GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte – The regional office of the Department of Health(DOH) is encouraging local government units to continue doing their clean-up drives to destroy mosquito breeding sites that may carry the dengue fever virus.
DOH-8 regional information officer John Paul Roca said that the number of dengue patients recorded in the region is now decreasing every week but people must not be complacent as they should instead continue in destroying the mosquito breeding sites.
Roca cited as an example the provincial government of Samar which declared August 9 as a special non-working holiday for all government employees for them to participate in the clean-up drive.
An executive order signed by Governor Milagrosa ‘Mila’ Tan mandated for a province-wide clean-up drive every Saturday for four consecutive weeks.
“This is what we called a good practice for a local government unit which others must do because the implementation of health programs are handled in their level while on our part is more on technical assistance,” Roca said.
Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone also issued an executive order declaring every Friday as special non-working holiday in all government offices in the province for four consecutive weeks starting September 13.
“Especially now that rainy season is coming, regular clean-up drive is very important and the most effective tool to ensure that mosquito will have no breeding site and to prevent the spread of dengue,” Roca said.
The DOH in the region reported that the from week 1 to week 35, dengue cases in Eastern Visayas had already reached 17,670 or a 327.12 percent increase to the same period of dengue cases in 2018 with only 4, 134.
Most of the cases or 26 percent of the reported dengue victims came from Leyte province with 4,633 cases. This is followed by Samar with 3,014 cases and Eastern Samar with 2,190, Northern Samar with 1,371, Biliran with 548 and Southern Leyte with 487.
Among cities, Tacloban has the most number of dengue reported cases with 2,248, followed by Calbayog City with 1,029 and Catbalogan City with 777.
Number of deaths due to dengue also increases to 53 compared to 26 of the same period in 2018.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
DOH asks local government units to continue clean-up drive to contain dengue fever cases in EV
Tacloban gov’t, groups move to introduce single use plastic
As a way to address wastes problem of the city
TACLOBAN CITY- An environment group based this city is calling the public to practice proper waste disposal and join in their campaign on single use plastic.
This call of the Mother Earth Foundation came amid the declaration of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) that the lifespan of the city’s sanitary landfill would be just three years instead of its original 10 years of usage.
The city’s sanitary landfill begun its operation six months ago and is located in Barangay San Roque, a village located on the northern part of the city and is more than 10 kms away from the city proper.
Elizabeth Biagcong, project officer of the Mother Earth Foundation, said that one way of helping in curbing the city’s wastes is for the public to observe proper waste disposal and not just throw their garbage anywhere.
The group, together with other environment groups Waste 360, and TOES (Tender Foot Organization of Enthusiastic Striders) conducted clean-up drive Saturday (Sept.7) along the stretch of Magsaysay Boulevard.
During their clean-up drive, which lasted for just two hours, the groups collected more than 40 sacks of wastes, mostly plastic materials, Biagcong, speaking during the weekly media forum ‘Express it at the Park’ held at the Leyte Park Resort Hotel, this city, said.
It was learned that if wastes are properly disposed by the residents of this city, its daily waste collection could drastically reduce.
Biagcong said that thus, the lifespan of the city’s sanitary landfill could really be used up to 10 years or even more.
According to her, of the city’s 110 tons per day of wastes, only 40 percent of them should be deposited to the city’s sanitary landfill.
At present, all wastes collected go straight to the sanitary landfill, shortening its load capacity in the process.
Councilor Aimee Grafil, who chairs the committee on environmental protection and solid waste management, meantime, said that the city government is also working on this issue.
In fact, she said, they are moving for the city to enforce a single use plastic.
Grafil said that the Sangguniang Panglungsod is now in the process of enacting such an ordinance which she hopes would be approved before the year is over.
“If this policy is being practiced in other areas, why we cannot do the same here in Tacloban City,” the lady councilor said, referring on their proposal to ban single use plastic.
According to her, under the proposed ordinance, violators, both individual and companies or establishments, faces a penalty or even imprisonment.
Grafil also issues an appeal for business establishments in the city to start using paper or eco bags as their way in helping address the city’s growing waste problem.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
Catbalogan, China’s Xi’an cities forge sisterhood agreement
CATBALOGAN CITY – The local chief executive of this city signed an intention of forging a sisterhood agreement with Xi’an City, China Saturday (September 7).
The Letter Intent of Friendly Exchange City was signed between Mayor Dexter Uy and Mayor Li Mingyuan and witnessed by officials from both cities at M Grand Royal, this city.
Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi province and it is one of the oldest cities in China, and part of the so-called ‘Four Great Ancient Capitals’ having held the position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history.
The city, since the 1990s, had become part of the economic revival of China especially for its central and northwest regions, emerging as an important cultural, industrial and educational center of the central-northwest region, with facilities for research and development, national security and space exploration.
Meanwhile, Catbalogan, the provincial capital of Samar province and is the main commercial, trading, educational, financial and political center of the province.
The signing between Catbalogan and Xi’an was described by Mayor Uy as ‘special’ and ‘historical’ that will “start building a bridge of friendship between two cultures and two governments.”
“This event will signal the building of a bridge for a possible transformation and development of our respective cities. A transformation from our old promising past to our developed future,” Mayor Uy said in his message during the signing.
Mayor Uy shares that he had several reservations before the signing because Catbalogan is incomparable to Xi’an, in terms of economy, infrastructure, industry, tourism, education, history and many other aspects.
“It was a valid apprehension because I was thinking then that to have a sisterhood partnership with other cities is just limited to exchanging and sharing of resources and expertise,” Mayor Uy said.
“But then I realized this is not a competition; this is rather cooperation. The city has so much to offer when it comes to natural tourism and resources, the skills of our people, our culture and education; and our experience of resiliency which will provide rich understanding on scientific approaches in addressing disaster and calamities,” he added.
Uy added that partnering with Xi’an will become a “learning opportunity, an avenue to comprehend the strategies, systems, interventions and lessons that Xi’an have experienced in their years of existence and apply the same in our locality.”
“With this, therefore, Catbalogan would become a younger sister city of Xi’an, hence, I appeal for your understanding and guidance. If our sister-city partnership will be realized, for sure our success will also be Xi’an’s success,” he said. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Villar-owned Prime Water now manages LMWD
Officials allay fear of rate increase
BY: JOEY A. GABIET & ROEL T. AMAZONA
TACLOBAN CITY- After more than 40 years of operations as a full government-owned and controlled corporation, the Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD) will now be partly managed by a private company.
This after the current LMWD officials, headed by its general manager Engr. Pastor Homeres, signed an agreement with the Villar-owned Prime Water Infrastructure Corporation or Prime Water on July 2 of this year.
The agreement takes effect this month of September.
The water agency, created in 1975 which covers seven towns and this city involving more than 37,000 member-consumers, will now be known as Prime Water Leyte Metro.
In a press conference Monday (Sept.9), officials of both LMWD and Prime Water insisted that their partnership is a joint agreement and not privatization.
Homeres said that under the 25-year agreement, the LMWD will keep the ‘supervisory and regulatory’ functions while the Prime Water was assigned to do the daily operations of the facility.
“The LMWD board will monitor and (ask for an) update (on the Prime Water operations. We will keep the regulatory and control powers,” Homeres said during the press conference.
The Prime Water, meanwhile, said that for the next 25 years, the company owned by the family of former Senate president Manny Villar, will infused P6.6 billion aim to improve LMWD’s services to its member-consumers.
Angelo Alain Flores, business development officer of the Prime Water, this early, dismissed speculations that the private-public partnership will result to an immediate increase of the current rate of P148 per cubic meter.
He said that under the agreement, any rate increase will come on the third year of operations.
By then, Flores said, some improvements that they intend to do would have been accomplished like improvement of the water treatment facilities, and increase of water supply, the most common problem among consumers to include in several parts of Tacloban where the main bulk of the agency’s 37,233 consumers are located.
“We are to support LMWD.We are here to commit and work for you,” Flores said, appealing to the consumers of the agency who could have been averse on the joint venture agreement.
Homeres said that the board has agreed that they would oppose any rate increase if they deem it not commensurate to the performance of the Prime Water which handles the daily operations of the water agency.
“It is anticipated because we are partnering with a private entity because they want to recoup their investment. But the board will oppose to any proposed tariff increase. It will go into process because we are still under LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration),” the general manager said.
LWUA is a government agency which supervises and administers all water agencies in the country.
Judge Dominador Isidoro, Jr., assistant government corporate council, said that the consumers of the LMWD could be assured that the agreement would not place them at the disadvantage.
He said that his office reviewed the contract carefully and did not saw any items in the agreement that are disadvantageous to the consumers.
High cost that would entail further improvements of LMWD services was the main reason why they entered into a agreement with Prime Water, board member vice chairman Bernardita ‘Bering’ Valenzuela said.
She also said that the LMWD did not sold any properties to the Prime Water.
She even said that water agency will be making P70 million annually out of the leasing of some of their properties like its water treatment facilities.
Valenzuela also said that employees of the utility, to include the job order and casual workers would not be affected by the new management.
Those who availed of early retirement were paid handsomely, she said.
“Those who opted for early retirement were paid equivalent to one month salary per year of service,” Valenzuela said.
Faeldon- Gone at last
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has already ordered Bureau of Corrections Chief Nicanor Faeldon, to step down from his post. This fate of Faeldon is in connections with his exercise of sole power to relieve big time criminals from prison and set them free on what he justifies on good conduct of inmates while in prison. A good conduct behavior in prison is not enough to grant them freedom. Those who committed heinous crimes were not allowed yet they were included in the almost 2,000 inmates freed. This was therefore an abuse of authority.
Faeldon a retired Navy officer – a PMA graduate was first appointed by President Duterte as Chief of the Bureau of Customs. Sometime during his stay at BOC a P6.4 billion worth of shabu entered the Customs bureau, untouched neither apprehended. He said he did not know about the illegal drug entry. The President immediately dismissed him from BOC and assigned to the Office of Civil Defense then to the Bureau of Corrections.
The President is being highly praised for this move against a loyal but abusive follower.
Army vows to wipe out NPA fighters in Leyte by 2020
TACLOBAN CITY- The Philippine Army has vowed to work double-time to neutralize the remaining 15 armed fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) still running and hiding in the mountains of Leyte Island.
Brig. Gen. Lope Dagoy, commander of the Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade said on Wednesday their goal is to completely wipe out insurgency in Leyte before he retires in March next year.
“There are only 15 of them and it is more challenging to chase them. Now that I am in charge of two battalions, they have nowhere to go in Leyte Island,” Dagoy, a former commander of the Presidential Security Group, told reporters in an interview.
The remaining fighters have been hiding in the upland areas of the 5th district of Leyte following intensified combat operations in central Leyte and northwestern side of the island, the Army general said.
Leaders of the terrorist communist group abandoned their lairs in the third congressional district of Leyte after 1,200 of their members and mass supporters surrendered to the military April this year.
“These active 15 fighters are mostly leaders since they don’t have recruits. Communities and local governments in Leyte have been rejecting them. In fact, all mayors in Leyte, Biliran, and Southern Leyte province have expressed support to our anti-insurgency drive,” Dagoy said.
Inopacan, Leyte Mayor Azucena Mirambel, in a press conference on Monday, said they have been stepping up the implementation of livelihood programs and delivery of basic services to far-flung communities to reduce their vulnerability to NPA recruitment.
“The practical way to fight rebellion is to provide the basic needs of people, build roads, and schools,” the neophyte mayor said.
Baybay City Mayor Jose Carlos Cari, the former 5th district representative, in the same press conference, said he has been strongly lobbying for the construction of a new road connecting the remote communities of Mahaplag, Inopacan, Hindang, and Hilongos towns since these areas have been considered as vulnerable to insurgency.
“The project has already started. We need to build roads for easier delivery of services. We have to conduct regular consultations with people in the community to address their concerns,” Cari said.
It was in San Antonio village in Hilongos town where a village chief was brutally killed by NPA members two weeks ago. Building a road network in the area will drive away the remaining rebels, according to the military.
The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO/PNA)