Cops double as SEAG tour escorts
CEBU CITY (PNA) — About 1,500 policemen assigned to serve during the conduct of sports events for the 23rd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in three cities here have been given additional functions as tour escorts to keep the games in Cebu trouble-free. Cebu City is hosting dance sports, sepak takraw and pencak silat while Mandaue City is hosting judo and karatedo. Danao City, on the other hand, hosts the mountain bike competitions. More than 600 athletes are in Cebu for the games and police are busy keeping an eye on sports venues and hotels where athletes and their companions are billeted. In a memorandum sent to the police directors of the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Cebu province, Police Regional Operations and Plans Division chief Carmelo Valmoria ordered increased police visibility in tourist spots that include restaurants, malls and night spots where athletes and their groups are expected to unwind after each day’s competitions. Earlier, officials here warned against the proliferation of fake dollar bills and have asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to go after illegal money changers who may take advantage of tourists and visitors.
Dads to OK measures vs bird flu
CEBU CITY (PNA) — The Cebu City Council is ready to approve requests for equipment to help keep the city free of the avian flu virus. Cebu City officials issued the statement after receiving the report from the City Accountant’s Office (CAO) that none of supplies bought out of the
R5-million Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) fund in 2003 can be used against the avian flu virus. Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera said the Council can now tackle the different health agencies’ requests for equipment and supplies needed to prepare for bird flu since they already made sure that the city does not have them yet. "The report already suffices. We just wanted to know if there are equipment that we purchased before which we could use for our disaster operations. Unfortunately, there seems to be none so there is a need to purchase the equipment requested by the city health office," she said. Among other things, the City Health Department and the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) requested for protective gears and detection kits to protect the city from bird flu.
Task forces formed vs avian influenza
ILOILO CITY (PNA) — Three provinces in Western Visayas now have operating task forces on avian flu while the three others are still on the process of organizing their composite groups. This was revealed during a planning workshop on the Avian Influenza sponsored by the Department of Health (DoH) regional office here recently. The provinces with an operating task force are Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Capiz while those that are still on the process of forming their team are Guimaras, Antique and Aklan. DoH Assistant Regional Director Jean Ubial said the regional office is currently upgrading its two hospitals, the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City and Dona Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Hospital in Bacolod City, both of which would be the centers for avian flu treatment. The health regional office also needs some
R50 million for the stockpiling of tablets against avian flu. 
