TACLOBAN CITY-More than 500,000 condoms and pills remain undistributed by the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) here in the region due to the quarantine.
This was disclosed by Elnora Pulma, Popcom regional director, who said that these commodities need to be distributed as this could impact on their family planning program and services.
It was learned that due to the quarantine, which restricts their movements, the Popcom in the region has still 500,000 pills and 77,600 condoms that need to be distributed to their ‘acceptors’ or those who have availed of their family planning program or services.
Pulma said that they are alarmed that if these commodities would not be distributed, this could not only lead to what they described as ‘unplanned pregnancies’ but would also result to the decline on the number of their acceptors.
As of May of this year, there are 1,751 acceptors of pills, injectables, and condoms across the region.
Due to the quarantine, which took effect March of this year and said to be in effect until July 15 of this year, Popcom is projecting an increase of pregnancies and births.
Eastern Visayas has more than 4.4 million population with a birth rate of 1.9 percent.
In Leyte alone, 36,000 new babies are expected this year, Dr. Edgardo Daya, chief of Leyte Provincial Hospital.
Pulma said that they hope that the quarantine would be lifted soon so they could start the distribution of these commodities to various hospitals and rural health centers as well as private clinics.
She added that at least in the case in Leyte, they can distribute these items through the assistance of the Provincial Health Office and through a ‘border-to-border’ distribution, of each town or city in the province.
Popcom has earlier distributed to Leyte at least 90,000 of condoms.
“We have tried to ask the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) to allow us to distribute these commodities to our acceptors but our request was turned down considering that there is a spike of COVID-19 cases here in our region,” Pulma said during a press conference on Thursday marking this week’s World Population Day to be held on July 11.
OCD is part of the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19.
Eastern Visayas was tagged by the Department of Health earlier as an ‘emerging COVID-19 hot spot’ due to its increasing number of coronavirus disease 2019. At present it has 611 COVID-19 cases with three deaths.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Quarantine bars Popcom to distribute over 500,000 pills and condoms in the region
DOH: 498 patients recover from COVID-19
Quarantine, lockdown enforcement cited among factors
TACLOBAN CITY- The number of recoveries from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continued to increase in Eastern Visayas, with 12 recoveries as of Friday,(July 10),bringing the total number of recovered cases to 498 or 81.11% while the total number of confirmed cases now at 614.
In Tacloban City alone, the City Health Office reported that it has already discharged its remaining COVID-19 active case on Wednesday afternoon.
The city had 58 COVID-19 cases.
The region has three fatalities due to COVID-19 coming from the towns of Tarangan, Samar; Kananga, Leyte; and Kawayan in Biliran.
Dr. Minerva Molon, regional director of Department of Health (DOH), said 98 health workers who recovered from the coronavirus are already back to their work.
The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) has only one remaining healthcare worker confirmed with COVID-19, according to Molon.
“The patient is asymptomatic and still isolated. We still have health workers assigned in the field who have been tested with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic and still isolated. All DOH employees confirmed with Covid-19 have already recovered,” Molon said during a virtual presser on Thursday (July 9).
She added that the region was able to control the community transmission of COVID-19.
“This can be attributed to the coordinated efforts of all sectors of the community especially the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force and Regional Task Force. The early implementation of lockdown and the immediate isolation/quarantine of returning residents have greatly reduced the transmission of the infections,” Molon said.
The health official also urged the local government units with locally acquired cases to “intensify contact tracing to prevent further community transmission.”
“Municipalities like Tarangnan (Samar), La Paz, Burauen, and Hilongos, Leyte have no recorded local cases and the previous declaration of having a local transmission can now be lifted,” Molon said.
“For a province, municipality, or city to declare their area as ‘COVID-19 free’, one must have no recorded new Covid-19 cases for the past two incubation period or 28 days,” she added.
The DOH counts 14-days for the incubation period of the virus.
Meantime, the so-called locally stranded individuals (LSIs) continue to log the most number infected with the virus.
Out of the current 614 COVID-19 cases of the region, 397 of them are LSIs while the rest were locally acquired (160); returning overseas workers (52); and beneficiaries of the Balik Probinsiya program, 3.
BY: RONALD O. REYES/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA
234 new cops take oath in Eastern Visayas
PALO, Leyte- A total of 234 new policemen took their oath on Wednesday (July 1) at the Camp Ruperto Kangleon grounds, this town.
Brigadier General Bernabe Balba, director of Police Regional Office (PRO)-8, congratulated the new batch of officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for passing the rigorous selection process.
“To the newly recruits, you have met an incredible obstacle on your journey of becoming police officers, and keep this in mind that being such is not just a mere job, but rather, it is a title with responsibility, passion, and dedication,” Balba said.
He also thanked the medical personnel, recruitment team, and other personnel in-charge in the recruitment process “who made extra efforts for the accomplishment of this recruitment amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.”
“I always want to emphasize the three basic Filipino values which actually and faithfully represent the fundamentals of law enforcement that are all attuned to and aligned with the focus directives of our Chief PNP General Archie Francisco Gamboa. These core values are summed up by the acronym 3M, represented by Malinis, Magalang, and Maasahan,” the police official said in a statement.
Out of the 1,305 applicants who have undergone the face to face interview for the First Cycle CY 2020 Regular Recruitment Program, only 234 successfully passed the process.
“Of these 234, 196 are males and 38 are females. To fill up the quota of 250 recruits,16 male qualified applicants from Police Regional Office (PRO) – 6 are now en route to join as they are realigned to this PRO,” added Lieutenant Colonel Ma. Bella Rentuaya, spokesperson of PRO-8.
The new batch of police officers will undergo the mandatory training, Public Safety Basic Recruit Course (PSBRC) for six months at the Regional Training Center (RTC) in Kuta Kankabato, San Jose, Tacloban City.
It will be followed by another six months of the Field Training Program (FTP).
According to Rentuaya, the recruitment process followed all the health guidelines and protocols amid the health crisis.
(RONALD O.REYES with RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT )