BREAKING: Explosions were heard as fire breaks out at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro  Veteran radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa, more popularly known as Percy Lapid, was shot dead in his vehicle in Las Piñas City, city police reported Monday evening.  
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Mall in CDO gets briefing on proper handling of PWDs 

20 Jan, 2023, No comments

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY --With a vision of giving a "magical experience" to all patrons and visitors, SM City CDO Uptown, in partnership with the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) Cagayan de Oro, provided its frontline officers a briefing on proper handling of customers with disabilities.

The briefing was done by the CSWD with the help of Ms. Maria Liza G. Corpuz, an officer for people with disabilities, and partners who work to help this sector.

Lorely Sabal shared her experience with SM CDO DOWNTOWN Premier when one of her disabled children received assistance from the mall administration.

She said one time her child got lost during their shopping in the mall, luckily, the child was found by a security personnel and was accommodated at the mall administration office.
(During a PWD briefing to frontline officers of SM CDO City Uptown on January 17, 2023, Rolando Damaolao of the Cagayan de Oro Council of Persons with Disability (PWD) shares basic information on the use of a cane for blind customers. (SM CDO City Uptown)

She was very grateful for the SM Mall’s assistance, then she said, "Who cares? SM Cares!"


She pointed out the contribution of SM in their continued support to extend quality services and projects that give importance to the needs of the PWD sector.

The CDO Council of PWD's Rolando Damaolao shared basic information on how to use a cane for blind customers and how to treat it with respect.He shared that it is an extension of their vision for them to walk with minimal assistance.

Corpus also expressed her gratitude to SM City CDO Uptown for hiring some personnel from the sector, who also joined the briefing with all his colleagues.

She said it is only SM Mall that initiates a program for the PWD sector, and for that, she is very thankful.

Finally, SM CDO Malls are ready to welcome shoppers from the PWD sector. With a passion to improve customer services, SM is confident that their shopping experience will be magical. (SM CDO Uptown/PIA-10)

 


Rodriguez files bill establishing Cagayan de Oro Sports Complex

10 Nov, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

A Cagayan de Oro lawmaker has filed a legislative measure that will authorize the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to construct a sports complex in the city.

Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez filed House Bill 1458. Under the bill, the DPWH is mandated to construct a sports complex that will include an air-conditioned gymnasium, a basketball court, and training centers for various sports.

The proposed sports complex shall also have a 10,000 seating capacity.

Rodriguez said the budget for the construction of the said sports complex is P500 million and will come from the annual budget of the DPWH under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

"The residents of Cagayan de Oro City should have a place where they can actively and safely participate in sports and other recreational activities. We envision to have our own state-of-the-art sports complex with world-class facilities. This way we will be able to train our athletes well for competitions here and abroad, particularly the Olympic games," Rodriguez said.

"Sports benefit everyone, especially children. It helps them to foster self-discipline, teamwork, and excellence," he added.

Rodriguez said the bill is pending at the Committee on Youth and Sports Development.



Rodriguez inks pact with DOST for turnover of portable solar dryers

2 Nov, 2022, No comments

Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez signed an agreement with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-10) for the turnover of Multipurpose Solar Speed Drying Trays or portable solar (PORTASOL) dryers last Wednesday, October 26.

The portasol, a Filipino-invented technology, is an equipment used by farmers in drying agricultural harvests such as rice, corn, and fish.

“PORTASOLs are valued at P36,000 per unit and it is scheduled to be given to identified farming and fisherfolk associations in different barangays in the city,” Rodriguez said.

“With the impending food crisis, the latest Filipino technology will aid our farmers to speed up the production of farm products. This will also allow them to generate more income and help our economy in general,” he explained further.

Rodriguez previously met with DOST provincial head Engr. Junelyn Ruiz and administrative division chief Liza Macapayad to discuss areas for partnership in livelihood programs.

Included in the proposed partnership are the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) and Local Grants in Aid (LGIA) programs of the science department.

SETUP will provide entrepreneurs with financial assistance to upgrade their technology and improve the productivity of Micro, Small, & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). LGIAs offer financial assistance worth P200,000 up to P3,000,000 to community-based enterprises to empower rural barangays.

The CdeO lawmaker stated he will continue to help DOST-10 facilitate the implementation of different programs as well as the identification of beneficiaries in the barangays.

It can be remembered that Rodriguez strongly fought to increase by P2 billion budget of DOST to fund needed programs for MSMEs and Research and Development efforts in the regional offices.

“We have to give premium to the programs and projects of the DOST by providing the agency with adequate funds. This is our way of showing profound and sincere support to our Filipino scientists, researchers, and innovators,” Rodriguez said in a previous statement.

The Mindanao lawmaker also principally authored RA 11914 or the Provincial Science and Technology Office Act (PSTOs), a law that converts Provincial Science and Technology Centers (PSTCs) into PSTOs, which helps expedite the transfer of appropriate knowledge, technologies, and services to rural areas. (PR)

Photo by: Rufus Rodriguez Facebook


Judith wants police outpost installed at Pelaez Bridge, public drinking penalty raised

11 Oct, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

CAGAYAN de Oro City Councilor James Judith on Monday, October 10, said a police outpost and a raise in penalty might discourage people from loitering and drinking liquor at Pelaez Bridge in Taguanao, Indahag, this city.

Judith said this following the apparent hit-and-run incident that killed a 26-year-old man and injured three others at the bridge over the weekend.

Police identified the fatality as Paul John Levita. The three wounded victims were identified as Rufus Levita, 22; Jhane Valerie Canonero, 18; and Prince Lopez, 19.

