Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts

PostHeaderIcon Shortened learning hours: an obstacle to education in RP's crowded schools

9/16/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post


A setback in the thrust to improve teaching and make better students, the Department of Education (DepEd) was forced to cut down on the teaching hours for elementary students because of overcrowding and safety concerns. The revised program was an answer to the worrisome increase in the number of students that hadn't provided a good environment to learning.

Under the revised program, Grades 1 and 2 will have four hours; Grade 3--- four hours and 30 minutes, and Grades 4, 5, and 6---5 hours.

“Grades 1 and 2 pupils will have 90 minutes each for English and Filipino, Sibika at Kultura and 70 minutes each for mathematics for a total of 240 minutes on a daily basis. Grade 3 pupils will have 90 minutes for English, 70 minutes for Filipino, Sibika at Kultura, 70 minutes for math and 40 minutes for science for a total of 240 minutes. Grades 4, 5 and 6, they will have 60 minutes each for English, 40 minutes for Heograpiya, Kasaysayan at Sibika, 60 minutes for math, 60 minutes for science, 40 minutes for Filipino and 40 minutes for Edukasyon Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan for a total of 300 minutes for each grade.

To compensate for the revised program, Lapus said science and health will be integrated into the English subject for Grades 1 and 2 while Sibika and Kultura will be integrated into Filipino in Grades 1, 2I and 3. For Grades 4, 5 and 6, Musika, Sining at Edukasyong Pampalakas ng Katawan will be integrated into Heograpiya, Kasaysayan at Sibika while Edukasyong Pagpapakatao will be integrated into all subjects.” ---Jesli Lapus, Education Secretary. Daily Tribune (09/15/09, Faustino, J.)

Student-Class Ratio

Country-------------------Number of Students per Class
===============Elementary=========High School
Philippines------------43.9----------------------56.1
Thailand---------------22.9--------------------- 41,5
India--------------------40------------------------39
Malaysia--------------31.7-----------------------34
Japan------------------28.6----------------------33.9

Alhough Lapus assures that the quality of education will not suffer with the shortening of study hours, integrating subjects in a shortened hours of learning poses significant obstacle. This is more true when one sees the overpopulatinn in Philippine schools compared to those of its Asian neighbors. The crowding is worse in the high school than elementary as shown above.(Photo Credit: unesco.net.) =0=

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PostHeaderIcon With 17, 000 islands, Indonesia shares maritime woes with the Philippines

1/13/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post


The stormy weather sucked in the Indonesian ferry Tertai Prima and disappeared in the sea on Sunday, January 11, 2009. Two days after the 700-ton (635-metric ton) inter-island vessel which plied the route in a country with 17,000 islands sank, an undetermined number travelers, part of at least 250 passengers and 17 crew onboard, had been missing and accounted for.

“The Teratai Prima, which radioed that it was in trouble just before dawn Sunday, capsized about 30 miles (50 kilometers) off the coast of western Sulawesi. It was headed for Samarinda on the Indonesian side of Borneo.”---AP (01/12/09, Ahmad, Y)

There are reports many are still alive waiting for a rescue. Horrid tales of those who survived spoke of children and elderly drowning in the fierce waters brought by cyclone Charlotte. Thirty four (34) were so far rescued and 40 escaped. Of the dead, the Indonesian government promised $2,400 each, a measly sum for each life lost that could have been more valuable and productive. In December 2006, similar sinking occurred in Java-Borneo area killing nearly 2/3 of the 600 passengers.
This story is shared in more grim terms by us Filipinos who live with 7,000 islands.

It brings recall of the woeful maritime tragedies that occur in our waters with frequency and lethality greater than in Indonesia. Most of these sea accidents in both countries are blamed on inclement weather, poor supervision and negligence of maritime and government officials, overloading, equipment failure, human error among others. We call on our respective government authorities to do something more than the status quo to prevent the next boat sinking waiting at the bend. We could just look back at some of our blogs below that stress this point. (Credits: Mauritius100's; Lorca56)


RELATED BLOGS: "23 drown in another ferry boat mishap" Posted by mesiamd at 12/15/2008; "May barko na naman na lumubog!" Posted by mesiamd at 11/26/2008; "RP’s maritime disaster Ferry boat sinks in Masbate killing 40" Posted by mesiamd at 11/04/2008; "Princess of the stars: a harvest of blame and shame" Posted by mesiamd at 11/08/2008; "A Sorry Maritime Safety Record Indeed In The Philippines" Posted by myty555 at 11/09/2008 =0=



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PostHeaderIcon 50 people injured in Negros Occidental disco floor collapse

12/29/2008 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

At the height of a Christmas party in a resort in Negros Occidental, 50 people (1/4 of the those who were present) were injured and brought to the hospital after a floor of a disco fell at about 4 pm of Sunday, December 28, 2008. ---PDI (12/28/08, Kwok, A)

