TACLOBAN CITY-Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento said that he is now in self-quarantine admitting that he had “close contact” with individuals who were later found to be positive of COVID-19.

He, however, said that despite of his self-quarantine, he continues to work for the benefits of his constituents in Samar’s first congressional district.

Sarmiento made this disclosure in a message he posted on his Facebook account on Wednesday (March 25).

“Some of you might be wondering of my whereabouts, reason why I have to come up with my official statement. I am in self-quarantine and have to make sure that I will not infect my beloved constituents and family because I was in close contact with individuals who have been tested positive of COVID-19.I cannot disclose any other information about this to ensure their privacy,” he said.

Earlier ACT-CIS Rep.Eric Yap admitted to be positive of the coronavirus disease 2019.

Sarmiento said that while he feels week, he did not take any diagnostic test provided by the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM), alluding to reports that some of the country’ officials used their position to have their samples taken to the disadvantage of those who are mostly needed.

“I have not taken the diagnostic test for COVID-19. Although I feel weak, but asymptomatic as of the moment. I do not fit the Department of Health’s criteria for testing since we have limited resources rather I have to give way to symptomatic cases and in dire need of the test. The proper and responsible action to take is to practice self-quarantine for at least 14 days to ensure that I have not been infected. I am doing it for 21 days, the 7 additional days would be an allowance to guarantee that I am indeed virus-free,” he said.

Sarmiento, who is the chairman of the committee on transportations, attended a special session conducted by the House of Representatives which granted Pres.Rodrigo Duterte special powers to address the COVID-19 menace in the country.

Still, he said, he continues to work with officials of the district like the mayors to address the COVID-19 problem in the congressional district like proper information dissemination and in the distribution of food packs to the villagers.

“I, together with the Office of Majority Leader Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Tingog Partylist Rep. Yedda Romualdez, lobbied for the establishment of a Regional COVID-19 testing laboratory in Tacloban City. Once all the testing requirements are in place, there can be more COVID-19 tests that can be done in our region without the need to send samples to RITM in Manila,” he said.

The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center is being considered as the testing center for Eastern Visayas.

“For those of us who can, let us continue to heed our government’s advice: stay at home. With this pandemic that is haunting our country and the rest of the world, let us continuously pray that finally the virus will be eradicated. In time, we will recover from this pandemic,” Sarmiento said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- For the very first time, one of the country’s oldest presentation on the passion and death of Jesus Christ held at the nearby town of Palo, Leyte province would not be staged.

The annual Lenten presentation, held at the grounds of the Palo Cathedral every morning of Good Friday, was cancelled due to the pandemic cause by the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).

Mabel Moron-Sevilla, stage director of the annual event which is supposed to mark its 46^th staging this year, said that with a heavy heart, the event has to be cancelled in deference to the policy of the government to avoid big gathering amidst the threat of COVID-19.

The Lenten presentation, known in Waray dialect as ‘Pamalandong’, is considered to be Eastern Visayas’ most known live reenactment on the passion and death of Jesus Christ which attracts tens of thousands of crowds.

“I just felt sad that we will be missing this annual Lenten sacrifice this year. This has already become a tradition in the parish for 45 years but there is a very strong reason to cancel it,” Moron-Sevilla said.

“The Church made the announcement on the cancellation of all Lenten activities that would call for Churchgoers to converge because of this pandemic,” she added.

The annual event, which starts around 11 am and ends at 3 pm, the time Jesus Christ was believed to have died at the Cross, is participated around 300 individuals from Palo town.

Based on the record of the Palo municipal government, there are about three patients under investigation (PUIs) and 492 persons under monitoring (PUMs). (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY – At least 57 foreign tourists who were stranded here in the region were assisted by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to return to Manila via chartered flight.

These foreign tourists were affected by the Luzon-wide lockdown which resulted to the stoppage of air flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). 

They were among the 7,915 tourists who were assisted through sweeper flights to NAIA and Clark International Airport with the help of Philippine Airline, Cebu Pacific, Air Asia and Air Swift.

The tourists were flown out at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport past 10 a.m. through Cebu Pacific on March 26.

The sweeper flight is a program of the DOT and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

The tourists came from various places of the region.

“There are still foreign tourists left in the region but so far that is the only sweeper flights given to us by the central office,” DoT8 Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said.

“They fall under the exemption of entry prohibition in Metro Manila,” Tiopes added.

Before boarding their flight, the stranded tourists during their arrival at the pre-departure area were instructed to follow the health departments COVID-19 protocol which includes body temperature test and disinfection or sanitizing procedure.

The tourism sector was the first to feel the effect of COVID-19 pandemic after tourist destinations and hotel operations were shutdown.

In the region among the tourist destinations that were temporarily closed were the Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte; and Lulugayan Falls in Calbiga, Samar, among others. (ROEL T. AMAZONA) xxx

PALO, Leyte- The regional office of the Department of Health assured the public that they are doing their best to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) as it confirmed that there is now one confirmed case.

According to Dr. Minerva Molon, the health regional director, the patient confirmed to have the virus is currently confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVMC) and should be a cause of alarm that she could further infect others.

Molon also said that the virus could be spread thru droplets and mucus and not airborne.

She further added that the people should remain calm and should not panic because when they become anxious the tendency, they tend to lose focus.

The health official also said that the patient is now recovering, a good indication that one could recover from the disease.

“Now that there is a patient positive for COVID-19, the more that people should be careful. We should triple our efforts,” said Molon.

The 1st case in the region is a 51yo woman who is from Catarman, Northern Samar.

The DOH received the test result from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine on March 23, the same day the patient was supposed to be discharged from her confinement at the EVRMC. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Baybay City was placed under community quarantine as a measure for possible spread of the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).

Under his Executive Order Number 55 he signed on March 22, City Mayor Jose Carlos Cari directed for the temporary closure of all business establishments operating in the city during the entire duration of the community quarantine implementation.

However, establishments considered to be delivering essential services and goods like restaurants, banks and remittance centers, pharmacies, gasoline stations, mobile phone distributors, among others, are still to operate 

And to ensure the continuous supply of food in the city, its public market, which is being sanitized daily, will also be open. 

Establishment which are allowed to remain open to the public are mandated to strictly observe social or physical distancing.

Mayor Cari has also directed all its villages to strictly enforce the community quarantine, especially for those which have persons under investigation and persons under monitoring who are mandated to have a 14-day quarantine.

Checkpoints in strategic areas of the city manned by the police and the soldiers together with health personnel were also established to control the flow of people coming in and out of the city.

Under the order of the city mayor, hoarding and panic buying are also prohibited as well as the imposition of curfew, particularly for senior citizens and children on a 24-hour basis.

The city’s public plaza was also temporarily closed for any gathering of people. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)xxx