Sanitary measures during fiestas

Title

Language

English

Year

1949

Subject

Festivals – Safety measures.

Festivals – Health aspects.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

SANITARY MEAS.URES DURING FIESTAS (Sec. 164, C.1 P.C.) The following extract from a communication dat~d September 16, 1915, of the Director of Health is published for the information and guidance of all concerned : "In connection with the work for the control and eradication of dangerous communicable diseases, one of the means by which the efforts of the health officials are rendered ineffective in some measure, is the annually recurring 'fiesta.' "A 'fiesta' ineans a concentration from all portion of nearby territory of an e:xitraordinary amount of foodFtuffs, much of which are. improperly prepared and handled, and exposed to contamination. The reason for the 'fiesta' may be a celebration at some religious shrine to which many sick people are brought in the hope of improvement. Any contagious disease which may exist at any of the poinits from which these foods and p~ople come may thus be cari:ied to and concentra'te.d at the place at which the 'fiesta' is held, and, it has been found by actual experience that diseases have 1een spread in this way, not only to most of the territory from which the people came, but to points at a great distance therefrom. "The reasons for this distribution of disease have been a lack of sanitary preparation to accommodate the crowds and insufficient effort to control the preparation and sale of food and drink provided. In order to meet this menace, each and every town at which r~······················~ ...... ~ I • Marinduque Chinese ~ Association ~ MR. LIM SIONG • ~ · President ~ t MR. MANUEL K. LIM • • Executive SecretanJ ~ ~ Boac, Marinduque ~ l... ••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••• J APRIL, 1949 a 'fiesta' is held should make the following provision to care for the extraordinary population and its attendant conditions: "(1) To provide temporary convenience sta;tion at points of greatest concentration, such as near the church at the feria, near cinematographs, th~ plaza, etc. These convenience stations must be adequate to care for the demands of the crowds; must be kept clean, disinfected, and otherwise sue pervised; and their contents must be llisposed of as often as necessary and in a thorough manner. "(2) The water supply must receiv~ careful att~ntion. It must, of iitself, be safe at its .source, and must thereafter be handled in a cleanly manner. "(3) All foodstuffs must be carefully s~pervised !o provide for their protection for files, ·for the destruction of decayed and unsafe food and for their general handling and s~rvice in a cleanly manner. "To- meet these abnormal conditions ,it ~ill be necessary not only for the samtary and police forces of a town to put forth extraordinary efforts but udditional personnel must be pro;ided to ensure efficient supervision and service. It is probable that in some cases the expense of this precautionary work will tax ithe resources of .the municipality, but sfoce all -surrounding municipalities, and in fact, the entire province, are vitally interested to prevent the introduction of epidemic diseases, they may properly be expedted to assist by the loan of sanitary and police employees. * * *The experiment at Antipolo during 1915, which was inaugurated, and managed and paid for in a great measure, by- the insular authorities, showed conclusively that if the proper prepara>tions are made, the 'fiesta' may be conducted in the sanitary manner and, instead of proving a menace to the people of the town and of the surrounding territory, will prove a means for educating and improving them. If it were possible to secure similar prePage 235 Sanitary ... paration in ithe case of every 'fiesta' held, they would cease to be detrimental to the public health. "These 'fiestas' undoubtedly bring a greaf deal of money to the towns at which they are held and are an im· portant source of revenue to the townspeople, but if they also bring with them diseases which cost the municipal, provincial, and insular governments large Sums of money to eradicate, they cease to be a benefit, and become a bad busi· ness · proposition, carrying with them losses in life and money which make them mos:t undesirable." The above suggestions of the Director of Health are appr.oved by this Office as they will undoubtedly contrib· ute to the eradication . of. dangerous . communicable disease. Municipal councils, therefore, are directed to comply therewith strictly, and for the purpose, ·consult with the health authorities as to the best means of carrying out the above suggestions at least two months before the date of the. celebration of r·················~~·~1 t N. 0. Barrios Trading : i • • • • • • General. Merchandising ~ OFFICE SUPPLIES f PAPER SUPPLIES t' • ENGINEERING SUPPLIES i CRY;ST AL SOUND DEVICES • I 40s sta. M~ Blvd. • Manila, Philippines l .............................. 4 Page 236 OUr Lo~aJ, .. - -· - ··· FILEMON SAMACO Municipal Mayor of Calapan, Mindoro. .Born Nov. 22, 1902, in Calapan, Min· doro; married to Marta Ylagan ; . high school graduate and second grade eligible; had been public school teacher, bud·rat inspector, deputy governor; paymaster, auditing clel'k, and, previous to his election to his present post, acting municipal mayor of· the same municipality by appointment. Hobbies: Reading books and poultry raising . Motto: "Be Helpful" . the fiesta in the municipality. Failure to comply with the above !nstructions will be considered by this Office sufficient cause for the imposition of disciplinary punishment upon the negligent officials. (Prov. Cit. N~. '124.) Mama, when the fire goes out where does it go? My dear boy , I don't know. Y:ou might just as well ask me where your father goes when he goes out. THE LOCAL GOV]ijRNMENT REVIEW

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