Leyte-Samar DAILYPOSITIVE EXPRESS l FAIR l FREE VOL. XXXI I NO. 059 TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 P15.00 IN TACLOBAN Due to spike of COVID-19 cases and lack of facilities N. Samar, Biliran seek moratorium on the LSIs return ROEL T. AMAZONA TACLOBAN CITY – The provincial gov- ernments of Northern Samar and Biliran have sought for the extension on the moratorium on the return of the locally stranded individuals (LSIs) to their respective provinces until the end of this month. While they are asking approved the request of lo- for the extension of the cal chief executives in the moratorium, Northern region to suspend the travel Samar Governor Edwin of LSIs for 14 days to help Ongchuan stressed that contain further spread of they welcome the LSIs to the COVID-19 cases. their province. The suspension started “While we wait for the on June 28 and last until decision of the NIATF, we July 9. will allow documented lo- The provinces of North- cally stranded individuals ern Samar and Biliran to enter and return to our province have submitted a province,” Governor Ed- resolution to the Regional win Ongchuan posted in Inter-Agency Task Force his Facebook account. on Emerging Infectious Documented LSIs are Disease (RIATF8) and the those who made coordina- Regional Task Force on tion with their respective COVID-19(RTF8) for the local government units extension of the morato- prior to their return. rium on the return of the MORATORIUM. As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in their provinces, the governors of Northern Sa- On June 25, Depart- LSIS until July 31. mar and Biliran sought for the moratorium on the return of the LSIs and returning overseas workers until ment of the Interior and This request of the two the end of this month. The DILG allowed the LSIs and overseas workers to return again on July 9.Photo Local Government (DILG) provinces was granted by shows health workers taking a swab of an LSI from Northern Samar. Secretary Eduardo Año the two body during a joint (NORTHERN SAMAR PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE) after visiting the region see N. Samar /page 2 ... DILG exec lead regional launching of Cop, health worker among latest to be Disiplina Muna Advocacy Campaign; afflicted of COVID-19 in the region asks cops to be law-abiding TACLOBAN CITY-A to have been infected by ince, a 60-year old man police officer and a health COVID-19. who came from Caloocan TACLOBAN CITY – gional Director Karl Caesar only in their workplace but worker were among the lat- All the 21 COVID-19 City was also infected by The Disiplina Muna Ad- Rimando and Police B/Gen. also in their community by est individuals from Eastern patients are now in their lo- COVID-19. vocacy Campaign was for- Manuel Pepino, assistant re- following laws and ensuring Visayas who were infected cal government units’ isola- In Samar province, mally launched here in the gional director for adminis- that their family members by the coronavirus disease tion facilities. aside from the police of- region on Monday (July tration. are not involved in vices like 2019(COVID-19), raising Still, most of the latest ficer from San Sebastian 13) which gives priority on Disiplina Muna Advo- see DILG /page 3 ... the region’s total cases to patients of the region were town, the towns of San all programs and policies cacy Campaign is a pro- 646. locally stranded individuals Jorge and Basey have one of the Department of In- gram of the DILG which The police officer sick- (LSIs). each new case, both LSIs. terior and Local Govern- promotes its programs, pol- ened by the virus is from In Leyte, the town of In Biliran province, an- ment (DILG). icies, and activities like road San Sebastian town, Samar Bato has two new cases other LSI from Manila is The launching was held clearing, disaster risk re- province while the health with municipalities of Jaro, the latest COVID-19 case at the Camp Ruperto Kan- duction and management, worker who was also in- Alangalang, Mahaplag, In- of Kawayan town. gleon Camp where the re- anti-smoking, liquor ban, fected by the coronavirus is opacan, Bato, and Palo have In Southern Leyte, aside gional headquarter of the clean-up of tourism sites, from Maasin City, Southern one each case. from Maasin, the towns of Philippine National Police ease of doing business, and Leyte. In Northern Samar, the Bontoc (with four cases) (PNP) is based. anti-illegal drug campaign. They were among the town of Lavezares has a 14- and Tomas Oppus, Pintuy- One of the highlights DILG Regional Direc- 21 people who were re- year old girl who arrived an, and Hinunangan, with of the launching of the ad- tor Caesar Rimando, in