Thursday, July 1, 2021

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City places 20 establishments under lockdown

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:55 AM PDT

DUE to the existing clustering of Covid-19 cases, 20 establishments in Davao City are set to be placed under lockdown this week, an official from the Covid-19 Task Force revealed on Thursday, July 1.

Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said in a radio interview that the number includes private and public offices and establishments.

Schlosser said they imposed a lockdown on establishments that failed to provide and declare an honest and comprehensive close contact line list to the District Health Officer Contact Tracer.

In addition, establishments that are not imposing health protocols in their premises were also subjected to lockdown.

She said they also consider establishments with clustering cases for violating health protocols.

"Kung naa sila'y cases na (If they have existing cases, that are) significantly high, more or less violator gyud sila kay ngano naa man sila'y cases. Meaning wala gyud siguro nila na-follow ang (they are violators because, in the first place, they wouldn't have cases if protocols were followed. This means, they were not able to abide by the) minimum health protocols," Schlosser said.

She said prior to the imposition of the lockdown, some establishments were given a 24-hour warning.

However, based on the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) Zoning Containment Strategy, the official said there is no issuance of warning or notification.

"Once nga naa (there is an) increasing cases of Covid[-19] sa imong (in your) establishment, supposedly or ideally, right there and then, i-lockdown na sila (the place should be placed on lockdown)," she said.

"Pinakalit siya para dili sila makatago og information (It should be abruptly enforced so they won't be able to hide information). But the Covid[-19] Task Force is mas gusto nila compassionate man gud ang team (they give consideration since the team is compassionate)," she added.

While they are adopting IATF's containment strategy, she said the District Health Office is also conducting a risk assessment.

Despite having several active cases in their establishment, the health district will assess on the ground if they are "high risk" of causing massive transmission.

"Isa sa ginatan-aw is ang structure mismo sa (One of the consideration is the structure of the) building, if the minimum health protocols are being followed, kung naa ba sila'y (if they have existing) work arrangement, naa ba sila'y (if they follow) social distancing, kani ang mga (these are) several things nga gina-risk assess sa atong (that is being risk-assessed on the) ground level nga mga (of our) doctors and medical frontliners," she said.

Once they complied, there is a huge chance that the 20 listed establishments will not push through with the lockdown, and instead, conduct decontamination, and swabbing of individuals that are in closed contact.

Meanwhile, Schlosser declined to name the establishments.

The official said this is to "eradicate stigma" especially to those who tested positive for coronavirus.

"In this period of time, there is no one to blame. Ang nahitabo is that isa sa mga difficulty sa mga nagpositibo na tao is to come out na positibo sila kay ang tan-aw sa tao sila is naa silay sala, sila ang dahilan, tungod sa ila, naay spread (What is happening is there is difficulty on the part of the positive patient to come out positive because people treat them as if they are at the ones causing the spread of the virus)," she said.

Schlosser said the city is strictly monitoring the compliance of offices and establishments in enforcing health protocols to curb the spread of the transmission.

City Health Office (CHO) Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez previously said more than half of the Covid-19 transmission is happening in workplaces, contributing to the current surge of cases in the city.

The city noted a huge clustering of cases in government offices and private establishments.

The CHO recently lifted the lockdown of three big BPO companies in the city, which recorded several Covid-19 positive cases.

Lopez said the BPO firms, along with commercial banks, were among offices and workplaces that logged high incidences of Covid-19 cases, which resulted in them being locked down.

However, the CHO recently reported that transmission on workplaces has began to decline and that cases of community transmission are slowly contributing to the current surge of cases in the city.

Lopez said around 60 percent of the current cases in the city are coming from community transmission, particularly in households.

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City Council passes mandatory QR scanning

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:53 AM PDT

THE implementation of the Safe Davao QR (DQR) code will soon be strictly implemented after the 19th Davao City Council approved the mandatory DQR scanning on Tuesday, June 29.

The ordinance for the mandatory implementation of the DQR scanning upon entry and exit for all establishments and all individuals, including non-residents of the city, was approved on third and final reading.

Among the provisions of the ordinance is the mandatory DQR scanning of all offices and establishments to individuals entering their premises.

Exempted are offices and establishments that are not enclosed or are not inside a structure with a roof and walls. These include milk tea stall, ambulant vendor, lechon manok stand, sari-sari store, bakery, and palengke (market) stall.

Also exempted are buildings that contain several offices or stores, including malls, hospitals, commercial complex, and other establishments similarly situated. In this case, individual stores and offices in a building should be the ones that will scan the DQR.

The ordinance also states the mandatory posting of DQR code in the entrance or exit of the establishment.

Individuals are not allowed to enter and leave the premises without their DQR being scanned.

Councilor Melchor Quitain Jr., City Council floor leader and committee chair on rules, privileges, laws and ordinances, said in his speech on June 22 that the ordinance aims to strictly implement the DQR, which is being used by the city for contact tracing purposes.

