Over 17K tourism workers in E. Visayas get cash aid
TACLOBAN CITY – At least 17,791 tourism workers in Eastern Visayas have received P88.95 million cash grant under the Department of Tourism (DOT) coronavirus disease 2019 adjustment measures (CAMP) program this year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported on Friday(July 2).
As of June 30, the DOLE regional office here has facilitated the payment of cash aid to the tourism workers from the region’s six provinces displaced by the health crisis.
Funded under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, beneficiaries receive a one-time P5,000 financial support from the central government, DOLE Eastern Visayas regional director Henry John Jalbuena said in a media statement.
“DOLE will remain true to its mandate amidst this pandemic and we will continue to implement our programs and services for the benefit of our workers here in the region,” Jalbuena said.
In a phone interview, DOT Eastern Visayas regional director Karina Rosa Tiopes thanked the DOLE for working for the release of funds for workers identified by local government units as displaced by the pandemic.
“We all know that tourism is one of the most affected industries during this pandemic particularly our community-based organizations. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo- Puyat made sure that these workers will really benefit from the CAMP 2 program of this administration. It’s a challenge to help nearly 18,000 individuals upload their applications for them to benefit from this financial assistance,” Tiopes said.
She urged recipients to use the cash aid to rebuild their livelihood shattered by movement restrictions.
CAMP was first implemented in 2020 benefitting 20,092 displaced private workers in the region.
This year, through the DOLE-DOT Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2021-001, displaced tourism sector workers were included in the cash distribution.
Specifically, recipients are displaced accredited or licensed tour guides; employees of DOT-accredited primary and secondary tourism enterprises; local government unit-licensed primary tourism enterprises; and members of registered community-based tourism organizations.(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA
DBM holds customer satisfaction survey online orientation
NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, Northern Samar- – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) – Regional Office VIII holds Customer Satisfactory Survey (CSS) Online Orientation for Administrative Officers & Liaison Officers for DPWH & DOH last June 16, 2021 at 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm held at the conference room of DPWH-NSSDEO.
The activity started with an opening remark by Ms. Imelda C. Laceras, CESO III, Regional Director of DBM-RO8; followed by a series of discussion given by Ms. Rizza Joy D. Barras, DBM staff and program facilitator, Ms. Liberace Limsiaco, Chief, Administrative Officer of DBM-RO8 gave the closing remarks.
The client satisfaction survey serves as an instrument to determine efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of services to external clients and boost public satisfaction. It seeks to enhance and improve the department’s performance; timeliness; processes; delivery of consistent level of quality of service to its stakeholders and the public and boost public satisfaction.
The objective of CSS is to gather feedbacks from the clients with the rendered products and services to measure customer satisfaction of the clients and to improve the quality and delivery of services of particular office.
The CSS methodology and survey instrument/questionnaire includes name of service to avail or purpose of visit with the following indications: (1) Responsiveness – the willingness to help, assists, and provides prompt service to the clients; (2) Reliability (quality) – the provision of what is needed and what was promised, in accordance with the policy and standards, with zero to a minimal error rate; (3) Access and Facilities – the convenience of location, ample amenities for a comfortable transaction, and the use of clear signage and modes of technology; (4) Communication – the act of keeping clients informed in a language they can easily understand, as well as listening to their feedback; (5) Integrity – the assurance that there is honesty, justice, fairness, and trust in each service while dealing with the clients; (6) Assurance – the capability of the frontline employees to perform their duties, product, and service knowledge, understanding client needs, helpfulness, and good work relationships; (7) Outcome – the extent of achieving outcomes or realizing the intended benefits of government services.
The said online orientation was participated-in by various administrative & liaison personnel of DPWH & DOH throughout Region VIII with Ms. Ma. Amparo Mariam T. Dapug, Administrative Officer IV and Ms. Hazzel D. Balberan, Head, Accounting Unit, as representatives of DPWH-NSSDEO.
(KRISTIN KALAYAAN R.FLORES,PIO STAFF)
Gov. Petilla: I will defer party position
On the possible VP run of Rep. Romualdez
TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said that he would defer to their political party who will support candidates running for the Vice President.
The governor, who is on his last term, was reacting to question if he would support on possible vice presidential run of Leyte Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (1st district).
The governor and the lawmaker belongs to Leyte’s biggest political rivals.
“I will defer my answer because the President has said for him to be considered as candidate for Vice President,” Petilla said.
“By default, we need to support who ever our political party decides to support, or whoever is the candidate of our party,” he added.
