Minus facemasks, daily Covid-19 cases seen to reach 18K

Manila, Philippines – Department of Health OIC Maria Rosario Vergeire said Thursday that the daily average of Covid-19 cases nationwide may reach 18,000 in the next two months should the public decide to ditch the wearing of face masks.

In a radio interview, Vergeire said she presented a possible scenario of increased daily infections during an Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) meeting last week.

“Sinasabi sa projections na towards November and December of this year, kung magtatanggal tayo ng masks, maaaring tumaas ang kaso natin (Projections showed that towards the end of November and December of this year, if we discontinue wearing of masks, our cases be in the range) from 2,500 at the lower limit, to as high as 18,000,” she said.

In a television interview, Vergeire, confirmed that the wearing of face masks is voluntary “across all settings” nationwide.

“Based on the agreement, the IATF resolution, and based on what has been proposed to the President, it’s going to be voluntary nationwide,” she adds.

Mentioning that the term “voluntary” boils down to “individual informed decisions”, Vergeire said every person has to “know the risks and be able to decide whether one can afford not to wear a face mask in certain situations.”

“In depth, there’s this agreement with the IATF, where we have a unified messaging that we still encourage the wearing of masks, especially in high risk areas katulad po ng public transport, katulad po ng healthcare facilities at katulad po ‘yung mga vulnerable natin, mga matanda, buntis, hindi bakunado, kailangan alam nila ‘yung risk nila (like public transport, healthcare facilities, and the vulnerable like the elderly, pregnant and unvaccinated) they still need to, we still highly encourage that they wear their masks,” she said.

Asked whether face mask use in public transportation is mandatory, Vergeire said they are still awaiting for the president to issue an executive order.

“We are still proposing that it would be mandatory. Whether it be voluntary or mandated, I hope that our citizens would always decide for the best for them and for their families. Let us wear a mask when in public transportation and crowded places,” she added.

Earlier on Wednesday, infectious diseases expert Dr. Rontgene Solante warned the public about a possible rise in Covid-19 infections following the detection of the Omicron XBB subvariant and XBC variant in the country.

Dr. Tony Leachon, ex-adviser to the IATF, said he is not in favor of removing mask mandates in indoor spaces saying its too early as too many infectious variants and subvariants of COVID-19 that has entered the country.

“What I think now is that we’re not ready. It may be premature. So I was thinking we should let two weeks pass after XBB and XCC (subvariants) have arrived. We let the Undas effect pass and maybe that’s the time we should put those agressive measures,” he said in an interview with DZMM Teleradyo.

“We’re aware that the virus is airborne and if it’s airborne especially in enclosed places where the ventilation is not good, then viral transmission is higher,” Leachon adds.

The DOH reported as of Oct. 26, the country logged 1,121 new Covid-19 infections which brought the overall tally to 3,997,941 with 21,325 active cases.

Phivolcs records 19 phreatomagmatic bursts in Taal Volcano

MANILA, Philippines —Nineteen phreatomagmatic bursts were recorded at Taal Volcano in Batangas on Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in its advisory.

These so-called “very weak” phreatomagmatic bursts were detected over Taal Volcano’s main crater coming from a vent on its northeastern side between 8:50 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Friday, according to the state volcano monitoring agency.

A phreatomagmatic eruption of a volcano occrus when both magmatic gases and steam from groundwater  are expelled.

Also in its advisory, Phivolcs said some of the bursts produced 200-meter-tall steam-rich plumes.

“Many of the bursts were obscured by ongoing upwelling of hot volcanic gas in the main crater lake, while all events did not generate detectable signals in the seismic and infrasound records,” it added.

Accordingly, alert Level 1 remains over the Taal Volcano, “which means that it is still in abnormal condition and should not be interpreted to have ceased unrest nor ceased the threat of eruptive activity.”

Likewise, Phivolcs also warned that Alert Level 2 may be raised over the volcano when the current phreatomagmatic activity worsens or pronounced changes in monitored parameters indicate increasing unrest.

“At Alert Level 1, sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within the Taal Volcano Island,” it said.

