Category: Basic Social Services

To celebrate the Heart Month, the Polomolok Task Force Kalusugan (PTFK) Program of Mahintana Foundation, Inc. through the Health, Wellness and Safety Initiatives in the Workplace conducted the Heart Walk on February 16, 2019 from the Cannery Gymnasium to the open court fronting the Polomolok Municipal Hall. This activity is in partnership with LGU Polomolok, BLGU Cannery Site, BLGU Poblacion, Dole Philippines, Inc., Dolefil-Kaugnay, LEAD.PH, LEAD Salaried, Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital, and 5 partner-cooperatives: CAMPCO, Tibud-SKMPC, PMSC, FARB-MPC, and UEWMPC. Around 600 participants from different stakeholders joined the activity including 9 partner schools and the Dole Management and personnel.

The organizers and participants gathered in Cannery Gymnasium at 4AM starting with a prayer led by Ms. Rhogelyn Diana of Mahintana. Cannery Punong Barangay Hon. Antonio Octavio gave the welcome address. Unified Cooperative HEPO Mr. Ronie Guilaran and his team led the Zumba dance as warm-up for the 5-km walk. The Polomolok Water District set up the 7 water stations to provide walkers free potable water along the way to teh venue. Hon. Octavio signaled the start of the walk. Another Zumba dance session led by Ms. Mirasol Ingente and her Zumba team was conducted in the municipal plaza before a short program. Mr. Ralph Janiola, Schools Cluster Head, led the opening prayer. In behalf of Mun. Mayor Hon. Honey Lumayag-Matti, Mun. Councilor Hon. Alan Ines gave the welcoming remarks. The messages of support were given by Vice-President and Managing Director Mr. Randy Fleming and Mun. Cooperative Development Council (MCDC) Chairperson Mr. Junbard Mahinay. Rural Health Physician Dra. Mary Grace Salazar discussed about prevention of diabetes and the importance of exercise and proper diet. Participants were selected for the special awards: Best in Zumba Attire, Best Tumbler and 1^st 3 walkers, and were given tumblers and yoga mats as prizes. For cling remarks, Mun. Councilor Dr. Melanie Deypalan said that to have a healthy heart, it is important to have a peaceful heart. All the participants received a cup of arroz caldo, Nutripan bread products and Dole juice in can.

LGU Polomolok was represented by the: Mayor’s Office, Polomolok Water District, Philippine National Police (PNP), Municipal Health Office (MHO), Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO), Ministry of Social Welfare & Development (MWSD), BLGUs Cannery and Poblacion, and Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Members.

ARH trained twenty-nine (29) BHWs, ten (10) NDPs, eighteen (18) ARH Teacher advocates, and ten (10) HEPOs with Open Data Kit (ODK) on November 13 & 14, 2018 at Mahintana Conference Room. The training aims to promote paperless profiling of baseline data and strengthen their appreciation of the system. RESOURCEGov Project Manager Roel Ian P. Blanker was invited as the resource speaker of the said training.

The participants were able to register to Kobotoolbox, make their own forms and demonstrate how to use the forms in the Kobocollect Android app.

Polomolok Task Force Kalusugan (PTFK), a program implemented by Mahintana Foundation, Inc., Dole Philippines, Inc., LGU Polomolok and other stakeholders, conducted a Peer Educators and peer Counselors Training on October 29-31, 2018 at Durian Garden Resort, Polomolok, South Cotabato. The 3-day activity was attended by 57 student and PYAP participants and 22 teacher-facilitators from 10 public high schools of the municipality.

The activities include the following: Expectation Setting – Participants were able to express their expectations about the training; Rationale and Overview Presentation – Ms. Victoria “Wiki” Hamilton presented the rationale of the training and encouraged the participants to take their parts as catalyst of change in the community; Creation of House Rules – the participants were given the opportunity to make the house rules for the training, thus, ensuring their participation and obedience of the said rules; Presentation of Action Plans per School – Students and PYAP participants were given the time to present their action plans which include monthly meetings, radio broadcasting, ARH camp, monitoring of girl-boy relationships, etc. and the budget needed to conduct the activities; Commitment Session –  Participants, divided per school and the PYAP was considered as one, were given supplies to draw their right hand on and write their plan of actions to remind them of their duties a d responsibilities as peer educators; Impressions – the participants were given opportunity to speak their minds on the training, both the negative and positive impressions were noted.; and lastly, the Closing Activities – the facilitators and participants were given their  certificates of participation.

PTFK Program aims to raise awareness of teenage groups regarding adolescent sexuality, adolescent reproductive health and prevention of STI/HIV/AIDS.

