Campus alumni assoc provides relief for Bstuds, faculty, staff WORDS BY JOYCE ANN SAYUSA AND CRISSALYN DOCE PHOTOS FROM JEFFREY AZOR’S FB ACCOUNT
University of Rizal System Binangonan Alumni Association (URSB AA) gave relief assistance to 23 stranded URSBians, 11 part time instructors and six campus guards under the URSB Alumni Relief extension program. Due to the suspension of public transportation facilities and restriction on land travel under the guidelines
of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), students living on the dormitories and renting on apartments nearby the university failed to return to their respective homes. “Nagpapasalamat ako ng marami dahil sobrang laking tulong ang mabahagian ng relief lalo na panahon ngayon ng pandemic,” said Milagros L. Serrano, 4th year BSBA Financial Management student and a beneficiary
of the project. Meanwhile, URSB part time instructors and staff were affected by the class suspension guideline and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) No Work, No Pay policy. Aside from the students, instructors and security guards, five URSB office staff, three ROTC students on duty, three alumni and 44 less privileged community members were included on the 103 total beneficiaries during the series of distribution held last April 17 and May 10. “Imagine how much hope we can generate if we could only have the courage to share no matter how big or small,” URSB Alumni Association (URSB AA) President and professor Jeffrey M. Azor said on his facebook post about the relief operations. Cash donations from the UAA Drive summed up the amount of P 36,118 and were used as the primary source of fund to buy groceries including rice, canned good, noodles and other basic necessities and personal hygiene kit. URSB Alumni Relief Initiative is the UAA’s counterpart project to the larger URSB Cares Extension project, spearheaded by Executive Committee (EXECOM) and Extension Office.
URS, LGU send home stranded URSBians WORDS BY CHRISTINE PELLE
University of Rizal System (URS) through the Office of the International Affairs, Campus Student Development Services (SDS), and Local Government of Binangonan helped URSB students stranded from their dormitories due to lockdown in returning to their respective hometowns. With close coordination among Prof. Aldrin Boca, Head of URSBSDS, Ms. Ysell San Juan of University International Affairs, and different barangay captains in Binangonan, foreign students from Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Financial Management
(BSBA FM) Hung Hoang or William and Ngo Ding Nhat or Jackie already flew back to Vietnam last May 14. Moreover, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) student Kenneth Joy Dimafelix is also set to come back to Tuy Batangas. She is just waiting for the acceptance from the barangay where she lives before the Binangonan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) will release her Authority to Travel. Instead of returning to Oriental Mindoro, Bachelor of Science in Information System (BSIS) graduating student Victor Fortu chose to stay on his boarding house while completing all
his course requirements for the second semester of the current academic year. Another two (2) BSBA FM students namely Milagros Serrano, a Camarines Sur native, and Ma Jizelle Aragoza, a Pasig City resident also preferred to remain on their corresponding apartment to finish their left behind requirements for their courses. Among them, BSA student Ariel Millanes’ fate went otherwise as his request to return in Panukulan Island, Quezon province was denied by the barangay where he originally resides. He was advised to just stay in his place.
Binangonan LGU Covid-19 ready WORDS BY JONJON DELA CRUZ PHOTOS FROM WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CESARYNARES
After managing to take several preventive measures, successfully conducted series of relief operations and launched beneficial programs in the middle of the pandemic, Binangonan Local Government Unit (LGU) proved their preparedness towards facing Covid-19. MUST MASS TESTING As the primary step to slowdown the spread of the disease and contain the virus, sequential Targeted and Expanded Community Based Mass Testing for patients under suspect and probable cases via rapid test kits was conducted at Margarito A. Duavit Memorial Hospital on May 20; different Elementary Schools including Tayuman, May 21; Lunsad, May 22; Calumpang, May 26 and Binangonan, May 27. Consequently, those who fared ‘reactive’ from the said assessment has undergone Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test and were immediately brought to the designated Community isolation Units (CUIs) while waiting for the result. As of June 16, Binangonan tallied 48 confirmed cases: 4 are still active, 41 recoveries and 3 death tolls.
OTHER PRE-VENTIVE ACTIONS Prior to the start of the outbreak, the Municipal Health Office (MHO) has conducted Awareness and Dissemination Seminar on Novel Coronavirus or Covid-19 among barangay workers in the municipality on March 6 and 7. They tackled the origin and whereabouts of the virus, symptoms and safety measures to contain it and reducing
the possibility of acquiring and spreading the disease. Moreover, thermal scanning and placing a disinfectant station on the entrance of each municipal building was pioneered. Meanwhile, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) has been continuously working on the disinfection and misting the town’s public and private elementary and high schools, churches, public markets, hospitals, barangay halls, and public areas such as parks, side streets and national roads. BENEFICIAL PROGRAMS To ensure the medical front liner’s safety, the local government provided free accommodation at Binangonan Recreation and Convention Center (BRCC). This is also the LGU’s way to guarantee that they will not experience any inconvenience going to and from work during these times. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are also supplied to the healthcare warriors.
Lastly, the LGU through the MDRRMO sent home Locally Stranded Individuals (LSI) including the two Vietnamese exchange students who are currently studying at the University of Rizal System Binangonan (URSB). They were granted the opportunity to fly back to their country last May 14. IT IS A REAL-IEF! Since lockdown has been imposed in Luzon, resident pedicab, tricycle, jeepney and UV express drivers were one of the most affected by the suspension of public transportation facilities and restriction of land travel guidelines. For that reason, the first wave of the LGU’s relief operation was given to the members of transport groups totaling 8,000 individual recipients. Subsequently, solo parents, persons with disability (PWDs) and senior citizens received the following batch of food packs containing rice, canned goods, noodles and medicines. As the response to the call about creating an alternative source of food, Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) is also giving out vegetable seeds that can be planted in the backyard. As of the moment, the LGU continuously distributes relief goods for families in different barangays, transport groups and other existing organizations like homeowners association and LGBTQ+ community.
LE PILIER \ NEWS
