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An aspirin a day keeps cancer away?

Aspirin is a common member of The Cabinet—the medicine cabinet, that is.

It is often used as a pain reliever, an anti-inflammatory and it can even lower the temperature during a bout of fever. Due to its anti-blood clotting action, it is beneficial to people at risk of heart attacks (a.k.a. myocardial infarction) and strokes.

Keeping a 75-mg aspirin tablet in your wallet at all times can be a lifesaver. A person who suffers a heart attack and pops a low dose aspirin immediately after the attack reduces the risk of a second fatal heart attack or of death of the affected heart tissue.

Cardiologists have included aspirin in the daily regimen of patients at risk for myocardial infarction or stroke.

Lowers cancer risk

Scientists are now pushing the latest data that daily aspirin use may lower the risk of cancer, as well.

According to Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society, six different papers revealed that patients taking 75-mg of aspirin a day for three to five years had a 20 percent lower risk of developing cancer while persons taking the same drug for more than 5 years had a 30 percent decreased incidence of cancer.

Another analysis composed of 34 trials showed similar results. Patients taking 40-mg to 1,500-mg of aspirin for more than five years had a 37 percent less likelihood of dying from cancer.

Dr. Thun wrote that increasing the dose of aspirin did not seem to have any additional benefit as compared to the current recommended dose of 75-mg per day.

How to avoid side effects

But don’t stock up on aspirin just yet.

This drug also has some adverse effects. Prolonged intake may cause stomach ulcers leading to life-threatening bleeding.

Before you begin taking aspirin on a regular basis, make sure you check with your physician to ensure you do not suffer from any gastrointestinal problems.

The following dietary supplements are also recommended to protect the stomach lining from damage: vitamin C, deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) or s-adenosylmethionine (SAMe). These supplements may be found in health stores and some pharmacies.

By Dr. Diana Sarmiento, The Blogging Doc | Yahoo! SHE – Mon, Apr 16, 2012 4:13 PM PHT

DOTC launches Ligtas Byahe: Kwaresma

PH wild raspberry introduced to local market {totoy}

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos are now craving for a Philippine wild raspberry after it was introduced to the local market in the form of juice, jam and wine, the government said Monday.

The local fruit, called “sapinit,” can be found in Mt. Banahaw in Quezon and in Laguna, according to Dr. Nicomedes Eleazar, director of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).

It was made accessible to consumers with the help of BAR’s P1.55-million project, which was also funded by the National Agriculture and Fisheries Council, and Japan’s KR2 Program.

“You can’t find sapinit anywhere as much as you find them thriving in our wilds even without a delicate need for nurture and care. They are protectors of our environment,” Eleazar said in a statement.

A processing facility in Tiaong, Quezon processes 100 kilos of sapinit per day, providing livelihood and income to women in the area. A kilo of the fruit may be processed into four bottles of jam, four bottles of juice, or five bottles of wine.

Sapinit juice is sold at P35 per 350 milliliters, while a 350-ml bottle of wine costs P300. A 250-ml bottle of jam, meanwhile, costs P85.

The products are targeted at beach tourists in Quezon and visitors of Mt. Banahaw. Anniewanda Reyes, a municipal agriculturist in Dolores, Quezon, said children especially like the sapinit juice because of its “distinct taste.”

“They come looking back again and again for our juice in our promo booth,” Reyes said.

Sapinit is also sold fresh at the San Pabloc City wet market at P300 kilo, and as a vinaigrette by a proprietor in one Quezon resort. Meanwhile, BAR is also looking at making tea out of sapinit leaves.

Studies funded by BAR have shown that sapinit is rich in anti-cancer phytochemicals such as leucoanthocyanins, anthraquinones, saponines, deoxysugars, free fatty acids, hydrolysable tannins, unsaturated steroids and benzopyrone nucleus.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com

Publiko, kinalma ng phivolcs sa posibleng pagsabog ng Mt. Asog sa CamSur {tedboy}

Pinawi ng PHIVOLCS ang pangamba ng mga residente sa dalawang lugar sa lalawigan ng Camarines Sur kasunod ng pagkaka-diskubre sa tatlong fault line at isang crater sa Mt. Asog.

Ayon kay PHIVOLCS Chief Volcanologist Ed Laguerta – bagama’t kabilang ito sa mga aktibong bulkan – at matagal nang hindi pumuputok – wala namang inaasahang panganib na maaaring kaharapin ang mga mamamayan malapit dito – dahil nananatili pa rin naman itong tahimik.

Una na ng tinukoy ng PHIVOLCS na ang bayan ng Buhi at Iriga city na pawang nasa paanan ng nasabing bulkan ang posibleng maapektuhan sakaling magkaroon ito ng volcanic eruption.

