TACLOBAN CITY –Some schools here in the city will be doing a dry run on mode of learning that will be implemented for this school year which is to start on August 24.
Students here in the city will be using the modular method of learning though online classes will also be conducted.
“On August 24, diretso implementation kaagad pero there are schools that are doing their dry run para makita nila kun epektibo or ano pa ang dapat nating i-change or i-improve,” Mariza Magan, city schools superintendent, said.
The blended mode of teaching is being introduced by the Department of Education (DepEd) during this school year amid the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic and ensure the safety not only of the students but the teachers as well.
Magan added that they partnered with the local government unit and barangay officials in the retrieval of modules from students in their respective village.
At present, there are 61,157 students who enrolled in the different schools in the city, a drop compared to last school year’s enrollment of 72,293 students.
The fear of being infected with COVID-19 is the main reason why some parents did not enroll their children this school year.
“We don’t want this kind of situation, this is new to us. What we need to do is to respond kung ano yung pwede nating maibigay para maipagpatuloy yung learning ability ng ating mga learners, ginagawa yun ng DepEd,” Magan said.
“Hopefully, kahit ganitong pamamaraan ang ginagamit natin ay magiging successful pa rin kaya kailangan natin ng tulong ng parents. Hindi naman siguro natin kailangan na mapabayaan ang education ng ating mga kabataan. This is the good for everyone. We always need to think positively,” she added.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Tacloban schools to conduct dry run on ‘blended learning’ method on August 24 opening
Region has more than 4,300 dengue fever cases
TACLOBAN CITY- The Department of Health (DOH) has reported of more than 4,300 cases of dengue fever in the region with nine deaths.
The cases cover the period of January up to August 10.
The DOH said that from this period, a total of 4,309 dengue fever cases were monitored by their office of which nine of them have died.
This year’s dengue fever is lower by 73% compare to last year of the same period or 16,238 cases.
Among the six provinces of the region, Leyte posted the highest cases at 2,194 comprising 50.9 percent of the total cases followed by Southern Leyte with 592 cases; Samar, 536 cases; Biliran, 416; Eastern Samar, 298 cases and Northern Samar, 281 cases.
DOH Director Minerva Molon, in a statement, said that no new recorded death for dengue last month.
The night death cases of the region due to dengue fever were from Abuyog, La Paz, Ormoc City, Baybay City and Tacloban City, all in Leyte; Giporlos, Arteche, Gen. Macarthur, all in Eastern Samar; Tagapul-an in Samar.
Molon urged the public to observe the 4 strategy in the fight against dengue fever.
First is the search and destroy, clean all spaces where mosquitos may lay eggs at home and in offices; seek early consultation, if symptoms of the disease reoccurs for the next 2 to 4 days, such as fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea muscles and joints pain and most especially rashes; third is self-protection by wearing appropriate clothes and use of insect repellant.
Fourth is saying yes to fogging activities when there is clustering of cases.
(LIZBETH ANN A.ABELLA)
Clearing operations to resume in 24 coastal barangays in Tacloban City
TACLOBAN CITY-A special meeting with 24 chairmen of the coastal barangays of Tacloban City was held on August 5 at the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) Conference Room to discuss the concern in their respective communities and issue regarding the plan to resume clearing operations in the coastal areas, which would begin this month.
Barangay Affairs Office Head Hermilo Naputo Jr., during the dialogue, required the village leaders to submit a list of those who have been awarded of permanent shelters in the northern part of the City for validation and to plan the implementation of the demolition.
As mentioned, structures (residential and commercial buildings) that are covered in the demolition are those situated in public land and under the 40-meter ‘No Build Zone’ easement from the shoreline.
SK council in N. Samar to provide free use of computers among poor students
As government introduces e-learning this school year
TACLOBAN CITY- A youth council in Lavezares town, Northern Samar has come up with a program providing free use of computers in time for this school year’s electronic and blended learning.
Proculo Adriatico, Jr., the chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of Barangay Libas, said that they have come up with this program considering that many of the students in their village cannot afford to buy gadgets like mobile phones which they can use for their studies under the new set up.
“Many of our students does not have gadgets of their own which they can use for this school year so we have decided to come up with this program as our way of helping them,” the 22-year old SK leader said in a phone interview.
The village is the biggest among Lavezares’ 26 barangays with more than 3,000 population whose people depend on fishing and farming as their source of incomes.
Adriatico said that the program could potentially benefit around 700 young students of the village.
