ILOILO – A total of 173 Grades 7 to 10 learners of Siwalo National High School (NHS) in Maasin town have benefited from Project Tib-ong of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO).
Led by IPHO chief Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, the IPHO team together with the Maasin Municipal Health Office (MHO), Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), Department of Education (DepEd) – Iloilo Province, Philippine Red Cross (PRC), and Family Planning Organization of the Philippines went to Siwalo NHS on Friday, May 17.
Among the topics discussed to the beneficiaries included advocacy on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, smoking, alcohol, drugs prevention, teenage pregnancy, first aid measure, and mental health.
IPHO staff also conducted psychosocial assessment and counseling to learners.
Additionally, learners were taught about the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and oral health.
Project Tib-ong, Quiñon said, aims to particularly help learners go back to normal situation after a Grade 10 learner of Siwalo NHS recently took his own life due to alleged distressed after receiving low grades from a teacher. The incident has affected both learners and teachers.
The IPHO chief said they want to emphasize the importance of youth to the community, particularly to nation-building, thus they offered health services that could help improve their personality, particularly their mental health.
“This Project Tib-ong started last November 2022 and so far we have reached a lot of schools. This is in partnership with DepED – Iloilo, Philippine Red Cross, USAID, and we also collaborate with Provincial SWDO, MSWDO, and even Provincial Population Office,” added Quiñon./PN