To address the increasing trend of teenage pregnancy in Polomolok alarmed the LGU being the municipality with the most number of teenage pregnancy in South Cotabato, an ARH Stakeholder’s Forum was conducted on July 10, 2018 at Esma Restaurant, Polomolok, South Cotabato. It was attended by 70 participants comprised of the DOH 12, LGU Polomolok officials and department heads, barangay captains, SK Chairpersons, PYAP representatives and Mahintana Foundation, Inc.

 SB Member on Health Hon. Melanie Deyplan welcomed the participants and acknowledged their positive response to the call of addressing the issue on teenage pregnancy. MPDO Mr. Eronio Muno further recognized the efforts of the barangay constituents in all the programs in the locality and urged the barangay captains to support the ARH Program. Dole Philippines, Inc. through Mahintana representative Ms. Liza Hora presented the ARH Program Overview sharing its birth and its 2-year implementation. Dr. Ligaya Gepte of MHO Polomolok presented the data statistics on the cases of Teenage Pregnancy including the breakdown per barangay. 

The participants were grouped per barangay to discuss and craft their own action plan. The youth leaders were able to draft action plan incorporating activities for the youth to engage in. The barangay captain discussed and have come up with key agreements: youth profile submission by August 2018, Brgy. Resolution/Ordinance stating PRD marriage with age restriction, Joint Resolution requiring all barangays to have teen center, and promote ARH and disseminate information on teenage pregnancy.

 

Polomolok Task Force Kalusugan (PTFK) Project conducted Training of Trainers (TOT) for the 18 active and committed Health Education and Promotion Officers (HEPO) of the 5 partner cooperatives, namely: Polomolok Manpower Services Cooperative (PMSC), Cannery Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CAMPCO), Fortitude Ability and Resiliency in Business (FARB), Unified Engineering Works Multi-Purpose Cooperative (UEWMPC) and Tibud sa Katibawasan Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TSKMPC) on Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH), Responsible Parenthood, and Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases on May 15-16, 2018 at The Farm, Carpenter Hill, Koronadal City. This training was initiated due to the demand to have an updated information and inputs on the definition, transmission and prevention of the health-related concerns and to effectively educate the workers of the cooperative and the people in the community.

Ms. Liza Hora, Admin and Finance Officer of Mahintana Foundation, Inc., gave the welcome remarks and the Overview of the training being the organizer of the event. Moreover, with the support given by the Local Government Unit, Department of Health Region XII and Dole Philippines, Inc., Mr. Jessie Cercado, Development Management Officer II and DOH Representative , showed support by giving his inspiration message of the participants to continue on their advocacy in promoting healthy lifestyle and be an aid to educating their co-workers and the people in the community. The Province of South Cotabato provided resource speakers of the abovementioned topics from Integrated Provincial Hospital.

The training was composed of 5 Modules incorporating the essential inputs from the topics and the resource speakers, namely:

1. Non Communicable Diseases – Ms. Ivy Joy Gallinero;
2. Communicable Diseases – Mr. John Arlo Codilla and Mr. Jose Baroquillo;
3. Responsible Parenthood – Ms. Melanie Chiva;
4. Adolescent Reproductive Health – Mr. Ralph Janiola; and
5. Development of Action Plan.

Mahintana Foundation, Inc., through its Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) Program, turned over materials and equipment to the ARH centers on April 10, 2018 at Polomolok Municipal Hall. It was participated by school principals, ARH Advocates and peer educators of the partner public secondary schools (Bentung-Sulit NHS, Nicolas B. Barreras NHS, Pablo Valencia NHS, Palkan National NHS, Landan NHS, Silway-8 NHS, Poblacion Polomolok NHS, Polomolok NHS and  Bonifacio R. Tagaban Integrated School)  and witnessed by the local government employees of Polomolok.

Dolefil Community Relations Manager Ms. Leamor Bañaga gave her message of support to the project. Mahintana Admin & Finance Officer Ms. Liza Hora presented briefly the program overview and spearheaded the distribution of the materials to school heads. Palkan National High School Principal I Mr. Benigno Toribio gave a message of appreciation and commitment of proper handling of the donated materials in behalf of the school beneficiaries.

The materials and equipment given to the schools will be used in the established Adolescent Reproductive Health Center as the instruments to give service and to pursue the suppression of teenage pregnancy; provide complete facilities for training and meetings for ARH Advocates, Peer Educators and Peer Counselors. The funds were taken from the proceeds of the ARH Day Celebration dubbed as “RATED PG, #Pag-ibigGoals” last August 25, 2017 during the 40^th Founding Anniversary of Mahintana Foundation, Inc. ARH Program is funded by Dole Philippines, Inc. and implemented in partnership with LGU Polomolok.