Saturday, December 4, 2021

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Davao City opens 24-hour Covid-19 Cluster Clinic

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 07:02 AM PST

THE Davao City Government launched on Friday, December 3, 2021, its first 24-hour Covid-19 Cluster Clinic.

Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said in a radio interview that the Covid-19 Cluster Clinic, located at Doña Vicenta Village in Bajada, is a one-stop-shop area for Covid-19 concerns.

Schlosser said the services offered for free include contact tracing, triaging, management in terms of treatment, isolation, and swabbing for suspected, probable, or confirmed Covid-19 cases.

"Kung naa ta mga pasyente na (If we would have a) Covid-19 suspect, probable, and even confirmed cases, naa na didto tanan (all the offered services is already there)," she said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.

In a Facebook post, the City Government said this is the first of eight cluster clinics to be established to boost Covid-19 response.

It will be open to the public starting Monday, December 6, 2021.

Schlosser said the Cluster Clinic is part of the City's Covid-19 strategy in anticipation of the possible surge of cases.

This despite the city continues to experience a downtrend of active cases.

According to the Department of Health-Davao Region data as of December 2, Davao City has recorded 13 new cases, bringing the total active cases to 151.

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Leading for one, same vision

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 06:59 AM PST

FOR someone who plans to take the path to leadership, he must know how to negotiate with his followers. And if he feels he is not the right one to do the negotiation, at least he must have the wisdom to determine who knows best to do it. That is what Dr. Michael Jamiana realized when he accepted the challenge to become the Medical Director of one of the biggest hospitals in Davao City.

Doc Mike, as he is fondly called by his colleagues and friends, is not only the medical director but also the Covid incident command director of Brokenshire Hospital.

Leading a medical institution surrounded by professionals, Doc Mike knows that everybody's opinion and words matter to achieve the same goal for the hospital. With this, he admitted he needed to be surrounded by the people who believe and support the goal he envisions.

"Naay mga times kasi nga naay mga taong lisod patuohon, lisod pasundon (There are times when there are people who are difficult to manage), who have difficulty following orders, so it's very critical pud nga (that) you are surrounded by supportive people," he said.

"So, kritikal jud nga kabalo ka kinsa sa imong tao ang maayo mu-handle sa pag-negotiate aning mga tao nga lisod pasundon," he said, admitting that in every organization or company, there are always those whom he calls as the "oppositionists."

He, however, does not discount the fact that it is necessary to hear everyone's voice and to assure his subordinates that "we have the same aspiration or the same goal for the hospital."

With this strategy, Doc Mike was able to steer the hospital to "slowly progress and achieve some distinctive competencies."

Through his kind of leadership, the hospital was able to upgrade its facilities where some of these, in fact, can only be found at Brokenshire among all other hospitals in Mindanao.

"We are the only private hospital with a Molecular Laboratory, which was just launched a few weeks ago. It is also the first hospital in Mindanao that has Hybrid Endolap surgery with

SpyGlass technology and we are the only one in the whole of Davao City to have Indocyanine Green (ICG) capability. Aside from that, we are also proud to say that in Mindanao, we are the only one who is capable of Invitro Fertilization," Doc Mike said.

And who could not be more proud when out of six centers in the country that are capable to do Invitro Fertilization procedure, one is positioned in Mindanao and at Brokenshire, aside from being the sole hospital in Mindanao to have a Child & Adolescent Neuro-Development Center.

"I want to also emphasize that we are not only a healthcare facility for the upper 1 percent of society but we are a healthcare facility for all because it is part of my advocacy to tailor our practice not only for those who can afford but also for those who cannot," he said.

Doc Mike narrated that becoming a Medical Director of a tertiary healthcare facility was an "accidental" opportunity for him.

"Around 2015, they requested me to be their Training Officer for their Surgery Department so that they could get the accreditation they've been waiting for so long. Fortunately, they got the accreditation and were able to establish a legitimate training program, so they requested me to become their Medical Director in June 2016," he shared.

Under Doc Mike's helm, Brokenshire became a Level 3 institution and was able to help establish it as a base hospital for students of the College of Medicine.

"It's gearing up to becoming an academic healthcare center because of the medical school," he said. He admitted that running and administering a tertiary healthcare institution is not a walk in the park, and he is grateful that the stalwarts of the hospital were very supportive of him.

