Water quality in Esteros is deteriorating due to pollution influx from various human activities. The water quality of Carangan Estero in Ozamiz City was assessed by conducting the physicochemical and bacteriological analyses of water samples. Water sampling from May to June 2013 was done upstream in Barangay Calabayan (Site 1), midstream in Barangay Lam-an (Site 2) and downstream in Barangay San Roque (Site 3). Results showed an increasing temperature downstream that was within the Department of Environment and Natural Resources standards for Class C waters. The low pH in Sites 1 and 2 that ranged from 6.0 to 6.3 did not fall within the standard which could be attributed to the presence of dam and quarry activity upstream and influx of organic wastes midstream. Dissolved oxygen was decreasing downstream and the lowest reading of 2.9 mg/L was below the minimum limit. Biological oxygen demand of 7.2 mg/L in Site 3 exceeded the maximum standard. Total alkalinity in all sites was below the typical level for fresh water and was limited to bicarbonate ions only. Total hardness was increasing downstream. Phosphate concentration did not exceed the standard. Fecal coliform count increased downstream ranging from 4600 to >11,000 MPN/100 mL that exceeded the standard limit. Overall assessment revealed that water quality was deteriorating downstream due to relatively high discharge of organic waste from toilets, kitchen, piggeries, laundry and commercial establishments associated with dense population. A collaborative and sustainable effort of the community is necessary to restore water quality.

Ozamiz City is the center for health and people from nearby places choose to access its health services because of the available amenities for life-threatening conditions. With the increasing incidence of infectious diseases, compliance of nurses with standard precautions (SP) is necessary to control healthcare-associated infections. This study determined the compliance with SP of 100 nurses in two tertiary hospitals in Ozamiz City using a structured questionnaire that passed the Cronbach's alpha reliability test. The study utilized the Kruskal-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson's correlation statistical models. Findings revealed a very high compliance among nurses in 82.6% of the SP. Older and male nurses assigned to pedia ward with more years of work experience and attended SP training exhibited better compliance to SP. Nurses who experienced needlestick injury, not exposed to patient's body fluids, and vaccinated with the hepatitis B virus also showed better compliance. The difference in compliance among nurses when grouped by profile was not statistically significant (p<0.05). The correlation between knowledge and compliance was not also significant. The findings could help the administrators identify areas for improvement in nosocomial infection control in hospitals in this part of Mindanao. Research design and instrumentThe study used the descriptive-inferential research design. The survey was conducted in Ozamiz City utilizing a questionnaire modified from the instrument developed by Luo et al. (2010). Integration of the compliance activity on handling injured skin, discarding sharps boxes, handling used linens, and transporting laboratory specimens was one of the modifications. Included also in the questionnaire is an item on the knowledge of nurses on the single use of syringes.The questionnaire consists of three parts. Part I gathered the profile of the respondents regarding age, gender, the area of assignment, years of work experience, and SP training. This section of the questionnaire also obtained data regarding needlestick injury of nurses, their exposure to patient's body fluids, and hepatitis B vaccination. Part II with 23 items investigated the respondent's compliance. This portion of the questionnaire used the five-point scale: 0 = never, 1 = seldom, 2 = sometimes, 3 = usually, and 4 = always. The Cronbach's alpha value of 0.78 suggests that the items are reliable. The weighted mean was calculated for each item and interpreted using the following scales: 3.20-4.00 (Very high compliance); 2.40-3.19 (High compliance); 1.60-2.39 (Moderate compliance); 0.80-1.59 (Low compliance); 0.00-0.79 (Very low compliance).Part III of the questionnaire consists of 25 items that assessed the respondent's knowledge about SP. The respondents chose 'yes' or 'no' for their answer. A value of 1 was given for the 'yes' answer and 0 for the 'no' answer. The value of 0.79 from Cronbach's alpha test suggests the reliability of the items. The mean rank determines the compliance of nurses when they are grouped...

The Philippines is identified as a natural disaster hot-spot and is ranked third among the most disaster risk countries in the world. Typhoons and tropical storms, flood, and earthquakes continue to cause thousands of human deaths and injuries in the country despite efforts of various organizations to intensify strategies for disaster risk reduction. Next to impacts on people, destructions in the critical infrastructure are often the most-compelling concerns in the aftermath of a disaster. This paper looked into the natural disaster preparedness of government and non-government organizations directly responsible for critical infrastructures operation and emergency management functions in Ozamiz City. The area was selected since commercial activities are centered on coastal areas and many of its population are located near the coastal area making it prone to the impacts of hydrological events. This study employed the survey method. Survey questionnaires were administered to 254 administrators and employees from 45 organizations and follow up interviews were conducted. Overall findings revealed that the organizations are moderately prepared for natural disasters. However, findings from the individual category of infrastructure showed that facilities, utilities and transportation organizations are less prepared. Organizations responsible for electrical, fuel, gas, energy, waste and water utilities ranked number one with lowest preparedness level. The findings of this study may help identify vulnerabilities and strategies to improve the resiliency of these critical infrastructures and institutions and may provide the basis to improve local policies pertaining to disaster preparedness.

Dragonflies and damselflies of the order Odonata are well-known invertebrates and are of great ecological importance. They are among the biological indicators of environment quality. This study aimed to examine the species richness of adult Odonata in Labo River, Ozamiz City. Fieldwork was conducted from October 2013 to February 2014 in three sampling sites for a total of 122 man-hours. Opportunistic sampling method using sweep nets was employed. Twenty-one species under 16 genera and four families were recorded of which five species are endemic. Thirteen species belong to the suborder Anisoptera and eight to Zygoptera. The low species richness and the presence of indicator species of environmental disturbance imply that the sites sampled are already disturbed. The presence of endemic species within the area suggests the urgent need to employ conservation measures. Further surveys should also be done to have a complete database of the Odonata species in Labo River.

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