3 cops ‘maul’ man

BY FELIPE V. CELINO

ROXAS City — A 47-year-old man might file a formal complaint against three policemen here for allegedly mauling him a few weeks ago.

Rodel Balsote of Brgy. Dayao here said he was manhandled by three police officers, one of them a certain PO2 De la Fuente.

Balsote said the policemen picked him up while he was having a drinking binge in the house of his cousin Renato Aracol on March 24, and forced him to ride on the police patrol car.

One of the three policemen hit him with an armalite rifle, he said.

Balsote’s niece Perbie Joy Agustin said she was about to bring her uncle to the hospital when the policemen forced the latter to board the patrol car.

According to Balsote, he had been unconscious and only woke up inside the detention cell of the Roxas City Police Station.

Supt. Kashmir Disomangcop, city police chief, said he has no knowledge of the incident.

But he said the three policemen will be investigated on April 4./PN
   


248 candidates apply for 
competency assessment

ROXAS City — A total of 248 Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) candidates applied for a free competency assessment and certification as part of the first National TVET Competency Assessment and Certification (NATCAC) Week from March 28 to April 1.

The assessment and certification is being held at the Dumalag Vocational Technical School (DVTS) in Dumalag town.

“One of the synchronized assessment’s primary aims is to increase the number of certified Filipino workers and TVET graduates so they can be qualified for good jobs,” said Victor Gallego, provincial director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) here.

More batches of NATCAC will be conducted within the year in TESDA schools and training centers nationwide, he said.

The 248 candidates are for the National Certificate Level II (NC II) qualification for automotive servicing, computer hardware servicing, housekeeping, food and beverage service, and shielded metal arc wielding.

For her part, DVTS administrator Rosa Frac said the activity will upgrade the job qualifications of the NATCAC passers.

Successful candidates who will be able to hurdle all the required competencies will be given NC or Certificate of Competency (COC) during the closing ceremony at DVTS today.

A certificate issuance desk has been established by TESDA-Capiz to facilitate today’s printing and releasing of the NC or COC.

TESDA will also announce and publish the list of NATCAC passers in newspapers. (Alex A. Lumaque/PIA/PN)


   


Use I-Rice in feeding programs — NFA

ROXAS City — The National Food Authority (NFA) is pushing for the adoption of iron-fortified rice (i-Rice) in all the feeding programs of government.

I-Rice should be used by program implementers to address malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, NFA- Capiz Manager Procopio Trabajo II said.

Eating I-Rice will also result in good health not only for children but also for pregnant women and lactating mothers, he added.

Other stakeholder, especially the local government units (LGUs) and the health sector, are encouraged to help promote the consumption of I-Rice instead of commercial well-milled rice.

I-Rice has more nutrient contents other than carbohydrates, Trabajo said.

He also urged LGUs to use I-Rice in their feeding program to improve the nutritional status of their target underweight children.

According to a study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology, the four malnutrition problems affecting young children include:

* protein-energy malnutrition
* iron-deficiency anemia
* Vitamin A deficiency (VAD), and
* iodine deficiency disorder (IDD).

A lack of energy and protein results in growth retardation, the FNRI explained.

On the other hand, a deficiency in iron wherein the hemoglobin concentration is below the normal level results in short attention span, reduced ability to learn and irritability, it said.

VAD is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children.

It also increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections, studies showed, adding that in pregnant women, VAD causes night blindness and may increase the risk of maternal mortality.

IDD results to health problems like mental retardation, goiter and miscarriages.

Included in the solutions is food fortification, which the government has put in place through the Philippine Food Fortification Act (Republic Act 8976). (Jemin B. Guillermo/PIA/PN)









(Disclamer)
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