Authorities are still hunting down the perpetrator identified as Stephen Neri, 27, of Muco, Zayas, Carmen, this city.

Judith said he would urge the committee on public order and safety to convene and invite the local police so the committee can ask what must be done to effectively implement the ordinance that prohibits the drinking of liquor in public places.

He said he would ask the law enforcers if a police outpost is necessary to discourage loitering and drinking at the Pelaez Bridge.

"Patawag ta og committee meeting kay aron mapangutana nato if need ba ang outpost ug unsa pa ang ilang kinahanglan nga ayuda sa syudad kay gitagaan na sila og Fortuner, motor ug gasolina,"Judith said.

He said the bridge in Taguanao falls under the area of responsibility of Police Station 2 in Cogon which is distant from the area.

Judith also emphasized the importance of a consistent beat and mobile patrol to drive away loiterers in the area.

On the other hand, Judith also wants the city council to revisit the 27-year-old ordinance that prohibits the drinking of liquor and other intoxicating beverages in public places.

Judith is proposing an amendment in the penalty clause of the ordinance to raise the fine from P500-P1,500 to P5,000 and an imprisonment of 15-30 days.

"1995 pa ni nga ordinansa so gusto nato amendahan nga patas-an ang multa sa makasupak," he said.



More than 10 LET exam takers denied entrance due to health protocol requirements

2 Oct, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

MORE than 10 examinees for the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) were denied entrance at a designated school in Cagayan de Oro on Sunday, October 2.

Most of them travelled from the neighboring provinces of Northern Mindanao just to take the board exam.

One of the examinees, who refused to be identified, said health personnel assigned at the Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School (MOGCHS), one of the designated testing center of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), did not allow them to enter the school to take the exam due to health protocol requirements.

Photo by Glycell Mondido

The group said they brought health documents as options allegedly allowed by the PRC, but it was not honored and considered by the health personnel inside the school.

"Duna mi dala pero wala nila gikonsedera (We brought documents but were not considered),"one of the examinees said.

The group asked the PRC officials in Northern Mindanao to allow them to take the exam, as they have prepared and spent effort and money for the exam.

"Dili kami mamauli  hangtod dili kami maka take sa exam. Naghangyo kami sa PRC nga matagaan kami og chance kay dili lalim among pagpangandam ug gasto para ani nga exam," one of them told the Northern Mindanao Daily Source.

(We will not go home until we will be allowed to take the exam. We ask the PRC to give us a chance because we have prepared so much for this).

Photo by Glycell Mondido




#Hawid-laum: e-crisis hotlines save lives amid the pandemic

26 Sep, 2022, 1 comment

◼ Children and youth are most at-risk of self-harm

By  Lina Sagaral Reyes

Cagayan de Oro – The specter of death by suicide continued to be a staple of radio news well into the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic in this highly urbanized city.

But nothing sent a singular shockwave of concern among local government officials as a particular case in mid-May 2021: A young man in his early 20s ended his life right inside a campus dorm room turned as one of the city government-run temporary treatment and monitoring facilities.(The corridor of a hotel turned into a temporary treatment and monitoring facility at the height of the pandemic in September 2021. Oxygen tanks are readied by the doors of those patients with breathing difficulties.)

He was recuperating from moderate symptoms of coronavirus infection, set to be released from confinement, and yet his vulnerability succumbed to self-harm at dawn.

Fissures

Mayor Oscar Moreno expressed condolences with the grieving family at the daily press briefing that day. “We understand he was alone in the room. We respect the need of the family for privacy as they grieve,” he added.

Moreno later directed the local mental health board to convene and review the circumstances of the incident and suggest steps to strengthen the mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) at the more than 20 isolation and treatment units in hotels, inns, and campuses throughout the city so that suicide prevention is better enforced.

The board is a multi-stakeholder body and adjunct to the local health board mandated under the Local Government Code and composed of mental health care professionals, non-government leaders and persons with lived experience of mental illness, with advisory and recommendatory tasks under the office of the local chief executive, particularly on mental health policies. It was formed in 2015 through an executive order aligned with the national government’s Mental Health Action Plan, 2015-2021 at the Department of Health, in consonance with the Mental Health Global Action Plan (mhGAP) of the World Health Organization (WHO). These policies at the global and national levels of governance seek to empower local communities and healthcare professionals to do their share in sustaining a mental health service program amid a dearth of psychiatrists and psychologists in poor and developing countries like the Philippines.

Seismic

That seismic one-death-too-many moment also marked a dark milestone in the Oro government’s Covid response more than a year after a community quarantine was declared on March 19, 2020, and as hundreds of frontliners were mobilized to prevent the spread of the virus. City hall employees manned barangay health centers, hospitals, ports, airports, and roadside checkpoints to transport individuals to isolation units, cook meals for the confined or disinfect roads and buildings.

As breakthrough infections rose among frontliners, community transmissions increased, causing three-digit reports of cases. In a few weeks, the number of active cases would breach the thousandth-mark, most of whom were housed in the isolation units as the hospitals raised the code red status, or all beds occupied. In less than two months, Cagayan de Oro suffered the worst surge of Covid cases and was declared under an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). At its peak, there were more than 3,000 active cases in a single day.

(Jaymee Leonen, director of the Psychosocial division of the Cagayan de Oro City Social Welfare and Development Office.)

“Burn-out and fatigue are real, we’ve nodded off. It was a wake-up shake for us to get wide awake again,” recalled Jaymee Leonen, director of the psychosocial division of the city social welfare and development (CSWD) office.

