The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Young Historian’s Prize. Deadline of Submission is on August 31, 2021.

The Young Historian’s Prize is a prize in recognition of the potential of young Filipino scholars on the basis of their single original work in the field of Philippine history and historiography intended to foster a sense of national identity, pride, and national interest of the country.

The Young Historian’s Prize shall be given to an individual whose work has met the following criteria: the nominee must be a Filipino citizen between 21-40 years old at the time of submission; must be single authorship; original work; entry must be written in proper academic style; entry can either be published or publishable work; and must have used primary sources that can contribute to the enrichment of Philippine history and historiography.

The winner will receive a cash prize of Fifty Thousand Pesos (PhP 50,000.00) net of applicable withholding taxes (PhP62,500 gross) and a certificate of recognition.

For more details on 2021 Young Historian’s Prize, please email us at sch@ncca.gov.ph or visit NCCA Facebook page and website at www.ncca.gov.ph

Urban Agriculture partnership continues to expand

Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Science and Technology on June 7, 2021.

The said event took place at BPI Conference Room with BPI Director George Y. Culaste, PhD, BPI Asst. Director for Operations and Administration Gerald Glenn F. Panganiban, DOST-NCR Ms. Jonalyn Morales, DOST-NCR CAMANAVA CASTC, Cluster Manager Mr. Warren D. Gomez, DOST-NCR Regional Director Jose B. Patalinjug, and Chief of BPI Crop Research and Production Support Division Mary Ann Guerrero attending.

Through this partnership, DA-BPI will provide technical support through training and assistance on the site establishment like provision of quality seeds and other agricultural inputs that are needed for the advancement of community gardens.

AD Panganiban thanked the program partners and said that it is BPI’s undertaking to encourage the public to establish urban gardens through collaboration to help achieve food sufficiency and security in the country. # # # (DA-BPI)

PhilHealth expands DCPM coverage; releases P6.3 billion in payments

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is urging health care facilities (HCFs) located in areas with high concentration of COVID-19 cases as determined by the Inter-Agency Task Force/National Task Force Against COVID-19 (IATF-NTF) to avail of its Debit-Credit Payment Method (DCPM).

PhilHealth has implemented the DCPM to fast-track the settlement of its payables to HCFs to ensure continuous delivery of services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The DCPM was first made available to HCFs treating COVID-19 patients in the National Capital Region, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, and Rizal.

In view of IATF Resolution Nos. 121, 118-A, 116-C, 114-C, 114-A, and 113-A, s. 2021, PhilHealth said that it is expanding coverage for the DCPM to the following provinces and cities:

Interested health care facilities in the said cities and provinces are required to submit their Letter of Intent (LOI) to the concerned PhilHealth Regional Office to qualify for fast-tracked payments under DCPM.

Pursuant to Section V of PhilHealth Circular No. 2021-0006, the DCPM shall only be applicable to (the applying HCFs’) in-process claims received from March 8, 2020 to April 7, 2021. On the other hand, claims returned, denied, under investigation and those approved for payment as of April 7, 2021 are not qualified under the DCPM. The HCFs also must have claims for COVID-19, have no Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) balance on record, and have not been served with any suspension of accreditation during the applicable period.

As of June 14, 2021, PhilHealth already disbursed more than P6.3 billion to 206 HCFs under the DCPM. ###