MAASIN CITY- In a simple ceremony held at the Maasin City gym lobby, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) turned-over starter kits to 25 parents of child laborers.
Dahlia Gabriana, Labor Extension Officer II, said the distribution of starter kit tools and materials is under the Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP) of DOLE with an allocation of P371,800 for Maasin City alone, Gabriana said. “DOLE appropriated around P699,000 for Southern Leyte province,” she added.
The identification of beneficiaries was based on DOLE’s data collected from the survey and evaluated by their office, it was learned.
The starter kits include livelihood package for food processing, carpentry, welding, vulcanizing and sewing, Gabriana said.
In behalf of DOLE, Gabriana quoted Provincial Director Marites Z. Viñas who was grateful for LGU’s support in all of their programs, in which Maasin City is an accredited partner.
The CLPEP is aimed to take away children from child labor activities particularly in its worst forms.
The program also contributes to the Philippine Program Against Child Labor as one of the national interventions for preventing or eliminating child labor throughout the country.
The turnover ceremony held on November 18, 2020 was attended by DOLE PD Viñas, Mayor Nacional V. Mercado, Ms. Gabriana, and other DOLE and city officials and personnel. (ldl/rgc/PIA8-SoLeyte)

TACLOBAN CITY- Rep. Florencio ‘Bem’ Noel’ of the An Waray party-list group said that he remains confident that families who remain settled in areas described as danger zones would be relocated to safer housing projects promised to them by the government.
Noel made this assertion after he questioned Sec. Eduardo del Rosario of the Department of Human Settlements during his confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.
According to the solon, he made it known to del Rosario of his dismay that there are still thousands of families who lost their houses due to the onslaught of super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ living in areas now considered as danger zones.
“He made a promise that he will deliver. We will charge him for that,” Noel said.
Rep. Noel admitted that considering that the national government through del Rosario’s office will be fully occupied in providing housing units to families displaced due to the war in Marawi City and the series of typhoons like in Bicol Region, Yolanda survivors might be neglected.
“While I understand that they will provide housing units to Bicol (for families who lost their houses due to typhoon Rolly), An Waray will always remain to supporting our own Warays who until now have yet to receive their own housing unit seven years after Yolanda’s onslaught,” the solon said.
Here in Tacloban, the city government under Mayor Alfred Romualdez has also called on the National Housing Authority (NHA) to turn over the completed housing units located in the different resettlement sites to the city government so these could be occupied by families still living in danger zones.
As of  October 28 records of the City Housing and Community Development Office, out of the 12,793 housing units constructed by the NHA, 11,173 were awarded and of which 7,170 were said to be actually occupied by the beneficiaries.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBANC CITY- This city will continue to remain under the general community quarantine (GCQ) status for the entire month of December.
And under Executive Order Number 2020-11-044 signed by City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, caroling be it by group or individual will be prohibited.
And during this Christmas season, no social gatherings or parties will be allowed to ensure that the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) would not further spread.
Mass gatherings, such as but not limited to, movie screenings, concerts, sporting events, and other entertainment activities, community assemblies and non- essential work gatherings is also prohibited while the city is still CGQ.
However, gatherings that are for the provision of critical government services and authorized humanitarian activities while adhering to the prescribed minimum health standards would be allowed.
The movement for leisure and non-essential purposes shall not be allowed.
Residents are still required to wear face shields while riding public transportation or whether inside any enclosed establishment within the city.
However, certain protocols or measures may be modified accordingly depending on the current situation of the city.
The movement of the residents in Tacloban shall be limited to accessing essential goods and services and for work in the offices or industries permitted to operate by the IATF.
The provision for the mandatory use of QR code under scan system shall continue to take effect.
As of Friday, Tacloban has 1,066 total cases of COVID of which 16 of them have died and 43 active cases.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Oldest in the region to acquire the infection

TACLOBAN CITY- A 101-year old man from San Jorge town in Samar province was among the new patients from Eastern Visayas due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The centenarian patient, the oldest COVID-19 patient in the region, was said to get the infection from her granddaughter who worked as a nurse, said a personnel of the town’s rural health unit (RHU) who requested not to be named.
“He is now at the Gandara District Hospital and he appears to be asymptomatic,” he said.
The Gandara District Hospital is located at the nearby town of Gandara, also in Samar.
The San Jorge RHU has been close for disinfection as some of its personnel were infected of the virus.
It was learned that the 101-year old man swab samples were among the 63 samples submitted by the RHU to the regional office of the Department of Health (DOH) last Sunday.
Of these samples, 10 turned to be positive with the result released Tuesday (Dec.1) by the DOH.
Aside from the 101-year old man, six other members of his family were also tested positive of COVID-19.
At present, San Jorge has 71 confirmed COVID-19 cases of which 39 have recovered from the dreaded virus.
Meantime, the number of persons who died due to complications caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the region has now reached to 94.
On Thursday (Dec.3), health officials confirmed three new deaths from Samar provinces: an 80-year old man from San Antonio town in Northern Samar; an 86-year old woman from Villareal town in Samar; and a 37-year old man from Balangiga, Eastern Samar.
The two COVID-19 patients from Northern Samar and Samar provinces both died on November 30 while the one from Eastern Samar died on Dec.2. He was said to be an employee of the local government unit.
Meantime, Balangiga Mayor Randy Graza issued an executive order on Wednesday declaring a border lockdown to end until Dec.16.
The measure aim to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in the historic town.
With the border lockdown imposed, only few would be allowed to enter the town like the governor and vice governor and members of the provincial board; and medical and humanitarian cases, among others.
Businessmen would only be allowed to purchase their goods outside the town only once a week but need to secure a travel pass.
The town has recorded 15 COVID-19 cases.
In Baybay City, Mayor Jose Carlos Cari reported that among their new cases involved two medical health worker and a teacher who are now at their isolation facility.
The city mayor said that Baybay has now 57 total COVID-19 cases.
But despite of its increasing number, Cari assured his people that the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the city is due to their extensive contact tracing activity wherein all close contacts of positive persons are being swabbed.
He said that unlike some local government units, not all close contacts are being swabbed and were just quarantine for 14 days.
“(Our) situation here in Baybay is manageable and under control,” Cari said.
Meantime, the DOH reported that Eastern Visayas’ total COVID-19 cases now reached to 8,881 with 42 new cases.
The new cases were from Leyte with 35; three each from Samar and Eastern Samar; and one from Northern Samar. (JOEY A. GABIETA/LIZBETH ANN A.ABELLA)