Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has reprimanded some province-managed hospitals following reported that dialysis patients are being made to buy supplies for their treatments.

Garcia said that she received complaints from Carcar Provincial Hospital patients who said they were requested to buy supplies for their dialysis treatment as she reiterated that dialysis treatments at the hospital are free.

The Cebu provincial government manages three dialysis centers in three provincial hospitals, such as the 10-unit dialysis center in Balamban Provincial Hospital, 15-unit dialysis center in Carcar City in the south, and in Danao City in the north.

Briefs 2

Eastern Visayas eyes 5K-tons of cacao

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture in Eastern Visayas disclosed that it is eyeing a 5,000-metric ton production target for dried cacao beans in the next five years despite very low production in the past 10 years.

The DA-8 said that the yield volume must be achieved to fill up the nationwide shortage while the demand for cacao beans grows. Cacao is the main ingredient of chocolate.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, he said the region's cacao farmers just harvested 70.87 MT of dried beans in 2022, compared to the 114.44 MT yield 10 years earlier.