In December 2020, the City Council enacted the DQR ordinance one month after the city government launched and implemented the DQR system.

But Quitain said the previous ordinance did not make the scanning mandatory.

"Unfortunately, in the ordinance we approved [last December], we only made it mandatory for establishments and persons to register and get their own DQRs from the Davao City website," the councilor said.

"Unfortunately, when it comes to the scanning aspect, we have not yet made it mandatory in the said ordinance because, at that time, everything was experimental. We were able to secure our own DQRs, but the scanning, particularly the scanning app, was still in the process of being perfected," the councilor added.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio issued and signed Executive Order (EO) 02, requiring all establishments and offices in the city to implement the scanning of the DQR to all individuals entering their premises, effective February 3, 2021.

Duterte-Carpio, in a letter to Quitain dated May 31, requested the Council to craft the mandatory DQR scanning.

Meanwhile, other provisions of the previous DQR ordinance were adopted to the recently approved ordinance.

For individuals, the ordinance prohibits the use of DQR for non-essential movement, lending or permitting the use of personal DQR to another person, abusing it, using or possessing fake DQR, and using cancelled DQR.

Individuals are also prohibited from refusing to present DQR for scanning or inspection purposes when required by uniformed authorities. Presenting fake ID and other documents in the DQR registration is also not allowed.

Also penalized are individuals making or selling fake DQR, and hacking the DQR system.

Individuals using the DQR for non-essential movement, cancelled DQR, and failure to present DQR will be reprimanded for the first offense, while the offender will be penalized P1,000 for second offense, and P1,500 for third ordinance.

Business establishments who violate the ordinance will be issued written warning for first offense, while a fine of P5,000 and/or suspension of business operations for 30 days from date of violation will be imposed on second offense, and both fine of P5,000 and cancellation of business permit will be imposed on third offense.

DQR is an electronic contact tracing and travel pass platform intended to be implemented for several purposes in Davao City.

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Davao City accelerates vax rollout, administers nearly 250,000 doses

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:52 AM PDT

THE Davao City Government has accelerated its vaccination drive after nearly 250,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered to eligible individuals.

According to the Davao City Vaccination Cluster, as of June 29, a total of 246,743 doses were already rolled out, of which 203,256 were for the first dose while 43,487 were given as second doses.

For Priority Group A1, composed of healthcare workers, 40,205 were given for the first dose while 26,612 for second dose.

In the A2 Group or the senior citizens (A2 Group), the vaccines rolled out were 71,647 for the first dose, while 11,469 for the second dose.

Other priority groups include A3 (persons with comorbidities) wherein 85,074 jabbed for the first dose and 5,381 for second dose.

Vaccination for A4 (essential workers) started late June with 2,790 vaccinated with the first dose. This sector includes private-sector employees required to physically report to work, government personnel, workers in the informal sector, the self-employed who work outside of their homes, and private household workers. They are being inoculated alongside healthcare workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities.

For A5 or those from the indigent population, 3,540 doses were rolled out for the first dose, while 25 for second dose. These are residents belonging to the indigenous peoples (IP) communities in Marilog District.

City Health Office (CHO) Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez said in an interview that they have received "very good" response from the public, based on their assessment.

"General assessment is very good, the response of the people is very good. Ang commitment and compliance sa tao is excellent. Nagadugay-nagadugay, kini atong ongoing vaccination, nagadaghan ang nituo ani atong bakuna kontra Covid (Our general assessment is good, the response of the people is very good. The commitment and compliance of the people are excellent. Since we started our inoculation program, the vaccine acceptance among people has been increasing)," Lopez said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio Wednesday, June 30.

With the boosted vaccine supplies and the increasing number of individuals lining up to get the vaccine, he is confident that the city would be able to reach its targeted herd immunity.

"Kung mas daghan ang naga-participate mas dali nato makuha ang atong target nga 70 percent or 1.2 million (The more we have participating individuals, the faster we can achieve our target of 70 percent or 1.2 million)," Lopez said.

He said they still received cases of vaccinees experiencing adverse effects, but the majority are only mild cases.

Lopez said the City Government can cater to around 10,000 vaccinees per day on average if the supply of vaccine doses in the city is sufficient.

The City targets to fully vaccinate at least 1.2 million Dabawenyos or 70 percent of the total population to achieve herd immunity.

Current vaccines that are being inoculated are Sinovac's CoronaVac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, and limited doses of Sputnik V.

Meanwhile, Lopez explained why the city immediately proceeded to A5 instead of A4, quoting President Rodrigo Duterte's previous pronouncement: "Gusto niya tagaan ang (He wanted)... 'I want to give the best vaccine to our indigents'."

Lopez also said they received a directive from the Department of Health that the allocation of Pfizer will be rolled out to A2, A3, and A5.

He said the remaining supply of Pfizer is expected to last until Friday, July 2.

