Provincial offices of DOST, PIA partner  for COVID-19 online confab

DAVAO DEL NORTE, JUNE 28 (PIA) – COVID-19 online Information Forum was clinched and done by  the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental field offices together with the Philippine Information Agency Information Center for the two provinces.

Dubbed as “Makialam, Alamin COVID-19 Inforum”, the online confab generated the participation and support of Regional Director Alex Roldan of the Department of Interior  and Local Government (DILG) XI, the Department of Health (DOH) XI Regional Director Annabelle Yumang who sent  DOH Regional Information Officer Yazmin Avila,  and Regional Director Frances Mae Macapagat of the Philippine Information Agency XI.

The online Inforum  was technically supported by DOST Davao del Norte field office  while PIA XI Davao del Norte information center generated participants through its network of  information officers who were members of  the Information Officers Network of Davao del Norte (ION Davao del Norte) and of the Davao Oriental Organization of Information Officers (DavOrg).

Roldan expected public information officers to model the change in mindset and behavior that the government wants the public to adopt in the new normal era where people are expected to consciously  and seriously take public  health measures to stay  safe from COVID-19.

DOH XI pushed the “BIDA Solusyon sa COVID-19” behavioral change communication to for people especially those at the grassroots and community  levels to realize that “they are part” of the solution to curb  the spread of COVID-19.

Avila explained that target audiences are those in areas where people are most likely unmindful of the minimum health protocols pushed by DOH as they struggle to make a living  and survive from  hunger that  the COVID-19 pandemic has spawned.

BIDA stands for “Bawal Walang Mask”, “I-sanitize ang mga Kamay”, “Dumistansiya ng Dalawang Dipa”, “Alamin ang Tamang Impormasyon”.

Designed to address the persisting violation to health safety protocols, the BIDA Solusyon is due to  be launched on June 30.

Avila was asking public information officers at the local government unit (LGU) and national line agency levels, to take on this DOH campaign  and spread this through various communication platforms using the new and the traditional media.

Meanwhile, DOST Davao del Norte Provincial Science and Technology Provincial Director, Engr. Judy Donna Nueva Ecija discussed the DOST education assistance available for senior high and college students to get by, and still go through their education amidst the pandemic crisis.

Nueva Ecija also made fellow government communicators aware that DOST is assisting micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) get back their enterprises by extending financial assistance to purchase their needed equipment to  produce their respective product.

DOST has extended period of payment of extended financial assistance to give grace time for client MSMEs to recover from losses caused by the pandemic.

On the other hand, Davao Oriental Provincial Science and Technology Provincial Director Sharon Mendoza revealed some DOST tools  and technology to understand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic at the national and local level.

Mendoza  said that the Feasibility Analysis of  Syndromic Surveillance Using Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeler (FASSSTER)  is  useful for LGUs.  A news article regarding FASSSTER says that it “can be used to forecast future number of infections, confirmed positive cases, death and recoveries”.  (PIA XI/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)