Mental health support

The Bayanihan: We Heal as One National Covid Response Act stipulates that isolation units and treatment facilities must be provided with MHPSS (mental health and psychosocial support services).


These tasks fell mainly on the shoulders of the understaffed and underfunded psychosocial division as the city health office focused on dealing with Covid cases, plus other health programs on major diseases. The Mental Health Act also mandates that the CSWD psychologists and social workers must provide post-disaster stress debriefing and psychological first aid to populations hit by calamities like this disease outbreak.

Solutions

By the end of that week in May 2021, loopholes were addressed as two dedicated hotlines were made available exclusively for those who were housed in the government facilities, including those Covid positive but asymptomatic, or exhibiting mild or moderate symptoms.

Previously, three other lines provided counselling on mental health-related issues such as domestic violence and referrals to in-depth therapies.

These lines are on top of other measures, including keeping infected persons together in wider ward-like  spaces such as dormitories in groups of 10 instead of keeping single individuals solitary in separate bedrooms. Nursing staff went on monitoring rounds at night and dawn, more watchful of specific at-risk individuals like youths, the immunocompromised and those living with mental health disorders.

The WHO, along with scientists and medical professionals, had warned of a spike in mental health problems, such as cases of suicidality, which had  worried officials as early as prepandemic January 2020.

Pre-pandemic data show 800,000 die by suicide globally. The significance of addressing suicide-related crises is highlighted by the inclusion of suicide rate  as an indicator of mental health and well-being in the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). Under SDG #3, suicide rates are targeted to be reduced to a third of 2016 data by 2030.

In an article in The Journal of Public Health, Prof. Jeff Clyde Corpuz of De La Salle University rang alarm bells as historically, suicide rates rose during disease outbreaks as the 1918-19 influenza epidemic in the US and the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Hongkong.

Corpuz also wrote that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) saw a 25.7 % rise in deaths by self-harm in 2020, the start of the pandemic, compared with 2019 data.

CSWD data show suicide rates in Oro increased slightly from 2.3% in 2020 (18 cases) to 2.45 (19 cases) in 2021. In Northern Mindanao, with 123 cases in 2021, suicide rate was calculated at 2.5%, an increase from the previous year’s 2.0%.  The PSA however noted that the country’s suicide rate remained at 2.2% from 2016 to 2019.


Below 20

“The trends (in Cagayan de Oro) show that they are getting younger. Ga kabata. The youngest is a nine-year-old,” Leonen told a forum in September 2021.


Her insight presaged the WHO findings released in a briefing paper in March 2022.

"Suicidal behaviors among children and young adolescents aged 20 and below were on the rise globally even as global suicide rates were stable in the early part of the pandemic," WHO experts concluded.  

Dr. Ginger Ramirez, who monitored youth suicides in the country, also saw a sharp rise (58 %) in the number of youth suicides from January to October 2020, compared to 2021 data of the same period.

But a March 2022 WHO briefing paper said available national data from several countries showed no increase in suicide rates in the early months of the pandemic even with rising prevalence among the young.

Faultline

A critic of the city government’s Covid-19 response strategies, however, insisted that these are only stopgap measures.

“The real faultline lies in the use of private commercial establishments like hotels instead of empowering barangays and neighborhoods to establish community-based facilities as envisaged in the Bayanihan Act.

“We are not used to leave our sick and ill alone. That is so Westernized. Our culture is more caregiving. Isolating the sick like this in a strange environment invites despair and depression, and alienation and anomie. We give them attention and presence which are denied (the infected) due to the viral contagion,” she said, adding that Covid funds were centrally handled by city hall, leaving most barangays empty-handed and disempowered throughout the pandemic.

(The mayor was contacted for comment and this story will be  updated as soon as he replies).


Leonen said the trends in previous years indicate that more children as young as nine were reporting suicide ideation, attributing it to the pandemic impact on family life and social relationships. “Distressed parents beget distressed children.”


Disruptions

Meanwhile, awareness of the exclusive crisis hotlines was further enhanced by placing the contact phone numbers in leaflets handed out to clients as they checked into facilities.


But these lifelines were disrupted around late July till early September when the lines were burned to communicate with cash-strapped families competing to receive cash grants to stave off hunger as the local economy was on a standstill because of the ECQ status. The lines were flooded with calls and text messages from thousands of angry citizens who felt discriminated and excluded from the controversy-ridden distribution of the cash grants.


Leonen begged for sobriety and compassion for the caregivers as surreally, the phone messages turned into  online abuse, filled with obscenities and threats, which spilled into the discussion threads of the psychosocial division’s Facebook posts.


As this was happening, those confined at the isolation rooms and wards could no longer avail of the counselling services. “I kept on calling the numbers since day one, but someone would have pushed the end button. It happened for days,” Rowena Taperla, 28, a young professional and former cultural worker, recalled her experience when she was confined for 10 days at an isolation unit.


Despite their unavailability, the exclusive lines were still announced and shared for several weeks during the daily briefings. Obviously, there was a disconnect between the CSWD and the information staff hosting the briefings as the latter was not informed of the disruption of services. The mixed-up was corrected only in September.


24/7

Asked for suggestions on how to improve the lifeline, Taperla said the service and the other hospital-based telehealth services must be made available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Presently, telehealth services are only available during office hours, 8 am-5 pm, Mondays to Fridays.


Under the Mental Health Act , suicide prevention hotlines are mandated to follow this 24/7 dictum.


“The night makes people more vulnerable,” Taperla explained when asked why she thought night duty is necessary.