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LTFRB-Davao temporarily suspends Libreng Sakay

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:51 AM PDT

FOLLOWING the expiration of the validity of Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2 law on June 30, 2021, the Libreng Sakay program in Davao Region, which offers free rides for workers amid pandemic, is temporarily suspended.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Davao Region (LTFRB-Davao) Director Nonito Llanos III told SunStar Davao in a phone interview on Thursday, July 1, that the suspension of the free ride took effect the day after the law lapsed.

Llanos said the program was affected by the expiration of the Bayanihan 2 law since it is where their funding for the Libreng Sakay Program is being sourced.

LTFRB-Davao started deploying free bus rides for authorized persons outside residences (Apor), including medical frontliners, in the first week of May this year.

As of June 30, around 60,000 passengers were catered by the buses, which operated 24 hours daily before it was suspended.

Llanos said the national LTFRB is currently working on additional funding for the resumption of the program.

"Actually, mao na ginapaningkamutan sa central office, especially sa DOTr (Department of Transportation), kay naa naka-appropriate sa (Actually, that what we are working on in the central office, especially the DOTr, because it's already being appropriated in the) General Appropriations Act na (worth) P3 billion," he said, adding that they are waiting for the "go signal" from the national office in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the immediate release of the funding.

He admitted that the buses and the government's free ride program helped many frontliners make their daily expenses lighter.

"We know for the fact that healthcare workers are the most vulnerable when you talk about their jobs. Ila ginaatubang kay dili dali. (What they are facing is not easy.) Knowing the current Covid-19 cases in the region nga bulging ang cases (that cases are bulging)," Llanos said.

He added, "We also know that lisod isakay labi na nga nihit ang sakyanan (it is not easy to get a ride especially that vehicles are scarce) because it is not 100 percent, when we talk about the presence of public utility vehicles on the roads due to the pandemic."

The official also said they cannot blame the operators and drivers if they do not operate, especially during curfew hours due to the limited number of passengers on the streets.

As of now, he said local governments have not yet coordinated with them on the possibility of augmenting free rides.

In Davao City, Llanos said there is also no word from the City Government if they will let the Interim Bus System (IBS) operate for 24 hours.

IBS, currently operating in two routes -- C.P. Garcia Highway and Catalunan Grande, operates from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

"Dili kaayo siya magiging [viable] (It is not really that viable) for healthcare workers kay dili ing-ana ka daghan ang ridership (because ridership is not that many)," he said.

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Proposed ordinance penalizing F2, F3 who refuse to be tested deferred

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:42 AM PDT

THE proposed ordinance penalizing individuals who will not submit themselves for Covid-19 testing was put on hold.

The item, "An Ordinance Providing for Mandatory Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Testing Of All F1, F2, And F3 Contacts of an RT-PCR Confirmed Positive Case Of Covid-19 In Davao City," was supposed to be filed for third and final reading during the 19th City Council's regular session on Tuesday, June 29.

Councilor Mabel Acosta, author of the proposed ordinance, said the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force requested for the deferment of the measure.

Prior to this, Acosta said the body conducted its regular meeting on Tuesday morning, June 29, and said that the proposed ordinance will have some adjustments.

"They will make some adjustments regarding this proposed ordinance requested by the Task Force on Covid Davao," the councilor said.

She motioned for the deferment of the item and returned it to committee level "until further notice."

Later on, Acosta filed for "motion for reconsideration" and it was approved by the council.

Acosta, chairperson of the committee on peace and public safety and on special publications, said in a radio interview that among the provisions of the proposed ordinance is that violators will not be issued with any warning but a citation ticket if he or she will not comply with the mandatory swabbing.

Acosta said the ordinance applies to F0 (confirmed positive), F1 (first-generation contact or those who have close contact with a confirmed positive individual), F2 (second-generation contact or those who have close contact with F1), and F3 (third-generation contact or those who have close contact with F2).

The proposed ordinance, requiring identified contacts to undergo mandatory swab testing and/or mandatory isolation and quarantine, is in accordance to Executive Order (EO) 20, "An Order Providing for Mandatory Swabbing of All F1, F2, And F3 Contacts of an RT-PCR [Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction] Confirmed Positive Case of Covid-19 in Davao City."

The EO states that all F1 are required to undergo home isolation while waiting for their result, while F2 and F3 can go back to their work while waiting for their result. But they are still advised to undergo home isolation, if possible.

Acosta said she lobbied for its enactment since the entire country is under a state of public health emergency and yet some people refused to be tested.

City Health Office (CHO) Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez said on Wednesday, June 30, that the city will still pursue the proposed measure, but the body will have to amend some of its provisions.

"Wala na siya gi-cancel (The ordinance is not being canceled). We just try to defer temporarily the passing on third and final kay naa pa tay mga data na dapat himuon (because we still have to collate data) in relation to the data analysis nato for F1, F2, and F3," Lopez said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.

In terms of the penalty, he said it is already fixed and no adjustments will be made for it.

