Local leaders urge public
cooperation on localized community quarantine
By Nora
C. Lanuza
BUTUAN
CITY, Mar. 23 (PIA) -- Following reports that there are residents of Butuan
City and Agusan del Norte who failed to follow measures and protocols set by
the local leaders in the implementation of a community quarantine, Governor
Dale B. Corvera of the province of Agusan del Norte reiterated his call to
Agusanons to please stay at home and follow the measures to avoid the spread of
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the province.
Governor
Corvera said he acknowledged the very critical role of the front liners against
the virus. He said, the strict implementation of Executive Order No. 18,
its measures and protocols being set, is for the betterment of every Agusanon.
"The
front liners are putting their lives at risk to protect the entry of the virus
to our province, let us not make their sacrifices put into useless. We are
asking for your cooperation and please stay at your home while the order is
still being enforced,” he added.
Gov.
Corvera said that if the situation will worsen, they are also forced to put the
province into an enhanced community quarantine like what happened in Luzon,
"so now that we can still control of the situation, avoid going out from
your respective homes,” said Corvera.
Governor
Corvera also urged the public to spare time to pray, because this is the most
effective weapon to combat the virus.
Meanwhile,
Butuan City Mayor Ronnie Vicente Lagnada also called on Butuanons to cooperate
and be vigilant, he said that even if he is still in home quarantine, the
government is still on top of the situation. The city task force with the help
of both the public and private sectors is doing its best to contain the spread
of the virus.
Violators
on the measures and protocols set on the issued executive order will be
penalized and be given appropriate actions, he said.
The
local official also encouraged the public utility operators and drivers not to
increase fare to help residents cope with the situation, especially that other
companies have closed their establishments to protect their employees from the
virus.
Earlier,
the Butuan City law enforcement team apprehended two drivers who were not
observing social distancing in their multicabs by exceeding eight passengers.
The violators were escorted to the police station and the vehicles were sent to
the local traffic and management office for processing of affidavit of
undertaking.
As of
this writing, the province of Agusan del Norte and Butuan City are still free
from COVID-19. (NCLM/PIA Caraga)
AgSur appeals to
media, locals to verify COVID-19 info before sharing
By
Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN
CITY, March 23 (PIA) -- As the need of timely, accurate and reliable
information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) is vital in this crisis situation,
the Provincial Public Information Office (PPIO) in Agusan del Sur has called on
the public particularly the media from the different towns to only tell and
share verified and validated information from legitimate sources.
Alfredo
Plaza, Jr., PPIO chief, emphasized that this should be the primary concern of
the media, so people remained well-informed despite the localized community
quarantine implemented in the entire province.
“All
should be responsible in making sure that the information they have gathered
are verified and validated before sharing it with others in various platforms.
This is to prevent people from confusion and make them panic over baseless
information,” said Plaza.
Plaza
further reminded all that any individual who will be caught creating fake news
and sharing it online will be charged for violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Act,
wherein responsible person/s shall be put to prison and shall pay the
corresponding penalty.
“Remember,
this is not about who gets the news first and be on the spotlight, but it’s
about ensuring that everyone around us is able to get the right information and
let them be aware of the things to do and what to avoid for them to be spared
from the spread of the harmful COVID-19,” Plaza added.
Meanwhile,
Plaza further bared that those media personalities, who are working within the
province of Agusan del Sur and are gathering data in the different
municipalities for their reports, are urged to have with them their ID and
should undergo the screening process at the checkpoints, as the community
quarantine is strictly implemented in the entire province.
“No one
is exempted to undergo the health protocol,” he said. (JPG/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
AgNor local officials
seek support from national gov’t
By
Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN
CITY, March 23 (PIA) - Amid the outbreak and health threat brought by the
coronavirus or COVID-19 in the country, the local officials of Agusan del Norte
brought up their concerns and asked the national government to provide testing
kits for the Caraga region.
