In the wake of heavy equipment burning by NPAs in N.Samar

TACLOBAN CITY- Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has directed military officials here in the region  on Tuesday (August 3) to provide security to all projects being undertaken against attacks from the New People’s Army (NPA) members.
Lorenzana made this directive after rebel members torched heavy equipment in Las Navas, Northern Samar last July 29.
The burning of 10 heavy equipment valued at P32 million came after the contractor, which owned the torched equipment, declined to give in to the demand of the rebel group.
“Tulungan natin ang ating mga contractors and their equipment because these are projects of the President.Pag-pinabayaan natin silang sunugin ang kanilang equipment, maabala ang ating mga contactors. Instead na ma-accomplish ang target, hindi nila magawa at yung ang gusto nila (NPAs),” the Defense Secretary said.
He said that most of these projects being targeted by the rebel group is part of the Build, Build, Build project of the Duterte administration.
Lorenzana, together with Public Works and Highways Sec. Mark Villar, attended the inauguration of two buildings of the 546th Engineer Construction Battalion located at Kuta Kankabato, San Jose District, this city which will serve as office and barracks of the said engineering battalion.
The construction of the P48 million worth structures were part of the partnership of the Department of National Defense and the Department of Public Works and Highways under the ‘Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad(TIKAS) project.’
Sec. Villar, for his part, expressed his gratitude to Sec. Lorenzana for his directive to the soldiers saying attacks staged by the NPAs contributes to the delay of projects of the national government.
“I am thankful that Sec. Lorenzana has made a commitment to provide protection of our projects. Naniniwala ako na long-term solution sa ating insurgency problem (ang mga infrastructure projects),” he said.
“Pag may kalsada na ang isang lugar, siyempre, magkaroon ng development at trabaho ng mga locals,” Villar added.
Villar admitted that peace and order sometimes poses a problem for immediate completion of government-funded projects.
“Because of the problem in the peace order, we sought help from the armed forces to hasten the completion of the projects, we have to coordinate for the completion of these projects. We should work hand in hand to continue the Build Build Build program of the administration,” he said.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Eastern Samar District Engineering Office (ESDEO) has completed a 640-meter Farm to Market Road (FMR) in Brgy. Dalid leading to Brgy. Bagacay in Oras, Eastern Samar.
A ribbon cutting of the FMR projects was held on July 23, 2021 which were attended by Congresswoman Mari Fe R. Abunda, officials from DPWH ESDEO and barangay officials of the benefited barangays.
According to DPWH ESDEO Assistant District Engineer Domcelio Natividad, the FMR project has a length of 640 meters, width of 5 meters and has drainage and slope protection.
“This farm-to-market road project is a partnership between Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Agriculture with total project cost of P 9,778,641.42 under DA FY 2020,” said Engr. Natividad.
The assistant head of DPWH ESDEO also disclosed that the FMR was constructed in accordance with the standards and specification of DPWH and that the contractor is still responsible for the repair works within the one-year liability period.
Meanwhile, the barangay captain of Bagacay informed Congw. Abunda that there is still more than one kilometer of roads from the end of the new FMR to barangay Bagacay that still needs to be concreted. He disclosed that they only carry their products on-foot because of trail way road.
Congresswoman Maria Fe R. Abunda said during the ribbon cutting event that the FMR project is really a big help to the local farmers and residents of Dalid and Bagacay.
The representative of the lone district of Eastern Samar also promised that she will help local residents of Bagacay to complete the concreting of the remaining unpaved road in the upcoming funding year.
Maria Jaide Grafil, a resident of Brgy. Bagacay, Oras Eastern Samar, said during an interview that the newly concreted road is a big help to them especially during health emergencies.
“Dara hini nga kalsada, dire na halaba iton malagay nga amon pag aagian,” [Because of this concreted road, we don’t need to walk on lengthy muddy road anymore], Maria Jaide Grafil said.
She also said during the interview that she is really thankful to the government agency for the FMR project because they can now use motorcycles, tricycles and truck during their health emergencies and also in transporting their farm products.
The road project started its construction on March 13, 2021 and was completed June 15 of the same year.(IRMA BALLETE,PIO STAFF/PR)

With the Delta variant confirmed to exist in EV

TACLOBAN CITY- With the presence now of the Delta variant in Eastern Visayas, local government units in the region are scampering by imposing new guidelines as the Department of Health(DOH) are encouraging local government units to ramp up their vaccination drives.
In Biliran, Governor Rogelio Espina issued an executive order on July 31 which among others, directed all of the province’s eight towns to establish a separate isolation facility for patients who would be tested positive of the Delta variant of the coronavirus disease(COVID-19).
In Northern Samar,Dr.Ninfa Kam,provincial health officer, advised the provincial Inter-Agency Task Force to strengthen the province’s border control and to have a stricter implementation of preventive measures to avoid further spread of COVID-19 across the province, especially now with the presence of the Delta variant in the region.
In Eastern Samar, those belonging to the A4 category or frontliners in the economic sector are now advised to get the vaccine to halt further spread of the virus as the DOH has earlier confirmed of nine Delta variant cases in the province one of whom died on July 3 due to complications of lung cancer.
Gov. Ben Evardone, in his Facebook post on Monday, said that some close contacts of a Delta variant carriers were tested positive for COVID-19.
“The Provincial Health Office has confirmed the presence of a local Delta variant transmission in Borongan City after 11 — 4 first and 7 second generation contacts of a Delta variant carrier– were tested positive in the past few days.
According to PHO, the protocol is that all active positive cases in Borongan are considered Delta variant.
Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda has also issued an order to administer vaccine to individuals who are not listed but are within the city’s vaccination area.
In Tacloban City, mobile vaccination was also introduced last week to ensure elderlies who are sick could receive the vaccine to ensure that the city’s number of vaccinated people could increase.
A 45-year old woman from this city was earlier confirmed to have the Delta variant.
The DOH earlier asked the LGUs in the region to ramp up their vaccination campaign amid the detection of the Delta variant in the region.
With more people getting the vaccine, spread of COVID-19 could somehow be addressed, the DOH said.
“The public is asked to get (the) vaccinate and coordinate with your respective local government units for your master listing and schedule in order to get the maximum protection against the severe form of COVID-19,”Dr.Exuperia Sabalberino, health regional director, said.
“None of us is safe until everyone is safe,”she added.
The DOH said that as of July 30, 329,659 individuals across the region have received the jabs of which 178,892 of them administered of the second shots.
On Monday (August 2), the region has 75 new cases, pushing Eastern Visayas total COVID-19 cases to 36,285 with 421 deaths.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)