Lapu to build city hospital OPD extension for non-COVID-19 cases
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The city government of Lapu-Lapu is constructing an extension of the Outpatient Department (OPD) at the Lapu-Lapu City Hospital to cater to non-COVID-19 related medical needs amid the still-rising number of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the city. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan said the city’s Crisis Management Team recommended […] The post Lapu to build city hospital OPD extension for non-COVID-19 cases appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Close business, gov’t collab spur growth — Pascual
Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual is urging private entities to continuously work with the government in addressing issues crucial to economic recovery and growth. At the 3rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council meeting in Cebu City last Friday, Pascual said the partnership between the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the APEC Business Advisory Council is actually regarded by the Philippine government as a cornerstone of its vision for the country’s future. “It exemplifies the power of synergy — when government and business come together and connect, we lay the groundwork for a trade environment that is not just functional, but inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. This dynamic collaboration enables us to stay agile and responsive as we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of business and technology,” he said in a speech. In line with this year’s theme, “Equity, Sustainability, Opportunity,” ABAC Philippines focused on helping communities build back stronger through collective efforts. With critical goals to pursue, Secretary Pascual called for stronger partnership and collaboration among APEC Member Economies in crafting policy reforms that would spur economic growth. Areas of focus For this year’s work program, the ABAC will initially have these areas of focus: (1) Economic Integration Working Group; (2) Sustainable Growth Working Group; (3) Digital and Innovation Working Group; (4) Finance Task Force; and (5) Inclusion Task Force. Secretary Pascual has also commended the efforts of ABAC in shaping a strong, credible, and relevant World Trade Organization even as he recognized ABAC’s strong push toward the eventual realization of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific. “The Philippines views the FTAAP as a mechanism to boost economic recovery in the region, especially for medium, small and micro-enterprises most affected by the pandemic. We thus support the immediate implementation of the FTAAP Agenda Work Plan which contributes to APEC’s sustainability and inclusion objectives,” he said. ABAC Philippines is currently focused on several initiatives including the promotion of the availability and accessibility of climate risk scenario information, the exploration of the viability of nuclear energy as a zero-carbon energy source, and other use cases under the Sustainable Growth Working Group. Further, it is working on enhancing cross-border data flow in financial services. For its part, the DTI is prioritizing (1) APEC’s Support for the Safe Passage of Maritime Crew in the Covid-19 Era, (2) Boracay Action Agenda to Globalize MSMEs, and (3) APEC Trade Repository. Aligned with this year’s ABAC meeting theme, the DTI aims to provide equal opportunities for all, promote regulations for environmental stewardship, and commit to fostering a digitally inclusive APEC community. The post Close business, gov’t collab spur growth — Pascual appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Remulla: Proper case build-up needed before PNP raids
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla wants the Philippine National Police to heed the advice of the Department of Justice to conduct case-build up first before pushing through with raids to arrest suspected criminal offenders and rescue possible victims. Due to the PNP’s failure to do proper case build-up, many pending cases can't be filed because of incomplete evidence, said Remulla. He pointed to the raid conducted by the PNP’s Anti-Cybercrime Group at the Hong Tai Compound in Las Pinas City where it allegedly rescued 2,714 Filipinos and foreigners from human trafficking. The PNP filed criminal cases before the DOJ against five Chinese nationals who were arrested for alleged violations of the anti-human trafficking law. They were identified as Li Jiacheng, Xiao Liu, Yan Jiayong, Duan Haozhuan and LP Hongkun. But the five suspects were released for further preliminary investigation. Remulla said the PNP now wants the DOJ to file cases despite the lack of evidence. Remulla bared that he intends to meet again with the PNP-ACG about the matter and will also talk to PNP Chief Gen. Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. The post Remulla: Proper case build-up needed before PNP raids appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PBBM lauds healthcare workers for sacrifices during height of pandemic
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday thanked the healthcare workers for the sacrifices they made during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Chief Executive commended their efforts as he witnessed the launch of the bivalent vaccination at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. In his speech, Marcos acknowledged the tireless efforts of the healthcare workers and credited them with saving millions of Filipino lives. “I can speak of this intimately as I was a victim and that’s why I know the condition that patients felt and what a relief and what a godsend your care was to all of those who had suffered from Covid-19. So, once again, thank you, thank you, thank you very much for all that you did,” Marcos said. Addressing the nation on the path to recovery from the global pandemic, Marcos said that the “prayers have been answered” as he noted the significant decrease in cases and less severe symptoms since the introduction of vaccines. “The symptoms are no longer as severe as before, and the threat posed by the delta and omicron variants has diminished,” Marcos said. However, he urged the Filipinos not to be complacent against the virus and highlighted the importance of protecting vulnerable populations, particularly those with severe comorbidities and senior citizens. Recognizing