Quoting the writer Diane Ackerman who volunteered for the night shift of a suicide prevention center in the 1990s, she further said,” As Ackerman observed, ‘people are most alone at night. They drink until they fill their minds with darkness forever. They have the pre-dawn crazies…If they can just get through till daybreak, the gloom might just break a little, and familiar people and routines offer hope.”


Fortunately, other private volunteer groups are filling the gaps by providing telehealth services via social media such as the Cagayan de Oro Mental Health Hour and Kamusta Youth Online Chat.


So far, only the DOH Kamusta Ka Hotline phone and social media lines are truly 24/7.


Three shifts of trained counsellors are manning three lines. By September 2021, the latest data indicated that around 15,000 calls had been received by the service, or around 25 calls per day, which could last for at least five minutes to an hour.

Lifelines

But Maria Dolores Mercado, DOH-10 regional coordinator on mental health, also urged that family members and friends can become lifelines themselves, as force multipliers, to be listeners and witnesses so that patients may not rely on crises lifelines. “If we cultivate the art of listening to these people, the call lines should serve as only the last resort,” she said.


“Usually these people would tell people their stories, their fears, their problems. They need a listening ear.”


“If any of your friends or a family member tell you they are suicidal, take them seriously. Do not dismiss them as ka-dramahan or just a mere joke. You must listen without judgment. Give them options, show and convince them they are not alone,” she suggested.


Aftershock

Another aspect that needs to be addressed is “postvention,” an activity that reduces the risk of suicide and debriefs the surviving and grieving family and friends in the aftershock of a sudden completed suicide. Persons whose attempt to end their lives did not succeed might also need support to process their situation.


As licensed social worker Ken Norton quoted, “It is said that a suicide dies but once and yet the survivors of the lost lives die a thousand deaths in the aftershocks of grief, guilt and shame.”


Postvention is considered “the third leg to the three-legged stool of addressing a suicide crisis,” aside from prevention and direct intervention but it is rarely included in programs such as this.


Better

Today, primary vaccinations in the city has reached beyond 100% for the target sectors. Booster shots continue to be administered to target groups. The schools have reopened for face-to- face, in-person classes.


The isolation units and temporary treatment facilities are now in back-to-normal business, serving tourists and travelers in hotels and inns. But the city’s infirmary in Barangay Lumbia, the JR Borja General Hospital and Treatment Facility in Barangay San Simon–- built and or refurbished with pandemic funds and other private hospitals — had increased bed spaces in preparation for a future surge.


Daily Covid-positives are either zero or in low single digits. There are barely a 100 active cases, mostly in isolation in their homes.


Leonen said the Sanggunian has approved, as its swan song before their term ended in June, the much-awaited Mental Health Ordinance, which is a community-based service delivery program under the City Health Office.


The ordinance  operationalizes the policies for local government’s roles laid out in the RA 11036.


With this legislation comes appropriate funding for more staff and counsellors to man the lifelines and serve the communities; more funding for training barangay health workers on psychological first aid and suicide prevention, and building facilities and providing free psychotropic medicines and mental health-care insurance for the mentally ill in barangays.


The implementation of the Mandanas ruling this year, in which local government units (LGUs) get a share of national tax revenues, heralds a bigger budgetary hoard for the LGUs and ensures better-funded mental health projects.


#Hawidlaum

But this September, ironically, suicide cases clustered during and after September 9, Suicide Prevention Awareness Day.


Eight completed suicide incidents and two attempts within a week brought mid-year incidences to 16, with 10 attempted cases. With three more months to go before yearend, it is predicted that the number of suicides in 2022 will far exceed last year’s 19.

Leonen and Mercado agree that a challenge remains that of reining in the media as their coverage of suicide cases, especially of radio stations, become more of a sensationalized feeding frenzy that violates ethical protocols and risks social contagion or copycat cases.


But Leonen trusts that with frequent reminders from mental health advocates and champions within their ranks, the media will carry on its tasks to rally people to choose #hawidlaum: holding on to hope.

#Hawid-laum: Did socmed radio trigger Oro's suicide cluster in September?  

Last of two parts

Cagayan de Oro – As the world marked the annual Suicide Awareness and Prevention Day on September 10 this year, a series of suicide incidents swept across Cagayan de Oro.

By the end of the month, the wave of eight cases within nine days - - from the September 10-18 - - catapulted the year's total to 23. This number of cases has surpassed 2021's tally of 19 suicide incidents, with still three months to go before the year would end.

But as quickly as the wave rose, during most of the month's second half - - between September 19 and 30 - - there were only two cases.

What caused the sudden spike and the equally sudden decline?

Maria Dolores Mercado, mental health program coordinator at the Department of Health-Region10 non-communicable diseases cluster, says exposure to exaggerated live broadcast coverage that extends from traditional to social media, could be a major factor.

In different forums in recent months, Dolores, a psychiatric nurse and college instructor in psychiatric nursing, had always called out the local broadcast media for its sensationalised  coverage of these events as this, according to her, could result in more "copycat" suicide cases in the city.

"This is called the Werther phenomenon," she said, quoting the latest Department of Health administrative order that sets guidelines for the ethical and responsible reporting and portrayal of suicide in mass media and the cultural arts.

She discussed this at a forum among journalists and in an online public service program at Oro Broadcast Services on October 8.

The Werther effect, first mentioned in 1982 by David Phillips, references Werther, the protagonist in Goethe's novel, "The Sorrows of the Young Werther", who killed himself because of unrequited love.

In 1774,when it was first published, many young men, who has read this epistolary novel, killed themselves.

Many studies suggest that "media reports about people who have died by suicide can influence vulnerable people as is associated with higher rates of suicide," according to the Canadian Association of Psychiatrists, in its 2018 re-issue of a policy paper on suicide reporting guidelines.

