PALO, Leyte – Dengue fever has already killed 13 people from the region and afflicted 2,587 others covering the first seven months of the year, the Department of Health has reported.
DOH Regional Director Minerva Molon said the number of cases has increased 223 percent compare to the same period in 2015.
The drastic rise, however, is not very alarming considering that the region’s morbidity rate from the mosquito-borne disease was very low last year, Molon stressed.
In the entire 2015, the region only recorded four deaths and 800 cases.
“Dengue cases have been breaching the alert and epidemic threshold in most weeks of the current year. As the rainy season has officially started, it is anticipated that cases will continue to occur and epidemics of dengue may happen,” Molon said.
From January to July 2016, two deaths have been reported each in Catbalogan City, Maasin City and San Miguel town in Leyte.
The DOH confirmed single fatality each in Abuyog, Baybay City, Palo, and Tanauan, all in Leyte; Borongan City; Calbayog City and San Vicente, Northern Samar.
Dengue victims ranged from one month to 81 years old, but most of them are within the age bracket of five to nine years old.
Of the 2,587 dengue victims in the region, 1,164 were in Leyte, 673 in Eastern Samar, 414 in Samar, 181 in Northern Samar, 78 in Biliran, and 77 in Southern Leyte.
Among the strategies design by the DOH to combat the rising cases of dengue fever include intensified mosquito control efforts, coordination with local government units in information drive, conduct fogging and larviciding in areas with clustering of cases, install dengue express lanes in hospitals and purchase and preposition of fluids.
“Likewise, we have been distributing insecticide-treated mosquito nets in schools and pediatric wards of hospitals to increase protection for our children,” Molon added.
Dengue-infected persons suffer high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting and swollen glands or rash. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)
Dengue fever kills 13 and downs 1,500 others in EV
Farmers from 3 Leyte towns receive assistance from Gov. Petilla
TACLOBAN CITY- The provincial government has extended P2.3 million financial assistance to three towns intended for their respective rice production program, among other priorities. The financial assistance given to the towns of Babatngon, Sta. Fe and Tanauan is part of the More Income in Countryside (MIC) for rice. The program provides financial assistance to the farmers in the province to help them become more productive. The town of Babatngon was given the highest allocation at P1.67 million intended to help its palay growers while an amount of P310,000 was extended to the rice farmers of Tanauan. About P135,000, meantime, was given to the farmers of Sta. Fe. According to the governor, improving the agriculture sector will help the farmers better their economic condition. “Let us continue to help or cooperate with one another for us to escape from the bondage of poverty. Your support to the project is your support to your livelihood,” Petilla added. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
Sambo, netizens oppose transfer of DZR flight to Clark International Airport
TACLOBAN CITY- The plan to transfer the flights at the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport to Clark International Airport (CRK) was met with strong oppositions by officials and residents alike of this city.
The move will not only add up to hour of travel but would mean additional cost to the travellers, they said.
After Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade announced on Wednesday (August 10) this plan, netizens from this city and other parts of the region registered their strong opposition by coming up the “#notoclarktransfer” in social media.
The Tacloban city council, meantime, will file a resolution addressed to the Department of Transportations (DoTr) to reconsider its proposal, Vice Mayor Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin said.
Yaokasin said that if this plan will push through, disadvantages are aplenty than the anticipated advantages.
“If this happens, our city and the whole Eastern Visayas will experience a hemorrhage, both our tourism and economy will be adversely affected especially that we are just recovering from the devastation caused by supertyphoon Yolanda,” the vice mayor said.
He added that travellers coming from Tacloban using the DZR Airport will be inconvenienced aside from incurring more expenses.
Sec. Tugade said that the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), which approves the air routes of carriers, had already approved the change.
Businessman Oliver Cam, on his post on twitter, said that the change could displace travellers from Tacloban.
“This will effectively kill our tourism, not to mention the fact that this will be added cost, travel time and hassle!” he said.
Glaiza Mae Seno using her twitter handle @glaglaseno asked why Tacloban was single out in particular on this proposed transfer.
“We’ve been trying to improve our tourism, this would kill it,” she said.
At present, all flights from the DZR Airport lands at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City while the CRK is located in Mabalacat City, Pampanga. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
Government employee killed in buy-bust operation in N.Samar town
CAPUL, Northern Samar- A government employee of this province was killed during a buy-bust operation conducted by the local police of this town last August 1.
