published July 15, 2009 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY — Confirmed influenza A(H1N1) cases in Eastern Visayas have risen to 103 as of Tuesday with majority of the patients reported in schools, the Department of Health (DoH) said.
DoH regional epidemiologist Nicholas Bautista raised the possibility of a community outbreak with at least 242 persons placed under observation. Students accounted for 80% of suspected cases.
"There’s a cause for alarm since this flu hit 50% to 60% of children in one classroom. We fear that it will go to the community and be transmitted to high risk group," Mr. Bautista said.
In this city and in nearby Palo town, confirmed cases were reported in Cirilo Roy Montejo National High School, Rizal Elementary School, Leyte Normal University, STEFTI, Sacred Heart Seminary, Sto. Niño SPED Center, Bethel International School, Kapangian Elementary School, St. Therese Child Development Center, Sacred Heart Seminary and Saint Scholastica’s School.
The region’s biggest secondary school, Leyte National High School, with a student population of over 6,000 has confirmed cases.
"Classes were suspended in some sections to prevent the spread of the virus," Mr. Bautista said.
Only the schools from Leyte and Eastern Samar have so far been giving reports of suspected cases. "The community is still silent. There might be positive cases but it’s not reported to us," he added.
Mr. Bautista said the DoH will hold a summit today to raise awareness on the virus among city school, local government and Commission on Higher Education officials.
A World Health Organization report has projected that the virus could infect up to 1.17 million people in the region, representing a third of the population.
Private hospitals have been tapped to treat patients. The congested Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center, which is the only referral hospital in the region, has only three beds for confirmed cases and seven beds for cases under observation.-Sarwell Q. Meniano
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Southern Leyte province bridge packaged as tourist gateway
published July 09, 2009 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY — The Agas-Agas bridge, a 1.5-kilometer structure, will be opened to traffic next month.
The bridge, which cost P995 million, bypasses the landslide-prone road section in Sogod, Southern Leyte province. It is also seen as a tourist destination, with a planned rest area and viewing deck for travelers between Luzon and Mindanao.
Public Works Undersecretary Rafael Yabut said a restroom, recreational area and parking space will also be provided.
"This is a very beautiful bridge that will serves as link of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The foundation is strong and the design will withstand landslides," Mr. Yabut said as he inspected the bridge along with Undersecretary Jaime Pacanan and Regional Director Angelito Twaño.
Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado said the structure could also serve as take-off point for bungee jumping.
Mr. Yabut said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inaugurate the structure on Aug. 25.
The project, implemented by the Philippine-Japan Highway Loan-Project Monitoring Office, started in 1996. – Sarwell Q. Meniano
TACLOBAN CITY — The Agas-Agas bridge, a 1.5-kilometer structure, will be opened to traffic next month.
The bridge, which cost P995 million, bypasses the landslide-prone road section in Sogod, Southern Leyte province. It is also seen as a tourist destination, with a planned rest area and viewing deck for travelers between Luzon and Mindanao.
Public Works Undersecretary Rafael Yabut said a restroom, recreational area and parking space will also be provided.
"This is a very beautiful bridge that will serves as link of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The foundation is strong and the design will withstand landslides," Mr. Yabut said as he inspected the bridge along with Undersecretary Jaime Pacanan and Regional Director Angelito Twaño.
Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado said the structure could also serve as take-off point for bungee jumping.
Mr. Yabut said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inaugurate the structure on Aug. 25.
The project, implemented by the Philippine-Japan Highway Loan-Project Monitoring Office, started in 1996. – Sarwell Q. Meniano
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Two schools in Region 8 suspend classes due to influenza virus
TACLOBAN CITY-At least two schools in Eastern Visayas have suspended their classes this week following the declaration of the Department of Health (DOH) that two persons in the region were found positive of Influenza A (H1N1) virus.
In consultation with the health department, school officials of the Philippine Science High School Eastern Visayas (PSHS-EV) Campus in Palo, Leyte were closed the other day after a 14-year-old junior student from this city were tested positive of the virus.
The students underwent home confinement since there’s no room available at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), said Nicholas Bautista, chief of the regional epidiomology and surveillance unit of the DOH.
