News Briefs

Urban Poor Week

CEBU City’s marginalized sector should not be overlooked in creating public policies, a city councilor said yesterday.

Cebu City councilor Alvin Dizon, chairman on the Committee on Housing, gave this statement as he led the celebration of the Urban Poor Solidarity Week yesterday at the Plaza Sugbo.

The celebration was organized by the Division for Welfare of the Urban Poor which is under the Cebu City Mayor’s Office.

Dizon pointed out that 70 percent of the city’s population were illegal settlers and some didn’t even have proper land titles.

The weeklong activity will include a forum on urban poor rights.

Dizon encouraged the marginalized sector to attend the activities so that they could be aware of their rights. /Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya

Mammogram Machine

CEBU residents especially those from the Sixth District can now avail of cheaper rates for mammogram tests with the donation of a mammogram machine at the  Eversly Childs Sanitarium Hospital in barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City.

The machine donated by the Engineer Ruben C. Hermogino and Rizal-MacArthur Memorial Foundation (RMMF) from the United States in a tie-up with Rep. Gabriel Quisumbing (Cebu 6th district) will make it more affordable for those who would want to undergo a mammogram test especially those residents of Cordova, Consolacion and Mandaue.

Quisumbing said a mammogram test for early detection of cancer would usually cost from P2,000 to P3,000.

The machine, a  General Electric (GE) Senographe DMR mammogram machine, was turned over last Saturday to the hospital.

The machine costs more than $$24,999 or more than Php1,079,000. /Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza