by Lito Dar

Health and environment problems such as climate change are all caused mainly by human induced behavior particularly behaviors that are not morally and spiritually guided.

This was stressed by former Senator Leticia Ramos Shahani, in her keynote address, during the “Inward, Upward…Onward, Forward—for health, environmental integrity, and Human Values,” symposium Friday at the University of the Philippines (UP-Baguio).

According to Shahani, aside from health and environmental concerns, the Philippines is now also sliding down or moving backward, from once one of the leading economic country in Asia, which is why all Filipinos should wake up and help the government move the country forward.

“Wake up my friends, my fellow Filipinos, it will depend on each and everyone of us, not only to help ourselves but also to help others, to serve all as the problems of health, environment are mainly because of human behavior, interventions not guided by values. It is about time that we take our responsibility, for our national destiny and faith,” Shahani said.

Shahani said that it is important for every person to look inside themselves, since there is good in each and everyone, then to look upward – to God, for spiritual guidance, as this is what each and everyone needs - moral and spiritual values - to move forward and help others, even the government, in moving the country forward.

“We have to make our inner lives the foundation of what our outer lives is going to be. We have something good inside each and every one of us and our inward part is the starting point of ourselves. Learn how to keep silent so you can listen to yourself, then you would realize that there are many good qualities, peaceful, good, respectful, which is very important in any things that you are doing, personally, on health or environment, on shaping your own human values,” Shahani said.

“With the power of this human (moral) value and through spiritual guidance, we can transform this country, regarding who are the government leaders, the transformation will depend on all of us, as the power is all inside of each and every one of us,” Shahani stressed.

The said symposium was organized by the Brahma Kumaris Philippine Foundation, in partnership with the City Government of Baguio, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Health (DOH), the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary, in line of the celebration of Health Day and Earth Day this April.

In an interview, Brahma Kumaris, Philippines national coordinator Rebecca Ortega, said that the main objective of the symposium is to give emphasis on the importance of values in all human endeavor, especially on the preservation of our environment and health protection.

“Hindi lamang sa kalusugan ng katawan kundi pati kaisipan. Ang Brahma Kumaris ay isang organisasyon na nag-e-emphasize ng mga values for human wellness and world betterment. Nais naming makatulong na ibalik ang values sa buhay ng tao,” Ortega stressed.*(LD - PIA CAR)

By Lito Dar

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)- led National Household Targetting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) survey results shows 79,135 poor households in Cordillera or about 33.84 percent of the 233,863 households assessed all over the region.

Of the 79,135 poorhouseholds, Abra registered 17,509; Apayao – 11,119; Benguet - 13,819; Baguio City – 3,613; Ifugao – 12,032; Kalinga – 13,427, and Mountain Province- 30,900.

In his report during the Regional Development Council’s (RDC) En Banc Meeting in Bontoc Mountain Province last week, DSWD-CAR Regional Director Leonardo Reynoso said validation of the NHTS-PR data is still on-going as there are still complaints and requests for assessments coming in.

According to Reynoso, in line with the conduct of validation, DSWD-CAR received a total of 38,198 complaints of which 32,748 were already resolved by the different Local Validation Committees (LVCs).
Reynoso also confirmed that most of the complaints were individual claims that they are poor and must be included in the list of poor households. “This is the most perennial problem or complaints that we receive in the region as almost everybody wants to be included in the list of poor households,” he said.

Other complaints include individual claims: that they have not been visited by an enumerator for an interview, a certain household should not be included in the list of poor household, that the interviewer incorrectly entered data, and that the list is incomplete and does not represent the actual poor households in the community.

Reynoso, during the said meeting, affirmed that the DSWD accounted all the complaints on the NHTS as part of the Local Verification Process and that they have even segregated the complaints by province/municipality. For the next step, he assured that they will communicate to all LGUs the actions taken on these complaints.
“All concerned local government units shall be properly updated on the action taken on the complaints and shall be provided with a copy of the details within this month of April,” Reynoso stressed.

The NHTS-PR upon completion would be the basis of the government’s identification of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or CCT program, identification of social pensioners (senior citizens) and Philhealth indigent program.

In addition the NHTS-PR data will also be made available to the different LGUs in the country and other private partners or stakeholders for the identification of their civic and social programs for the poor families or households in the country.* (PIA CAR)

Three shabu pushers were arrested by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) – Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in two separate buy-bust operations in the city on April 7.


Carmina Dizon Atienza, 21, single, high school undergraduate, native of Angeles City, Pampanga and resident of Block II, Lot 41, No. 30 St. PZMRC, Dapdap, Mabalacat, Pampanga, was nabbed at around 3:30PM near the Solibao Restaurant in Burnham Park.


Atienza sold one sachet of shabu, containing .2 gram of the dangerous drug to a PDEA – CAR agent who posed as buyer. She claimed she gets the shabu that she peddles in Baguio City from a supplier in Pampanga.
Meanwhile, Alexander Tagano Pido, 27, married, high school undergraduate, jobless, native of Tubod, Lanao Del Norte and resident of Quezon Hill, Baguio City; and Al Mala Macabalang, 21, male, married, high school undergraduate, jobless, native of Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur and resident of No. 3 San Luis Village, Baguio City, were apprehended within the vicinity of Malcolm Square, Baguio City at about 5:45 PM after they sold a sachet of .09 gram of shabu to a PDEA – CAR agent poseur-buyer.


Rolls of aluminum foil used in sniffing shabu, were likewise seized by the operatives from Pido.


Pido had been previously implicated in murder and robbery cases, while Macabalang had been involved in a Theft case. They point to a drug group in Baguio City as their shabu source. *(PDEA//PIA CAR)