MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has ordered the mandatory use of masks anew within its facilities due to the increasing number of cases of respiratory illness in the country.
In a statement yesterday, the BuCor said on-duty personnel, visitors and civilians will be required to wear face masks.
Other people entering BuCor buildings and camps, as well as those transacting with BuCor offices, are als o ordered to wear face masks.
“Applying preventive measures to avoid transmission of infection within BuCor facilities is imperative to maintain the health and wellbeing of PDLs (persons deprived of liberty), personnel and the community,” the statement read.
The bureau added that PDLs will also be required to wear face masks when they avail themselves of medical consultations and laboratory services in prison hospitals and infirmaries.
The order came after the Department of Health recorded four cases of “walking pneumonia” in the country. The DOH said “walking pneumonia” is a curable bacterial infection that can be prevented by observing minimum public health protocols.
MANILA, Philippines — A councilor in Manila blamed the apparent lack of implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the failure to enforce an ordinance declaring Sta. Ana district as a heritage zone.
While City Ordinance 8244 – wh ich declared an area of Sta. Ana bounded by the San Juan River, M. L. Carreon and Tejeron streets, Del Pan street and the Pasig River as a historical and cultural heritage/overlay zone – was passed in 2011, the IRR have not been drafted until now, according to Manila city council minority floor leader and District 6 Councilor Salvador Philip Lacuna.
“It would be better if in the future there would be a resolution prescribing a (deadline) for the drafting of the IRR, because we create ordinances and then when it passes the third and final reading with the promise of an IRR, we tend to forget to do so,” he proposed.
Lacuna declared this in response to the recommendations of his fellow District 6 Councilor Luciano Veloso, chairman of the city council’s arts and culture committee, one of which was to convene the Sta. Ana Histo-Cultural Planning Committee to draft the IRR for City Ordinance 8244.
Previously, residents of Sta. Ana decried the continued construction activities of a developer, which reportedly plans to build three 36-floor condominium buildings within the so-called heritage buffer zone of Sta. Ana.
The tremors caused by drillings allegedly caused the paintings on the ceiling of the “camarin” or the room that hosts the revered Our Lady of the Abandoned to chip. The said paintings, believed to be as old as the over 300-year-old Sta. Ana Church, has been declared a National Cultural Treasure.
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) started its market visits yesterday to ensure that the supply and prices of commodities are stable for the holidays.
DA Undersecretary for Operations Roger Navarro led the first round of random market inspections around Metro Manila, starting with Quezon City.
Navarro assured the public that there is a sufficient supply of meat, poultry, vegetables and fish when he inspected the Mega Q-Mart and Kamuning Public Market in Quezon City.
He said that aside from market inspections, the DA is discussing with other government agencies possible interventions to ensure that prices remain stable.
He said that the DA is coordinating with the National Price Coordinating Council to ensure that imported goods also do not flood the market and undermine local producers.
Representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry-Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau also joined the market inspections.
MANILA, Philippines — More than 11,000 police officers have been deployed in Metro Manila as early as Dec. 1 to ensure a safe and orderly Christmas celebration, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said yesterday.
Lt. Col. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., NCRPO chief, said police visibility was increased in malls, churches, markets, terminals and other places of convergence.
The NCRPO will also enforce maximum police visibility in churches from Dec. 16 to 24 to secure people attending the nine-day misa de gallo or simbang gabi.
Police assistance desks will also be placed near church entrances.
“The NCRPO remains committed… to ensure peaceful and orderly celebrations of ‘Ligtas Paskuhan 2023’ in Metro Manila,” Nartatez said.