SAMAR

Superstitious Beliefs in Allen, Northern Samar

Pagbuburod (Pregnancy)
 Kapag diri makaon san burod an kanya karuyag, dapat uminomsiya tubig
 Bawal gumuwa kapag bulanon
 Bawal magtahi
 Bawal magkita cartoons
 Bawal makilamay
 Bawal mag kapot sa maski diin na parte san lawas kapag manganganak
na

Superstitious Beliefs in Catarman, Northern Samar

Pagbuburod (Pregnancy)
 Bawal kumaon taron
 Dapat unahan magmata an lalaki
 Bawal kumaon kambal na saging

Superstitious Beliefs in Pambujan, Northern Samar

Pagbuburod (Pregnancy)
 Bawal uminom mapinit
 Bawal magkita sin magpakaharadok na palabas
 Bawal magtahi
 Bawal kumaon sin kambal nga saging
 Magbutang sa ingod dahon sin suha para diri daupon san mgapanulay
 Bawal tumambay sa purta
 Bawal kumaturog nga nahuyang
 Bawal manraysang o magpukpok
 Bawal pumarigo kun gab-e
 Dapat unahan magmata sa lalaki

Superstitious Beliefs Catubig, Northern Samar

Pagbuburod (Pregnancy)
 Diri puydi lat’angan an burod.
 Bawal magkadto san patay an burod.
 Bawal maglinalag sa gab’e.
 Kumadto sa hawan an burod kun may Eclipse
 Bawal magkaun sin mga dinggi nga prutas, pareho san saging.
 Bawal magkulaw sin magpakaharadok na palabas.
 Bawal magkinaun sin dukot na luto.
 Bawal igsampay sa gawas sabalay an bado san burod.
 Bawal magsayuan kun makaturog.
 Bawal igsungo an halipot na kahoy kay mahihinugad siton anbata.
 Bawal magpinansul’ot sin magsuot na bado, kay magkaka deperensya an
bata.
 Bawal magpinahilot sa manaram kay bain maapektuhan an bata.
 Magmata agap an burod para dali manganak.
 Dapat may suha o lasona kun magawas sa balay.
 Diri puydi magtambay sa hagdan.
 Kun kumadto sin balay, dumiritso dapat diri na tumuko sapurtahan.

https://www.academia.edu/34270918/SUPERSTITIONS_BELIEVED_BY_TH
E_TOWNSPEOPLE_OF_THE_SELECTED_MUNICIPALITIES_IN_NORTHE
RN_SAMAR?
fbclid=IwAR2ndLoVfWUyPs0utmal_PRzSS6DbYH5EdMfQpiTfca4h3vTLrw3b
giai_w

Inter-barangay health zone programs improve maternal care in Northern

Samar
Dr. Issa Rufina Señga-Tang
30 Nov 2018

Dr Deborrah Liao, author of the local study “The role of inter-barangay health
zone (IBHZ) in promoting maternal health status in the pilot barangays of
Gamay, Northern Samar, Philippines,” describes how this program has been
implemented by seven barangays. The study which was presented during the
in 15th World Rural Health Conference further investigates the impact of the
IBHZ program to the overall health of the people in these barangays.

Maternal and infant mortality status

As one of the eight Millennium Development Goals, improvement in maternal
health is an important measure of the status of healthcare in a community,
and will reflect the quality of healthcare provided. Maternal and infant mortality
are therefore important parameters in the assessment of healthcare.

According to the author, there is still a high maternal mortality ratio in the
municipality of Gamay. This is attributed to the high number of home
deliveries in the far-flung barangays.
Mothers give birth at home because of logistic issues such as the long
distance to the birthing facility which is located in the Poblacion, and the
additional costs mothers think they will incur in the birthing facility. Because of
the limited budgets of the individual barangays, the barangays decided to pool
together their resources in order to improve their Barangay Health
Station (BHS). They hoped this would in turn improve the provision of
maternal health services in the involved barangays.

Efforts by previous administrations to strengthen the local government units

(LGUs) after the devolution of the health system involved the creation of Inter-
local Health Zones (ILHZ). An ILHZ is comprised of a well-defined population
in an area and all the institutions and sectors involved in improving the health
care system in that area. In the case of Gamay, an IBHZ was created.

Liao’s paper described the status of maternal health of seven barangays in

Gamay, Northern Samar. It also described how inter-LGU cooperation was
done at the barangay level. Finally, it determined the impact of the IBHZ on
maternal health. Through these, the paper aimed to empower the
communities, especially those which are geographically-isolated and
disadvantaged, to improve healthcare in their areas. It aimed to inspire
communities to work
together, and to monitor and evaluate their progress in terms of specific health
outcomes. The study also served as proof of the impact of IBHZ in improving
the health system in the communities they serve.

Effects of IBHZ on maternal health

The author described the effect of the IBHZ’s Launching and Maintenance
phases to the local health system in terms of maternal health. Evaluation of
barangay technical roadmaps, as well as key informant interviews with
stakeholders during field visits, were done to assess this impact.

Seven barangays which were identified from the Municipality of Gamay,

Northern Samar were included in the study. These barangays are farflung
and/or disadvantaged areas and therefore prioritized for reform. These are:
Barangays Bangon, Bonifacio, GM Osias, Lonoy, Rizal, Malidong, and
Luneta.

Based on interviews and group discussions, the identified problems in the

involved barangays relating to maternal health were the following: lack of
essential drugs and medical supplies, insufficient financial allocations for
health expenses of families, poor health-seeking behavior, and difficulty
reaching a health facility. Several measures have been taken in order to
improve health care delivery to these areas, such as changes in regulation
and financing.

Ordinances were put into place where traditional birth attendants are
penalized if they delivered a baby at home. For financing, an incentive was
given to mothers who had completed
a required number of pre and postnatal checkups. These measures were
installed to improve the health-seeking behaviors of mothers.

From the Field Health System Information Service data from 2012 to 2015,
only one maternal death was recorded in the seven barangays, and no infant
deaths were recorded. The absence of infant death may be attributable to the
frequent monitoring and visits of the members of the
Community Health Team to the infants in the barangays.

An increasing trend for antenatal check-ups were seen in all barangays, with
the greatest increase seen in Barangay Lonoy. Likewise, the overall trend
increased in all barangays for postpartum check-ups. During these years,
there was also an increase in the number of women
who delivered in health facilities.

Empowering the barangay officials

In 2014, barangay captains, other barangay health officials, and other
stakeholders, headed by the Municipal Health Officer, engaged in discussions
on the common health problems they faced. In realizing that organization and
cooperation between the different barangays were key to improvement in
health, they agreed on the formation of an IBHZ.

To empower the barangay officials, a workshop on Barangay Health

Leadership and Management was then conducted. The workshop aimed to
equip the officials to initialize and implement targeted health programs.
Pooling of resources was done through the creation of a Common Health
Trust Fund. Monthly meetings were conducted to evaluate programs in terms
of maternal health.

Evaluation and re-assessment of the Barangay Technical Roadmap was also

done five months after the launch by the Zuellig Family Foundation.
Assessment was done based on five aspects: leadership and governance,
health care delivery, access to medicines and technology, health financing,
and health information system.

Cooperation and organization among barangays with common identified

problems and goals toward improvement of maternal health are important.
The formation of the IBHZ, capacity-building through Leadership and
Management workshop, and assessment of outcomes using the Barangay
technical roadmap help improve the healthcare system.

https://specialty.mims.com/topic/inter-barangay-health-zone-programs-
improve-maternal-care-in-northern-samar

EASTERN VISAYAS (REGION VIII) 6 PROVINCES- Biliran, Eastern Samar,

Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, southern Leyte, Tacloban. 136 Municipalities,
7 Cities, and 4,390 Barangays. Myths Aswang (Abats & Awoks) Withches
How to recognized witches: If you suspect someone to be a witch and you
meet her in the daytime look her straight in the eyes. A witch will avoid your
eyes because she cannot look straight into them. On certain days, namely,
Fridays and the days of Lent, the image of an object in the eyeball of a witch
is inverted. According to the old people this is a sure way of recognizing a
witch at daytime. The holy oil also plays a role in detecting a witch. A similar
kind of oil is produced from a one-eyed coconut obtained on Holy Fridays.
This oil, placed in a bottle, will start boiling in the presence of a witch; it is
therefore a sure way to detect her. Health related beliefs and practices of
eastern Visayas
� supplemented by herbalists and other healers who specialise in herbal
remedies, massage or healing by spiritual means, through power derived from
devotion to Christian saints.
� When postpartum mother gave birth to a dark skin tone Baby, she may ate
black foods during her pregnancy.
� When the baby was born beautiful, pregnant mother may place great
emphasis on being tidy and beautiful in her entire pregnancy, believing that
these practices will influence the beauty of their child.
� Birthmarks after pregnancy was blamed by unpleasant emotions
experienced during pregnancy.
� Father is responsible for the burial of the placenta. He usually buries the
placenta very quickly, because the burial of the placenta indicates the end of
the labour, and therefore the end of pain and blood loss experienced by the
labouring woman. The placenta should be offered to the postpartum woman
or the father.
� Traditionally, after labour, women wear heavy clothes or wrap themselves
in blankets to prevent exposure to ‘cold’ and ‘wind’.
� Bind abdomen tightly, believing that this practice helps to prevent bleeding
and helps the uterus to retract.
� New and lactating mothers are often given rice porridge (rice boiled soft to
a consistency halfway between soup and puree). This may be served with
sweet, salty or spicy accompaniments. Soup made of meat and vegetables is
also believed to help promote lactation.
� Postpartum women may be massaged with coconut oil, with the aim of
restoring their lost health, expelling blood clots from the uterus, returning the
uterus into a normal position, and promoting lactation. Infant care Infant
feeding
� Infants and small children are thought to be susceptible to fright, which
causes crying and trembling. A traditional belief is that an infant may be hexed
by an admiring glance, but many are likely to be ambivalent or doubtful about
such beliefs. � Colds and rashes may be accepted as natural in young
children, although some may be regarded as serious. Women will often take a
child with a cough to a traditional healer.
� Traditionally, parents sleep with their children or have their children sleep
with another relative, and do not separate them when they are ill.
� Colostrum is usually considered ‘dirty milk’ and discarded. Some women
may be reluctant to feed colostrum to their newborn, despite encouragement
by health professionals.
� Breast feeding on demand is normal practice for rural Filipinas. Women
may adopt mixed feeding because of the demands of work outside the home.
� Some mothers believe that a mother’s mood can be transmitted through
breast milk and therefore do not feed if they feel sorrow or anger. Breast
feeding may also cease if the child contracts diarrhoea, in case the illness
becomes worse.
.