The search for The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service is on and nominations from the Visayas are being urged, Dr. Marvie Abesamis, chairperson of the search committee, said yesterday.

Abesamis, who was in Bacolod City yesterday as guest of 1995 TOWNS awardee Millie Kilayko, said that, in the past, not many women from the Visayas and Mindanao had been nominated, when a lot of them have also been doing their bit of work in the service of the nation.

The award is given for outstanding work that has contributed to the knowledge, well-being and upliftment of others, Abesamis said.

Since the TOWNS awards began in 1974 it has cited 84 professionals, all recognized achievers in their respective fields of endeavor, she said.

Nominations for this year's awardees should be made before July 31, Abesamis said. TOWNS Search 2007 Rules and Regulations are available at the TOWNS website at www.towns.org.ph .

Nominations for TOWNS is open to all Filipino women and any person, organization or entity, can nominate one or more candidates subject to the following requirements:

o The age limit shall be between 21 and 45 years. The nominee should have been born not earlier than October 31, 1961.

o The nominee must be a Filipino citizen.

o The nominee must sign the nomination form for attesting to all facts contained in it, giving consent to publication of said facts, and indicating willingness and ability to attend the TOWNS Award Presentation in Manila if adjudged a winner.

o Nominations shall be made on the prescribed TOWNS Nomination Form, although additional sheets can be used.

o Nominations shall be accompanied by a certified true copy of the nominee's birth certificate or any equivalent proof of the nominee's date and place of birth. o Five copies of nominee's latest picture (2"x2" colored) should accompany the nomination form with the name of the nominee printed at the back.

o The Board of Judges, whose decision shall be final and not appealable, shall have the right not to declare any winner in any of the categories of selection. o TOWNS Foundation reserves the right to modify the rules at all times at its sole discretion and judgment, provided that such step shall be in keeping with the spirit and purposes of TOWNS.

o The nominee, if adjudged a winner, shall become an automatic member of TOWNS Foundation and must participate in all its activities.

Nomination forms may be submitted or mailed to the TOWNS secretariat care of Aligned Transformations, 3423 Guernica Street, Palanan 1235 Makati City, or to the Museo Pambata Foundation Inc. at Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive Manila and be received, postmarked or hand carried, before July 31, 2007, the rules posted on the TOWNS website state.

The TOWNS Secretariat email address is townsimelda@yahoo.com while the Museu Pambata Foundation Inc website is nlyuson@museopambata.org.*CPG

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2-year-old needs assistance

The parents of a 2-year-old boy from Zone 9, Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City is seeking the help of DAILY STAR readers for their son who has been diagnosed to have Nephrotic Syndrome, at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital.

John Paul Antiquin, 2, was taken to the hospital in April, and manifested generalized edema despite treatment.

His parents, construction worker Rene Dan, 43, and housewife Rossini, however, said they did not the have money for the patient's medication. Because of this, the boy was discharged from the hospital against medical advice, government doctors said.

John Paul was re-admitted due to progression of generalized edema, abdominal distention, and decrease in urine output, medical records revealed. He is currently treated with various medicines, and was transfused during his fifth hospital day. Despite of these, the patient is still with unresolved generalized edema, having crackles at both lung fields, medical records further disclosed.

Doctors said they plan for the patient's albumin transfusion and methylprednisolone administration, and for possible kidney biopsy and referral to kidney centers, records added. Any help for the boy may be coursed through the DAILY STAR office.*GCT

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Low water supply announced

The Bacolod City Water District announced in a press release yesterday that low water pressure to no water supply will be experienced in some portions of its service area, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, a BACIWA press release said.

Affected areas are Mansilingan, Pagla-um Village and Alijis. This is due to the interconnection of waterline extension along Bacolod-Murcia Road, Barangay Mansilingan, it also said.

Consumers are advised to take necessary measures to avoid inconvenience, the press release added.*

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