They
also seek the support for the provision of personal protective equipment for
the frontliners.
According
to Governor Dale Corvera, despite being a COVID-free region, it has recorded
more than 3,800 persons under monitoring (PUMs) while 13 are patients under
investigation (PUIs).
“If
only we have readily available testing kits in the region, we would easily know
who are those affected and who are not based on the results. Our frontliners
also need to have the personal protective equipment that they could use while
they handle the PUIs in the health facility,” said Corvera.
Meanwhile,
the City Tourism of Butuan has also asked assistance from the national
government to help in addressing the concern of the tourists who were stranded
due to the ongoing implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon
and localized community quarantine in the different regions.
Butuan
City Tourism Officer Evangeline PeΓ±a-Dominese asked for special trips for the
return of the tourists in their respective places, as well as those Butuanons
and Caraganons who were stranded in other parts of the country.
“For
now, we only have one concern in the tourism sector, and that is to ask for
help from the national government that if possible they could provide a special
trip/s for the tourists who were stranded and let them go back to their homes.
Same with those Caraganons who were also stranded in other areas,” Dominese
cited.
The
government called on the public to obey and follow the health protocols imposed
by the authorities in the designated checkpoints, including the curfew hours
and other rules and regulations in order to continuously prevent the spread of
the said virus.
Everyone
is also reminded of the regular washing of hands, the use of alcohol or
sanitizers, and is encouraged to stay at home. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
AgSur guv urges public to cooperate with
authorities in implementing precautionary measures
By
Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN
CITY, March 23 (PIA) -- With the ongoing implementation of the community
quarantine in the entire province of Agusan del Sur, Governor Santiago Cane,
Jr. called on the locals to obey and follow the rules and regulations imposed
by the authorities from the Department of Health (DOH),
Provincial/Municipal/City/Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT) in
fighting against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
"We
should follow orders from the officials in the barangay/city/municipality/province,
as well as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National
Police (PNP) for us to ensure that nobody will be affected by the said
virus," Gov. Cane, said.
The
barangay officials are also making the move to properly inform their constituents
on the things to do in order to continuously prevent the spread of the COVID-19
disease. Hotline and emergency numbers are posted in every barangay so people
could immediately report any related incident.
The
governor, who leads the Agusan del Sur Task Force COVID-19, is also visiting
the designated checkpoint in the province to personally check and assess
whether the health protocols are continuously followed/complied. This is to
ensure the implementation of the precautionary measures to prevent the spread
of the said virus while the province is under community quarantine.
Meanwhile,
despite being a COVID-Free province and region, for now, Gov. Cane urged
everyone not to be complacent, instead, always follow and apply the
precautionary measures and health protocol, maintain proper hygiene, social
distancing, and to stay at home, and to ensure that said disease would not
affect more people and increase the number of persons under monitoring (PUMs)
and patients under investigation (PUIs).
"Going
outside your houses and roaming elsewhere would only give the virus the chance
to infect more people without you knowing you have it already. Don't be a virus
carrier. Stay home, stay clean, and be safe," said Cane. (JPG/PIA-Agusan
del Sur)
Joint task force to
combat COVID-19 launched in SurSur
By Cpt. Jonald D Romorosa
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Mar. 23 -- Concerned law enforcement
agencies have formally launched the Provincial Joint Task Force Corona Virus
Surigao del Sur Shield (PJTF CV SDS Shield) on Saturday, March 21, 2020, held
at the Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office, Camp Vicente Pimentel Sr.,
Brgy. Telaje, this city.
The
said task force was organized to oversee and support the implementation of the
directives of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging
Infectious Disease (IATF-MEID). Its mission is to maintain the peace and order,
and enforcement of laws to prevent and contain the spread of the coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) by establishing quarantine control points to seal-off the
five main entrance and exit points in the province of Surigao del Sur.
