CATARMAN, Northern Samar—The Department of Agriculture (DA) in partnership with the province’ agriculture office recently launched the ‘Katuwang sa Diwa at Gawas (Kadiwa) ni ANI at KITA at the food terminal located at Sitio Bukasan, Cawayan, this town.
The program aims to provide local farmers and fisherfolks alike access of their products at lower prices, provincial agriculturist Leonida Laodenio said.
“Para an mga paraguma ngan mga parapangisda mayda sira permanente nga mabaligyaan san kanra mga produkto ngan an mga pumaralit makatagamtam man liwat sin tuang nga presyo tungod nga dere na ini maage sin mga negosyante,”she said.
The operation of the food center will be on a daily basis.
During the launching held last March 30, board member Albert Lucero who chairs the agriculture committee at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan said that the launching of the program is an indication that the provincial government under Gov. Edwin Ongchuan is giving full support to the fishermen and farmers in the province.
“An liderato ni Gobernador Ongchuan in gintagan yana prayoridad an sitwasyon san mga paraguma diin pagpasar ordinandsa on agriculture community to be fully supported by the provincial chief executive,” he said.
The products that are readily-available include fruits, root crops, dried fish, fresh fish, native chickens and ducks, vegetables together with organic fertilizers which will be provided by the members of the Farmers Producers Association of Northern Samar, said Darwin Enconado, president of the farmers producers association.
(PETER D. PAREDES)
Northern Samar farmers, fishermen find market at a food terminal initiated by the provincial government and DA
Exec asks Visayas to send medical workers to NCR areas which are experiencing surge of COVID-19 cases
TACLOBAN CITY- Presidential Adviser to the Visayas Undersecretary Anthony Gerard Gonzales is urging governors in the Visayas to send medical personnel to the National Capital Region (NCR) to help the government address the surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is now affecting medical staff of major hospitals in the nation’s capital.
Gonzales said that helping the NCR address its present situation is necessary as it affects the economy of the entire country.
Sending medical personnel would greatly help in addressing the current problem which does not only affect cities in Metro Manila but in its neighboring provinces as well, he added.
“We are also calling on the different provinces, yung mga governors na magpadala rin sila. I’m sure there are many nurses who do not have job at this time, maganda naman yung package at meron namang incentives ang ibibigay ang OPAV at Project Balik Buhay na P5,000 each every month for three months plus other benefit na ibibigay ng government,” Gonzales said.
His office is also calling for registered nurses to volunteer for the deployment at NCR. Those who will volunteer, aside from receiving P5,000 cash incentives every month, they will also be provide with transportation, accommodation, and financial package that amount to around P33,000.
On Wednesday (April 7), 16 medical health workers from the region, composed of 15 nurses and one doctor, travelled to NCR where they are to be assigned at the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City.
They are expected to stay there for at least two months, depending on the situation at NCR.
DOH8 Acting Regional Director Exuperia Sabalberino, DOH-8 acting regional director, said that they may still send another batch of health workers if there is a need.
In an interview with Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado, he said that the province is willing to send health workers since they have list of applicants who are looking for job at the hospital run by the provincial government.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, on his part, said that he already received such request from Gonzales but he still needs to have a meeting with the provincial health office to determine their response because Covid-19 is not the only health problem that the province is attending.
Metro Manila along with its neighboring provinces of Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite are placed by the Inter-Agency Task Force under what they call NCR Plus bubble which are experiencing a spike of COVID-19 cases.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
DOH assigns 16 health workers from the region to NCR
Amid surge of its COVID-19 cases
TACLOBAN CITY- At least 16 health workers from the region left on Wednesday (April 7) for National Capital Region(NCR) where they are to be deployed to augment the medical workers there as the area continue to experience a spike of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The medical team, composed of one doctor and 15 nurses, were praised by Dr. Exuperia Sabalberino, regional director of the Department of Health (DOH) during a simple send-off held at the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, this city.
“There is a higher call for each one of you and I’m sure God will bless you in some other ways. We will be praying for your safety,” she said.
“As health workers, we have moral obligation to help those who are in despair. We are ready to respond 24/7,” Sabalberino added.
Dr. Shiena Ann Legaspi, the lone doctor of the group, said that she is just happy to respond to the call of the national government for them to help their counterparts at the NCR during this time of pandemic.
“While I am a little bit nervous I am still happy to serve during this time of pandemic,” Legaspi, who is from Cordillera Region but assigned at the rural health unit in Basey, Samar for two years now, said.