Classes will resume after 10 days. Health and school officials told the 355 students to stay in their homes and strictly observe precautionary measures. Dormitory occupants were told not to go home and were quarantined within the school promise.
“All contacts were under observation. The only thing that we can do now is to follow up the cases. We advised the students that this is not actually a vacation. They will stay in their homes for 10 days or if they have to go out, they have to wear masks,” Mr. Bautista told reporters Tuesday night.
The list of students and addresses was given to respective local health officials in a meeting yesterday so that they can monitor health status.
PSHS-EV acting campus director Joanne de la Cruz said that the patient made a direct contact with at least 90 students within the campus including the victim’s 30 classmates.
“About 10 classmates of the student infected got symptoms of influenza A and they were placed under observation. The rest of the third year students are under voluntary isolation,” Ms. de la Cruz told BusinessWorld.
Mr. Bautista said that they will go deeper as to what triggered the virus transmission since the child and the family has no contact with anybody who traveled outside the region or abroad, based on interrogation of school officials.
On the other hand, a seaman from Catbalogan, Samar was tested positive for the H1N1 virus and has been confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in this city.
The seaman’s two elementary grade children have manifested symptoms of the flu and they were included in the list of cases under observation. The family members are students of Saint Mary School , a private school with elementary and secondary learners.
The 44-year-old seaman arrived in the country from Singapore last June 9 and developed a fever three days later.
“School administrators have agreed to suspend classes of that school for five days,” Mr. Bautista said.
The two family members were placed under observation. Swab samples will be taken from seaman’s children for submission to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila .
As of June 15, at least 15 persons have been tested with age ranging from 4 to 57 years old. Eleven of them are males and four are females. Eight are Filipinos and seven foreigners
All cases are mild, according to the health department but they’ve been emphasizing to local officials to be vigilant and be prepared because they cannot predict future infestation.
The Tacloban City school division office has deployed medical team to both public and private schools to regularly check the health conditions of learners.
The DOH Interim Guidelines Nos. 10 and 14 on H1N1 cases, the school had to impose a 10-day suspension of classes to allow the students and the school personnel to comply with the 10-day home confinement to contain the virus. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)
In consultation with the health department, school officials of the Philippine Science High School Eastern Visayas (PSHS-EV) Campus in Palo, Leyte were closed the other day after a 14-year-old junior student from this city were tested positive of the virus.
The students underwent home confinement since there’s no room available at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), said Nicholas Bautista, chief of the regional epidiomology and surveillance unit of the DOH.
Classes will resume after 10 days. Health and school officials told the 355 students to stay in their homes and strictly observe precautionary measures. Dormitory occupants were told not to go home and were quarantined within the school promise.
“All contacts were under observation. The only thing that we can do now is to follow up the cases. We advised the students that this is not actually a vacation. They will stay in their homes for 10 days or if they have to go out, they have to wear masks,” Mr. Bautista told reporters Tuesday night.
The list of students and addresses was given to respective local health officials in a meeting yesterday so that they can monitor health status.
PSHS-EV acting campus director Joanne de la Cruz said that the patient made a direct contact with at least 90 students within the campus including the victim’s 30 classmates.
“About 10 classmates of the student infected got symptoms of influenza A and they were placed under observation. The rest of the third year students are under voluntary isolation,” Ms. de la Cruz told BusinessWorld.
Mr. Bautista said that they will go deeper as to what triggered the virus transmission since the child and the family has no contact with anybody who traveled outside the region or abroad, based on interrogation of school officials.
On the other hand, a seaman from Catbalogan, Samar was tested positive for the H1N1 virus and has been confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in this city.
The seaman’s two elementary grade children have manifested symptoms of the flu and they were included in the list of cases under observation. The family members are students of Saint Mary School , a private school with elementary and secondary learners.
The 44-year-old seaman arrived in the country from Singapore last June 9 and developed a fever three days later.
“School administrators have agreed to suspend classes of that school for five days,” Mr. Bautista said.
The two family members were placed under observation. Swab samples will be taken from seaman’s children for submission to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila .
As of June 15, at least 15 persons have been tested with age ranging from 4 to 57 years old. Eleven of them are males and four are females. Eight are Filipinos and seven foreigners
All cases are mild, according to the health department but they’ve been emphasizing to local officials to be vigilant and be prepared because they cannot predict future infestation.
The Tacloban City school division office has deployed medical team to both public and private schools to regularly check the health conditions of learners.
The DOH Interim Guidelines Nos. 10 and 14 on H1N1 cases, the school had to impose a 10-day suspension of classes to allow the students and the school personnel to comply with the 10-day home confinement to contain the virus. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Expansion plans being drawn up for Robinsons Land’s newly opened mall in Tacloban
published June 16, 2009 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN — Robinsons Land Corp. is already planning to build a hotel and expand next year with last week’s opening of a new mall here.
Frederick D. Go, Robinsons Land president and chief operating officer, said the hotel, which will have 100 rooms, will be built near the mall and within the company’s four-hectare property.
"The mall is just the first phase of our development. We still have land available around the mall to expand. The economy is not bad and we think that the mall will do very well here in Tacloban," he told reporters during the opening of Robinsons Place Tacloban.
Lance Y. Gokongwei, president and chief operating officer of Robinsons Land’s parent company JG Summit Holdings, Inc., said in a separate interview that the good business climate and increasing demand for air travel to and from Tacloban prompted the Gokongwei group to include Leyte in its expansion plans.
"I think the city has been progressive. Even flights of Cebu Pacific have increased. There’s a lot of demand for travel to Tacloban and Region 8. Two to three years ago, we were only doing two [flights] a day. Now, we are going four flights daily from Manila and once to Cebu. That’s a reflection of the economy progressing," said Mr. Gokongwei, who is also president and chief executive officer of budget airline Cebu Pacific Air.
He said Robinsons Land was upbeat about expanding the mall business this year despite the global crisis.
"The global financial crisis affects everybody. It’s really just managing to grow despite that. We’ve been very positive about provincial expansion," Mr. Gokongwei said.
Robinsons Land, the real estate arm of JG Summit, earlier reported an 11% increase in earnings for the first half of its 2009 fiscal year due to strong revenues from mall operations.
In a statement, Robinsons Land said its income for the first six months of the fiscal year hit P1.62 billion.
Prior to the opening of Robinsons Place Tacloban, Robinsons Cybergate Mall Davao was opened. Part of this year’s expansion is the opening of commercial centers in General Santos, Dumaguete, and Ilocos Norte. - Sarwell Q. Meniano
TACLOBAN — Robinsons Land Corp. is already planning to build a hotel and expand next year with last week’s opening of a new mall here.
Frederick D. Go, Robinsons Land president and chief operating officer, said the hotel, which will have 100 rooms, will be built near the mall and within the company’s four-hectare property.
"The mall is just the first phase of our development. We still have land available around the mall to expand. The economy is not bad and we think that the mall will do very well here in Tacloban," he told reporters during the opening of Robinsons Place Tacloban.
Lance Y. Gokongwei, president and chief operating officer of Robinsons Land’s parent company JG Summit Holdings, Inc., said in a separate interview that the good business climate and increasing demand for air travel to and from Tacloban prompted the Gokongwei group to include Leyte in its expansion plans.
"I think the city has been progressive. Even flights of Cebu Pacific have increased. There’s a lot of demand for travel to Tacloban and Region 8. Two to three years ago, we were only doing two [flights] a day. Now, we are going four flights daily from Manila and once to Cebu. That’s a reflection of the economy progressing," said Mr. Gokongwei, who is also president and chief executive officer of budget airline Cebu Pacific Air.
He said Robinsons Land was upbeat about expanding the mall business this year despite the global crisis.
"The global financial crisis affects everybody. It’s really just managing to grow despite that. We’ve been very positive about provincial expansion," Mr. Gokongwei said.
Robinsons Land, the real estate arm of JG Summit, earlier reported an 11% increase in earnings for the first half of its 2009 fiscal year due to strong revenues from mall operations.
In a statement, Robinsons Land said its income for the first six months of the fiscal year hit P1.62 billion.
