Pampanga under state of calamity

PAMPANGA, Philippines – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Pampanga passed a resolution on Monday, March 16, declaring this province under state of calamity.

In a statement sent to local media, the Pampanga Provincial Information Office said the board’s action was necessary to allow Governor Dennis Pineda to utilize the Quick Response Fund for “aid, medicine, relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and other works or services to the calamity-affected communities or areas of Pampanga.”

The board, headed by Vice Governor Lilia Pineda, acted favorably on the request made by Governor Pineda as the chair of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) to place the province under state of calamity.

The resolution declaring Pampanga under state of calamity was unanimously approved by all 13 board members of the province.

In a message relayed by Pineda to his constituents on Tuesday, March 17, through the PDRRMC and his official Facebook pages, he assured that there will be enough food supplies in the province.

He also requested residents to abide by the rules and regulations being implemented under the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine declared by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kabalen laban sa COVID-19 ay ating prayoridad. Sundin po sana natin ang ating mga otoridad dahil kabutihan ng taumbayan ang aming responsibilidad,” he said. (Our priority is to ensure the safety of Pampanga residents against COVID-19. I urge you to follow our authorities because the good of the people is our responsibility.)

Pampanga is one of the areas in Luzon with a confirmed case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. One of the 3 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province had died.

As of Tuesday, March 17, the Philippines has 187 confirmed cases, with 4 recoveries and 12 deaths. 

The global death toll, meanwhile, has reached 7,063, with 3,226 of the fatalities in China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau). The number of cases worldwide has risen to 180,090, with more than 80,881 of the infections in China. The virus has spread to at least 145 countries. – Rappler.com