4 U.P. Newsletter
november 2011
UP Manila reports rise in poisoning, HIV-AIDS cases There has been a steady rise in the number of hospital admissions due to poisoning, and an 800-percent increase in HIV infections in the last eight years. However, there has been a 17-percent reduction in the number of Filipinos suffering from worm infections. These were revealed during the first “Health UP-date Manila” forum organized recently by the UP Manila Information, Publication, and Public Affairs Office (UPM IPPAO). The forum aims to bring relevant medical and public health news and information to the public.
Poisoning
Dr. Lynn Panganiban, former director and now consultant at the National Poison Management and Control Center (NPMCC) of the UPM-Philippine General Hospital (PGH), said that in 2010 alone, poisoning cases at PGH reached 3,332, or an average of 10 cases a day. Of these cases, 20 percent ingested silver jewelry cleaner; 16 percent sodium hypochlorite; 12 percent kerosene; and 11 percent paracetamol. Other commonly used toxicants were pyrethroids, organophosphates and hydrochloric acid.
e-Talakayan, a radio program of the UP Information Technology Training Center (ITTC), starts airing on DZUP 1602 this November, with UP ITTC Director Jaime Caro as the first resource speaker. The program will be hosted by ITTC’s Prof. Mario Carreon and will air every Wednesday, 1 to 2 p.m. The signing of the letter of agreement between ITTC and DZUP was held last October 25 at the DZUP Station. Present were Caro, Carreon, College of Mass Communication (CMC) Dean Roland Tolentino, DZUP Station Manager Prof. Jane Vinculado, CMC Broadcast Communication Department Chair Rosa Maria Feliciano, DZUP Program Producer Edgie Francis Uyanguren, ITTC’s Content Development Team head Nathaniel Villanueva and ITTC’s Program Producer Sarah “Joy” Salvio. e-Talakayan aims to promote IT use among the different sectors of society through discussion of innovations, trends and current research in the field.
2011 UP Scientists named, feted (Continued from page 1)
Gabriel of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition; Prof. Annabelle A. Herrera of the Institute of Biology (renewal of rank awarded in 2008); Prof. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay (renewal of rank awarded in 2008) of the National Institute of Geological Sciences and Prof. Arnel T. Salvador of the National Institute of Physics (renewal of rank awarded in 2008). Nine from UP Los Baños (UPLB) were named Scientist I. They are Prof. Menandro N. Acda of the Department of Forest Products and Paper Science (renewal of rank awarded in 2008); Prof. Nestor T.
UPLB community denounces murder of Computer Science student (Continued from page 5) shared how she too lost a friend because of a crime at the UP Diliman AS Steps in 2005. She called for “collective action” and the adoption of a “buddy system” among students so they can protect one another. She suggested that the community be included in ensuring security, since closing UPLB to the community as a safety measure would be “insular.” In an interview, USC-UPLB chair Pura Beatriz Valle condemned the atrocity and called for justice. She also said that UPLB and the community would review security measures. Because more lamp posts alone would not ensure safety, she suggested more police visibility and an increase in the number of the University Police Force (UPF) personnel. She added that dorm managers should also be given security roles and that the government and the university should lead in protecting the students. “May there be justice, not just by making sure that students get the quality education they dearly pay for, but in making sure
the use of solutions with cyanide in cleaning silver jewelry. Both warn against buying unregistered or unlabeled cleaning solutions. NPMCC is the country’s lead agency in poison control and provides a 24-hour poison information service, laboratory tests and confirmatory tests. Its hotline is (+632) 524-1078 and its mobile number is (+63922) 896-1541. HIV-AIDS
Classified as a low-prevalence country in HIV-AIDS cases until early 2000, the Philippines is now one of seven countries in the world to have seen a significant increase in cases in the last eight years, with HIV infections up by more than 800 percent. The other six countries are Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Krygyztan and Tajikistan. Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana, faculty researcher of the UPM National Institutes of Health, said that the DOH attributes the increase to the growing number of cases of males having sex with other males and sex workers; and of drug users using needles. “The cases come from all sorts of professions.” While just over 7,000 cases have been reported since 1984, more than half of these were diagnosed Tolentino and Caro shake hands while Vinculado, Feliciano and Salvio present only in the last four years. The 204 the agreement. Photo by Bong Arboleda
e-Talakayan airs on DZUP
Panganiban said that suicide cases through poisoning, especially among teenagers, and usually during December and February, are increasing. She also reported a rise in poison-related suicide attempts during the enrolment period. “Most of the time, it is relational, there is a problem in the family or other loved ones. We rarely see cases related to job loss.” Based on NPMCC’s documentation, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have banned
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Baguinon and Prof. Edwino S. Fernando (renewal of rank awarded in 2008) of the Department of Forestry Biological Sciences; Dr. Waren N. Baticados of the Department of Veterinary Paraclinical Sciences; Prof. Virginia C. Cuevas and Prof. Merlyn S. Mendioro of the Institute of Biological Sciences; Prof. Leonardo M. Florece and Prof. Maria Victoria OrtegaEspaldon of the School of Environmental Science and Management; and Prof. Pablito M. Magdalita of the Institute of Plant Breeding. From UP Manila, those named Scientist I are Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology; Dr. Antonio L. Dans of the Department of Medicine; and Prof. Arnold V. Hallare of the Department of Biology. UP Visayas, meanwhile, has the following
named Scientist I: Prof. Rosalie Arcala-Hall and Prof. Rodelio F. Subade of the Division of Social Sciences; Prof. Ricardo P. Babaran of the Institute of Marine
that the students are safe as they leave the university premises until they arrive home.” She also encouraged fellow students to be vigilant about their safety.
