Leyte-Samar DAILYPOSITIVE EXPRESS l FAIR l FREE VOL. XXXI II NO. 045 SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 P15.00 IN TACLOBAN As EV posted highest single day cases for the year with 186 South Leyte reverts to GCQ amid COVID-19 spike ROEL T. AMAZONA, RONALD O. REYES VACCINATED. TACLOBAN CITY- Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado is- Leyte Governor sued an executive order on Thursday (May 27) placing the entire prov- Leopoldo Domini- ince under general community quarantine (GCQ) from its previous co Petilla receives modified GCQ status amid its increasing COVID-19 cases. his first dose of vaccine against The GCQ quarantine far the highest single-day Persons under 15-years status will take effect for cases of the region for this old and those over coronavirus dis- the entire month of June, year. 65-yeard old including ease on Friday the order said. While the entire South- those with immunode- (May 28). He also The reversion of the ern Leyte province is under ficiency, comorbidity,encouraged those province to GCQ came GCQ, minimum health pregnant women are pro- who are hesitant amid the increasing num- standards are required to hibited from leaving their to have them- ber of COVID-19 cases be followed such as wear- respective houses except selves vaccinated across the region with the ing of face shields and face those for those are obtain- for their own pro- Department of Health masks, proper hygiene, use ing essential goods and tection. (DOH) reporting on Fri- of cough etiquette, and services, and those who (ROEL T. AMAZONA) day of 181 new cases, so physical distancing. see South/page 14 ... Gov. Petilla receives 1st jab; Mayor Romualdez opens family asks Leytenos to submit park for northern settlers themselves for vaccination PALO, Leyte-Governor experts are saying about Leopoldo Dominico Pe- the vaccine,” Petilla said. TACLOBAN CITY-As tilla gets his first dose of “Carefully check the part of Mayor Alfred Ro- vaccine against coronavi- information that you re- mualdez’s vision to devel- rus disease (COVID-19) ceived or heard about the op more green spaces for Friday afternoon (May vaccine and weigh in your residents, the city govern- 28) hoping that this would decision to the most cred- ment inaugurated Tues- help convince those who ible facts,” he added. day afternoon (May 25) are still hesitant to have the The governor added the Tacloban North Vil- vaccine shots. that the vaccine is safe lages Family Park, located Petilla was joined by and people should not at Brgy. 106 Sto. Niño. some of his staff and secu- hesitate. The park is a 3,165 rity during the inoculation “We cannot achieve on square-meter space, held at the Leyte Provin- going back to normalcy if which features some park cial Hospital office (PHO). people will keep on delay- amenities such as a cov- The governor said that see Gov. Petilla/page 16 ... ered community center, it was the PHO doctors landscaping, solar street- who decided to use the As- lights, water feature, and traZeneca vaccine for him. play equipment that will The governor added surely give a breathable that he hopes with him space for social recre- getting inoculated with the ations to the resettlement vaccine will help convince community. more residents in the prov- Mayor Romualdez, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez led the inauguration of a family park ince to submit themselves who led the inauguration located in Barangay 106(Santo Nino). The facility, where settlers at various for the jabs. activity, in his message, resettlement sites at the northern part of the city can enjoy, is also part of the “They should not be- asked the residents and greening program of the city government. lieve in hearsay, rather see Mayor /page 9 ... (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE) they must listen to what 2 Leyte Samar Daily Express NEWS Saturday, May 29, 2021 Program helps anti-insurgency campaign in Samar Salcedo mayor sees refrigerated Rep. Tan thumbs down any ELCAC defunding van from DAR an opportunity CATBALOGAN CITY- SALCEDO, Eastern Sa- Samar Rep. Sharee Ann mar – An opportunity not Tan expressed her total only for the recipient agrar- support for the continu- ian reform beneficiaries or- ation implementation of ganization (ARBO) but for the program of the Duterte the entire municipality as administration to end the well is how Mayor Melchor communist armed conflict Mergal of this fifth-class in the country. municipality perceives the In fact, she ‘polite- refrigerated closed van pro- ly decline’ to co-author a Rep. Sharee Ann Tan vided by the Department of bill as proposed by some Agrarian Reform (DAR), In Samar province, 87 of her colleagues at the rather than just a plain as- barangays from 12 towns House of Representatives sistance. have been identified to ben- to defund the National