TACLOBAN CITY- The operation of the three sea terminals in Allen town, Northern Samar resumed at around 5 am Monday(Oct.26)after the no sailing policy was lifted by the Coast Guard due to the threat of tropical storm ‘Quinta’ that hit parts of Eastern Visayas on Sunday(Oct.25).
Based on the report of the Coast Guard based in Allen town, about 668 passengers, bound for Luzon, were stranded in the three terminals since Sunday- Bhalwartico with 255 passengers; Sta. Clara with 373 passengers; and Dapdap with 40 passengers.
The Department of Public Works and Highways in the province has also reported that all major roads and bridges were not affected by the heavy rains spawned by Quinta.
However, a portion of the Calbayog-Catarman Road was temporarily rendered impassable after a minor landslide hit in the said area with about 20 cubic meter of rocks cascaded from a hilly portion to the road. Clearing operation was immediately conducted by the DPWH.
Several parts in Calbayog and Catbalogan cities and in Mapanas and Catubig towns, both in Northern Samar,also experienced flooding due to the heavy rains dumped by Quinta.
Also, four fishermen from Rapu-Rapu town in Albay were rescued off the waters in Barangay Cahayagan, Laoang town, also in Northern Samar.
The rescued fishermen were identified as Michael Bilon, Jessie Adornado, and Rico Alamil. However, seven fishermen were said to be missing.
In Biliran province, two of its major bridges sustained damages due to Quinta’s fury.
The Caraycaray Bridge, however, is now passable although only one of its lane while the Catmon Bridge remain not passable.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
Operations of Allen terminals resume after a day of suspension due ‘Quinta’
Tacloban council to approve measure institutionalizing policies during pandemic situation
TACLOBAN CITY – An ordinance which will institutionalize policies and measures once there is an emerging and reemerging disease is set to be approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod members of this city.
The proposed ordinance, “Adopting the protective and precautionary measures against infectious diseases during a state of epidemic or public health emergency,” aims to institutionalize all the health protocols that are set by the government to prevent spread of virus or diseases in times of pandemic.
“In case another pandemic happens, we already know what should be done, like on quarantine, health protocols, disease surveillance unit, border checkpoints. Hopefully this will be used once there is a declaration of public health emergency,” Vice Mayor Jerry “Sambo’ Yaokasin said.
Yaokasin added that they only tackled the ordinance this time due to flip-flopping of the regulations and guidelines set by the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) like the order to install barriers for motorcycle riders to separate the drivers from the back riders.
“If we had enacted this ordinance before and we included that order here, then we have to amend this again,” Yaokasin explained.
Included in the salient provision of the ordinance include physical distancing, mass gathering, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), establishments to have monitoring on people coming in and out of their establishments aside from regular body temperature, for the city health office to have a disease surveillance unit, contact tracing and establishment the border checkpoints, and every establishments and government offices will have to have their own contingency plan.
Also included in the proposed ordinance are provision of mass gathering. However, they did not specify the capacity due to constant changing of guidelines imposed by the NIATF, including physical distancing.
The proposed ordinance has also provision mandating all public transport to conduct regular disinfection of the vehicle, proper sanitation, and protective barrier.
Yaokasin said that a penalty is also included in the measure ranging from P500 to P3,000, depending on the gravity of the offense and with community service of eight hours in first offense, 16 hours for second offense, and 24 hours for third offense.
“Because we have seen the effect of pandemic, that if you raise it too high it’s beyond the reach already. So we wanted at this time, it’s not penalty we are after but for everyone to cooperate,” he said.
The city council is targeting to approve the ordinance during their regular session this week.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Alfred asks Mr. Chinatown to use title to inform the youth to follow protocols amid COVID-19 pandemic
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
TACLOBAN CITY- Newly-crowned Mr. Chinatown 2020, Justin Yap, made his courtesy call to City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, one of his first public appearances after winning the prestigious title.
During his call, the 24-year old declared his willingness to help the city government’s programs for the children, especially the less fortunate, as this centers his advocacy.
Yap, who met Mayor Romualdez on Oct.22 quoted Luke 12:48 of the Bible and the Peter Parker principle: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
They talked about the COVID-19 situation in Tacloban and how Justin could help in his little way — to use his influence and tell the youth about being extra careful during these times of pandemic.
“All we have to do is behave for the sake of others”, Mayor Romualdez said.
The mayor also told Justin that he should promote the resilience of Tacloban, like MMCP’s theme Rise, and say: “And we can do it. We’ve done it before, we can do it now. It’s just a matter of lifestyle.”
During the reigning Mr. Chinatown’s meet and greet with the City Hall employees, he expressed his utmost thanks to fellow Taclobanons and Eastern Visayans for the support given during the competition.
The young Chinoy vowed to use his platform to empower the youth and be active in promoting social change.
He believes that the children are game-changers of the future, especially when given equal opportunity.
He says: “Life’s reality, is full of challenges. Continue to have a proper mindset and dream, as it is a free way to better one’s self”.
During his candid sit-down interview, he admitted that though he is well-rested, things have not really sunk in just yet.
After winning, Yap is set for multiple engagements including photoshoots, and a management contract signing in Manila. He shared that although there are no plans yet, he is not closing his doors to opportunities of representing Tacloban again in another pageant.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
LSDE October 27, 2020 — 1-year old boy dies due to COVID-19
TACLOBAN CITY- A one-year old boy from Catarman, Northern Samar is among the latest and the youngest to have died due to complications of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Eastern Visayas.
The boy, who was also said to be suffering from a tumor, died on Oct. 22 just hours after he was swabbed while being confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) here in the city, the information office of the Catarman municipal government said.
