Monday, May 24, 2021

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Coca-Cola Beverages PH completes 14K solar panel project in manufacturing sites

Posted: 23 May 2021 06:00 PM PDT

COCA-COLA Beverages Philippines Inc. (CCBPI), the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the country, has achieved another sustainability milestone in Q1 of 2021 upon completing the installation of almost 14,000 solar panels in its Davao del Sur, Misamis Oriental and Bacolod plants.

A multi-phased solar panel project is underway that covers four more sites namely, Canlubang, Sta. Rosa, Zamboanga, and Cebu, with 2022 as a target deadline. With this, CCBPI is pursuing a 24,000-solar panel project, with the total capacity to produce a maximum of 9.4MW. More projects are in the pipeline—two plants in North Luzon and the Visayas are being assessed for renewable energy integration.

Energy efficiency is one of the company's strategic investment areas. Efforts to further integrate renewable energy (RE) into its operations are part of CCBPI's Cleaner Energy 2.0 initiative—a roadmap toward becoming a leader in clean energy use and energy use ratio in Southeast Asia by 2023. Even with the challenges brought by the pandemic, Coca-Cola steadily poured in investments—an initial $63M for 2021 and $95M in 2020—to ensure the highest standards of safety, quality and sustainability for every bottle that reaches its customers.

To date, as much as 65 percent of Coca-Cola's total energy consumption is sourced from renewable and clean energy—geothermal, solar and biomass resources. The company's two mega plants, Canlubang and Sta. Rosa, were the first to utilize RE in 2018. All of Coca-Cola's manufacturing sites that are viable to be converted to 100 percent RE—given the existing grid and connectivity infrastructure—have been transitioned to use clean energy. These sites are Sta. Rosa, Canlubang, Ilocos, (Calasiao) Pangasinan, Cebu, San Fernando in Pampanga and Meycauayan.

"Organizations of our scale need to consciously and deliberately manage our environmental impact. By placing sustainability at the core of our operations, we are able to demonstrate that growing a successful business through sound and responsible enterprise strategies is highly achievable," says Gareth McGeown, president and chief executive officer of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc. "We are increasing the volume of our production and maintaining the quality of our beverages, hand-in-hand with hitting our sustainability goals."

Consuming less energy, producing more beverages

Coca-Cola has been delivering significantly on reducing overall energy consumption. To track progress on this front, the company uses a metric called Energy Use Ratio (EUR), which is the amount of energy used for every liter of product produced.

The suite of energy savings initiatives has so far improved Coca-Cola's energy use ratio from 2014 to 2018 by as much as 30 percent, which means that Coca-Cola is utilizing less power even as it produces more beverages—but it is not stopping there.

CCBPI has introduced more operational excellence programs, which include step change in processes through initiatives like "Lupit" (Level-Up Process Improvement Teams) that are fueled by a rewards and recognition scheme. "Lupit," a Filipino word for awesome, is run through a combination of focused improvement teams and individual employee improvement ideas and suggestions.

"Our 20 plants across the Philippines are equipped with state-of-the-art technologies that allow for efficient energy and water consumption. We make sure that we continuously innovate and upgrade our processes, train our people and invest in technology to ensure that the systems we have in place demonstrate our commitment to sustainability—it's not all talk," adds McGeown.

Sustainability across the value chain: water, packaging, fleet operations

Comprehensive strategies are in place to further improve the company's operational efficiencies throughout the value chain— from using biomass boilers that are fed rice hulls as fuel, to upgrading the fleet to Euro IV-V compliant trucks; from improving systems in manufacturing, to replacing old refrigeration equipment to new units that utilize LED lighting and hydrocarbon refrigerant.

In line with World Without Waste—which is Coca-Cola's global goal to collect and recycle every single bottle and can by 2030—CCBPI partnered with Indorama Ventures, a global leader in green technology, to construct PETValue Philippines, a P1 billion PET recycling facility in General Trias, Cavite. The DTI's Board of Investment (BOI) granted the plant a "pioneer status" as its technology is the first of its kind in the country.

PET recycling is also being addressed at the source: as colored bottles chart low in recyclability, Coca-Cola changed the iconic Sprite green packaging to clear PET in 2019, in order to increase its recyclability.

Furthermore, water savings initiatives and operational efficiencies in the manufacturing sites, as well as community programs like Agos also enabled Coca-Cola to achieve an estimated 132 percent water replenishment.

"Energy conservation, water replenishment and taking responsibility for our packaging footprint—these are the sustainability commitments that we are tirelessly and strategically working on," says McGeown. "We are proud of what we have achieved thus far, but we are just getting started.

McGeown adds, "Coca-Cola has been in the Philippines for 109 years now, but we believe that our best days are still ahead of us. There is a lot more we can do as a company: more partnerships we can forge, more innovations to introduce and more lives to help change for the better." SPONSORED CONTENT

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Trekking banned, recreations regulated in Davao watershed areas

Posted: 23 May 2021 06:44 AM PDT

TREKKING activities in watershed areas in Davao City are now strictly prohibited, while recreational activities in these areas will be regulated, the Watershed Management Council (WMC) ordered in a resolution.

The Davao City government, in an issued statement on Friday afternoon, May 21, 2021, said WMC passed two separate resolutions following the collected waste materials in the city's watershed, especially in the Panigan-Tamugan River.

These are Resolution No. 3 - A Resolution Declaring that Trekking Activities are Prohibited in the Watershed Areas of Davao City; and Resolution No. 4 - A Resolution Adopting the Proposed Guidelines on the Conduct of Recreational Activities Within the Watershed Areas of Davao City and Forwarding the same to the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Prior to the two resolutions, WMC released a resolution in 2020 mandating barangays within watershed areas to strictly regulate recreational activities within their territorial jurisdiction.

"This was in response to the increasing activities in the watershed areas where it was observed that solid wastes are left by the trekkers and other locals," the City Government said.

The City said this was tackled in a committee hearing spearheaded by Councilor Diosdado Mahipus Jr., committee head of environment, on May 19.

The local government said the recommendation was to further improve the guidelines to include the issue of waste disposal.

The City also said the information, education and communication (IEC) team has also included in its plan to intensify the clean-up campaign drive in all barangays where the watersheds are located.

"If environmental protection mechanisms were not working on the ground, destructive human activities in our watershed and critical upland areas would have not been discovered," the City said.

It added, "To insinuate that we are remiss in our task is a little bit of a stretch, unfair, and downright wrong."

The City said the recent discovery of used face masks, face shields, and other "discarded" plastic wastes at Panigan-Tamugan "proves the effective collaboration" between the local government and civil society organizations to ensure the protection of the city's natural resources.

The City added the importance of the Bantay Bukid volunteers as the local government's partner in the upland communities.

"The LGU does not only share expressions of concern over the condition of our environment, including our watershed areas - it is also very much alarmed by the irresponsible, reckless, and destructive human activities that threaten our forests and other natural resources," the local government said.

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SPMC's ICU, ward in 'critical level'

Posted: 23 May 2021 06:44 AM PDT

THE Southern Philippines Medical Center's (SPMC's) intensive care unit (ICU) has already reached its full occupancy on Friday, May 21, 2021.

Based on the data posted on SPMC's Facebook page, the hospital's 35 ICU beds were fully utilized on May 21, while its ward beds were at 74.43-percent occupancy, or 262 out of the 352 beds were utilized.

On Saturday, May 22, the ICU utilization rate decreased to 91.43 percent, or three beds unoccupied. Ward beds occupancy rate slightly decreased to 74.15 percent or 261 out of the 352 beds fully occupied.

ICU bed rate reached above 80 percent since May 3, while ward beds started rising 70 percent and above on May 17.

According to SPMC and the Department of Health's (DOH's) critical utilization rate, an occupancy level that is between 71 and 100 percent is considered a "danger zone"; an occupancy rate level between 31 to 70 percent is considered a "warning zone"; and under "safe zone" when it is from 1 to 30 percent.

SPMC Chief Dr. Ricardo Audan told SunStar Davao on Sunday afternoon, May 23, that both ICU and ward beds are under critical level as the hospital had noted a slowly increasing number of admitted Covid-19 critical and severe patients last week.

