300 Bohol moms celebrating August with simultaneous breastfeeding

Wake-uppers:

Scene: Consumers in Tagbilaran lined up last Friday to buy cheap rice from National Food Authority (NFA) as sales and distribution resumed in the province.  According to NFA-Bohol manager Maria Fe Evasco, 40,000 sacks of rice arrived in Bohol last Tuesday from Cebu after four months of non-availability of NFA rice in the market.  The NFA rice is sold at P27 per kilo half a price of the commercial rice.  Evasco explained that they had to limit 5 kilos being sold to an

Ilocos Norte. Gov. Imee Marcos

individual a day so many consumers could avail of the cheaper rice.  “We have to limit it in the sense that we have plenty of consumers in the locality for them to avail/buy of the low price NFA rice, we have to institute the measure of limiting it to 5 kilos per customer per day,” she said. 

Scene:  Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos was in Bohol last week to attend the Acquaintance Party of the BIT-International College and meet the members of the Marcos Loyalists Movement.  She was met by Vice Governor Dionisio Balite, Agriculture Central Visayas director Salvador Diputado, Donald Sevilla of Alyansang Bol-anon para sa Kausaban (Abaka)  and Balilihan Vice Mayor Roy Adonis Olalo. Marcos also met Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, Jr at the event. Marcos said she was thankful to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio for including her in the list of senatorial candidates that will be endorsed by regional political party Hugpong Ng Pagbabago (HNP) in the May 2019 elections. She said she was in Bicol when she heard the endorsement during the Bohol launching of Abaka which Duterte was the guest speaker. Marcos said she has yet to decide if she would run for senator in the 2019 midterm elections. “Napag-usapan sa pamilya na iba na tatakbo baka hindi na si BongBong because he doesn’t want to abandon the protest. (It was discussed in the family that another one should run, maybe not BongBong) Maybe, I will be the one to run,” she said.

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Marking the start of the National Breastfeeding Month, more than 300 lactating mothers from Bohol province simultaneously breastfed their babies for one minute yesterday, August 4 at the Island City Mall.

More than 300 lactating mothers simultaneously breastfed their 

babies for one minute during Saturday’s “The Big Latch”

 to mark the celebration of the National Breastfeeding 

\Awareness Month. Photo by Leo Udtohan

The event dubbed “The Big Latch” was the first ever breastsfeeding advocacy in Bohol, according to

Dr. Suzette Quiwag-Redillas, chair of the breastfeeding committee at Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital.

Dianne Pozon, 38, a resident of Tagbilaran City, brought her three month-old son Joseph Niño to the event.

“This is an event for all mothers and families,” said Pozon, a mother of five. 

Pozon believed that there are many benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers.

“I believe it is still the best source of nutrition and growth of infants,” she said.  “Breastfeeding is still best for babies.”

After the simultaneous latch-on, lactation experts, peer counselors, and breastfeeding advocacy supporters shared the benefits and importance of breastfeeding to the mothers.

There were parlor games to enliven the event.

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Sen. Bam Aquino validates sufferings of

ordinary Boholanos due to TRAIN Law

Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV said he would be the voice of the ordinary citizens who were directly affected under the tax reform program.

The Senator made the remark last Thursday afternoon as he had a consultation meeting with market vendors, fishermen, and other members of the sectoral groups at the Dao Public Market in this city.

Sen. Bam Aquino

Aquino listened to the residents who shared their plight on the high prices of goods under the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

“Magiging madali lang ito sa akin kasi kasama ko kayo. Naghahanap po ako ng tapang mula po sa inyo. Hindi ako mawawalan ng lakas ng loob na ipaglalaban ito kahit mag-isa lang ako.  Pero sa totoo lang po kahit mag-isa lang ako dun, hindi ako nag-iisa kasi kasama ko po kayo,” he told at least 60 attendees. 

Aquino said he has been pushing for the immediate suspension of the excise tax on petroleum products to lessen the burden on the public.

 And if Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson would like to talk at the senate as invited by Senator Nancy Binay as one of the resource persons in the next hearings to amend the charter, Aquino said Uson is welcomed at the senate.

“Well, lagi tayo  nag-attend dun sa mga hearing sa federalismo at sa  pagpapalit ng constitution.  I think si Senator Binay ang nag-invite sa kanya.  Maganda nga pumunta siya para mapag-usapan dun,” said Aquino.

Tapping Uson in raising awareness about federalism, Aquino found it awkward since Uson was known for posting fake news in the social media.

“Pero ako, simple lang, yung Constitutional Commission na kunin ang isang tao na  madalas o  may track record ng  pagbabanggit ng fake news bilang spokesman nila parang hindi seryoso dun  sa gusto nilang marating sa pagtuturo ng constitution sa ating mga kababayan,” Aquino added.

He said a constitutional expert would help to raise awareness of the proposed shift to a federal government.

“Sana po ang kinuha nila talagang constitutional expert.  Marami sa kanila ganun yung pagkakilala.  Sana hindi po tayo kumuha ng isang Asec na alam natin na makontroberysa dahil sa paglalabas ng fake news in the past,” he said.

NFA-Bohol Manager Maria Fe Evasco and NFA Information
Officer Jhoel Lim inspected rice retail stores in Barangay Cogon
 in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, during the resumption of sales/
distribution of NFA rice. Photo by Leo Udtohan

Uson has been  criticized by netizens in the social media for posting misleading information and inaccurate photos.

Benjie Oliva, a former youth leader and administrator of the Cooperative Development Authority, said that Aquino’s visit was able to validate the sufferings of the ordinary Filipino. 

“Sen. Bam Aquino was able to validate the sufferings of ordinary Filipinos brought by the high inflation rate and the implementation of Train law particularly on the excise tax on fuel during the Konsultahang Bayan held at Dao Public Market,” said Oliva.

Oliva added that Aquino’s ‘Bawas Presyo Bill’ filed at the Senate is a measure that would suspend the implementation on the excise tax on fuel thereby lessening the burden of our poor Filipino people.

“Sen. Aquino’s consumer protection advocacy is a testament of his deep concern to the poor and vulnerable sectors of society,” he added.

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