Hontiveros Lauds DOH AO on Mental Health

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros today has lauded the Department of Health (DOH) for signing an Administrative Order that spelled out a comprehensive framework on how mental health programs will be implemented throughout the country.

The AO provides a policy framework of how the mental health program will be implemented at all levels of the health system, like health rural units, the barangay health stations, and even in the communities.

The DOH AO is complemented by Hontiveros’ Senate Bill No. 1190 otherwise known as the Philippine Mental Health Act of 2016.

Hontiveros, who is Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said the AO, which was recently signed by Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial, is a great boost to the campaign to pass a law to ensure the mental health rights of all Filipinos.

"It is a step in the right direction. It creates added momentum in our desire to pass a comprehensive mental health law to capably respond to the mental health needs of the people," Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros' bill seeks to identify and solidify the rights of persons with mental health needs such as the right to receive mental health services at all levels of the health care system. The bill is also pushing for the establishment of psychiatric and neurologic service in regional, provincial, and all tertiary level hospitals, recognition of other forms of treatment/non-medical alternatives and integration of mental health in the education curriculum,” she said.

Philippine data reveals that about 1 in 5 adult Filipinos suffer from mental or psychiatric disorder, with the youth sector said to be one of the most vulnerable sectors when it comes to mental health. Equally alarming, the number of suicide cases in the country has steadily risen over a period of 20 years from 1992 to 2012

Kickstart Ventures Invites Local Startups to Singtel Innov8 Connect Global Business Challenge

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Kickstart Ventures enjoins local startups to participate in the second installment of Singtel Innov8’s global call to create innovative solutions for real world business challenges. This follows the success and momentum of the initial Innov8 Connect programme launched in January 2016 which attracted over 120 submissions from startups across 22 countries.

“Through the second round of Innov8 Connect, Philippine startups are given another opportunity to realize their global growth aspirations. Kickstart, through Innov8 Connect, is opening doors for them to penetrate the global market as part of our mission to break down barriers and build bridges between the business community and the startup founders,” said Minette Navarrete, President of Kickstart, a wholly-owned venture capital firm of Globe Telecom.

Kickstart is a founding member of Innov8 Sparks, the Singtel Group’s network of startup support and funding initiatives across Southeast Asia. It currently has 27 portfolio companies with various products and services encompassing SaaS (Software as a Service) for financial services; Healthcare; E-commerce and Online Marketplace, Social Impact; and Digital Lifestyle, several of which have already ventured to other countries.

Once selected in the second round of Innov8 Connect, the startups that offered the best solutions will be provided with up to S$75,000 to test and validate their business solutions as proof-of-concepts inside Singtel and Optus in Australia.

Successful solutions from promising startups may then lead to further commercialization opportunities within the Singtel Group which offers startups access to an extensive customer base that includes both enterprises and over 600 million mobile subscribers across Asia, Australia and Africa. These startups will also have the opportunity to seek funding from Singtel Innov8 and tap on its network of co-investors from Innov8 Sparks and partners across the globe.

Talking about the importance of the program, Tay Soo Meng, Group Chief Technology Officer at Singtel said: “Innov8 Connect started as a win-win platform to help startups develop viable business solutions while allowing the Singtel Group to stay at the cutting-edge of innovation through continuous experimentation. We hope to uncover more innovative answers for real emerging business challenges with start-ups in this latest installment of the programme.”

In the second round, 14 new business challenges have been identified by Singtel and its Australian arm, Optus, in areas such as the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality solutions and artificial intelligence.

“We look forward to working together with more start-ups on the new set of business challenges from this second installment of Innov8 Connect. Through these real challenges that businesses face, we hope to spur greater innovation while identifying and supporting viable solutions that meet the Group’s needs,” said Edgar Hardless, CEO of Singtel Innov8.

Interested start-ups may submit their proposals through the Innov8 Connect portal www.innov8connect.com until October 31, 2016. The portal also contains detailed information on the 14 new business challenges. Selected start-ups will then be invited to pitch to a panel of management representatives from the Singtel Group.

As the venture arm of the Singtel Group, Singtel Innov8’s mandate is to scout for and provide the Group with insights and early access to emerging technologies, as well as to nurture the innovation ecosystem in Southeast Asia. Innov8 Connect is part of Singtel Innov8’s initiatives to create greater awareness for Singtel’s innovation agenda and engagement with startup ecosystems.

Cheaper Energy, Reduce CO2 Emissions - DOE Sec. Cusi

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To boost wider use of clean energy in the Philippines, the Department of Energy (DOE) supported the first-ever Philippine Clean Energy Summit which opened Thursday (13 October) at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, in a speech delivered by DOE Usec. Jesus Cristino P. Posadas, said “With the country’s industrialization thrust, there is a need for cheaper energy to fuel the economy in addition to the challenge of reducing our CO2 emissions.”

Following the DOE’s review of the energy and power mix, the government has embarked on fuel diversification that envisions achieving energy security, but with preference for cleaner fuel; reducing dependence on fossil fuels; and working towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Specifically, the DOE is moving towards the realization of its goal to expand renewable energy capacity in power generation by 2030.

The DOE has also formulated the Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Roadmap, with assistance from the EU-Switch Asia, to step up its goal of GHG reduction. The main objective of the roadmap is to create an energy-efficient Philippines across all economic sectors, and to make EE&C a “way of life” for all energy consumers.

Meanwhile, looking at all viable alternative energy sources, Sec. Cusi said, "The DOE is evaluating the use of nuclear energy and its possible contribution to the energy mix. But, initial steps have to be made first, such as the establishment of a Nuclear Energy Program Implementation Organization (NEPIO), creation of a National Policy and Program on Nuclear Energy and even extensive public consultations to identify the public’s concerns or reservation on nuclear energy utilization."

To expedite and realize all of these energy programs, “We stress the importance of the DOE’s proposal that all energy projects be declared as ‘Projects of National Significance’ to further the development of renewable energy and EE&C in the country,” said Sec. Cusi. "This will resolve permitting backlogs and incentive concerns."

Participants in the Summit were energy efficiency leaders and visionaries, government officials, business executives, policy experts and stakeholders across the energy sector.

The Summit was a collaboration between the Asia-Pacific Basin for Energy Strategies (APBest) and Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance (PE2).

The DOE remains committed to ensuring reliable, stable, sustainable, secure and reasonably priced electricity to the public by creating an in-depth understanding of the alternative paths concerning the Philippine’s energy supply chain.