The government will be introducing e-learning or modular learning to help ensure that students will be spared from getting infection of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).
Adriatico said that they bought two computer sets and a printer for this program using their SK funds amounting close toP40,000.
The computer sets and the printer were installed at their barangay hall.
And as part of health protocols being enforced during this time of calamity brought by COVID-19, those who will enter their e-library must wear face mask and observe social distancing.
Adriatico, who will be on his last year in college taking education at Northern Samar College at the provincial capital of Catarman, said that the use of computers will be ‘strictly for educational purposes’ only.
And to ensure that they can sustain this program and not depend solely on their limited funds, they have also come up with an idea for students to bring used bottles every time they want to print their assignments.
“In return, we sold these used bottles which we use to buy bond papers needed for the printing,” Adriatico said.
For Rose Ann Morado,19, she is happy that their SK leaders under Adriatico has come up with this program for them students.
“This is really a big help for us especially during this time of pandemic. Before we have to go to an internet shop to do our assignments. Now we can do our school works at our e-library free of charge,” the second year education student, said.
Morado said that she and her three siblings will avail this program as their way of helping their family save. Their father, Alvino,44, works as a farmer while their mother, Rosa,43, sells vegetables.
The village has one internet shop which charges P15 per hour of use.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
19 villagers in Basey infected with virus
Region’s COVID-19 cases now at 1,265
By: Roel T. Amazona
TACLOBAN CITY- Cases of coronavirus in the region continue to increase with a village in Basey, Samar placed in a lockdown after 19 of its residents were infected of the dreaded virus.
As of Monday, the region has 1,265 confirmed COVID-19 majority of them were locally stranded individuals (LSIs). Some of the new infections involved two medical health workers and children as young as 10-months old.
The entire village of Villa Aurora was placed under lockdown by Basey Mayor Luz Ponferrada to ensure that infection would not further spread in the village’ 1,050 residents.
With so many individuals infected of the virus, the DOH has claimed that there is now a local transmission of COVID-19 in the village.
“For now, we can say that there is now a local transmission in the village,” John Paul Roca, spokesperson of the DOH, said.
Roca said that the 19 new cases of the village were ‘direct contacts’ of the two previous cases, a 77-year old man and his 37-year old daughter.
The youngest of the new cases involved a five-year old boy and the eldest is a 75-year old woman, the wife of the 77-year old man.
Mayor Ponferrada said that she immediately ordered for a lockdown in Villa Aurora that started last Saturday, August 8 and to end on August 22.
The residents of the village would not be allowed to leave their houses while the lockdown is still in effect.
Ponferrada said that contact tracing is now under way to ensure that the virus would not further infect the rest of the residents of Villa Aurora, more than 10 kms. Away from the town proper.
Ponferrada also said that all the 19 individuals were already placed at their isolation facility.
The Basey town mayor, under Executive Order No 0034, prohibited Villa Aurora’s residents to go out of their respective homes while contact tracing is on-going. Non-residents are also not allowed to enter the village.
Restriction of movements in the village will be enforce by the village officials.
Aside from Villa Aurora, residents in its neighboring villages of Balante and Cancaiyas are also prohibited from leaving their respective homes and travelling outside their village without essential reason but not limited to employment, purchase of essential goods, emergency cases and medical check-up and other important official transaction.
Minors, senior citizens and pregnant women including those with high risk of infection are prohibited from leaving their respective homes.
Residents are also advised to continue observing and following health protocols such as wearing of face masks, physical distancing and proper handwashing, and social gathering while the village is under lockdown is prohibited.
Basey has now 50 COVID-19 cases with 21 are considered as active cases. About 27 patients were reintegrated to the community while two patients are to complete their quarantine.
Meantime, the historic towns of Limasawa in Southern Leyte, and Guiuan, in Eastern Samar posted their first COVID-19 cases.
Mayor Melchor Petracorta of Limasawa confirmed that they have two COVID-19 patients involving a 24-year old man from Manila who arrived to their town on August1, and a 46-year old woman who came from Cebu and arrived on August 2.
Guiuan’s first COVID-19 case involved a 24-year old woman who was said to be a guardian of a relative confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC). The sick patient, however, was negative of the dreaded virus.
The COVID-19 patient of Guiuan is now confined at the EVRMC and had no contact with any one from their town, Mayor Analiza Gonzales Kwan said.
Still, she urged her people to strictly follow all the health protocols like the wearing of face masks, observe social distancing and proper hygiene, and stay at home.