Mercado revealed, without citing figures, that in Northern Mindanao, suicide cases had  gone down this year as it had gone up in Cagayan de Oro.  

"Adtong 2020,medyo misaka ang atong mga kaso (Northern Mindanao). Sa 2021,misaka pa gyud. Niubos na siya karong 2022. Pero half of the year pa man ang datos nga nag-abot." (The suicide cases somehow went up in 2020. In 2021,it went even higher. The cases went down this year but the data we have comprise only those in the first half of the year. ")

Region 10 is comprised of Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, and Camiguin.

But she further pointed out that suicide rates in the city had been always high, correlating it to the sensationalised, on-the-spot coverages of suicide crises.

"Pero daghan gyud cases diri sa Cagayan de Oro. Mao siguro kay diri ra man gud nga sensationalised kaayo ang pag balita." (The suicide rates had always been high in Cagayan de Oro. It is probably due to the sensationalised reporting. ")

She recalled how at one time, she heard the news as she was riding a taxi.

"Diha gyud time nga nagsakay kog taxi nga gusto na nako ignan ang driver nga adtoan nato na. Kay sobra ka sensationalised ug ka detalye." ("There was a time while I was riding in a taxi and was listening to the news on the radio and I had this urge to tell the taxi driver to bring me to the radio station to give the anchor a piece of my mind.")

More than 50 studies worldwide indicate that several factors could aggravate the Wether impact, including the duration, amount, and prominence of coverage. Also considered are the detailed description of the method used, dramatic images, and repetitive/extensive coverage.

Papageno Phenomenon

If radio stations, with traditional and digital platforms, are a factor behind the surge in suicides, did they also contribute to the decline in cases after September 18th?

They probably did.

On September 18th, at around 8 p. m, a young man was seen at the edge of a protruding concrete platform holding the  deck at Ysalina Bridge across the Cagayan de Oro River.

A staff of a food delivery service company stopped by, climbed down to the platform, placed his arms over his shoulders, and talked to the young man in those crucial minutes.  

Relatives of the young man as well as a rescue team from Barangay Carmen came by later.  

"I saw him from afar as I was crossing over the bridge on my way to deliver a basket of fried chicken wings  to a hospital staff. I also saw a woman trying to get the attention of the young man, raising both hands but the man would not turn around and instead was just at the edge, looking down on the river," Ace Tristan Dy of Grab Food Delivery, said.

We were strangers to each other but somehow we understood each other,Dy reflected.

He said he had no training in rescuing people but his mother had often told him that he had the gift of persuasive speech. He attributed his calmness and intuitive skills to Buddhism, which is a long-time family practice.

In a few minutes, the young man agreed to go with his relatives.

Aside from traditional media coverage, the Facebook pages of at least 5 radio stations shared  these moments of rescue captured in photographs by the Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay Carmen.

From September 18, there were but just a single report of an attempted suicide till the first week of the next month.

The decline could be what is called the Papageno effect.

Since a seminal study by Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, evidence is growing that mass media can play a positive role in suicide prevention by showing that there are alternatives to suicide, which bring hope to people in crises.

The phenomenon is named after Papageno, the character in the opera Magic Flute, who lost his love and contemplated suicide but was convinced by three boys to choose to live anew.

The station DXCC of the Radio Mindanao Network, among those which shared the story in its traditional broadcast as well as in its Facebook page, has a policy to cover suicide responsibly, thus it  reported the rescue extensively. Other radio stations like Magnum Radio, DXKO, Bombo Radyo and iFM Idol Radio also shared the posts.

Annaliza Amontos Reyes, program director at DXCC, said that their reporters are always reminded to follow the code of ethics of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) , of which the station is a member.

The KBP has a code of ethics which provides guidelines in how to report crises situations,among others. But it still does not have particular guidelines in covering suicide.

When a suicide occurs and coverage is deemed necessary, Amontos-Reyes said that they (reporters) emphasize suicide prevention.

"We interview a psychologist so our listeners are educated what to do when faced with similar situations. And how we can help those who are suicidal."

As for sensationalised coverages as part of the strategy to beat others in the ratings game, she admonished a do-no-harm policy as more important.

" Bisan pa makataas sa ratings pero makadaot sa kadaghanan, dapat I-minimize. "

" Dili kay mas daghan pang komentaryo bahin sa nahitabo o sa pamilya kay sa pag-educate." (Instead of providing more commentary (than news) on the survivors or the family, we must educate (our listeners),she stressed.

"Focus ta sa pag educate. Unsaon nato malikayan ang suicide, unsaon nato pag tabang sa mga suicidal. Mas kinahanglan nato ang pag educate, "

 ("Let us focus on the goal to educate. On the preventive measures. On how we can support those who are suicidal. We need to stress more on how to educate.") 

(This story was produced with a Health and Governance fellowship from the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) under the auspices of the Hanns Seidel Foundation-Philippines (HSFP). The contents of this story are the full responsibility of the journalist.



2 stores in Cagayan de Oro violate SRP rules

7 Sep, 2022, No comments

In a joint price surveillance by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Cagayan de Oro City Price Coordinating Council (CDO-CPCC), September 2, two stores were found to have violated the suggested retail price (SRP) rules.

Almer Masillones, DTI Misamis Oriental provincial director, said the monitoring team found two shops to have breached trade rules by selling some products slightly above the SRP.

The team also spotted minor violations such as failure to put visible price tags on the display shelves and not posting an on-view SRP bulletin.

The DTI immediately issued an inquiry notice requiring the alleged violators to comply within three days.

