Covid-19 Vaxx Drive of DOTr, MMDA

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Bilang bahagi ng patuloy na inisyatibo ng gobyerno na protektahan ang publiko laban sa COVID-19 infection, muling umarangkada ang mobile vaccination drive ng Department of Transportation (DOTr), katuwang ang Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), na isinagawa sa Land Transportation Office (LTO) sa Quezon City ngayong araw, ika-14 ng Pebrero 2022.

Sa ilalim ng “We Vax as One: Mobile Vaccination Drive,” target na mabakunahan ang nasa 500 transport workers at stakeholders kada araw mula alas otso ng umaga hanggang alas dose ng tanghali (8:00am-12:00nn). Ang pagbabakuna ay tatagal hanggang Huwebes, ika-17 ng Pebrero.

Prayoridad sa vaccination drive ang mga tatanggap ng booster doses, ngunit bukas rin ito para sa mga tatanggap ng first at second doses. Upang makakuha ng bakuna, pinapayuhan ang mga walk-in vaccinees na magparehistro sa LTO Chapel.

Ayon kay DOTr Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor, layon ng inisyatibo na mas lalong maging accessible ang bakuna laban sa COVID-19 sa mga tao.

“Ang ‘We Vaccine as One’ ay patuloy nating inilulunsad. Ito po ay karugtong ng mobile vaccination drive sa PITX at ngayon ay nandito sa LTO Office upang mapalapit pa sa ating mga kababayan itong vaccination drive natin,” ani Usec. Pastor.

Dahil nataon ang aktibidad sa Araw ng mga Puso, sinabi ni Usec. Pastor na ang pagbabakuna ay isang paraan ng DOTr ng pagpapakita ng pagmamahal sa taumbayan, gayundin ang pagmamahal ng nagpabakuna sa kanyang mga mahal sa buhay.

“Ano pa ‘ho ba ang magandang paraan upang ipakita ng Kagawaran ng Transportasyon, kasama ang LTO, LTFRB at partner agency na MMDA at DOH upang ipakita sa inyong lahat ang pagmamahal ng mga ahensyang ito, kundi ilapit sa inyo itong vaccines, upang maproteksyunan sa ating araw-araw na mga gawain. Ito rin po ay isang simbolo upang ipakita natin sa ating mga mahal sa buhay na kapag tayo ay nagpaturok ng vaccine, binibigyan po natin ng proteksyon ang ating sarili at ating mga mahal sa buhay,” dagdag pa ni Usec. Pastor.

Hinikayat naman ng LTO at Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ang mga transport workers na wala pang bakuna na samantalahin ang handog na libreng pagbabakuna.

“Sa ating publiko, inaanyayahan natin sila na makiisa sa atin para mabigyan sila ng bakuna at mabawasan iyong pangamba at panganib na sila ay mahawa ng COVID-19,” pahayag ni LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante.

“Ito pong activity na ito ay para po sa inyo mga transport workers. Para sa mga tsuper, mga konduktor, at mga operator para po tuluy-tuloy ang serbisyo natin sa ating pagbibiyahe, sa ating mga bus, taxi at public transport. Protektado po kayo kapag nagpabakuna kayo,” sinabi naman ni LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III.

Samantala, iginiit ni MMDA OIC-Chairman Atty. Romando Artes na ang vaccination drive ay patunay sa magandang relasyon ng DOTr at MMDA.

“Kami po ay laging magkakatulong sa pag-aayos ng ating pampublikong transportasyon, gayundin po ang pag-implement ng batas trapiko. Ngayon po ay nandirito na tayo sa pangalawang stage o second phase ng vaccination drive,” ani Atty. Artes.

Matatandaan na noong nakaraang buwan ay inilunsad din ng DOTr at MMDA, ang “We Vaxx as One” sa Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) kung saan nasa 1,361 transport workers at commuters ang nabakunahan.

Habang sinimulan naman ng DOTr noong July 2021 ang unang pagbabakuna sa mga transport worker sa ilalim ng “Tsuperhero: Kasangga sa Resbakuna” vaccination campaign. Sa loob ng anim na magkakasunod na linggo sa ilalim ng programa, umabot sa 4,572 transport workers ang nabakunahan.