Audan said while they are still capable of expanding their bed capacity, they have problems in terms of manpower.

He said they already requested the Davao City government and DOH to redeploy nurses from the Philippine National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection to accommodate and assist SPMC health workers.

"Gusto namo ibalik sila aron maka-open up nasab mi og another area kay in terms of applicants, hinay among aplikante sa nurses and nursing aide," Audan said.

He also said they will put on hold all elective surgery and convert the rooms into another area to cater to more Covid-19 patients.

The SPMC chief, meanwhile, said some private hospitals are now gradually catering to Covid-19 patients.

"Mao man to kasabutan namo ni Mayor [Sara Duterte-Carpio] nga in case naa nami sa critical level, mubalik napud ang private [hospitals]," he said.

Audan said this is not the first time SPMC experienced an uptick in admitted patients. He recalled that the hospital also experienced a similar scenario in December 2020 when the city noted a significant increase in active cases from mid-October 2020 until January 2021.

Meanwhile, Davao City started to record above 100 new cases daily on May 19 with 118, while 104 new cases were recorded on May 20, and 118 on May 21. New cases declined on May 22 with 91.

Davao City Health Office (CHO) Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez earlier said he already sent a memorandum to all city private hospitals to start preparing their beds and facilities for possible Covid-19 patients.

This, after the One Hospital Command Center already warned them that the city's ICU beds for Covid-19 patients are running low.

SPMC has been the sole Covid-19 referral hospital in the city again when the city experienced a downtrend of cases.

This had prompted private hospitals to temporarily halt admissions of Covid-19 patients in April.

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More HIV/Aids confirmatory labs opened in Davao City

Posted: 23 May 2021 06:44 AM PDT

A HEALTH official said they are hoping that more people will be encouraged to have themselves tested whether they carry the incurable human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/Aids) as the city now has its accredited "confirmatory hubs" for blood specimens.

Dr. Jordana P. Ramiterre, head of Davao City's Reproductive Health and Wellness Center (RHWC), told SunStar Davao in a Facebook live interview with The Talking Heads on Friday, May 21, 2021, that the Southern Philippines Medical Center has now started operating as a confirmatory laboratory last December 2020 for HIV/Aids specimens that were "reactive" in the conducted tests.

Prior to this, Ramiterre said blood specimens have to be sent to Manila, particularly at the San Lazaro Hospital, to undergo confirmatory tests.

"Wala na sila nagapadala sa Manila para mag-confirm kasi ang (We are no longer sending specimen for confirmatory testing in Manila because the) turnaround time that would be about one to two months, so maghulat gyud (so it is a long waiting period)," the RHWC head said.

She added that her office also started to be an additional confirmatory hub in the city starting February 2021.

Ramiterre said people who would undergo HIV testing must be screened before the actual conduct of the testing. After being tested and turned out "reactive," the specimen would undergo a confirmatory test.

The health official said since the city now has its own HIV confirmatory laboratories, test results will now be released in a short time.

Prior to the pandemic, she said their office conducts an average of 400 to 500 tests per month. Currently, it decreased to 200 tests.

From January to March 2021, they noted an average of 30 specimens that were "reactive" per month.

With the operation of two confirmatory labs, she said they are aiming to have more people tested.

To encourage more people, Ramiterre said they have been augmenting "peer navigators" who will reach out to a certain individual and explain the importance of having themselves tested.

Ramiterre said their budget has been increased for testing, other interventions, and additional manpower.

Amid the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, she said their office continues to expand its services.

"'Yung support (The support) for the HIV program is so great, that we could actually expand our services. Ang nahitabo lang man gud is na-bad timing lang kay tungod sa Covid[-19] (But because the Covid-19 pandemic happened, it was really bad timing)," the RHWC head said.

She said their health workers were supposed to have its community outreach programs, but their efforts were limited due to the prohibition of face-to-face activities.

Despite this, she said they utilized social media to widen their advocacies and made testing services inquiries accessible to the public.

According to the Department of Health-Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (DOH-Resu)-Davao Region data from 1993 to December 2020, Davao Region has recorded a total of 4,513 people living with HIV (PLHIV).

Based on the breakdown, Davao City has contributed the highest number of cases with 3,312, followed by Davao del Norte with 556, then Davao del Sur (242), Davao de Oro (200), Davao Oriental (141), and Davao Occidental (62).

Out of the total cases, 238 PLHIV succumbed to the virus.

According to the World Health Organization, HIV is an infection that attacks the body's immune system, specifically the white blood cells called CD4 cells. HIV destroys these CD4 cells, weakening a person's immunity against infections such as tuberculosis and some cancers.

Aids is the final stage of infection of HIV. It happens when the body's immune system is badly damaged because of the virus. However, not everyone with HIV develops into Aids.

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Pawikan of the gulf

Posted: 23 May 2021 06:34 AM PDT

MAY 23 marks World Turtle Day, which was started by the American Tortoise Rescue, a nonprofit organization established in 1990.

According to the group, "The day was created as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world."

In the Philippines, you can find five of the seven species of marine turtles -- Green Sea Turtle, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, and the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle.

Marigelaine V. Arguillas, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region (DENR-Davao) chief for Protected Areas Management and Biodiversity Conservation, said of the five sea turtles found in the Philippines, four have been documented in Davao Gulf -- Green Sea Turtle, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle, and the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle.

These sea turtles are known to make the different shorelines of Davao Gulf as their nesting grounds.

The Hawksbill have been recorded to lay their eggs in white sand beaches like at AboitizPower's Cleanergy Park in Punta Dumalag, Davao City and Dahican beach in Davao Oriental.

Fermin Edillon, Davao Light and Power Company (Davao Light) Reputation Enhancement Department manager, said Olive Ridley sea turtles, which are known to lay their eggs in black sand beaches, are reported to have nesting grounds in Talomo, Toril, and even Times Beach in Davao City.

"Davao Gulf is a very rich marine ecosystem. That is why hindi lang naman pawikan ang makita natin, kundi, (You can not only find sea turtles here, but) you can also find some dugongs, dolphins," Arguillas said.

Turtles and the environment

Arguillas said sea turtles play an important role in the marine ecosystem.

"Ang mga marine turtles naa jud siya role sa atoang system kay ginatawag nato siya nga iconic species kay nagatabang siyang sa lain pud na mga species. (They play an important role in our ecosystem as iconic species)," Arguillas said.

In a report published by Oceana titled, "Why healthy oceans need sea turtles," it said that sea turtles "play an important role in ocean ecosystems by maintaining healthy seagrass beds and coral reefs, providing key habitat for other marine life, helping to balance marine food webs and facilitating nutrient cycling from water to land."

Arguillas said sea turtles help maintain healthy seagrass beds in the Davao Gulf or any habitat they are present at.

The Oceana report states when sea turtles graze, they help "increase the productivity and nutrient content of seagrass blades."

"Sea turtles forage on seagrass just a few centimeters from the bottom of the blades, allowing older, upper portions of the blades to float away. As the turtles crop and re-crop the same plot, seagrass blades are removed from the area rather than accumulating on the bottom. This results in a 15-fold decrease in the supply of nitrogen to seagrass roots, which impacts plant species, nutrient cycling, animal densities and predator-prey relations," the Oceana report reads.

Arguillas said sea turtles also keep the jellyfish population in check. The same Oceana report states how Leatherback sea turtles are able to consume 440 pounds of jellyfish in a day.

Hawksbill sea turtles, on the other hand, help landscape the coral reef as they eat on marine sponges.

"By doing this, they change the species composition and distribution of sponges in coral reef ecosystems. Sponges compete aggressively for space with reef-building corals. By removing sponges from reefs, hawksbills allow other species, such as coral, to colonize and grow," the Oceana report reads.

"Kung mawala siya, dako impact sa ecosystem (If the sea turtles are gone, it will have a big impact on the ecosystem)," Arguillas said.

For example, the Oceana report states that "older portions of seagrass beds tend to be overgrown with microorganisms, algae, invertebrates and fungi." While areas with more jellyfish are proving "detrimental to the recovery of fish stocks since jellyfish prey on fish eggs and larvae." Meanwhile, if sponges are not controlled, they could dominate the reef, "further limiting the growth of corals and modifying the very structure of coral reef ecosystems."

