hospital under RA 9792, approved on November 19, 2009.

A decade later, under RA 11326, signed on April 17, 2019, its bed capac-ity expanded to 1,600, making it the country’s largest tertiary hospital.

Section 2 of RA 11326 states: “The existing hospital facilities and professional health care services of the SPMC are also hereby upgraded and increased to conform with and be com-mensurate to the increase in bed capacity” SPMC’s growth, as shown by the frenzied constructions going on inside its sprawling compound, is palpable. With the old dorms and outpatient clinics giving way to multi-story developments, all open spaces still available are expected, in years to come, to host more medical facilities, making the tertiary hospital as the mecca of medical services south of the country.