Lopez said they had received negative feedback regarding the proposed ordinance but he is still defending its passage, saying this is part of the city's measures to control the spread of the virus.

"Ang point ani sa (The point of our) government is [to] share your own personal and even social responsibility," he said.

"Dili man ta mu-impose ani tungod kay gusto ta makakwarta. I-impose nato ni kay gusto nato ma-improve ang compliance nato (We are not imposing this because we are after the income we could generate from the penalties. We pushed for this measure because we wanted to improve the compliance of the public)," he added.

Lopez said that based on their initial data, many F2s and F3s refused to be tested and only less than 50 percent submitted themselves for testing when, in fact, they can be spreaders of the virus.

The official said the proposed ordinance would help in their campaign in addressing the pandemic.

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Councilor pushes for special lane for A4 group

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:39 AM PDT

A DAVAO City councilor is calling for the immediate vaccination of workers under Priority Group A4 category and installing vaccination hubs for economic frontliners.

Councilor Pamela Librado-Morata filed on Tuesday, June 29, a resolution urging the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao and the Davao City Health Office (CHO) to provide special vaccination hubs or special lane for the city's labor force under A4, particularly those working in industries at 100 percent operational capacity under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and other succeeding quarantine status.

"Considering the working hours of workers in the above-stated industries, a special lane or vaccination hub can cater to them on their free time, which will be helpful to curb the rise in positive cases of Covid[-19] in the city and further prevent local transmission," the councilor said in her resolution.

She suggested that the city should have a special lane or vaccination hub that can cater to them in their free time, similar to the Quezon City Government, wherein they launched a program to inoculate workers even after office hours.

Librado-Morata, committee chairperson on labor and employment opportunities, said A4, considered as "essential workers," should be prioritized in the vaccination.

"There is an immediate need for our essential workers under A4 category to be vaccinated earlier and to be prioritized in the list as their line of work makes them vulnerable to the virus, owing to the fact that they are exposed to a lot of people on a regular basis, commute to and from work daily and these very people power the economy in these hard and trying times," she said.

The councilor specifically called for the urgent vaccination of labor sectors in the business process outsourcing (BPO) and similar industries that encounter difficulty in complying with health protocols due to their workplace set-up, nature of work, including work-related exposure that makes them prone to transmit the virus unknowingly.

She also called for the immediate vaccination of delivery riders, cashiers, security guards, bank employees, food sector and pharmacy workers.

Prior to the implementation of the MECQ in Davao City beginning June 5, the councilor said there was an alarming number of positive cases officially reported involving more than 600 BPO workers and counting in the city.

She also reported that 44 employees of the City Council tested positive for coronavirus after a mass swab test conducted on May 29.

Prioritizing A4 in the vaccination list can help bring back consumer confidence, preserve economic institutions, and even protect other health workers and frontliners, Librado-Morata said.

Citing report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the councilor said the Philippine economy shrank by another 8.3 percent in the last three months of 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic hindered consumer spending and business activity, bringing full-year economic growth to -9.5 percent in 2020.

The resolution was also passed for first reading.

SunStar Davao is still trying to reach out to Davao City Covid-19 Vaccine Cluster head Dr. Josephine Villafuerte and CHO Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez for their response on Librado-Morata's proposal.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, however, said the City is not planning to have a night-time vaccination rollout for now.

"The main concern with the night-time vaccination is number one, ang kakayahan sa atoang personnel nga mag-24-hour shifting sa vaccination center, and ang kakayahan sa atoang public transportation kung duna bay available para sa tao ana (the capacity of our personnel to conduct 24-hour shifting in vaccination center, and the capacity of our public transportation if there are available vehicles for these people)," Duterte-Carpio said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio on June 21.

According to the Davao City Vaccination Cluster as of June 28, a total of 2,790 A4 workers are already vaccinated in the city.

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City Health finds half of Covid-19 active cases already recovered

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:38 AM PDT

AN OFFICIAL from the Davao City Health Office (CHO) revealed that their office is currently validating the city's Covid-19 case data after discovering that half of the current active cases have already recovered.

CHO Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez said in a radio interview on Wednesday, June 30, that their office, in coordination of the Regional Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (Resu) of the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao, is currently conducting validation on the active cases since Saturday, June 26.

He said this is the reason why the city recorded 981 recoveries on Tuesday, June 30, currently the highest number in a day since the pandemic started. This had resulted in the active case to lower to 4,840.

"Kung makabantay mo nga ang atong recoveries gabii [June 29] is 981 recoveries (If you noticed that our recoveries last night reached 981), this is part of the validation that we are doing. Kaning atong 4,000 plus karon, mumubo pa nig 3,000 plus, hangtod ma-2,000 na lang ni atong active [cases] (Our current 4,000 plus cases could decrease to 3,000 plus, until our active cases could reach 2,000)," Lopez said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.

Prior to the validation process, Lopez noticed the increasing number of active cases.

