The Pasay City police caught more than 3,000 individuals violating the health protocol imposed by the government amid the coronavirus disease outbreak.
Of those apprehended, 416 were penalized while more than 2,000 were given a warning for various health and safety violations since last August 4.
In a report to Mayor Imelda Rubiano, Pasay City police commander Col. Eric Dilag said they were able to apprehend and fine 247 people for not wearing a face mask; 21 for not having a quarantine pass; five for not practicing physical distancing; and 143 for violating curfew hours.
"There will be no letup in our campaign to implement health and safety standards in the city," said Dilag.
Rubiano reminded city residents to follow the health and safety protocols to further help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the city.
The policies include the no face shield-no ride for commuters and the wearing of face mask in public places.
"I am calling on all Pasayeños as well as those visiting the city to cooperate with this measure. This is for the good of all,” said Rubiano.
She said the mandatory wearing of face shields for residents while riding public transportation was in compliance with the memorandum from the Department of Transportation.
Rubiano earlier ordered all city government and police officials to intensify the city's campaign against COVID-19.
She also instructed barangay officials and health center personnel to tag or identify COVID-19 recovered patients to ensure all recovered patients had actually completed the required 14-day isolation and had not experienced symptoms of the disease in the last three days prior to their discharge from isolation or quarantine.
Rubiano said the guidelines set by the government were based on experts’ studies and likewise comply with the instructions from the World Health Organization.
“We thus enjoin our barangay officials to really see to it that patients undergo the mandatory 14-day isolation and that they have no symptoms before they can be discharged in accordance to this DOH guidelines,” she said.
City Health Office chief Dr. Cesar Encinares said the officials of a barangay with jurisdiction over the patient should make a certification that this patient had completed the required 14-day quarantine and that he/she had not experienced COVID-19 symptoms in the last three days.
A health center doctor may attest to this barangay certification if the said patient requested for such attestation especially for the purpose of travel, he said.Grade school students from Taguig Integrated School recently brought the country honor and pride on the world stage as they won major science awards for inventing innovative yet practical household products.
The two winning products, “Euphorbia Hirta Dengue-Relieving Tea” and “Coconut Oil, Basil, and Beeswax Anti-Bacterial and Mosquito Repellant Candle” won Gold and Silver prizes, respectively at the International Engineering Invention and Innovation Exhibition.
The event is organized by the World Invention Intellectual Property Association and the International Federation of Inventors’ Association and held last April 13 to 15 at Universiti Malaysia Perlis in Perlis, Malaysia.
TIS’ Kenth Andrew Gallarda, Franxes Keisha Joven, and Francis Elija Valdez took home the gold award Ivan Gabriel de Lumen, Issachar Philippe’e Zerda, and Vien Kiosoffe Lopez won silver. The teams were led by research advisers and TIS faculty members Rosenda Puno, Georgie Amaranto, and Grace Binalla.
The Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, provided the school’s learning facilities as well as financial support during the three-day exhibition as part of its broader and strong commitment to the Department of Education Special Science Elementary Schools (DepEd SSES) project.
As part of the DepED SSES project, the science students explained that their inventions were inspired by practical everyday challenges that they sought to address.
“Many people today have dengue, especially in our community, and we want to help relieve their symptoms through the euphorbia, which make blood platelets reproduce faster,” said Joven.
“I felt a bit nervous during the question-and-answer portion because I thought the questions from the jury would be too hard. Still, I was able to answer some of them,” Gallardo said of his experience at the contest.
“I felt really happy for our students. Aboitiz proved to be a really big help. Aside from the laboratory provided by the Aboitiz Foundation, the equipment for research such as projectors and computers can definitely be used in the future,” said Puno.
“This big win by our student-beneficiaries from TIS truly motivates us. The Aboitiz Foundation will continue supporting important educational initiatives, particularly the strengthening of SSES and technical-vocational high schools, as we help communities feel empowered, safe, and be sustainable,” said Maribeth L. Marasigan, Aboitiz Foundation First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
The Aboitiz Group has long been supportive of the country’s public education system, believing this is where the Group can make the biggest impact. The Aboitiz Foundation aims to help improve the quality of universal public education in the country.
This, in turn, supports one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically on Quality Education (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all).