By ANGELINE VALENCIA
July 19, 2009 | 12:01 a.m.

Towards the strengthening of Bohol Rabies Prevention and Eradication Program (BRPEP), the provincial government will double its share in the provincial budget in 2010, as its implementation has already expanded to the school community for the information dissemination component.

Governor Erico Aumentado announced this during the launching of the Rabies Prevention Program Manual now integrated in the grade school curriculum on July 16 at the Bohol Tropics Resort, Tagbilaran City.

“Today, I commit that I will double the appropriation in 2010 on rabies control and will add more support to strengthen the Provincial School Board,” Aumentado told the coordinating principals and district supervisors in the province.

The orientation on its implementation in the morning and the launching ceremony in the afternoon gathered together the coordinating principals and district supervisors in the provincial schools division led by Assistant Provincial Division Superintendent Maria Linda Namocatcat.

“This afternoon I come to this gathering inspired by the thought that our dream of making Bohol free form rabies by 2010 is now on the right direction. But our target is not just 2010. The fight against rabies must be continuous. So we decided to solicit the support of our teachers whose profession is considered the noblest of all professions,” Aumentado said.

He said the Bohol Provincial Rabies Prevention and Eradication Council, he chairs, relies on the district supervisors and coordinating principals for the success of the program, as they are the ones who give instructions to the teachers that the pupils follow, especially with the integration of the rabies prevention program in the curriculum.

As pilot area, Corella Central Elementary School received a plaque of recognition from the anti-rabies council during the launching program.

On behalf of Provincial Health Officer Dr. Reymoses Cabagnot, OIC-PHO Greg Sodusta announced that the council aims to have the rabies prevention program manual on grade school implemented in all schools in the province before the year ends.

Aumentado said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be here during the celebration of Bohol’s 155th Foundation Day on July 22 to inaugurate 68 two-classroom school buildings built through the partnership of the provincial government and DepEd in a convergence strategy.

“Next year, I will still allocate enough funding through the Kilos Asenso program for the school building program, to recognize the significance of education as a very strong foundation of any government, any institution. So, we shall overcome rabies in Bohol,” the governor pointed out.

During the launching program, Aumentado also signed Executive Order 14, series of 2009, instituting additional strategies to strengthen further the implementation of BRPEP.

The governor’s EO 14 provides for the simultaneous dog registration and vaccination in the entire province in the months of March and April which shall be declared Dog Registration and Vaccination Month of the province.

It also calls on every city, municipality, and barangay to register and vaccinate at least 80 percent of the total dog population in their respective jurisdiction every year.

The executive order also rules for the enforcement of penalties based on Section 11 of the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007 which imposes a penalty of P2,000 on pet owners who fail or refuse to register and have their dogs; makes erring pet owners liable to pay for the vaccination of both the dog and the individuals bitten by their dogs; imposes fine of P10,000 to pet owners who refuse to have their dogs put under observation after it has bitten an individual; imposes a penalty of P25,000 on those who refuse to have their pets put under observation and refuse to shoulder the medical expenses of the person bitten by their dog; penalty of P500 for those who refuse to put leash on their dogs when they are brought outside the house; provides that an impounded dog shall be released to its owner upon payment of a fine of P500-P1,000.

The law also imposes a fine of at least P5,000 per dog and an imprisonment of one to four years on any person found guilty of trading dog for meat; and a fine of at least P5,000 per act and imprisonment of one to four years on anyone who electrocutes an animal for euthanasia.

EO 14 also taps the Bantay Rabies sa Barangay Council in facilitating the summons for respondents in complaints against violations of the law.

For his part, WHO Country Representative Dr. Soe Nyunt-U said relayed that WHO regional officers and other country representatives will continue funding technological support to the program.

Sodusta also said the status of rabies in Bohol has improved from having five cases last year to zero this year.

In his presentation, Provincial Veterinarian Stella Marie Lapiz reported that Bohol tied with Bulacan at Rank 5 among the provinces with most numbers of human rabies having 10 cases in 2007.

Efforts of the rabies prevention program include mass vaccination of dogs; establishment of a central database system for registered and vaccinated Dogs; impounding, field control and disposition of unregistered,stray and unvaccinateddogs; conduct of information and education campaign on the prevention and control of rabies; providing pre-exposure treatment to high risk personnel and Post Exposure Treatment to animal bite victims; providing free routine immunization or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) of schoolchildren aged five to fourteen in areas where there is high incidence of rabies; and encouraging practice of responsible pet ownership.

The Provincial Board had also approved Provincial Ordinance 2007-012 “Strengthening the Bohol Rabies Prevention & Eradication Program” on July 10, 2007.

BRPEP’s thrust of promoting the concept of responsible pet ownership in the prevention and control of rabies aims to eradicate rabies in the province by 2010 with specific goals of achieving zero incidence of positive human and canine rabies cases, convincing 80 percent of households to practicing responsible pet ownership, reducing cases of dog bite incidence by 70 percent, and zero stray dogs in the province.

Lapiz also reported that based on the country’s rabies statistics, 200–300 people die of rabies every year, and 55 percent of the victims are mostly below 15 years old.

Among the partners of PHO who came to show support were Dr. Nerissa Dominguez of WHO, Raffy Diray of DOH, representatives of ARC, IP Foundation and Rebecca Bryson and Stacy Dublin of the University of Texas.