the need to re-examine preventive measures, Marcos Jr. emphasized the significance of vaccination in safeguarding the population. “We must not let our guard down. We have to continue implementing programs like the bivalent vaccination campaign to protect our vulnerable sectors, especially the elderly," Marcos said. Marcos Jr. also expressed confidence that with science-based strategies and a whole-of-society approach, the risks associated with new variants could be managed effectively. He acknowledged the pivotal role played by vaccines in combating the virus and stressed the government's commitment to eradicating severe diseases caused by Covid-19. During the event, President Marcos Jr. expressed gratitude to the governments of Lithuania for their generous donation of the country's first batch of bivalent vaccines. He also extended his appreciation to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) for their ongoing assistance in the Philippines. The President called upon every Filipino to contribute to the fight against Covid-19 by staying updated on their vaccinations. He emphasized that getting vaccinated was not only for personal well-being but also for the protection of families and the entire population. "Government-assisted vaccines, including bivalent doses, are free for every Filipino. Let us continue fortifying our efforts to protect the public against health risks," President Marcos Jr. stated, commending the Department of Health (DOH) and local government officials for their dedication to the vaccination campaign. Marcos then urged the nation to remain steadfast in the fight against not only Covid-19 but all infectious diseases. He emphasized the importance of discipline, cleanliness, and cooperation in overcoming the remaining challenges posed by the pandemic. The President expressed his belief that the Filipino society would emerge stronger and more resilient in the face of adversity. As he concluded his address, President Marcos Jr. encouraged everyone to take part in the bivalent vaccination program, stating, "Let us get vaccinated to prevent illness and return to work swiftly. Together, we will build a healthier and more prosperous Philippines." The post PBBM lauds healthcare workers for sacrifices during height of pandemic appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Philippine Red Cross to build emergency field hospital for COVID-19 patients — chief
The Philippine Red Cross will build an emergency field hospital in Quezon City to address the shortage of COVID-19 beds amid the continued surge in cases, its chairman said Friday. .....»»
Coffin stored in break room as Los Angeles funeral home overwhelmed
A corpse in the break room. Embalmed bodies in the garage. During AFP’s visit, a casket topped with a small wreath of flowers occupied the funeral home employee break room beyond the front desk Boyd Funeral Home, a small family business in Los Angeles, is so overflowing with Covid-19 victims it has begun turning away customers for the first time in its history. “The weekend before I turned down 16 families that I couldn’t do services for,” said owner Candy Boyd. “It’s sad. But that’s pretty much how it is now.” In the past two weeks, as coronavirus has slammed Los Angeles, some 80 percent of the deceased passing through her doors died from Covid. One-in-10 residents of the nation’s second largest city has been infected since the pandemic began, with nearly 300 people dying daily last week as the virus surges. At Boyd’s reception desk, the phones keep ringing, mostly going unanswered as her overwhelmed staff have abandoned setting appointments and now tell customers to just show up and get in line. She is even receiving calls from desperate families in other counties more than an hour’s drive away. Many hospital morgues are also full, with local coroners using refrigerated trucks to accommodate the victim load and some cemeteries warning of two week waiting lists. “Things are getting more and more out of control,” said Boyd. During AFP’s visit this week, a casket topped with a small wreath of flowers occupied the employee break room beyond the front desk. It had been there for a week. “This room is our lunch area, however, we are having to use this room for space for caskets,” said the owner. “We’ve done the services but the cemetery is so backed up… we have to hold them here until they have time to do the burial.” – Bodies in the garage – Like much of surrounding South Los Angeles, the Westmont neighborhood is mainly inhabited by Black and Latino working class communities living in densely populated homes. These demographics have been hit particularly hard by Covid, with mortality rates two or three times higher than nearby affluent communities. Boyd’s funeral home cold storage room has been consistently full. Two weeks ago, Boyd brought in craftsmen to erect two large wooden structures in the company’s garage to store embalmed bodies. “He hasn’t even gotten a chance to really finish because we needed (to store) these,” she said, pointing to corpses wrapped in body bags lying on the rough shelves. “I would never imagined having to build that in my wildest dreams.” Some funeral homes have reported a shortage of coffins due to lack of wood, though Boyd’s supplier has kept up with orders so long as they are placed early enough. – ‘Nightmares’ – Worried about her five staff catching the virus at the start of the pandemic, Boyd initially refused to accept Covid victims. “I was having nightmares. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep,” she recalled. Boyd has since created safety protocols and now feels comfortable dealing with the influx, although she insists it is “not about the money.” “It’s about helping families and helping them get through this crisis,” she said. “It takes a toll on me every day, I’m dealing with this,” Boyd added. “And I have to keep a stolid face because I have to be there for the family.” Sometimes, customers are people she has long known personally. Other times, Boyd encounters families who still refuse to wear masks or respect physical distance, even as they make arrangements to bury their loved ones. “The numbers don’t lie. It’s true. It’s real,” said Boyd of the disease. Cases in California have more than doubled since early December to 2.8 million. “If you don’t take it serious,” she warned an AFP journalist, “you could be one of the people that are in my back row back there, you know!”.....»»