"It was a critical success factor; the relationship between me and the hospital practitioners and personnel, and being open about having a joint vision for the hospital. I became passionate about it that it became the meaning of a Medical Director's life to want it to grow and succeed," he said.

He added that at first the financial compensation he got was rather not suitable for a hospital medical director.

"But the salary did not matter anymore because what mattered already was your mission work and to achieve your vision together," he said.

Having the same vision not only with the hospital board and executives but also with the people working for the hospital is very important; this was what he greatly realized when a crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic erupted.

"All of you need to look at the same direction on what to do with the crisis and how to do it," he said, citing that the lapses could greatly affect the hospital operations, but these are also lessons learned so that in the future mistakes are minimized or prevented.

He also shared that what the people around him did not know was that before he accepted the challenge to become the Medical Director of a tertiary hospital, he prepared very well for it, studying and attending programs-workshops in hospital administration in different schools.

"I even underwent executive education on leadership and how to manage a hospital at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston USA," he said, adding that spending time and getting real health care management education was key and the reason why it took him long to accept the proposal of Brokenshire.

For those who struggle to be a leader, Doc Mike says balancing is very important.

"May iba kasi naiiwan ang family nila, nawawalan sila ng time sa isang aspeto ng buhay nila, so you really need to know how to balance your life and your time," he ended.

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Davao City may start implementing law vs single-use plastics in 2022

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 06:58 AM PST

The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Davao aims to fully implement by 2022 the No to Single-Use Plastics Ordinance of 2021, which regulates the sale, distribution, and use of single-use plastics in the city.

Orly Limpangog, one of the Barangay Monitoring Assistants of the Davao City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro-Davao), said although the city ordinance was approved last May 2021, there was no directive yet from the city mayor's office to fully implement the ordinance due to the current Covid-19 pandemic.

However, he said they are looking into strictly implementing the ordinance next year during the renewal of business permits. Some businesses may have to apply for a special permit to sell, distribute, and use single-use plastics when they renew their business permits.

"Naay suggestion ang atoang city hall na karong renewal sa business permit, isabay na ang strict implementation saatoang [No to] single use plastic [Ordinance]," said Limpangog.

(There was a suggestion from the City Government that during the renewal of business permits, we will start implementing some of the provisions of the ordinance.)

The city ordinance states that establishments need to apply and pay a fee of P10,000 annually for a Special Permit to legally sell, distribute, and use single-use plastics.

The city ordinance bans the use of several single-use plastics like plastic cups, sachets, plates, utensils, straws, "clamshell" food containers, coffee stirrers, and all non-microwavable plastics, along with plastic materials such as gloves, balloons, and balloon sticks.

Limpangog said the City Government is promoting the use of alternatives to single-use plastics like wooden utensils and reusable plates.

"Naa na bamboo na gipang-innovate nato so kato na lang atong gamiton," he said.

(Some are using disposable utensils made of bamboo, some businesses could also use that for now.)

As part of their education campaign, he said the City has already visited barangays to educate and inform residents about the ordinance.

Meanwhile, SM Malls partnered with the City Government for the Plastic Waste Collection program. Through the program, Dabwenyos can bring their plastic wastes to the collection booth stationed at the parking area of SM City Davao starting December 1, 2021.

Lester R. Tantoco, mall manager of SM City Davao, said the collected plastic waste will be brought to a partner recycling company to be made into plastic furniture, which can be donated to schools and barangays.

Limpangog hopes that the plastic collection program will encourage people to reduce their dependence on single-use plastics.

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Paolo Duterte supports BBM-Sara

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 06:56 AM PST

PRESIDENTIAL son and Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte will be supporting the candidacy of his sister, vice presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and her runningmate, former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

In a report from state-owned network PTV, Paolo, the eldest son of President Rodrigo Duterte and ex-wife Elizabeth Zimmerman, has said "yes" when asked if Marcos is now his presidential bet.

The lawmaker also said he will support his sister's candidacy for the second-highest national post.

"Good luck sa kanya, alam ko na malaki ang matutulong niya sa bansa," Paolo told PTV.

(Good luck to her. I know she would have a huge contribution to the country.)

On how he can help with Duterte-Carpio's candidacy, he said, "Magiging bodyguard niya ako. Full support ako kay Mayor Inday Sara."

(I will be her bodyguard. Mayor Inday Sara has her full support.)

Paolo accompanied Duterte-Carpio during a caravan at the Batangas Provincial Capitol on Thursday, December 2. He sat beside Marcos on stage during the event.

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Davao City to hold security simulation exercise

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 06:54 AM PST

THE Davao City Government is set to stage another Simulation Exercise (Simex) on Saturday, December 4, 2021, in time for the holiday season.

In a press statement, Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC), together with other city security clusters, will stage the exercise at SM Lanang Premier as part of its counter-terrorism strategy and further propagate the "Culture of Security."

PSSCC Head Angel Sumagaysay said in a radio interview that the timing of the Simex comes days before Christmas, which is expected to attract a crowd, especially inside malls.

Sumagaysay, however, said there is no direct threat to the city. He said the security forces will not be complacent in monitoring public places of convergence.

The PSSCC official said the activity is part of the city's routine exercise to identify areas of improvement and test the readiness against terror threats.

Participating in the said event are coming from various security agencies and offices, including the Task Force Davao and the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).

During the Simex, Sumagaysay said the security team will be responding to a mock improvised explosive device (IED) attack.

The drill will gauge the interoperability of the members of the security cluster in addressing the threat.

The public is advised not to panic because this is only part of the city's counter-terrorism exercises.

"This is just a simulation exercise and hopefully they would understand if there are inconveniences sa (in the) traffic," he said.

Sumagaysay said Dabawenyos must get used to the city's security preparation drills for their own safety.

"Dapat open na ni sila sa mga ani nga exercise. Ang punto ani (We should be open to these kind of exercises. The point) is for all Dabawenyos na dapat preparado ta (to be prepared)," he said.

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Davao City vaccinates over 75,000 individuals in 3-day drive

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 06:51 AM PST

WHILE Davao City fell short of its 49,000-daily target of the national vaccination drive from November 30 to December 2, the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force said the over 75,000 total vaccinated individuals in three days is a "good number."

Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said Friday, December 3, that while the city has not met the target vaccinees of 147,000 for the "Bayanihan Bakunahan," the number of persons vaccinated by the city was already a "good number as compared to other local government units (LGUs)."

"Wala nato ang (We were not able to hit) 49,000 per day, but we were able to garner ubay-ubay pud (a lot of people)... That's actually a good number compared to other LGU," Schlosser said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.

Schlosser said the city was able to vaccinate 30,123 individuals on November 29, while 21,377 people were vaccinated on November 30, and 23,976 on December 1.

This does not include December 2 and 3 data. This was after the national government extended the "Bayanihan, Bakunahan" national Covid-19 vaccination days until Friday, December 3.

As of December 1, the city has already achieved 87-percent herd immunity for the first dose or a total of 1,136,577 vaccinated persons, while 967,053 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have already been administered for the second dose, bringing the herd immunity percent to 75 percent.

"Naa na ta sa level na duol na gyud ta sa makuha nato ang herd immunity. Dili lang 70 percent atong goal, but we are aiming for 100 percent," Schlosser said.

(We are nearing the level wherein we are almost hitting the herd immunity. But we do not only settle to hit the 70 percent goal, but we are aiming for 100 percent.)

The city initially targeted to vaccinate 1.2 million out of the estimated 1.8 million total population.

Schlosser said the city has already implemented several strategies to expand the vaccination rollout within the communities and had intensified its information drive to combat vaccine hesitancy, which remains to be the main problem.

Among the vaccination strategies the city had initiated include the house-to-house vaccination, mobile vaccination led by the Davao City councilors, drive-thru vaccination at People's Park, and the "Bakuna Nights" (evening vaccination) for those workers who cannot visit the vaccination hubs during daytime due to work.

Even without the Bayanihan Bakunahan, she said the city's vaccination drive never stopped. She added the city had added more vaccination sites and implored other strategies to achieve a large number of vaccinated individuals.

She also emphasized that the city has an ample supply of different Covid-19 vaccine brands, giving the public no reason not to get vaccinated of their preferred vaccine of choice.

Vaccine hesitancy remains a negative factor for the city to reach its target.

"Ang pinaka-factor why wala pa nato ma-achieve ang (The main factor why we still have not reached the) herd immunity [is] because of the people themselves," Schlosser said.

The official said the city will be participating again in the second batch of the national vaccination day sometime around December.

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