Question & AnswerQ&A (PROCLAMATION NO. 1168)
The purpose of Proclamation No. 1168 is to declare the month of November of every year as Malaria Awareness Month to create awareness on the prevention and control of malaria in the Philippines.
The Department of Health (DOH) is the lead agency tasked with the implementation of the Malaria Awareness Month.
The DOH is responsible for formulating and disseminating guidelines, providing technical assistance to local government units (LGUs), conducting advocacy and social mobilization, augmenting local logistics for malaria prevention, and monitoring LGU activities.
The DILG, through its Secretary, shall issue memorandum circulars to local chief executives, mobilize field offices, and assist in supervising and monitoring the malaria awareness campaign and prevention/control activities.
The DepEd is tasked to integrate malaria prevention and control into the school curriculum, facilitate re-treatment of mosquito nets through schools in coordination with health officials, and issue appropriate circulars to implement these activities.
The DND shall issue memorandum circulars to its units to raise awareness among personnel, ensure malaria testing of military assigned to endemic areas, provide transportation and security assistance for health personnel, and strengthen management of severe malaria in military hospitals.
The NDCC coordinates the implementation of malaria awareness month activities with LGUs through various disaster coordinating councils at the barangay, municipal/city, regional, and provincial levels.
LGUs are to lead local implementation of the malaria awareness campaign, allocate resources, ensure basic health services for malaria control are sustained, coordinate with NGOs and private sectors, and enact local ordinances or resolutions.
Their presidents must issue circulars, memoranda, and other issuances to their members to implement malaria awareness activities at the local level.
The NCIP is to actively participate in conducting malaria awareness among indigenous communities, coordinate with local health officials, support coordination of field activities, and help translate information, education, and communication materials.
The PIA is tasked to guide, integrate, and supervise all public communication activities including advertisements related to the malaria awareness campaign.
The DOT is responsible for disseminating appropriate memorandum circulars to its regional offices to raise awareness among tourists about malaria prevention, especially in endemic areas.
Civil society groups, NGOs, professional groups, business sectors, and other concerned organizations are encouraged to support the campaign through information dissemination, social mobilization, donations, and other methods.
The campaign aligns with the Millennium Development Goal No. 6, which aims to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases by halting and reversing their incidence by 2015.
Republic Act No. 7161, known as the Local Government Code, devolves basic health service provision for malaria control to LGUs.