Waterless Metro-Manila

Ninety seven percent of the water supply for Metro-Manila comes directly from Angat Dam, with the 3 to 4 % supplied by ground water from deep wells. The worst has come, water in Angat Dam is at 157.7 meters, 22 meters below the critical level.

The lowest water level recorded in Angat Dam happened in 1998, was 158.15 meters. In 1998, the customer base was only 3.3 million, in 2010, there are approximately 6.1 million. Demand for water has been high because of commercialization and the proliferation of condominiums and subdivisions.

The hardest hit areas are the ones serviced by Maynilad Water, one of the two water concessionaires; the other one is Manila Water. Maynilad water service area covers the West Zone. These areas include: Caloocan, Las Piñas, Malabon, Manila, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Parañaque, Valenzuela, parts of Quezon City, a part of Makati, Cavite City, and the municipalities of Rosario, Imus, Noveleta, Bacoor, and Kawit in Cavite.

Metro Manila residents are experiencing six-hour water service reductions. The said water service reductions will last until July 23, or perhaps until water levels in Angat Dam return to its normal levels. Maybe we need another “Ondoy” to fill the Angat Dam to its normal level.

What I am afraid about this development would be the implications on health. Will our water be safe for drinking? That can mean surge of diarrheal diseases, if water is not handled in a sanitary manner. People will stock water in containers, and Dengue mosquito loves clear stagnant water as their breeding ground. Dengue cases in Metro Manila have increased in the last six months. In addition, hand washing is the standard way of preventing any infection.

The clear view is we have to make a remedy now, because water demand by 2016, will be enormous. We all have to do our share, water is life!

In the Philippines, July is observed as the National Disaster Consciousness Month, through Presidential Executive Order No. 137.The theme for the 2010 Disaster Consciousness Month is “Safe Ka Ba?: Programa Laban Sa Kalamidad Tungo Sa Pag-Unlad.” This is being observed to focus our attention on the need to prepare for natural disasters such as typhoon, flood, earthquake, landslide and volcanic eruption which have all occurred for the past 15 years in our country.

In line with this, The One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Campaign is a global advocacy initiative to make schools and hospitals safer from disasters. This initiative is part of the 2010-2011 World Disaster Risk Reduction Campaign on “Building Resilient Cities – My city is getting ready!”

Spread the Word ! Help promote the campaign

You can help make schools and hospitals safer through a simple click.

So, sign up and make a pledge to make our schools and hospitals a safe place not only for us, but also for the generations to come.

Just go to the Safe-Schools-Hospitals website and follow the easy-to-follow steps. You can also make your pledge through the campaign’s Facebook page.

You can help by using the campaign counter in your e-mail signature, adding the campaign graphic in your website, sending a tweet or posting an item in FaceBook about the campaign.

Post this poster in your school or hospital

I_Pledge_Poster2

I have been a voter in Caloocan City for the past 25 years.  I am at the voting precinct at 7 am, to avoid the rush and the heat of the sun since voting time is summer time. On May 2010 I will vote with 2 of my kids as first time voters. I must admit we have different choices in the presidentiable race; I let them speak their own mind.

I always vote with what my heart and conscience tell me. I do look at their credentials and track record. For sure promises are made to be broken. When you are already at the position, a lot of things have to be taken into consideration when decision time comes.

Here in the local elections in Caloocan City, the Asistio family has always been candidates for mayor. The incumbent mayor Recom Echiverri has one more term to go, before maybe he bequeaths the position to his son RJ Echiverri who is at present a councilor and president of the Natonal Liga ng mga Barangay.

Baby Asistio, the former congressman of District 2 for 12 years is challenging Mayor Recom Echiverri. He claimed that high taxes in Caloocan City drove businesses away and that nothing spectacular in terms of infrastructure has happened.  We have been paying property taxes in Caloocan and I must admit it has tripled during the time of the incumbent mayor. I live near the Monumento area; nothing has really changed except that there are no more sidewalk vendors in front of MCU hospital. There is the construction of the LRT Loop but that is not the project of the local government. Garbage is collected Monday, Wednesday and Friday in our area Morning Breeze Subdivision and this is the barangay of the incumbent mayor, I don’t know what is the situation in other areas of the city.

I hope the next mayor would really make Caloocan City a clean place specially the Monumento area. Can you not drive the sidewalk vendors away near the LRT station? Really the Grand Central area is in chaos between 6 to 8 pm. So many people are at this area as they alight the LRT trains.

A basic need that I want our next mayor to fulfill is a clean  and orderly Monumento area, which is the showcase of Caloocan City. Please candidates don’t hold your “miting de avance “ in the place. That can cause monstrous traffic!

