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July 6-12, 2020
Sabah to send home 5,000 Pinoy deportees
S
ABAH IS set to repatriate at least 5,000 Filipino deportees after successful bilateral talks with the Philippine government. Malaysia praised pines for allowing the re- because of the temporary Filipino leader Rodrigo turn of the undocumented suspension of repatriation Duterte and Zamboanga Filipinos now at four im- from March up to now due City Mayor Beng Clima- migration holding cen- to the pandemic. Continue on page 3 co in southern Philip- ters which are congested
Can UV light, Vitamin C be used as treatments for Covid-19?
An unidentified Filipino social worker speaks to Filipino deportees on their arrival in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. (Library Photo)
(iStock-Casarsa) REPORTS CLAIM that ultraviolet (UV) light and Vitamin C can be used as medical treatments for COVID-19. The fact
is experts have not found enough scientific evidence that the two can help people fight off the novel coronavirus.
“We would like to inform the public that there are no protocols to advise or permit the safe use of Continue on page 2
General Santos, Zamboanga now ‘Digital Cities’ TWENTY-FIVE cities in the country have been named “Digital Cities” by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and only two are
in Mindanao – Zamboanga and General Santos. The other digital cities are Balanga, Batangas, Cabanatuan, Dagupan, Iligan, Iriga, Laguna Cluster, Laoag, Legazpi, Malolos,
Metro Cavite, Metro Rizal, Olongapo, Puerto Princesa, Roxas, San Fernando in La Union, San Fernando in Pampanga, San Jose del Monte, Tacloban, Continue on page 7
Good governance, solidarity in ASEAN vital to address Covid crisis IT IS vital to have good governance and strengthen ASEAN’s solidarity and unity to respond to the crisis brought about by Covid-19, according to some speakers from ASE-
AN countries. The speakers, who attended as panelists during the recent inaugural Universal Peace Federation (UPF) Southeast Asia Peace Talks Webinar on
Covid-19, shared their insights on the challenges their respective governments faced in dealing with the global pandemic at a webinar Continue on page 2
Sayyafs on the hunt in Sabah THE PHILIPPINE Coast Guard warned seafarers in the southern Filipino region to stay alert and vigilant after it received in-
telligence reports that the pro-ISIS group Abu Sayyaf has dispatch a team to carry out kidnapping in Sabah.
This was also reported by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Continue on page 2
Philippines in ‘hot seat’ at UN Rights Council
President Rodrigo Duterte (PCOO)
ARMM
Eastern Mindanao
THE PHILIPPINES came under scrutiny when the United Nations Human Rights Council convened recently in Geneva, according to the Human Rights Watch. Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia Director, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michele Bachelet gave the stark
Western Mindanao
findings of her office’s report on the Philippines, which the council requested last year. “She described widespread abuses against drug suspects, political activists, indigenous peoples, and journalists, among others,” Robertson said. He said during the session, several coun-
Cebu
tries echoed the report’s findings and called for accountability. Predictably, China and other countries close to President Rodrigo Duterte rejected the report, saying only “constructive dialogue” can address human rights issues in the country. Also at the session, Continue on page 7
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Can UV light, Vitamin C be used as treatments for Covid-19? Continued from page 1 UV light directly on the human body at the wavelengths and exposures proven to efficiently kill viruses such as SARSCoV-2,” said a joint statement by industry groups the International Ultraviolet Association and RadTech North America. Scientists believe that UV light is quite dangerous if used directly on human bodies. “UV radiation can cause skin irritation and damage your eyes,” said the World Health Organization. “It is not safe to use UV sanitizers on your body,” warned the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. “For years, we’ve used UV on air and surfaces and on hospital rooms, with no humans in the room,” Jim Malley, a UV light expert and professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire, told USA Today. “We protect ourselves in the laboratory with face shields and gloves to keep the UV away from our eyes and our skin.” Besides, experts remained skeptical about the UV blood irradiation (UBI), which involves withdrawing a measure of blood and exposes it to UV light. The UBI is “an invasive treatment where lots of things might go badly wrong,” wrote Edzard Ernest, professor emeritus at the University of Exeter, in April, adding that robust clinical trials on the UBI “are missing completely.” As for Vitamin C, many scientists have suggested there is less evidence that it grants immunity against the virus, or alleviates symptoms for COVID-19 patients given a high dose. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the U.S. state of Tennessee, told The New York Times no evidence suggests that vitamin C
supplements can help prevent Covid-19. “If there’s going to be an advantage, it’s going to be very modest,” he said. Also, no results are yet available for the clinical trial launched on February 11 by researchers from Zhongnan Hospital of China’s Wuhan University to test the efficacy and safety of vitamin C infusions for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. According to media reports in April, Charles Mok, a 56-year-old Michigan doctor who claimed in multiple videos that Vitamin C infusions supposedly reduce the severity of symptoms and the duration of illness, as well as boost the immunity of those who have a high risk for contracting Covid-19, has been charged with health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud. But according to Health Europa, two UV infection control methods of killing bacteria currently exist, which use chemicals or ultraviolet radiation exposure as a form of disinfectant, using a 200 to 300 nanometre range. However, in order to kill the Covid-19 virus very high levels of ultraviolet light is required, which can be very costly. Now, researchers from Penn State and the University of Minnesota have used the recent discovery of a class of transparent conductors that could allow for high levels of UV light that would kill the virus. If scaled up successfully, the researchers believe that UV light could be used to disinfect public areas such as public transport, aeroplanes, and sports arenas. Current UV devices fall short The researchers believe that a handheld UV light device that emits high-intensity rays could help to kill the novel virus. Roman Engel-Herbert, Penn State associate professor of materials science, physics and chemistry, said: “You have to en-
sure a sufficient UV light dose to kill all the viruses. This means you need a high-performance UV LED emitting a high intensity of UV light, which is currently limited by the transparent electrode material being used.” To solve the problem the scientists wanted to develop high performance, portable diodes that can have a current applied to them for light transmission – however, they needed to be transparent to UV light. Finding the correct material was vital, and the scientists believed a recently discovered class of transparent conductors could offer the solution. The material – strontium niobite – was provided by Japanese collaborators, which was then tested by the Minnesota and Penn State teams as transparent UV conductors. Developing the conductors Joseph Roth, doctoral candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State, commented: “There is currently no good solution for a UV-transparent electrode. Right now, the current material solution commonly employed for visible light application is used despite it being too absorbing in the UV range. There is simply no good material choice for a UV-transparent conductor material that has been identified. “We immediately tried to grow these films using the standard filmgrowth technique widely adopted in industry, called sputtering. We were successful.” “While our first motivation in developing UV transparent conductors was to build an economic solution for water disinfection, we now realise that this breakthrough discovery potentially offers a solution to deactivate Covid-19 in aerosols that might be distributed in HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning ) systems of buildings.” (Xinhua and Health Europa)
Sayyafs on the hunt in Sabah Continued from page 1 armed Robbery against ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC), saying that 5 Abu Sayyaf militants on a speed boat with yellow and orange stripes were sighted off Sitangkai Island in Tawi-Tawi province near the Sabah border. In May 23, ReCAAP
also issued the same warning. “The Philippine Coast Guard added that as of 30 June 2020, the plan to carry out kidnapping in Sabah and Semporna, Malaysia targeting foreigners and the abduction of crew from ships passing by the Tawi-Tawi and Sabah waters still stands. Ship masters and
crew are strongly urged to exercise extra vigilance when transiting the waters off Eastern Sabah and in the Sulu-Celebes Seas,” ReCAAP said in its latest warning. There was no immediate report from security forces deployed in Tawi-Tawi or Sulu province about the warning. (Mindanao Examiner)
Good governance, solidarity in ASEAN vital to address Covid crisis Continued from page 1 themed “Challenges in Governance in Our Time of a Global Pandemic: Southeast Asian Perspective”. Former Thailand’s Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Dr Monthip Sriratana, as the first panelist, shared her insights on how the global pandemic helps to identify “where we can strengthen our governance for the benefit of all Thais”. “We need to get serious about building strong social safety nets of the most vulnerable in our society. “Strong social protection program is a must if we are to successfully resist future outbreaks of Covid-19 and other natural disasters, including the immediate and long-term effects of climate change,” she said at the webinar. With seven speakers from Southeast Asian nations – Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Myanmar – the we-
binar drew 584 registered participants from 25 nations across the Asia Pacific and other parts of the world. Commenting further, Dr Monthip stressed on the need to stop illegal wildlife trade and strengthen the education system to ensure the populace could be resilient to perturbations such as Covid-19. “Most importantly we should aim at the implementation of the United Nations (UN) Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said the former Thai Member of Parliament. Meanwhile, a member of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Suos Yara, said the goal of Cambodia is to promote multilateralism and forge alliances with other nations to pursue the common goal of combating the virus. He stressed that it was of utmost importance to build on solidarity and work together with the World Health Organisa-
tion (WHO) and make the vaccination accessible to all. He also underscored the importance of solidarity and said: “If we present ourselves together in solidarity, ASEAN can be united together in this time of crisis...to uphold the principle of centrality and solidarity.” Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil also shared success stories on how the Philippine government and its local government units are dealing with the virus so far. He said with the enactment of Republic Act No.11469 or The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the Executive Branch of the government was able to have the power to implement temporary measures to respond to the crisis brought about by Covid-19. “This includes adopting and implementing measures based on WHO guidelines and best practices to prevent or suppress further transmission and spread of the virus,” he said. (Bernama)
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Sabah to send home 5,000 Pinoy deportees Ambassador Norman Muhamad met with Climaco at the side line of the repatriation of the Malaysians, including those stranded in Sulu and nearby Basilan province. Muhamad also thanked Sulu Governor Sakur Tan for assisting and taking care of dozens of Malaysians in the province. “The Embassy of Malaysia would like to record thanks to the Philippine
Continued from page 1 Senator Datuk John Ambrose extolled Duterte, especially Climaco, for allowing the return of deportees. “I am happy to be informed that the Philippines, especially Zamboanga City officials, finally agreed to receive their undocumented countrymen from Sabah,” he said in a statement published recently by the Borneo Post newspaper. The newspaper also reported that Climaco earlier hesitated to accept entry of the returning Filipinos for fear that they would pose danger to the local populace. “I fear that accepting the influx of deportees from Sabah will pose danger to the local populace at the time when the city is still crucially fighting the invisible enemy,” the mayor was quoted as saying at a virtual presser in Zamboanga. However, with the national government’s commitment to bring back the Filipinos, Climaco said she is committed to support Duterte’s campaign to repatriate them from Sabah with Zamboanga as the port of entry and processing area for the returnees. “Secretary Galvez, please report to President Duterte that we will commit to fully support his fight against Covid, one hundred and one percent and we commit to
addressing the issue of returning Filipinos from Sabah being the center of processing in Region 9 and we will take on the responsibility in partnership with other agencies and with national government support,” she said, referring to Secretary Carlito Galvez, the Chief Implementer of the Philippines’ policy against Covid-19, who was in Zamboanga recently. The Department of Social Welfare and Development said the deportees will be swabbed and tested for Covid-19 in Sabah before they are allowed to board the ship that will bring them home. Those who live in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu shall disembark in their province. Ambrose said it was timely and the right decision, adding, Sabah will resume the deportation of Filipino illegal immigrants starting July. “I was made to understand that the deportation of the 5,300 illegal immigrants will be carried out in batches by the National Security Council,” he said adding that all deportees would undergo strict health protocol procedures before sending them home via the Sandakan-Zamboanga sea route. “Sending home the deportees will help solve overcrowding in detention centers and possible coronavirus infections
among the inmates,” he said, adding, the resumption of the deportation would mean that the agonies of the detainees inside the holding centers would be shortened and would also pave for them to secure proper travel documents in the event they wish to work again in Sabah in the future. “The Federal and Sabah governments welcome foreign workers provided they enter Malaysia legally,” Ambrose said. Galvez said Zamboanga residents should follow the quarantine guidelines and not be complacent as more challenges await the local government when returning Filipinos from Sabah arrive soon. “Unang-una yun Zamboanga ay maraming mga challenges kaya huwag tayong mag kompyansa – unang challenges natin (ay) yun mga OFWs. OFWs will still remain because the world economy contracted (at) ang nangyari ngayon sa Middle East (ay) over 70 % ng business sa Middle East has shut down, nag lock down rin sila and more or less maybe 200,000 to 500,000 even a million of our OFWs will be coming here (to Zamboanga),” he said. Helping Hand Kuala Lumpur previously thanked Climaco for the support and assistance of the local government to its citizens stranded in Zamboanga City.
Villamero’s Enterprises For all your newspaper publications or subscription to The Zamboanga Post and The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper, please call or text Villamero’s Enterprises at these numbers (062) 955-8677 and 0917-1223496. Located at Campaner Street, Zamboanga City and serving Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
Republic Government for finally giving the approval of this rescue operation. (Malaysia) did not forget the high appreciation to the Sulu Task Force (Covid) in taking care of Malaysians in Sulu; and the Philippine Marines and Philippine (National) Police on the safety and security that had been given throughout the operation.” “Our party is also touched by the help of
the Philippine Air Force for flying the Ambassador and officers of the Malaysian embassy in Manila to Zamboanga City so that all the affairs there can be managed by our side,” the Embassy said, adding, a total of 154 Malaysians stranded in the Philippines had been flown out of the country in June. (Mindanao Examiner. With reports from Zamboanga Post and Borneo Post)
Western Mindanao police chief impressed with Zambo surveillance center
Regional police Chief Brigadier General Jesus Cambay, Jr. listens to a briefing by a staff of the local government’s Security Surveillance Coordinating Office during his visit. (SSCO Photo) ZAMBOANGA CITY – Regional police chief Brigadier General Jesus Cambay, Jr. visited the command center of the local government’s Security Surveillance Coordinating Office (SSCO) and was impressed by its operation. Cambay was briefed on the SSCO’s accomplishments since its establishment in May last year and maintained 24/7 operations amid the coronavirus pandemic to keep Zamboanga safe and secured. A simulation exercise was also held during Cambay’s visit to show to the official the SSCO’s capabilities to monitor, coordinate and response during emergencies or incidents. Cambay commended the SSCO for its contributions to the local police force which was awarded as “Best City Police Office” in the country last year. The SSCO is the brain child of Mayor Beng Climaco with security as one of her top priority programs. The police force and the
military are also recipients of patrol cars donated by Climaco to help authorities maintain peace and order. Cambay, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1989, is new in the western Mindanao region and replaced Brigadier General Froilan Quidilla, who retired at age 56. He was previously the Deputy Regional Director for Administration and Deputy Director for Operations in Western Visayas, and was largely credited for the 2018 peaceful and orderly rehabilitation of Boracay Island as commander of the 600-strong Metro Boracay Task Force helping the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. He was also awarded during last year’s 118th Police Service Anniversary for his effort in the six-month Boracay rehabilitation program ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte. Cambay, a native of
the small Ifugao town of Lagawe, also served as the Director of Philippine National Police (PNP) Intelligence Group in March this year, according to Major Helen Galvez, a regional police spokeswoman. Galvez said Cambay’s designation was approved by PNP Chief, General Archie Francisco Gamboa upon the recommendation of the PNP Senior Officers Placement and Promotion Board. Despite being new in his post, Cambay is very active and even went out of his headquarters here to personally commend policemen and anti-narcotics agents for their recent accomplishment that led to the arrest of a 17-year old drug dealer and the recovery of a kilo of crystal meth. Cambay’s good example as regional police chief further boosted the morale of policemen here under equally hardworking Zamboanga police director Colonel Thomas Joseph Martir. (Zamboanga Post)
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Sulu Pictures in the News Sulu provincial government at work. This is where your taxes go. (Photos from the Office of the Provincial Governor, Task Force Covid-19, and Jolo Municipal Government)
July 6-12, 2020
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Sulu Pictures in the News
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Across : 1. French preposition 4. Electrified atom 7. Player 12. FBI employee (abbr.) 13. Cloistered one 14. Over 15. Cow’s comment 16. Values deeply 18. Gun owners’ org. 20. Loathe 21. Long-distance prefixes (2 wds.) 25. Nuclear ___ 26. Soft belt 30. Enclosure 31. Skirt border 33. Flat bread 34. Zipped 35. North African 37. Holiday hunter’s prize (2 wds.) 39. Biblical mountain 43. Primary color 44. Card game for one 47. Caught ya! 50. Wed secretly 51. ___ Gatos 52. Hunting dog, for short 53. Modify 54. Piano part 55. List abbr.
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26. Bowling term 27. Large terrier 28. Bachelor party 29. Dangle 32. Wrestling pad 36. Religious dissent 37. Diner 38. ___ glace (2 wds.) 39. Not ashore 40. Rock’s partner 41. Thanks___! (2 wds.) 42. Mellow 45. Kind 46. Salmon eggs 48. Bonnet 49. NBC’s rival
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Philippines in ‘hot seat’ at UN Rights Council Continued from page 1 the Philippines Commission on Human Rights denounced the Duterte administration’s “strongarm” approach to enforce its brutal “drug war” that has killed at least 8,663 people since July 2016. Robertson said groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International also highlighted
findings of serious rights violations in the Philippines. He said Philippine Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra announced the creation of a government panel to review more than 5,600 cases of alleged extrajudicial killings in the country. But Robertson said the panel is deeply flawed,
adding, it will be led by the Department of Justice and will have among its members the very agencies – notably the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency – directly implicated in the drug war. “Moreover, any panel review will be evaluated and finalized by other
General Santos, Zamboanga now ‘Digital Cities’ Continued from page 1 Tagbilaran, Tarlac, Tuguegarao and Urdaneta. These cities are now the center of focus for new economic development in the next 3 years, according to DICT. It said this initiative is geared to sustain the rapid growth of the Information Technology and Business Process Management sector and promote countryside development. Previously termed “Next Wave Cities”, the Digital Cities 2025 program is expected to determine the industry-readiness of new centers by creating and developing ICT hubs in identified locations. It said these ICT hubs
shall serve as business and innovation centers to draw in investments that can be expected to create more jobs and other economic opportunities in areas outside the National Capital Region. DICT said this program forms part of its National ICT Month 2020 Celebration with the banner of “Maximizing ICT for the New Normal”. Under the program, local government units, ICT Councils, and IT-BPM locators will have access to information on strategies and best practices from the private and public sectors to effectively develop and grow the IT-BPM industry in the regions.
“We believe that the Digital Cities 2025 program will help focal areas promote local participation in order to strengthen their economies and governance systems in the New Normal setting,” DICT Secretary Gregorio B. Honasan II said, adding, this significant movement also aligns with the President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘Balik Probinsya, Balik Pag-asa Program. This is the first time that Zamboanga has been considered a digital city because of the efforts of Mayor Beng Climaco to put Zamboanga on the digital map. Climaco is a strong advocate of ICT. (Mindanao Examiner and Zamboanga Post)
government agencies involved in the anti-drug campaign, including the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Justice. At a time when the Philippines needs a serious impartial investigation into drug war killings, the panel is nothing more than a ruse to shield the country from international scrutiny,” he said. Robertson said the International Criminal Court could open an investigation into crimes against humanity committed up to March 17, 2019, the date when the
Philippines’ withdrawal from the court took effect. “It is also a naked attempt to discourage the Human Rights Council from starting an independent, international investigation into the “drug war” killings and related violations as recommended by the UN high commissioner and 23 UN human rights experts. Countries at the Human Rights Council should not be fooled,” he said. Duterte’s spokesman Secretary Harry Roque said the Philippines is investigating all the allegations of human rights
violations. “It is not a perfect word for human rights. What is important is where there are atrocities or acclaimed violations of human rights that the burden of the state to investigate and punish the perpetrators thereof, are in fact complied with.” “And as far as the Philippines is concerned, Secretary Menard Guevarra has said that in an effort to improve our capacity to investigate and punish the perpetrators of human rights violators, we have created an inter-agency body headed by the DOJ,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
COTELCO assures consumers of efficient services
General Manager Engineer Godofredo Homez KIDAPAWAN CITY – The Cotabato Electric Cooperative (COTELCO) has renewed its assurance for a steady power supply and reminded consumers to turn off electric appliances when not in use. “In these very challenging times brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, we would like to assure every Cotabateños that COTELCO is one with the goals of the government in rebuilding normal lives, and a better community through sufficient electricity supply,” said General Manager Engineer Godofredo Homez. Homez also urged consumers to report power pilferages or illegal electric connection as this add up to the system loss charge. This illegal activity also poses a danger to the neighborhood because it
could trigger short circuit or overload the system and cause electrical fire. He said while COTELCO is trying its best to serve consumers, there are times that power interruptions occur due to nature such as typhoon and other calamities, including fallen trees and thick vegetation and repair and maintenance that affect the distribution of electricity. Just last month, the entire coverage area of COTELCO experienced a power outage that lasted nearly an hour due to the activation of under frequency relay of the National Grid Corporation (NGCP) of the Philippines which resulted to automatic load dropping affecting the services of COTELCO and other distribution utilities in Southern Mindanao. Other NGCP’s maintenance schedules
also affect COTELCO’s system. With the proposed blended learning system of the Department of Education (DepEd), Homez also assured that online classes will not suffer serious power interruptions once virtual schooling starts in August. “We will coordinate with DepEd for the schedule of the online classes so that COTELCO can appropriately adjust the scheduling of power interruptions in the province,” he said. Homez suggested DepEd to acquire uninterruptable power supply so that online classes will continue even during brownouts. “As much as possible, we want to deliver efficient and reliable electric service to our member-consumers, but these (outages) problems are beyond our control and we are doing all the possible measures to address this,” he said. COTELCO has received numerous prestigious awards in the past and among them were 5 awards during the National Electrification Administration’s 50th Anniversary celebration last year. One of these excellence awards was the “Paramount Achievement Award - Triple A Category EC.” The electric cooperative consistently maintained its financial viability and efficient delivery of services to its consumers and has become an effective partner in social and economic growth in the South. (Rhoderick Beñez)
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IATF ramps up public health interventions in Cebu
C
EBU CITY – To address the rising number of coronavirus cases here, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is levelling up public health interventions. Health Secretary Francisco “One imperative is the use of case findings in the communities. Duque III, who came here to assist masks. There has been a study that a Find the suspects and the probable. Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu mask will give 85 percent protection. Those with symptoms, isolate them in implementing national govern- This is part of the new normal,” he said. right away. Those without sympment measures against Covid-19, Duque said containment mea- toms (put them under) quarantine,” said: “We have to be mindful of the sures are very important in order to he said, stressing the need for effinon-pharmaceutical public health minimize the spread of the deadly cient contact tracing capability. interventions” such as wearing of virus through mechanisms estabHe said Cebu needs to ramp up its face masks, not less than one-meter lished by the IATF and the Depart- testing capacity. “Now I’m told that the distancing, proper hand-washing, ment of Health (DOH). testing capacity is 6,000 and we hope and disinfection as well as proper “We have to be proactive, they would be able to match the capacetiquette on coughing.” which means we need to do active ity in terms of total daily testing outputs
AFTER SEEING heartening results of months of containment measures, many countries have started relaxing their measures and resuming work, which makes individual protection even more important. Italy, France, Spain and Australia have all announced phase-by-phase plans to lift their lockdowns. Germany has given the green light to stores and schools to reopen. And Prime Minister Boris Johnson also unveil a lockdown exit roadmap. Countries must ease lockdowns gradually, while still being “on the lookout” for COVID-19 and ready to restore restrictions if the coronavirus jumps back, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. So, what should individuals do to better protect themselves after their countries lift restrictive measures before the pandemic is over? Current information suggests that the two main routes of transmission of the coronavirus are respiratory droplets and contact, according to the WHO. Therefore, keeping wearing personal protective equipment helps. “Wearing a medical mask is one of the prevention measures that can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including Covid-19,” the WHO said in an interim guidance published in April. But the WHO said on its website that “masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based
(result),” he added. The DOH is deploying a total of 40 doctors here with 19 of them to be sent to government hospitals and 21 others to Covid-19 infirmaries. The Philippine Society of Medical Specialists is also sending 22 doctors in addition to five doctors who are already helping Cebu in the fight against Covid-19. These medical specialists are on top of a 33-man medical team, nine of whom are physicians, from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The DOH-7 has already deployed 270 nurses to private hospitals in Metro Cebu.
What individuals should do when coronavirus lockdown is lifted
Cimatu, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to oversee the national government response to the Covid-19 crisis here, observed progress in terms of enforcing minimum health standards in the villages. Two village chiefs were issued show-cause order for mass gatherings during a religious event in the villages of Calamba and San Nicolas here, and, along with other officials and individuals, are now facing charges. Despite this, Cimatu said the people here are generally complying with the protocols. Cimatu prodded the Cebuanos to work with the IATF in efforts to graduate from the current enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status into a lower classification. “We have to end our quarantine already. You help us achieve ECQ - end Cebu quarantine,” he said.
Duterte extended the city’s ECQ status until July 15 while the cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay and the towns of Minglanilla and Consolacion remain under general community quarantine (GCQ). The rest of the Cebu province is now under modified GCQ. As part of ramping up capabilities of hospitals here in accepting Covid-19 patients, National Task Force Against Covid-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said they are putting up tents near emergency rooms. Galvez said the national government is monitoring the response capabilities of hospitals in this city to ensure the sustainability of the gains from the IATF interventions during the second ECQ here from June 16 to 30. (John Rey Saavedra)
Cebu flies flag at half-staff to honor fallen Covid fighters A man wears a fabric mask in Cebu City. (Cebu Examiner) hand rub or soap and water.” Besides, measures like covering the mouth and nose with a tissue or a bent elbow while coughing or sneezing and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces including tables, doorknobs, phones, and keyboards are all good habits, as suggested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As more countries allow outdoor activities, the U.S. CDC suggests not to visit parks that were recently exposed to Covid-19 or crowded ones. The WHO also discourages going to crowded places as people are more likely to come into close contact with someone that has Covid-19 and it is more difficult to
maintain a proper physical distance. Indian think-tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF) recently discussed in a report how to overcome post-lockdown mass mobility challenges and incorporate social distancing as the “new normal”. “Since this crisis is novel, we need to come up with solutions which weren’t thought of before, or were rejected for being too futuristic or impractical for a developing and densely populated nation like India,” said Paresh Rawal from the ORF. To date, over 3.7 million people have been infected with the coronavirus, and about 260,000 people have died globally from Covid-19, according to the WHO situation report. (Xinhua)
CEBU CITY Hall flew the Philippine flag at half-staff as a sign of respect to dozens of city government workers and front-liners infected with the coronavirus disease and four have already died. Mayor Edgardo Labella, speaking through lawyer Rey Gealon, said among those who died was City Councilor and former Congressman Antonio Cuenco. In a press briefing, Gealon said the other fatalities are a sanitary inspector of the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD), an engineer of the Department of Public Services, and a barangay health worker (BHW). The CCHD is also verifying if the cause of death of OIC City Treasurer Arlene Rentuza was related to Covid-19. Gealon said of the 77 city government front-liners tested positive for coronavirus, 12 are personnel of the CCHD, and 29 are working in the city ambulance service, and 36 are BHWs serving in the clustered Barangay Isola-
tion Centers (BIC) and clustered clinics in different villages here. Most of the city workers infected with the coronavirus were involved either in taking swab specimens from suspected Covid-19 patients, or taking blood samples for rapid testing and in contact tracing, he said. “We can’t stop them from serving the front-line. They swear to serve the people in the City of Cebu,” Galeon said, adding, Labella reiterated his call on residents to stay in their homes and avoid going out if they do not have any important transaction and essential things to buy. The Cebu provincial government also said that 15 capitol workers were found positive for Covid-19. At least 12 of the provincial government workers infected with coronavirus are residents of Cebu City, two are from Mandaue City and one from Talisay City. Labella ordered another village
chieftain, Victor Quijano, to explain the holding of a fiesta celebration in the Calamba despite the strict quarantine guidelines. He told Quijano that holding the celebration is a violation of Executive Order No. 82, prohibiting mass gatherings. He ordered Quijano and the barangay council members to explain in 24 hours why they should not be held administratively liable for gross negligence and dereliction of duty under the Local Government Code, and criminal prosecution for resistance and disobedience to a person in authority or agents under the Revised Penal Code. A Facebook post from a certain Skydancer Jill Bonch showed Calamba villagers dancing and eating together. According to a CCHD advisory, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases is now over 5,000. More than 2,700 had recovered from the deadly virus. (John Rey Saavedra)
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