NEWS and UPDATES METROPOST


NegOr awaits more CoViD vaccines


The chief pathologist of the Department of Health in Region 7 on Friday said they are still waiting for a fresh supply of coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines for Central Visayas. Dr. Mary Jean Loreche issued the statement during a Zoom lecture with the Information & Commu n i c a ti o n s Technology Association of Dumaguete & Negros Oriental, where she discussed Covid-19 variants, vaccines, and vaccine deployment plan. Negros Oriental is now


one of the country’s high- risk areas with a current surge in Covid-19 cases, Loreche said.


She said while there is a pronouncement from the national government that Negros Oriental will be given a priority in the delivery and allocation of vaccines.


Once the vaccines arrive from the national vaccine operations center, these can be sent directly to Negros Oriental. If coursed through the regional office in Region 7, “you are also assured that whatever is allocated for you will also be given to you,” Loreche said.


the inoculation rollout is picking up but still, some local government units are slow in administering these vaccines to the people. The Province is now


President Duterte, who declared that Negros Oriental be placed under modified enhanced community quarantine from June 16-30, also ordered the deployment of more vaccines to areas that have the highest number of Covid-19 cases. Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion, Covid-19 incident commander of the Negros Oriental Inter- Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, in a virtual press briefing Thursday afternoon, said


moving toward the A3 sector covering persons with comorbidities even as senior citizens are still being accommodated under A2, she said.


Estacion reported that as of June 18, a total of 23,618 front-liners have received the first dose of vaccine while 12,724 also got their second dose. For senior citizens, 6,409 were administered their first dose and 2,919 their second dose.


Negros Oriental has received a total of 48,124 doses of both Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines while Dumaguete City also received a separate delivery of 10,000 doses. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)


reports crime drop


PNP


The Philippine National Police here reported that the eight focus crimes dropped by 25.8 percent from January to May 2021 compared to the same period last year. The eight focus crimes are murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping of vehicles, and carnapping of motorcycles. During the recent


Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting, the PNP reported that the incidence rate of murder cases decreased by 31.34 percentor from 67 to 46 incidents.


Meanwhile, homicide cases went down by 30 percent or from 10 to 7 cases; physical injury, 9.46 percent; and rape, 36 percent. Robbery cases also


dipped by 20 percent or from 30 to 24 incidents. Theft cases dropped by 35.79 percent, as well as motorcycle theft by 28.5 percent.


JUNE 20 - JUNE 26, 2021 3


MECQ: What to expect


Negros Oriental had been through a very strict Enhanced Community Quarantine last year. This time around, from June 16-30, President Duterte placed the Province under a less-strict Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine. Majority of the guidelines governing MECQ have been adopted in Negros Oriental from the National Inter- Agency Task Force.


Under the localized guidelines, persons 17 years old and below and 66 years old and above are to strictly stay at home, as well as pregnant women and those with immuno- deficiencies and comorbidities. Establishments, public and private offices, and other institutions are also allowed to operate, and depending on their nature, either on full capacity or only up to 10 percent, in the case of places of worship.


Among those not allowed to operate are entertainment venues with live performers such as karaoke bars, bars, clubs, concert halls, theaters, and cinemas; recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, and the like; amusement and theme parks; outdoor sports courts for contact sports, games, and other activities; indoor sports courts or venues, fitness studios, gyms, spas or other indoor leisure centers or facilities, and swimming pools, and others as stipulated in the NIATF guidelines.


not allowed, but only take-out and/or delivery, while only hotels that are accredited with the Department of Tourism are allowed to operate. People are advised to carry with them valid identification cards to be presented at checkpoints. Curfew hours are from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day, while a liquor ban is imposed.


Only cases of carnapping increased by 100 percent, with one case recorded in January to May this year compared to zero cases in the same period last year. On the other hand, non- index crimes have dropped by 14.6 percent or from 1,769 cases to 1,510.


Cardiologist Dr. Susan Ozoa-Denura (leftmost), chief of the SU Medical Center Heart Institute, poses with Interventional cardiologist Dr. Mitzi Chio and Thoracic & Cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Erwyn Novilla as they inspect the C-arm X-ray machine for the catherization laboratory which arrived last week. Coming soon are the angiography operating table, MacLab monitors, and stents. By July, the SUMC Heart Institute will be equipped to perform peripheral vascular interventions. By August this year, the SUMC Heart Institute will also be ready to perform coronary angiography. (Contributed photo)


27K apply for nat’l ID


The total number of persons registered under the Philippine Identification System in Negros Oriental already reached 26,919 on the second round of the sign up, the Philippine Statistics Authority in the Province said. Ariel Fortuito, PSA-Negros Oriental provincial chief, in an interview Wednesday said the total output as of June 15 is from the six cities and 19 municipalities of Negros Oriental.


