ORMOC CITY – Jimmy Ty, Jr. tops the executives division of the recently concluded 4th Chooks to Go National Rapid Chess Championships held last July 9-11, this city.
The pride of Leyte Institute of Technology(LIT) – turned – Eastern Visayas State University(EVSU), Ty, who is a civil engineer by profession, dominated the executives division that features national masters Engr. Jasper Rom, Jonathan Tan and Engr. Robert Arellano and arena grandmaster Dandel Fernandez.
Ty and Rom are both active members of the prestigious Cebu Executives and Professional Chess Association (CEPCA).
With the victory, Ty pocketed P10,000 cash prize.
Ty anchored the LIT/EVSU chess teams during his college days in mid 2000s, steered to numerous SCUAA titles. He also is a former grand champion of the CEPCA.
On the other divisions, WNM Francois Marie Magpily wins the women’s division, 15-year old FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri lords the Junior’s Division-Boys, Ma. Elayza Villa snags the Junior’s Division-Girls while Arena Grandmaster (AGM) Christian Gian Carlo Arca and Franiel Magpily dominated the kiddies boys and girls division, respectively. (JOEY VINCENT MOTEL)

TACLOBAN CITY – Two more towns here in the region were added to the list of local government units that recorded cases of African Swine Fever (ASF).
These are the towns of Kananga in Leyte province and Sogod in Southern Leyte.
In Kananga town, positive ASF case was reported in sitio (sub-village) of Sagkahan, Barangay Poblacion.
At least 100 hogs were culled within the 500 meter radius from the area where the positive case as per directive of Mayor Matt Torres.
The local government, as part of the mitigation measure to prevent the further spread of ASF in the municipality, had imposed a two-week pork holiday in the municipality from July 14 to July 28.
Within the two weeks period, selling of pork and other pork based products are prohibited to be sold within the municipality.
Those who are allowed to sell frozen pork products are those who can present COMI and MIC and present that it is sourced-out from ASF free areas.
The LGU also instructed that all piggery farms in the municipality to implement and complete massive disinfection on their respective farms during the pork holiday.
The LGU also prohibited any inter-barangay movements of pigs.
In Sogod town, the positive case was monitored in Brgy. Maac.
Around 300 hogs within the 500 meter radius were depopulated as part of the protocol.
Sogod is the second town in Southern Leyte province that recorded ASF case after Silago town.
The Department of Agriculture has earlier reported of different areas in the region to have confirmed ASF cases which started in Abuyog, Leyte last January 14 of this year.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

In Eastern Samar

TACLOBAN CITY- The town of Jipapad in Eastern Samar recorded its first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The index case of the town involved a 31- year old woman who just accompanied her husband who is confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC).
Dr. Rona Mariblanca, municipal health officer, thus said, that the woman did not get the infection from the town.
The town’s first case was reported by the Department of Health (DOH) last Wednesday (July 14).
Mariblanca said that prior to the admission at the EVRMC, the husband of the COVID-19 patient was first confined at the Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital.
The health officer, however, did not disclose the ailment of the COVID-19 patient’s husband.
Mariblanca added that the COVID-19 patient is still at the EVRMC and is now conducting their contact tracing though they suspect that the woman could have acquired the infection.
Jipapad town, although already connected to the national road, is still considered as one of the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).
The town, which is located in between two rivers, is constantly hit with flooding during typhoon and heavy rainfall that sometimes reaches to the second floor or roof of a one-storey house, which could be a factor why no Covid-19 cases are recoded in the municipality for a long time, according Dr. Marc Stephen Capungcol, regional epidemiology and surveillance unit Chief in a recent talk.
“They were implementing the same protocols that other local government units are implementing. There is nothing extraordinary. It just so happen that in the past few months the town is always hit by typhoons and people had problem in going back and forth,” Capungcol said.(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- To efficiently assist families who are most in need, Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez revived ‘People’s Day’ at MASA (Mayor Alfred Social Action) of which 84 indigent residents have availed of the financial aid during the third set of payout on Wednesday, July 14.
This initiative, which started last 2012, is eyeing to reach more Taclobanons most deserving of financial help, especially in these trying times—when most are struggling to make ends meet.
With the assistance of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and MASA Office, said beneficiaries each received medical assistance ranging from P2,000 to P3,000 and burial cash aid worth P5,000.
For those who would like to avail of the said service just comply with the needed requirements and visit MASA Office which is located on the second floor of the Tacloban City Supermarket. It is open to serve on weekdays and payouts will be done every Tuesday and Thursday.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)