During the turnover of efit the P20 million funding Task Force to End Local the delivery vehicle worth for this year. Communist Armed Con- P1.8 million to the FEA Meantime, Major Gen. flict(NTF-ELCAC). Agrarian Reform Coopera- Pio Diñoso III, the com- According to her, the tive (FEA ARCo) early this manding officer of the 8th implementation of ELCAC month, Mergal stressed, “It Infantry Division based this in Samar, in particular, is not only an ordinary re- Chief of the Program Beneficiaries Development Division, Melecia Ong (3rd from city, said it’s about time to was beneficial on the fight frigerated van. It offers a left), representing DAR-8 OIC-Regional Director Ismael Aya-ay, hands over the sym- end the armed conflict in against members of the whole lot of opportunity bolic key to FEA Agrarian Reform Cooperative Chairman Luis Bayarong (5th from the region saying it’s very New People’s Army (NPAs) where we can start the en- right) as DAR turns over the ₱1.8-million refrigerated closed van to the agrarian costly. as the province continues gagements of our farmers to reform beneficiaries organization (ARBO). Witnessing the event are Salcedo Mayor He said that the money to battle with the insur- multi-corporations because Melchor Mergal (3rd from right), Vice Governor Maricar Gootesan (4th from right), spent by the government gents. we have the facility.” and Sebastian Caspe (representative of Congresswoman Maria Fe Abunda, 6th from to fight the rebels could be “We have different Thus, Mergal encour- right). (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA) better used to address the views (on insurgency).But aged FEA ARCo to sustain needs of the people in the for me, insurgency is the their operation because has existing marketing con- Chairman Luis Bayarong DAR has extended to his rural villages. main problem in Samar, to according to him, “It’s not tracts with the Department considers this assistance as constituents which accord- Diñoso said that because include my (second con- only your organization that of Health retained hospi- an investment for them to ing to him, “the local govern- of the need to address the gressional) district,” Tan will be benefited but the tals, Department of Edu- be able to help others too. ment could not provide due insurgency problem in the said. whole municipality as well.” cation, Bureau of Jail Man- In acceptance, he re- to our limited resources”. region, the national govern- “That is why, I politely Provincial Agrarian Re- agement and Penology, and vealed their immediate “An amon nala, an pag- ment is spending almost P5 decline for me to co-author form Program Officer II San Miguel Corporation for plan to use the refrigerat- bulig paglink ha magkadu- billion a year for the salaries a bill defunding the ELCAC (PARPO II) Gilberto Apila- their products ranging from ed closed van in delivering rudilain nga ahensya,” (For of the soldiers alone. because I see it as the solu- do said, FEA ARCo, though fresh fruits and vegetables dressed chickens and fresh our part, we will help link “If we don’t have an in- tion to end the insurgency situated in the remote vil- to processed foods. eggs which they supply them to the different agen- surgency problem(in East- problem in the province,” lage of Iberan in this town, “They indeed need this throughout the province. cies) said Melgar. ern Visayas), there could the lawmaker said. is one of the progressive type of facility to keep the Mayor Melgar was so (JOSE ALSMITH L. SO- be no military (and) the RIA/PR) Under the program, ba- ARBOs in Eastern Samar. freshness of perishable thankful for the assistance amount being used to ad- rangays identified to have Aside from being pro- products,” Ong added. dress the concerns of our been ‘cleared’ under the ducer of various crops and She further disclosed Leyte Samar people in the villages are influence of the NPA will processed foods, they also that this facility was fund- small compared to the receive funding allocation serve as consolidator of ed under DAR’s PaSSOver: amount spent for the mili- DailyDaily ExpressExpress of P20 million for their de- farmers’ products through- ARBold Move for Deliver- tary because we have these velopment project. out the province, particu- ance of our Farmers from NPAs,” he said. is in need of With this funding allo- larly cassava and cacao. the COVID-19 Pandemic He said that to construct cation, residents and offi- Chief of the Program project hoping to bolster a farm-to-market road for Writers, Correspondents, cials of far-flung barangays Beneficiaries Development the role of ARBOs as front- example, the government will not allow members of Division at the DAR Re- liners in the food supply Account Executives will only be spending at the rebel group to use or gional Office, Melecia Ong, chain by helping them over- ‘influence’ them.