“sangayon medyo wala pa namang pagbabago sa bulkan at nananatiling tahimik po ito”

Samantala, sakali mang pumutok ang Mt. Asog – naka-handa ang Iriga city at pamahalaang bayan ng buhi.

Nabatid na huling pumutok ang Mt. Asog noong ika-anim na siglo – kung saan ang naiwan nito ang pagkakaroon ng lake Buhi na pangunahing pinagkukunan ngayon ng hanapbuhay ng mga residente sa lugar.

http://www.rmnnews.com

CamSur, nakaalerto sa Mt. Asog {tedboy}

Nakaalerto ngayon ang mga residente sa posibilidad na sumabog ang Bulkang Asog sa Camarines Sur.

Dalawang lugar sa Camarines Sur ang tinukoy ng Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) na delikadong maapektuhan sa pagsabog ng Mt. Asog.

Partikular na inalerto ng Phivolcs ang mga bayan ng Buhi at Iriga City, na parehong nasa paanan ng Mt. Asog, na ayon sa ahensiya ay kasalukuyang nagpapakita ng abnormalidad.

Kinumpirma sa report na isinumite sa Office of Civil Defense ni Ed Laguerta, chief volcanologist, na nadiskubre ang tatlong fault line at isang crater sa Mt. Asog.

Agad namang pinakilos ni National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Benito Ramos ang kanyang mga tauhan para paghandaan ang posibleng paglilikas sa mga residente.

Tiniyak naman ng pamahalaang lokal ng Iriga City, sa pangunguna ni Mayor Madeline Alfelor-Gazmen, na nakahanda ang rescue team ng pamahalaang lungsod para alalayan ang mga posibleng maaapektuhan ng kalamidad.

Kinumpirma rin ni Buhi Mayor Rey Lacoste na nagsanay na sila sa mga gagawin sakaling sumabog ang bulkan.

Nabatid na huling pumutok ang Mt. Asog noong ikaanim na siglo, at sa pagsabog ay nalikha ang kinagigiliwang Lake Buhi, na kabilang sa mga dinadayo ng mga turista sa Camarines Sur. – Fer Taboy

http://www.balita.net.ph

DOT Strengthens Participatory Governance in Budget Process, Inks Budget Partnership Agreement with Tourism Congress and REID Foundation

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Tourism Congress and the Research, Education, and Institutional Development (REID) Foundation, recognizing them as partners in DOT’s 2013 budget preparation and execution of programs and activities.

The partnership is in compliance with the National Budget Circular of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) that was released early this year that seeks to promote and enhance participatory governance.  The said circular provided that in order “to ensure the efficiency of the consultation process, civil service organizations (CSO) and their corresponding agencies must enter into Budget Partnership Agreements (BPAs), which will define the scope of CSO engagements in budget preparation and execution.”

“We welcome this arrangement as this not only applies the transparency policy of the Aquino administration, it also gains the support of our stakeholders in facilitating the implementation of our plans.  This procedure likewise ensures that our programs and activities are more community and results oriented.  We are happy to have partnered with the REID Foundation and the Tourism Congress in crafting our 2013 budget,” explained Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. at the Bayleaf Hotel in Intramuros.

The DOT budget thrusts include: (1) developing market competitive tourist destinations and products; (2) improving market access, connectivity, and destination infrastructure; and (3) improving tourism institutions, governance, and human resources.

“We are looking forward to the full implementation of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP),” said Marceline Clemente, President of the Tourism Congress, in relation to the DOT’s 2013 budget. “We value the partnership as it is a testimony that the national government and its stakeholders will now be working hand-in-hand in a common thrust through the NTDP,” Clemente added.

The guidelines released by the DBM underline the importance of the bottom-up approach and feedback mechanism.

“We want to nurture a strong relationship with CSOs and our stakeholders in crafting the DOT’s budget.  After all, we are united in the business of tourism and making the Philippines a must-experience destination in Asia,” the Secretary said. “We hope that the private sector will constantly be open to dialogue and frank exchange, as we have done so in the past,” he added.

Visitor arrivals breach 400,000 in January 2012: Another historic first for PHL Tourism

In another historic first for the Philippine tourism industry, visitor arrivals reached a record-breaking high of 411,064 visitor arrivals in January 2012, a very good start to open the year.  The 411,064 visitor arrivals represent a double digit gain of 17.5% from 349,713 visitors for the same month last year.

“We are happy to set a new all-time high for the industry, as we have now reached and surpassed the 400,000 visitor arrival mark for the first time in any single month,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr.

“We expect that these numbers will continue to steadily increase with the introduction of our new brand campaign this year and the convergence initiatives and efforts that the DOT has been undertaking with other government agencies and the private sector,” Secretary Jimenez added.

