Biggest red tide hits Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY -- Eastern Visayas region is threatened by what the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) described as the biggest red tide bloom that has not been seen in more than three decades.

BFAR Regional Director Juan Alabaladejo blamed the prolong dry season this year and sudden downpour as the major factor that triggered the bloom in eight bays and coastal waters, considered as the region’s major source of shellfish.

“If you’re to an aerial view of Samar Sea up to Biliran Sea, the color of water turned to copper red with a depth of six to nine meters, stretching up to a kilometer from the shoreline. This is the most widespread occurrence since 1983,” Albaladejo said in a phone interview.

The discoloration of seawater is triggered by massive population growth of few species of a type of algae that produce toxins.

Since mid-October, BFAR has been raising alert over Carigara Bay in Carigara, Barugo, San Miguel, Capoocan, and Leyte towns in Leyte province; Biliran Strait in Naval, Caibiran, Cabucgayan, Culaba, Kawayan, and Almeria in Biliran province; and coastal waters of Leyte, Leyte.

Red tide alert is also up over Cambatutay Bay in Tarangnan, Samar; Irong Irong Bay in Catbalogan City, Samar; Villareal Bay in Villareal, Samar; and Maqueda Bay in Jiabong, Catbalogan City, Motiong, Paranas, Pinabacdao, Hinabangan, San Sebastian, and Calbiga, Samar.

“The red tide occurrence has affected the livelihood of thousands of fishermen, but we have to strictly impose shellfish ban to safeguard public health,” said BFAR

Since mid November, the toxin found in shellfish harvested from contaminated bays, has already killed a seven-year old boy and downed 22 others in Leyte and Biliran provinces, according to the Department of Health (DOH)

The boy from the coastal San Mateo village in Carigara town succumbed on Nov. 30 after eating univalve shellfish harvested from the bay contaminated with algae.

The other six members of his family also manifested symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning, but survived, according to DOH Eastern Visayas Regional Director Minerva Molon.

In San Mateo village alone, red tide has downed 16 people. The nearby village of Minuhang in Barugo town has recorded four cases of poisoning with one victim still confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in this city.

Two victims were also downed on Nov. 28 in Naval, Biliran or a week after BFAR issued a shellfish bulletin, placing Biliran Strait as red tide-affected area.

All victims have experienced vomiting, dizziness, numbness of extremities, and paralysis.

Molon said that one mortality is very alarming considering that there have been repeated warnings from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

“Some victims were not able to hear warnings. I think verbal announcement is not enough, they should print it and post the announcement in strategic areas,” Molon added.

Albaladejo said the reading for waters in Carigara Bay and in Biliran is 9,000 and 12,000 cells per liter, respectively. This is way above the 10 cells per liter during normal situations.

The official has called on the public to heed government warnings not to harvest, transport, trade, and eat any kind of shellfish contaminated with algae. (PNA)

DepEd Eastern Visayas trains more campus journalism mentors

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 10 (PNA) -- Another 400 campus paper advisers from elementary schools in Eastern Visayas joined the second batch of the four-day regional training of division mentors on school paper advising that concluded Saturday at Leyte National High School gymnasium.

“Your challenge is to be fruitful with this encounter,” said Dr. Alejandrito L. Yman, chief of Curriculum and Learning Management Division, as he hoped that the region will have 10 “winnable” school papers for both elementary and secondary levels in next year’s National Schools Press Conference in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.

With the combined training of more than 400 high school campus paper advisers in the first batch and 400 elementary advisers in the second batch, Yman said he expects 8,000 trained student writers in Eastern Visayas, doubling or tripling the effect from the two trainings.

“Journalism contests have elements to consider unlike ordinary essay writing contest so advisers have to be equipped...This is the forum to unify concepts, ideas, and knowledge with particular journalism field so that writers will now have to compete and are at par with theothers,” added Yman.

Journalistic skills introduced during the training include news writing, copy reading and headline writing, feature writing, science and technology writing, editorial writing, sports writing, photojournalism, editorial cartooning, on-line collaborative publishing, and script and radio broadcasting.

Topics on plagiarism, editorial staff management, lay-outing and new trends in campus journalism were also discussed by different resource speakers from the region who were earlier trained in the national training of trainers on campus journalism in Davao City.

Yman added that after the training, participants will serve as new pool of trainers in their respective division and school level.

Harold Naputo of Tacloban division and an outstanding campus paper adviser in the region, who helped introduced collaborative and online publishing during the training, said that online journalism is “empowering.”

“In online writing, we introduce our school paper advisers twitter, instagram, facebook, you tube and wordpress. These social media platforms are to be learned and ultimately be utilized both for recreation and perfecting the craft in e-journalism,” Naputo said.

“By the end of the training, with advisers empowered, we would have taught our pupils or students an alternative to the use of the social media, more than 'selfies' and 'cyber-liking' which leads to bullying, but on how information and opinion-empowering effect these platforms can make,” he added.

In the recently-held NSPC in Taguig City, the region only bagged 21 major awards in various journalistic competitions, with “The Cradle” publication of Palo National High School in Palo, Leyte as the sole winner in school paper category in science and technology.

However, journalism officials in the region vowed to make a better comeback in next year’s nationwide journalistic competition. (PNA)
FFC/SQM/RONALD O. REYES