his ported by the regional of- from Paco, Manila as its lat- one each, have logged new vocacy campaign was the speech during the launch- fice of the Department of est patient while in San Jose COVID-19 cases. (JOEY A. signing of pledge of com- ing, encouraged policemen Health (DOH) on Saturday town, also of the same prov- GABIETA, LIZBETH ANN A. mitment led by DILG Re- to set a good example, not ABELLA) 2 Leyte Samar Daily Express NEWS Tuesday, July 14, 2020 Portal containing list of Once the region’s epicenter of COVID-19 LSIs and returning OFWs launched by RIATF DOH declares Tarangan town as TACLOBAN CITY – The information will An online portal contain- include what vehicles they free of COVID-19 transmission ing information on locally used in returning to the TACLOBAN CITY – making sure that needs of stranded individuals (LSIs) region, their seat number, After being tagged as the Tarangnan residents and and returning overseas their permanent address epicenter of coronavirus quarantine protocols were workers were launched on and the quarantine facility disease 2019 (COVID-19) strictly imposed in the en- Monday by the Regional where they will stay. of the region, the town of tire town. Inter-Agency Task Force The portal was devel- Tarangan is now officially Molon added that on Emerging Infectious oped by the regional of- out from the list where the during the visit of World Disease (RIATF). fice of the Department of virus afflicts its people. Health Organization The online portal,Science and Technology Dr. Minerva Molon, (WHO) representative to balik-otos.ph, also aim to (DOST). regional director of the Tarangnan, they noted the make it easy in the contact Information which will Department of Health intervention made in the tracing involving individ- be encoded in the portal will (DOH), has announced municipality which can uals who are infected with be screened by the DOST that they have already lifted be a model if similar sit- the coronavirus disease before it will be posted on their declaration of a local uation happens in other 2019(COVID-19), the RI- the website, Engr. Ernesto transmission in Tarangan areas of the region. ATFEID) said. Granada, officer-in-charge due to COVID-19. Mayor Arnel Tan had The portal will store of the DOST, said. About 35 people were imposed three lockdowns information of returning Each agency will assign confirmed to have been since the coronavirus hit LSIs and returning over- an encoder and approver. infected in Tarangan with the town. seas workers. see Portal /page 3 ... one fatality. First was on April 7 where residents of the two sitios or sub-villages of the DR. MINERVA MOLON town were restricted with After losing its ‘rabies-free’ their movements. Molon credited on this is the whole-of-nation The second lockdown status, CVO to heighten its the successful contain- approach,” Molon said. was issued on April 20 ment on the spread of the Military forces, police affecting residents at Po- COVID-19 in the town to and other uniformed per- blacion B. Third lockdown anti-rabies vaccination whole-of-nation-approach sonnel, including national was on April 29, affecting TACLOBAN CITY-Af- that both the national gov- government agencies like the whole town and the ter 14 years of being a ‘ra- ernment agencies and local the DOH, Department of last lockdown was issued bies-free city’, the local government unit did. Interior and Local Gov- on June 1 to 15 in the vil- government of Tacloban “At first, we are con- ernment and the Depart- lages of Poblacion A, B, C, through the City Veteri- fused on how to address the ment of Social Welfare D, E, Imelda and Palencia. nary Office (CVO) will fur- problem but as weeks goes and Development with The DOH has declared ther heighten its anti-rabies on, we are able to handle support from the provin- on April 27 of a com- vaccination and reclaim its the matter properly. In fact, cial government and the munity transmission of “rabies-free” status, which one of the best examples of local government, help in see DOH /page 7 ... was revoked following the first human rabies death recovered cases. (4), Almeria and Caibiran this year. N. Samar... Majority of the con- (3), Kawayan (3) and Mar- City Veterinarian Dr. ...from Page 1 firmed case are LSIs includ- ipipi (1). Eunice Alcantara, in an ing the two reported new Six of the 24 munici- interview, disclosed that it resolution issued on July 10 cases in Northern Samar, a palities in Northern Sa- is unfortunate that the city The City Veterinary Office will strengthen its anti-rabies though the NIATF has yet 14-year old girl who arrived mar had recorded cases of campaign this year after it loses its rabies-free city.