Korea remained the biggest supplier of visitors at 102,166, chalking up 24.9% of the total visitor volume to the Philippines.  This achieves another feat for PHL tourism as this also marks the first time that a market achieved more than 100,000 in any single month.

Visitors from the United States came second with 63,160 arrivals contributing 15.4% of the total inbound traffic.

The Chinese market bested the Japanese market as it recorded the third biggest volume of 42,868 arrivals and posted a triple-digit growth of 173.8% from its volume of 15,656 arrivals last year. The increase in Chinese tourists is attributed to the heavy influx from this market for the Chinese New Year which fell on the third week of January of this year.

Meanwhile, the Japanese and the Taiwanese markets ranked as fourth and fifth top producers, with 32,089 and 21,995 arrivals, respectively. The Japanese arrivals posted a 1.6% growth at 7.8% share of the total while those from Taiwan posted a growth of 60.7%, capturing 5.4% of the aggregated data.

Overseas Filipinos, or Filipinos permanently residing abroad contributed, 15,531 arrivals, registering 3.8% to the total volume.

“We are excited to meet our year-end target of 4.6 million arrivals with the full roll-out of the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign.  Our institutional programs will be complemented by those from the private sector and the local government units.

World Water Day: A symbolic celebration and advocacy for Filipinos

Filipinos will have a symbolic and joyful World Water Day celebration on March 22, as about 2,000 of them will gather at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila to form the largest human water drop coupled with an advocacy walk.

Dubbed as ‘Philippines Walks for Water’ and the forming of the largest human water drop aim to raise awareness on issues surrounding water and food supply and the importance of ensuring enough water. The walk and human drop formation will start at 2:30 in the afternoon.

Participants will come from various water-related government agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Agriculture (DA), National Water Resources Board (NWRB), Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Department of Education, Division of City Schools (Quezon City), National Parks Development Authority, City of Manila, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Laguna Lake Development Authority.

Participants from private corporations such as Maynilad, Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Company, Philippine Association of Water Districts, Philippine Water Partnerships, and  Manila Water will join the event.   Sagip Ilog Pilipinas Movement will also join the celebration. Maynilad will sponsor the March 22 event, which also includes the Water Festival at the Manila Ocean Park Aquatica in the afternoon starting at 5 p.m.

The “Philippines Walks for Water” event will start at the Quirino Grandstand where participants will wear white t-shits and be provided with blue foldable fans and stickers as they assemble.  The walk proper will start at the grandstand with a brief program where Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino, Maynilad President Ricky Vargas and DENR Undersecretary Manuel Gerochi will welcome the people with brief messages.

Fifty (50) water jugs and 30 food baskets will be provided some of the participants before the walk proper and formation of human water drop to symbolize the importance of water in ensuring sufficient food for the Filipinos, following the  theme “Katiyakan sa Tubig , Katiyakan sa Pagkain”.

The formation of water drop will last for only 15 minutes after which, the group will converge at the Aquatica of Manila Ocean Park for the Water Festival. The Water Festival will be highlighted with a signing on the commitment wall and messages from the Secretaries of DENR, Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the executives of Maynilad and PLDT.

Performances by Noel Cabangon, a known environmentalist, and other artists, and  a film presentation on the importance of water by UP Cineaste will also highlight the Water Festival. The finale will be the Manila Ocean Parks’s Magical Fountain Show at 7 pm.

Other activities for the World Water Day include a “Water for Knowledge Fair” at the Edsa Shangri-la hosted by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and DPWH. There will also be simultaneous tree and mangrove planting at Siniloan river bank in Laguna and Tanza, Navotas, respectively.

The United Nations General Assembly designated March 22 as the World Water Day following the recommendation of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) for an international day to give importance to freshwater resources.

DENR to nominate PPUR as Ramsar site

After officially proclaimed as one of World’s Seven Wonders of Nature, another global recognition is in the works for the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) in Palawan.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje said the DENR, through the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) is set to nominate the PPUR as Ramsar Site to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance or Ramsar Convention in Switzerland.

Paje made the announcement even as he expressed gratitude to the Filipino people all over the world for casting their votes for the underground river. He also thanked other nationalities for their “overwhelming support,” saying the inclusion of the protected area among the world’s natural wonders is “very timely” with the government’s thrust to boost local tourism.

“The PPUR could be one of the gateways for tourists who want to see the country. It will also be a showcase of how the government can make the necessary adjustments, especially in terms of infrastructure and services, in coping with the expected influx of tourists to the area, to ensure that the pristine environment that the PPUR is known for will not be damaged irreversibly,” Paje explained.

According to him, the nomination of PPUR as a Ramsar site will highlight this year’s celebration of World Wetlands Day in the country.  “February 2 is World Wetlands Day.  We are going to mark this year’s celebration with the submission of PPUR’s nomination as a Ramsar site or wetlands of international importance,” he said.