"Since the DTI issued the new suggested retail price last month, we are validating whether the SRP is being implemented and find out if no one violated the directive,” Masillones said.

DTI MisOr emphasized that certain commodities such as canned sardines, processed milk, coffee refill, noodles, laundry soap, bottled water, candles, meatloaf, beef loaf, and condiments like salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, showed a slight increase in the SRP released by Central Office on August 12 compared to the SRP that had previously been issued.

This was attributed to the cost of raw materials, production, packaging charges, and freight and distribution costs, according to DTI.

The team's inspection records bared that the majority of the closely monitored supermarkets and school supply establishments in the city adhered to the government’s trade standards.

“While everyone is doing their business, we too are safeguarding our consumers that will result in a vibrant economy,” Lawyer Egay Uy, Cagayan de Oro City’s regulatory compliance board chairperson and CDO-CPCC co-chairperson, said.

To protect consumers from establishments that may take advantage of current market pricing on school supplies, basic necessities and prime commodities, DTI Misamis Oriental urged the purchasing public to report any violations to their office via DTI Misamis Oriental Facebook page or by visiting their office at State Investment Building, Tiano-Hayes streets, Cagayan de Oro City. (JAKA/PIA-10/Misamis Oriental)

DTI Misamis Oriental and the Cagayan de Oro City Price Coordinating Council inspect various supermarkets and school supply traders, September 2, to ensure that the city’s business sector closely adhered to the government’s newly issued suggested retail price. (JAKA/PIA-10/Misamis Oriental)

"Tugkaran Ko, Limpyohan Ko" ordinance pushed

16 Aug, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

A city councilor is pushing for an ordinance that will require all residential and commercial establishments in Cagayan de Oro to maintain the cleanliness and sanitation of the sidewalk and premises fronting their homes and establishments.

Councilor Ian Achas has filed a proposed ordinance that will institutionalize the campaign "Tugkaran Ko, Limpyohan Ko" every third Saturday of the month.

Achas was prompted to file the said legislative measure as urban flooding remains to be a prevalent problem in the city and as dengue cases are rising.

"Urban flooding and increasing cases of dengue are common in the city, which is among the few results of improper waste disposal and/or living in a dirty environment," he said.

In his special report during the regular session, Achas said according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Northern Mindanao, 72 of the 80 barangays in the city are susceptible to flooding and one of the main causes is the clogged drainage systems linked with poorly managed waste disposal.

"Dili nato malimod nga bisan pa gani sa gamay nga ulan, ang atong syudad bahaon sa dayon,"he added.

Meanwhile, Achas cited a data from the City Health Office that showed the increasing number of dengue cases in the city.

He said from January to July 2022, the city recorded a total of 692 dengue cases with 10 deaths.

"With all the data discussed on which causes of urban flooding, its impact on the livelihood and properties of our fellow kagay-anons, and the threatening cases of dengue in the city, it is just timely to pass an ordinance requiring all residential and commercial establishments in the city to clean and maintain the cleanliness and sanitation of our sidewalks and immediate premises fronting our houses and establishments,"Achas said.

Photo by Cdeo City Council


Judith files ordinance establishing city college in Cagayan de Oro

12 Aug, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

CAGAYAN de Oro City Councilor James Judith has filed a proposed ordinance that seeks to establish a city college with initial basic course offerings of criminology and education.

In a 7-page proposed ordinance, the city college shall be known as the Colegio De Cagayan de Oro (CODO) which will be situated in the premises of the City National High School for its initial operations.

The city college will offer free tuition to qualified students of Cagayan de Oro and will provide basic course offerings such as criminology and education until it progresses to other courses.

Judith emphasized that only qualified students who are residents of the city shall be admitted. Primary qualification is indigency which shall be provided for by the Board of Trustees.
Photo by City Council

PMMA campus to rise in Cagayan de Oro

10 Aug, 2022, No comments
The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) will soon have a campus in Cagayan de Oro City following the enactment of Republic Act 11782 authored by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.

According to Rodriguez, he is currently in talks with PMMA president Superintendent Commodore Joel Abutal for the necessary preparations in establishing the said academy.

“I have talked with Supt. Abutal and he is scheduled to come to Cagayan de Oro City very soon so we can conduct an ocular inspection for the possible areas to construct the PMMA-CdeO campus,” Rodriguez said.

“PMMA is now drafting the implementing rules and regulations of the law. We will also be determining an administrator who is qualified to head the campus,” he added.

The PMMA-CdeO will provide short-term, technical-vocational, undergraduate, and graduate courses for aspiring cadets in Mindanao especially from CdeO. Those passing the entrance exams will be given free tuition, fees, and uniforms.

The aim is to produce highly skilled and qualified individuals that will be guaranteed employment once they graduate. It will also provide a chance for young people to take up maritime courses free of tuition and fees.

According to Rodriguez, courses on BS Marine Transportation and BS Marine Engineering will be initially offered to interested students.

Presently, PMMA has 48 partner shipping companies that will provide immediate employment opportunities for its graduates.

The initial funding of the said institution will be sourced from the General Appropriations Act (GAA). 

The CdeO lawmaker said he will push for additional funds for PMMA-CdeO campus during the 2023 budget deliberations starting this September. (PR)

Courtesy: Rufus Rodriguez Facebook

Fake lawyer nabbed in Cagayan de Oro

4 Aug, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

A FAKE lawyer who poses as an employee of the Parole and Probation Administration (PPA) of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to victimize the family of persons deprived of liberty (PDL) has been arrested in an entrapment operation on Thursday, August 4.

