12,000 die from ‘work cancers

THE country’s health watchdog has been branded “feeble” in failing to prevent nearly 12,000 deaths caused by work related cancers.

A Health and Safety Executive board meeting report last week revealed that cancers were to blame for 8,000 to 12,000 deaths per year due to occupational illness.

But according to an occupational health expert more needs to be done to stop people being exposed to dangerous work environments.

Nearly 14,000 new cases of workplace cancers are registered every year realrted to exposure from toxic chemicals and pollution.

The biggest killer according to the HSE is asbestos which is accountable for 4,000 deaths per year.

There are around 1.8million tradesmen who are at risk of contracting mesothelioma which causes cancers of the lung, larynx and stomach from asbestos exposure.

Almost 800 deaths per year are caused by breathing in silica dust – stonemasons, quarriers and foundry workers are especially a risk from this.

More than 600 deaths in drivers, miners and construction workers are linked to inhaling exhaust emissions from diesel engines.

There is even evidence that suggests that prolonged night-shift work is responsible for 500 people dying from breast cancer every year.

Other occupational hazards that induce cancer are paints, welding, toxic chemicals used in dry cleaning and the radioactive gas radon.

“Frittering”

Prof Watterson claimed that health bosses are guilty of failing to take action since the 1980s.

He also claimed that inspectors of power plants are being pulled from checking on cancer-causing chemicals
He added: “It appears to lack expertise and staff to address this subject, partly due to the rundown of its occupational medicine staff and the massive Westminster cuts that it has received.

“Instead it is frittering time away on relatively sterile debates about attributable fractions and drawing on partnerships and pledges that don’t work.”

A HSE spokeswoman said: “HSE takes an evidence-based approach to occupational cancer, focusing in particular on identifying those activities and industry sectors that present the greatest risks and working with stakeholders to identify effective and sustainable solutions.

“The board agreed that HSE should continue to engage industry partners and with others who may be better placed to deliver successful interventions in this difficult area.” –http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/08/26/54818/

Source:  http://www.tucp.org.ph/news/index.php/2012/08/12000-die-from-%E2%80%98work-cancers%E2%80%99/  Trade Union Congress of the Philippines -

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Ateneo backs Church on RH bill

August 22, 2012

Jesuit university affirms stand as professors face heresy charges

Faculty members who are facing possible charges of heresy for supporting a population control bill aren’t getting any sympathy from Ateneo de Manila University.

A day after a ranking official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called for an investigation of Ateneo’s 159 faculty members for purportedly going against Church dogma, their president, Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, said that the university supports the bishops.

“Together with our leaders in the Catholic Church, the Ateneo de Manila University does not support the passage of House Bill No. 4244 (The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Bill),” Villarin said in a letter to the Ateneo community posted on the university’s website.

Spectrum of views

“As there is a spectrum of views on this ethical and public policy issue, I ask all those who are engaged in the Christian formation of our students to ensure that the Catholic position on this matter continues to be taught in our classes, as we have always done,” Villarin said.

The university will also support the Church in its future actions should the bill is passed by Congress, Villarin said.

“Should the bill with whatever amendments be passed, we should neither hesitate to bring to the judiciary whatever legal questions we may have nor cease to be vigilant in ensuring that no coercion takes place in implementation.”

Social compassion

Villarin acknowledged that there were members of his faculty who were advocates of the measure pending in Congress. He expressed appreciation for “their social compassion and intellectual efforts” and urged them “to continue in their discernment of the common good.”

Bishop Leandro Medroso, the CBCP’s canon law expert, said the professors’ stand, contained in a statement circulated last week, should be investigated. He noted that educators in Catholic institutions should follow Church teachings inside their classrooms.

The CBCP president, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, also said on Monday that educators in Catholic institution who veer away from Church teachings should leave the school.

Academic freedom

In various social media sites Tuesday, Medroso’s statement caused a furor among Ateneo alumni and supporters of the bill, who accused the prelate of infringing on academic freedom.

In issuing the statement of support, Ateneo’s faculty members said the RH bill would provide much-needed maternal and infant health care to all Filipinos regardless of religious beliefs.

“The reality is, despite the Philippines being predominantly Catholic, the majority of Filipinos want the full range of family planning services, including ‘artificial’ contraception,” they said, calling the RH bill “a vital piece of legislation that needs to be passed urgently.” –Kristine Alave, Philippine Daily Inquirer

ATENEO ON RH BILL

University defines stand while respecting individual views

August 21, 2012

MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo de Manila University served notice on Monday it joins Catholic leaders in withholding support for the RH bill, noting serious concern over some provisions seen as infringing on constitutional rights, while respecting the individual views of 192 faculty members who signed a position paper endorsing the measure.

