The Department of Health (DOH) – MIMAROPA (Oriental/Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) yesterday presented the awardees of the 2016 Regional Red Orchid Award and the regional entries for the National Search for Barangay with Best Sanitation Practices (NSBBSP) for 2015-2016 held at the Luxent Hotel in Timog Avenue, Quezon City.
The recipients of Red Orchid Awards were the municipalities of Alcantara and San Agustin both from the province of Romblon. Winners from the Palawan includes the PhilHealth Provincial Office, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital and Southern Palawan Provincial Hospital. “From these winners, only two will be chosen as regional winners who will compete for the national awards which will be held also this year,” Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo stated.
The Red Orchid Hall of Fame Award were given to the Municipality of Alcantara in Romblon, the Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital, and the Southern Palawan Provincial Hospital for winning the prestigious award for three consecutive times.
According to Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo, the winners were chosen through their efforts of implementing a 100% Tobacco-Free Environment and by applying the six tobacco-control policies of the World Health Organization (WHO) in their community and workplace which includes monitoring and protecting the community from tobacco use, offering help to quit tobacco use, warning against the dangers of tobacco, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising and raising taxes on tobacco products.
For the 2015 winners for the Barangay Best Sanitation Practices (BBSP), barangays Mainit in Boac, Marinduque and Masaguisi in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro were selected.
Cash incentives were given to the 2016 BBSP winners which included barangays Nunsora with Php150,000 and Agnocnoc with Php50,000 both in located in Ferrol, Romblon; and barangays Sagana and Ipil in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro with Php50,000 each. “These incentives will be used to sustain and further improve their program in health and sanitation in the community”.
All the regional nominees were evaluated by the Regional Technical Working Group based on the following criteria: 1) households with sanitary toilet facilities, 25%; coverage of households with access of safe water, 25%; improvement in sanitary toilet, 25%; approved barangay budget for water and sanitation. Local sanitation initiatives such as wastewater, solid waste management, clean and green program, legislative support and community involvement are also included.
“MIMAROPA is still lagging behind in terms of hygiene and sanitation practices, there are still areas in the region that practice open defecation and unhygienic toilet habits. Having been recognized as barangays with the best sanitation practices, may you lead as examples in ensuring that other LGUs in your province will follow in improving sanitation practices because these are serious issues that affect not only health but also our social and economic status,” Janairo emphasized.
“Sanitation and hygiene has been proven to provide gains on public health, livelihood and to the community. It is essential for everyone to learn about these things to be able to prevent various diseases that can be caused due to poor maintenance of hygienic surroundings”, he concluded.