Police identified the suspect as Jonathan Trangia who goes by the name Atty. Cedric Roa, 25, and resident of Purok 4, Tablon, Cagayan de Oro.

Police Major Mario Mantala, chief of Police Station 4, said the modus of the suspect is to collect money from the wife of an inmate who wants to avail probation as payment.

Mantala added that the suspect was a former inmate and was granted probation.

"Dati preso siya nga naka probation. Nag fixer dayon siya ug iyang mga biktima asawa sa PDL nga gusto mag probation,"Mantala said.

Seized from the suspect's possession were suspected shabu (Methamphetamine hydrochloride) worth more than P51,000, and cash.

The suspect is now detained and will face charges.

Photo by Police Station 4

Interior secretary leads turnover of cash assistance to ex-rebels in Northern Mindanao

3 Aug, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has turned over some P13.8 million worth of assistance to the 350 former rebels in Bukidnon at Camp Alagar in Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro on Wednesday, August 3.

Led by DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., the former members of the New People's Army (NPA) received financial support in the form of immediate assistance worth P15,000; livelihood assistance worth P50,000; reintegration assistance worth P21,000; and firearms remuneration depending on the surrendered firearms.

The assistance is part of the government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) which aims to help former rebels start a new life after returning to the folds of the law.

“The Region 10 is fortunate to have this activity personally attended by SILG Abalos, who will be visiting the region for the first time in his term,” DILG-Northern Mindanao Director Arnel Aagbe said.

Agabe said the presence of the Secretary will surely boost the morale of the agencies behind the efforts in attaining lasting peace in the region as well as encourage more rebels to surrender already.

During the turnover, an additional of 49 former rebels from Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro also formally surrendered.

Also  some 183 firearms surrendered by the rebels were also demilitarized during the activity.

“We are glad of this progress in Region 10 and we are looking forward that with the aid of our partner agencies, we will continue to convince more members of the rebels to already surrender to the folds of the government,” Agabe said.



CdeO cops to beef up intelligence network

2 Aug, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

THE chief of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) has vowed to beef up intelligence gathering initiatives to deter crimes following the series of robbery incidents and other forms of criminality in the city.

Cocpo director Colonel Aaron Mandia said a conference will be scheduled to meet the intelligence community and other law enforcement agencies.

He said a close coordination and collaboration with the intelligence community is necessary to get feedback and map out new strategies to curb criminality.

Mandia added that the local police are monitoring those who were released from jail and those who availed the government's plea bargaining agreement.

"Isa din sa minomitor natin ang bagong laya kaya mayroon tayong coordination sa jail regarding sa profile nila,"Mandia said.

The Cocpo chief clarified that the series of robbery incidents may not be connected or carried out by an organized group.

Mandia also maintained that the police are doing its duties to ensure peace and order in the city.

"Di natin masabi na may lapses ang kapolisan kasi ginagawa ng police ang lahat. Ang binabantayan lang talaga ng mga criminal ay ating police,"he said.

Photo by Cocpo






Robbery suspect nabbed in drug bust

2 Aug, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

POLICE anti-illegal drug operatives have arrested the suspect who robbed a woman inside a Macanhan-liner multicab in a drug buy-bust operation Monday night, August 1.

Authorities identified the suspect as Raymund Aguilar, 31, resident of Tambo, Carmen, this city, and a former employee of the City Social Welfare Department (CSWD).

Police Major Mario Mantala, chief of Police Station 4, led the operation where he ordered the team to wear a body camera.

Mantala said the suspect sustained minor bruises after the operatives were compelled to apply reasonable force when the suspect showed resistance during the arrest.

Seized from the suspect were suspected shabu (Methamphetamine hydrochloride) worth more than P54,000, drug paraphernalia, two bladed weapons and a 38 caliber revolver.

He added that the suspect was the man behind the robbery incident inside a multicab at Ysalina Bridge in Barangay Carmen last week.

"The robbery incident is considered as cleared,"he said.

The suspect is now detained and will face robbery and drug charges.

Photo by Police Station 4


Manhunt on vs robbery suspect of bakeshop in Cagayan de Oro

31 Jul, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

THE Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) has assured the public to arrest the robbery suspect of a bakeshop along Tiano-Cruz Taal Streets on Sunday, July 31.

Cocpo director Colonel Aaron Mandia has ordered all station commanders and chief of special units to seal off possible exit of the suspect by conducting random checkpoints in their respective area of responsibility.

Police said the New Leaf Bakeshop was robbed by still unidentified suspect whom described by Friga Hinacay, bakeshop's assistant supervisor, as skinny and stands about 5'10" around 5:05 p.m.

Hinacay said that while she was standing near the cashier, the suspect arrived and acted as a customer.

She said the suspect pointed his gun at her and declared hold-up. She then get the sales from the drawer amounting to around P8,000 and gave it to the suspect.

Investigation disclosed that the suspect was wearing a black sweatshirt, black face mask and fled on foot towards Capistrano Street.

Photo courtesy: Cocpo

Robbery suspect of convenience store in Cagayan de Oro nabbed

31 Jul, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

POLICE have arrested a 30-year-old man who allegedly robbed a convenience store in Vamenta Boulevard, Carmen, Cagayan de Oro, three hours after a hot pursuit operation was launched on Saturday, July 30.

Authorities identified the suspect as Fulbert Angcahan, resident of barangay Kauswagan, this city.

Investigators said the suspect has been caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera robbing Gram Convenience Store by pointing a gun at cashier Angelyn Neones.

Neones said the suspect took the store's sales worth around P5,000 and fled riding a motorcycle.

Police Major Mario Mantala, chief of Police Station 4, ordered a hot pursuit operation resulting in the arrest of the suspect.

