Nearly 2,500 passengers stranded in Bicol sea ports

Nearly 2,500 passengers stranded in Bicol sea ports; gov't hospitals on White Alert
By Connie B. Destura

LEGAZPI CITY, Dec. 24 (PNA) -- The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol has reported that nearly 2,500 passengers have been stranded in various sea ports in the region since Friday, after Coast Guard authorities cancelled the sailing of all sea craft due to bad weather spawned by Typhoon Nina.

As of 12 noon Saturday, 'Nina' was spotted 445 km. east of Virac, Catanduanes. The state weather bureau, PAGASA, said 'Nina' has slightly slowed down but it has intensified further as it continued to move west-northwest.

Bernardo Rafael Alejandro, head of both OCD-Bicol and the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, said that as of 4 a.m. Saturday, the number of passengers stranded in the ports of Pilar, Matnog and Bulan, all in Sorsogon; Tabaco City and Pio Duran in Albay; San Andres in Catanduanes; and Bapor in Masbate has reached 2,499.

He said they have been in these ports since Friday.

Alejandro said the number of rolling cargoes stranded in the ports have reached 367, majority of them in Matnog port in Sorsogon, where there were 360 cars, trucks and buses stranded.

He said there were two light vehicles stranded in Pilar port, also in Sorsogon; two in San Andres, Catanduanes; and three in Bapor, Masbate.

Alejandro said the RDRRMC has advised all DRRMCs in various local government units in the region to be on heightened alert, particularly those in coastal barangays, for possible floods, landslides and storm surges.

Meanwhile, the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH) based in this city has been placed under White Alert so it could respond and ensure efficient services as 'Nina' approaches Bicol.

Dr. Butch Rivera, BRTTH chief of hospital, said all hospital personnel have been directed to report, temporarily suspending all leaves of absences.

"During a Code White Alert, all hospital personnel -- general surgeons, orthopedists, anesthesiologists, internists, operating room nurses, ophthalmologists and other specialists -- are expected to be on duty," he said.

Rivera assured that standby ambulances and generators have been readied to ensure effective delivery of services to the public once 'Nina' hits the region.

He said all rural health units and birthing facilities in Albay have also been advised by the provincial health office to operate for 24 hours.

Rivera said in case of emergency, the BRTTH could be reached at (052)-483-00-17; Globe-0917-571-7234 and Smart-0998-576-2240. (PNA)

ARMM exec calls for unity after polls, vows support for Duterte's economic agenda

ARMM exec calls for unity after polls, vows support for Duterte's economic agenda

By Edwin O. Fernandez

COTABATO CITY, June 11 (PNA) -- "Its now time to heal, its time to mend fences of political divide in the region and in the country."

This was the gist of re-elected Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) who was interviewed by ARMM weekend radio program, entitled "Aksyon ARMM" Saturday.

Hataman admitted the recent polls have divided the region and its people who are all Bangsamoro.

He said the May 9 national and local elections had been past divisive politics of mudslinging.

"The election is over, its time to move on and forget the sad issues that emerged during the election," he said.

The regional governor said majority of ARMM inhabitants wanted genuine delivery of government basic services which had been denied to them in the past.

He said the reforms he introduced to the regional bureaucracy since assuming office in 2013 was not enough. "Much has to be done," he said.

"This is now the time to move forward for sustainable reforms, and we need to deliver the government services to every ARMM constituent, Hataman said.

Hataman vowed to push with his incoming President Duterte's economic agenda.

These include Tax and Revenue Reforms; Accelerated spending on infrastructure program taking into consideration certain priorities; Enhanced investment and economic competitiveness of doing business in the country; Support services to small farmers for increased productivity and improved market access;

Strengthened irrigation and better support services to farmers; Promotion of ecotourism in the rural areas; Address bottlenecks in land administration and management system; Strengthened basic education system, and provide scholarships for tertiary education, which are relevant to private employers' needs; Improved tax system by indexing tax collection to inflation rate, "to enable those who earn a little to have more in their pockets"; and Expand and improve implementation of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.

Hataman, a Liberal Party stalwart, has vowed to support President elect Duterte especially on his programs for the Bangsamoro people. (PNA)