Wednesday, September 29, 2021

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/

Comelec-Davao sees influx of registrants before deadline extension

Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:21 AM PDT

HOURS before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) officially announced the extension of the voter registration period for the May 2022 elections, Dabawenyos flocked to the registration site early dawn, with health protocols no longer properly observed.

In the middle of the night, people were seen queuing outside Magsaysay Park, where the Comelec office is located, to get priority numbers to beat the voter's registration deadline initially set on Thursday, September 30, 2021.

Deployed authorities in the area can be seen having a hard time ensuring that minimum public health standards are being observed. Some Covid-19 health safety protocols like social distancing, as seen in the pictures, were not being observed.

Some registrants have commented online airing their disappointment with Comelec's "irregularities" and "lack of system" in the registration.

Lawyer Gay Enumerables, Comelec-Davao assistant regional director, said in a radio interview on Wednesday morning, September 29, despite their previous campaigns for the public to register early, they were still expecting people would flock to the Comelec offices days before the deadline.

"Actually, wala pa kaayo tao ang Comelec tong mga previous months (there were only a few registrants who visited Comelec during the previous months)," she said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.

The official also admitted receiving calls asking if they can be prioritized in the line.

"Ang singit dinha, di na pwede kay init kaayo sa mata sa mga tao nga nagpila og ala-una sa kadlawon, ala una ba o alas kwarto," she said.

(Jumping the line is not allowed since people who lined up as early as 1 a.m. or 4 a.m. would be furious.)

Enumerables also revealed that based on their experience in the previous elections, whenever there are extensions, only a few people come back or few people visit their office.

Although she said on days that are closer to the deadline, they would expect an influx of people.

Due to the limitation of manpower and the compliance to Covid-19 health protocols set by the national government, Enumerables said they had to limit the number of transactions they can cater to on a single day.

Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) head Angel Sumagaysay told SunStar Davao in a text message that the Sta. Ana Police Station had been coordinating with Comelec in anticipation of the influx of registrants.

"Naobserbahan nato to tungod lage nga last minutes for voters registration. (We observed that there will be an influx of last minute registrants) What we did, we directed the station commander of the Sta. Ana Police Station to coordinate with Comelec officer para maka himo sila ug scheme na maregulate ang tao kay gadasok na (to prepare a scheme to regulate and prevent people from crowding)," Sumagaysay said.

He also said they deployed additional security personnel to monitor the area. They also added steel railings.

Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said in a radio interview that the event can be a "super spreader event" if health protocols would not be properly observed.

Schlosser said there must be intensified police monitoring to ensure health standards would be properly observed.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in a radio interview on Monday, September 27, that those who lined up early dawn are exempted from the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.

"Because naay deadline atong Comelec sa rehistro. (Comelec registration has a deadline.) We already also referred that sa (to our) prevention and enforcement group sa (of the) response cluster sa pag-maintain sa (in maintaining the observance of physical) distancing," Duterte-Carpio said.

Extended

Meanwhile, the voter registration period for the May 2022 elections will be extended, Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas said in a television interview Wednesday, September 29, 2021.

Abas said in an interview over CNN Philippines that voter registration will end as scheduled on Thursday, September 30, but will resume from October 9 to 31, 2021, or after the filing of certificates of candidacy from October 1 to 8.

Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez announced in a social media post Tuesday evening, September 28, that the Comelec en banc was scheduled to deliberate Wednesday the public clamor for extension of voter registration.

"After consultation with Comelec officials, and in consideration of the public clamor, it is likely that an extension of the period of voter registration will be granted," Jimenez said.

Long queues of voters seeking to register have been forming in front of Comelec offices since last week, with some applicants joining the line at dawn.

The House of Representatives on Monday, September 27, unanimously approved on third and final reading a bill extending the voter registration period for one month.

House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, which showed that 73 million voters are qualified to participate in the May 2022 elections.

As of August 23, however, Velasco said around 12 million voters had not registered. He noted that the Comelec reported that there were around 61 million registered voters nationwide.

Velasco noted that voter registration was suspended for six months in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was again suspended for several weeks in 2021 as several areas were again placed under stricter quarantine restrictions. With reports from SunStar Philippines

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Bree Jonson laid to rest; family still cries for justice

Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:20 AM PDT

THE family of Dabawenya artist Bree Jonson who was laid to rest on Wednesday afternoon, September 29, 2021, continues to cry for justice for her death.

Bree was laid to rest at the Davao Memorial Park attended by limited members of the family and some of her close friends in accordance with the Covid-19 restrictions.

