Dengue-proof your home on long weekend–DepEd

MANILA, Philippines—Nothing to do on the long weekend? Make your home dengue-proof.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro had this advice to millions of students going on an extended break this weekend as the nation marks National Heroes Day on Monday and the end of Ramadan on Tuesday.

The four-day weekend is the longest break for students before classes take a mid-term breather in October.

“I suggest that families take this occasion to do a bit of cleaning up of their surroundings and help prevent more dengue cases in the community,” Luistro told the Inquirer.

DepEd has stepped up its anti-dengue campaign amid the reported rise in cases of dengue around the country, especially in the Ilocos region and Metro Manila. More than 2,200 students have fallen ill of dengue since January, showed DepEd figures gathered from the field.

DepEd has partnered with the Department of Science and Technology in the distribution of some 81,000 ovicidal/larvicidal traps to schools in dengue hotspots.

DepEd is also drafting a monitoring and evaluation system for its Essential Health Care Program (EHCP), a holistic disease prevention program implemented in public schools with the United Nations Children’s Fund and Fit for School.

EHCP seeks to promote proper hygiene among students through oral health and hand-washing practices and also provides safe drinking water and toilet facilities in schools .

“If we want to sustain a program for the long haul, we need to have a systematic monitoring and feedback mechanism from the ground level to serve as our guide for subsequent plan of action,” said Luistro.

Luistro, who earlier decreed a policy barring teachers from giving students homework for the weekend, also urged parents to spend the quality time with their children.

“This long weekend is a perfect time for bonding with the family. It’s a good time for parents to remember their role as the first teacher of their children and the lasting lessons that the young learn from what they see them do more than what they hear them say,” Luistro said.

Luistro is also getting some me-time during the long break and is planning to go home to his native Lipa City.

“I plan to finish planting bamboos along our driveway. I’ll also have time to be with my other family, the La Salle brothers, for swimming and rest in Tali beach (in Batangas).  I hope to be able to finish a novel this weekend,” Luistro shared.