Regional Updates
Over 68,000 people displaced as typhoon Bising brings heavy rains, strong winds
ABOUT 68,500 people remained in evacuation facilities Monday as typhoon Bising maintained its strength, dumping rains and bringing strong winds in eastern parts of the country, according to the national disaster management council. In its April 19 report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRM) said 18,467 families consisting of 68,490 people were preemptively evacuated in the regions of Bicol and Eastern Visayas. Several road sections were also affected while flooding was reported in at least 22 communities in the two regions, NDRRMC said. Typhoon warning signal #2 was still up in parts of the Bicol provinces of Catanduanes, Camariñes Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon as well as in the Samar, provinces in Eastern Visayas, based on the Monday 5 p.m. bulletin of state weather bureau PAGASA. Signal #1, meanwhile, was raised in parts of the provinces of Cagayan Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Quezon, and Camariñes Norte, Biliran, Leyte, and the northern portion of Cebu. As of 4:00 p.m. Monday, Bising, (international name: Surigae), was located 500 kilometers (kms) east of Infanta, Quezon and slowly moving in a northwest direction, according to PAGASA. The typhoon was packing maximum sustained winds of 195 km per hour (km/h) near the center and gustiness of up to 240 km/h. Bising is expected to be 465 kms east of Baler, Aurora by Tuesday afternoon. PAGASA warned of continued “rough to very rough” seas in the eastern seaboard within the next 24 hours. More than 2,200 passengers were stranded in various ports while 896 rolling cargoes and 61 vessels were prohibited from sailing.
242-bed modular hospital for COVID patients planned within NCMH
A 242-BED modular hospital that will handle coronavirus patients is being planned within the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) compound in Mandaluyong City as other medical facilities in the capital continue to be overwhelmed by new positive cases, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). In a statement on Monday, the department said Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain recently met with NCMH chief Noel V. Reyes to discuss preparatory plans for the modular off-site hospital. “About 11 cluster units of makeshift hospital with 242 bed capacity dedicated to the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients can be put up by DPWH and to be managed by NCMH and DoH (Department of Health),” it said. DPWH is also proposing to construct off-site dormitories with 96 beds for the medical professionals who will be assigned at the NCMH facility. Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar, designated as czar for setting up isolation facilities, said they continue to coordinate with the DoH and government hospitals in Metro Manila on the possible use of vacant spaces for pop-up hospitals. “Capacity expansion of major hospitals are ongoing using prefabricated components to speed up the construction process,” Mr. Villar said.
HOTELS
Meanwhile, the Tourism department lauded the hotel industry’s continued support to the coronavirus response by serving as isolation and quarantine facilities. As of April 18, the department said there are 21 hotels in Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces within the Calabarzon Region that have been converted into isolation facilities with more than 2,220 rooms. “The DoT (Department of Tourism) is one with the entire tourism industry to help mitigate the effects of this pandemic in any way it can. We are guided by our Bayanihan spirit, which has strengthened us since the on-set of the pandemic, in working together with the private and public sectors towards our nation’s recovery,” Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement. Ms. Puyat also noted that tourism sites Nayong Pilipino and the Rizal Park will be used as vaccination sites through public-private partnership. —
Century Pacific Food to help coconut farmers in Mindanao
CENTURY Pacific Food, Inc. (CNPF) has launched a project that enables consumers to help coconut farmers in Mindanao through the purchase of a bundle of the company’s plant-based products. The listed food company said in a stock exchange disclosure on Monday that one coconut tree will be planted for every sold pack, which contains Coco Mama, Vita Coco, and UnMeat brands that will be made available during Earth Week 2021. CNPF partnered with non-profit organization Hope for the initiative. “On top of expanding coconut supply in South Central Mindanao and helping augment the income of 16,000 farmers and their families, these new coconut trees are also expected to offset about 416,680 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, allowing CNPF’s coconut business to be ‘carbon neutral’ by 2028,” the company said. Further, CNPF said proceeds from the sold bundles will also go to coconut farmer beneficiaries in Sarangani province. According to the company, the project is part of its sustainability program that seeks to provide Filipino farmers with 100,000 free coconut seedlings annually over the next five to eight years. The company added that consumers can support the project by purchasing bundles of Coco Mama, Vita Coco, and UnMeat at its food stores in Shopee and Lazada until April 25. For 2020, CNPF posted a P3.9-billion net income, an increase of 24% year-on-year due to higher revenues from its branded business segment. Its consolidated revenues improved 19% year-on-year to P48.3 billion. On Monday, shares of CNPF at the stock exchange increased 5.26% or P1 to finish at P20 per share. —