The
event was spearheaded by Police Provincial Office chief PCol. James Goforth, as
the designated commander of the task force, along with 36th Infantry Battalion
(36IB) Commander Lt. Colonel Jezreel Diagmel, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG),
Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and chiefs of police of the 17 municipalities,
and two cities of the province.
The
activity was highlighted by the signing of the PNP-AFP-PCG-BFP Joint
implementing directive Nr. 1-2020 in support of IATF-MEID.
In his
statement, Lt. Col. Diagmel lauded the bold move of the PNP Surigao del Sur for
activating and organizing the Joint Task Force in the province.
“We in
the Philippine Army, particularly the 36IB, will fully support the
implementation of PJTF CV SDS Shield. We will ensure that the peace and order
will be fully implemented as we combat this virulent disease,” Diagmel said. He
also urged every Surigaonon to cooperate and bear with the security forces in
these trying times.
The
joint task force has established five main quarantine control points to
seal-off the entrance and exit points in the following areas: Barangay Adlay,
Carrascal via Claver, Surigao del Norte; Barangay Payasan, Lianga via Los
Arcos, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur; Sitio Cutlog, Barangay Bahi, Barobo via San
Francisco, Agusan del Sur; Barangay San Jose, Bislig City via Trento, Agusan
del Sur; and Sitio Lomar, Barangay Sabang, Lingig via Boston, Davao Oriental. (CMO
Officer, 36IB/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
Bayugan City households receive quarantine pass
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, March 23 (PIA) -- As the entire province of Agusan del Sur implements the community quarantine as part of the provincial government’s precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the city government of Bayugan has already distributed the quarantine pass to every household.
The city government wanted to limit the movement of the local residents for less exposure outside their homes and prevent the chance of spreading the disease.
It can be recalled that Bayugan City Mayor Kirk Asis has issued the Executive Order No. 65, series of 2020, wherein he declared the entire city under general community quarantine.
“While Bayugan City remains free of positive COVID-19 case, there are limited testing kits available and it takes weeks to get the results back, thus, an urgent need for a 'Mandatory Self-Isolation for All' because everyone is a suspect now carrying the coronavirus in this life-and-death situation,” bared Asis.
Just recently, Mayor Asis also announced that the LGU has issued a quarantine pass allowing individuals to go out of their houses to buy the basic commodities and other essentials, as well as, for those employees in public and private entities.
“Along with the pass, individuals should also present their ID for verification. Without the pass, anyone will not be allowed to go out from their homes and roam elsewhere without official business,” said Asis.
Mayor Asis added that the quarantine pass, which the city government will be providing to every household shall not be reproduced, otherwise, those who will be caught violating will be put to prison. He further bared that the pass shall only be produced by the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) office and City Planning Office. The pass is also non-transferable with other users.
Mayor Asis also urged the uniform personnel and quarantine officers, persons in authority and agents of persons in authority both in the city and barangay levels to be present at border points and also oversee the movement of the people in internet shops/cafes, basketball courts and other recreational areas.
He also urged the concerned personnel to monitor the prices in grocery stores, sari-sari stores, 24-hours convenience stores, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, pharmacies, and public markets, and other essential business establishments.
Meanwhile, other municipalities like Sibagat has also released and distributed the quarantine pass to the barangays. (JPG/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Buhi sa buli: Badjaos
weaving positivity
Olivia
straightens up as she was about to fold the last strip of the dried buli leaf
to cap off her day.
Olivia
Jawatan, 49 years old, a mother of three, works hard to earn for her family’s
needs. For a Badjao like her, it is unlikely that she depends on a sustainable
job, or a livelihood. But after enjoying the benefits of one of the
government’s programs, she is able to enjoy a livelihood she has learned to
love.
The
Badjao, like many of the country’s indigenous peoples, are a vulnerable tribe.
Forced resettlements, homelessness, and extreme poverty remain the constant
challenges to their living. These push them to take the risky path of begging
on the streets or diving for coins thrown to them at the pier, to earn a living.