Phivolcs strongly recommends that entry into the Taal Volcano Island – a permanent danger zone- especially in the vicinities of the main crater and the Daang Kastila fissure “must remain strictly prohibited.”

Local government units are also advised to continously assess previously evacuated barangays around Taal Lake for damages and road accessibilities as well as to strengthen preparedness, contingency and  communication measures in case of renewed unrest.

People are also advised to observe precautions due to ground displacement across fissures, possible ashfall and minor earthquakes.

Pilots are also advised to avoid flying close to the volcano since airborne ash and ballistic fragments from sudden explosions and wind-remobilized ash may pose hazards to aircrafts.

Health outbreak, class suspension in Batangas urged amid growing hand, foot and mouth disease cases

Batangas, Philippines – A Batangas congresswoman has called for a declaration of health outbreak and suspension of classes in whole Batangas province on Thursday as the suspected cases of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) continue to pile up.

In a report by ABS-CBN News, Batangas 2nd District Rep. Jinky “Bitrics” Luistro was quoted as saying that the Department of Education must declare a class suspension in the whole Batangas province.

This is while waiting for the result of the examination by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in the specimen samples obtained from children with suspected HFMD cases.

“I have called for us to act quickly before this HFMD spreads,” Luistro told ABS-CBN News in an interview, speaking in Filipino.

“We understand that face-to-face classes are ongoing in different schools and what scares me is that there might be a positive carrier inside the school and we are unaware that there is ongoing transmission already,” she added.

Luistro also called for the declaration of HFMD outbreak in the province but the provincial health office said it’s the local government who must first make the declaration.

Presently, Batangas City has four confirmed HFMD cases in Batangas City while San Pascual town waits for the results of specimen samples collected from children in their municipality.

More than 80 other suspected cases are being investigated in the towns of Bauan, Cuenca and Balete.

There will be simultaneous disinfection and cleaning activities in Batangas province on Friday to prevent the spread of the disease.

HFMD is a contagious viral infection that commonly affects young children and is characterized by sores in the mouth and rashes on the hands and feet.

It is transmitted through droplets or direct contact with nasal discharges, saliva, feces, and fluid from the rashes of an infected individual.

Face-to-face classes in Cuenca, also suspended due to hand foot and mouth disease

Cuenca, Batangas – Mayor Alexander Magpantay suspended face-to-face classes in private and public schools from elementary to high school in this municipality beginning today, October 19.

This was due to the steady increase in cases of hand food and mouth disease (HFMD) in the said town.

While there are no classes, disinfection will be carried out in schools led by the Cuenca Municipal Health Office.

As the writer prepares this report, 33 children have been hit by HMFD and there is an ongoing monitoring of cases.

According to data from the Cuenca MHO, Barangay Emmanuel has the most cases with 14, followed by San Isidro (9), Balagbag (5), Ibaba (3) while Poblacion 1 and San Felipe have one case each.

The local government also advised the parents and guardians of the students to contact their barangay health workers if their children were found to have symptoms of HFMD or please also consult the Cuenca Rural Health Unit.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease commonly seen in children. This disease is usually caused by Enterovirus and causes red spots or sores on the hands, feet, mouth and even the throat.

DOH investigates source of hand, food and mouth disease outbreak in Batangas

Representatives from the San Pascual Rural Health Unit conduct checkup of students in San Pascual for symptoms of hand foot and mouth disease (San Pascual RHU)

San Pascual, Batangas – The Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) CALABARZON have began the epidemiological investigation to unearth the source of the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) outbreak in San Pascual , Batangas.

“Sinimulan natin sa active case finding and initial investigation. Nagpadala din ng specimen sa RITM, to determine the causative agent. This can help us in the clinical management of the disease by preventing further complications,” DOH CALABARZON Regional Director Ariel Valencia sent in a statement issued Monday.

From September 26 to October 16, 2022, the DOH Regional Office logged 105 cases with clinical symptoms of HFMD, but only 49 cases fit the suspect HFMD case definition; the remaining cases have yet to undergo validation.

