DOTr Leads Blessing of New Puerto Princesa International Airport Terminal

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Top officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) led by Secretary Arthur P. Tugade and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Capt. Jim C. Sydiongco led the blessing of the new Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS) building. 

Dignitaries from the Korean Embassy represented by Ambassador Kim JaeShin, local officials led by Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez, Puerto Princesa City Mayor Luis Marcaida lll, special guest and aviation stakeholders witness the momentous events heralding the opening of a bigger and modern airport terminal complex. 

Located at Brgy. San Miguel Puerto Princesa City, the new Php 4.5 billion airport terminal has a floor area of 13000 sq. meters with a seating capacity of 1500, parking slot for over 200 cars and a 2,600-meter runway that can accommodate bigger aircraft like an Airbus A330 (seating capacity 400 pax) and 6 parking bays. 

Currently, an average of 20 flights (20 landings/20 takeoffs) are operating daily; PAL Express (Manila & Cebu), Cebu Pacific (Manila, Cebu Mactan & Iloilo), Philippine AirAsia (Manila,Cebu Mactan & Davao), PAL (Manila, Clark,& TaipeiTaoyuan) and Air Juan (Busuanga & Cuyo). 

Club de Damas Latinas to Hold 51st Annual Charity Ball

Wazzup Pilipinas!

On Saturday, May 13, 2017, the Club de Damas Latinas (Latin American Women’s Club) of Manila will hold their 51st Annual Charity Ball. It will be held at the Fairmont Hotel Makati, with the theme of "The Great Gatsby". The fantastic food will be prepared by Fairmont hotel, and wine and cocktails will definitely be a part of the drink selection. Entertainment will be provided by the lively Latin band and the always an energetic DJ, so expect dancing to be a major part of the activities. The event will start at around 6:30PM and can go through till the morning. There will also be a silent auction, the proceeds of which will go to the two beneficiary foundations that the club has been passionately supporting over the last 20 years, The Holy Family Home Foundation in Pembo since 1997, and the Eugenia Ravasco Daycare Center in Parañaque since 2007, both of which have several actively involved Latin American nuns. You can contact Lissette Romero at 0917-6787153 for any information regarding ticketing, sponsorship, and donations.

The annual Charity Latin Ball is one of the many events that the Club de Damas Latians holds to gain support for the two causes. It has become a tradition of the club and is the main fundraising event of the year. The Annual Charity Latin Ball is a wonderful evening to honor Latin heritage and has recently been recognized as one of the Top 20 Events of the Year in the Philippines (Philippine Tatler). The attendance of prominent members of Philippine society and the Diplomatic Community, and the presence of numerous executives, business owners, and multinational executives has secured extensive media coverage for the club and their sponsors, which is always good leverage for them to meet their objectives and is without a doubt, a great opportunity to further strengthen the bonds of friendship and brotherhood between nations.

Last year alone, the ball was able to raise 1.8m. This year’s promising sponsors include the likes of: Diamond sponsors - COCA COLA FEMSA, KLM AIRWAYS, AMANPULO / Platinum sponsor - SANTOS KNIGHT FRANK. The club is confident that their generosity will help them in their aim to at least double the funds raised last year and help can be extended to the foundations. Please also note that anyone is welcome to donate to this auction and that there are still sponsorship packages available for those interested. You can contact Lissette Romero at 0917-6787153 more details about this. You can also get updates through the Club de Damas Latinas en Filipinas website http://damaslatinasmanila.com/ and FB page https://www.facebook.com/DamasLatinas/

The Club de Damas Latinas (Latin American Women’s Club) are a duly registered non-stock, non-profit organization founded in 1966 by a group of Latin American women seeking to establish an organization with two main purposes:

• To offer a source of information, friendship, and support to Spanish speaking families who have come to live in the Philippines

• To gather forces to provide assistance to local people in need, especially children who do not have access to education, health services or a safe environment.

The Holy Family Home Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit organization managed by the Congregation if the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family, a congregation with Franciscan Amigonian Spirituality. Holy Family Home provides long-term residential care, protection, and rehabilitation of over 30 abandoned, neglected, orphaned, and physically abused girls. The foundation aims to mold the girls residing in the home into socially functioning individuals. The Holy Family Home Foundation's mission is to welcome, protect, & rehabilitate marginalized children and youth in order to attain their integral formation & assure them of their human and Christian participation in society. At present, the Holy Family Home cares for more than 30 girls whose ages ranger from 6 to 22. The Home is run by the sisters, who take care of the girls and act as their family. They depend on the professional support of social workers and psychologists, and the tutoring services that of some professional members of the community offer pro-bono.

The Eugenia Ravasco Daycare Center in Parañaque is run by The Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary Congregation. Their mission is to provide basic health care, education and a clean safe environment for children from 4 to 6 years old, so that their parents can go to work and earn a living. Their health care program addresses the children’s primary needs such as: vaccinations, screening and treatment for Tuberculosis, dengue, and regular check-ups. It also offers emergency care when needed; technical assistance to the children’s community on sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition. The education program is currently being improved in order to guarantee a smooth transition of the children from the center to a mainstream primary education system. This is being done in cooperation with education consultants who are working on the design and implementation of a curriculum that provides children with the necessary skills for entrance in the elementary school system. All these goals are achieved in close collaboration with the families of the children who actively participate in the developments and maintenance of the center.

The Club is looking forward to having you there to help show support to the organizations and to share the Latin culture.

Historic Mental Health Law Passes Senate

Wazzup Pilipinas!
 

In a historic vote, the Senate on Tuesday passed on third and final reading a national mental health policy, the first of its kind in the country. 

Senate Bill No. 1354 otherwise known as the Philippine Mental Health Law was sponsored and principally authored by Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros. It seeks to integrate mental health services and programs in the public health system.  The bill also mandates the government to put up basic mental health services at the community level and psychiatric, psychosocial and neurologic services in all regional, provincial and tertiary hospitals. 

Philippines: One of few countries in the world without a mental health law

"This is an historic day for all of us. After being one of the few countries left without a mental health policy, we are now one step closer to realizing a national mental health law to comprehensively address the Filipinos’ mental health needs and ensure that our rights as persons with mental health needs are protected and secured," Hontiveros said.  

Hontiveros thanked her fellow senators for supporting the passage of the said bill. She particularly commended the Senate's new Chairperson of the Committee on Health, Senator JV Ejercito, for backing the proposed measure. 

"Invisible illness, invisible war"

"Because of this measure, our people with mental health needs will no longer suffer silently in the dark. They will no longer endure an invisible illness and fight an invisible war," Hontiveros said. 

In 2012 alone, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that there were 2,558 cases of Filipinos committing suicide, averaging to 7 suicide cases daily.  On the other hand, the Department of Health (DOH) counts that 1 in 5 Filipino adults have some form of mental illness, with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety topping the incidents of disorder. 

Hontiveros’ mental health bill was co-authored by Senators Vicente "Tito" Sotto, Loren Legarda, Antonio Trillanes, Bam Aquino, Sonny Angara, and Joel Villanueva.

Mental health advocates led by Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa, Antoinette Taus and Jerika Ejercito attended the senate session and lauded the passage of the said bill.