Former Catanduanes District Engineer Gil Augustus Balmadrid, who has been sent packing to the DPWH regional office upon persistent request of Cong. Eulogio Rodriguez, is not merely “floating” at his temporary office in Legazpi City.
According to a source, he has been designated by Regional Director Virgilio Eduarte as Team Leader of the Regional Inspectorate Team (RIT) for projects implemented within the provinces of Albay, Catanduanes and Sorsogon with the Assistant Regional Director as overall head of the team.
As such, he has been tasked with verification of the Statements of Work Accomplished submitted by the contractor for contract billing, as to quantity and compliance to approved plans and specifications; assessment of completed projects after the one-year defects liability period prior to the issuance of the Certificate of Acceptance by the regional director; verification of proposed Variation Order; verification of Project Engineer’s report on grounds in cases of Notice of Termination of Contract; and investigation of complaints regarding project implementation, among others.
The designation will take him back to the island at least two times a month in the near future to inspect projects being implemented by the regional office, including the expansion and lengthening of the boulevard in Virac.
The region usually implements projects greater than P100 million in cost although it has been known to bid out projects smaller than P50 million.
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With the rainy season already upon us, barangay officials should be prodded to implement the enhanced 4S, particularly to search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites especially containers that collect water like tires, bottles, tins and coconut shells.
Families can also do their part right in their homes by doing the following simple tasks: emptying and cleaning water storage containers; cleaning the insides of flower vases and plant pots and regularly changing the water; cleaning drains and gutters; disposing of any unused containers and objects that accumulate water, including bottle caps; and turning over any container that cannot be thrown away and protecting them from the rain.
Just last Aug, 24, barangay health workers of Calatagan Proper joined nurses employed under the DOH Human Resource for Health (HRH) program and the Rural Sanitary Inspector of Virac RHU to conduct an entomology survey in Calatagan Proper.
Examination of the samples undertaken by Medical Technologist II Ramil Mariano confirmed that of the 60 houses surveyed, 46 (76 percent) were positive for the presence of larvae of Aedes Aegypti and Aedes Albopictus that carry dengue.
Of the 81 containers inspected, 59 had the dengue-carrying larvae, the team also found out, with a total of 237 occupants staying in the houses surveyed.
All four larval and pupal indices used as gauge in the survey indicated that Calatagan Proper is at high risk for a dengue outbreak.
Municipal Health Officer Dr. Elva Joson has reportedly informed the barangay council of the results and recommended that it implement the Action Barangay Kontra Dengue (ABKD) and activate the Barangay Dengue Brigade.
As the survey is one of many being undertaken by the RHUs not only in Virac but in the rest of the 315 barangays, perhaps there are many other villages at high risk for dengue right now.
Perhaps the Provincial Health Office can give the media an update on the rising cases of dengue, typhoid and other notifiable diseases.
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SUNDAY SCHOOL. Little Johnny was asked by his mother what he had learned at Sunday School.
“Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and saved the Israelites.”
“Is that really what your teacher taught you?
“Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way our teacher did, you’d never believe it.”