Cayetano calls for multi-sector COVID-19 info drive

 Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday called on different sectors to work together to enlighten the public on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects.

In an interview with Bombo Radyo Bacolod on April 14, Cayetano said people are inclined to listen to their loved ones and community leaders when it comes to information about the COVID-19.

“Extraordinary ang problema kaya dapat extraordinary din ang solusyon,” he said. “Kanino ba nakikinig ang tao? So, una, sa kanilang magulang. Pangalawa, sa kanilang teachers. Pangatlo, sa kanilang mga religious leaders, sa pari, ministro, imam, pastor. (At) sa media. So, dapat talaga multi-sector.”

(Extraordinary problems call for extraordinary solutions. Who do people really listen to? First, their parents. Second, their teachers. Third, their religious leaders, like their priests, ministers, imams, or pastors. And the media. It should be a multi-sector effort.) 

Cayetano urged the national government to work with different stakeholders in explaining COVID-19 to the public and the importance of observing minimum health protocols.

“Ang national government, dapat lapitan ‘di lang ang national government. Pero tulungan, na multi-sector yung approach natin, and patiently explain what kind of virus is this, paano nakakahawa, bakit importante na gawin natin ito.”

(The national government should not just approach its own agencies. We need teamwork and a multi-sectoral approach through which we can patiently explain what kind of virus this is, its mode of infection, and what protocols are important.)

The lawmaker, however, warned that these efforts will only prosper if they are supported by the distribution of financial aid.

“Kahit anong paliwanag mo, kung ang tao ay gutom, walang kinakain, walang trabaho, walang kinikita nagsara o magsasara ang negosyo niya, hahanap at hahanap ng paraan para kumita ‘yan,” he said.

(No matter how hard you explain, if people are hungry, jobless, penniless, or their businesses have just closed shop, they will always find a way to go out and earn money.)

On February 1, Cayetano and his allies filed the 10k Ayuda Bill which seeks to distribute P10,000 to every Filipino family and stimulate economic activity through increased household consumption.  

The former Speaker said providing financial aid to every Filipino family is crucial in transforming the public’s behavior amidst the ongoing pandemic.

“Kailangan talaga natin ng transformational change, yung nagbago talaga ang pagkilos natin lahat,” he said. “Magagawa natin ‘yan kung isasabay natin yung tulong sa ekonomiya o yung tulong sa kabuhayan doon sa direksyon sa medikal.”

(We need transformational change where there’s a change in how we all act. We achieve that if we provide economic or livelihood support alongside our direction in terms of medical strategy.) 

Hill collapse kills one, injures three

(video courtesy of Taburnok)

Authorities here reported that a construction worker died while three others were injured following a landslide caused by a hillside collapsing in in Barangay Caticlan, Malay, Aklan.

Initial reports from Police Lt. Colonel Don Dicksie de Dios, acting chief of the Malay Philippine National Police disclosed that the workers are at the side of the road constructing a canal system when the trimmed side of the hill collapsed.

De Dios identified the fatality as Modesto Appelido, a native of Bingawan Iloilo, while those injured were identified as Darius Castillo, 48; Jade Daryl Castillo, 22 at Nino Jay Castillo, 22.

“Based on our initial investigation, the side of the hill may have collapsed due to the recent series of rains. I told the police investigator in charge to double check if there were also signs of foul play or possibly neglect of protocols in the construction,” De Dios said.

Operatives from the Malay Disaster Risks Reduction Management Office, the Bureau of Fire Protection, Barangay Council and residents in the area helped retrieve the victim’s body in the landslide area.

The Caticlan road is considered a tourism highway as Caticlan is a major entry and exit points of Boracay Island, a premier tourism destination.

Tourists urged to get barangay passes while in Boracay

 

TOURISTS coming to Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan for vacation are required to have a barangay pass so they could be allowed to roam anywhere, a local executive said.

During a community address Friday night, April 2, 2021, Malay acting mayor Floribar Bautista said the barangay pass is meant for police enforcers to determine whether pass holders are residents or tourists.

Bautista on Thursday placed the whole Balabag village under enhanced community quarantine beginning April 1. Zones 5 and 6 of Balabag and Zones 1 to 7 of Barangay Manomanoc were placed under "surgical lockdown" due to rising Covid-19 cases.

Bautista said based on the report of the Municipal Health Office, as of Thursday, there were 139 Covid-19 cases recorded in Malay town, most of which came from this resort island.

Of the said number, 80 were active and all were residents of Boracay.

Dr. Athena Magdamit said the spike in Covid-19 cases here was attributed to a tourist from Quezon City, who visited Boracay in the last week of March. The undisclosed tourist, who turned out to be positive for the virus, reportedly attended a party at a resort.

"We are still conducting investigation to the resorts if it had followed health protocols during the party," Magdamit said.

Police Major Don Dicksie De Dios., chief of the Malay police, said they had deployed hundreds of personnel all over the island to ensure that health protocols were strictly being followed both by residents and tourists.

The personnel included force multipliers such as those coming from the Philippine Navy, barangay volunteers, among others.\

According to a report from the Malay Tourism Office, from March 1 to 28, Boracay had been visited by 17,193 tourists. Of the said number, 9,913 came from the National Capital Region (NCR), followed by Calabarzon with 3,801 and those coming from Western Visayas with 2,204.

The rest came from different regions of the country.

Although NCR along with some areas in Calabarzon had been placed on ECQ, Boracay remains open to tourists coming from other regions and is classified under the modified general community quarantine category. 

Central Boracay placed under ECQ

 

THE Balabag village, which is the central part of Boracay, has been placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) beginning April 1, 2021.

The Zone 1 to 7 of adjacent Barangay Manocmanoc have also been placed under “surgical lockdown.”

Natividad Bernardino of the Boracay Island Rehabilitation Management Group said the decision of the local government of Malay has been supported and approved by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF).

The BIATF has a separate authority with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), although members of the BIATF also lead the municipal IATF-EID.

Residents of areas under ECQ are allowed to go to the market to buy food and other essentials. But images of Boracay posted on social media indicate that the resort island is already a ghost town.

"It was Acting Malay Mayor Floribar Bautista who asked for it," Bernardino told SunStar in a text message.

Data from Malay Health Office showed that Malay town has recorded 135 cases of Covid-19. Many of the patients are from Boracay Island.

Of the 135 cases, 76 are also active.

Dr. Athena Magdamit said they believe that a new variant of Covid-19 may have entered Boracay because of the sudden surge of cases.

"We have already taken specimens and we will have sent this to the Department of Health in Manila for review," Magdamit said.