TACLOBAN CITY- City Councilor Emmanuel Domingo revealed that they are conducting an investigation over reports of a “fraudulent scheme” involving a housing project in the northern part of the city.

The investigation came in the wake of complaints received by him from individuals who were able to buy lots in Barangay Bagacay, one of the areas identified by the city government as a relocation site for victims of super typhoon Yolanda who totally lost their houses.

The complainants alleged that they are being asked to pay to the company that oversees the development of the housing site without being given receipts and proofs of necessary documents, Domingo, who chairs the committee on engineering, said.

The housing project, involving 400 units, is supposed to be under the CMP or community mortgage program of the national government. It was learned that the Brigham group, which manages the housing project in Bagacay, asks P1, 600 each for a 40 square meter lot. According to Councilor Domingo, many of those who were able to secure lots at the said housing project would like to be clarified if the Brigham group has the necessary documents like reclassification of the land from being agricultural to residential and a development permit from the city government.

In view of this complaint, the city council’s committees on engineering, urban poor and laws are jointly conducting an investigation on this matter. During their initial committee hearing, the officials of the Brigham group were given a checklist containing the needed requirements for them to comply, Domingo said. The councilor said that the Brigham group could not legally sell any lots in the area unless they were issued a development permit. Meanwhile, Siony Sia, one of the officials of the Brigham group said that they are a legal entity.

She explained that the money paid by the lot owners are deposited at the Philippine National Bank as mandated by Social Housing Finance Corporation. Sia said that they have a validated bank receipts as their proof. She also said that they have the documents which they submitted before City Planning and Development Office which could easily be checked. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Mussel-rich bays in Samar province have been declared by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as red tide positive on July 5, effectively enforcing a shellfish ban. In its latest bulletin, BFAR found red tide toxins in Maqueda Bay and its inner portion, Villareal Bay in Samar, known as one of the top green mussel producers in the country.

Laboratory tests found 64 micrograms of toxins in every 100 grams of shellfish meat, beyond the regulatory limit of 60 micrograms. “All types of shellfish and Acetes sp. or alamang gathered from these areas are not safe for human consumption. Thus, the public is advised to refrain from eating, harvesting, marketing, and buying shellfishes and Acetes sp. from Irong-Irong Bay, Maqueda Bay, and Villareal Bay until such time that the shellfish toxicity level has gone down below the regulatory level,” said Juan Albaladejo, BFAR regional director. Fish, squid, shrimps, and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking, according to BFAR.

The shellfish ban was raised after nearby Irong- Irong Bay in Catbalogan City was found positive of red tide toxins, prompting the fisheries bureau to conduct twice weekly tests in Samar bays.

The phenomenon will affect the livelihood of 651 households in Samar to include traders, processors, bamboo splitters, and transport operators.
Based on previous government monitoring report, the two bays produced 10,616 metric tons of mussels with a total market value of P43.24 million through shipment to Metro Manila, Davao City, Bicol, and Cebu City.

In 2009, Samar contributed 17% to the total green mussel production in the country. It was the third top producer next to Capiz and Cavite provinces, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Maqueda Bay covers the coastal waters of the towns of Jiabong, Daram, Pinabacdao, Talalora, San Sebastian, Villareal, and Calbiga. Major bays in Eastern Visayas that are still free from red tide toxins are Cancabato Bay, San Pedro Bay in Carigara Bay, Ormoc Bay, Sogod Bay, Cambatutay Bay, and Matarinao Bay. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

CALBAYOG CITY- The Department of Health (DOH)-Central Office through its Health Emergency Management headed by Dr. Carmencita A. Banatin is to give due recognition to the city government of Calbayog for being the first to bring to Tacloban City the complete response and the most needed relief efforts including psychosocial services just right after supertyphoon “Yolanda” (with international name “Haiyan”) made landfall on November 8 (a Friday) last year that resulted mass destruction and cause lose of thousands of lives in the city.

In an interview, City Health Officer Dr. Sylvia de Guzman, said that Regional Health Emergency Management Coordinator Dr. Fidelito Dico had already sent her an advance notice about the awarding scheduled on July 18 in Manila that looks toward an individual’s or the team’s heroism during such unusual event that was beyond their ordinary duties.

