Displaced Dinagat port workers get food packs from TMO personnel

Displaced Dinagat port workers get food packs from TMO personnel P ovincial News

SAN JOSE, Dinagat Islands - As the province of Dinagat Islands goes on community quarantine amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) threat, displaced port workers at the Port of San Jose recently received food packs from staff and personnel of the Terminal Management Office (TMO) of Dinagat Islands of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

More than 40 dockworkers at the capital town’s seaport received food packs containing rice, canned goods, instant noodles and other foodstuffs to tide them over as incomes were lost due to the travel ban and scaled-down operations. By Noli C. Nusog

Dinagat Islands Terminal Manager Jerk Comparativo said that while the food packs provided by TMO personnel may be modest, they hope to somehow make a difference and help the vulnerable and most affected sectors of the island port community, especially those who were economically displaced as a result of the community quarantine.

“In these trying times, we in TMO Dinagat realized that we should do something to help the dockworkers that’s why we decided to pool resources from our personal funds and bought these food packs for them,”

AgSur records 12 PUIs, awaiting results from SPMC By Jennifer P. Gaitano P ovincial News

BUTUAN CITY - During his interview over Radyo Pilipinas Manila on Saturday (April 11), Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago Cane, Jr. bared that there are 12 patients under investigation (PUIs) recorded in the province and have already taken their swab samples tested, and are now awaiting results from the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City. APRIL 11-17, 2020 | 27

“As of reporting time, there are some 12 PUIs in the province, one is in Bunawan, the other one in Loreto, one in Prosperidad, and nine are in Langkilaan Elementary School (situated along the boundary between Caraga region and Davao de Oro) under the care of the Provincial Health Office and with the help of the Department of Health (DOH)-Caraga,” Cane enumerated. P ovincial News

For the persons under monitoring (PUMs), Governor Cane revealed that they were categorized into two -- PUM 1 are those with travel history from abroad or in other places where there is a confirmed local transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while PUM 2 are those persons under monitoring with travel history outside the region without confirmed COVID-19 case. initiative to produce more personal protective equipment (PPEs) for the frontliners as they still tightly operate in the checkpoints and ensure that all who enter the province are properly screened and are following the necessary health protocols and preventive measures.

Meanwhile, Governor Cane said that provision of the needed assistance for the local residents are underway.

“There are around 66,000 plus poorest of the poor households in the province of Agusan del Sur being recorded and the list was already forwarded to the DSWD for their reference and will also serve as basis for the benefits and assistance that they would give to the target beneficiaries,” mentioned Cane.

The governor emphasized that the provincial government and its constituents are not being complacent despite having only one confirmed COVID-19 case in Caraga region. “We have established a quarantine facility through designated schools in the province to serve as the PUI centers.

The PUIs with severe symptoms are being brought to Caraga Regional Hospital (CRH) in Surigao City and Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center (ASTMMC) in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur for appropriate treatment and monitoring,” he said. He added that the provincial government has also provided unhampered access to the DSWD personnel for the distribution of the social amelioration package/program to the intended beneficiaries in the province.

The vehicles and cargoes with food supply and other essentials coming in the province of Agusan del Sur are also unhampered and could easily pass through the designated checkpoints as the provincial government wanted to make sure that people would not end hungry and starving during this crisis situation on COVID-19. (JPG/PIACaraga)

Surigao Sur town buys palay from local farmers amidst COVID-19 pandemic P ovincial News

TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur - Heeding the call of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar, the local government unit of Carrascal, Surigao del Sur is now in the height of buying-out palay from its farmer constituents. By Aurelius P. Arais

Photos: Carrascal Municipal Agriculture Office

This was learned from Japhet Sugian, a municipal agriculturist of the said town in an interview over DA Caraga’s weekly radio program Bahandi Sa Kaumahan.

Sugian said that Mayor Vicente H. Pimentel III approved an ordinance to ensure a sufficient supply of rice in their locality amidst the threat of the CoViD-19 pandemic.

“We have an approved P2M based on the approved ordinance and an additional P1.5M from the Economic Development Fund bringing the total budget to P3.5M purposely to purchase palay from our local farmers,”

3,200 bags of rice will be purchased from the local farmers.

Earlier, Sugian explained that the LGU had signed a memorandum of agreement with the five rice mills and two mechanical dryers to process their purchased palay.

Sugian explained. Sugian said that they are going to buy fresh palay at the farm gate price of P18.00 per kilo, while those farmers who already milled their harvest will be purchased pegged at P2,000.00 per bag of 50 kilograms. “I have fielded my staff to visit the interested farmers themselves and record the actual harvest and the farmer will get the payment at our municipal office to avoid bringing cash in the field for security purposes,” he said.

“The ultimate purpose of our initiative is to help our farmers and at the same time to ensure that the LGU can have a ready supply of rice for our second round of providing foods for our constituents affected by the quarantine due to COVID-19,” Sugian disclosed. As of last planting season, Carrascal has more than 400 hectares planted with rice. Aside from buying palay, the LGU is also finalizing the scheme to buy-out other agricultural crops such as vegetables and root crops for a localized market to be established in strategic barangays.

LGU will provide free hauling services to ensure hassle-free transactions. Secretary Dar appealed to the local government units to buy products from their local farmers for their relief operations amidst the CoViD-19 pandemic. (DA Caraga/PIA-Surigao del Sur)

distribution of basic goods to all households despite limited resources

BUTUAN CITY - With the recent declaration of Enhanced Community Quarantine in the Caraga region brought by coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a regional lockdown of entry and exit points was also implemented. Hence, people even from nearby municipalities and cities were discouraged to travel to any parts of the region unless necessary. Despite having limited establishments within the municipality to cater to the basic commodities of the affected local residents, the local government unit of Bayabas, Surigao del Sur has ensured the provision of basic needs to the households. By Jennifer P. Gaitano Bayabas Mayor Maria Clarita Limbaro bared that the local government unit is doing its best to ensure that rice is available for every household. She emphasized that the main concern of the municipality, just like in any other LGUs, is the distribution of food/basic commodities to the households affected by the situation. “Livelihood assistance is underway for those who were unemployed due to this crisis,” added Limbaro. The lady mayor also revealed that they have realigned funds to be able to give families one sack of rice. This is to lessen the burden of every affected family. “The additional assistance of P2- million from the provincial government of Surigao del Sur is a great help for our operations for COVID-19. This enabled the production of additional basic commodities and financial assistance to be given to the families of Bayabas,” said Limbaro. She further asked the National Task Force COVID-19 through chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez for the provision of more personal

SurSur guv urges locals protective equipment (PPEs) for the frontliners and testing kits to fast track results of the swab samples of the patients under investigation (PUIs). Meanwhile, Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that despite inconvenience for the locals in Caraga region under the Enhanced Community Quarantine, the people should still observe the preventive measures and stay at home policy to really contain the spread of COVID-19. Malaya stressed that the subsidy from the national government was already downloaded to the LGUs for the distribution of assistance to affected households. He also urged all the Filipino people to continue to cooperate with the government to flatten the curve against COVID-19 cases in the country and reiterated that the frontliners are doing their best to contain the disease, hence, they are recognized for their commitment and sacrifices. (JPG/PIACaraga) P ovincial News

to help curb COVID-19 spread in Caraga

BUTUAN CITY - “We could stop COVID-19 from spreading once we all unite, cooperate and do what needs to be done. We should protect each other and help also our frontliners who are exposed in the field just to keep our locals safe.”

This was the statement of Governor Alexander Pimentel of Surigao del Sur as he urged all local residents not only in the province but in the entire Caraga region to fight as one against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Gov. Pimentel, in his interview over Laging Handa Network Briefing, acknowledged the concerted efforts of all the local chief executives in the province who continuously give their best to provide the basic needs of the locals affected by the crisis situation on COVID-19. He said some LGUs might have difficulty in budgeting, but it did not stop them from providing services to its constituents as other concerned agencies are also providing assistance By Jennifer P. Gaitano

and augmentation.

“There have been no confirmed COVID-19 cases so far of the patients under investigation (PUIs) confined at the Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center in Tandag City. As far as Surigao del Sur is concerned, all the local officials of the province and concerned government agencies are closely coordinating and are now conducting contact tracing on those Surigaonons who had exposure to the cockpit derby in Davao City last March,” Pimentel underscored.

Meanwhile, the good governor also asked the national government for additional aid for district hospitals, saying they are also in need of additional Personal Protective Equipment for their frontliners and health workers who continue to operate and work in the field.

It was also learned that the provincial government has allotted P42- million wherein each municipality was given P2-million while each city (Bislig and Tandag) was given P4-million. To ensure that the interventions of the barangays in each LGU will remain continuous, the P2-million budget will be divided. The LGU will be given P1-million while the other half will be divided among the barangays, Gov. Pimentel said. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)

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