Most of the cases are children 1- 16 years old age group and are predominantly male. Patients mostly pupils from various schools within the community and residents of 11 different barangays.

This includes among others Brgy. Pook ng Kapitan, Brgy. Sambat, Brgy. Natunuan North, Brgy. Population, Brgy. Pook ni Banal, Brgy. San Antonio, Brgy. Resplandor, Brgy. Antipolo, Brgy. Mataas na Lupa, Brgy. Palsahingin and Brgy. Alalum.

DOH said they had already provided disinfection solutions to sanitize the affected schools and has distributed educational materials about the evolving HFMD to keep the community aware of its transmission and take the necessary precautions against HFMD infection.

“We assure the public that the DOH, together with the Municipality of San Pascual, are on top of the situation. Bukod po sa pagtukoy natin ng source ng pagkalat ng HFMD sa lugar ay inaalam na rin po natin ang mga karagdagang assistance na kailangan sa lugar,” Valencia added.

Last October 17, San Pascual Mayor Antonio Dimayuga issued an Executive Order No. 27 suspending classes for students in Daycare up to Grade 3 from October 18 – 21 to conduct a school-wide disinfection.

HFMD is a contagious viral infection that commonly affects young children and is characterized by sores in the mouth and rashes on the hands and feet.

It is transmitted through droplets or direct contact with nasal discharges, saliva, feces, and fluid from the rashes of an infected individual.

Parents are likewise encouraged to teach their children protective habits such as frequent handwashing, wearing a mask, and covering the mouth when sneezing or coughing.
Children must eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise regularly to increase their immunity against infectious diseases such as HFMD.

“There is no specific treatment for HFMD. But with good personal hygiene, regular cleaning and disinfecting of common areas or frequently touched surfaces, and avoiding close contact with someone who has hand-foot-and-mouth disease can reduce your child’s risk of infection ,” Valencia said.

Kidnapped Chinese national rescued in Batangas

Batangas City – A Chinese national who was allegedly kidnapped by an unidentified foreign national was rescued by the personnel of the Alangilan Police Community Precinct – Batangas City Police Station.

The victim, a woman (not named), a native of Shanghai, China, was allegedly kidnapped by an unidentified foreign national suspect on September 17, 2022 at 12:30 a.m. in Angeles City, Pampanga. The kidnappers detained him for 20 days until he escaped to a residential house in Brgy. Alangilan, Batangas City.

The PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group confirmed the kidnapping of the subject in exchange for a $200,000 ransom.

PRO CALABARZON Regional Director, Police Brigadier General Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr praised the Batangas CPS personnel for the successful rescue of the Chinese national.

He also tasked the Anti-Kidnapping Group 4A (AKG) and operatives of PRO CALABARZON to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and identify the culprits.

“I commend the Batangas CPS operatives for rescuing the victim. Your timely response prevented another kidnapping incident involving Chinese Nationals. Such atrocities should not spread in our region. We must strengthen our intelligence efforts and maintain police presence on the streets to prevent possible kidnapping and other crimes,” said PBGEN Jose Melencio C Nartatez.

It was learned that some of the kidnappers have been identified and are now the subject of follow-up police operations.

“I want immediate progress in this case and I also want these kidnappers to be arrested. We cannot tolerate these criminals who prey on innocent civilians for their own sake,” added RD Nartatez.

Pedestrian killed after being run over by a truck in Batangas City

This truck figured in an accident that killed a pedestrian in Batangas City on Monday afternoon. (Batangas City PNP)

Batangas City – A 45-year-old man died after being hit and run over by a truck along PPA Road, Barangay Calicanto, Batangas City on Monday morning, police said.

The victim was identified as Ronan Hernandez, a resident of the said barangay.

Initial investigation said at around 11:45 am, the victim was just walking on the rightmost side of PPA road when he was run over by a truck driven by Danny Boy Guzman that was going to Barangay Bolbok, Batangas City.

The injured victim was rushed to the Batangas Medical Center but the doctor declared him dead on arrival.

