TACLOBAN CITY- At least 26 towns in Eastern Visayas lack firefighting facilities and many firefighters have no personal protection equipment, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported on Wednesday.
Senior Supt. Renato Marcial, BFP 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director, said in a press briefing they also need nearly 1,000 additional firemen to meet personnel required for the region’s 136 towns and seven cities.
The official said he hopes that the need would be addressed as soon as the Department of the Interior and Local Government has laid out its modernization program.
“Although some areas have no fire stations, they are still being served by BFP through clustering, like in some parts of Samar and Eastern Samar. Our mission is that by the year 2034, we will have a modern and highly capable fire service, but we will be able to achieve that earlier,” Marcial said.
Samar province has the most number of areas without fire stations and fire trucks. These are the towns of Almagro, Daram, San Jose de Buan, Sto. Niño, Tagapul-an, Talalora, and Zumarraga.
In Northern Samar, these are the towns of Biri, Bobon, Lapinig, Rosario, San Vicente, and Victoria. Without fire stations in Eastern Samar are the towns of Llorente, Maydolong, Mercedes, and San Julian.
Marcial said that even the more accessible towns of Leyte, such as Julita and Macarthur, do not have any fire station. Lapaz town has a fire station, but has no fire truck, according to BFP’s record.
In Biliran province, only the island town of Maripipi has no firefighting facility.
Also included in the list are the towns of Anahawan, Limasawa, Padre Burgos, Pintuyan, and Tomas Oppus in Southern Leyte.
This is already a big improvement compared to 2015 where 56 areas in the region lacked fire stations and trucks.
Procurement concerns in the past had been the setback in BFP’s goal to establish a fire station, provide one fire truck, and at least four personnel in every town.
To establish one fire station and acquire a new fire truck, the BFP needs at least PHP22 million, Marcial said.
The BFP is stepping up its fire prevention drive in Eastern Visayas, even if fire incidents in the region have not reached threatening levels in the past years.
The official said the best defense against fire is the awareness of people on how to prevent such incidents in their own houses and in the community.
This Fire Prevention Month, the BFP will distribute information materials, conduct lectures, inspect all establishments, test fire hydrants, conduct fire disaster emergency evacuation planning, conduct drills, monitor hazard operations, and identification of fire-prone areas.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)
26 Eastern Visayas towns without fire stations, trucks: BFP
Residents express opposition to the cutting of centuries-old tower; move part of a plan to construct school building
In Maasin City
TACLOBAN CITY—Residents and netizens have expressed dismay on a plan to remove a centuries-old structure in Maasin City.
City Mayor Nacional Mercado said that while he is not authorized to approve the plan of the Diocese of Maasin to remove the 243-year old structure located within the compound of a private Catholic school, he agreed that “if the structure will fall under cultural heritage structure then I think it must be respected.”
“The letter was legitimate. We received it last October (2018) and endorsed it to Sangguniang Panglungsod (SP). When SP turned down their request, we advised them to write to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). It is now for the diocese to write a letter request to NHCP,” Mercado said.
However, the mayor appealed to the public who criticized the plan to “just let the NHCP decide on this matter since this is under their jurisdiction.”
According to the letter, the request to remove the structure is to give way for the construction of the additional building to accommodate the growing population of the said school.
It said that the old structure “is not capable of holding the weight of the intended new building at the said area and would just compromise the strength and safety of the said new building” based on the suggestion of its structural engineer.
Residents from the city have expressed their opposition to the cutting of the more than 200 years old structure.
“I hope that the diocese won’t pursue this. I hope they won’t request further. But rather, save it, take good care of it, and use it to teach this generation more about Maasin, its history and culture,” said Amelia Fe Mancera, a cultural worker from the city.
“It’s ironic. While many towns and cities all over the country are fighting tooth and nail in order to preserve their historic structures, here we are in Maasin, planning to destroy ours,” added Sondra Demeterio, an overseas Filipino worker from the city.
She cited how other places in the country takes pride in their Spanish colonial era watchtowers and turn them into tourist attractions like in La Union, Dauis, and Dalaguete, among others.
The structure in Maasin City was built in 1776 by the Augustinian fathers.
As of press time, Leyte Samar Daily Express has yet to get a reply on its email and text inquiry from the diocese over the said issue.
(RONALD O. REYES)
From street children to street artists
In Calbayog City
This is now how former street children in Calbayog City now earns.
TACLOBAN CITY – From begging in the streets to selling their art works.
This is now how former street children in Calbayog City now earn. And they have to thank Dennis Calag, a local artist who came up with this initiative.
Calag said that considering that these children have no experience in drawings, he just allowed them to sketch anything and become creative and imaginative in the process.
The former beggars were given drawing materials by Calag but some of them lost their materials reason why he devised some ways like using paper boards.
The children’s artworks are sold from P1 to P5.
Calag said that their previous earning of P20 to P30 out from begging, the children could now earn as much as P100 from selling their simple art works.
While it was Calag who initiated this kind of activity which warmed the hearts of the people, he does not like to be solely recognized saying credit should go to the children themselves.
This heartwarming story has captured the hearts of many after a social media user posted this story of Calag, praising him for what he did while others asked how they could help the children.
“It was like a social experiment. I wanted to know people’s reaction when they see street children selling their artworks rather than asking for alms and so far, the response was positive,” Calag said.
Calag appealed to the public not just to patronize the art works of the children but also take some time with them to really know their stories and why they were forced to beg for money.
Calag added that he is happy to learn that there are artists from other provinces who were inspired and wanted to replicate what he did in Calbayog City.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Cristina appeals to parents to have kids vaccinated
With over 140 measles cases and 5 deaths
TACLOBAN CITY- City Mayor Cristina Romualdez has asked parents to have their children vaccinated, particularly on anti-measles vaccine.
The call of Mayor Romualdez came as measles cases in Tacloban City continue to increase.
As of this week, the regional office of the Department of Health (DOH) reported that out of the 767 measles cases of the region, 145 of them were from Tacloban City. Five of them have been confirmed dead due to measles.
“Our children should be vaccinated. The (parents) should not get scared to have their children vaccinated,” Romualdez said.
The city mayor said that even adults who have not received anti-measles vaccines should get one to avoid getting the ailment.
The DOH has confirmed that while majority of those who get sick due to measles were children, there were also adults who were afflicted of the ailment.
So far, the oldest person in the region affected by the measles virus was an 80-year old man.
Mayor Romualdez assured the parents that the vaccination campaign of the DOH is safe and they should not be afraid.
The sudden increase of measles cases in the region and the rest of the country was partly due to the controversy generated by the Dengvaxia scare.
Dengvaxia was supposed to be an antidote against dengue fever but there were parents who claimed that their children died after they received the Dengvaxia shots.
The DOH, due to the controversy, banned Dengvaxia in the country.
Mayor Romualdez said that the City Health Office is in position to attend their needs.
John Paul Roca, regional information officer of the DOH, said that aside from rural health centers of local government units, they have also put up vaccination centers in barangay halls and even in schools.
They have also assigned nurses to the different villages to ensure that children who have not been vaccinated could be given the needed shots.
BY: JOEY A. GABIETA
Carpenter, laborer busted for illegal drugs selling
TACLOBAN CITY- A carpenter and a laborer were busted for alleged drug selling in two separate anti-drug operations last week.
In a joint operation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine National Police (PNP), authorities arrested Michael Picardial, 31, laborer and a resident of Barangay 107, Sta. Elena, New Hope Village, in Tacloban City on February 19.
Confiscated from the suspect, who earlier surrendered under the Oplan: Tokhang, were two pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance suspected to be “shabu” weighing 2.0 grams with an estimated market value of P13,600.
In Maasin City, operatives also caught Glenn Batistil, 41, married and a carpenter from Brgy. Combado on February 18.
During the buy-bust operation, police recovered 13 pieces of alleged shabu weighing 1.5 grams with an estimated value of P10, 200 and drug paraphernalia.
The two suspects are facing charges for violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), and Section 12 (Possession of Drug Paraphernalia) under Article II of RA 9165.
(RONALD O. REYES)
CSC asked to revoke recall order issued against provincial employees
In Eastern Samar
TACLOBAN CITY- About eight regular employees of the provincial government in Eastern Samar have sought relief before the Civil Service Commission (CSC)on their transfer.
On their petition, Helen Cadalin, Cirilo Quinsayas, Rowel Moscosa, Gwendolina Gunda, Rosie Rapal, Ariel Evardone, Vivian Lavado, and Norodom Victor Pinarok claimed that the detail order issued to them by Governor Marcelo Ferdinand Picardal should be recalled describing it ‘whimsical, capricious, and illegal.’
The appellants, on their January 23 joint petition, said that the move of Gov. Picardal was in contrary to CSC Resolution Number 1800692, or the Omnibus on Appointments and other Human Resource Actions.
They claimed that they were removed from their respective posts and offices and were transferred to their new assignments of which they were not trained or familiar.
They also claimed that the detail order issued to them by Gov. Picardal is being construed by them as a constructive removal as it did not indicated the number of days or months on their stay to their new assignments.
“We low salaried rank and file employees, individually received such document purporting to be re-assign/detail order without prior written notice, information and/or hearing on the reasons, nature and cause of our individual transfer/detail from the Office of the Governor and/or the Human Resource Management Office,” they said on their joint petition.
The affected personnel, prior to their reassignments, belong to different offices under the Office of Governor like the Provincial Planning and Development Office, Provincial Legal Office, Provincial Social Welfare and Development, Human Resource, and Provincial Agriculture.
All were reassigned to different district hospitals in the province like the Albino M. Duran Memorial Hospital based in Balangiga town; Felipe Abrigo Memorial Hospital in Guiuan; Taft District Hospital; Quinapondan Community District Hospital, among others.
The transfer of these affected employees were made by Gov. Picardal due to ‘exigency of service.’
Earlier, provincial administrator George Erroba said that the governor initiated the transfer of several provincial employees where they could best serve the people of Eastern Samar.
Erroba also dismissed insinuations that the transfer was politically-motivated. (JOEY A. GABIETA)