Evacuees sa Rodriguez, Rizal sumailalim sa COVID-19 testing

Nagsagawa ng COVID-19 testing sa bayan ng Rodriguez, Rizal nitong Miyerkoles, kung saan kasama sa mga na-test ang mga evacuee na nasalanta ng Bagyong Ulysses.

Nasa 1,000 residente ng bayan, kasama ang evacuees, ang sumailalim sa swab test.

Mula nang manalasa ang bagyo, hindi na nasusunod ang physical distancing sa masikip na evacuation centers, tulad ng Kasiglahan Village Senior High School.

Wala na ring face mask ang mga residenteng tumutuloy sa evacuation center, na maaari sanang magsilbing pag-iingat laban sa nakahahawang sakit.

"Expanded testing ito," paliwanag ni Dr. Carmela Javier, municipal health officer.

"Dito, ang target ay vulnerable groups and ang evacuees natin sa different evacuation areas ay papupuntahin namin dito," aniya.

Panawagan para sa batang may sakit

Sa isang evacuation center tumutuloy ang pamilya ng 4 na taong gulang na si Mary Gelle Peregrino, na nagka-tuberculous, meningitis at ngayo'y may cerebral palsy at hydrocephalus.

LOOK: Among those still needing help in Kasiglahan Village in Rodriguez are 4-year old Mary Gelle Peregrino who had TB meningitis & is suffering from cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus according to her brother. Also needing assistance is a group of women who make pot holders. pic.twitter.com/HZ5U9eJSDa

— Adrian Ayalin (@adrianayalin) November 25, 2020

Nasa 27 pamilya ang kasama nina Peregrino sa center, na pawang mga nakatira sa Bukid Extension ng Kasigalahan Village na na-wash out ng umapaw na ilog noong kasagsagan ng bagyo.

"Nanawagan po kami upang magkaroon sana si Mary Gelle ng ano makakuha po kami ng tulong sa kaniya," ayon sa kapatid niyang si Ian Clyde.

Kasama umano sa mga kailangan ni Mary Gelle ang gamot at gatas.

Patuloy naman ang pagdating ng private donors, tulad ng isang namigay ng lugaw sa Kasiglahan Village Senior High School.

Tuwing may darating na ayuda, takbuhan pa rin ang mga taga-Kasiglahan Village para makakuha ng tulong.

Sa tala ng lokal na pamahalaan, may 2,000 pang evacuee na hindi makauwi sa kani-kanilang mga bahay.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/25/20/evacuees-sa-rodriguez-rizal-sumailalim-sa-covid-19-testing

Caroling not allowed in Davao City

CAROLING activities would have to be skipped this year after Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio prohibited the said activity this Christmas season while the city is still under a state of pandemic.

"Dili nato i-allow ang caroling kay ang singing is one activity na worse pa sa talking kay malagpot ang laway (We will not allow caroling because singing is one of the human activities that are worse than talking)," Duterte-Carpio said on Monday, November 23, via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.

This was also the main reason why churches are mandated to have only one singer during masses and have been prohibited to conduct community singing.

The mayor said singing may transmit droplets from one person to another.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), viruses can spread from an infected person's mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they sing, cough, sneeze, speak, or breathe heavily.

An article from sciencedaily.com said a study from the Aerosol Technology at Lund University shows that singing -- particularly loud and consonant-rich singing -- spreads a lot of aerosol particles and droplets into the surrounding air.

"Some droplets are so large that they only move a few decimeters from the mouth before they fall, whereas others are smaller and may continue to hover for minutes. In particular, the enunciation of consonants releases very large droplets and the letters B and P stand out as the biggest aerosol spreaders," Aerosol Technology doctoral student Malin Alsved said.

Meanwhile, City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) head Marlissa Gallo said they are constantly monitoring areas that are frequented by street dwellers, including mendicants.

Gallo encouraged Dabawenyos to refrain from giving them alms.

