photo by Ver Noveno
DILG asks officials to help in the campaign
BY: LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA/RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT
TACLOBAN CITY-The province of Leyte was placed under state of calamity on Friday (July 19) amidst the increasing number of dengue fever cases.
As this developed, the regional Department of Interior and Local Government(DILG) has called all local government unit officials down to the villages to step up their campaign against the mosquitoes-causing ailment in order to contain the increasing number of dengue fever in the region.
With the declaration, the provincial government and all its municipalities, to include Baybay City, could now use part of their calamity funds to procure needed medicines and fogging machines to combat the mosquito-causing ailment, Board Member Raissa Villasin, who sponsored the resolution,said.
The declaration was made through a resolution passed by the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan upon the request of Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla.
As of July 12, the province has about 1,747 cases of dengue fever with six deaths.
The number does not include those of Tacloban and Ormoc cities being highly urbanized and independent charter cities respectively which made them administratively independent from the provincial government.
Tacloban City has about 407 cases with six deaths while there is no data available as of press time on Ormoc.
“It’s about time that we declare a state of calamity due to the increasing number of dengue fever cases which does not only affect children but of all age group,” she said.
“The least that we can do is to (prevent) the increasing number of our cases, even deaths by declaring the province under the state of calamity so we can address the situation,” Villasin added.
Villasin said that all the 40 towns and the city of Baybay have dengue fever cases.
The six deaths were from the towns of Burauen (2) and one each from the towns of Babatngon, Mahaplag, Merida, and Baybay City.
The top five areas in the province which have more than a hundred cases of dengue fever were Baybay City (155); Jaro (126); Palo (123); Sta. Fe (217); and Alangalang (118).
Meantime, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), through Regional Director Artemio Caneja, urged all local government units across the region to strengthen their measures to address the increasing number of dengue fever cases in Eastern Visayas.
“Governors, mayors, and punong barangays should take the lead in ensuring that households, workplaces, and other parts of the community do not become breeding grounds of dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” Caneja said in his open letter addressed to all local government units in the region.
(with reports JOEY A. GABIETA)