The second round of registration, starting June 1st until December 31 of this year, targets 400,000 registrants for the national ID system, he said. The breakdown of registrants, Fortuito said, is as follows: Canlaon City, 184; Vallehermoso, 869; Guihulngan, 1,955; La Libertad, 825; Jimalalud, 765; Tayasan, 605; Ayungon, 806; Bindoy, 730; Manjuyod, 964; Mabinay, 1,326; Bais City, 1,003; Tanjay City, 893; Pamplona, 736; Amlan, 541; San Jose, 507; Sibulan, 649; Dumaguete City, 4,680; Valencia, 761; Bacong, 493; Dauin, 841; Zamboanguita, 730; Siaton, 2006; Sta. Catalina, 1,297; Bayawan City, 1,896; and Basay, 857.


For the first round from February to the end of May, 2021, the PSA-Negros Oriental reported that 486,028 registered, way above its target of 444,579. Meanwhile, Fortuito said as of June 15, 2021, the total number of online appointments but catered to as walk-in registrants has reached 333.


refer to cases of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, reckless imprudence resulting in physical injury, reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property, violation of special laws, among others.


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ICT group pushes to hasten vaccinations


These are from Vallehermoso, 40; Jimalalud, five; Tayasan, 89; Bindoy, one; Bais, 33; Tanjay City, eight; Amlan, three; Sibulan, Bayawan, Basay, one each; Dumaguete (Citymall outlet), 26; Bacong, 85; Dauin, five; Zamboanguita, 26; and Siaton, nine. Fortuito said despite the Province’s modified enhanced


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The Information & Communications Technology Association of Dumaguete & Negros Oriental is pushing for the establishment of Project Balik Buhay to speed up the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination process. The PBB is a public- private partnership of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas), the National Task Force Covid-19 in the Visayas, and the Department of Health in Region 7 to “assist the government’s national vaccination program”. In a Zoom lecture Friday afternoon initiated by the association of ICT firms and business process outsourcing companies, guest lecturer Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief pathologist of the DOH-7, said the PBB is a big help in ensuring the smooth flow of the vaccination activities as well as other concerns relative to the process. “You don’t have that in Negros Oriental, unlike here in Cebu, but you should establish one because it would help when


you submit your priority master-list, it will help in your prioritization,” she said in mixed English and Cebuano.


While the online activity focused on Loreche’s lecture on vaccines, their effects, and the government’s deployment plan, the ICT Association of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental also had the chance to follow up on its request to be given priority in the vaccination rollout.


Suzanne Lu-Bascara, ICT Association president, reiterated the promise of Gov. Roel Degamo last month that they would be given priority in the vaccination rollout.


Non-index crimes


establishments that have complied with the minimum public health standards to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019. The City Inspection & Certificate Committee, chaired by City Administrator Doram Dumalagan, inspects private and public establishments, and to issue and/or revoke the safety seal, a statement from the City said. “An establishment with the safety seal is proof of its compliance to the minimum public health standards set by the government and uses or integrates its digital contact tracing with StaySafe.ph. application as well as increase consumer confidence to safely reopen the economy,” the statement said.


The City has also granted “safety seals” to business Indoor dine-in services of food establishments are also


The committee will inspect the establishments to check whether the required minimum health standards are followed, to include but not limited to the use of thermal scanners, health declaration sheets, Quick Response Codes for StaySafe.ph, and isolation area of identified


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No disconnection during MECQ, Noreco assures


The Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative II has announced a no disconnection policy, easy payment schemes and other measures to be undertaken during the modified enhanced community quarantine in Negros Oriental from June 16-30. NORECO II information officer Sharon Desquitado- Araula, in a media release Wednesday, said online payment platforms, skeleton workforce, temporary suspension of disconnection activities, and electricity bills falling within the MECQ period without interest are among these measures. Online payment platforms include Lazada, MyBudgetLoad Community, and fund transfer of payment to the NORECO II account number. Applications for new connections and net metering may


be processed for an extended period, while complaints may be coursed through the firm’s hotline numbers as it encourages limited face-to-face engagement. For the actual meter reading, electricity bills will be distributed after the MECQ period, and the average reading based on the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers will be implemented if there is a refusal of entry for meter reading. Another measure being adopted is the temporary suspension of disconnection activities for accounts due prior to the declaration of MECQ.


Signifying their intent on the establishment of the PBB, Loreche told them they could write a letter requesting for inclusion of their companies in Project Balik Buhay. There are an estimated 12,000 ICT-BPO employees in Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental.


Joslyn Andreai Hartzell, director for Community


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Disconnection activities for unpaid electricity bills prior to the declaration of the ECQ will resume after the lifting of this quarantine status.


Meanwhile, NORECO II announced that electricity bills falling due on June 16-30, 2021 have a grace period of 30 days without incurring interests, penalties, and other charges.


period shall be payable in three equal monthly installments without incurring interests, penalties, and other charges, pursuant to the Energy Regulatory Commission advisory dated Oct. 29, 2020. Other maintenance activities that can be deferred will be executed after the MECQ period but NORECO II reassures the public that its regular operations will continue. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)


Any unpaid balance after the lapse of the 30-day grace


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