"Bawal gyud na. Every day naa tay operations sa street dwellers, apil na diha ang caroling and begging (It is not allowed. Every day we have operations to check on street-dwellers, including those who are caroling and begging)," she said.

At present, CSWDO is in coordination with the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC), the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), and the City Transport and Traffic Management System (CTTMO) to further intensify the operations, especially with the Christmas season.

Gallo also told Dabawenyos to report to the CSWDO, the police, and the barangay about the presence of carolers in their area.

"Dili man na siya essential nga movement, covered na sa Covid protocol nato. Pwede [mag report] sa police, CSWDO, and sa barangay (It is not considered essential movement, it is covered by our Covid protocol. They may report to the police, CSWDO, or the barangay," she said.

Based on the recent executive orders in the city, non-essential movements and gatherings are strictly prohibited as these might be "super spreaders" of the Covid-19 virus.

Young children, who are mostly doing carolings, are also prohibited from going outside as they are considered vulnerable to the virus.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año recently encouraged the public to do all their Christmas activities online.

"Kung magkakaroon ng caroling, siguro online na lang, online caroling pero yung personal at saka face-to-face ay sa ngayon hindi pa muna nararapat dahil hindi pa natin nafa-flatten ang (If there would be carolings, these can be done online. Online caroling is okay but personal and face-to-face is not because we have yet to flatten the) curve (of coronavirus disease 2019)," Año said in an interview. (With reports from CIO and PNA)

Bids sought for parts of South Commuter Railway project

 THE Transportation department has started seeking bidders for the construction of viaducts, bridges, nine stations, and a depot for use by the South Commuter Railway project.

“The Department of Transportation (DoTr)… through its procuring agent, Procurement Service (PS) of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), now invites sealed bids, including technical and financial bids, from eligible bidders for the four contract packages,” the department said Tuesday.

The packages on offer are: building and civil engineering works for an 8.5-kilometer railway viaduct, including elevated stations in Alabang and Muntinlupa; building and civil engineering works for a 12.8-km railway viaduct, including elevated stations in San Pedro, Pacita, Biñan and Santa Rosa; building and civil engineering works for a 10.28-km railway viaduct, including elevated stations in Cabuyao and Calamba; and building and civil engineering works on a 22-hectare depot with buildings and facilities in Banlic, a barangay of Calamba.

The South Commuter Railway project is financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

“Works will be procured through an open competitive bidding in accordance with ADB’s procurement policy,” the department said.

“The open competitive bidding will be conducted in accordance with the procedures in the bid documents following the ‘Single-Stage: One Envelope (including technical and financial bids),’ process, without pre-qualification,” it added.

The department added that bids must be submitted to the PS-DBM office in Manila on or before 10 a.m. on March 23, together with a bid security as specified in the bidding documents. — Arjay L. Balinbin

https://www.bworldonline.com/bids-sought-for-parts-of-south-commuter-railway-project/

CONNECTOR ROAD (BLUMENTRITT AREA) 11-24-20

1 dead, 4 others hurt as a Skyway steel bar collapses

By Ferdinand Patinio

One person died while at least four others were injured after a steel bar from the Skyway Extension Project fell on six vehicles on Saturday in Muntinlupa City.

According to the EEI Corp., the project’s contractor for Skyway Project, a girder fell on vehicles below around 8:50 a.m. killing one and injuring several others.

“At 8:50 this morning, a crane that was being positioned for its next task tilted and fell on the girder spanning the two posts of the north-bound Skyway extension project,” it said in a statement.

“The girder fell on vehicles below, killing at least one and injuring at least persons who were rushed by ambulances from the Skyway O&M Corp. and EEI to various hospitals,” it added.

The incident happened along the East Service Road of the city.

The private contractor added that they are monitoring the situation of those injured.

“We are monitoring the progress of the injured and are trying to get in touch with their next of kin for proper coordination and to extend any assistance they may need,” it added.

“Our hearts and prayers go with the affected families. This is an unfortunate and heartbreaking accident that must not happen again,” it said.

