Among them are 2 governors and 4 solons

TACLOBAN CITY-At least two governors and four members of Congress were among the candidates from the region have sought for security details, citing possible threat to their lives as the main reason for seeking such protection.
Based on the records of the Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) which is composed of regional office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as its chair, Philippine National Police (PNP-8), and the Philippine Army in the region as members, about 30 candidates who are running in the May 13,2019 elections have asked for security details.
Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, police regional director, said that both the PNP and the Army in the region conducted their assessment before they approved on the request of these candidates.
Once approved, they will be entitled to two security personnel who are required to be always in their uniform every time they perform their protective duties, Carlos said.
The police official said that if these candidates would be discovered to have more than two security details, they would be asked to explain. Otherwise, their security detail would be pulled out, he added.
“If they will have more than two security detail, they will be violating the policy and we will ask them to explain,” Carlos said.
However, they will only be entitled to have more than the required security detail if they will be attending a big and public gathering, the police regional director said.
But this additional security will be pulled out immediately after the event.
In the region, among the governors who sought for security detail were Leopoldo Dominico Petilla of Leyte and Sharee Ann Tan of Samar.
Petilla is seeking for a possible third term while Tan is seeking for a congressional seat of Samar’s second congressional district.
The members of Congress from the region who asked the same security protection were Milagrosa Tan and Edgar Mary Sarmiento, of Samar’s 1st and 2nd congressional districts; Lucy Torres Gomez and Jose Carlos Cari, representing Leyte’s fourth and fifth congressional districts, respectively.
Rep. Tan, serving on her last term, is running for governor of Samar while both Sarmiento and Torres Gomez are seeking for reelection.
Torres Gomez husband, Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez, who is seeking for a possible second term, also asked for security escorts.
Rep. Cari is running for mayor of Baybay City. His son, Carl Nicolas, who is seeking to replace him, also sought for his own security guards.
All three congressional candidates for the lone district of Eastern Samar have also applied for security detail, namely, Mayors Maria Fe Abunda of Borongan City; Christopher Sheen Gonzales of Guiuan town; and Vice Mayor Conrado Nicart III of San Policarpo.
A congressional candidate for Leyte’s second district, Karen Lolita Javier, also applied for a security detail.
Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino, who is seeking for reelection, also asked for security detail.
Others who sought for security details were candidates for vice governor (1), mayor (10), vice mayor (4), and board member (1). (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reiterated its reminder to the public not to consume shellfish from two Eastern Visayas bays as red tide phenomenon remains.
In its laboratory test last week, BFAR still found the red tide algal bloom in Cancabato and Matarinao bays in Eastern Samar. Shellfish ban has been up in Matarinao and Cancabato since October 2018 and early January 2019, respectively.
BFAR Regional Director Juan Albaladejo, in a mobile phone interview, said Wednesday(Feb.6) this is the longest occurrence of red tide in Cancabato Bay. The bay has a good flushing action due to the strong current in the San Juanico Strait.
This is the third red tide bloom in Cancabato after Super Typhoon Yolanda struck in 2013. The first only lasted three days and the second occurred for three weeks.
“Usually, it is taking so long for Matarinao Bay because the area is enclosed. The longest recorded was in 2010 where it extended for a year. We need strong continuous rains and sustained wave action to flush out the red tide organism,” he added.
The presence of red tide in both shellfish meat and water calls for the prohibition of gathering, trading, and consumption of shellfish from identified areas over the possibility of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).
According to website of the Washington State Department of Health, PSP is a naturally occurring marine biotoxin produced by some species of microscopic algae. Shellfish eat these algae and can retain the toxin. People can become ill from eating shellfish contaminated with PSP and high levels of the toxin can even cause death.
BFAR conducts weekly monitoring of seawater in bays hit by red tide in the past, but for positive areas, authorities examine water and meat samples three times weekly.
The fisheries bureau advised the public to refrain from eating, harvesting, selling, and buying shellfish products and Acetes sp. (small shrimps) from the affected bays until such time that the shellfish toxicity level has gone down below the regulatory level.
Fish caught in these areas are safe for human consumption provided that these are fresh, washed and cooked thoroughly, the BFAR advisory said.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)