With 32 Deaths

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The Department of Health (DOH) has reported that dengue fever cases in the region has already killed 32 people and stalked 6,000 others.
This year’s dengue fever cases, covering January up to last week, are the highest for the region for the last five years, Roderick Boyd Cerro, DOH-8 chief of the epidemiology and surveillance unit.
In 2015, four people died due to the mosquito-borne disease and downed 800 others.
The latest casualties due to dengue fever were from Ormoc City, Mondragon in Northern Samar, and Guiuan in Eastern Samar.
Cerro said that the high number of dengue fever cases in the region, while very alarming, was expected.
“We were expecting a high number of dengue fever cases (which) usually arise in every three to four years and 2016 is the fourth year. There is a high possibility that those people who have not yet diagnosed in dengue will be diagnosed this time,” Cerro explained.
This week, there are 14 dengue patients still confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City for treatment.
The DOH expects that the number of dengue cases will go down during summer season next year.
“For areas with many dengue cases, our advice is to conduct fogging operation to kill any adult mosquitoes. This can be done once a week for three weeks to control the mosquito population,” Cerro added.
Other strategies of the DOH to combat rising cases are intensified mosquito control efforts, coordinate with local government units in information drive, conduct fogging and larviciding in areas with clustering of cases, install dengue express lanes in hospitals, purchase and preposition of fluids.
Dengue fever is marked by an onset of sudden high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and pain in muscles and joints. Some may also have a rash and varying degree of bleeding from various parts of the body.
Cerro urged those who show the symptoms to immediately seek consultation from local health workers to prevent deaths from this mosquito-borne disease.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)

PALO, Leyte- Today’s tourists are not just travelling to destinations to see tourist assets but more so to be educated as well.
Thus said Tourism Undersecretary Alma Rita de los Reyes- Jimenez who was the guest speaker during a regional gathering among tourism stakeholders held this town on Wednesday (December 14).
“In tourism, people are not anymore looking for sites to visit. People are more interested to know what people are doing when visiting a place; what stories are being told and what kind of culture can be imbibe,” Jimenez said during an interview.
Jimenez disclosed that today’s tourists can be classified into two: the millennial market which constitutes 35 percent of the total market and the silver market or those 55 years and above, which constitutes the remaining percentage of the market.
And both markets should be tapped by the market, Jimenez.
“The millennials want mission, they want to visit places that has significant culture in terms of heritage, we even had what’s called last chance tourism and bucket list tourism,” Jimenez said.
“We should recognize how the DNA of tourism is changing; how do we as destinations adopt to this kind of changes; how do we configure our products and services to appeal to the market that we want, these are the things to be considered” the DOT official.
However, Jimenez emphasized that the most important thing that they want to consider is not disrupt the lives of the communities.
“We don’t want to force the communities to change because of tourism,” she added.
Meantime, DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said that the gathering, held at the Oriental Hotel, this town, aim to draw the target of the tourism industry in the region for the next six years.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY- New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines David Strachan turned-over on Wednesday (December 14) of a warehouse intended for the storage of relief goods funded by his government.
The P12 million worth facility, located along Magsaysay Boulevard, is part of the commitment of the New Zealand government to help the recovery effort of the country in the aftermath of super typhoon “Yolanda” that hit the region on November 8, 2013.
Strachan said that the three-storey facility would help the Philippine Red Cross(PRC), the recipient of the warehouse, to hasten in the delivery of relief goods in case a disaster strikes the region, considered one of the areas in the country prone to natural disasters like typhoon.
“This will strengthen the capacity of the Philippine Red Cross to provide fast of relief response (during a calamity),” the ambassador said in an interview after he led in inauguration of the facility which will also serve as a training center on disaster response by the PRC.
Strachan said that his government is “committed” to help the Philippines and other Asean countries “mitigate and adapt to climate change.”
“Our support to the Philippine Red Cross is an example of our commitment to disaster risk management and humanitarian relief in the Philippines,” he added.
The New Zealand government was among the countries to immediately respond after Tacloban, ground zero of the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland.
It provided more than $5 million for relief operations with a Royal New Zealand Force C-130 loaded food and medical supplies to the city and also helped transport survivors to Manila.
Oscar Palabyab, secretary general of the PRC, said that they are happy that the New Zealand government extended assistance in building the warehouse.
He narrated that day after Tacloban was struck by Yolanda, their eight 10-wheeler trucks from Bicol were positioned outside the city due to lack of facility to store the relief goods.
But with the operation of their regional warehouse, they have now an area where they could preposition the relief items and could be easily delivered to an area hit by a disaster, Palabyab said.
Asked if his government will continue to provide assistance to the country despite of the human rights issues affecting the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, Strachan said that both countries are “good neighbors” which provide assistance in case of a disaster.
He recalled that when his country was struck with a deadly earthquake in 2010, the Philippines was one of the countries that sent a rescue team.
There are more than 60,000 Filipinos who lives in New Zealand.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- To better serve the Taclobanons, the city government under the administration of Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez held a grand barangayan dubbed as the “Caring, Giving & Reaching Out Program” recently at the Tacloban Convention Center(astrodome).
Thousands of Taclobanons availed the various services offered by the city government during the said activity.
“Its (providing) services closer to our constituents,” said Mayor Romualdez on the importance of the grand barangayan, a one stop shop service where clients can access in a days’ time.
Services offered include medical and dental like tooth extraction, blood pressure check-up, weighing (Operation Timbang) and nutritional feeding for problem in the city.
Livelihood training registration, utilizing CLEP (Cristina Learn and Earn Program) free haircut from the graduates was extended during the barangayan.
Personal documents like live birth certificates were also provided during the barangayan.
Seed distribution and technical assistance were also provided to farmers, while senior citizens were briefed of the Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2010 (RA 9994).
Reading materials for children were also provided during the barangayan.
The City Population Office also conducted services like family planning counseling and Lipad advocacy.
Protective services were made by the Tacloban City Police Office and counseling for the transformation project were likewise extended during the barangayan.
Meanwhile, anti-rabies vaccination, deworming, dispensing of vitamins (for dogs & livestock animal) and dog impounding for astray animals were also available during the barangayan.
The City Cooperative Office, meantime, shared their expertise through information advocacy backing up small groups to indulge in cooperativism.
Employment opportunities were opened and enhancement of the skills regulatory system.
Taking good care of the city’s environment through solid waste management was also lectured during the barangayan as the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council gave tips on what to do and prepare during a disaster situation.
Legal assistance was likewise offered for free.
The barangayan started during the term of then Mayor Alfredo “Bejo” Romualdez and continued during the administration of Mayor Alfred Romualdez.
The program was retained by Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez.
(GAY GASPAY, TISAT)