Threats

At present, the Hawksbill is classified under the IUCN Red List as critically endangered. The Green Sea Turtle is endangered while the Olive Ridley and Leatherback are vulnerable.

Arguillas said there are a lot of threats to sea turtles.

One of which is the loss of habitat due to developments.

Ruth U. Gamboa, professor at the Department of Biological Science and Environmental Studies, College of Science and Mathematics at the University of the Philippines-Mindanao, said the recent developments near Punta Dumalag may have affected the nesting grounds of the Hawksbill sea turtles.

She said the developments may have affected the current of the water resulting in the reduced beach line. This puts the nests in danger during the habagat when the tide is high and waves are strong.

Edillon shared how caretakers of the Clenergy Park had to move a nest during one habagat season as the high tide has begun to reach the nest. This area used to be safe from the high tide and waves.

Arguillas and Edillon shared how trash also poses a threat to the sea turtles.

Edillon recalled a time when they had to attend to a sea turtle at the Pawikan Rescue Center in the Cleanergy Park that was throwing up and pooping plastic wastes.

"Makita nato sa mga videos na makaon nila, ma-ingest nila, mugawas sa ilahang nostrils (We saw in videos that they have eaten plastics, ingested it, and some of the plastics are coming out of their noses)," Arguillas said.

Some sea turtles have mistaken plastics as jellyfish, which is common in their diet.

Edillon said at the Cleanergy Park, the caretakers could collect around three to four sacks of garbage in two hours every day. Being in between the mouth of Davao River and Talomo River, Punta Dumalag has become convergence point of trash being expelled by the river.

"Katre, sofa, TV, ref, computer, name it we have it here. All the brands, we have it here," he said.

Edillon said to protect the sea turtles, there needs to be a collaboration among the people in the community.

Conservation

One of the current efforts to conserve the sea turtles at the Davao Gulf is the Cleanergy Park. What used to be a grassland is now a thriving urban beach forest and a nesting ground of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle.

Founded in 2013 and launched in 2015, the Cleanergy Park is a collaborative project between Davao City local government, Barangay Matina Aplaya, DENR, BMB (formerly PAWB), researchers from UP and University of Southeastern Philippines, and Aboitiz Group.

It is a five-year development project with a total budget of P5 million funded by Aboitiz Foundation as part of Aboitiz Group's sustainability program.

Gamboa said sea turtles would return to where they hatched to lay their eggs. Punta Dumlag could have been a nesting ground for generations of Hawksbill sea turtles.

From 2014 to May 2021, there have been a total of 47 Hawksbill Sea Turtle nests found at the Cleanergy Park. It was in 2019 when they have the most number of nests at 12.

No nests were found in 2016. However, Edillon said it is possible that there were nests but they were not able to discover it because the clues to the nest may have been erased by either the waves or the wind.

Edillon said the caretakers at the Cleanergy Park would regularly roam in the evening to check for sea turtle nests. Each female sea turtle could lay a clutch of egg three to five times in a span of two to three weeks.

Once they find nests, they will dig it to check if it is where the turtle laid its eggs or if it is a false nest.

"Pag naa gani, saka nato i-cage. So para paggawas nila, macheck kung naay deformity or wala and ma-count nato ang number of hatchlings (If it is confirmed that there are eggs in the nest, we cage it. So when the hatchlings are out, we will be able to check if there are deformities and count the number of hatchlings)," he said.

On average, a clutch of eggs at the Cleanergy Park would average at 140 eggs. Though there was a time that it reached around 200 eggs.

Once the hatchlings are out, they are released within 24 hours. Sadly, though a lot will be released, only a few will reach adulthood and reproduce. Studies have shown that only one in 1,000 to one in 10,000 will survive.

"When you release, naay paspas, naay hinay. Those na mauna are those mga hatchling nga makaon. Pag-abot sa mga hinay, ok na sila (When you release them, some are fast while others are slow. Those who are fast may be eaten by predators first. While for the slow ones, it could be safer for them because some of the predators may be full already)," Edillon said.

