TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had distributed so far 59,268 waitlisted beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) across the region.
Out of these number of beneficiaries, 10,317 received the P5,000 cash assistance through direct cash payout while remaining 48,951 through digital payment.
The DSWD had distributed a total of P296.340 million to beneficiaries from 127 local government units.
The waitlisted beneficiaries were from Leyte province with 29,573; 11,057 from Samar;9,362 from Northern Samar; 3, 999 from Eastern Samar; 3, 845 from Southern Leyte; and 1,432 from Biliran province.
Among those who received SAP was the 86-year old Consuelo from Allen, Northern Samar who said that at her old age, it is now difficult for her to work for a living.
“I’m thankful to the DSWD for the SAP assistance. I can now buy milk, vitamins, and for my maintenance,” she said.
Raymundo from Ormoc City was also thankful to the financial assistance from the government through the DSWD.
“This P5,000 cash assistance is a big help to my family, especially now that it is hard to look for job,” he said.
Raymundo said that the will use the SAP assistance to buy food, and medicine for his wife who suffered from stroke and has high blood problem.
Another waitlisted SAP beneficiary from Babatngon town, named Marcelina is also thankful to the assistance given by the agency to her.
Marcelina after receiving the P5,000 immediately went to a store to buy medicine, vitamins, milk, and food.
The SAP beneficiaries comes from qualified poor families who did not received the cash assistance during the first tranche, DSWD Regional Director Marie Angela Gopalan said.
During the first tranche, Gopalan said they released a total of P2.75 billion, serving 550,480 families from the region’s 143 towns and cities. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
More than 59,000 waitlisted families in the region received SAP from DSWD
Mayor Romualdez asks Taclobanons to visit cemeteries before Oct.29 closure
TACLOBAN CITY-To mitigate spread of pandemic virus this All Saints and All Souls Days, City Mayor Alfred Romualdez enjoins Taclobanons to visit their dearly departed loved ones before October 29 since all the public and private cemeteries will be temporarily closed.
In a statement, the city mayor confirmed that the temporary closure of cemeteries will start on October 29 until November 4 and in compliance to a directive from the national inter-agency task force.
However, those who want to visit their loved ones could do so until Oct.24 though cemeteries would only accept at their 50 percent capacities.
And during this time, they are strictly directed to follow all the health protocols during their visit. (GBG-TISAT / CIO)
Region registers 8.1 percent unemployment rate in July 2020
TACLOBAN CITY – The unemployment rate of the region has declined to 8.1 percent in July 2020 from a record-high of 14.3 percent in April 2020, a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) regional office.
PSA Regional Director Wilma Perante said that the 8.1 percent in July 2020 is 3.9 percentage points is higher compared with the 4.2 percent in July 2019.
Perante said that Eastern Visayas ranked 9th among 17 regions in the country with low employment rate.
She explained that unemployment rate is the proportion of unemployed persons to the total labor force while unemployed persons are persons in the labor force who are reported as without work; and currently available for work; and seeking work or not seeking work.
Perante said that out of the estimated 3.1 million population in the region, 15 years old and over in July 2020, about 1.9 million were economically active or in the labor force.
“This number translates to a Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of 60.9 percent. This figure is 1.1 percentage point lower compared with the 62.0 percent LFPR in the same period a year ago. Among the regions, Eastern Visayas registered the seventh lowest LFPR,” she said.
The PSA official reported that about 1.7 million persons in the labor force of Eastern Visayas were employed.
“This translates to an employment rate of 91.9 percent or 3.9 percentage points lower than the 95.8 percent employment rate recorded in 2019 but 6.2 percentage points higher than the 85.7% in April 2020,” she said.
Perante also explained that the employment rate is the proportion of employed persons to the total labor force.
She added that among the employed persons in July 2020, 0.8 percent worked for more than 48 hours per week due to the quarantine measures of the COVID-19 pandemic. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
Fabrigas asks those who apply for health certificates not to tamper needed documents
TACLOBAN CITY- Please be honest.
This was the appeal of Dr. Gloria Fabrigas, health officer of this city, amid reports that there were those who applied for health certificates tampering their documents.
Applying for health certificate in the city is now through online to avoid physical contact that could result to spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The document is used by individuals for them to travel to other areas in the region due to travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Fabrigas said disclosed that they have received around 100 applications with forged barangay certificates and identification cards.
“Upon verification, for example 500 an naissue namin there are about 93 to 100 na nade-deny, kasi fine-fake yung brgy certificate and ibang IDs,” she said.
“That is why, we deny some applications kasi pinapalitan lang nila ang date nang barangay certificate or yung pangalan,” Fabrigas added.
