Actual number could be in ‘thousands’

TACLOBAN CITY-  At least 227 workers from this city have lost their jobs after the business establishments they were working either shut down or downsize their number of workers due to the coronavirus disease(COVID-19) pandemic.
However, this number could reach to ‘thousands’ as there were establishments which did not report on the  retrenchment of their workers, Katherine Peliño of the Public Employment Service Office(PESO) of the city government said.
She also said that the 227 retrenched workers only covered from their July to August survey involving only 43 establishments across the city.
Peliño said that since August, their office stopped visiting around business establishments due to the rising COVID-19 of the city.
“While on record we have only 227 number of workers who lost their jobs during this time of pandemic, we can say the number could be higher, even in thousands as our survey only covered the July to August period,” she said.
She cited that based on their survey for those who were rendered unemployed during this time of pandemic in the different barangays of the city, 570 individuals were identified to have lost their jobs.
And only 12 barangays out of the city’s 138 responded on their survey. Also, the survey, which started last July 15, was temporarily suspended due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases of the city.
City Mayor Alfred Romualdez said that there could be ‘thousands’ of workers from the city who lost their jobs during the quarantine period as there were business establishments have stopped their operations or chose to continue to operate but at the same time, cut down the number of their workers as the local economy was severely hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Peliño said that their office tries to help these unemployed people through referral system saying there were still establishments despite of the current health problem which looked for workers.
“But those retrenched during this COVID-19 pandemic were given assurance by their employers that they would be rehired once everything return to normal,” she said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- At least two persons were arrested for alleged illegal fishing in Laoang, Northern Samar last November 14, 2020.
Police identified the violators, aged 44 and 39, as residents of Barangay Talisay, Laoang.
The operating unit from Laoang Municipal Police Station, led by Staff Sergeant Argel Joseph Salva caught the two while in the act of engaging in illegal fishing activity using fine mesh net or ‘biyakus.’
Confiscated from their possession were one motorboat, one wooden boat, one set of fine mesh net measuring 10-meter-long, and five kilos of assorted catch, police said in the report.
The estimated market value of confiscated items was placed at P25,000.
The violators and confiscated fishing paraphernalia were brought to the police station for proper documentation.
(RONALD O. REYES)

Amid rising of cases

CATARMAN,  Northern Samar – In order to slow down the spread COVID-19 in Northern Samar, which is soon to exceed 1,000 cases in our province, Task Force Disiplina was organized to strictly enforce the mandatory wearing of face mask and face shield in public places.
Governor Edwin Ongchuan has asked the Northern Samar Police Provincial Office to strengthen implementation of Sangguniang Panlalawigan Ordinance No. 10, or the mandatory wearing of face mask or other protective equipment in public places. He also asked the police not to spare even the big fishes, particularly government employees, during the conduct of Task Force Disiplina, which started on November 12, 2020 in this town.
“Pag Empleyado sa Gobyerno madakop san Taskforce Disiplina, Police Blotter and multa dayon,” Governor Ongchuan posted in his Facebook account.
Though SP Ordinance No. 10 was passed in May 2020, many Nortehanons have been lax and negligent in observing said law, a behavior credited as one of the factors in the current surge of COVID cases in the province, prompting the governor to organize said task force. Task Force Disiplina is led by PLtCol Crisanto Lleva of the NSPPO.
On November 12 and 13, the task force has apprehended 214 violators from 18 operations conducted in the towns of Catarman, Bobon, Rosario, San Jose, Lavezares, Biri, Gamay, Palapag, Lapinig and Las Navas; 109 of them were from Catarman.
They were brought to their respective police stations and underwent counseling from the Local Health Office on the importance of wearing face protections in order to stop the spread of the virus. They were subsequently subjected to appropriate police processing and disposition. Those who cannot afford to buy their own face mask and face shield were given said items for free by the task force.
Per data from the PDRRMO, in Catarman alone, the task force has already given around 700 face shields and 500 face masks to the public.
Violators of this ordinance will be penalized accordingly: P1,000 or community service for 24 hours for first offense; P2,000 or community service for 48 hours for the second offense; and P5,000 or 1-month imprisonment or both for the third offense.
In relation to pandemic concerns, public places are areas or places where a large number of people go to or congregate, such as public conveyances and public facilities.
In particular, these places include transport terminals and loading areas for pdcabs/tricycles/motorcabs; restaurants, cafeterias and takeout establishments; government buildings; hospitals and pharmacies; churches; public markets, supermarkets and grocery stores; and other similar places/establishments. As a general guideline, wearing face mask and face shield should be practiced upon leaving the house.(NORTHERN SAMAR PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE)