TACLOBAN CITY- The Office of Civil Defense(OCD) here in the region has lined up activities for this month’s national disaster resilience observation.
The month-long activity started with a motorcade around the city’s main streets in the morning on July 1 followed by a media briefing during the ‘Kapihan sa PIA” in the afternoon.
The following day, July 2, a coastal clean-up drive was held at Barangay 88,Fisherman’s Village.
Last July 3, a mangrove and beach forest planting and nurturing activity was held at Barangay San Isidro, this city.
On July 7, a Run for Resilience will start 4:00 am at tarmac area of the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport.
Poster-Making & Essay Writing Contest 11:00 am at Summit Hotel, Tacloban City on July 13.
A forum on disaster resilience will be held on July 16 at the Leyte Academic Center at 8 am.
Then on July 21-26, a regional rescue jamboree will be held at University at Eastern Philippines in Catarman, Northern Samar.
A culminating activity will be held on July 31.
Henry Torres, officer-in-charge of the OCD-8, encourages the public to get involve to the activities lined up relative to the month-long event.
(MARIA JESSA G. MOCORRO, Student Intern,Asian Development Foundation College)

CATBALOGAN CITY – The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) launched the Technology for Education, Employment, Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (Tech4ED) at the City Hall building of this city.
The launching,held last Wednesday(July 3),was graced by Mayor Dexter Uy and DICT Visayas Cluster Field Operations Officer Engr. Eleazar Badrina.
The Tech4ED is a project of the DICT that provides access to individuals and communities bridging them to the digital education, promoting inclusive growth and poverty reduction by providing opportunities for employment and empowering entrepreneurs, as well as give the community access to information, communication and technology.
It also allows the marginalized sector like the youth sector and the persons with disabilities (PWDs) access to digital opportunities to get education and gain employment to help them improve their families’ well-being.
“This program is available to all sectors. For those who can’t be accommodated in this center, we also have a training center where they can visit and avail this program,” Badrina said.
“We hope that the mayor will support this partnership because this program suits to millennials like him,” Badrina added.
Mayor Uy signified his total support to the program which he said will give better opportunities to his people have better access to digital education.
“It aims to empower the people through various skills trainings and learning opportunities. It enables access to crucial ICT services and resources and transform the quality of lives of the Filipinos,” the youthful mayor said.
“Not all LGUs can receive this platform and Catbalogan City is fortunate to be chosen by the DICT. With this, I encourage everyone to make use of this opportunity,” he added.
There are six segments where DICT’s Tech4ED can achieve their goals, there are through eEduSkills which enable education seekers to gain a high school diploma through informal education; eAssist which will provides digital and employment opportunities to vulnerable groups and marginalized communities;eAssess that will provides students with the industry partnerships that will provide them evaluations for job-readiness;mAgri which will empower farmers, cooperatives, agribusiness, and food processors by helping them obtain real time information price in the market;eMarketplace that will enable new competitors in the market specifically from rural communities and eGovServ that could provide citizens with the necessary government services and information.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The city government of Tacloban through the leadership of Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez and the City Health Office (CHO) has advised the public not to refuse immunization and keep surroundings clean to prevent the incidence of measles and dengue.
According to City Health Officer Dr. Jaime Opinion, dengue cases were recorded highest in Barangays 109 V&G, 106 Sto. Nino, 91 Abucay, 107 Sta. Elena and 97 Cabalawan.
At least 333 dengue cases with 2 deaths were recorded as of June 30, added the local health office.
“After identifying the threats, we immediately had surveillance and fumigation. We also dispatched additional Health Personnel to conduct monitoring and make sure that the cases will not anymore increase,” explained Opinion.
The CHO however, emphasized that the best prevention is keeping surroundings clean and disposing of anything that may retain water.
Dengue symptoms include high fever that lasts 2 to 7 days a headache, muscle and joint pains, stomachache, nose, and gum bleeding, vomiting and the appearance of rashes, among others. Immediate medical attention is advised of anyone that exhibits these symptoms.
Meanwhile, the Tacloban CHO attributed the cases of Measles to the low rate of immunization last year caused by the Dengvaxia controversy.
It was reported that cases heightened as early as March with 263 confirmed measles cases and 7 deaths, but cases gradually decreased after the massive immunization drive started by the local government.
“Almost 20,000 were vaccinated and this covers 91 percent. I guess that was high enough because we focused on the vaccination which resulted to even have zero cases in one week,” disclosed Dr. Opinion.
“That is how aggressive the City Mayor’s Office and the CHO, of course, the Department of Health. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated because the beauty of this is all for free,” said the Health Official.
Starting July 15 to September, the CHO is set to visit 40 Elementary and High Schools in Tacloban to conduct the free vaccinations. (HJR/CBM/TCIO)

CATARMAN, Northern Samar – Newly-elected Rep. Paul Daza of this province’s first congressional district, has filed making the adoption process become purely an administrative proceeding.
Daza, in an interview, said that his bill, once become a law, will empower the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to issue adoption creeds without the need for judicial procedures thereby saving costs for intending adoptive parents, allowing better chances for children needing adoption and de-clogging the already overburdened courts.
Daza’s bill, filed on July 1, is known as ‘“An act Establishing the Rules and Policies on the Domestic Administrative Adoption of Filipinos and for Other Purposes.’
“Adoption is a statutory mandate of DSWD. It has always been the primordial body that sees to the implementation of adoption rules and procedures, allowing adoptive parents and adopted children to enjoy the fullness of blissful family life,” Daza said.
However, Daza said, that the social and legal processes of adoption in the Philippines is considered by many as tedious and costly.
Thus far, only 177 cases were issued adoption decree of which 60% were finalized within 1 to 3 years, Daza added.
He further added that the current law, Republic Act No. 8552 or Domestic Adoption Act of 1998, requires a set of procedures, while founded on good intents, often lead to emotional and financial strains on parties involved, not to mention clogging of cases in courts.
(RESTITUTO A.CAYUBIT)