"Natingala man ko, kada naa mudugang nga kaso, magsige man saka ang active cases pero wala nila ginaihap ang actual recoveries. Dapat gina-minus ang daily recoveries. Wala na-accurately validated kay (We noticed whenever we record new cases, our active cases increase, but the new recoveries were not computed. The daily recoveries should have been deducted on the active cases. It was not accurately validated) for some other reason," he said.

On June 29, the city reached 5,285 active cases, the highest since the pandemic started in March 2020.

"Ang active lang gyud diha (Our actual current active cases), retrospective 14 days, is only 2,650. Halos tunga. Katong tunga aning 5,000 plus, actually recover na ni sila. Wala lang na-validate (It's almost half. Half of the 5,000 plus active cases are actually recoveries. It was not validated)," Lopez said.

The health office did not elaborate on the reasons for the discrepancy in the data count.

He said they are expected to finish the validation reports within the week, and they are hoping this would reflect on the DOH daily case bulletin.

Meanwhile, Lopez said they are also expecting the downtrend of cases in the city in the following weeks.

He encouraged the public to continuously comply with the minimum health protocols amid the ongoing vaccine rollout.

Davao City's modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status is extended until July 15.

The city was placed under MECQ on June 5 following the surge of cases in the city that was experienced in late May this year.

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Residents use makeshift ambulance to transport patient

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:37 AM PDT

RESIDENTS in Barangay Gumitan, Marilog District, Davao City are asking the City Government to provide emergency response vehicles in their area following a photo of a makeshift mobile ambulance that went viral online.

Efren Mandi posted on his Facebook account photos of residents using a makeshift ambulance-on-foot in transporting the patient to the nearest hospital. They used banana leaves to cover the area where the patient is lying.

In his post, Mandi said: "Ang tinuod nga pag ampo kanang andam ka nga mahimong katubagan sa imong gi-ampo! (The real essence of prayer is that you are willing to be someone's answered prayer)."

Mandi added that they are asking prayers for the patient, who is in critical condition.

He said the patient was transported from Sitio Mahayahay to the main highway, which is 24 kilometers away, because the responding ambulance cannot go to their area.

He ended his post, hoping that they will be given an emergency vehicle, even just a "4x4 multicab" that will be on standby at Sitio Malikongkong in case of medical emergency.

Mandi, meanwhile, told SunStar Davao in a phone interview on Wednesday afternoon, June 30, that the patient that they transported was a six-month pregnant woman who was about to give birth.

"Nagtabang mi kay luya na ang nipas-an mao tong naka-organize ta og pipila ka tao nga mutabang (We volunteered to help because the ones carrying the pregnant women were already tired. So I tapped and organized a team to help in the transport)," he said.

Before the transport of the patient started, Mandi said he was already near the highway calling for rescue.

"Niuna ko sa highway kay nangita og rescue. Maong nakatawag ko sa among barangay captain. Maayo naay dumptruck sa barangay. Mao to'y nakarescue. Pero layo-layo gyud ang gipas-an sa pasyente (I went ahead to the highway looking for rescue. I called our barangay captain who lent the barangay's dump truck, which served as a rescue vehicle. However, it was still a long trip for the patient)," he said.

It took them six hours to transport the patient.

The mother was safely brought to Marilog District Hospital around 1 p.m. Unfortunately, the baby did not make it. The baby got stuck halfway while being she was giving birth. It was stillborn.

Mandi said they have been enduring this difficult situation for many years.

Despite existing road projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), responding to emergency cases can be a challenge because roads are not accessible and they do not have emergency response vehicles.

"Lisod agian og mga sakyanan kay motor ra ang transport sa maong area. Pero lisod sab siya sudlon (Only motorcycles can traverse the area as four-wheel vehicles cannot pass through. It is not easy to get to our area)," he said.

Having an emergency response vehicle in Malikongkong, the central part of Gumitan, has been their long-time dream since they have encountered several circumstances when the patient did not make it to the hospital.

"Last year, naay asawa sa akong ig-agaw, nanganak. Critical to kay namatay to. Wala gyud siya kaabot sa highway kung asa ang 911 pwede makasundo (my relative's wife who was pregnant died under critical condition. She didn't make it to the highway where a 911 can pick her up)," he said.

While their area remains "Covid-19-free," he is also worried that they might encounter the same struggle in the time there is an outbreak in their area.

Mandi said he did not expect that his post would be noticed by the media.

While he is overwhelmed with the support from netizens, he is hoping that his post would serve as a "voice" of their appeal to have an accessible means of medical service.

Mandi also emphasized in his post the bayanihan effort of his team was someone's answered prayer.

"Ang tinuod nga pag-ampo is kung willing pud ka mahimong katubagan sa ilang pag-ampo pinaagi sa atong ginagmay nga pagtabang. Ug di na nimo mamalayan nga ikaw diay mismo ang nahibong kasulbaran sa ilang kalisod (The real essence of prayer is if you are willing to be someone else's answered prayer. You might not even notice that you have been the answer to his or her prayer because of your small help)," he said.

SunStar Davao reached out to Davao City Health Office Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez for the side of the city on this matter, but he has not responded yet.

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Nordeco: Loan payments for submarine cable not passed on to consumers

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:37 AM PDT

THE Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (Nordeco) Inc., formerly Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative (Daneco) Inc., denied the claims of Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) Mayor Al David Uy that the loan for the construction of the proposed submarine cable and substation projects was passed on to the consumers.

Over the weekend, Uy posted on his social media accounts about his frustrations with regards to the delayed construction of the submarine cable and substation projects. These projects are seen to improve the power situation on the island.

"I am asking now the former officials of Daneco and NEA [National Electrification Administration] from 2013-2018. Asa naman ang 200 million Capex [capital expenditure] ninyo for Samal Island? (Where is the P200 million CapEx for Samal Island)," Uy said in his post on June 26.

In a separate post on the same day, Uy said the P200 million loan of Nordeco will be passed on to the consumers of the areas it serves -- Davao de Oro and portions of Davao del Norte.

"Estimate nato tanan konsumante sa Daneco apil Davao de Oro 200,000 households times average Capex singil nila is 40php =8M kada bulan diay dili tuig (pastilan) to pay their 200M Capex [sic] (Let's estimate 200,000 households are being served by Nordeco in Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro, they could charge each household around P40 each. They would be collecting around P8 million per month to cover the P200 million Capex)," Uy said.

He added if the loan was made in 2016 and has been passed on to the consumers since then, Nordeco would have already collected P480 million, which is more than what was loaned by the electric cooperative.

In a separate post, the Igacos mayor said he cannot see the point of Nordeco passing on the expenses in the purchasing of line posts, transformers, and other equipment.

"Ang Capex na gina-singil ninyo mao man daiy ang inyo kuno ginagamit pang-palit [og] mga gamit pang kuryente. Asa man ang hustisya sa mga konsumante na sa dugay na panahon inyo ginapa-palit [og] mga electric posts, transformers, metro ug mga lain pa na mga gamit para lang makasuga (The Capex that you are passing on to your consumers is your source to purchase equipment for electrification. Where is justice for the consumers that for the longest time, you have been charging them for the purchasing of electric posts, transformers, electric meter, and other equipment just for them to have electricity)?" Uy said.

The mayor also asked Congress to investigate the current power situation in Igacos.

In a statement, Nordeco General Manager Mario Angelo Sotto denied the mayor's claim that the loan was passed on to the consumers after the latter urged Samaleños to check on their electric bills if payment for Capex is included.

He also clarified that only P80 million was released by the bank for the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)-approved Capex for year 2010-2012.

Sotto clarified the budget that has been approved for the uprating of the Submarine Cable connected from Sasa, Davao City to Igacos under Capex 2010-2012 is P101,750,715.

Until today, he said the project is unimplemented. Therefore, he said it cannot pass on to the Member-Consumer-Owners (MCOs).

Sotto said Daneco applied for a loan for the project implementation, but the bank only approved P325 million.

Of this amount, only P80 million was released for the entire franchise area project, he said.

"Ang kamatuoran maski ang private DUs (distribution utilities) kung naa gani sila gastuhon kay mo file jud na ug pass-on charges sa ERC (The truth is even the private DUs if there are capital expenditures, they will file for pass on charges to the ERC)," Sotto said.

Sotto also clarified that Nordeco did not impose a power rate increase from the current Reinvestment Fund for Sustainable Capex (RFSC) rate of 0.2178 per kilowatt hour based on the approved Rules for Setting Electric Cooperatives' Wheeling Rates (RSEC-WR).

"That is the rate that we could see in our power bill approved by ERC since 2010," he said.

"Initially, na report na sad ni atong miaging (general) assembly Mayor last October 12, 2019. Tanan nga i-implement sa Nordeco, naa dyud kini approved nga Board Resolution labi na dyud ang dagko nga project ug usab miagi kini sa assembliya (This was initially reported to during the previous general assembly last October 12, 2019. All that were implemented by Nordeco are based on approved Board Resolutions especially, it is big project)," he added.

Sotto, meanwhile, said it is impractical to pursue the supposed submarine cable project.

Among the reasons he cited is that Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) cannot guarantee to supply the whole power requirement of the island and the forecast power load of Igacos is not included in the preparation of the Distribution Development Plan (DDP) of DLPC for it is not covered with the DU's franchise.

He also said the 13.2-kilovolt submarine cable is still fit for the current three-megawatt average power supply the DLPC is providing.

Sotto said DLPC, which is based in Davao City, is not within the franchise of Nordeco, which means it is not practical to implement a project outside Nordeco's franchise.

Nordeco is an electric cooperative distributing power in most parts of Davao del Norte, including Igacos and Tagum City. (With reports from Jeepy P. Compio)

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'Bakuna by the Sea' begins; over 2,000 workers to benefit

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:36 AM PDT

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) in Davao Region is supporting the initiative of Davao City's tourism industry to vaccinate the workers of the industry.

"Bakuna by the Sea" is a collaborative vaccination project organized by the City Government of Davao and Davao Tourism Association, along with other tourism-related organizations. It runs from June 30 to July 2, 2021 at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Pavilion in Davao City.

"We are thankful for the exemplary initiative of the City Government and the private sector especially that the tourism industry continues to brave the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic," said DOT-Davao Director Tanya Rabat Tan.

Initially, 2,000 tourism workers will benefit from this industry-led vaccination program.

The City Government of Davao has earmarked around 14,000 doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine for the said inoculation.

The initial set of participants was requested to pre-register with the City Health Office in order to observe the required health protocols during the inoculation process.

"This vaccination program is the reboot that the industry truly needs especially that a number of tourism establishments have closed down and thousands have lost their jobs," she added.

Tan underscored the necessary protection that the vaccination program will yield for industry workers and tourists alike in order for tourism to truly recover.

The "Bakuna by the Sea" vaccination program is also supported by the Davao Wellness and Spa Association, Restaurant Owners Association of Davao City, Davao Events Suppliers Association, Davao Association of Tour Operators, Davao Travel Agencies Association, Mice Davao, Davao Hotels/Resorts Sales and Marketing Association, Tourism Educators Association of Davao City, Tourism Security Professionals Association of Davao, and Guide Davao. (PIA-Davao)

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Editorial: A silver lining

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:34 AM PDT

ON JUNE 29, 2021, Davao City recorded its highest number of new recoveries in a single day, at 981. Total persons who have recovered from Covid-19 in the city are now at 18,851. However, we have yet to know other details behind the high number of new recoveries.

The high number of new recoveries is a welcome development amid rising cases. It is a silver lining in times like this. It is also good to know that as recoveries increase and active cases decrease, our healthcare system will be able to take a breather. That is if the trend continues where recoveries are high and new cases are dropping.

Meanwhile, another silver lining we are seeing is the intensified vaccination roll-out in Davao City.

In this week alone, Davao City launched vaccination drives for the A4 priority group, which is composed of other essential workers from various sectors. The planned roll-out for the group was supposed to be in July. But thanks to an increase in vaccine allocation, more and more Dabawenyos are voluntarily getting vaccinated.

We have to commend the Bakuna by the Sea project of the city government of Davao, Davao Tourism Association (Data), and other tourism stakeholders.

Data president Cherry Faye Al-ag said in a Facebook post that around 9,000 tourism workers and those from tourism-allied services will benefit from the project. Bakuna by the Sea is being conducted at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao from June 30 to July 2. Based on the experiences of some beneficiaries, the process to get their vaccine went smoothly.

The vaccination of those in the tourism sector will allow the economy to further reopen and revive a sector that was greatly affected by the Covid-19 vaccine.

Around 800 government employees under the A4 priority group were also administered their first dose on June 30 at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP). Once fully vaccinated, this will allow government offices to make their services more efficient as employees slowly return.

Numbers also show that Davao City is seeing improvements in its vaccination roll out. As of June 28, 2021, the city has already administered 196,886 doses for the first dose. This is a 32 percent increase from 149,095 on June 21. This also means that over 47,000 individuals have received their first dose in a span of one week.

It should also be noted that among those who received their first dose in the past week, 2,812 are those belonging to the indigenous peoples communities in Marilog, Davao City.

The City Government has also begun to notify some of those who have received their first dose their schedule for the second dose.

As of June 28, of those who have received their first dose, 41,350 have been given their second dose. This increased by 18 percent from 35,028 on June 21.

The city's ability to ramp up its vaccination is thanks to the national government increasing its Covid-19 vaccines allocation for Davao City.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. to increase the vaccine allocations for areas outside Metro Manila, especially those experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases. Last week Davao City received 210,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Cebu City also received the same amount of doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Amid an ongoing surge, these are welcome developments in the city. It is a silver lining amidst these times.

If we want to continue to see this trend, let us also do our part by following the minimum health standards set by the national government. Also, if the opportunity comes and we are willing to get one, let's get our vaccine.

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Lizada: The Black Hole

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:32 AM PDT

ONE of my Titas forwarded a video to me. There was a man who was photocopying a piece of paper that had a big black hole in the middle. It was like the Japanese flag but in this case it was black. Then he discovered something interesting. If he placed his hand in the hole, it went through. He saw a vending machine and posted the piece of paper against the machine. He placed his hand in and true enough, he was able to get a piece of candy. Fascinated by this he looked around and then he remembered that there was a vault in the other room. So he goes to the room and does the same thing. He pastes the paper against the vault and pushes his hand in when he pulls out his hand he is holding a wad of dollars. He is so happy that he keeps on pushing his hand in and out and the result is the same. More and more money. Finally realizing he could no longer contain himself, he does the unthinkable. He pushes his whole body inside the vault. The moment he slips in the vault, the piece of paper falls off, trapping him inside. In space a black hole the concept is the same. There is an area in which gravity is so strong that everything is sucked in. Not even light can escape. That man may as well have been in the vise of a black hole. The pull of greed was too much.

