NOW Available
BWM MAG
5
wednesday i january 2, 2013
Developments
Editor: ALLAN M. MEDIANTE • Email: amediante@yahoo.com Editorial : mindanaodailynews@gmail.com • Advertising : mindanaodaily.ads@gmail.com
Government vows to sustain public optimism in 2013 The government wants to ensure that inclusive growth benefits everyone next year through job generation and pro-poor programs, a Palace official said on Saturday. A recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey found that nine out of ten Filipinos are looking forward to 2013 with hope. In a radio interview over state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the administration is still focusing on job generation as well inclusive growth. “We see that the GDP (gross domestic product) has been surprising everybody; it seemed to be candid about it in the sense na the third quarter was really a very pleasant surprise for everybody,” she said. The survey results indicated that 92 percent of those surveyed were hopeful rather than fearful of the coming year. This was the predominant sentiment among respondents in Luzon (96 percent), Metro
Manila (93 percent), and the Visayas (93 percent). The survey was conducted from December 8 to 11. Mindanao residents, however, were less enthusiastic about the coming year’s prospects. Only 85 percent of those polled in Mindanao said they were hopeful. Also, with 2013 being an election year, Valte said the administration wants to do away with too much politicking so it could focus on governance. “On the part of the executive, while it may be an election year, the work in government still goes on. The work in government will continue despite the fact that it is an election year,” Valte said. The Commission on Elections (Election) has already come up with the list of the dates that are important particularly the start of the campaign period for the local and national levels. PND (as)
HOLIDAY SPIRIT. Government workers and volunteers in Compostela Valley province continue repacking relief goods even during December 23 and 24 for distribution on December 25 to the typhoon victims. Repacking schedule resumes in the afternoon of December 25. (Ben D. Arche)
For poor gov’t workers, “pay what you can” only Indigent patients do not have to worry about their hospitalization expenses once a bill proposing the “pay-what-you-can policy” is enacted into law. Poor patients seeking diagnosis, treatment and cure from disease or illness shall be entitled to the “paywhat-you-can” policy in all government special hospital, medical center, institute or sanitarium once House Bill 6726 becomes a law. Rep. Winston Castelo (2nd District, Quezon City) who authored the bill says
that the Pay-What-You-Can Hospital Entitlement Policy Act of 2012, will require public hospitals, medical centers and sanitaria to perform to the optimum on its mandate of health care delivery. “This bill envisions that special hospitals, regional hospitals, medical centers and sanitaria should implement this ‘pay-what-you-can policy’ so that poor patients do not have to worry about their treatment, confinement or hospitalization, and healing from their illnesses,”
Castelo said. “The whole rationale of this measure is anchored on the view that the proposal while it sounds novel or bold is actually just a simple mechanism of check and balance,” Castelo said. “Another part of this check-and-balance mechanism is to check and count how much in guaranty letters from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) go into the budgetary, fiscal and management affairs of each of hospitals, poor | page 10
The Chinese Calendar says:
2013 is Year of the Snake
Unlike western calendars, the Chinese calendar has names that are repeated every 60 years. Within the ‘Stem-Branch’ system is shorter cycle of 12 years denoted by animals: 2013 is the year of the Snake. It is the guĭ-sì year (Water Snake). Guĭ (Yin Water) is the tenth of the ten celestial stems and Sì (Snake) is the sixth of the twelve terrestrial branches and marks this 10/6 the year of the Snake. Calculating ‘When is the Chinese New Year in 2013’ The fact that the date of Chinese New Year varies within about a month is a clue that it’s linked to the new moon. A rough, and almost infallible guide is that the Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The winter solstice always falls on December 22nd, the next new moon is on January 11th 2013, and the second new moon is on February 10th 2013. Will and Guy admit that the precise rules for determining ‘When is the Chinese New Year’, are far more complex. For example, one problem with any lunar calendar system is that some years there are 13 new moons. The Chinese deal with this by slotting in an extra intercalary month. snake| page 10
DOLE extends P6.5M for typhoon victims By Ben D. Arche
DAVAO City – The Regional Office Xl of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is allocating some
P6.545 million as emergency and livelihood fund for workers and students in the provinces badly hit by typhoon Pablo. Joffrey M. Suyao, DOLE-
Xl regional director said the funding will provide immediate relief to workers who lost their jobs and livelihood after the typhoon devastated several dole| page 10