TACLOBAN CITY- The region’s biggest public hospital, the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), is in need of hundreds of doctors as it continues to grapple the increasing number of patients.
Dr. John Edward Coloma, officer-in-charge of the EVRMC, said that with their growing number of patients and as they are set to transfer to their new buildings in Barangay Cabalawan, they will be needing more doctors.
EVRMC is a 500-bed capacity level III hospital and serves more than 700 patients, Coloma said.
For them to address the health needs of their patients, EVRMC is in need of 170 new doctors.
Coloma added that they also recruited specialists from other cities like Manila and Davao to help in enhancing training program for doctor residency.
“They are not the government type of specialists but private specialists who will help us enhance our training program. We need to really stabilize the training program of EVRMC,” Coloma said.
The training program will include not only doctors who are working in government-run hospitals but also those who are working in private hospitals to ensure that specialists will work at the EVRMC to improve their residency program.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Anti-drug elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Samar Provincial Office and PDEA RO8 Northern Samar Provincial Office, Calbayog City Police Station and 2nd Platoon 3rd Company of the Regional Public Safety Battalion arrested a notorious drug personality during the conduct of a buy-bust operation on September 23, 2017 at around 7:30 am.
In a report submitted to PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino, elements of PDEA Regional Office 8 under Director Edgar T. Jubay and Calbayog City Police Station and 2nd Platoon 3rd Company RPSB-8, arrested was Mark Magbutay, 36, married and a resident of P-7, Barangay Hamorawon, Calbayog City.
Purchased and seized during the buy-bust operation from the suspect was one piece heat-sealed plastic transparent sachet containing shabu weighing 0.04 gram with an estimated market value of P1,000.
Alsos seized from the suspect during the execution of the search warrant were two sachets of suspected shabu weighing 0.04 gram. Various drug paraphernalia were also seized from Magbutay.
Magbutay will be charged for violations of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), and Section 12 (Possession of Drug Paraphernalia), Article II of RA 9165.
The suspect is now temporarily detained at the Calbayog City Police Station Detention Facility while waiting for his commitment order.(PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – Around 1,306 local job orders and overseas job openings will be made available to job seekers, Friday, September 29 at the Mayor’s Employment Generation Activity (MEGA) Jobs Fair which will be held at the Tacloban Convention Center (Astrodome) from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
The job fair, which is part of the jobs generation initiative of the city government of Tacloban under the leadership of Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez, is in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), Maritime Industry Authority, PLAN International – Philippines and Save the Children.
According to Tacloban Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Manager Emilia Cruz, around 31 local employment agencies, and six overseas recruitment agencies have already confirmed their participation on Friday’s MEGA Jobs Fair– the sixth conducted by the PESO this year.
Cruz said that among the local establishments which will be conducting their recruitment are Robinson Supermarket, Taytay Sa Kauswagan Incorporated, Canon, Dranix Distributors, Inc., Italian Market Deli, Sanford Marketing/Savemore Market, Cebu Mitsumi and Fast Distribution Corporation.
Recruitment agencies: MSL Stars Human Resources Corporation, MMML, Pacific Venture, Starworld, The Fair Hiring and UNIJOBS will also be hiring skilled workers for overseas employment.
Meantime, prior to the job fair on Friday, the PESO will be conducting a free employment coaching and pre-job fair registration activity for job seekers at the Tacloban City Livelihood Training Center on Tuesday, September 26.
Among the job vacancies available for overseas employment are household workers, dentist, nurses, machinist, and engineers.
Local job openings include 15 field coordinators, 30 cashiers, 100 production operators/assemblers, 8 management trainees, 100 store crews, 25 baggers, 30 company delivery drivers, management trainee for sales and 10 stock clerks. (Henry James G. Roca/CIO)

Boy dies, 43 others fell ill

TACLOBAN CITY- A six-year old boy died while 43 others were downed after eating ‘tahong’ or green mussels in Catbalogan City, raising alarm from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as it reiterated that red tide toxins are still up in several bays in the region.
The young fatality was identified as Froilan Basal from Barangay Pupua, Catbalogan City who died on Tuesday (Sept.19) while being confined at the Samar Provincial Hospital(SPH) in Catbalogan City.
His father, Alejandro,33, and siblings, Analiza(13), Analiza (13), Angelyn(9) and Ariane(5) are now declared safe.
The family ate tahong on the night of September 18 and hours later, experienced severe vomiting, stomach ache, and numbness.
Except for the father, the children were admitted to the provincial hospital with Froilan declared dead while being treated.
The red tide toxin has been declared present in several bays in Samar by the BFAR as it issued warning against gathering and eating of all kinds of mussels from these affected bays.
BFAR had earlier declared the bays of Irong-Irong Bay, Villareal Bay and coastal waters of Daram Island, all in Samar; Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar and Carigara Bay in Leyte positive for paralytic shellfish poison.
BFAR has said that about 33 residents of Brgy. Mual-Bual in Zumarraga were confined at the SPH on Sept.19 but were discharged.
Meantime, two residents of Catbalogan, three from Pinabacdao and one from Jiabong, remain confined at the SPH, BFAR reported.
They were brought to the said hospital on Sept.19.
Cristine Gresola, information officer of BFAR, said that four residents of Pinabacdao and one from Jiabong, who were downed by red tide toxin, were brought to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) for treatment.
“We are still monitoring bays here in Samar for the presence of red tide toxin,” Gresola said.
Declared free from red tide toxins are the bays of Cambatutay Bay in Samar; San Pedro and Cancabato Bays in Leyte; coastal waters of Calubian and Leyte town, Leyte; and coastal waters of Biliran.

By: JOEY A. GABIETA/
RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT

TACLOBAN CITY- Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial expressed her disappointment against critics on the controversial campaign on illegal drugs by administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Ubial said that the issue on illegal drugs is not just all about ‘killings’ of those engaged in the prohibited drugs but rather rehabilitation among them as the Department of Health and other health providers considers it as a ‘mental issue.’
“It’s not all about killings of so-called drug addicts. The government has intervention programs on rehabilitation and we can say that we have made several success stories and best practices,” Ubial said on Thursday (Sept.21).
‘The war on drugs is not only about killings (and) not a security issue but anchor on the belief that people can be changed; they can be reformed. That drug users have still hope (to be reformed),” she added.
“Ewan ko kung bakit nag-iiba ang perspective sa media,” Ubial said, perhaps alluding why media reports highlight those killed in the course of the campaign.
Along this line, Ubial praised the city government of Tacloban for coming up its own rehabilitation program for former drug dependents.
Ubial was in the city as guest speaker during the citywide anti-drug summit held at the Tacloban City Convention Center attended by city employees, barangay officials, students and representatives of different sectors and organizations.
“It’s a very good program (and) we hope to replicate this to other highly-urbanized cities in the country,” she said.
The health secretary said that campaign against illegal drugs is not just the responsibility of the DOH but other stakeholders like local government units.
“It’s an entire community effort, like the local governments. They are on the grounds,” Ubial said.
The city government under Mayor Cristina Romualdez launched its drug rehabilitation program dubbed as ‘New Beginning,’ wherein drug users are provided with life coaches who help them recover.
The program also provides them financial assistance of P5,000 for them to start a new life.
So far, out of the 4,402 drug dependents who surrendered voluntarily, 40 have availed the program
The campaign against drugs launched by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte faces strong criticisms by several human rights groups and international community as they claimed that this resulted in the extrajudicial killings, involving even innocent civilians and minors.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)