Widely
known as “sea gypsies” because they live and fish in coastal areas, they are
often beyond the reach of government assistance due to their nomadic existence.
Yet, a barangay in Surigao City proves this untrue.
Out of
their shells
Canlanipa
is one of the 54 barangays in the capital of Surigao del Norte. In its
barangay’s coastal areas, live an estimated 250 Badjao households. Most of
these households have no source of living. Others own small fishing boats, but
it was unable to sustain their daily needs. Fortunately, a survey was done in
2009 and Badjao families of Canlanipa were assessed by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD).
From
the surveyed families, 41 households qualified for DSWD’s new program, the
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) – the country’s Conditional Cash
Transfer (CCT) Program. 28 families qualified for the regular UCT, while 13
families were qualified for the Modified CCT.
It was
a challenge for the qualified families. The program had different conditions
that the members would comply with to receive their grants. In the early part
of the program’s implementation, they had a hard time complying with the
conditions. Olivia shares how hard it is for a Badjao parent like her to
understand everything about the conditions of the program.
“Kasagaran
sa amo diri dili makabayo mubasa o musuyat. Dako gajud na tabang an amo tribal
leader sa pagproseso sa mga rekisitos na kinahanglanon nan 4Ps (Most of us here
are illiterate. Our tribal leader is really of great help to us in processing
the requirements needed for the Program),” Olivia said.
Badjaos,
like other IP groups, depend on their tribal leaders. Fortunately, one of their
more dependable and strong-willed leaders, Dahila Araman, was one of the
beneficiaries of the program.
She was
chosen as one of the program’s parent-leaders in their barangay because of her
inherent virtues, wisdom, and charisma. Prior to being a parent-leader, she has
served her community for over 34 years, ensuring peace and order among tribal
members. She rendered service with her compassion, helping the community
whenever there are problems that need to be addressed at all times.
Though
language barrier is an issue, Dahila sees to it that her members are in
compliance with the conditions of 4Ps such as keeping their children in school,
maintaining health check-ups, and attending the monthly Family Development
Sessions (FDS). During these times, she serves as the translator of their
discussions, should her members need translating about the contents of the
modules they are using. It is also a breather for their City Link assigned to
have Dahila as the parent leader since she can easily provide her service to
all, ensuring that no Badjao is left out.
Change
of living
“Pagmulaong
gani na Badjao, an huna-huna dajon nan mga tawo manlimosay kami. Pero diri sa
amo barangay, taghinay-hinajan na namo pagbag-o an amo panginabuhi tungod sa
amo mga nakat-unan sa FDS (When you say Badjao, the people will automatically
think that we are beggars. But here in our barangay, we are slowly changing our
way of life, especially in terms of our livelihood – and this is because of
what we learned during our FDS),” Dahila said, as she explained the importance
of attending the monthly FDS.
In
Chapter 13 of the Program’s operations manual, the grantees have the most
crucial role in achieving transformation and development of the family thus,
“it designed the FDS to have a venue for household grantees to enhance and
acquire new skills and knowledge in responding to their roles.” Moreover, the
second module (Responsible Parenthood), presents a topic on Family Resource
Management, in which the grantees are taught of income-generating strategies
and marketing procedures. One of these is buli weaving.
“Gikan
ini sa dahon sa buli, amo dajon ibuyad sa suga. Pagmamaya na, amo na dajon
sugdan an paghimo sa banig. Tungod kay waya may amo hamok na materyales, amo ra
kinamuton (These are from the strands of buli/buri palm. When it dries, we
start the weaving process. Since we do not have equipment, we manually weave
these mats),” Olivia shared.
Buri
(Corypha Elata), is a large fan palm commonly found in tropical countries. Its
leaves are sliced into strips, sun dried and dyed.