Official pushes for ‘mega’ Covid quarantine facility in Davao
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 19 November) – The government should build a “mega” coronavirus disease quarantine facility in Davao City to address the spike in new cases in the area, an official said Wednesday. Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, speaking at the meeting of the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) Team held […].....»»
Solons to gov’t: Heed the plea of medical workers
Lawmakers expressed all-out support on Sunday (August 2) to the appeal made by Philippine College of Physicians and the Philippine Medical Associationto shift Mega Manila back to a 15-day enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), even as they sought a change in leadership in the Department of Health (DOH) and other agencies handling the country’s response against COVID-19. (JANSEN ROMERO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman, Anakalusugan partylist Rep. Michael Defensor, Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, and Quezon City 2nd District Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo called on the government to heed the plea of the medical experts and frontliners for more stringent health protocols in critical areas. “While both the health and economic crisis wrought by the still ravaging COVID-19 pandemic must be both effectively addressed, the relief and recovery of the people’s health must be prioritized. Lives lost are forfeited forever but businesses lost can be redeemed,” Lagman said in a statement.“We must learn from the bitter lesson experienced by other countries like Japan which prematurely reopened economic, leisure and domestic travel activities only to be besieged later by a resurgence of the viral contagion,” he stressed. Defensor, chairperson of the House Committee on Public Accounts, said, “If our leading doctors are prescribing it, then as good patients, we are all for Mega Manila’s brief return to an ECQ.” “Our sense is, our public health system is on the verge of collapse, and the momentary return to an ECQ will buy everybody more time to gird for a longer battle against the coronavirus disease,” he said. He said once the government gives in to the appeal, the COVID-19 National Task Force should take that opportunity to fix the lack of hospital staff due to doctors, nurses and other personnel getting infected and still recovering, or undergoing routine seclusion after possible exposure; expand the bed capacities of makeshift hospitals and quarantine facilities; and improve case-finding and the isolation of suspected cases. Defensor said the government should also step up contact-tracing and quarantining; upgrade public transportation options and safety; strengthen workplace protection; build up enforcement of and public compliance with self-protective measures such as the wearing of face masks and face shields, handwashing as well as social and physical distancing; and increase financial and livelihood support to distressed households. Zarate said they are one with our frontliners in demanding a reprieve from the overwhelming cases of COVID-19, particularly in the National Capital Region. “Reverting back to ECQ or whatever level of lockdown is useless or will be for naught if the primary recommendation of frontliners like free mass testing, pro-active contact tracing, isolation and treatment will not be seriously implemented by the government,” he said in a statement. For her part, Castelo said, “Let us listen to them. They are the ones on the frontline. Indeed, after five months of fighting this pandemic, they are exhausted physically, emotionally and mentally.” She laments that several doctors and nurses have died and many others have fallen sick while battling COVID-19. “Our medical workers are asking for a short time to recuperate. Let us give it to them,” she said. In a radio interview, Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the government should strike a balance between the economy and health of the Filipinos, but it should be tilted somehow, in favor of health amid the appeal made by physicians to shift Mega Manila back to a 15-day ECQ. He asked the DOH to come up with “a system, a policy, or even perhaps a strategy” to reinforce the country’s health system by augmenting the medical force. In a separate statement, Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Representative France Castro said the Inter Agency Task Force for COVID-19 should be headed by medical experts instead of generals who have done nothing but to impose military solutions to combat a public health crisis. “Our frontliners are already pleading to the Duterte administration to implement a comprehensive medical plan to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The government needs to listen and take concrete actions with the demands of our healthcare workers,” she said. “It is high time that medical experts lead in the fight against COVID-19 instead of military generals. Medical experts who will not twist data and try to sanitize the numbers. We need medical experts who use science and not allow an entire population to be used as guinea pigs in a failed response and inadequate policies for public health safety.”.....»»
