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| SK Prov'l Federation Pres. Patrick Rodrigueza |
SORSOGON
CITY, March 21 (PIA) – “This day signifies the commencement of our fight
against rabies,” Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Provincial Federation President, and
Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Patrick Lee Rodrigueza affirmed at the
launching of the Global Alliance for Rabies
Control (GARC)–Sorsogon Province Project in Bulan, Sorsogon
past Tuesday.
In participation to the Rabies
Awareness Month, Sorsogon Province in partnership with GARC formally began with
the project conceptualized during the term of former governor Sally Ante Lee,
directed towards eliminating rabies in the province in two years, significantly
where human rabies cases were recorded two years ago.
“Today,
we are marking our history in the province, and probably on a national scale for
having a huge project like this,” Rodrigueza stated, “and for putting together
the youth as front liners in this struggle to make Sorsogon rabies-free.”
Along with the SK, he added
that they are certainly grateful for the trust given to them in the anti-rabies
project.
With
the alarming rate of rabies victims in the locality, the SK Provincial
Federation President said that rabies is clearly a disaster that needs to be addressed
and given appropriate measures.
From April until May 2013, with a
group of veterinarians on the lead, mass dog vaccinations will be carried out
all over the province. The youth were tapped to be of assistance for the
activity to boost up a collective enterprise between Sorsogon Local Chief
Executives, the Office of the Governor, Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO),
project-partner GARC and the SK Provincial Federation.
“To
the youth and the entire stakeholders, undoubtedly, we will achieve our goals
if we all work together and get rid of rabies in Sorsogon,” Rodrigueza said.
At the
opening of the GARC-Sorsogon Province Project, the SK signed a symbolic
declaration of their commitment to make the Province of Sorsogon rabies-free. It
recognizes their concern with the dangerous effects of dog disease
transmissible to humans through the bite of infected animals which cause
approximately 560. 000 bite cases reported each year. and affirm their
commitment with the Provincial Government of Sorsogon and the PVO as volunteer
vaccinators all through the rabies elimination project.
Concerned
about the adverse result of rabies account that around 300 to 400 lives are
lost each year, which creates chaos and agony in the community, this pledge
familiarizes with the importance of achieving greater synergy between local
actions and national strategies, as well as programmes, and the importance of
strengthening cooperation among the SK in attaining a rabies-free Sorsogon, and
making ever dog owner a responsible owner by having its pet immunized annually.
It
recognizes further that the youth comprise a huge population in the province who
can make a massive stand by way of its joint effort in making the Province of
Sorsogon rabies-free. For this reason, the SK declares to acknowledge that
rabies is deadly and can cause death if the commitment between the National and
Local Government, SK Federation, and every dog owner in the elimination of such
will not be drawn attention to, and made effective through delegation and
capacity building; strengthen the implementation and inclusion of SK
involvement as volunteer vaccinators every summer of the year under the SK
Provincial Federation’s Development Plan for the period of 2010 to 2013, and reintegration
of the same during the drafting of the period of 2013 to 2016; empower each
youth to be an active participant in every activity relative to the eradication
of rabies through trainings, workshops and seminars; promote information
dissemination in the Province of Sorsogon by conducting series of seminars,
workshops and trainings for every sector in how to achieve a zero-rabies case
in the province; allocate funds in accordance with the provisions of the 2001
SK Constitution and By-Laws and if insufficient, conduct fund-raising
activities to sustain the programmes implemented and to be implemented in
relation to rabies-free Sorsogon; and. support local as well as national
innovative policies implanted by the National and Local Government in the eradication
of rabies and other health related issues.
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| SK signs commitment towards a rabies-free province. |
In 2012,
two human and four positive canine cases were reported in the province. With
these, Governor Lee emphasized the need to intensify the campaign against
rabies through organized measures for its prevention, control, and elimination.
The EO underscores that a more realistic program and effective participation of
all the Local Government Units (LGUs) should be established through a task
force with the help of GARC.
As a
response to this directive, Honorable Municipal Mayors Helen Rose S. De Castro
(Bulan), Jocelyn Y. Lelis (Prieto Diaz), Michael G. Guysayko (Bulusan), and
Atty. Manuel L. Fortes (Barcelona) signified their support to the GARC-Provincial
Government MOA, including the trainings to be conducted by the PVO for the
youth. In addition, Mayor Fortes, who heads the Municipal Mayor’s League in
Sorsogon, encouraged the members of the group to participate in the noble task
and ensure compliance with the mandates of the law mentioned.
The
GARC-Sorsogon Province Rabies Project aims to vaccinate at least 70% of the total
dog population. PVO Chief Dr. Enrique “Iking” Espiritu assumed that if this
target is achieved, assurance is, it will put off the spread of rabies from one
dog to another, and then Sorsogon can declare a rabies-free province. But, the
goal is beyond our reach with only one technician per municipality. “That’s
when the SK makes the team,” Dr. Espiritu said. (Von Andre E. Labalan, SORPIO/
PIA Sorsogon)
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