Subic bay news vol 14 no 10 20.00Php Tapas Bar and Restaurant 2nd Floor Subic Gas Bldg 724, Dewey Avenue, Subic Bay Freeport Zone U.S. Embassy and DepEd Launch New Virtual Training Program for Filipino Teachers Manila – On March 22, the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines and Philippine Depart- ment of Education (DepEd) launched a new six-week virtual webinar training series on “Teaching Grammar Commu- nicatively in the Philippines” for DepEd teachers and supervisors. More than 3,700 DepEd teachers and supervisors will participate in the series, which will run through the week of May 2. The U.S. Embassy, the U.S. De- partment of State’s Office of English Language Programs, DepEd’s National Educators Academy of the Philippines, Bureau of Learning Delivery, and Bureau of Curriculum Development co-devel- The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines and Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) launches a new six-week virtual webinar oped the course curriculum to meet the training series on “Teaching Grammar Communicatively in the Philippines” for DepEd teachers and supervisors on March 22. specific needs of Philippine teachers and students during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The course will provide guid- ance, methodology, and instruction- 2 Central Luzon governors test positive for Covid-19 al materials and resources for English CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – He asked teachers through a team of three Amer- Two governors in Central Luzon have those people tested positive for the coronavirus dis- who might have see, NEW Virtual Training, page 02 ease 2019 (Covid-19). Zambales Governor Hermo- been exposed to genes Ebdane Jr., and Nueva Ecija Gover- him from March nor Aurelio Umali confirmed on Monday 12-19 to isolate via their respective official social media and undergo accounts that they have contracted the Covid-19 testing. disease. Umali, Ebdane said he was found infect- for his part, said ed by Covid-19 after undergoing a rap- he is present- id antigen test and was confirmed by a ly under home reverse transcription-polymerase chain quarantine. reaction (RT-PCR) test on Sunday after- “Bag- noon. amat nasa gan- Umali likewise said he was found itong kalagay- positive for Covid-19 after he underwent an ay patuloy rapid antigen test on Sunday and was kong ginagam- confirmed by RT-PCR test on Monday. panan ang aking However, both provincial leaders sinumpaang did not mention how they acquired the tungkulin sa ating virus. lalawigan (Al- Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. (left), and Nueva Ecija Gov- “I have been strictly adhering to though I am in ernor Aurelio Umali (Photos from FB/Philippine Information Agency) health protocols, however, due to the this situation, I nature of our work, unnecessary expo- continue to fulfill my sworn duty in our lic health standards that include frequent sure to the virus is inevitable. I am now province),” he said. hand washing, wearing of face mask and confined (in isolation) to prevent further Both officials urged their constit- face shield, and to observe physical dis- see, Women at Work, page 04 contacts,” Ebdane said. uents to strictly follow the minimum pub- tancing of at least one meter. (PNA) Expanded Caravan in Zambales benefits 242 individuals IBA, Zambales -- About 242 residents munist Party of the Philippines-New Peo- benefited in the Expanded Caravan held ple's Army (CPP-NPA). at barangay Bamban in Masinloc, Zam- Also, they distributed education bales. and communication materials on En- Services offered include free hanced Comprehensive Local Integration haircut, voter's registration, processing Program. of police clearance, feeding, and distri- In a statement, 7th Infantry Divi- bution of food packs, slippers, and face sion Commander Major General Alfredo masks and face shields. Rosario Jr. emphasized the importance 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battal- of bringing services closer to the people ion (3rd Mech) Commander Lieutenant and the Army’s role in intensifying the in- Colonel Eugene Henry Cabusao assured formation awareness campaign on CPP- their commitment in extending govern- NPA recruitment. ment services. "There is no definite time for gov- “3rd Mech, through the efforts ernment service, we are present where of 33rd Mechanized Infantry Company, we are needed," Rosario said. will continuously engage all government "We intensify our services to be- agencies and partner with various stake- come the defense and strength of our holders to bring basic services to the people especially amid the pandemic people and promote peace and develop- wherein some people take advantage of ment in our area of operation,” Cabusao the situation," he furthered. said. This is the 2nd Expanded Cara- In addition, 33rd Mechanized van administered in the community by About 242 individuals benefit in the 2nd Expanded Caravan held at barangay Bam- Infantry Company conducted an infor- the Philippine National Police, Philippine ban in Masinloc, Zambales by the Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Com- mation awareness drive regarding the Army, Commission on Elections, and Ba- mission on Elections, and Barangay Councils. (3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion) seven stages of recruitment of the Com- rangay Councils. (PIAR3) Subic Bay News www.subicbaynews.com 02 Regaining Lost Progress in the Fight to End TB DPWH CONTRACTOR USAID is committed to helping countries recover from COVID-19’s devastating impact on TB diagnosis and care services LAYS OUT COVERED maintain TB services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the COURT FOUNDATION Kyrgyz Republic’s National TB Center was converted to be- gin treating COVID-19 patients. As those suffering from TB are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, this posed the se- Article contributed by: Donald Gramonte rious risk of patients contracting both diseases. To mitigate this risk, USAID partners supported the country’s National TB Program in strengthening the center’s infection control measures, such as providing personal protective equipment and establishing teams to work in two-week shifts, alternat- ing with two weeks of self-isolation. In Nigeria, when COVID-19 started to spread, USAID partners quickly implemented a series of interventions to maintain TB services, such as converting health workers who normally screened for TB in clinics to “roaming screeners” within communities. These roaming screeners were assigned to work at pharmacies and other facilities close to where they lived, enabling people with TB symptoms to continue to be examined and tested during pandemic-related lock- downs. A patient is treated for TB in Cambodia. / Trivision Despite being preventable and curable, tuberculosis (TB) has long been the world’s deadliest infectious disease and continues to kill more people in low- and middle-in- come countries than any other infectious disease. While COVID-19 has had a devastating global impact over the past year, TB has been silently sickening 10 million people and killing 1.4 million every year. Although significant gains have been achieved in the fight against TB, in a matter of months, COVID-19 has threatened to reverse years of progress. The pandemic and associated measures to control it have severely disrupted TB diagnosis and care services in the world’s highest TB burden countries, resulting in an alarming drop in reported TB cases. To add to this, people who suffer from airborne re- spiratory infections, such as TB, are more likely to have se- vere cases of COVID-19. Recent data shows that people with COVID and TB are about three times more likely to die than those with only TB. TB and COVID-19 share the burden of being societal diseases that spread through the air, and the world’s poor- est populations — who are more likely to be undernourished and living in densely populated areas — are at increased risk Lab staff in the Kyrgyz Republic use strengthened infec- for both. tion control measures. / USAID Subic Firm................................continued from page 01 The stigma and discrimination faced by those who And in Cambodia, when social distancing and move- suffer from TB has been compounded by sharing similar ment restrictions impacted access to healthcare facilities, -US symptoms, such as cough and fever, with COVID-19. Fear AID’s local partner was able to maintain TB services through in seeking care can result in advanced disease and further mobile outreach screenings. These efforts have been vital transmission in communities. in continuing to find active TB cases, referring patients for As the U.S. Government lead for global TB efforts, treatment, and curbing the spread of the disease. USAID works with governments and partners around the Alongside governments, the Global Fund and oth- world to reach every person with TB, cure those in need of er partners, USAID is helping countries recover from this treatment, and prevent the spread of new infections. setback in fighting TB, while also building their capacity to In the 23 countries where USAID focuses TB pro- respond to future airborne infectious diseases. In countries gramming, preliminary analysis estimates that 1 million few- facing both COVID-19 and TB, addressing the two diseases si- er people with TB had access to diagnosis and treatment in multaneously can curb both and reduce the threat of future 2020 compared to the previous year— representing a stag- airborne pandemics. gering 23 percent decline. As a result of this, the pandemic’s By investing in efforts such as testing for COVID-19 impact on TB is projected to sicken an additional 6 million people and cause an additional 1.4 million TB deaths be- and TB at the same time, joint contact investigations and New Kalalake, Olongapo City – Soon to rise! tween 2020 and 2025. community screenings, and implementing infection preven- The Department of Public Works and Highways To address COVID-19’s impact on TB programs, US- tion and control measures, these efforts will provide vital (DPWH) local contractor finally laid out the rein- AID is working with country governments and partners on foundations to also respond to future pandemics.