Based on the report of the Capul Police Station, killed was Nick Magdaraog,44 and connected at the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board.
Magdaraog was killed during a buy-bust operation in sitio Camarin, Barangay San Luis, this town, after he attempted to shot a police member who acted as a buyer.
Recovered from the suspect were four small sachets containing methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu; marked money worth P500 and another cash amounting in all to P1,383; Caliber 45 pistol and several ammunitions.
Several identification cards were also recovered from the suspect.
It was learned that Magdaraog, whose remains were brought at the Capul Northern Samar Rural Health Unit for autopsy, was considered to be a high value target by the police authorities. (PR)
Tanauan mayor wants to cultivate local festival for better appreciation of its people
TANAUAN, Leyte- The mayor of this town want to propagate their local cultural festival for better understanding of the residents.
Mayor Pelagio Tecson, Jr., said that he want his people to be more aware and conscious of their own culture reason why he want to push their own festival, dubbed as Pasaka Festival, within the town.
The Pasaka Festival, now on its 25th year, was conceptualized during the administration of mayor Roque Tiu and his wife Olive, depicting the town’s culture showing Tanauan’s main sources of livelihood, namely, farming, weaving, fishing and pottery.
It is held a day before the August 15 annual town fiesta.
For this year’s edition, seven contingents from various elementary and secondary schools of the town joined the festival.
In elementary division, Tanauan District 1 bagged was declared as champions winning P15,000 and also won 1st runner-up for the festival float category.
The Tanauan District 2 bagged the 2nd place and won P10,000.
For secondary division, Tanauan School for Craftsmanship and Home Industry (TSCHI) was declared as champion and won P30,000.
TSCHI also bagged best in choreography, musicality, costume, street dancing and float.
Tanauan National High School was named as 1st place and won P15,000 while Tanauan School for Arts and Trade bagged 2nd place and won P10,000.
Isabela Balboa, lead dancer of Assumption Academy was the first Pasaka Festival Queen.
Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes, who served as the chairman of the board of judges in this year’s festival, said that this year’s presentation was better and the performance of the contingents were comparable to contingents joining the province-wide Kasadyaan Festival. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Improvement of ‘dangerous’ saddle road in Southern Leyte goes full blast
PINTUYAN, Southern Leyte – The saddle road leading to Benit port in San Ricardo town is currently the region’s most dangerous road section but this will soon change as improvement project goes full blast this year.
The Department of Public Works and Highways Southern Leyte District Engineering Office (DPWH-SLDEO) is halfway done with the P48 million road realignment concreting project.
“The ongoing works is part of three-year activity designed to prevent road accidents in the area,” said District Engineer Ma. Margarita Junia.
The saddle road, within the boundary of barangays Son-ok and Manglit of the town, forms part of Liloan-San Ricardo Road. It leads to Benit port, one of the major exit points to Mindanao from Visayas.
The road earned the tag as the “region’s most dangerous” after several road accidents killed and injured drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
Consolidated report from the local police showed that from 2010 to 2014 alone, four people have been killed and 20 other were seriously injured in saddle road accidents.
The P48 million outlay for this year covers road concreting activities, construction of slope protection works, installation of line canal and metal guardrails.
In 2014, the national government has allocated P20 million for the 560-meter alternative road opening works.
The budget rose to P50 million in 2015 for the opening, widening and lowering of grades.
About half of the 1.6-kilometer critical sections will be transformed into four-lane road by doubling its existing 6.10-meter width to 12.2 meters. Blasting of rocks is ongoing to complement widening projects.
Junia is optimistic to complete all improvement projects for saddle road within the year.
The highway is tagged as a vital link that connects Eastern Visayas to Mindanao.
The DPWH observed that more buses and rolling cargoes use the Benit port in San Ricardo town instead of nearby Liloan port considering the former’s proximity to Surigao.
The route is being serviced by Montenegro Shipping Lines Inc. using a roll-on roll-off vessel, which makes four round trips daily.
Sea travel from San Ricardo to Lipata port in Surigao del Norte takes an hour, way shorter compared to more than three hours of travel time through Liloan port.
San Ricardo is about 40 kilometers away from Liloan town, traversing a paved road.
Although Benit port is closer to Surigao, some motorists prefer to take the Liloan port despite irregular trips, considering the difficulty in maneuvering along the saddle road in Pintuyan town.
The road steep incline and blind curves besides deep cliff make the road section the most dangerous in Eastern Visayas. (PR)