FOR HEALTH AND LIVELIHOOD. The pots, tables, and garden sets made from used and old tires being sold at the ongoing 23rd Matagoan Festival and 74th Foundation Day of the old municipality of Tabuk's trade fair are not just providing livelihood but also helping in eliminating mosquito breeding grounds. Jandel Taguiam, Nurse IV from the Health Promotion and Communication Services Office of Tabuk City, Kalinga Health Office on Wednesday (June 26, 2024) encourages the public to go into recycling to help address health risks while also earning. (Photo by Liza T. Agoot)
TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The city's health services office on Wednesday lauded the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for helping to address health risks due to waste.
Jandel Taguiam, Nurse IV from the Health Promotion and Communication Services Office of Tabuk City, Kalinga Health Office, said on the sidelines of the "Festival of Festivals" event of the ongoing 23rd Matagoan Festival and 74th Foundation day of the old municipality of Tabuk, Kalinga that they encourage the public to go into recycling and help address health risks while also earning a livelihood
One such local business is "Parways" (Paragas and Aniway) Handicrafts" based in Tabuk City and owned by the late Heremias Paragas, a visual artist.
Taguiam said DTI is laudable for supporting such endeavors by providing technical assistance and capacity building to the people behind Parways and their workers apart from market linkage so that the enterprise will be continued, hitting three birds with one stone -- help rid mosquito breeding grounds, avoid burning of tires, and provide source of livelihood.
The Department of Health (DOH) has repeatedly warned the public from indiscriminately dumping or setting aside old tires as they have been proven to be a favorite breeding ground of mosquitoes.
"Mosquitoes like to breed in tires because they store water, they are colored black and are cool inside which is convenient for mosquitoes,” Taguiam said.
From January 1 to June 20, 2024, Tabuk City recorded 66 dengue cases, which Taguiam said is within the epidemiology threshold.
Renie Ramos, DTI-Kalinga provincial director, in an interview on the sidelines of the opening of the Kalinga Pasalubong center late afternoon on Tuesday said DTI has programs for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) to help them get through the challenges of being a small business.
"We provide technical assistance in business operation and development. We guide them in permitting requirements. We also link them to further improve their capacity and improve their products,” he said.
Ramos said Paragas is a KMMe (Kapatid Mentor Me) completer, referring to the coaching and mentoring program being conducted by DTI in coordination with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE). (PNA)