Confiscated from the suspect were a plastic replica pistol of caliber 45 and a motorcycle.

Screenshot of the CCTV footage. (Courtesy: Surki Serenas)

PDEA-10 burns P35-M illegal drugs

30 Jul, 2022, No comments

By Alwen Saliring

ANTI-narcotics agents in Northern Mindanao destroyed more than P35 million worth of dangerous drugs seized during various anti-illegal drug operations.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Northern Mindanao (PDEA-10) burned the illegal drugs at a funeral homes in Cagayan de Oro on Thursday, July 28.

Destroyed were 48, 331 grams of marijuana (fruiting tops, dried leaves, and plant); 4, 399 grams of shabu; and 07181 grams of MDMA (ecstasy tablet). Also burned were expired dangerous drugs from different pharmaceutical companies and hospitals both private and government.

PDEA-10 said a thermal decomposition or thermolysis at 1,000 degrees centigrade heat is the method of decomposition or breaking down of chemicals which resulted in the total decomposition of all dangerous drugs.

The destruction is in compliance with Republic Act 9165 also known as The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Section 21 (4) that all trial courts are required to conduct an ocular inspection of the illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia within 72 hours from the filing of the criminal information of drug cases. Further, all seized items have to be destroyed by the PDEA within 24 hours after the inspection.

PDEA-10 added that it has been conducting destruction of confiscated drug evidence recovered during anti-drug operations and those turned over by other law enforcement agencies (OLEAs) with court order for destruction.

The agency also emphasized that it will never tolerate recycling of dangerous drugs even as it urged the public to report any illegal drug activities in the region.

PDEA-10 director Jigger Montallana assured the public that all confiscated drugs under its custody were destroyed.

Supplied Photo



21 cops receive cash reward

27 Jul, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

SOME 21 personnel of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) were given financial reward for their performance that led to the arrest of suspects of the recent crimes in the city.

Mayor Rolando Uy gave each personnel a cash incentive of P10,000 at the City Hall on Tuesday, July 26.

Among those who received the monetary reward were Police Corporal Jayson Abesamis and Patrolman Jay Ain Bundulan who were both wounded during the hostage drama in Barangay 29 last week.

The suspect was neutralized and charged with two counts of frustrated murder, serious illegal detention and frustrated parricide.

Other recipients of the cash reward were those who have contributed in the arrest of the rape-slay suspect in Barangay Lapasan; murder suspect of a parking boy in Corrales Avenue; among others.

Cocpo deputy director for administration Police Lieutenant Colonel Surki Sereñas said the reward will boost the morale of the local police who are facing criticisms due to the recent crimes.

He said Cocpo is thankful not because of the monetary reward but to the support of the local government.

"Makapadasig ug maka-motivate kani sa atong PNP personnel on the ground to work harder because we need to reciprocate the support given to us by the mayor," Sereñas said.

Photo by Aicy Soriano/CIO

Revisit 'Oplan Bakal Sita', police urged

26 Jul, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

A LOCAL legislator is urging the local police to review the procedure in conducting the "Oplan Bakal Sita" to ensure that the individual's rights are preserved while performing their duties in maintaining peace and order in the city.


Councilor Jose Pepe Abbu Jr. said this at the height of the series of crimes that happened in the city such as shooting incidents and other forms of criminality.

During the regular session on Monday, July 25, Abbu shared an experience where he witnessed an individual being arrested for disobedience after refusing to be frisked by the police.

He clarified that the intention of the operation is good to check if a person is carrying a firearm and to possibly deter crimes but it should be done in balance of protecting the privacy of the person.

"As an advocate of law, ang comment nako sa Oplan Kapkap Bakal is you cannot just search a person. I find it wrong and some people might not agree on me on this,"Abbu said.

Abbu clarified the grounds to effect a warrantless arrest is when the crime has been committed in the presence of the police officer or when the law enforcer has valid suspicion based on personal knowledge that a crime is being committed or the person will possibly commit a crime.

"This operation is an important tool to deter or prevent the commission of a crime. Siguro ang manner or procedure ma-revisit aron dili maabusahan ug walay legal problems,"Abbu said.

Abbu also urged the authorities to strengthen police visibility especially in areas where people usually flocked such as restobars, among others, and improve intelligence gathering to curb criminality.

Photo by Cdeo City Council






Judith 'apprehensive' of SCAA

26 Jul, 2022, No comments
By Alwen Saliring

THE minority floor leader of the Cagayan de Oro City Council is "still" apprehensive in the proposal of arming a group of civilians that would help authorities in curbing criminality following the recent crimes that happened in the city.

Councilor James Judith said there might be legal impediments in organizing a Special Civilian Armed Auxiliary (SCAA) composed of 88 civilians to augment local authorities in checkpoints and in conducting foot patrol.

During the regular session on Monday, Councilor Edgar Cabanlas raised the suggestion of the authorities to increase the number of military personnel in the Task Force Oro.

He said there was a suggestion to organize a SCAA to be trained by the military for 45 days.

"They will be under the command and control of the army. This is what is done in Davao, Zamboanga, GenSan and Valencia. Medyo naulahi ta,"

However, Judith said the intention is laudable but he worries of the legal complications.

"Ang katuyuan maayo. Walay problema sa ako pero naa ko nakita nga bikil," he said.

"Galisod man gani ta og pagsugyot nga armahan ang mga tanod naa na hinoon grupo nga lagi ibutang sa Task Force Oro pero unsa kalainan sa tanod nga dili pwede tungod sa legal complications,"he added.

Photo by Cdeo City Council

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