Edillon recalls how some sea birds snatch hatchlings on their way to sea. They have also captured on video how a small octopus caught one of the hatchlings that were released. Some species of fishes are also known to eat hatchlings.

Three days after the release, Edillon said they would dig up the nests to check for sea turtles that may have been stuck and get DNA samples from some of the eggs.

To date, they have released a total of 5,145 hatchlings.

Aside from serving as a nesting ground, the Cleanergy Park also houses the Pawikan Rescue Center. Many sea turtles have been brought here to recover.

At present, two turtles are being treated here -- Coaco and Dumalag.

Coaco was rescued on April 25, 2016. Edillon said the Hawksbill sea turtle was in captivity for 15 years. It was rescued by DENR-Davao after it received reports of a turtle being kept at a beach resort. It was turned over to Cleanergy Park on April 26, 2016.

Dumalag is a female Hawksbill sea turtle that was rescued on May 20, 2020, and turned over by the Davao City Police Office to the Cleanergy Park on the same day. The sea turtle was discovered by fishermen in their net with two spears, three feet long each. Dumalag is currently recovering but the spears may have affected her buoyancy.

Meanwhile, Arguillas said the Cleanergy Park plays a vital role in the conservation efforts for the sea turtles. Likewise, she said the community plays a crucial role too.

"Kami sa government (We at the government), we are doing our best to intensify public awareness," she said.

Arguillas reminds the public that if they see a sea turtle at shore, they should avoid approaching or touching it. Instead, they must report it to the barangay or DENR.

"Usually man gud is pag-adult ang muadto sa babay mag nest jud na. Di jud na ibalik sa dagat kay ilahang ilabay itlog, sayang. Once mag beach ang adult na pawikan, dili na siya nagluya kundi nangita na siya og iyahang kabutangan sa itlog (Adult sea turtles would go to the beach to lay eggs. Don't put it back in the sea because it will abort its eggs. Once it is at the beach, it is looking for a place to nest)," she said.

Arguillas said if the turtles start laying, they urge the community to protect them from dogs and humans who may dig up the eggs and eat them.

"Report immediately sa DENR kay para mahibaw-an namo pila na ka days before mag hatch (Report it to us at DENR for us to know the estimated time it will hatch)," she said.

If it is trapped in the fishermen's net and is uninjured, people are urged to release it immediately to sea.

Lastly, the public is urged to stop throwing garbage into the sea.

In his own opinion, Edillon said while it is good there are laws on waste management, it is still the humans who are the culprit to the threats on sea turtles and the environment.

"Dili gyud ang plastic ang culprit, tao man gyud ang culprit. Kasi tao man ang mag decide kung asa niya ilabay ang basuro or dili or asang lugara (It is not really the plastic that is the culprit, it is the person. The person decides whether he or she will throw the garbage and where it will be thrown)," Edillon said.

People are urged to throw their garbage responsibly and not throw it into the sea.

The rich biodiversity of the Davao Gulf is something to behold. The humble sea turtles play an important role in keeping the gulf's biodiversity balanced and alive. Just like the role the turtle plays in keeping marine biodiversity alive, we also play a role in keeping the sea turtles alive for generations to come.

"Kung gusto ka effective ang conservation effort nimo (If you want an effective conservation effort), we really need to help each other," Edillon said.

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Editorial: Ramping up vaccination

Posted: 23 May 2021 06:07 AM PDT

VACCINATION in Davao Region is in full swing as it can be despite the limited doses it has.

As of May 18, a total of 374,130 doses have been delivered to Davao Region. Of this number, 84,228 have already been administered for the first dose while 28,078 have been administered for the second dose. Vaccines that are being administered in the region are from Sinovac, Pfizer BioNTech, and AstraZeneca.

At present, the Department of Health-Davao Region (DOH-Davao) and local government units (LGUs) are vaccinating frontline healthcare workers (A1) and senior citizens (A2).

Data from the City Health Office showed that a total of 24,639 frontline workers have received their Covid-19 vaccines since March. Of this number 11,397 have received their second dose. Meanwhile, a total of 3,387 senior citizens have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccines. A total of 27,796 individuals from A1 and 88,000 from A2 are targeted to be inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Davao City government has also established 11 vaccination sites to be able to vaccinate as many senior citizens as possible and at the same time control the number of individuals coming to the vaccination sites. These sites are SM Lanang Premier, SM City Davao in Ecoland, A. Mabini Elementary School, Matina Aplaya Elementary School, Malagos Elementary School, Crossing Bayabas National High School, Kor-Phil Vocational Training Center in Bunawan, Calinan Central Elementary School, Magallanes Elementary School, Mintal Elementary School, and Buhangin Elementary School.

Some of the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines allocated for seniors are also being at private hospitals, which have the facilities to meet the temperature requirements of the vaccine.

City Health Office (CHO) Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez said the City Government is looking into opening nine additional vaccination sites to be able to vaccinate more individuals. These additional sites are seen to ramp up the city's vaccination to around 500 to 700 persons per day.

In terms of vaccine allocation, Lopez said Davao City is among the priority areas of the national government for the vaccine rollout together with Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.

The AstraZeneca vaccines the city government ordered are expected to arrive by the third quarter of this year.

It is good to note that the city is doing what it can to step up its vaccination drive. However, the vaccination drive is not one without problems.

Through the grapevine, stories of some individuals allegedly cutting the lines are endless. Some even had the audacity to post on social media that they have been vaccinated despite not being part of A1 or A2. These have yet to be properly addressed and verified by authorities.

Health authorities also maintain that cutting the lines is not allowed. No one, except for those who were captured on social media, has yet been reported or caught for cutting the lines at vaccination sites.

As the city and health authorities ramp up their vaccination drive, we also hope they could address the issue of line cutting. Hopefully, they can also provide concrete measures to prevent such incidents from happening.

The vaccination may be in full swing but the alleged line cutting may prevent the city and health authorities from administering the vaccine to its targeted individuals.

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Mendoza: Today’s learning set-up

Posted: 23 May 2021 06:07 AM PDT

SCHOOL Year 2020-2021 is the first in history for the Department of Education to fully finish without the learners experiencing the traditional face-to-face learning, where the modality heavy on modules dominates the educational system.

As a sort of review, the following modalities are currently being implemented in the public and private schools in the country.

Distance Learning. This refers to a learning delivery modality where learning takes place between the teacher and the learners who are geographically remote from each other during instruction.

Modular Distance Learning. Learning is in the form of individualized instruction that allows learners to use self-learning modules (SLMs) in print or digital format/electronic copy, whichever is applicable in the context of the learner and other learning resources like Learner's Materials, textbooks, activity sheets, study guides, and other study materials.

Online Distance Learning. It features the teacher facilitating learning and engaging learners' active participation using various technologies accessed through the internet while they are geographically remote from each other during instruction.

Home Schooling. It is an alternative delivery mode (ADM) that aims to provide learners with equal access to quality basic education through a home-based environment to be facilitated by qualified parents, guardians, or tutors who have undergone relevant training.

Blended Learning. This refers to a learning modality that allows for a combination of face to face and online distance learning (ODL), face-to-face and modular distance learning (MDL), face-to-face and TV/Radio-based Instruction (RBI), and face-to-face learning and a combination with two or more types of distance learning.

Traditional Face-to-Face Learning (This is not one of the options since the President and the IATF did not approve conducting it). This refers to a learning delivery modality where the students and the teacher are both physically present in the classroom, and there are opportunities for active engagement, immediate feedback, and socio-emotional development of learners.

Alternative Delivery Modes (ADM). Alternative Delivery Modes (ADM) are tried and tested alternative modalities of education delivery within the confines of the formal system that allow schools to deliver quality education to marginalized students and those at risk of dropping out in order to help them overcome personal, social, and economic constraints in their schooling. (Source/Reference: Department of Education)

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Managing screen time and social media use

Posted: 23 May 2021 06:07 AM PDT

THE pandemic and consequent lockdowns have put greater weight on the ways and degree to which we use our smartphones daily. We have been separated from most of our friends and family members due to social distancing measures. Many of us now have to rely on platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet to keep in touch with our relatives and friends.

