In the sardines capital, households get fresh fish as part of food relief program
Police sets up quarantine facility inside headquarters
THE Kiangan Billeting Center inside the police national headquarters has been temporarily converted as a quarantine facility for officers who are considered patients under investigation (PUI) and persons under monitoring (PUM) for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A total of 152 police personnel are listed as PUIs or those with symptoms of the virus, while 1,422 are PUMs, or those with travel histories and contacts with COVID-19 patients. Ten police officers have so far tested positive for COVID-19, mostly deployed in Metro Manila and parts of Luzon. Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Archie Franciso F. Gamboa has tested negative for the disease. “He underwent tests and the result was negative… He remains healthy but is adapting strict biosafety measures,” PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard M. Banac said on Wednesday. —
Emmanuel Tupas,
THE BUREAU of Fisheries and Aquatic ResourcesZamboanga Peninsula (BFAR-9) office has initiated a program to deliver fresh fish to poor households in Zamboanga City amid restrictions in line with preventing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The city, dubbed as the sardines capital of the country, is under an enhanced community quarantine, wherein public transport has been suspended apart from limited movement for people. BFAR’s #FishStayAtHome program is in collaboration with the local government, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, Southern Philippines (SOPHIL) Deep Sea Fishing Association Inc., and other fishing companies based in Zamboanga City. Under the program, two cold storage facilities have been identified as drop-off points for fresh fish donations from fishing companies. The fish are then distributed to households, with priority given to poor communities, in coordination with barangay officials. As of March 31, BFAR-9 said they have already made four delivery batches with over 1,500 kilos of fish delivered. “Not only the barangays were given food fish donations, but also other government front liners specifically the Philippine National Police,” BFAR-9 reported. Groups — such as restaurants and one led by a Western Mindanao State University professor — that are preparing cooked food packs for frontliners have also been made beneficiaries of the #FishStayAtHome program. Meanwhile, the city government has also been distributing the usual food relief packs containing, among other items, rice and canned sardines. Zamboanga City hosts 12 major canning factories. —