Cong. Pulong facilitates release of cash assistance to tricycle drivers

Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte facilitated the release of P8.1 million cash assistance to the tricycle drivers in Davao City. The fund is sourced from the Department of Labor and Employment’s TUPAD or Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers.

Congressman Duterte said DOLE has allocated P3,960 to each of the 2,055 identified beneficiaries. Aside from the cash assistance, the office of Rep. Duterte will also be distributing foodpacks to the tricycle drivers.

The presidential son said they will first complete their distribution of cash assistance to trisikad drivers in the 1st district before they will start with the distribution of TUPAD assistance to the tricycle drivers.

Duterte gave P3,000 cash assistance to trisikad drivers affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

A total of 2,235 trisikad drivers have been identified by his congressional office as beneficiaries in 54 barangays within the 1st District. The total cash assistance to trisikad drivers amounted to P6.7 million.

All 54 barangays in the 1st congressional district also received food packs from Cong. Duterte. Even other LGUs in the Davao Region also received assistance from the congressman who gave out 2 million face masks and 1,000 thermal guns.

Congressman Duterte said he is lucky enough to have generous friends that wanted to donate to the Filipinos thus his series of foodpacks distributions including other health equipment.

“Dako akong utang kabubut-on sa mga Dabawenyo. Mao ni akong paagi para ipakita na naa ko sa panahon nga gikinahanglan ko nila. Walang iwanan!,” Cong. Duterte said.

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DUTERTE TO FILE A BILL REPEALING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10912

Almost four years since the enactment of Republic Act No. 10912 or the “Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016,” Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte pronounced that he will file a measure repealing the said law.

“While we support the lifelong learning among our professionals to further their craft, the requirements set by the CPD law just adds to the burden they have to deal with. After a long day of work, they are forced to spend a bulk of their salary, take absences from work, and go through unreasonable hardships just so they can renew their licenses and continue the practice of their professions,” the presidential son said.

“This CPD law is uncalled for. To address this, we will file a bill repealing this anti-professional measure introduced by Trillanes. We can actually help our professionals meet global standards through other means, without passing the burden to them,” Duterte noted.

“Our proposed measure is also to serve as gratitude to our professional frontliners who continuously render their service to our nation, especially in this time of crisis. We have witnessed the selfless acts of our professional frontliners. They do not deserve the CPD law,” the solon stated.

“This is long overdue. We will not just file it for the sake of filing. We will file this bill, seek support from our colleagues in Congress, and make sure that this is enacted as soon as possible,” Duterte pronounced.

The said Act lapsed into law on July 2016 and took effect on August 2016.

The implementation of R.A. No. 10912 started on March 15, 2017, upon the effectivity of Resolution No. 1032 or the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of R.A. No. 10912.

The said law were authored by Senators Cynthia Villar and Francis Escudero and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Davao City prepares to lift ECQ

Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte said on Thursday that the city government is now preparing for the lifting of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and the shift to another system against the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid -19).

Speaking over the city-operated Davao City Disaster Radio, Mayor Inday said that the epidemiologists she had been consulting, insofar as efforts against Covid-19 is concerned, had given her the go-signal for a shift to a Modified Community Quarantine (MCQ) in the city.

The ECQ will be lifted on April 26, 2020.

“Naga okay na ang atong epidemiologists, and atong mga grupo sa mga infectious diseases specialists,” she said.

However, Mayor Inday clarified that the MCQ only differed little from the current ECQ.

“Ang difference lang niya is aduna siya’y mass transport pero ang iyang mass transport is less than the regular the (normal) sa dalan so mao na siya ang among ginabuhat sa pagkakaron,” she said.

Workers of some establishments can also go back to their work, subject to limitations and that social distancing should also be observed.

She said establishments that would be allowed to operate should adopt a skeletal workforce and shortened work hours.

The Executive Order for the MCQ will be issued soon. CIO

EastMinCom simulates COVID-19 air response, evacuation

NSFA, Panacan, Davao City – The Eastern Mindanao Command (EMC) through the Tactical Operations Wing-Eastern Mindanao (TOW-EM) conducted an Air Evacuation Simulation Exercise for COVID-19 patients on April 21- 22, 2020, at the Davao Air Station, Sasa, Davao City.

The exercise was meant to evaluate the current doctrine, organization, training, materiel, and personnel of the Command in the conduct of air evacuation relative to the present protocols and procedures being adopted and implemented in the fight against COVID-19.

It also aims to enhance the inter-operability of the Command’s air units with other member agencies, offices, and organizations in the task force of fighting COVID-19.

Further, the exercise also simulated COVID 19 scenarios that may arise during the rainy season and other possible natural calamaties like patient extracation in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantage Areas. It also included heliborne operations, patient evacuation, PPE wearing and removing procedure and other relevant safety procedure.

Personnel from Department of Health Region XI, Davao City 911, Office of the Civil Defense XI and other Rescue organizations were invited to participate and to give critique as part of enhancement and procedural modification.

NPA leader killed, minor rescued

A leader of the New Peoples Army (NPA) was killed while a minor was rescued as skirmishes erupted in Northeastern Mindanao on April 19 and 20, 2020.

At around 11:40 AM on April 20, elements of the 29th Infantry Battalion while on hot pursuit figured in a skirmish against a group of NPA at Brgy. Bangayan, Kitcharao, Agusan Del Norte which resulted in the death of a certain Kevin Caballero alias Banjo, a known Vice Leader of NPA group being monitored in the area, and the seizure of one M4 rifle with an attached M203 grenade launcher, subversive documents, and one landmine switch kit.

The pursuit came after elements of the same unit encountered more or less 20 NPAs at around 5:30 AM of the same day at Brgy. Bangayan, which resulted in the discovery of an NPA hideout, capture of three suspected NPA members and the rescue of a 9-year old boy.

Another 15-minute skirmish with the NPAs followed at about 3:00 PM as the troops conducted a clearing operation, which led to the seizure of one AK47 rifle.

The killed NPA was identified by a former rebel during a public identification before turning over its cadaver and the captured NPA members to the Local Government Unit and Philippine National Police in the area for proper disposition.

Meanwhile, the rescued minor was also turned over to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development in compliance with the provision of the Republic Act 11188 otherwise known as “Special Protection of Children Situation in Armed Conflict.”

In a separate instance, the troops of the 30th Infantry Battalion, while conducting security operations encountered an undetermined number of NPAs at Sitio Katikuyan, Brgy. Camam-onan, Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte at about 2:35 PM on April 19, 2020.

The thirty-minute firefight forced the NPAs to withdrew towards several directions leaving behind 12 backpacks with personal belongings, several live ammunitions, International Humanitarian Law banned anti-personnel mine, 50 meters electrical wire, seven jungle hammocks, 12 poncho tents, and several subversive documents.

The intensified conduct of security operations in Eastern Mindanao was brought about by the task of the AFP units to secure the different socio-economic programs being implemented by the different Government Agencies and Local Government Units in its fight against COVID-19 and mitigate its social and economic impact.