(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 27 March 2024) Easterlies affecting the eastern section of the country. Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Easterlies / Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.


Friday, March 27, 2020

AgSur frontliners in checkpoints ask for more PPEs

By Jennifer P. Gaitano

BUTUAN CITY, March 27 (PIA) -- With the intensified implementation of precautionary measures in the province of Agusan del Sur against the coronavirus (COVID-19), the frontliners have asked for additional personal protective equipment (PPE) and other needs as they operate in the designated checkpoints.

During the inspection and assessment of the Agusan del Sur Task Force COVID19 in the checkpoints of the said province, Governor Santiago Cane, Jr., witnessed the actual situation of the frontliners comprising personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Health (DOH) and Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams who are operating on 24/7.

The identified needs of the checkpoints include tents to shed waiting motorists, thermal scanners and personal protective equipment to be used by the frontliners.

According to Governor Cane, the provincial government is doing its best and looks for appropriate means and ways to address the concerns of the frontliners, as well as measures to protect them from being afflicted with COVID-19.

The official also stressed the need for available testing kits, not only in the province of Agusan del Sur but also in all areas of the Caraga region. This is to fast track results of the swab samples of the patients under investigation (PUIs) and persons under monitoring (PUMs).

“For now, what we really need is available testing kits not only for the province of Agusan del Sur, but also in the whole of Caraga region, especially that we have PUIs and PUMs,” cited Gov. Cane.

Apart from looking after the needs of the frontliners, the provincial government also takes measures to ensure the safety and protection of the employees from the private and public sectors, hence, governor cane has allowed implementation of a flexible work arrangement or skeletal workforce.

Meanwhile, the local authorities continue to appeal to the public for their full support and cooperation especially in the conduct of checkpoints, as part of the precautionary measures to avert the spread of COVID-19.

"Handling checkpoint operations is not that easy, but we are doing our best as we implement tight precautionary measures to ensure that people are protected from the spread of COVID-19. That’s why we are also asking for their full support and cooperation for an orderly conduct of checkpoint,” PCpl. Candilario Sanoco. (JPG/PIA-Agusan del Sur)

Karagdagang PPEs, hiniling ng mga frontliners sa Agusan del Sur

By Jennifer P. Gaitano

LUNGSOD NG BUTUAN, Marso 27 (PIA) -- Sa gitna ng pinaigting na pagpapatupad ng mga hakbang sa probinsya ng Agusan del Sur kontra coronavirus o COVID-19, nanawagan ang ilang frontliners sa probinsya ng ilan pa sa kanilang mga pangangailangan partikular na sa pagsasagawa ng checkpoints.

Sa ginawang inspection at assessment ng Agusan del Sur Task Force COVID-19 sa mga checkpoints ng nasabing probinsya, nakita mismo ni Governor Santiago Cane, Jr., ang sitwasyon ng  mga kawani ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Health (DOH), at Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams.

Kabilang sa mga kinakailangan ay karagdagang tents para may masilungan ang mga motoristang sumasailalim sa checkpoint, infrared thermal scanner, at personal protective equipment naman para sa mga namumuno sa mga checkpoints.

Ayon naman kay Governor Cane, gumagawa na ng hakbang ang provincial government upang matugunan ang mga ito.

Sa kanyang panayam sa Radyo Pilipinas Manila, binigyang-diin ng opisyal na nangangailangan din hindi lang ang probinsya kundi ng buong rehiyon ng caraga ng testing kits upang mas mapabilis ang resulta ng swab samples ng mga patients under investigation (PUIs) at persons under monitoring (PUMs).

“Kailangan po talaga namin dito sa Agusan del Sur at ng buong Caraga region ang testing kits lalu na’t may mga PUIs at PUMs na naitala na kailangan ding tutukan,” banggit ni Gov. Cane.

Maliban sa frontliners, tinutugunan din ng lokal na pamahalaan ang proteksyon ng mga empleyado sa pribado at pampublikong ahensiya.. Kaya naman pinahintulan ng opisyal ang pagpapatupad ng flexible work arrangement o skeletal workforce.

Samantala, hiniling din mga otoridad sa publiko ang kanilang suporta at kooperasyon lalu na sa checkpoints upang masugpo ang pagkalat ng virus.

“Hindi po madali ang ginagawa namin sa checkpoint, subalit ginagawa po namin ang mga precautionary measures upang maprotektahan ang mga mamamayan laban sa COVID-19 kaya hinihingi din po namin ang inyong suporta at kooperasyon upang maging maayos ang lahat,” ani ni PCpl. Candilario Sanoco. (JPG/PIA-Agusan del Sur)


Home gardens: A promising approach to enhance household food security


As the government urged the public to stay home and self- quarantine, some have started coming up with ways to entertain themselves and some are finding productive ways to stay home.

Like Romer Amante, who practices home gardening together with his farmer – partners.
He is an agriculturist a technical staff of the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Caraga who needs to do his office work for the meantime at home.

Imparting technical expertise, particularly to vegetable farmers is his forte. In his three years of working in the DA-Caraga this opens for his realization that there is a need to practice what he preached.

"Together with my farmer-partners I am encouraged to establish a small area where I can apply and showcase the proper management in vegetable farming," he said.

Romer with his partners is now sharing a small area where he can demonstrate good practices in producing vegetables like ampalaya, eggplant, okra, tomato, squash, and even papaya.

"Aside from the sharing of my knowledge with my farmer-partners. This is also in time of the global crisis, there is a need to feed our bodies with essential nutrients to boost our immune system to fight COVID-19," Romer added.

Jessie Kahilig, 34, is one of his partners from Brgy. Aupagan, Butuan City said that they have vegetables for today's crisis to feed his family.

"I am thankful for Romer's initiative to make a partnership with us, this crisis is unforeseen but we know what to do and that is to plant more," Jessie added.

Romer and his farmer partners are now starting to reap the harvest of their hard work.

"With or without COVID-19 we should be productive and be ready," Romer said.

The initiative of the young agriculturist is a proactive response on Agriculture Secretary William Dar's campaign to enhance urban gardening as one of the measures to address the availability of food supply amidst the spread of COVID-19 in the country. (DA Caraga/PIA Caraga)