TACLOBAN CITY – More than 600 volunteers from 138 villages in this city are going to be trained as COVID-19 surveillance officers.
This was revealed by city health officer Dr. Gloria Fabregas who said that the volunteers include barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, and barangay service point officers.
These barangay personnel, considered to be part of the community dengue brigade, will be called Volunteers Service Officers (VSO) whose training will start on August 3.
Fabregas said that deploying these barangay personnel is part of their campaign to engage every home to be part of the fight against COVID-19 or coronavirus disease 2019.
“We are engaging and empowering every home for the fight against COVID-19, for a healthy Tacloban because the battle against this virus starts at home and not in the hospital,” she said.
As VSO, their primary work is to do surveillance in their respective villages, identifying who are vulnerable to COVID-19, Fabregas added.
“As VSO, they will identify households with residents who are vulnerable to the virus such as pregnant women, and households with positive COVID-19 patients,” she said.
The information that they will get from the surveillance will be forwarded to the barangay health emergency response team (BHERT) and this information will be send to the Quick Response Team.
At present, Tacloban City has six active cases of COVID-19.
The city has a total of 64 COVID-19 cases where 58 had now recovered from the disease. Of these 64 cases, 53 are local, nine locally stranded individuals while two are returning Overseas Filipino Workers.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- A 33-yeard old man was shot after he opened fire on arresting policemen who were attempting to serve him a warrant of arrest in Calbayog City, Samar on July 24.
Police identified the accused as Jason Francisco, construction worker, who has a warrant dated May 13, 2020, for violation of section 10 of Republic Act (RA) 7610 or Special Protection of Children against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
The warrant was issued by Judge Reynaldo Clemens of Regional Trial Court-Branch 31 in Calbayog, with a recommended bail bond of P80, 000.
In a report, police said the accused opened fire on the arresting team after sensing their presence, prompting the police officers to fire back.
A chase ensued between the police and the accused before the latter fell down which resulted in his arrest.
Police brought Francisco to Calbayog District Hospital for immediate medical attention after he sustained gunshot wounds on his head.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO)-Calbayog City recovered one unit .38 caliber revolver without serial number loaded with two live ammunition and two fired cartridge casings.
The operation was conducted by Calbayog City Police Station led by Lieutenant Fernando Calabria Jr., chief of intelligence, under the supervision of Lieutenant Colonel Sam Andarino. (RONALD O.REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY- A dismissed police officer was shot dead by still unidentified gunman in Tacloban City Saturday morning (July 25).
The victim was identified as Francisco Homeres Jr, 45, married, and a resident of the city.
In an initial investigation, police said Homeres had just finished jogging and dropped by a carenderia to buy food when a gunman alighted from the SUV parked at the area and shot him several times.
The victim died on the spot while the suspect hurriedly left onboard the SUV after the incident.
Police recovered two pieces of cal. 45 ammunition, two pieces fired cartridges cases for cal. 45, one piece slug of alleged cal. 45, and one cartridge case of alleged M16 rifle.
Authorities are yet to determine a motive for the shooting.
(RONALD O.REYES with report RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

TACLOBAN CITY- A 63-year old barangay chairman managed to escape from a gunman in Laoang, Northern Samar on Saturday (July 25).
Police identified the victim as Conchita Blando, married, and chairman of Barangay Bongliw in the said town.
The suspect, Ariston Novio, 63, was arrested after the shooting incident at around 6:30 pm at the said barangay.
Initial investigation disclosed that the victim was at the public plaza for a barangay meeting when she and her tanods noticed the suspect who was hiding in the dark area.
Armed with an improvised shotgun known as “sumpak”, the suspect introduced himself as a police officer and chased Blando as she ran for her safety.
However, Novio missed the shot after he cornered the victim nearby.
The victim’s son, Arvin, grappled with the suspect and recovered the improvised shotgun, according to the report.
Police are looking into personal grudge as a possible motive for the attack.
The arrested person and the recovered pieces of evidence were brought to Laoang Municipal Police Station for proper disposition.
(RONALD O.REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY- A member of a Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police (SAF-PNP) was shot dead by his colleague inside their training camp in Catbalogan City on Monday (July 27).
Based on the report of the regional headquarter of the PNP based in Camp Ruperto Kangleon, Palo town in Leyte province, Patrolmen Lloyd Imano,32, and Eduardo de la Cruz had a heated argument at about 2:18 am at the 124 Special Action Company gymnasium located in Barangay Guindapunan, Catbalogan City.
Imano, a native of Coronadal City, was said to have confronted de la Cruz for endorsing him to undergo the Sureshock training or the Urban Counter-Revolutionary Warfare Course, one of the courses being undertaken by those who are taking the SAF training.
Imano suddenly entered the bunkhouse of another colleague, Pat. Alvin Migriño, but when he was about to come out from the said bunkhouse, de la Cruz, who is from Taguig City, shot the victim as the former though that latter took a long firearm inside the bunkhouse of Migriño.
Imano was brought to Samar Provincial Hospital, also based in Catbalogan City but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
de la Cruz voluntarily surrendered to Police Senior Master Sergeant Kimjee Guinaat together with his issued firearm, a 9mm Caliber Pistol loaded with eight live ammunitions.
Recovered from the crime scene were: four pieces cartridge cases of 9mm Luger AP.
De la Cruz is now detained at the Catbalogan City Police Station for proper disposition.(RONALD O. REYES/(LIZBETH ANN A.ABELLA)