He was buried the following day (Oct. 23) in a public cemetery in Catarman town. He was said to be a close contact of his father and grandfather, both confirmed to have the infection.
He was the second from Catarman to have died due to COVID-19, the first being a 76-year old man who died last Oct.12.
Catarman, with its rising COVID-19 cases, is now under modified enhanced community quarantine for 15 days which started last Oct. 20.
Also from Northern Samar, a 76-year old man was also reported to have died due to COVID-19 complications.
The elderly from Laoang town was suffering from diabetes, pneumonia and urinary tract infection, died on Oct.24 while confined at the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital.
Northern Samar has now four COVID-19 related deaths, pulling the region’s total deaths due to the dreaded infection to 59.
Meantime, the Allen District Hospital in Allen town, Northern Samar, was closed for 10 days effective Oct. 23 for disinfection after an employee was tested positive of COVID-19.
Also, the regional office of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) based in Palo town, Leyte, shut down its operation effective Monday (Oct.26) for disinfection after one of its employees was confirmed to be a close contact of a COVID-19 patient.
The regional office of the Department of Health (DOH) reported that Eastern Visayas has now 6,317 COVID-19 cases counting from March this year.
On Sunday, the DOH reported of 32 new cases from the provinces of Leyte with 27 cases; Northern Samar, seven; and two from Samar province.
EDC wins Ormoc, ORCHAM Business of the Year Hall of Fame Award
Lopez-led renewable energy leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC) received the Business of the Year Hall of Fame award from the City Government of Ormoc and Ormoc City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (ORCHAM) in the recently concluded Ormoc City Business Awards.
This recognition was given to EDC for winning the Business of the Year award for five consecutive years since 2015, for its unprecedented achievements and for its exemplary contributions to the local economy, particularly to Ormoc City’s remarkable progress as well as its corporate social responsibility programs that have uplifted the lives of its partner communities in Leyte.
“We are grateful to the City Government of Ormoc and to ORCHAM for this recognition. We share this award with all our stakeholders in Ormoc City, including our farmers and community associations, all our local suppliers and contractors, our partner schools, the local media, all our BINHI partners, our local government partners, and with all our customers who tirelessly support EDC as we strive to provide uninterrupted supply of clean, renewable, reliable Geo 24/7 to the province of Leyte and the rest of the country,” said Erwin B. Magallanes, head of EDC’s Corporate Social Responsibility team in its Leyte geothermal facility.
“This award is particularly meaningful to us this year considering the trials that our country and the whole world are going through due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are one with Ormoc City and the rest of Leyte in their fight against the virus and we will continue to work with the local government to help stem the transmission in the province,” add Magallanes.
EDC has recently donated an almost P27 Million worth of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine and attachments to Ormoc City’s first Molecular Diagnostics Center that will be inaugurated on the city’s charter day on October 20 .
EDC’s Leyte geothermal facility has been supplying power to the province of Leyte and the rest of the Visayas region for almost 40 years. The company’s over 1,205-megawatt total installed geothermal capacity accounts for 62% of the country’s generated renewable energy and is responsible for putting EDC and the Philippines on the map as the world’s 3rd largest geothermal producer. (PR)
COVID-19 testing facility soon to operate in Ormoc City
ORMOC CITY- This city will now have its own molecular testing laboratory after said facility, located at the Ormoc Sugarcane Planters Association – Farmers’ Medical Center (OSPA-FMC) grounds was inaugurated on Tuesday(Oct.20).
The new laboratory, the region’s third of such facility, is a result of collaborative efforts between the city government of Ormoc, the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and the OSPA-FMC, a non-stock, non-profit and the city’s oldest private hospital.
Mayor Richard Gomez, during the inauguration, said the city’s dream of establishing a molecular testing laboratory has come to a realization through the help of EDC, the country’s geothermal leader, which donated high-end molecular testing equipment to the city government worth roughly P27 million.
OSPA-FMC offered a building for the laboratory and takes charge of the operations and maintenance.
The signing of landmark agreement was made on July by Mayor Gomez and Vice Mayor Leo Carmelo Locsin, OSPA-FMC vice president Roy Bernard Fiel and EDC management represented by its president and chief operating officer Richard Tantoco witnessed by Deputy Chief Implementer of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease against COVID-19 Secretary Vivencio Dizon.
Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. (PASAR), an industrial company based in Isabel, Leyte provided testing kits for the use of the said laboratory.
The facility is still subject for the Department of Health accreditation, said OSPA Medical Director Dr. Sandra Fiel Chiong.
Mayor Gomez recalled that when the pandemic started, the local government dreamed of putting up a molecular laboratory to fast track results for the Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test detecting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections and eventually stop its spread.
Once the region’s third molecular laboratory becomes operational, bulk of COVID-19 swab samples for the existing two molecular centers at the region are reduced and processing of results become faster. It is also expected to serve the nearby towns as far as Maasin City, the province’s southern part, Gomez said.
It was learned that the center could process 600 swab samples a day with a maximum capacity of 1,200 swab samples.
Currently, the city has 131 COVID-19 cases.
Tantoco, in his virtual message during the inauguration reiterated its commitment to uplift the lives of the people from its partner communities including the city and help them get through this pandemic.
“We are privileged to have a significant role in establishing the city’s first molecular testing facility. It is our way of showing our unwavering commitment to help the people of Ormoc thrive amid this health and economic crisis and our solid support to the leadership of Mayor Richard Gomez whom we consider as one of our regenerative partners”, he Tantoco said.
EDC owns and operates the 714-megawatt Leyte geothermal facility, the company’s biggest site that straddles between Ormoc City and the Municipality of Kananga and utilizes the largest known geothermal wet steam field world.
(ELVIE ROMAN-ROA)