The driver and the family of the victim’s orphaned relative have settled. (Marlon Luistro)

Balayan deputy cop nabbed for robbery extortion

Balayan, Batangas – Elements of the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) together with other PNP Units under Intel Packet “Marilag” have arrested on Friday a Police Captain assigned as Deputy Chief of Police of Balayan Municipal Police Station for robbery extortion.

PBGen. Warren de Leon, identified the suspect as PCpt. Ruben Marilag.

Authorities said the suspect
was arrested after he demanded and extorted money as weekly payola of Php2,000 from a resident whom he accused of illegally operating “loteng”, an illegal number game.

The said police official was arrested in an entrapment operation conducted on September 22, 2022, at about 4:47 PM in front of Robinson Bank near their station by the joint elements of Team 4A, IMEG Luzon Field Unit, 35th Special Action Company, PNP SAF, Balayan Municipal Police Station, and Provincial Intelligence Unit, Batangas Police Provincial Office.

The operation stemmed from a complaint lodged against Marilag for coercing and intimidating the complainant/victim into paying a weekly payola for the victim’s “loteng” operation.

Accordingly, the said “loteng” operation had already been stopped since March of 2021 when the victim was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer.

Despite this, the suspect insists that the victim must pay for his weekly payola amounting to P2,000
Recovered pieces of evidence were the marked money, the suspect’s service firearm with a magazine containing 14 live ammunition, an inside holster, smartphones, a cap with artificial hair and a wallet containing cash, and the suspect’s PNP ID.

The arrested suspect is now under the custody of IMEG Headquarters at Camp BGen Rafael T Crame, Quezon City for investigation and proper disposition.

PCPT Marilag is already the fifth active PNP personnel and the second police officer arrested by PNP IMEG in an entrapment operation since PBGEN DE LEON was designated as the Acting Director of IMEG on August 8.

“We are simply following the directive of our CPNP, PGEN RODOLFO S AZURIN JR, to go after erring PNP personnel who continue to ruin the image of the PNP organization despite repeated warnings and reminders,” De Leon said.

“We are determined to remove misfits as they don’t have a place in the organization. With this commitment, we hope that with the help of the community and the Church under the KASIMBAYANAN program, we can accomplish our mandate of cleansing the PNP of scalawags. Kaya tulong-tulong po tayo.”

The suspect has yet to issue a statement on his arrest.

Motorcycle rider killed after hitting a truck in Batangas City

Batangas City – A motorcycle rider was killed on the spot after crashing into a truck on a bypass road in Barangay Balagtas here Thursday morning, police said.

Police identified the killed driver as Daniel Chua, 26, a resident of the said barangay.

Initial investigation said at around 2:30 am, the truck that Felixberto Almarez was just traversing the said bypass road heading towards San Pascual town when the motorcycle hit its left front portion..

As a result of the impact impact, driver Chua fell fro his motorcycle and suffered head injuries causing his immediate death.

The suspect is already under the custody of the Batangas City police facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.

He has yet to issue a statement as of press time.

Batelec 2 lowers power rates once again

Lipa City, Batangas – For the second month in a row, the Batangas Electric Cooperative 2 (Batelec 2) will once again lower its electricity bill.

In a statement released on the cooperative’s official Facebook page on September 21, Batelec 2 management said that the electricity bill for residential consumers will decrease from the previous P14.0506 per kilowatt hour in August 2022 to P13.8024 per kWh this September.

Meanwhile power rates for commercial consumers will also drop from the previous P13.6850 per kilowatt hour in August 2022 to P13.3866 per kWh this September.

It is estimated that the charge for residential consumers was reduced to P0.2482 per kilowatt hour (kWh) while the charge for commercial – low voltage consumers was reduced to P0.2984 per kWh.

Batelec said there was a slight decrease in the residential rate for the month of September due to the blending of the new power supplier of BATELEC II and cheap prices in the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM) which lowered the price of Generation cost.

Batelec also noted that the generation charge is a pass-through charge and the cooperative only serves as a collector of the said fee.

The cooperative once again reminded consumers to be prudent in using electricity.