May 10,2010, Election Day, Morning Breeze Elemetary School. Barangay 84

It took me two hours to cast my vote, its worth the wait. The “PCOS machine count” gave me a good feeling that I have done something for my country today. People were so enthusiastic to vote. It was orderly inside the classroom. I felt the election officers and teachers were at ease. Only 10 voters were allowed inside the classroom. Its so easy to fill up the ballot, the design was easy to read.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) of the Sacred Heart Parish was a big help in the conduct of the elections. Kudos to their organizers and officials!

Multiply.com has established partnerships with DigiPrint in the Philippines to have your pictures printed and deliver these pictures at your doorstep. For a minimum amount of P 300.00 you can pay via paypal and credit card.

This was announced by David Hersh, Multiply vice-president for business development in a radio interview at Aksyon Ngayon, DZMM. He said 5 million Filipino are registered users of multiply and at least 1 billion photos uploaded by Filipino multiply users.

Posting the letter of Arellano University CHAIRMAN AND CEO FRANCISCO P.V. CAYCO TO THE EDITOR OF THE PHILIPPINE STAR. This is in line with an article in the Philippine star , November 25, 2009 issue,

“A total of 152 nursing schools face closure for registering poor passing percentages in the nursing licensure examinations over the past five years.

However, Emmanuel Angeles, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman, said the 152 nursing schools will be given another chance in next year’s nursing examinations.

Metro Manila has the most number of erring schools among the 152 poor performing schools: Arellano University-Manila, Arellano University-Pasay….. “

CHAIRMAN AND CEO FRANCISCO P.V. CAYCO WRITES A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE PHILIPPINE STAR

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

This has reference to the article in the November 25, 2009 issue of The Philippine Star entitled 152 nursing schools face closure for poor board performance and the subsequent article of November 28, 2009 bannered CHED list of poorly performing nursing schools questioned, both written by Rainier Allan Ronda, which included Arellano University Manila and Pasay in the list. We take strong exceptions to both printed articles for being factually misplaced and inaccurate! Foremost, Arellano University has a long standing legacy of nursing education in the Philippines having an established and recognized nursing program since 1954.

Our College of Nursing in Manila is Level I Formal accredited where it enjoys a deregulated status conferred jointly by CHED and PACUCOA, for having passed the stringent criteria over and above the minimum educational standards required by the government in areas of faculty, instruction, library, physical facilities, laboratories, student personnel services and student assistance program.

Inspite of the plea of CHED and no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the University froze its tuition fees in the last 3 years to enable student to gain access to affordable quality education. With the conviction that quality education should be accorded to all who seeks the same, the University has an open admission policy but maintains its academic standards through selective retention. Our tuitions fees are currently less than Php 700.00 per unit, one of the lowest for private college education in the industry which through efficient and cost effective management still allows us to produce world class nurses.

Since 2008, we produced several nursing graduates who placed in the top 10 in the Nursing Licensure Exams in the persons of Roberto Asuncion (5th place), Paul Fabian Gumabao (9th place), and Michelle Alejandro Barberan (3rd place), plus many more who landed in the top 25 placers. We have as of last known count 11 of our nursing graduates who recently were appointed as deans of various nursing schools in Metro Manila as well as substantial numbers of Chief Nurses in private and government hospitals both here and abroad.

Our record and history speak for itself because we have earned success and respect in the nursing profession. Our worldwide alumni and the accomplishments they have achieved is a testimony to the quality of education we have given them. Our College of Nursing is an institution in the health care industry both here and abroad. We have established a name and reputation which we are proud of and which we will die for because we have earned them through hard work, honesty and integrity.

This is precisely what we are fighting for when you published your November 25, 2009 article which we strongly claim has no factual and legal basis considering the series of CHED pronouncements, contained in a number of issuances including CHED Memo No. 14 dated April 28, 2009 and Resolution No. 378-2009 dated October 2, 2009, where the standards for poor performance are clearly outlined and the parameters defined. Clearly, this does not include Arellano University.

It is regrettable that the rejoinder in your article of November 28, 2009 did not carry the essence and most salient points of the discussions we had with your reporter, Rainier Allan Ronda who presented it out of context.

The distorted and irresponsible report has caused tremendous anxiety among our stakeholders, administrators, faculty members, alumni, students, parents and our entire University community. The implication it created in the minds of the public has caused enormous damage to the University’s reputation and goodwill which could have been averted by the simple act of understanding, verifying and ascertaining the facts prior to printing.

Arellano University remains committed to provide equitable access to quality education as we have always done so in the past and stand firm on the fundamental principles of excellence and high educational standards that the founder of this University has ingrained in all of us as a tradition.

FRANCISCO P.V. CAYCO

Chairman and CEO- Arellano University