Sally Jonson, Bree's mother, poured out her grief when she saw her daughter's face for the last time.

"Hindi dapat nangyari sa anak ko ito (This shouldn't have happened to my daughter)," Sally said as her daughter's body was being buried.

On Tuesday evening, September 28, the eve of Bree's burial, her family and friends shared fond memories during the eulogy.

Sally recalled her daughter's journey in the art scene and how she was passionate about her craft.

Aside from being an art lover, the mother also revealed that her daughter was a "bookworm," or a person who is fond of reading books. Her daughter was also a writer who loved making poems and books.

Bree, born as Breanna Patricia Jonson Agunod, was a graduate of industrial engineering at the Ateneo de Davao University. She also enrolled at the University of Sto. Tomas and took fine arts. She, however, quit after a semester.

Sally said she was very supportive of her daughter's career as an artist.

"I'm so proud of [Bree] kasi (because) she's a self-made artist. She puts her heart into it if she wants something," she said.

She also described Bree's work as "deep," which always had a story behind it.

According to her friends, Sally said her daughter had envisioned establishing a school for kids and teaching them arts.

"I'm so proud of her because she has proven herself in the art scene. Nakakalungkot isipin na wala na siya. Ang bata-bata niya, andami niyang pangarap (It is sad to think that she is no longer with us. She is so young, and she had many dreams in life)," Sally said.

Sally said it was in 2018 when she last saw her daughter face to face. She migrated to Canada after being accepted for work there.

She said Bree was supposed to follow her there after securing a permanent resident visa. Her daughter did not follow suit after deciding to stay in the Philippines to pursue her career.

The mother became emotional when she mentioned Bree's boyfriend, Julian Ongpin, whom the family blames for her death.

Sally said her daughter did not mention nor introduce Ongpin to her.

Bree was found dead inside a hotel room of a beach resort in La Union on September 18. Police reports showed that Ongpin was the last person she was in company with before her death.

Based on the initial report of her autopsy examination, Jonson died of asphyxia.

Sally said she is not convinced that her daughter's boyfriend has no involvement in the death of her daughter.

She also asked for prayers for her daughter.

"Ang favor ko nalang sa lahat (All I'm asking), one last time, is to continue to pray for her so that she may find a light and follow it. Kasi mahaba-habang dasal iyon. (It is a long prayer.) We just pray for her soul," Sally said.

During the livestream of Bree's interment, the family, who manages the Justice for Bree Jonson Facebook page, pinned a comment, airing their disappointment with the current investigation of Bree's case.

"Bree's IG profile's description says 'The Personal is Political.' This slogan came up in the 1970s to explain that all injustices we experience are all caused by political circumstances. How the case is being handled now is a clear example of this. #justiceforbreejonson," the pinned comment states.

Sally told SunStar Davao in a recent phone interview that they are disappointed with the ongoing investigation, and how the Philippine National Police (PNP) is handling it.

"Kaya kami nafu-frustrate with PNP, kami, wala kaming pera, but we manage to get our legal team. Siya hindi mo nakikita, wala kang naririnig, wala akong narinig na pangalan ng kanyang legal, ni isa, wala akong napangalanan," she said.

(We are frustrated with the PNP. We do not have enough money, but we managed to get our legal team. While on the part of the Ongpins, we do not hear anything from them. We do not even know their legal team. Neither a single name, we are not aware.)

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Scoot eyes Davao, Singapore flights in November

Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:19 AM PDT

THE Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) said a new airline company will be servicing Singapore-Davao-Singapore three times a week starting November 2021.

CTOO Head Generose Tecson told SunStar Davao in a phone interview on Wednesday, September 29, that Scoot TigerAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, will be operating its direct inbound-outbound international flight to the city in the last quarter of the year.

Tecson made the confirmation days after Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio broke the news on Monday, September 27.

She said Scoot will be taking over the services of Silk Air, which previously serviced the said route.

The official said this will be in addition to the current international flights direct to the city.

Tecson said Philippine Airlines (PAL), which on September 24 started direct commercial flights from Dubai to Davao City, started its service but only for inbound flights. She said more flights are lined up in October.

PAL is currently inquiring if the city can accommodate flights from other Asian cities, the official said.

Tecson said all passengers from international flights are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

As part of arrival protocols, the passengers were swabbed 48 hours before the flight and must present negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results under City Ordinance 0477-21, Series of 2021 or the Mandatory Testing Prior to Entry into Davao City via the Davao International Airport.

