Agusan Norte seniors receive cash assistance

By Alexander Lopez

BUTUAN CITY—The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) released on Monday over P5.3 million worth of cash assistance to senior citizens in Buenavista town, Agusan del Norte.

In a statement on Tuesday, DSWD13 said at least 1,494 senior citizens received their cash cards during the distribution activity.

“ e a ch of the cards contained P3,600 cash under the agency’s Unconditional Cash Transfer [UCT] program,” the DSWD-13 said.

the country. Agusan del Norte will have four of these centers, including in Butuan City,” the senator said. He added that his office is also pushing for more Malasakit Centers, which currently has 157 facilities in the country.

In Agusan del Norte, super health centers will also be established in Santiago town, Cabadbaran City, and Barangay Ambago in Butuan City. Rosales said the establishment of a super health center has been the dream of the residents here.

“The construction of this health

Pfizer and Haleon, both makers of multivitamins.

About multivitamin use

A BOUT 60 percent of US adults and about 35 percent of children take daily vitamins, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pills are part of nearly $56 billion Americans spend each year on dietary supplements.

US dietary guidelines recommend that Americans should get their nutrients from food, unless they have specific needs or are advised to take vitamins by a health care provider. Vitamins can provide missing nutrients in the diet, but taking high amounts can result in side effects ranging from stomach upset to serious heart and liver problems. The US Preventive Services Task Force, a national advisory group, said last year that current evidence is “insufficient” to assess the risks and benefits of multivitamin supplements to prevent heart disease and cancer. The group recommended against betacarotene and vitamin e for that purpose.

What it means

THe new study shows that vitamin pills may provide missing micronutrients, especially in the diets of older adults, said Robert Hackman, a research nutritionist with the University of California, Davis, who was not involved in the research. About a third of adults older than 60 fail to get adequate vitamins, minerals and fiber from food alone.

A team from the Land Bank of the Philippines helped in the activity to ensure the smooth distribution of cash cards.

“Most of the senior citizens served were those who have not yet received their automated teller machine [ATM] cards for their benefits through the UCT social pension,” DSWD-13 said.

The UCT program was implemented by the DSWD from 2018 to 2020 to provide cash assistance to senior citizens in the country. Although the program has ended, the DSWD-13 clarified that the distribution continues to beneficiaries who have not yet received their UCT benefits.

Meanwhile, indigenous people (IP) communities in Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte will soon be able to access the nearest health facility and services of the government with the establishment of a super health center.

On Tuesday, Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, together with Agusan del Norte Governor Maria Angelica Rosedell Amante, and Mayor Karen Rosales led the groundbreaking ceremony of a super health center in Barangay Mat-i, Las Nieves.

“This health facility will serve at least 10 barangays in Las Nieves mostly populated by the Manobo and Higaonon tribes,” said Hawudon Armando Una, the IP Mandatory