DepEd postpones NCAE in flood-hit regions

MANILA, Philippines - The National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) that starts today and will be conducted until Sept. 11 has been postponed in flood-hit regions.

In a statement yesterday, the Department of Education (DepEd) said the postponement applies to the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Metro Manila.

“Official notices are currently being sent to the concerned regional and division offices by the National Educational Testing and Research Center (NETRC),” read the statement.

The DepEd has yet to announce the new schedule of the NCAE, which is an assessment of students’ aptitudes and skills and determines the field of discipline where they can excel.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the NCAE results will show the interest and career inclination of the student, whether technical-vocational, entrepreneurial, or a full college course.

It is an important government tool to address job mismatch, cut the unemployment rate, and reverse the brain drain, he added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has sent family food packs to some 270 evacuation centers in Metro Manila, Ilocos, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon.

Fourteen of the evacuation centers are in Metro Manila, 128 in Ilocos and Central Luzon, and 121 in Calabarzon.

Resty Macuto, DSWD-Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Operations Office head, said 120,000 family food packs have already been released to affected local governments for distribution to evacuation centers and flood victims.

As of yesterday afternoon, 12,155 families remain in 270 evacuation centers in the four regions, the DSWD said.

Macuto said assistance for them include food packs, provision of non-food items, critical incident stress debriefing, and supervised neighborhood places for children, women and child-friendly spaces.

The DSWD was able to build a store of 124,202 family food packs with rice and other food items, and 2,884 non-food items, at its National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City with the help of 5,179 volunteers.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked donors of medicine to observe precautionary measures.

In an advisory, the FDA said all medicine to be donated must be in the original commercial package with product inserts.

“If possible, donations to flood victims and those in the evacuation centers should not be near expiration date, otherwise donees should properly advise health workers, who will be administering the donated medicine,” the FDA said.

Medicine labeled “physician’s sample” must be donated through a physician or medical organization, the FDA added.

The FDA said these precautions could help prevent possible adverse drug reactions and adverse events resulting from the intake of the donated medicine.

“The public is encouraged to consult the assistance and medical advice of physicians in their localities and in other health facilities,” the FDA said.

The FDA said antibiotic or antimicrobial medicine are prescription drugs to be taken under the supervision of health workers.

“The advice of the physician should be sought out when taking antibiotics and other prescription drugs,” the FDA said.

The FDA is expecting an increase in the demand for antibiotic, pain relievers, anti-fever drugs, oral rehydration solution, cough relief and skin ointment in areas affected by Tropical Storm Maring.–  Helen Flores, Rainier Allan Ronda, Sheila Crisostomo