The city health officer also said that some applicants are not also providing their own e-mail address.
Online application of health certificate goes through a process that includes verification of documents submitted online by the applicant.
Aside from barangay certificate and identification card, the applicants are also asked for their QR code.
“Marami ang nagrereklamo na hindi sila nakakakuha ng health certificate but upon verification marami po ang hindi totoo yung kanilang brgy certificate at yung kanilang QR code,” Fabrigas said.
Fabrigas then asked city residents to plan ahead when they are applying for health certificate as they can only issue 500 a day.
Cases of applicants using tampered barangay certificate and fake IDs are forwarded to the City Legal Office.
City Administrator Aldrin Jude Quebec said that they are bent in filing appropriate actions against people who are using fake documents in applying for the health certificate.
“This will only take time because of our process but definitely we will take action to discipline these people,” he said.
Quebec added that it is important for the city government to enforce protocols and policies to prevent the transmission COVID-19.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Pamana reverted P20 million to national coffers
TACLOBAN CITY – Around P20 million budget for the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) implementation in the region was reverted to the national government for funding government intervention against corona virus disease (COVID-19).
This was disclosed by Pamana’s regional manager Emilda Bonifacio who added that the national government assured her that this would be replaced.
The fund was intended for the implementation of livelihood projects in areas that are being assisted by the Pamana with the help of national government agencies.
“There was a problem on implementing the livelihood project due to COVID-19 because there is a need for a face-to-face interaction which is not allowed in our present health protocols,” Bonifacio said.
“We cannot distribute the funds not unless we are able to meet and talk to the beneficiaries,” she added.
Bonifacio clarified that their road projects would still continue as funding for these was not stopped.
“We assure our partners that our inter-road projects, particularly those located in Samar provinces, will continue,” she said.
Since 2011, the national government through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) in the implementation of Pamana projects had downloaded more than P4.2 billion fund for Eastern Visayas.
“Hopefully by 2020, our proposed projects will be funded as these are involves big road network for the promotion of peace and development for Eastern Visayas,” she said.
Aside from big road networks and livelihood projects, Pamana also funds farm-to-market roads, and potable water systems mostly in communities in Samar province identified to be affected by the New People’s Army influence. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
EV’s COVID-19 cases now at over 5,000
Calbayog City placed under selective hard lockdown
By: Roel T. Amazona
TACLOBAN CITY-At least 84 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Eastern Visayas were reported on Friday, bringing its total cases to 5,195.
The new cases were from Leyte provinces with 36; Samar,20; Northern Samar, seven; and Southern Leyte, one.
Meantime, the Department of Health (DOH) in the region has identified 18 barangays wherein there are clustering of COVID-19 cases which means there are more than three infected persons in these areas.
Of these villages, nine are from Calbayog City, Samar province; four in Catbalogan City, also in Samar; and one each from Tacloban city and the towns of Barugo, Palo, Kananga, all in Leyte; and one from Liloan, Southern Leyte.
In Calbayog City, Mayor Ronald Aquino has placed 16 barangays in the city under ‘hard lockdown’ for 14 days which started Friday at 6 pm.
Placed under hard lockdown by the city government were the villages of Aguit-itan, Bagacay, Balud, Capoocan, Carmen, Central, Dagum, East Awang, Hamorawon, Matobato, Nijaga, Obrero, Payahan, San Policarpo, West Awang, and Rawis.
Aquino said that the city government will provide food pack assistance to the residents who will be affected by the lockdown.
Aquino added that although that it is a tough decision to place the city under selective hard lockdown, this is the only solution that they can think of to decrease their COVID-19 cases attributed to people who are not following health protocols like staying at home.
Business establishments in the city are prohibited to operate except for those providing essential goods like pharmacy and drug store, grocery, water refilling station, bakeshop, and other food needs.
Public transportation is also prohibited to operate to limit the mobility of the affected residents and spread of the virus.
According to Councilor Christopher Corsiga, who is the ground commander of the city’s inter-agency task force, said that these villages have high cases of COVID-19 reason why these areas are to be placed under hard lockdown.
Corsiga, who is a councilor, added that by placing these villages under hard lockdown for 14 days, they hope that COVID-19 cases on these areas would go down.
“The hard lockdown will only for 14 days as this is one way to decrease our COVID-19 cases. We need your cooperation, especially the barangay officials. If there is a need for them to put up a checkpoint, they can do it. We want to lessen the mobility of our people (in these areas) as viral transmission will be limited,” Corsiga said in a radio interview.
Residents of these villages would be barred from leaving their homes unless for essential and work purposes.
Currently, Calbayog has 336 COVID-19 cases with two deaths.