Leyte-Samar DAILYPOSITIVE EXPRESS l FAIR l FREE VOL. XXXI I NO. 078 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 P15.00 IN TACLOBAN Region’s COVID-19 cases now over 4,000 cases EV’s death toll now at 40 ROEL A. AMAZONA / LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA TACLOBAN CITY- The number of deaths due to coronavirus in the region is now at 40 as seven new fatalities were reported by the Department of Health (DOH). The seven COVID-19 The oldest among patients were suffering them was a 93-year old from lingering medical woman from Taclo- conditions, the DOH ban City who died last said. Sept.11 while the young- As this developed, est to have succumbed the region’s COVID-19 due to COVID-19 were cases have now breached two 51-years old women the 4,000 mark. from Catbalogan City, Dr. Minerva Molon, Samar, and Babatngon DOH-8 regional direc- town in Leyte. Both died tor, said that the seven on September 10. patients of the dreaded Tacloban City, for the virus died from the pe- same period, posted five riod of September 10 to deaths alone, bringing September 15. its total fatalities due to The death rate of COVID-19 to 10. the region represents Aside from the 93-year around one percent of it old woman, the other fa- current COVID-19 cas- see EV’s./page 2 ... es, Molon said. As represented by his son Raymund, Mayor Romualdez extended financial Brigadier General Ronaldo De Jesus assumes as the new regional director of the Police Regional assistance to fire victims Office 8, replacing BGen Bernabe Balba who will now head the Philippine National Police - Special Action Force. Gracing the turn-over ceremony on Monday, September 14, is Department of Interior TACLOBAN CITY- Chona Bahin facilitated and Local Government Regional Director Karl Ceasar Rimando. (Photo by PRO8.) Families in Barangay 62 the distribution outside Sagkahan here, who were the Tacloban City Astro- victims of a fire incident dome on Thursday af- last September 6, have ternoon, September 17, B/Gen. De Jesus is new police director; finally received their -fi where eight heads of fam- nancial aid. ilies affected were able to B/Gen.Balba now head of SAF The City Social Wel- claim their financial assis- fare and Development tance from the local gov- TACLOBAN CITY- was appointed as the police director of the re- here with confidence Office (CSWDO) led see As Brigadier Gen. Ronaldo new head of the elite gion. that my fellow kaba- representative./page 7 ... by Officer-in-Charge Fe De Jesus is the new po- Philippine National “Before I came, there bayans will never settle lice director of the re- Police-Special Action were a lot of questions for mediocrity, hence, gion, replacing B/Gen. Force. that I myself answered see B/Gen./page 11 ... Bernabe Balba. De Jesus, a member it and conquered it with De Jesus, prior to his of the PNP Academy flying colors. It is because new assignment, was as- Tagapagbuklod Class of of your relentless hard signed in Eastern Min- 1989, was previously as- work, support, dedica- danao of the Philippine signed to the Directorate tion and resiliency that National Police (PNP)’s for Integrated Police Op- we were able to move directorate for integrat- erations in Eastern Min- forward and continually ed police operations. danao. facing and fighting the He formally assumed Meanwhile, Balba ex- havoc of this pandemic,” to his new post last Sept pressed his gratitude to said Balba in his farewell 14 in a simple turn-over the police force and the speech. ceremony. public for their support “It has been 174 fruit- Representing Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, since he assumed his Raymund Romualdez, led in the distribution of cash Balba, who headed ful days of my life with assistance to families from Brg.62, Sagkahan District the police office in the post for just over sev- the people whom I con- whose houses were burned down in a fire incident last region beginning on en months, one of the sider as the epitome of Sept.6(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE) March 19 of this year, shortest terms of a PNP real warriors. I came 2 Leyte Samar Daily Express NEWS Saturday, September 19, 2020 DPWH S. Leyte prepares for ISO audit TACLOBAN CITY- “We are now preparing “Regular internal audit The Department of Pub- for this audit. It will be a is also conducted to eval- lic Works and Highways- different audit since it will uate proper implementa- Southern Leyte District be conducted via video con- tion of the 5S technique Engineering Office (DP- ference as face-to-face in- to clean and organize the WH-SLDEO), based in teraction is still prohibited workspace. These 5S are Maasin City, is preparing considering the COVID-19 sort, systematize, sanitize, the requirements for inter- pandemic,” Junia said. standardize, and self-disci- nal quality audit in com- The official added that pline,” she said. pliance to the International they will revisit the find- It was learned that the Organization for Standard- ings raised in the previous internal audit of the central ization (ISO). audit and they will ensure office is conducted annual- This was disclosed by that those findings had al- ly to validate the manage- DPWH-SLDEO district en- ready been satisfactorily ad- ment system, services, or gineer Ma. Margarita Junia dressed. documentation procedure who said that their office is Junia said that the of the district engineering scheduled to be audited on preparations include cali- offices if it conforms to After six months closure, Canhugas Nature Park in Hernani, Eastern Samar is again October 5-6, 2020 by the bration of equipment and internationally accepted open to tourist. However, only residents of the province are allowed to visit the famous team from the quality man- instrument, document standards. (RESTITUTO tourist destination of the town and will only accommodate 150 person a day who will agement system of the cen- A. CAYUBIT) have to do pre-booking according to Municipal Tourism Officer Carlo Yabora. tracking system, and other (Photo from Hernani Municipal Tourism Office) tral office. document-related works. Canhugas Nature Park in Eastern Samar Online learning centers await is now open though for local tourists only Southern Leyte residents TACLOBAN CITY – is popular among its visi- New Normal in the Munic- TACLOBAN CITY of the Department of gy (DICT) to address One of the top tourist at- tors for its gigantic waves ipality of Hernani, Eastern – The provincial gov- Science and Technology concerns on internet tractions of Eastern Samar that crashes onto its several Samar. ernment of Southern and the Technical Edu- connectivity. has started accepting tour- rock formations. Tourists Local tourists who Leyte will provide new cation and Skills Devel- However, four ists again, more than six can also do snorkeling and would like to visit the site computer sets and oth- opment Authority. towns that have main- months after it was tem- swimming in mini-lagoon will have to do pre-registra- er gadgets for the on- “Priority for enroll- tained a functional porarily closed due to the inside Canhugas. tion, as only 50 percent of it line training courses of ment are those dis- training center, in- quarantine imposed in the The place, however, is carrying capacity is allowed residents displaced by placed by the pandem- cluding Tomas Oppus, wake of the coronavirus only opened for its local for now. the coronavirus disease ic for them to acquire Sogod, Liloan, and St. disease (COVID-19) pan- tourists or those coming Documents that tourists 2019 (Covid-19) pan- new skills for business Bernard, may proceed demic. from the province in com- need to comply when going demic. or employment but lo- with the short-term The Canhugas Nature pliance to Executive Or- to Canhugas includes con- In a statement on cal government units training courses. Park, located in Hernani der No. 68 or the General firmed booking from the Wednesday, provincial (LGUs) may also wel- “DICT has also town, started to accept Health and Safety Guide- Hernani Tourism Office, systems administrator come other interested plans of providing free anew tourists on Septem- lines Governing the Opera- health declaration form Vitto Tomol said this individuals,” he said. Wi-Fi services in more ber 11, said its municipal tion of Tourism Sites, Activ- which can be downloaded will be distributed in 18 The project im- public places here, such tourism office. ities, and Accommodation at https://forms.gle/Ghgh- towns and one city to plemented under its as schools and offices,” The tourist destination Establishments under the AgP9ZDLfQpUu7, baran- equip their respective Covid-19 recovery pro- Tomol said. gay certification that allows training centers. gram, dubbed “Pagan- The provincial gov- Perusing through the educational the tourist to travel, mu- These facilities will dam sa Bag-ong Pana- ernment assured that nexus of ‘New Normal’ see Canhugas /page 11 ... soon offer modular and hon” (Preparation for needed gadgets, in- online training courses a New Normal), has an cluding computers, BY: REYNALDO O. ROBEL allocation of PHP1.9 printers, routers, and One of the most adverse various problems and challenges For Leyte, it has 43 new million. modems, among oth- public health crises of interna- to both the teachers and students, EV’s... cases while Samar posted ...from Page 1 Since its launching ers, will be delivered tional concern is the COVID-19 especially in far-flung areas 25 new COVID-19 cases. two months ago, Tomol immediately to LGUs pandemic, which began in Chi- where stable connection is costly talities of the city involved This week, the town said procurement of es- once already available.