月別: 2020年3月
Three inmates die in stabbing incident in Bilibid
Financial assistance for Covid-19 patients, OFWs bared
Government exempts agri and fisheries workers from Luzon Enhanced Community Quarantine
Government rolls out national action plan to eliminate COVID-19
POC says Japan decision to postpone Olympics ”the right decision”
Police arrest captain in Agusan del Norte for alleged extortion
Military rescues doctor from Abu Sayyaf in Sulu
The military recovered a doctor released by his Abu Sayyaf abductors in Sulu on Tuesday night.
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Mindanao Command chief, said troops were conducting combat operation against the terrorist group when Daniel Moreno was released by his abductors.
Moreno was kidnapped by armed men in his clinic in Jolo on Feb.4
Sobejana said during the combat operation soldiers found and rescued Moreno at the vicinity of Brgy. Bangalan, Indanan, Sulu around 7:30 pm.
“The event started with release, then rescue, then firefight…what had really transpired is that we had a continuous search and rescue operations as well as security operations against the Abu Sayyaf and of course primarily for the rescue of the six kidnap victims,” he said.
“At 7:30 last night there was a report about their presence in the area so our troops responded particularly the 1102nd brigade they detected movements of armed lawless groups so they conducted hot pursuit operation then they just saw Dr. Moreno in the area,” he added.
Sobejana said after the rescue of Moreno, soldiers pursued the Abu Sayyaf resulting in a running gun battle that lasted for five minutes.
He said Moreno underwent medical examination at the military hospital in Busbus, Jolo and custodial debriefing. He was turned over to the Philippine National Police who will send him to his family.
“The reason that we see why he was released is because the terrorist were being hunted by the troops. Considering the age and of course the health condition of the doctor, maybe their movement was affected,” said Sobejana.
“So far there is no adverse report on his (Moreno) health, I’m still waiting for the progress report from JTF Sulu as regards in the results of the custodial debriefing,” he said.
Sobejana said according to the family of Moreno the terrorist demanded a three million peso ransom but this was not paid by the family before the doctor was freed. Robina Asido/DMS
Statement of Sen. Leila m. De lima on the recently enacted “Bayanihan to Heal As One Act”
Agri chief: Food production must continue
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will ensure that food will be available from production to consumption during the enhanced community quarantine through its Food Resiliency and Recovery Action Plan, as adopted by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-IED).
“The threat of hunger is as real as the threat of COVID-19,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said emphasizing that equal priority and attention should be given to food production to avoid potential social unrest.
With the three-pronged objectives of food productivity and availability, food accessibility and mobility, and food price stability, the DA is proactively crafting programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) to be implemented in a crisis-oriented environment and ensure food security throughout the year.
“The DA will focus on these PPAs during the state of public health emergency, while still performing our regular tasks,” the Secretary said.
The DA Service Continuity Planning and Management Team (SCPMT) ensures that the Department’s skeletal workforce and work-from-home personnel continue to deliver outputs and services to the public.
Immediate, short-term, and long-term plans for input supply, production, processing, storage, and distribution amid the enhanced community quarantine were also discussed.
“We want to ensure that the farmers and fisherfolk will have enough income during this environment of COVID-19,” Dar said.
Social protection and amelioration programs will be implemented to include the provision of cash assistance, supply of personal protective equipment and medicine, access to information and health care, and insurance for the farmers, fishers, and workers who continue to produce food for the country.
The DA and its regional field offices will also work with local government units to enhance food production in the countryside and help facilitate transportation of farmers and fisherfolk in bringing their produce to public markets, among others.
In terms of food supply mobility, the DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) monitors availability from source to market, prepositions supply to meet demand, accommodates text-based requests for supply, and issues food pass to ensure unhampered movement of cargoes.
Price freeze for basic necessities and prime commodities is also in effect through Memorandum Circular 77 issued by Malacanang and the Joint Memorandum No. 2020-01 by DA, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Health.
To enhance food supply availability and sustain food price stability, the DA has proposed for P1 billion supplemental budget to cover the upscaling of Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita, enhanced mobility food supply, and massive promotion of urban agriculture.
The budget will also cover mass production and distribution of planting materials, fingerlings, and animal breeds, provision of DA services on wheels, production of information, education and communication materials, and provision of incentives for staff in the frontlines. (Department of Agriculture)