
3 minute read
MinDA crafts plan to address potential rice shortage
She added that the Malagos Rehab Center, which can accommodate some 28 patients, currently houses 22 PUIs. Mindanao News
As to the staff who will man the PUI centers, Duterte said this remains a challenge to the city government.
Advertisement
“Only Malagos center is occupied and the rest were still empty. We want to fill in a specific center first before opening the other one,” Duterte added. However, she said they have settled with what they have right now as they cannot impose to health volunteers to render their services to the centers.

In La Vida Inn, she said it can accommodate up to 26 PUIs while the ALS center will accommodate positive Covid-19 patients with mild cases only.
“We do not want them in the hospital, because we reserve the beds for those people who needed the health intervention the most, like the use of the oxygen and ventilators,” Mayor Sara added.
She said on Monday (March 30), Covid-19 positive patients from Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) with mild symptoms will be transferred to ALS. For BFP and Queensland, she said the construction works are still ongoing. “We have called on several volunteer health workers but we do not impose anything on them because it is a public health emergency and it is not right for us to push them on the job. It’s purely voluntary because there is a risk to their health and their life,” Duterte said. She added that it is necessary to put trained and highly-skilled health workers because of the risks posed by the job.
The Department of Health in Davao Region confirmed that it already has a total of 30 people positive of Covid-19, 20 of them were admitted at SPMC. (PNA)
MinDA crafts plan to address potential rice shortage By Prexx Marnie Kate Trozo
DAVAO CITY – North Cotabato’s provincial government and the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will launch next week a program to augment rice supply in the area during the lean season.
In a Facebook post on Monday, MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the initiative emerged from a coordination meeting with Governor Nancy A. Catamco and Agriculture Assistant Secretary for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM) Dr. Sailila Abdula, representing the PhilRice based in Midsayap, Cotabato.
North Cotabato is ranked No. 8 among the Top 10 rice-producing provinces of the Philippines, posting a production of 500,000 metric tons in 2017 when the country posted its highest production in history of 19.28 million metric tons. from the announced intentions of major exporting countries to stop or limit their exports as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
He said MinDA, in coordination with the local government units (LGUs), would implement the program with the support of the Department of Agriculture and the National Irrigation Administration.
“The Quick Turn-Around Plan aims to produce additional rice before the onset of the lean months, which start (in) July and stretches up to October to avert a feared shortfall in rice supply in Mindanao,” Piñol said.



Piñol said the “Quick Turn-Around Plan” for Mindanao’s rice industry was crafted due to the projected tight supply of rice in the country resulting
He said the program will initially be rolled out in North Cotabato and “will later be cascaded in other provinces of Mindanao.” (PNA)


