Army extends help DOH on youth health program

The traditional task of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that was to fight insurgency is now expanded as they include advocating leadership trainings, basic education literacy and many others, associating with the other government and non-government agencies. Just recently, the Army collaborated with the Department of Health in the three-day Adolescent Reproductive Health training in Jaro, Leyte, an area previously known of insurgency problem.

“Our three major activities in Eastern Visayas are peace advocacy; community-based security and development; and focused military operations,” Col.Rafael Valencia, commanding officer of the 802nd Infantry Brigade, which is based this city, said. The health advocacy training supported by the military was the first of its kind in the region wherein 115 out-of-school youth aged 16 to 19 from Leyte province were chosen. Dr. Milagros Salvacion-Bolito, medical specialist of the Department of Health-8, said that the chosen youth were considered to have the potentials of promoting the healthy practices including drug awareness, teenage pregnancy prevention and environmental sanitation in their respective areas.

Bolito said that they were overwhelmed on the support extended by the AFP as she added that this could result to a continued endeavor with other government agencies like the PDEA(Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency), DepEd, PNP(Philippine National Police), DENR(Department of Environment and Natural Resources) and Popcom(Commission on Population). Similar trainings are scheduled in the other provinces of the region with the assistance of the same partners, she added. Leyte Board Member Anlie Apostol, who represented Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, pledged to bring TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) to Jaro and facilitate the same OSY for skills training to equip them towards leading a brighter future and in “believing in yourself na kaya n’yo,” she said. The DOH funded the program aimed at creating health awareness in rural neighborhood.