Prior to the opening of Robinsons Place Tacloban, Robinsons Cybergate Mall Davao was opened. Part of this year’s expansion is the opening of commercial centers in General Santos, Dumaguete, and Ilocos Norte. - Sarwell Q. Meniano
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Relocation of Catarman airport considered
published May 27, 2009 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is considering the relocation of Catarman Airport to ensure safety. This even as Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) announced that it was resuming its Manila-Catarman service next week.
Sergio Sumergido, CAAP acting area manager for Eastern Visayas, said relocating the airport to a less crowded site would prevent runway incursions by people or vehicles.
"We are thinking of looking for another place. There’s no more room for improvement or expansion at the present site because it is very close to residential area and some key structures of the town," Mr. Sumergido said in a phone interview with BusinessWorld.
Cebu Pacific suspended early this month its Manila-Catarman service because of safety issues. Although authorities have prohibited people and vehicles from using the runway to get to the town center, several runway intrusions have been noted.
The airline announced last week that it will resume its four-times weekly Manila-Catarman flights starting June 2 after airport and local authorities stepped up security measures.
"The runway has been cleared of vehicles and people 24/7. This is our green light to fly again to Catarman and bring back CEB’s affordable fares that other airlines must again try to match," Candice Iyog, CEB vice-president for marketing and distribution, said in a statement.
Ms. Iyog said airport safety was improved after additional security personnel were deployed on the runway and authorities started the construction of a perimeter fence.
"Airport authorities have also blocked the entry points around the airport’s perimeter fence used by residents," she added.
Mr. Sumergido also said that apart from employing more security personnel, they have also sought the deployment of some policemen and military personnel at the airport to ensure that there will be no more incursions.
Responding to the appeal of the public, the CAAP allows use of the barangay road crossing the runway from 4:30 a.m. to 6 a.m., and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
"From 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., we don’t allow any disturbances," Mr. Sumergido added. Cebu Pacific uses the airport only until 10:45 a.m.
Other airlines that serve the route are PAL (Philippine Airlines) Express, which has daily flights, and Zest Air, which flies to the town every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Cebu Pacific started its service to Catarman last February 14, with scheduled flights every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Catarman is a second class municipality and the capital town of Northern Samar province. –Sarwell Q. Meniano
TACLOBAN CITY — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is considering the relocation of Catarman Airport to ensure safety. This even as Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) announced that it was resuming its Manila-Catarman service next week.
Sergio Sumergido, CAAP acting area manager for Eastern Visayas, said relocating the airport to a less crowded site would prevent runway incursions by people or vehicles.
"We are thinking of looking for another place. There’s no more room for improvement or expansion at the present site because it is very close to residential area and some key structures of the town," Mr. Sumergido said in a phone interview with BusinessWorld.
Cebu Pacific suspended early this month its Manila-Catarman service because of safety issues. Although authorities have prohibited people and vehicles from using the runway to get to the town center, several runway intrusions have been noted.
The airline announced last week that it will resume its four-times weekly Manila-Catarman flights starting June 2 after airport and local authorities stepped up security measures.
"The runway has been cleared of vehicles and people 24/7. This is our green light to fly again to Catarman and bring back CEB’s affordable fares that other airlines must again try to match," Candice Iyog, CEB vice-president for marketing and distribution, said in a statement.
Ms. Iyog said airport safety was improved after additional security personnel were deployed on the runway and authorities started the construction of a perimeter fence.
"Airport authorities have also blocked the entry points around the airport’s perimeter fence used by residents," she added.
Mr. Sumergido also said that apart from employing more security personnel, they have also sought the deployment of some policemen and military personnel at the airport to ensure that there will be no more incursions.
Responding to the appeal of the public, the CAAP allows use of the barangay road crossing the runway from 4:30 a.m. to 6 a.m., and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
"From 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., we don’t allow any disturbances," Mr. Sumergido added. Cebu Pacific uses the airport only until 10:45 a.m.
Other airlines that serve the route are PAL (Philippine Airlines) Express, which has daily flights, and Zest Air, which flies to the town every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Cebu Pacific started its service to Catarman last February 14, with scheduled flights every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Catarman is a second class municipality and the capital town of Northern Samar province. –Sarwell Q. Meniano
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