What has you in its grip? That would have an infinity of justifications, but only a single answer. There is only one thing that holds you captive and the rest are mere defenses.

Take your pick. Greed. Power. Pride. Ambition. Materialism. Fear. Generational curses. Everything stems from a single source and all that a person does is feed the monster. And that is why we are so blind and deaf to everything that surrounds us. We have accepted that we are imprisoned and we justify everything else by saying so many things even if what we say does not make sense anymore. We can justify anything because we are prisoners of it.

If you look at that video story the man could have stopped actually but because it consumed him, he could not see anything else. Or refused to. There is this famous Zen story about a thief who got caught stealing gold from a window in broad daylight. He was asked why he did it and he said, I did not see anything else. I only saw the gold. Exactly. When the vise grips you, you only see the gold. Put that in daily living. I only saw my hate. I only saw my ambition. I only saw my anger. And the list goes on. So again, what holds you in its grip?

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Samante: Winning Still is Ikigai

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:32 AM PDT

LAST June 25, a book that chronicled the first 100 days of the pandemic that affected our athletes, coaches, and sports personalities was launched.

The book is "Winning Still" through the genius of collaborations among different individuals anchored on Ateneo de Davao University's (Addu) Coach Noli Ayo and RockEd Philippines' Ms. Gang Badoy.

Almost all of the Winning Still writers connect with Coach Noli and Ms.Gang in one way or another. And these connections were solidified during the pandemic, thanks to the MWF online sessions.

I still have to secure myself a copy of this book, but I am fortunate to know and have met some of the writers virtually. And indeed, with all the fears and anxiety brought about by the pandemic, they were able to come out with something significant and meaningful to capture the experiences of everyone amidst the pandemic.

Winning Still is resiliency in its solid form. And with twenty-seven individuals writing how they overcame the first 100 days of the pandemic, one can pick a thing or two from the book and apply it in their response system, even after this pandemic is over.

Keeping together in this moment of human history is very important. We draw strengths from one another and lift one another. It is what humanity should be. And this book's goal is this.

In a chit-chat with Coach Noli before the book launch, he shared his excitement about this book and how he found "ikigai." I recall "ikigai" -- the reason for being, a Japanese concept of having direction or purpose in life. We should all be seeking our "ikigai." The why's of going to work, our interests, and all the things that we consider meaningful.

"Winning Still" was probably an "ikigai" for all authors and the team involved in its production.

We can seek purpose, and we never know it until we look back and connect all the dots leading to where we are at the moment. To the authors and everyone behind Winning Still, congratulations, and may you have inspired more to search for their own "Ikigai."

"The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do." - Kobe Bryant

(For copies of Winning Still, you may contact Coach Noli Ayo thru his FB Page.)

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Piolo, Alessandra star in a new Netflix film ‘My Amanda’

Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:16 AM PDT

FOLLOWING her successful, Netflix-hit film "Through Night and Day," Alessandra de Rossi comes back in the world's leading streaming platform with another movie, "My Amanda," this time with Piolo Pascual.

My Amanda, which is also the directorial debut of Alessandra and will be co-produced by Piolo, tells the story of unusually close best friends TJ and Amanda, with pet names "Fuffy" and "Fream," respectively, as they go through the motions of their relationship as long-time best friends while dealing with their own complicated relationships.

Alessandra shared that the background story of this movie is what makes it very special to her. It also serves as a gift to her good friend, Piolo, and Spring Films for turning her life around after Kita Kita, her other hit film in 2018.

"This movie is about friendship, and how much I treasure connections that are sincere, overwhelming, and that have a very profound impact, at least for me. There is no single or universal definition that could explain how much gratefulness a person experiences when another being gives you a chance to believe in yourself. As the famous saying goes, I love you Pioooooolooooo!" shared Alessandra.

Piolo, for his part, said My Amanda takes the audience on a road trip and captures the sudden shifts in life.

"I'm thrilled to share with our audiences, the feeling of being on the same journey with someone, in finding out what profound companionship can offer to the other and savor the love so sublimely expressed in this film," he said.

Creative Producer Bb. Joyce Bernal adds, "Working with Alex and PJ for a movie about a rare, and honest relationship is learning to be vulnerable again to the risk of losing what you have, for each other, for the moment and sharing something deeper that I discover as we went along together. It's a joy ride to self."

The film also features Luz Valdez, KC Montero, and Helga Krapf. My Amanda will start exclusively streaming globally on Netflix on July 15.

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