The incident occurred in Laura Beach Resort and Restaurant in Cadiz City during the GTY Trading Company get-together attended by about 200 employees. The names of those who sustained injuries are not immediately known. The cause of the collapse is being investigated by authorities. This underscores the need for observance of safety and care during the celebration of the holiday season. (Photo Credits: Kainet; Alexst) =0=



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PostHeaderIcon Singapore reports of 3 cases of dengue from blood transfusion

10/04/2008 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post
With dengue virus endemic in the Philippines like in Singapore, it is worth knowing that three patients in Singapore contracted the virus through blood transfusions. Reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, (P. A. Tambyah et al, NEJM, Vol 359, No.14, 1526-1527,) this has practical applications to blood banking in the country which tries to make donations and transfusions safe.

“Dengue, the world's most-common mosquito-borne disease, is endemic in Singapore, where it has infected more than 4,600 people this year. The city-state doesn't screen donated blood for dengue because existing tests are too slow, and faster, more expensive tests that look for RNA, the virus's genetic code, haven't yet been approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Singapore's Health Sciences Authority said.”—Bloomberg News (10/03/08, Bennet, S)

If Singapore doesn’t perform testing for dengue in its blood bank, it is likely the same is true in the Philippines. This increases the chance of transfusion-transmitted dengue infection in endemic areas, putting the safety of blood in question. Without the testing, the only major layer of protection is a focus on patient’s history---find hints of dengue infection among blood donors, hopefully keeping them out of the blood bank pool. Unfortunately, this alone can’t guarantee the safety of the blood. =0=
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PostHeaderIcon Import ban of 30+ generic drugs from India & melamine-contaminated milk from China

9/17/2008 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post
More than thirty (30) drugs which include acyclovir, cirprofloxacin and simvastatin, manufactured in two Ranbaxy Laboratories (Dewas and Poenta Sahib plants) in India will not be permitted into the US. Without asking for recall of drugs already on the shelf, the Food Drug Administration (FDA,) the decision is based on the lack of compliance to safety and manufacturing standards by the Indian drug company.

The Food Drug Administration says no report of harm has been so far reported.

List of Drugs with Stop Order

“acyclovir, cefprozil, cefuroxime axetil, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin HCl, clarithromycin, fenofibrate, fluconazole, fosinopril sodium, fosinopril sodium and hydrochlorothiazide, gabapentin, glimepiride, isotrentinoin, lamivudine, loratadine OTC, metformin HCl, nefazodone HCl, nitrofurantoin, nitrofurantoin and macrocystalline, ofloxacin, pravastatin sodium, ranitidine, simvastatin, terazozin HCl, valacyclovir HCl, and zidovudine (PEPFAR)." Medical News Today (09/16/08, Agus, Z, MD)

In a similar vein, in a growing scare after imported milk laced with melamine, a chemical substance used to “increase protein content” of milk has been reported to have killed undetermined number of babies and sickened at least 1,253 babies in China. It's the same chemical that killed pet dogs in USA and Europe afte being fed imported Chinese milk reported earlier.

Melamine, an industrial chemical used to make plastics such as plates and saucers, is known to cause urinary malfunction, stones and failure of the kidneys when ingested.

Toxic History of China’s Products

— Half of all dangerous goods seized in Europe in 2007 came from China
— Last year China found two companies guilty of intentionally exporting contaminated pet food
— US authorities last year gave warning that monkfish imported from China may be puffer fish, containing a potentially deadly toxin
— In 2005 Sudan 1, a carcinogenic food colouring, was found in Chinese branches of KFC
— In January a survey found almost two thirds of Chinese people were worried about food safety
Sources: European Commission, Times archives /TimesOnline(09/15/08)/ChinaDaily/Reuters

Produced by Sanlu, China’s biggest milk power-maker halted its milk production. Ninetten (19) people were arrested in connection with the scandal of greed and lack of concern for people’s lives. The investigation of the scandal was delayed by a ban of news of this nature during the Beijing Olympics.

These two reports have practical implications in the Philippines who partly rely on India for its imports of medicines. They have more resonance with the passage of the Cheap Drug Legislation of 2008 signed into law of Pres. Gloria M. Macapagal. China also sells products to the Philippines which need tighter watch for adulteration and toxic contamination. =0=

UPDATE: On September 25, 2008, the PDI reported that 2 million kilos of milk was imported by the Philippines from China from Jan. to Aug. 2008. As the scandal of the melamine-contaminated milk widens worldwide, about 53,000 children, mostly in China, have been reported to have been sickened and several babies died. The DOH is monitoring hospitals for reports of children getting sick as result of ingesting milk and milk products.
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