death.” In a follow-up interview regarding the criminal offenses charged against the suspects, Cardenas said that, “to clarify the point, reports came to us in progression with the investigation process. Based on reports given to us during the early stages of the investigation, initial cases filed were kidnapping, robbery and murder. However, medical and other autopsy findings revealed later, and rape was concluded. And hence, two grave offenses of rape and murder apparently were sufficient to cover the rest.” Both suspects had been apprehended the previous week, before Cebanico’s burial last October 18 in her hometown in Binangonan, Rizal, and, as of press time, were in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Canlubang, Laguna. A week before the rape-slay of Cebanico, Jee-Ann de Guzman, 26, marketing officer of UP hostel, was also raped and killed in Camarin, Caloocan City. According to a report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Erik Macaraan, one of the suspects, was arrested last October 12.
Scenes of the Crime
According to the initial police report of the University Police Force under the Office of the UPLB Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA), last October 11 Cebanico was found “alongside the creek inside the Agri-park compound” in UPLB. She was last seen by Avery Garcia and Jerico dela Cruz, both Computer Science students working on an academic requirement with Cebanico at an apartment in Umali Subdivision. The police report said that “she left the apartment alone” at around 2 a.m. of October 11, “going back to the 5th of September Mansion, carrying her unbrella (sic), shoulder bag containing her laptop, Iphone and cash money. ” Police said Cebanico was kidnapped on her way home by suspect Ivan Lester Rivera, “a security guard of Grandeur Security Agency, assigned at PS Bank,” and dragged inside the tricycle of suspect Percival de Guzman. Cebanico was “robbed of her belongings and shot resulting to her
Fisheries and Oceanology; and Prof. Juliana C. Baylon and Prof. Wilfredo L. Campos of the Division of Biological Sciences. Prof. Larry N. Digal of the School of Management is the lone Scientist I from UP Mindanao. The recipients of the Scientist II rank from UPLB are Prof. Christian Joseph R. Cumagun of the Crop Protection Cluster (elevation of Scientist I title awarded in 2008) and Prof. Ireneo L. Lit Jr. of the Institute of Biological Sciences (elevation of Scientist I title awarded in 2006).
Dr. Jose Florencio F. Lapeña Jr. of the UPM Department of Otorhinolaryngology was also named Scientist II. The highest rank awarded under the SPS is Scientist III. This year, it was given to Dr. Leonila F. Dans of the UPM Departments of Pediatrics and Clinical Epidemiology; and Prof. Juan M. Pulhin of the UPLB Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance (elevation of Scientist II rank awarded in 2008). During the ceremony, University Professor Emeritus Cecilia Florencio stressed the need to “nurture desirable research ethos.” She said that “instilling research consciousness and building research competence in UP students should begin… when [they] conceptualize [their] general and professional curricular programs.” National Scientist and University Professor Emeritus Ernesto Domingo, for his part, said that the value placed on research has significantly improved in UP over the last few decades. When he began his UP career in the late 1960s, he said that there was practically no funding for research because it was perceived as somewhat “inferior to teaching.” In recent years, UP has produced a great number of researchers due to the importance it has placed on research. This kind of environment, Domingo said, promotes the conduct of quality research. National Scientist and Professor Emeritus Lourdes Cruz said that being formally recognized and rewarded by UP is an incentive that will encourage those who are actively doing research to take their studies further and push those who are hesitant to engage in research activities. Responding on behalf of the awardees, Dans said that she enjoys the distinct brand of freedom UP is known for and is highly inspired by the academic community’s collective intelligence. Pulhin, on the other hand, said that the SPS is an excellent tradition that should be continued and is symbolic of the university’s commitment to
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