Sabalberino said that these health workers will be assigned at the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City for a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of two months, depending the COVID-19 situation at their assigned hospital which is among the health facilities which are now in full capacity due to the high number of COVID-19 patients there.
She added that the deployed personnel have received their first doses of anti-COVID vaccine using the Sinovac except for one.
Jerson Edillo, a nurse assigned at the rural health unit of Libagon town, Southern Leyte, said that he would receive his own vaccine at the Lung Center.
“I am not afraid. Just like to be of service to patients who are in dire need due to COVID-19,” he said.
All these assigned medical workers were all DOH-hired assigned at the various rural health units in the region where there are high cases of COVID-19.
Benigno Paulino, who is assigned in a rural health unit in Sta. Margarita, Samar, said that he has enough experience in dealing with COVID-19 patients.
The 32-year old registered nurse said that he was assigned in areas in the region like Tarangnan, Samar, where there were high cases of COVID-19.
“I am ready now. I am already vaccinated and I will just try to be extra careful,” he said.
Sabalberino assured the public that despite of the deployment of these 16 medical health workers, there are still medical personnel in Eastern Visayas to answer the need if there will be a surge of COVID-19 cases in the region.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Pope Francis Village’ beneficiaries finally get houses as promised to them
TACLOBAN CITY-More Taclobanons will finally have their own home away from the danger zones, as the remaining 303 completed housing units in Pope Francis Village (PFV) have been awarded to the identified beneficiaries on Thursday(April 8).
The ceremonial turnover, held at Redemptorist Church, was led by the project implementer thru Fr. Edwin Bacaltos, C.Ss.R. FRANCESCO President, and other partner stakeholders represented by NHA Regional Manager Engr. Constancio Antiniero, DSWD Regional Director Grace Subong, and Engr. Silverio Gempenson, Jr., OIC Leyte 1 District.
Meantime, Phillip Lumbre, PFV Home Owner Association president, who received the symbolic house key during the ceremony on behalf of the housing recipients, expressed gratitude to all the partner agencies, including the local government under Mayor Alfred Romualdez, for the collective efforts done to be able to provide them a place in a safer ground that they can now call “home”.
In deference to health protocols, only block leaders from the said housing site, in Brgy. 99 Diit, received the occupancy permits and certificate of awards.
Witnessing the event, were officials from various partner agencies, including the LGU through the City Housing and Community Development Office thru its OIC Tedence Jopson and one of the Executive Assistants, Atty. Agnes Pacheco, who likewise gave an inspirational message on behalf of the city mayor. Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin and, the chief executive’s son, Raymund Romualdez also graced the activity.
Before the turnover, a mass was officiated by Palo Archbishop John Du to give grace to the beneficiaries who will receive ownership certificates of units in the housing resettlement project.
Since the project started in 2016, a total of 566 completed housing units have been awarded, of which 263 were initially turned over way back in 2019.
To note, unlike other housing projects for Yolanda victims here, the PFV is located seven kilometers away from the city’s business district and very accessible through public transportation.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
DOH receives 14,400 Sinovac vaccines
To be allocated to areas with spike of COVID-19 cases
TACLOBAN CITY- Eastern Visayas received on Wednesday (April 7) an additional 14,400 doses of Sinovac vaccines which will be distributed to areas in the region which are seeing spike of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
But Dr. Exuperia Sabalberino, regional director of the Department of Health (DOH), stressed that the vaccines would only be administered to all health workers and those considered as frontliners.
Among these areas which will receive the vaccines is the island town of Tagapul-an in Samar province, which is seeing an increase number of COVID-19 cases, she said.
At present, Tagapul-an, which has a population of more than 8,400, has 27 cases of which some of its new cases involved health workers and frontliners.
“These Sinovac vaccines will be distributed all over the region with priority to local government units which have rising number of cases like Tagapul-an,” Sabalberino said.
“That is why, we are reminding our local chief executives to please follow the prioritization criteria. That our frontliners will be prioritized because they are the ones who are most at risk,” she added.
Sabalberino said that more than 22,000 health workers and frontliners have so far received their first doses of vaccines using the Sinovac and AstraZeneca brands.
“We have completed 100 percent for our medical workers assigned at hospitals and rural health units in the region,” she said.
But the DOH official said that they have extended their priority list by including those manning the checkpoints and assigned at the barangay response teams reason that their priority list has now increase to over 82,000 from the previous 27,000 individuals who were mostly medical workers.
Sabalberino said that she could not say yet as to how many doses of vaccines Eastern Visayas will receive next time, saying this depends on the number of vaccines received by the national government.