Petilla count himself as a member of the PDP-Laban, the political party of the President.
He added that since election is still far, changes as to who will run remain inevitable reason why he would not make a commitment.
The governor is ending on his third and last term and remain silent whether he would be seeking another political post in next year’s elections.
Petilla who is on his last term as governor of Leyte will end his gubernatorial position this 2022.
A Waray party-list Representative Florencio “Bem” Noel earlier said that he is willing to support on the possible Vice Presidency run of Rep. Romualdez though they are not political allies.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Provincial board to probe vaccine ‘stealing’
In Northern Samar
TACLOBAN CITY- The provincial board in Northern Samar is set to conduct an investigation over allegation that several vaccines against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were stolen from the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital.
The committee hearing, scheduled this Wednesday (June 7) is in response to a post made by a media practitioner that a ‘powerful personality’ in the province was behind on this alleged act.
“In consultation with fellow members of the committee on laws, and because of the importance of the matter, it was recommended to the floor for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to constitute a committee of the whole, to investigate, in aid of legislation, the incident that allegedly happened in the facility,” board member Pascasio Joshua Maria Vicario III, who chairs the committee, said.
It was learned that during their June 30 regular session, board member Mary Ann Abalon, who is a doctor by profession, delivered a privilege speech urging her fellow board members to investigate the matter that was posted by media practitioner Peregrino Arillo in his Facebook account last June 23.
Arillo, in his post, alleged that the vaccines that were inside a blue colored container were taken illegally from the storage facility of the province by a lady who was wearing a white gown last June 10.
The lady immediately went to the house of the unnamed powerful personality in the province.
At least 15 vials of Sinovac vaccines were reportedly taken and were administered to members of the households and security personnel of said personality.
Arillo added in his post that is still not clear if said personality was among those who were inoculated with the vaccine.
He added that the incident happened while Northern Samar Provincial Hospital Chief Dr. Ninfa Caparoso-Kam was in the United States.
The province has been experiencing surge of COVID-19 reason why Governor Edwin Ongchuan has earlier sought for the Department of Health (DOH) to provide additional vaccines for the province.
Based on the records of the DOH, Northern Samar as of July 2 has received 60,514 doses of vaccines.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Over 315,000 have received jabs in EV
Still far cry for region to achieve herd immunity
TACLOBAN CITY- Since the start of the vaccination here in the region last March of this year, more than 315,500 individuals have received the jabs against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
This was reported by the Department of Health (DOH) which said that as of July 2, the region has so far received 404,140 vaccines composed of AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Pfizer, and Gamaleya Sputnik V.
The DOH said that so far, 315,535 individuals have received the vaccines and of which, 90,839 of them have completed the needed two doses.
Most of these individuals were medical workers and other considered as frontliners, seniors and persons with comorbidities as vaccination for the general public has yet to start in the region.
Based on the record of the DOH, the province of Leyte, to include the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc which are administratively independent from the provincial government, has the highest number of individuals who have been vaccinated with 129,866.
This was followed by Eastern Samar with 44,898; Samar with 43,513; Northern Samar with 42,283; Southern Leyte with 44,898 and Biliran,15,883.
The number of vaccinated individuals, however, is still a far from the target 75 to 80 percent of the region’s more than 4 million population for Eastern Visayas to obtain herd immunity.
Earlier, Dr. Exuperia Sabalberino, DOH regional director, said that they would be ramping up their vaccination campaign for the region to achieve herd immunity which could drastically result to lowering the number of COVID-19 cases.
The DOH official said that they expect more vaccines will be arriving in the region.
Several leaders in the region have earlier sought for more vaccine allocations for their respective areas to respond the need and help halt any further increase of their COVID-19 cases.
Among them is Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone who said that increasing their vaccine allocation would result to more qualified individuals to receive the jabs.
He said that despite of limited vaccines available, the province was still able to post next to Leyte of highest number of persons inoculated.
As of July 2, the province has received 52,356 vaccines of which 48,056 or 92 percent have been administered.
Of the 404,140 vaccines received by the region, 319,370 were Sinovac; 81,210 AstraZeneca; 1,170 were Pfizer; and 2,400 Gamaleya Sputnik V.
Both Pfizer and Gamaleya Sputnik I vaccines were given to Ormoc City.
Meantime, the number of new cases in the region continue add up its total cases since the start of the pandemic last year.
On Monday (July 5), the region had 191 fresh cases, ballooning its overall cases to 31,345 with 28,874 recoveries.
The region, the DOH said, has 2,077 active cases and 394 total deaths.