According to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine in Davao City before proceeding to their final destinations.

In the quarantine facility, ROFs are situated on the higher floors. For instance, if the designated hotel has ten floors, only the seventh to the tenth floor shall be occupied by the ROFs.

The city had implemented this when the city started accepting repatriation flights in July this year.

With the current passenger cap on various airports in the country, as regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), airline companies are currently rerouting to other key airports.

"Marami 'yatang gustong umuwi (Many wanted to return home), so they have to look for other airports kung saan pwede sila maka-land and maka-accomodate 'yung (where they can land and accommodate) passengers for quarantine," she said.

In terms of local flights, she said the city is currently catering 700 inbound passengers to the city, mostly from Manila.

Despite the gradual resumption of international flights in the city, Tecson clarified that the city will only be catering to passengers with essential purposes and that tourism is still not allowed.

Tecson said she is confident that the Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao International Airport) can accommodate additional flights.

Based on its report, the City Government recently fully vaccinated 15,000 of the tourism sector.

Tecson said the increase of fully vaccinated individuals is a huge help in allowing the economy to slowly open up, particularly the tourism industry that has been heavily hit by the pandemic.

The City Government suspended all flights in mid-March 2020 during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the region. The airport resumed accepting local flights in June this year.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio issued Executive Order No. 26 on May 6, 2021, allowing the resumption of all kinds of flights, such as scheduled international flights, unscheduled domestic commercial flights (chartered), and other general aviation flights to and from Davao City.

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Official: House-to-house vaccination not feasible for now in Davao City

Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:12 AM PDT

WHILE the Davao City Government continues to reach out to more Dabawenyos for the vaccination program against Covid-19, a house-to-house vaccination is not being considered for now.

Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said in a radio interview on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, that the house vaccination is not feasible in terms of logistics and manpower.

"The house-to-house, it might not be possible. Ngano man po? Limited lang man pud ang (Why? Because we have a limited) team to do house-to-house kay gusto nato simultaneous kung gusto nato dinaghan ang atong mabuhat (because we want to do simultaneously vaccinate more people)," Schlosser said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.

While it is more convenient for beneficiaries, she said it is time-consuming and that they might not be able to help in reaching the city's daily target of 15,000 vaccinees per day.

"Kung muingon tag house-to-house, after ma-vaccinate sila, i-observe pa sila og 30 minutes kung naay mga reaction. Unlike kung naa sila sa vaccination hub, ma-observe gyud sila," the spokesperson said.

(When we do house-to-house vaccination, we have to observe them for 30 minutes after we vaccinate them to check if they would experience an adverse reaction. Unlike in our vaccination hub, we can properly observe it.)

Other local government units in the country are doing house-to-house vaccination, especially for bedridden senior citizens or those with comorbidities.

However, in response, Schlosser said this is being addressed by the mobile vaccination teams led by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) councilors.

At least 38,639 individuals received their first jabs of Covid-19 vaccines as of September 21, 2021, as the SP-led mobile vaccinations target Davao City's high-risk barangays.

Of the 38,639 vaccinated Dabawenyos through the mobile vaccinations of the Vice Mayor's Office (VMO) and Davao City councilors since August 4, a total of 2,257 already got their second doses.

To make vaccination more accessible, the City Government recently launched the evening vaccination called "Bakuna Nights," which will now be done on weekdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at San Roque Elementary School.

The official also said the City is currently preparing for the drive-thru vaccination at the Davao Crocodile Park.

With the expanded vaccination in the city, Schlosser recently said she is optimistic that the city can achieve the 1.2 million herd immunity on or before November this year.

"Actually, November gani atong achievement para gwapo atong (we are targeting by November so we will have a merry) Christmas, na (so that) we will be able to get together with our families kay protektado na ang buong komunidad (because the community is fully protected)," she said.

In addition, the official said the city is currently preparing the guidelines for the incentives for individuals vaccinated for the first dose.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in a radio interview on Monday, September 27, that the city is seeing a backlog on the targeted vaccination for the first dose every week.

"Ang 438,000 ato ginapangita na vaccinees and nakita nila didto naa na ta sa segment na population nga kani natong mga tao na (We are looking for 438,000 vaccinees, and we saw that these are the segment of population) who will not go to the vaccine centers. These are the people who do not believe in vaccines and people who are daily wage earners na it (that) is more important for them to work than to get a vaccine," she said.

As of September 25, the city has a total of 583,002 fully vaccinated individuals after receiving two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, while 716,793 already received their first dose.

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