The company also vowed to review immediately its safety and operating protocols as it builds a strategic infrastructure for the public’s convenience.

“Updates will be released as new and material information becomes available,” it added.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1122563

Metro Pacific Tollways building 'urban ring road' linking north, south, east, west of Metro Manila

 The Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Tollways Corp (MPTC) will build a network of expressways around Metro Manila that will connect all major roads in the metro, the firm announced on Friday.

The P150.6-billion "Urban Ring Road" will link the west, east, north, and south sides of Metro Manila via interconnected tollways which will comprise a “ring around the metropolis” for seamless urban travel, it said.

"That’s why we call it the ‘MPTC Urban Ring Road,’ which is designed to improve circulation and assure unimpeded traffic flow...The economic losses of city traffic are enormous. We’d like to help manage it, and the MPTC Urban Ring Road is our contribution,” Rodrigo Franco, MPTC President and CEO said in a statement. 

It is also meant to decongest local roads and strengthen the road network configuration by separating local in-city trips from inter-city to inter-regional travel, it said.

The four expressways of the Urban Ring Road include: 

- The 19.4-kilometer Elevated C-5 Expressway will connect Quezon City to Taguig, and also reduce the two-hour travel time to only 15 minutes.

- The C-5 South Link will connect C-5 Road to CAVITEX and will reduce the one-hour journey to 10 minutes.

- NLEX-CAVITEX Port Link Expressway will then connect CAVITEX to other expressways such as CALAX, NAIA Expressway, and SLEX.

- And the 5-km elevated NLEX Harbor Link-Port Area Section which will link Manila's Port Section to NLEX

MPTC said the road link system will allow for faster and "round-the-clock" transportation of goods within and through Metro Manila.

MPTC said the "Ring Road" concept was inspired by the body's circulatory system.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/20/20/metro-pacific-tollways-building-urban-ring-road-linking-north-south-east-west-of-metro-manila

Marikina records COVID-19 case after Ulysses onslaught

Marikina recorded one COVID-19 case after Typhoon Ulysses submerged houses and prompted residents to call for rescue atop their roofs, its mayor said Thursday, exactly a week after the storm's onslaught.

The patient, a 68 year-old male evacuee, was detected at the Barangka Elementary School and has since been isolated, according to Mayor Marcelino Teodoro.

All of the patient's relatives and close contacts tested negative for the coronavirus, he said.

"Ang priority pa rin natin talaga makabangon dito sa pinsalang dulot ng bagyo. Pangkabuhayan, 'yan po ang kailangan po; pero ayaw namin magdagdag problema pa ang COVID," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(Our priority is still to recover from the typhoon's destruction. We need livelihood and we also don't want COVID to add to our problems.)

The Philippines as of Wednesday reported 412,097 cases of COVID-19, of which 7,957 were deaths, 374,666 were recoveries, and 29,474 were considered active.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/11/19/20/marikina-records-covid-19-case-after-ulysses-onslaught

P3.4-M halaga ng shabu nasamsam sa 3 suspek sa Pasay drug bust

Aabot sa P3.4 milyong halaga ng shabu ang nakumpiska sa 3 suspek na naaresto sa buy-bust operation sa Pasay City hapon ng Miyerkoles.

Ayon kay Jigger Montallana, direktor ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency sa Calabarzon region, target ng operasyon na ikinasa ng kanilang ahensiya ang 3 suspek na pawang mga residente ng Parañaque City.

Binentahan umano ng mga suspek ng ilegal na droga ang isang tauhan ng PDEA na nagpanggap na buyer.

Aabot sa 500 gramo ng shabu ang nakumpiska sa mga suspek, na mahaharap sa kasong paglabag sa Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. -- Ulat ni Zhander Cayabyab, ABS-CBN News

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/19/20/p34-m-halaga-ng-shabu-nasamsam-sa-3-suspek-sa-pasay-drug-bust

10 anyos na lalaki nalunod sa Dasmariñas

Wala nang buhay nang matagpuan nitong Miyerkoles ang isang 10 taong gulang na lalaki sa isang ilog sa Dasmariñas City, Cavite.