Activities like virtual classes, video chats, and constant scrolling through social media have increased the time spent by each person on their phones. Unfortunately, however, this remains overlooked.

Given that many people are using their media to interact with others during these uncertain times to stay well-informed on the news and seek out distractions, how should we manage our screen time?

Efficient use of screen time

Our screens have become a gateway to reach out to people and reconnect.

Many people, myself included, have to do more work on their screens than they would have before. This is just how it is in modern times. We should try to be aware of how much time we spend in front of our screens every day, separating regular breaks from on-screen activities.

Depending on the content you're consuming, social media can do more harm than good. If you feel anxious when using social media in the current climate, you need to assess how you spend your time on Twitter or Facebook.

Are there accounts or people that are building up your worry or anxiety? You can consider muting hashtags (#) or unfollowing accounts that make you feel anxious.

Filter what you consume online. At times like these, remember why you need social media in the first place and consciously try to avoid unnecessary distractions.

If you're the one sharing content, be careful that it also doesn't affect the mental wellbeing of your people online.

There is a lot of false information online. Some people pose as experts posting opinions and ideas that may or may not trigger others in a bad way.

Being cautious about the number of times you spend on social media and conscious of the impact specific accounts have on your mental wellbeing is especially important given the unprecedented circumstances.

As much as social media and the internet, in general, keeps us updated on the current situation in our community, it helps to consume in moderation.

Try to lessen how much you watch, read, or listen to news that makes you feel uneasy or distressed. Explore the latest information at specific times of the day, finding a balance if the news is causing you huge stress.

But it is also important to not avoid news entirely and to keep on informing and educating one's self. Balance is the key. Having access to quality, relevant, and recent information can make you feel more in control. This way, it would be easier to handle situations on a personal level.

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Safe Malling experiences to look forward to in SM

Posted: 23 May 2021 05:57 AM PDT

SM SUPERMALLS continues to ensure safe malling experiences for everyone by carrying out safety and sanitation measures consistently.

SM goes over the standards when it comes to protocols. We keep our shoppers safe and healthy with temperature checks in entrances, mandatory wearing of face masks and shields, and access to non-contact sanitizer dispensers.

Directional signages that encourage safe distancing are also emphasized alongside fresh air in our air-conditioning and easy contact tracing mechanisms.

Meaningful activities in the mall make every visit purposeful. Here are some of them:

1. Trash to Cash (TTC) – SM's monthly recycling market happens every first Friday and Saturday of the month. This promotes the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle practice by engaging communities and households in proper waste disposal and management.

2. Fit and Fun at the Northwing – In SM Lanang Premier, outdoor spaces are transformed into safe and fun areas for fitness! Run, bike, jog, jump rope or join a spin class in the Northwing!

3. Paw Park – The Northwing is also a place for pets! Bring your pet for fun in the obstacle course that stimulates hours of fun!

4. SM Foundation Farmer's Market Day – this popup brings fresh fruits and vegetables directly to you! SM trains local farmers with new tools and practices and gives them a chance to sell directly to customers. Go gulay shopping every second (SM City Davao) and last (SM Lanang Premier) Friday of the month. The next popup happens in SM Lanang Premier on May 28.

5. Local brand love – support local brands in the malls in popups that offer the best deals. Watch out for them in the mall atrium.

6. The Greenery – Take a quick break after doing your essential shopping runs and enjoy your favorite food in SM's al fresco dining. Lush green plants keep you company, too!

7. Sustainable transportation – Commute in style and ride the BEST Bus when going to SM! BEST Bus and SM Supermalls to create an environment that supports people's safe movement and transportation when accessing essential services and products. Ready to ride? Download the GET Pass app for your smartphone.

8. Resbakuna - SM Supermalls supports the efforts of the government in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic by providing safe spaces for vaccination efforts throughout the country. Category A2 (senior citizens 60 years old and above) is ongoing. For inquiries, you may contact Davao City Vaccination Hotlines: 0961 073 4965 (Smart) or 0927 022 9087 (Globe) (PR)

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