Through Resolution No. 427-2011 issued on Dec. 22, 2011, the Puerto Princesa city government recommended to PAWB the park’s nomination to the Ramsar Convention because of its importance as a biodiversity conservation area.  Among others, it features a spectacular limestone or karst landscape that contains an 8.2 kilometer-long underground river that flows directly to the sea.

PAWB, a bureau under the DENR, is the National Administrative Authority of Ramsar Convention.

The nomination of PPUR is pursuant to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, also called the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty that seeks to conserve and sustainably utilize wetlands and protect them from progressive encroachment.

The Ramsar Convention was adopted in the Iranian City of Ramsar in 1971 and the Convention’s member countries cover all geographic regions of the planet, with Philippines as the 119thcontracting party to the Convention.

Once approved, the PPUR is going to be the fifth protected areas in the country proclaimed as Ramsar Sites.  Protected areas previously declared as Ramsar Sites include the Olonga Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu in 1994; the Tubbataha Reefs, also in Palawan; Naujan Lake National Lake in Mindoro Oriental; and the Agusan Marsh in Agusan del Sur; all in 1999.

The environment chief explained that the PPUR National Park does not only refer to the river alone but encompasses all the various interconnecting ecosystems from the mountain to the sea, which include eight types of forests such as ultramafic and limestone; inland wetlands like rivers and fresh swamp; karst ecosytems; and coastal wetlands such as tidal flats and seagrass beds.

While noting the increase in tourist arrivals in Palawan the past year from 170,000 in 2010 to 250,000 in 2011, Paje assured the public that the DENR, together with the PPUR’s multi-sectoral Protected Area Management Board, and other government agencies would be working closely together to protect the PPUR.

The secretary also acknowledged that although the Philippine campaign “never doubted” that the PPUR would emerge as one of the winners past the provisional stage because of its proven natural and geological wonders, the overwhelming support from Filipinos all over the world who cast their votes online or via text messaging, and encouraged others to do the same, was a huge contributing factor for the win.

Palawan has been one of the country’s famous destinations, and the reported increase in tourist arrivals has paved the way for the construction of a new international airport in Puerto Princesa City , as well as additional hotels to accommodate the visitors.

Malacañang to sign mining policy by February

MALACAÑANG is expected to sign by mid-February the new mining policy aimed at giving balance to major issues in the industry, particularly the inconsistencies between the national and local laws , a government official said.

Presidential Adviser on Environmental Protection Secretary Nereus Acosta said that the study group has already completed the final draft of the mining policy, which is expected to be approved by President Benigno Aquino 3rd within the next two weeks.

“Right now, we are also routing the mining policy to the departments of Finance, Trade and Industry, and Energy for review and comments on its provisions. We expect the president to sign it by middle of February,” Acosta said.

The official, however, refused to give further details on the direction of new mining policy, saying that it is the president’s prerogative to disclose it.

Aquino earlier made a stand to protect mining investments and to fully address the issues confronting the Philippine minerals industry. Acosta said that the comprehensive mining policy will addresses issues hampering the industry—particularly the inconsistencies in the national and local government units over bans on open pit mining.

“We may see a resolve of issue in a sense that it will balance economic growth and social acceptability in the area,” Acosta said, citing the case of the $5.9-billion Tampakan copper-gold project in South Cotabato.

Tampakan, a project of global miner Xstrata Plc and Indophil Resources NL, is now facing derailment after the provincial government of South Cotabato passed an ordinance, banning open pit mining in the area.

But despite repeated assurance from the government that it will protect major investments, many in the mining industry continued to push for a “clearer” stand from the Aquino administration on the issue. The study group was tasked by the Office of the Executive Secretary to identify and to address issues including the lack of baseline data on the mining industry, policy inconsistencies between the national and local laws, and governance and law enforcement concerns.

The group was also directed to address issue on the lack of total economic valuation for the mining industry and increasing government share in mining revenues, as well as the adverse effects of environmental degradation and climate change.

Leo Jasareno, director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, said earlier that the new mining policies in place will provide stakeholders with clear guidelines and detailed information in the provisions of the Mining Act of the Philippines and its implementing rules and regulations.

“We hope that the said mining policies can finally lead the industry to a middle ground where the concerns of every stakeholder will be reasonably addressed and provide a stable investment environment in the Philippines in terms of the mineral resource development,” the official said. The study group is composed of Acosta, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, Presidential Adviser on Climate Change Secretary Elisea Gozun, and Vice Chairperson of the Climate Change Commission Mary Ann Lucille Sering.

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The Manila Times
by James Konstantin Galvez
January 30, 2012