The “Memo to the University Community” signed by Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, university president, was posted on the ADMU’s web site, days after the faculty members, in two batches of signatures, said they backed House Bill 4244, the since re-named Responsible Parenthood bill. The official ADMU statement expressed appreciation for the seriousness with which the individual teachers tackled the process of discernment on one of the most complex and divisive pieces of legislation ever.

However, the Ateneo leadership said that if and when the bill passes, “we should neither hesitate to bring to the judiciary whatever legal questions we may have nor cease to be vigilant in ensuring that no coercion takes place in implementation.”

Below is the full text of the university’s posting:

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

20 August 2012

Memo to: The University Community

Subject: HB 4244

Together with our leaders in the Catholic Church, the Ateneo de Manila University does not support the passage of House Bill 4244 (The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Bill). As many of these leaders have pointed out, the present form of the proposed bill contains provisions that could be construed to threaten constitutional rights as well as to weaken commonly shared human and spiritual values.

Now that the period for amendments is about to begin, I enjoin all in the Ateneo community to continue in-depth study of the present bill, and to support amendments to remove provisions that could be ambiguous or inimical from a legal, moral or religious perspective.

In connection with this, I call attention to the 192 members of our faculty who have grappled with the underlying issues in the context of Catholic social teaching, and who have spoken in their own voice in support of the bill. Though the University must differ from their position for the reasons stated above, I appreciate their social compassion and intellectual efforts, and urge them to continue in their discernment of the common good. As there is a spectrum of viewson this ethical and public policy issue, I ask all those who are engaged in the Christian formation of our students to ensure that the Catholic position on this matter continues to be taught in our classes, as we have always done.

Should the bill with whatever amendments be passed, we should neither hesitate to bring to the judiciary whatever legal questions we may have nor cease to be vigilant in ensuring that no coercion takes place in implementation.

If there is no easy answer to the concerns that the proposed bill raises or no facile unanimity among divergent views, this only proves the complexity, depth, and sensitivity of these concerns. Nevertheless, Catholic tradition has always taught that reason and faith are not enemies but allies in the service of God’s truth. From this tradition, we can draw strength and compassion in our often tortuous journey as persons in community toward the greater glory of God and the service of God’s people.

Jose Ramon T Villarin SJ
President

–InterAksyon.com

Source: Trade Union Congress of the Philippines - Home

Thousands march to Palace to push for workers' welfare » Nation » News | Philippine News | philstar.com

Thousands march to Palace to push for workers' welfare » Nation » News | Philippine News | philstar.com

Pagibig Housing Bond for only P5,000

The National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC) or Pag-ibig has recently issued bonds that even small-time investors can buy and invest in. Last week, the Pag-ibig Fund announced that they are issuing to the public the new series of Bahay Bonds, a five-year mortgage-backed security aimed at raising P300-600 million that Pag-ibig can use to sustain its housing loan services to beneficiaries.

Pag-ibig Fund’s Bahay or Housing Bonds will pay a coupon rate of 4.80% per year. Each bonds costs only P5,000 making it easier for retail investors to participate in this bond offering.

What is a Mortgage-Backed Security (MBS)?

A mortgage-backed security or MBS is an investment asset that pools the claims on mortgage loans, essentially redirecting the interest and principal payments from a housing loan to investors. Investors of MBS, like Pag-ibig’s housing bonds, ultimately provide funding for the NHMFC’s housing loan program in the Philippines and, in return, investors secure a claim on the cash flows received from the payment of Pag-ibig loans by borrowers.

Isn’t MBS one of the culprits behind the Subprime Mortgage Problem in 2007?

Most analysts do point to securitized subprime mortgages as one of the reasons why the global economic downturn happened starting in 2007. In the United States, a lot of risky MBS proliferated because mortgages were given even to subprime lenders, or the so-called NINJAs — people who have No Income, No Jobs or Assets. These NINJAs eventually had difficulties paying their mortgages which compromised the mortgage-backed securities that had a claim on the mortgages.

Source: http://www.pinoymoneytalk.com/2012-pagibig-housing-bahay-bonds/

Good News!!!!!!!!!!: Leftover Recipes

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