​Chooks-to-LOVE: Chooks! gives Valentine's Day treat to elderly, PWDs

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Chooks-to-Go's first dine-in restaurant, Chooks!, has given senior citizens and people with disabilities free premium meals at Robinsons Place Lipa

Serenaded by a violinist, senior citizens and people with disabilities had the ultimate Valentine's Day treat as they enjoyed a free meal from Chooks! at Robinsons Place Lipa today.

Chooks-to-Go's first dine-in restaurant treated them with free quarter-chicken meals with unlimited soup and rice as a way to honor them.

"We value our elderly and PWD customers," said Chooks-to-Go President Ronald Mascariñas. "This is our way of demonstrating inclusivity in our society. At Chooks!, we welcome everyone regardless of ability, age, and background. We recognize that everybody has dignity worthy of our respect and love.”

During the festive promo event, regular customers of Chooks! also received special giveaways, including the coveted Chooks-to-Go shirts.

Chooks! is the dine-in restaurant of the country's top chicken rotisserie Chooks-to-Go. It is located at Robinson's Place in Lipa, Batangas, with more branches opening this year.

DOH and Civil Society Urge Solons to Pass Bill Banning Industrial Trans Fat

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“It’s time to protect Filipinos’ heart health from the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) caused by trans fatty acids (TFA).”

This was the statement of the Department of Health (DOH), World Health Organization Philippines (WHO), and public interest law group ImagineLaw on Valentine’s Day as they called on legislators to pass a measure that will eliminate industrially added TFA in the country’s food supply, as a bid to promote heart health and reduce the risk of CVDs among Filipinos.

The Trans Fat Free Philippines Bills consisting of Senate Bills No. 1916 and 1954, and House Bills No. 7200, 7202, 7934, 8093, and 8128, will ban artificial TFA, most commonly found in food items with partially hydrogenated oils (PHO) such as prepackaged food, baked goods, and fried street and restaurant food.

According to the WHO, TFA is an artificial compound that clogs the arteries and increases the risks of CVDs like heart attacks. CVD is the leading cause of death in the Philippines, claiming around 50,000 Filipino lives every year, and a known comorbidity of COVID-19.

"Corporations and institutions play an important role in creating healthier options for Filipinos. Importante talaga na maka-push pa tayo ng mga policies that will protect Filipinos’ hearts, like for example the Trans Fat Free Philippines Bill that will remove toxic artificial fatty acids from food and in effect, from Filipinos’ households. Law and policies are our society's norms, so dapat healthy 'yung norm natin,” said Sen. Risa Hontiveros, co-sponsor of SB 1916, in her Valentine’s Day video greeting, played during the webinar hosted by DOH, WHO and ImagineLaw today, February 14, 2022.

Once enacted into law, it will completely eliminate the toxic fat from the nation’s food supply by prohibiting PHOs, oils, and fats with high TFA content. As such, it will make all types of food sources, including those from informal markets and food establishments, safe and TFA-free.

“In a 2018 study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, it is found that children below six years of age are at most risk for high TFA consumption. With this, we see that TFA does not only have negative effects on adults but also on the youth. The DOH believes that these Bills, once enacted, would greatly contribute to our efforts in creating healthy food environments in our schools and communities,” said Dr. Beverly Ho, Director IV of the DOH Health Promotion Bureau.

Civil society groups such as the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines (NFP), Nutritionist Dietitians Association of the Philippines (NDAP), Philippine Society of Nutritionist-Dietitians (PSND), and Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) also supported the call for trans fat elimination in the country.

“As Filipinos grapple with the effects of the ongoing pandemic, legislators must act with urgency to promote citizens’ heart health and strengthen their resilience against COVID-19. This Valentine’s Day, we call on the legislators to promote Filipinos’ right to heart health and safe and nutritious food, starting with the urgent enactment of this Bill,” Atty. Sophia San Luis, ImagineLaw’s Executive Director emphasized.


VIDEO LINK (reporters are given permission to download and broadcast):

Watch the Valentine's Day webinar here: transfatfreephilippines.org/recordings