TACLOBAN CITY- Police arrested a 40-year-old male person under monitoring (PUM) for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after he allegedly broke the home quarantine guidelines in Gandara, Samar.

The suspect, Orlan Geraldo, a construction worker, was caught roaming around the streets and drinking with his friends at Barangay Catorse De Agosto of the said town at around 5 pm on March 20.

The PUM’s “non-cooperation and his total disobedience and resistance to the authorities” has led to his arrest, according to Police Captain Joselito Tabada, the town police chief.

The suspect went home to Gandara to be with his family after President Rodrigo Duterte declared an enhanced community quarantine of the entire Luzon last March 16 due to the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country.

He will be facing charges in violation of Section 9 of Republic Act 11332 or the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.”

Also, he will face penalties and jail term for violating Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code or resistance and disobedience to a person in authority.

The Department of Health (DOH) has strongly advised all PUMs to strictly observe the home quarantine protocol to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

Based on the quarantine guidelines, PUMs should stay home for 14 days; wear mask if in company of other people, and properly dispose used mask; use one’s own set of utensils; non-sharing of towels, toothbrush, glass, spoon and fork, etc.; avoid contact with elderly, children or those with underlying medical condition; avoid handshake, kissing or hugging someone; and routinely clean frequently-touched surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches, cellphone, tables, handles and toilet.(RONALD O. REYES)

BORONGAN CITY- The Department of Public Works and Highways-Eastern Samar District Engineering Office (DPWH-ESDEO) implements preventive measures against the dreadful Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) that breakouts around the world.

During March 14, 2020, ESDEO employees commenced in cleaning and disinfecting their respective working areas headed by the ESDEO District Maintenance Engineer Esteban P. Casillano in order to prevent the entry of the said virus in the office and this will constantly be done every Saturday.

District Engineer (DE) Manolo A. Rojas instructed to disseminate advisory photos from the Department of Health (DOH) as well as to provide hand sanitizers and soaps to every units, sections, lobbies and comfort rooms in the office.

“Due to the ease of spreading this virus, we need to heighten precautionary steps and take away any possibility of being a conduit to it,” DE Rojas said.

Moreover, ESDEO employees immediately applied practices such as continuous sanitation of hands, observing social distancing policy, proper etiquette of using comfort rooms and self-quarantine for 14 days if they have travelled from places with a COVID-19 case.

DE Rojas added to reinforced continuous awareness about the essential proactive measures and practices to combat the spread of the virus and ensure the safety of the employees.

As of now, Philippines have already confirmed COVID-19 cases based on the official reports of the Department of Health (DOH) while Eastern Samar have zero cases, Governor Ben Evardone released an executive order directing task forces to set up 24 hours checkpoints and cancellation of classes for all-levels until March 31, 2020.

Furthermore, DPWH Central Office recently transmitted to all district offices a memorandum discouraging the employees to travel locally and internationally and ESDEO will continue to cooperate along with the DOH, DPWH Central/Regional Office, Provincial and Local Governments. (LARA MIKAELA C. SUYOT/PIO STAFF/PR)

TACLOBAN CITY-The business group based here said that its members are now beginning to feel the pinch due to the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) threat which resulted to drop of their sales.

But the 150-strong Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)-Tacloban, Leyte Inc. involving of at least 3,000 workers, are making sure that their workers would not lose their jobs in this time of crisis.

Eugene Tan, the group’s president, admitted that if the COVID-19 induced crisis would continue to a longer period, this could result to retrenchment.

“This, we don’t like to happen,” he said during a press conference Wednesday.

Tan, who is into hotel and trading business, has confirmed that due to the drop of sales, there are members of the chamber which either adopted a shorten period of business time or shifting working days just to ensure their workers would continue their employment.

Lawyer Jerry Uy, who is into retail business, said that he adopted shifting of workers instead of resorting to retrenching them.

“And some of the chamber members have also gave a portion of their 13^th month pay and leave credits,” he said.

A store manager, who requested not to be named, said that starting this week, they have adopted a four-day work system to at least cushion the drop of their sales instead of retrenching their more than 300 workers, many of them are residents outside the city.

“We have noticed that for the past weeks now, the number of customers coming in have decreased which resulted to drop of our daily sales. And we felt this further this week after the President ordered for us Filipinos to stay at our homes,” she said.

Tan said that they have been ‘subsidizing’ the salaries of their workers amidst the huge drop of their sales.

Based on their reports, drop of sales have reached as high as 60 percent as of this month, Uy said.

Oliver Cam, vice president for external affairs of the group, said that among the most affected industry brought by the COVID-19 scare is the hotel industry to include in the transportation sector.

He said that hotel occupancy rate in Leyte, for example, ranged from zero to just 10 percent.

“The months of January to March is considered to be the lean months in the hospitality industry but with the COVID-19 scare, this become the leanest season,” Cam said.

The huge drop of the hotel occupancy rate was due to the stoppage of airport operation to this city from Manila. (JOEY A. GABIETA/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA) 

TACLOBAN CITY- Eastern Samar Rep. Maria Fe Abunda is now on a home quarantine.

Abunda, the lone congressional representative of the province, said that her self-quarantine for 14 days is in compliance to the directive for those coming from Metro Manila and other areas where there are confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).

“We have to follow the order. But I feel okay,” she said when asked how she feels.

Abunda said that she started her self-isolation in her residence in Borongan City since March 14, the day she arrived from Manila.

The lady solon, who is the eldest sister of television host Boy Abunda, said that though she stays most of the time in her room, there are times that she goes out to the sala using a face mask.

And when she is talking with her house helpers, she makes sure that she distances herself more than one meter, part of the social distancing mandated to avoid contacting the virus.

“The utensils that I use are separately placed from the others and are also placed in a heater as another precaution,” Abunda said.

Her security escorts just stay outside the main house, she added.

According to her, she also has her body temperature taken which ranges from 29 Celsius degree up to 33 Celsius degree.

“While I am in self-isolation, I just preoccupy myself like sorting out my clothes which I will later on donate or I busy myself with paper works,” she said.

“Of course, I am also busy eating foods here in my room,” Abunda, laughing, added.

She also said that she continues her work through telephone calls on the various programs and projects she intends to do for her district.

Abunda is to return to Manila on May for the resumption of their regular session. (JOEY A. GABIETA) xxx