With Leyte, Samar now under Alert Level 2 due to COVID-19 spike

TACLOBAN CITY– Amid report of increasing cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Eastern Visayas, young athletes and their coaches and chaperons of the regional athletic meet are directed to take all the necessary precautions to avoid any possible spread of the virus.

In fact, only vaccinated student-athletes, in particular, are allowed to join the five-day Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRRA) Meet that is to open formally on Tuesday (April 25).

Evelyn Fetalvero, the regional director of the Department of Education (DepEd), said that they are making all the necessary precautions fully aware of the increasing COVID-19 cases in the region, particularly the provinces of Leyte and Samar.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) has placed both provinces under Alert Level 2 which means protocols are to be strictly to be followed by certain establishments and activities would be allowed at 50% capacity if indoors for fully vaccinated adults and minors and 70% capacity for outdoors.
The classification starts on April 15 to 30.

“All our athletes, including their coaches and trainers, are fully vaccinated. And if the (sporting events) are held in a closed area, they are to wear face masks,” Fetalvero said.
Her assistant regional director, Ronnel Firmo said that another measure undertaken by the organizers was to spread the sporting event into different venues.

This way, crowding among spectators and athletes will be avoided. Aside from Tacloban, other venues are located in the towns of Palo, and Sta. Fe with 5,002 athletes participating and over 3,380 coaches and chaperons and officials.

For his part, Dr. Danilo Ecarma, the health officer of Tacloban, said that while the city remains to be Alert Level 1, they advise the public to follow the protocols.

He said that they should wear a face mask, especially if they are in a crowded area and if one is pregnant or has comorbidities.

At present, Tacloban has eight active COVID-19 cases.

Meantime, as of April 24, Leyte has nine active cases, an increase of just one case a week earlier, or April 17. Samar has five active cases, a decline of one case from same period.
The Leyte Samar Daily Express tried to contact health personnel of the two provinces but has yet to receive a response as of press time. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

As the deadline for SIM Registration draws near, Globe opted to use the Emergency Cell Broadcast (ECB) system to urgently alert subscribers who have yet to comply with the SIM Registration Act.

Globe took this step as registrations had been slow at roughly 200,000 per day in March. Globe started using ECB to call on customers who have not registered due to the tepid daily registration numbers. The impact of ECBs have been tremendous as daily registrations increased to 400K then 800K last week. Over the weekend the daily registrations hit over 1 million.

“We are looking after our customers as we do not want their SIMs deactivated. If they do not register by April 26, customers stand to lose their mobile services, now considered a lifeline especially post pandemic,” said Globe Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer Yoly Crisanto.

“We apologize to our registered customers who have received the emergency alerts and expressed their irritation online. These messages were really intended for those who have not registered. We appeal for their understanding as these messages are geographically targeted for all. Globe sees the low registration numbers as needing urgent public service because the lack of mobile services is in itself an emergency, severely impacting daily life, from financial transactions and e-commerce to transport and education, among many others,” added Crisanto.

The deadline for SIM registration is on Wednesday, April 26, and telcos have appealed for an extension. The SIM Registration Act’s Implementing Rules and Regulations allow an extension of up to 120 days.

As of April 22, Globe has logged just over 35.8 million SIM registrations out of its 86.7 million customer base. This, even as it exerted various efforts to get its customers registered, opening 147 Stores and 25 EasyHubs into on-site assistance centers.

The company also partnered with local government units, groceries, and malls to set up assisted registration booths in more than 100 sites nationwide. To reach subscribers in remote areas, Globe regularly has been joining SIM Registration Caravans led by the National Telecommunications Commission since January.

It’s SIM registration platforms also remain open 24/7. For users of Globe and TM Prepaid SIMs and Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi, SIM registration is free and can be done anytime and anywhere through the https://new.globe.com.ph/simreg website and the GlobeOne app.

Postpaid subscribers may complete their registration by sending SIMREG to 8080 to confirm their details. For company-owned Globe Business accounts, registration steps have been sent to your company’s authorized representative.(PR)

ORMOC CITY– At least 60 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P408, 000 were recovered by drug authorities in Bato, Leyte on Friday (April 21).

The suspected illegal drugs were seized from Christian Sotto,28 by elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and local police in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Iniguihan, Bato town.

It was learned from PDEA Regional Director Gil Pabilona that the suspect is among those on the list of high-value individuals.

Pabilona said that the alleged shabu seized from the suspect was placed in a coin purse.
The suspect was charged for selling and in possession of illegal drugs. He is now detained at the locked-up facility of the Bato municipal police station.
(ROBERT DEJON)

After 3 years in hiatus

TACLOBAN CITY– The return of face-to-face sports competition in the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) Meet is a cause for celebration.

Evelyn Fetalvero, the regional director of the Department of Education (DepEd), said this following the resumption of the biggest regional school sports tournament on April 24-27 that is to formally open today (April 25).

“Sports and physical education provide a great opportunity for children to head outside, get active, and focus on developing different skills. The benefits of sports in education are vast, and they aren’t just physical benefits,” said Fetalvero.

A total of 5,149 student-athletes from the 13 divisions, together with other national and local government unit officials, are set to participate in this year’s multi-sports competition, with the opening program of the event slated on April 25 at the LSDC.

The Division of Leyte and Tacloban City will host the sports event with the main events staged at the Leyte Sports Development Center, this city with some venues spread at the nearby towns of Palo, and Sta. Fe.

Fetalvero said the event has an allocation of P2 million from the DepEd Central Office and another P1.5 million from the regional office to augment the budget.

Meanwhile, host division officials continued monitoring the billeting schools for the different delegations in the city and nearby towns to ensure their safety and convenience during the event.

Law enforcement agencies have also provided security assistance.

“I have directed the police units concerned for the hosting of EVRAA 2023 to secure the safety and security of EVRAA delegates,” said Brigadier General Rommel Francisco Marbil, police regional director.

EVRAA serves as a prelude to the 2023 Palarong Pambansa, where DepEd-Eastern Visayas hopes to find the best athletes to represent at the national level competition.

(RONALD O. REYES)

ORMOC CITY– A village councilor is in hot water after he was arrested for taking a 6 year as a hostage.

The incident took place on Friday (April 21) involving Jenny Gonzaga, 42, a councilor of Barangay Jamines, Gandara, Samar.

Gandara police chief, Major Rio Tan, said that the suspect forcibly took the minor and brought him inside his house, and held the boy hostage inside his house particularly at the 2nd floor of his residence.

The live-in partner of the suspect, who is the grandmother of the victim, together with the local police negotiated with the suspect to release the victim.

Fortunately, the suspect heeded to the negotiation and released the victim to his parents while the suspect surrendered to the police.

Major Tan disclosed that during interrogation with the suspect, the latter told him that some people are going after him to allegedly kill him.

Charges of violations of Articles 267 of the Revised Penal Code (kidnapping/serious illegal detention) were filed against the village official.
(ROBERT DEJON)