Lapu to build city hospital OPD extension for non-COVID-19 cases
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The city government of Lapu-Lapu is constructing an extension of the Outpatient Department (OPD) at the Lapu-Lapu City Hospital to cater to non-COVID-19 related medical needs amid the still-rising number of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the city. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan said the city’s Crisis Management Team recommended […] The post Lapu to build city hospital OPD extension for non-COVID-19 cases appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
ARC’s ‘'RCColaborate’ program helps City of Manila efforts to build quarantine facility
THE coronavirus health crisis reached an all-time high of more than 4.5 million cases worldwide and claimed over 300,000 lives. In the Philippines, total number of cases reached more than 12,000, 64 percent of which are located in the National Capital Region. This pandemic spread fear, confusion, and anxiety. It also affected world economies and […].....»»
One more city in Philippines declares pertussis outbreak
MANILA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The government of Iloilo, a city in central Philippines, on Monday declared an outbreak of pertussis after it confirmed seven out of 15 reported cases, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Iloilo is the third city to declare an outbreak of pertussis, or whopping cough, after Quezon and Pasig, two cities in the capital region, announced last week that they hav.....»»
LCPO gets an acting city director
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — The Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) has a new acting city director following the promotion and transfer of Police Colonel Elmer Lim to another region. This was confirmed by Police Lieutenant Colonel Christian Torres, spokesperson for the LCPO. Torres stated that Police Colonel Noel Flores, the current Deputy Regional Director for.....»»
Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu report pertussis cases
Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu report pertussis cases.....»»
Dusit Thani, Sheraton to build hotels in Cagayan de Oro
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 24 March) — Two international hotel chains — Sheraton and Dusit Thani – are set to build hotels in this city, the third in Mindanao for Dusit Thani and the first in Mindanao for Sheraton. Dusit Thani operates two in the Davao region – Dusit Thani Residence Davao in Davao […].....»»
One more city in Philippines declares pertussis outbreak
MANILA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The government of Iloilo, a city in central Philippines, on Monday declared an outbreak of pertussis after it confirmed seven out of 15 reported cases, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Iloilo is the third city to declare an outbreak of pertussis, or whopping cough, after Quezon and Pasig, two cities in the capital region, announced last week that they hav.....»»
Lawyer claims Isko Ouano was a victim of ‘mistaken identity’
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — The legal counsel of Francisco “Isko” Ouano believed that his client was a victim of mistaken identity. Lawyer Nelson Macabocsit said he was prepared to prove that Ouano was innocent of the robbery and extortion charges against him. Ouano, 48, along with two other accused – Joselito Agtuca, 46, and German.....»»
LTO-7 on high alert for Holy Week
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) is on high alert starting March 24 to 31, for the Holy Week. The LTO-7 announced their “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa and Summer Vacation 2024” in a press release last Friday. Director Glen Galario has instructed all LTO-7 district and extension offices.....»»
Davao City rape cases drop
Davao City rape cases drop.....»»
Teen centers in Cebu City pushed amid rising teen pregnancy cases
CEBU CITY, Philippines — In response to the alarming rise in teenage pregnancy cases across Cebu, a local legislator penned a resolution urging the establishment of local adolescents and teen centers in Cebu. City Councilor Rey Gealon stipulated in the resolution the importance of providing essential support and education to empower young individuals in making.....»»
Lapu-Lapu City to build 5 residential buildings in Pusok
Lapu-Lapu City to build 5 residential buildings in Pusok.....»»
Samar I continues to build road connectivity in Calbayog City
A 350-meter Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP) with a width of five (5) meters is built in the said area to replace the footh path that residents would trudge in order to reach said barangays......»»