BY FELIPE V. CELINO

ROXAS City — Residents of Brgy. Dulangan, Pilar town blamed the Capiz Sugar Central for the fish kill that occurred in the river in the village.

Most village residents already fear having no more source of food and livelihood after the fish kill, Merlinda Almorin of Sitio Cantel said.

Folks from the barangay’s four sitios — Lahab, Bato-bato, Siha and Cantel — have fishing as their source of living.

The incident was allegedly caused by the garbage being dumped by the sugar central in the river.

The molasses allegedly being dumped by the sugar central may have contaminated the river, according to Dulangan Barangay Captain Robinson Benigla.

But Flora Mae Calmorin of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) doubts that the fish kill was caused by the contamination due to molasses.

Calmorin claimed that the water in the area has a low salinity, which may have killed the fishes.
The province’s Aqua Laboratory is not capable of examining and determining the water’s salinity as it is only intended to examine red tide, she said.

Calmorin asked the residents to bring the sample of the river water to the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center in Tigbauan, Iloilo for an examination.

The residents already brought up the problem to the local officials and asked for their help./PN

 PhilHealth conducts forum for members

ROXAS City — The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) conducted a forum for its members to know the different aspects of health insurance.

The positive response of the participants, who were active during the discussions, is overwhelming, according to PhilHealth-Capiz Service Office information officer Mary Jane Amigo.

Amigo said the member’s forum was the Capiz office’s highlight of PhilHealth’s 16th founding anniversary as well as of the National Health Insurance month in February.

“The event was an opportunity for both the members and service providers to know the latest updates about the program and a chance to listen to problems and issues affecting them as members,” she said.

Among the participants were heads of offices and liaison officers from local government units and national government agencies, the private sector, individually paying members, barangay captains, beneficiaries’ sponsored programs and lifetime members.

All the government and private hospitals in the province were likewise well-represented, she added.

During the forum, PhilHealth 6 public relations officer Larry Tabsing said the agency will launch this year a standardized set of reimbursement for 22 common medical and surgical cases being availed of by its members in accredited hospitals nationwide per announcement of PhilHealth President Dr. Rey Aquino.

Tabsing said among the 11 medical cases that will soon be paid on a case rate basis are dengue 1 and 2, pneumonia 1 and 2, essential hypertension, cerebral infarction and hemorrhage, acute gastroenteritis, asthma, typhoid fever and newborn care package.

Surgical cases include radiotherapy, dialysis, normal deliveries and deliveries by caesarian section, appendectomy, cholecystectomy, hysterectomy, dilatation and curettage, thyroidectomy, herniorrhapy and mastectomy, he said.

On the other hand, PhilHealth-Capiz head Joe Frederick Diaz said more Capiceños have already been enrolled in the government’s health insurance program.