Ayon sa Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Cavite, nakatanggap sila pasado ala-1 ng hapon ng tawag tungkol sa taong nalunod sa ilog sa may Ilano Compound, Barangay San Manuel II.

Agad nagsagawa ng search and rescue operation ang PCG kasama ang Dasmariñas City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office para mahanap ang biktima.

Makalipas ang 20 minuto, nahanap ng mga diver ang bangkay ng bata, na base sa imbestigasyon ay naligo sa ilog nang mangyari ang insidente.

Nai-turnover na ang labi ng bata sa kaniyang ama matapos ang operasyon.

Muli namang nagpaalala ang mga awtoridad sa publiko na iwasang maligo sa mga ilog, lalo na tuwing panahon na maulan at may bagyo.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/19/20/10-anyos-na-lalaki-nalunod-sa-dasmarias

ABS-CBN rescue boats, fire truck tumugon sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo sa Marikina, Rizal

Isa ang emergency unit ng ABS-CBN sa mga rumesponde sa mga kapamilyang nasalanta ng matinding pagbaha nitong nakaraang bagyong Ulysses sa Marikina City at bayan ng Rodriguez sa Rizal.

Ayon kay Leo Bungubung, head ng ABS-CBN Corporate Security and Safety Division, nag-deploy sila noong Nobyembre 12, kasagsagan ng bagyo, ng tig-isang rescue boat sa Barangay Malanday sa Marikina at sa bayan ng Rodriguez.

“In total, nakapagligtas po tayo ng 17 kapamilya natin at limang households po ang ating napuntahan, parehas po sa Marikina at Rizal,” sabi ni Bungubung sa panayam sa TeleRadyo ngayong Miyerkoles.

Pinasok ng rescue boats ang mga kalsada na mataas na ang tubig-baha, at karamihan sa kanilang na-rescue ay mga kabataan.

“Sa isang pamilyang ni-rescue natin, may 8 tao. Lima doon, kabataan, edad 12 pababa. Tatlo lang adults. Nasa bubong na po yung ibang kapamilya natin. Yung iba, nasa second floor na po,” sabi niya.

Nabuo ang emergency management unit ng kumpanya taong 2014 at pinalawig ang kapasidad para rumesponde sa medical at ambulance transportation. 

“Meron tayong fire rescue rin po, at ang recent na dinevelop namin ay yung urban response rescue natin para maka-responde sa mga kalamidad, natural disasters, earthquake at ito pong mga water search and rescue,” sabi niya.

From Quinta, Rolly, Siony, Tonyo, to Ulysses - the same areas continue to be battered by typhoons, one after another....

Posted by ABS - CBN Foundation on Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Nitong nakaraang linggo, ipinadala rin ang fire truck ng ABS-CBN sa Provident Village sa Marikina, sa pakikipag-ugnayan na rin sa Marikina Rescue at Bureau of Fire Protection.

“Sa dalawang araw po na yun—Sabado, Linggo, nakapaglinis po tayo ng 5 kabahayan at yun pong mangilan-ngilang kalsada sa Provident Village,” sabi niya.

Ang mga rumeresponde ay dumaan sa training mula basic first aid, high-angle rescue, fire fighting, survival training, hanggang sa water search and rescue.

Payo niya sa publiko na magkaroon ng kaalaman tungkol sa mga risk at hazard sa kanilang mga lugar.

“Alamin kung anong pwedeng gawing natural barriers and preparedness. Paghandaan natin. Mag-drill tayo. Isipin safety ng bawat isa,” sabi niya.

Bukod sa emergency rescue operations, patuloy pa ring nagdadala ng relief goods at pagkain ang Sagip Kapamilya ng ABS-CBN Foundation sa mga lugar na nasalanta ng mga nagdaang bagyo. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/11/18/20/abs-cbn-rescue-boats-fire-truck-tumugon-sa-mga-nasalanta-ng-bagyo-sa-marikina-rizal