An
arduous and very tedious process, buli weaving requires hard work,
determination and patience from the Badjao women. Despite its being still a
callow enterprise, it has the potential of becoming sustainable in the long run
as it is linked to economic opportunities, a characteristic that, for Paterna
M. Ruiz, Undersecretary of the Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), emphasized as
vital to the alleviation of poverty, even in small ways.
Financial
literacy
Data
presented by NAPC showed that 21.9 million or 21.6 percent of Filipinos are
income poor. Under the Department’s Major Thrusts in line with the Philippine
Development Plan 2017-2022, it seeks to lay down foundation for inclusive
growth, a high-trust and resilient society, and a globally-competitive
knowledge economy.
“Dako
an amo pagpasalamat sa DSWD-4Ps kay kuman naanam-anam na pagkakita sa mga tawo
na dili kami taman ra sa pagpangajo sa kadayanan sa Surigao, kon dili
naningkamot sab kami para mulambo sa kinabuhi (We owe our big thanks to
DSWD-4Ps because now the people can slowly see that we are not just beggars on
the streets of Surigao, but we are working hard to have a good life),” Dahil
said.
Olivia
and Dahila are just two of the Badjao residents in Surigao enjoying the
benefits of the Pantawid Pamilya Program. With their relentless pursuit to
provide for their families, and change the image of the Badjao’s, they strive
to be productive citizens by putting into action what they learned from the
program.
Without
a doubt, their financial literacy has reflected the efforts of the Department
in attaining its service brand – DSWD May Malasakit, and for the Badjao
community, this is just the start. (Social Marketing Section/DSWD Field
Office Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
Curfew hour sa Agusan del Norte hugot nga
ipatuman
By Jessica
O. Mellejor
DAKBAYAN
SA BUTUAN, Marso 23 -- Hugot nga ipatuman sa lokal nga pangamhanan sa Agusan
del Norte ang bag-ohay pa lamang naaprubahan nga Provincial Ordinance No.
548-2020, "An Ordinance Imposing Curfew Hours in the province of Agusan
del Norte from 10:00 o’clock in the evening to 5:00 o’clock the following
morning for adults and 8:00 o’clock in the evening to 5:00 o’clock the
following morning for minors due to covid-19 and other high-risk and infectious
diseases, for public safety and security, and providing penalties
thereof."
Kini
gimando ubos sa Provincial Ordinance No. 548-2020, nga gipanginahanan ni
Provincial Board Member Elizabeth Marie R. Calo, nga gipasa ug gi-aprobahan sa
Sangguniang Panlalawigan sa Agusan del Norte atol sa ilang ika 5th Special Sesyon
niadtong Marso 17, 2020.
Basi
usab kini sa Proklamasyon No. 922 nga gi-isyu ni Presidente Rodrigo R. Duterte,
gideklara nga usa ka State of Public Health Emergency sa tibouk Pilipinas.
Ubos sa
Seksyon 4 sa maong ordinansa panahon sa mga oras sa curfew, mga hamtong ug mga
menor de edad dili tugutan nga naa sa kadalanan, komersyal nga establisemento,
sentro sa kalingawan, pampublikong mga parke, sementeryo, o bisan unsang ubang
mga lugar sa gawas sa kasilinganan gawas kung gihatag sa ilalum sa Seksyon 6 sa
kini nga ordinansa.
Mao kini
ang ipasilot sa kadtong nakalapas sa maong ordinansa: Kung ang nakasala usa ka
menor de edad, ang silot kinahanglan maglangkob sa usa ka pagbadlong sa
awtorisado nga opisyal sa barangay; ug Kung ang nakasala dese otso (18) ka tuig
pataas (hingkod), ang nakasala kinahanglan pahimangno nga mobalik sa iyang
kaugalingon nga pinuy-anan, kung adunay pagbatok, ang nakasala kinahanglan nga
dad-on pagbalik sa iyang puy-anan.
Hugtanon
kining ipatuman ni Gobernador Dale B. Corvera batok sa corona virus. (LGU
Agusan del Norte/PIA Agusan del Norte)