To receive award are Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino, Police Supt Elmer Cinco (former Calbayog City police chief) and Dr. de Guzman. The team from Calbayog arrived in Tacloban a day after Yolanda pummeled Tacloban “with an immediate soothing relief” to the sorrow and desperation of the affected residents. Mayor Aquino personally headed the team that brought in the immediate basic needs of the survivors like food, water, and medicines.He was with P/Supt Cinco (who served as the team’s ground commander), and along with Cinco were a number of PNP uniformed personnel who also helped in the road clearing operations, rescue efforts, resource mobilization and most especially, in bringing back security presence in Tacloban as security vacuum was experienced elsewhere after the typhoon because majority of local law enforcers themselves had been victimized by the super typhoon.

Likewise, Dr. de Guzman’s team helped those injured and provided emergency and basic medical and surgical services to the affected when they temporarily manned Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) as hospital’s staffs were also victims themselves. After Tacloban, same team went also to other Yolanda-hit areas like Marabut, Basey, Albuera, Capoocan and Tanauan to deliver same services. These efforts of the city government of Calbayog with other coordinating agencies continue until survivors learn to cope with the loss of lives of their loved-ones, their homes and their livelihood. At present, Calbayog-LGU is also helping in the national government’s recovery and rebuilding efforts for the victims and survivors of Yolanda through its “Sagubay Waraynon” project. (AIMEE CATALAN/PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- The government of South Korea continues its assistance to Leyte, ravaged by supertyphoon Yolanda, as new batch of its humanitarian group arrived in the province.

Lt Myunghyun Baek, public relation officer of ROK (Republic of Korea) Force Araw Contingent said that more than 300 military personnel arrived, replacing the first batch of their humanitarian group.

Col. Chulwon Lee remains the commander of the mission.

The second batch will be divided into five groups- three groups will focus on rebuilding and rehabilitating public elementary schools while two groups will focus in rebuilding and rehabilitating houses of Filipino war veterans during the Korean War and other local government offices such as police stations, fire station, rural health office and senior citizens office.

The second batch will stay in the province until December of this year.

Furthermore, Korean soldier part of the first batch shared what they had noticed in their experience on the six months of their stay here in Leyte.
Baek recalled that they were shocked on the extent of damage caused by Yolanda when they first arrived in Leyte.

Lt Dae Hueng Hwang said that teaching the Korean language to the residents of Palo and Tacloban made his stay more memorable as this reminded him his stay in the country when he studied his college at the University of Sto. Tomas.

He added that as an interpreter of the Korean forces, he was exposed in meeting people like those who are living in the villages.
“They always welcome Korean soldiers and appreciate us,” Hwang said. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster have built at least 22,063 toilets in the Visayas region areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda. WASH Cluster, composed of several humanitarian groups, started transitioning from life-saving intervention to early recovery planning and implementation in December 2013.

This included not only to restoration of communal and household level water and sanitation facilities, but also strengthening of governance and resilience at local levels.
As reported in the Philippine humanitarian response site, significant progress is being made in the roll out of the Philippine Approach to Total Sanitation (PHaTS) across Leyte and Eastern Samar.

The 22,063 toilets provided by various groups involving the WASH Cluster, was based on the June 19. However, another 2,579 latrines were constructed benefitting 12,891 people.

There are informal reports of more than 20 barangays across Leyte and Samar are ready to declare themselves a “zero open defecation” barangays.
It is working on the importance of water system infrastructure and water quality. In May, 2,460 people benefited from 12 systems upgrade. A desalination water treatment plant was also commissioned in Tacloban City at Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC).

As the pressure to provide long-term durable shelter solutions continues to mount, significant numbers of relocation sites are being developed by local government units and the private sector across Haiyan affected areas without adequate planning to construct WASH facilities. The upcoming rainy season also presents a heighted risk of vector and water borne diseases like dengue fever.

Health has also reported issues with community members unwilling to undertake dengue monitoring and sanitation cleaning activities without payment of cash- for- work.

Significant investment has been directed towards the capacity-building of government staff at all levels. Improvements are evident in some areas.
However, significant efforts are still required before the Cluster can fully transfer their responsibilities to the respected government counterparts. (AIRYLL A.YAPOC, LNU Intern)