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July 27-Aug 2, 2020
Malaysia ceases paying Sultanate of Sulu ‘Rejects claims by Sulu Sultans and Philippines over Sabah’
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ALAYSIAN FOREIGN Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein bared that his country has stopped paying cession money to the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu and that Kuala Lumpur made an understanding with the Philippines that the claim by the Sultanate of Sulu over the mineral-rich state of Sabah will not be raised at any regional or international platform. Hishammuddin said recognise and entertain over Sabah, as the state Malaysia also did not any claim by any party Continue on page 3
Steroid now used to treat Covid patients
The Japanese health ministry has approved the use of the steroid drug dexamethasone for the treatment of novel coronavirus patients. (Getty Images / Via Kyodo)
JAPAN HAS approved a second drug – the inexpensive steroid dexamethasone - for the treatment of Covid-19 patients following the use of Remdesivir, reports said. The easy-to-obtain drug dexamethasone also used to treat a wide range of conditions including lung disease - has drawn international attention since it was Continue on page 3
President Rodrigo Duterte and Prime Minister Mohammad Mahathir (PCOO)
‘KAPA’ founder captured
Sulu to build additional quarantine center SULU – In an effort to contain or prevent the further spread of the deadly Continue on page 2
Governor Sakur Tan leads government officials in the groundbreaking of a 100-bed isolation and quarantine facilities in Indanan town in Sulu province. (Sulu Task Force Covid-19)
KAPA founder Joel Apolinario, his wife and followers following their July 21, 2020 arrest in Surigao del Sur’s Lingig town. Also shown in the photos are weapons seized by the police from Apolinario’s hideout. (Courtesy of Radyo Pilipinas Butuan)
POLICE CAPTURED the founder of KAPA Community Ministry International, or KAPA, following a firefight that killed 2 gunmen on an island resort in Surigao del Sur’s Lingig town where security forces tracked down the elusive Joel Apolinario. Apolinario, who is accused of large scale investment scam, was arrested along with 23 other armed followers on July 21 in the village of Handamayan where he is reportedly constructing a mansion despite being on the run. Philippine National Police Chief, General Archie Gamboa confirmed the capture of Continue on page 2
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The Mindanao Examiner
July 27-Aug 2, 2020
‘KAPA’ founder captured
KAPA founder Joel Apolinario, his wife and followers following their July 21, 2020 arrest in Surigao del Sur’s Lingig town. Shown in the photo are weapons seized by the police from Apolinario’s hideout. (Courtesy of Radyo Pilipinas Butuan) Continued from page 1 Apolinario and his followers, and commended those involved in the operation, mostly from the regional police office in Caraga. Gamboa branded Apolinario as notorious, who has been hiding for months, and facing charges of syndicated estafa. He said President Rodrigo Duterte also ordered Apolinario’s arrest following accusations that he defrauded at least 5 million people who invested on KAPA which promised a 30% monthly return on investments for life. “The special directive came from President Rodrigo Duterte. Arrest Apolinario and his cohorts to vindicate the thousands of members from Visayas and Mindanao who were victimized by KAPA’s massive investment scam,” Gamboa said. Gamboa said police forces in Caraga have been searching for Apolinario and his group until he was tracked down in his island-hideout. He said when police tried to serve a warrant, gunmen guarding the mansion’s towers opened fire on the cops and sparking a firefight that killed 2 of Apolinario’s followers. This was also confirmed by Brigadier General Joselito Esquivel, Jr., the regional police chief, who reported to Gamboa that “the operating team was engaged in a firefight with Apolinario and his men during the service of the warrant of arrest.” Apolinario and the other gunmen surrendered after police forces surrounded the mansion. Gamboa said police recovered from Apolinario’s mansion over two doz-
en M16 automatic rifles, two M4 rifle, one Garand rifle, three M60 machine guns, one .50-caliber machine gun, one sniper rifle, three .22-caliber rifles, one Carbine rifle, one shot gun, two anti-tank rocket propelled grenade launchers, five .45-caliber pistols and assorted ammunition. How It All Started Apolinario founded KAPA - which literally means Kabus Padatoon or Making the Poor Rich - in 2016 as Kapa Cooperative Convenience Store and General Merchandise in Bislig City. But the City Economic Enterprise Department locked down the business for failing to comply with some local government requirements. And in August 2017, Apolinario was charged with 102 cases for not settling investment claims and 27 arrest warrants were issued by the courts. However, all the cases were dismissed with the complainants compensated by KAPA. Apolinario’s company eventually become KAPA-Community Ministry International. The company enlisted new members, who became “member-donors” and in turn recruited new members. The Securities and Exchanges Commission also filed criminal charges against KAPA Community Ministry International and its executives, citing an investment scam. And on June 8, 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to shut down KAPA, saying, the company was “clearly a form of syndicated estafa.” A criminal investigation revealed that
members would have to donate at least P10,000 to receive the promised return of 30% a month. On June 10, the NBI raided Apolinario’s home in General Santos City, but he was not there. The NBI also raided 14 branches of KAPA with a warrant issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 20. The Court of Appeals had already frozen the bank accounts and assets of KAPA due to the suspected scheme. On June 13, a certain Xian Gaza exposed that Apolinario would escape the country with no plans of returning. And the next day, the Department of Justice issued an immigration lookout against Apolinario and 14 other KAPA members to prevent them from fleeing the country. On June 16, the SEC announced that over 100 million worth of assets were linked to KAPA. The SEC even cited public records that showed at least 9 luxury cars, other sports utility vehicles, and still other properties were registered under KAPA and its executives. It also revealed that KAPA members were promised to receive a “love gift” as the interest of their investments. The SEC estimated that KAPA had invested about 50 billion from donations from its members over the last three years. On June 21, a video message posted by Apolinario stated that he asked the government to help KAPA return the money to its members after the Anti-Money Laundering Council froze the company’s accounts. (Zamboanga Post)
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Sulu to build additional quarantine center Continued from page 1 coronavirus disease, Governor Sakur Tan said the provincial government will build an additional isolation and quarantine facilities in the town of Indanan. Tan, head of the local task force on Covid-19, led the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed 100-bed center together with other government officials. He said the facilities will be funded by the regional government. Officials from the regional government led by Public Works Minister Eduard Guerra, Social Services Minister Raissa Jajurie, and Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo were also present during the groundbreaking ceremony in the village of Kajatian. It was also attended by Western Mindanao Command chief, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana. Prior to the ceremony, Tan met with Public
Works District Engineer Ajan Ajijul and Dr. Fahra Omar, head of the Integrated Provincial Health Office, Provincial Planning Coordinator Engineer Bertrand Chio, Sulu Task Force Covid-19 Spokesperson Jainab Abdulmajid, Provincial Engineer Abdurasad Baih, among other officials to discuss the construction of the facilities. Sulu managed to flatten the pandemic curve, but Covid-19 cases spiked after the national government allowed so-called Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) to return to the province. Many of them turned out to be carrier of the respiratory virus. Last week, the provincial task force on Covid-19 temporarily suspended the entry of LSIs. “Sulu Task Force Covid-19 temporarily suspends the entry of Locally Stranded Individuals to Sulu. Resumption of inbound travel to Sulu of the LSI’s shall be announced by the
Sulu Task Force Covid-19,” it said. However, the task force said the entry of front liners and other authorized persons whose travel to Sulu is indispensable are allowed, provided they have the necessary travel documents and medical certificate. Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, has at least 10 active Covid-19 cases from only 1 in June. But the arrival of LSIs from Manila, Cebu and other places in the country, and those deported from Sabah in Malaysia resulted in the spike of new contamination. “The Sulu Task Force Covid-19 is taking all necessary measures, based on protocols to contain the spread of the virus. We request the people of Sulu to remain calm and not to panic. Please continue to stay home to prevent the infection and spread of the virus,” the task force said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
July 27-Aug 2, 2020
Malaysia ceases paying Sultanate of Sulu ‘Rejects claims by Sulu Sultans and Philippines over Sabah’
Malaysia foreign minister DatukSeri Hishammuddin Hussein (defense.gov) Continued from page 1 had been recognised as being part of Malaysia by the United Nations, as well as the international community. “Malaysia and the Philippines have an understanding that the claim over Sabah will not be raised at any regional or international platform,” he said, adding, they also stopped paying annual cession money of RM5,300 through lawyers representing the nine heirs of the Sulu Sultanate since 2013.
He said the payments were made based on a treaty signed on January 22, 1878, between the then Sultan of Sulu, Sultan Jamal Al Alam and Baron de Overbeck and Alfred Dent of the British North Borneo Company. “Apart from the payments to the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate, Malaysia has never made any payment to the Philippine government,” Hishammuddin said in a written reply to Chang Foon Hin (PH-Kota Kinabalu), uploaded on the Parliament
website, according to a report by Bernama. It said Chang wanted to know if the Malaysian government planned to stop paying the cession money to the Sulu Sultanate through the Philippine government as a measure to end foreign interference in Malaysia’s sovereignty, and instead utilise the money to solve the issue of illegal Filipino immigrants entering Sabah, just several hours by boat from the Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi. “Until now, the claim on Sabah has only been raised by those who claim to be descendants of the Sulu Sultanate,” he said. Sultanate of Sulu In February 2013, Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III sent 200 armed followers led by his younger brother Raja Muda Azzimudie Kiram, 74, to Sabah in an effort to exert his claim over the territory. Malaysia branded the action as an invasion and launched a deadly air and land assaults against the invaders, armed with automatic rifles and machetes. Kuala Lumpur also put Sultan Jamalul and his brother on its wanted list and branded them as terrorists for intruding into Sabah and killing and decapitating 10 policemen
Steroid now used to treat Covid patients Continued from page 1 reported in Britain that the drug reduced deaths among patients with severe cases of coronavirus, according to a report of the Japan Times. It said dexamethasone was mentioned as a government-approved drug in a revised version of a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry handbook for treating Covid-19 patients. The handbook, revised recently, cited the inclusion of the drug in a study by the University of Oxford and revised guidelines for treating Covid-19 patients by the National Institutes of Health of the United States. According to the report, comparing around 2,100 patients who were administered with the
drug for 10 days and 4,300 patients who were not, a University of Oxford team said in June that the drug reduced deaths by a third among ventilated patients and by a fifth among patients receiving oxygen only. However, the death rate did not change for patients who did not require respiratory support, it said. Taking into account the results of the Oxford study, the NIH revised its guidelines to recommend that the drug be administered to ventilated patients and those requiring oxygen injection. The World Health Organization said the drug “can be lifesaving for patients who are critically ill with Covid-19.” In April, the Department of Health an-
nounced that the participation of the Philippines to the World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity trial to test the safety and effectiveness of four possible therapies in treating Covid-19 and among them is the Anti-viral Remdesivir. The three others were the antimalarial drug Chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine and the antiretroviral drugs used to treat Human Immuno Deficiency virus Lopinavir with Ritonavir, and Lopinavir with Ritonavir plus Interferon beta-1a. More than 100 countries have joined the Solidarity Trial with over 1,200 patients randomized from the first five countries, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of four drugs and drug combinations. (Mindanao Examiner)
and soldiers in separate clashes on the island. The Aquino government tried to resolve the problems peacefully with Malaysia and persuaded Kiram’s group to return home following weeks of standoff with Kuala Lumpur, but it failed. Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram I and Sultan Esmail Kiram were also involved in the negotiations with the Philippine government. The young Kiram and his army landed in Lahad Datu town to reclaim the former territory, but many from his group were slain in the fighting with Kiram nearly killed until his daring escape back to Sulu province where he eventually died of old age in the village of Tubig Indanan. The elder Kiram also died from a lingering illness at age 75 in October 2013, at the height of the fighting between their loyal forces and Malaysian soldiers. Up to now, the Sultanate of Sulu continues to lay claim to Sabah. It obtained Sabah from Brunei as a gift for helping put down a rebellion on the Borneo Island. The British leased Sabah and transferred control over the territory to Malaysia after the end of World War II. The Sulu Sultanate said it had merely leased North Borneo in 1878 to the British North Borneo Company for an annual payment of 5,000 Malayan dollars then, which was increased to 5,300 Malayan dollars in 1903. The Sultanate of Sulu was founded in 1457 and is believed to exist as a sovereign nation for at least 442 years. It stretches from a part of the island of Mindanao in the east, to Sabah, in the west and south, and to Palawan, in the north. North Borneo was annexed by Malaysia in 1963 following a referendum organised by the Cobbold Commission in 1962, the people of Sabah voted overwhelmingly to join Malaysia. No Way In 2016, Malaysia vowed to defend the sovereignty of Sabah following remarks made by President Rodrigo Duterte that the oil-rich state – home to about half a million Filipinos – belongs to
the Sultanate of Sulu. The Malaysia Digest reported that Duterte was quoted by Philippine media that he will never abandon the Sulu Sultanate’s quest to stake its claim on Sabah. “We are allowing proprietary heirs to talk (with Malaysia). Since it is part of our claim, it will be there as our land,” Duterte was quoted as saying. “What has been the policy will always be the policy of the government especially those for the interest of the country. We have to stake our claim.” But then Malaysian Prime Minister Da¬tuk Seri Najib Tun Razak vowed to defend every inch of Sabah’s sovereignty. Malaysian media quoted Najib as saying that no one can stake a claim on Sabah that had gained its independence through Malaysia with the agreement of the United Nations in 1963. The findings of the Cobbold Commission reflected the wishes of the people and this was accepted by the international community, he said. “As such, no group can make any claim on Sabah,” Najib said in a report by The Star. Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman
earlier said that the state will remain part of Malaysia and had never recognized any claim by the Philippines on the issue. The report quoted Najib as saying that Malaysia is committed towards defending Sa¬-bah from any threat and urged its citizens to be the eyes and ears of the security forces. Sabah is Ours Even after North Borneo became part of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur still paid an annual rent of at least 5,300 ringgit to the heirs of the recognized Sultan of Sulu Ismail Kiram until Hishammuddin’s announcement that they ceased paying the cession money. And in 2019, then Duterte’s spokesman, Salvador Panelo, said the Philippines has not abandoned its claim on Sabah after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s statement that “there was no claim” to the disputed territory. Panelo reiterated Duterte’s position that he would pursue the Philippines’ claim to Sabah. “The position of the President, meron tayong claim. Eh totoo namang may claim tayo di ba? That has been a bone of contention ever since,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. (Mark Navales)
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The Mindanao Examiner
July 27-Aug 2, 2020
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 27-Aug 2, 2020
The Mindanao Examiner
Sulu Pictures in the News
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July 27-Aug 2, 2020
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July 27-Aug 2, 2020
DILG inatasan ang mga barangay na bumuo ng contact tracing teams
GenSan bomber killed in South KIDAPAWAN CITY – Security forces shot dead a suspected Filipino terrorist who was being linked to a bombing in General Santos City in 2018 that left at least 7 people wounded. Police said Ben Usman, a brother of terrorist leader Abdul Basit Usman, was slain after he exchanged gunfire with police commandos and soldiers who were trying to arrest him in South Cotabato’s Polomolok town. Security forces tracked down Usman’s hideout recently in the village called Lapu after intelligence re-
ports led policemen and soldiers to the area. Brig. Gen. Michael John Dubria, the regional police chief, confirmed the killing of Usman. The raiders also recovered a fragmentation grenade and an ISIS flag. Usman’s brother was also killed by the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2015 in Maguindanao’s Guindulungan after the senior U.S. officials sought its assistance to capture him and other terrorists, among them Jemaah Islamic militants Dulmatin and Umar
Patek, tagged as behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, mostly foreigners. Dulmatin and Patek fled to Mindanao after the bombing. But Dulmatin returned to Indonesia where he was killed by security forces in his hideout in Jakarta in March 2010. Patek was eventually captured in January 2011 in Abbottabad in Pakistan after escaping from the Philippines, and extradited to Indonesia in August 2011. (With a report from Rhoderick Beñez)
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INATASAN NGAYON ng Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ang lahat ng barangay sa buong bansa na magtatag ng kanilang mga contact tracing team (CTT) upang mapalawak ang kakayahan sa pagpigil sa pagkalat ng Covid-19 sa bansa. Ayon kay DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, habang marami pang pamayanan ang nalalantad sa pagkahawa ng coronavirus, mahalaga na may contact tracers mula sa bawa’t barangay na nakakaalam at nakakakilala sa mga nakatira sa kanilang lugar. “Matagal pa ang ating bubunuin bago makatuklas ng bakuna at kailangan nating labanan ang virus na ito mula sa mga pamayanan. Ang mga CCT ng bawa’t barangay ang magiging mga first responders upang matiyak na ang mga residente, lalo na ang mga tinamaan ng sakit pati na ang kanilang mga pamilya, ay mababantayan at maitatala,” ani Año. Sinabi pa ni Año na ang mga CTT sa mga barangay ay maitutulad sa mga kawal na kabisado ang lugar ng digmaan at ang pagkakaroon ng mga contact tracers ay malaking tulong sa kampanya laban sa pandemic. “Itong mga CTTs na ito ay mula din naman sa kani-kanilang mga barangay kaya mas kilala nila ang mga tao sa pamayanan at magkakaroon sila ng mas magandang pagkakataon na matutukan at mabantayan ang mga kaso sa kanilang ko-
munidad. Siyempre, kilala nila ang mga tao, kabisado nila ang lugar kaya mas magiging madali para sa kanila,” ani Año. Inatasan din nito ang Local Government Academy at ang Philippine Public Safety College na magsanay ng mga contact tracers na bubuuin ng mga barangay. Ayon pa kay Año, ang pagkakaroon ng mga CTT sa mahigit na 42,000 mga barangay ay magsisiguro na ang mga nakahalubilo ng mga pasyenteng may COVID-19 ay matutukoy, upang mapigil ang lalo pang pagkalat ng sakit. Sa pamamagitan ng isang advisory noong Hulyo 21, inutusan ni Año ang mga barangay na bumuo ng kanilang mga CTT “upang mahanap lahat ng mga nakahalubilo ng isang pasyenteng may COVID-19.” Inaasahan din na titiyakin ng mga CTT na ang mga may COVID-19 ay sumusunod sa mga quarantine protocol o madadala sa mga isolation facility ng pamahalaan, kung kinakailangan. Pinababantayan din sa mga CTT ang kalagayan ng mga probable, suspected at confirmed na kaso kabilang ang kanilang pamilya na lumapit sa isang kumpimadong kaso upang mabawasan ang pagkalat ng virus at i-report ang mga ito sa municipal o city health office. Iniulat ni Año na mahigit sa 69,000 na mga contact tracers sa buong bansa ay ipinadala at aktibong tumutulong sa pa-
ghahanap at pagtulong sa mga close contacts. Dahil dito, nabawasan ang pagkalat ng impeksiyon, at nakapagbigay ng diagnostic, counselling at treatment ng mga kumpirmadong kaso ng Covid-19. And mga local governments (LGUs) sa pamamagitan ng kanilang mga barangay health workers ay inatasang magbahay-bahay at sunduin ang mga pasyenteng may Covid-19 na hindi kuwalipikado sa home quarantine at dalhin sa tamang health facility. “Mahigpit po ang ating paalala na hindi na po hinihikayat ang pagsasagawa ng home quarantine kaya po inatasan namin ang ating mga barangay health workers na tiyaking ang mga kabahayang hindi kayang magsagawa ng home quarantine ay madala sa mga Ligtas Center,”paliwanag ni Año. Pinapayagan lamang ang home quarantine kung ang pasyente ay may sariling silid at palikuran upang hindi makahawa ng iba, at wala siyang kasamang mga matatanda o pasyenteng may ibang sakit. Ang mga LGUs ay dapat makipagtulungan sa Philippine National Police (PNP) upang matiyak ang kooperasyon ng lahat ng mga maysakit. “Ang PNP ay nandiyan lamang bilang suporta sa paglilipat ng mga pasyente sa mga Ligtas Center,” sabi pa ni Año. (Mindanao Examiner. May ulat mula kay Rhoderick Beñez.)
Rebels told to abandon violent campaign, embrace peace offer CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Security officials urged communist rebels to abandon their long-running violent secessionist campaign and take advantage of the government’s amnesty program and live peacefully with their family. Philippine Army Chief, Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay, said there is no reason to fight the democratic government, but there are many motivations to lead a peaceful way of life. “We are sincere in our peace program. There is no reason to fight, but a lot of reasons to live,” he said. Just last week, government troops killed a
female communist rebel in a fierce battle with the New People’s Army in Alegria town in Surigao del Norte after patrolling soldiers from the 30th Infantry Battalion ran into a group of rebels. Two soldiers were wounded in the clash that could have left more enemy casualties. The body of the slain rebel was recovered by soldiers, including three AK-47 assault rifles and an M16 automatic rifle, and five improvised explosives, assorted medical supplies, 18 backpacks and seven cell phones, according to Lt. Col. Ryan Charles Callanta, the battalion commander. He said civilians
tipped off the military on the presence of rebels in the area. “The lives of our soldiers are always at stake, but it is our job to protect the communities from terrorists. The success of this operation might not have been realized without the support of the community, particularly for providing real time information that led to this armed engagement,” he said. Callanta said troops previously clashed with rebels in the same area. The rebels have been fighting for many decades now to overthrow the democratic government and replace it with a communist state. (Mindanao Examiner)
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July 27-Aug 2, 2020
Red Cross opens molecular lab in Mandaue City
M
ANDAUE CITY - To augment the Covid-19 testing capacity in Cebu, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) opened its biggest molecular laboratory in the Visayas which is capable of processing 4,000 real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests daily for coronavirus. Senator Richard Gordon, “Within 48 hours, lalabas proved their request for their chairman and chief executive ang result. Makakatulong kami installation. These clinics that officer of PRC, led the recent sa buong Cebu kasi sabay-sabay need air-conditioned tents inauguration of the P38-mil- na kami magte-test. Bibilis lahat are temporarily located at the lion 207-square-meter labora- ng testing dito,” he said, noting Cebu Medical Society buildtory in Barangay Jagobiao here. that the laboratory has the big- ing, Brotherhood gym, Sawang The laboratory is expected to gest swab testing capacity in the Calero gym, and Tinago gym. ease the backlogs in RT-PCR Visayas and Mindanao. Melquiades Feliciano, who testing in the province, particGordon said the Cebu City is assisting Environment Secreularly in Cebu City, which has government would soon have tary Roy Cimatu in overseeing recently been downgraded to four air-conditioned tents that the city’s Covid-19 response, modified enhanced commu- would house four cluster clin- lauded PRC’s contribution in nity quarantine, Gordon said. ics in the capital city, as he ap- ramping up the city’s testing
Safety standards for Cebu Covid-19 cemetery assured
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu listens as a Cebu City Hall staff briefs him on the proposed site for the Covid-19 cemetery in Sitios Patayng Yuta and Baksan of the upland village of Sapangdaku. (IATF-EID) CEBU CITY – Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu assured the public that the construction of a cemetery for deceased coronavirus patients will meet the highest health and safety standards. “We have to ensure the development of roads leading up to here. There are trees here in the area, most of the mango trees. If the city can find a way to minimize the cutting of trees, the better,” he said. Cimatu, designated by President Rodrigo Duterte to oversee the national government’s intervention to address the Covid-19 crisis in this capital city, doused fears on the effects of the cemetery to the environment. He and Mayor Edgardo Labella together with city and environment officials inspected the area noted that the two-hectare proposed burial site is outside of the city’s
ARMM
protected area and is far from residential areas. “Out of all the sites we looked at, this is the best one,” Cimatu said. Labella said Barangay Sapangdaku is a good site of choice for the Covid-19 cemetery. He also assured residents that the city government will secure permission from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) before introducing any development to the lot situated in the two sitios of the village. The city government, he said, will not proceed with the site development unless the DENR gives them the green light. “I have certified as urgent the ordinance for the new public cemetery in Sapangdaku. There has to be an ordinance approved by the council for the construction of that cemetery,” Labella said. The local government decided to move the burial site for Covid-related deaths to Sapang-
daku after environment groups opposed its construction in Sitio Catives II in Barangay Guba. They said any development in Guba is illegal as it is within the protected area defined under Republic Act 9486 or the Central Cebu Protected Landscape Act. It is also within the Kotkot-Lusaran Watershed Forest Reserve by virtue of Presidential Decree 1074, as amended. Environmentalists also said the recent cutting of trees in Sitio Catives II had no prior approval from the Central Cebu Protected Landscape - Protected Area Management Board. Melquiades Feliciano, who is assisting Cimatu on the Covid-19 interventions here, thanked the City Council and residents of Barangay Sapangdaku for approving the construction of the cemetery in the area. “The IATF-EID (Inter-Agency Task Force for the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) is grateful for the help and cooperation of the Sapangdaku residents and the City Council. This is an urgent undertaking that directly addresses Cebu City’s public health and safety,” Feliciano said. The cemetery in Sapangdaku aims to address the current backlogs being experienced by crematoriums in the city. The move to build a cemetery exclusively for Covid-19 fatalities is a result of the proactive approach being adopted by the city’s Emergency Operations Center with the guidance coming from IATF-Visayas led by Cimatu. (John Rey Saavedra)
Eastern Mindanao
The Philippine Red Cross inaugurates a P38-million molecular laboratory in Mandaue City, its biggest in the Visayas, that is expected to ramp up real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing capability in Cebu province. (IATF-IED) capacity.” On behalf of the IATF Emergency Operations Center here in Cebu City, we thank the PRC and Senator Gordon for extending a helping hand during this hour of need. These efforts will surely boost the city’s health care mechanisms to fight Covid-19,” Feliciano said. The Mandaue laboratory has four PCR machines. Gordon
said the PRC could also provide two additional PCR machines that would raise the laboratory’s testing capacity to 6,000 swab samples daily. Currently, the state-owned Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and Department of Health’s molecular laboratory also process hundreds of swab samples daily. Gordon said the
public could avail themselves of the PRC molecular laboratory’s services. PhilHealth members do not have to pay anything while those who are not covered will have to pay P4,000 per swab test, Gordon said, adding that programs to help indigents are being eyed. (Carlo Lorenciana)
Badjian Highlands closed!
The photo that went viral on social media shows hundreds of motorcycle riders and back riders converged at Badian Highlands, a tourist attraction in Badian town 104 kilometers south of Cebu City. Mayor Carmentica Librando Lumain issued Executive Order 22 temporarily closing the facility due to health protocol violations. (Photo courtesy of Maurice Navarro) CEBU CITY – The municipal government of Badian, a town 104 kilometers south of this capital, has ordered the immediate closure of the tourist destination Badian Highlands after photos circulated on social media showing visitors violating quarantine protocols. Donald Villarin, municipal tourism officer, was accompanied by policemen, placed a notice reminding tourists about the temporary closure of the Badjian Highlands.
Western Mindanao
The viral photos raised serious health concerns after some 300 motorcycle riders converged in the area’s viewing deck, which is about 1,640 feet above sea level. Villarin told the Philippine News Agency that even before the photo went viral, the local government of Badian already started to lobby guidelines for Badian Highlands. Mayor Carmentica Lumain issued Executive Order 22 temporarily closing the facility which
Cebu
opened to the public after the town shifted to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) on July 10. The Badian Highlands offers a spectacular view of the Tañon Strait and the mountains around Cebu’s southwestern area. Based on their investigation, Villarin said the riders initially wore face masks but removed these when they arrived in the area.To reach the Badjian Highlands, vehicles take the 13-kilometer road that spans villages Poblacion, Taytay, Basak, Talayong, and Dobdob from the national highway. The municipal government has yet to provide an exact date as to when the tourist facility will reopen. The area has been eyed to help the town’s economy to recover after suspending all tourism activities as a preventive measure against the spread of coronavirus disease back in March. Badian is home to other popular tourist attractions such as the Osmeña Peak, Kawasan Falls, Kadungaw Peak, and Lambug Beach and some canyoneering sites. (Carlo Lorenciana)
Manila