Muntinlupa City Hotline 137-175 for centralized quick emergency response officially launched

The City Government of Muntinlupa officially launched Emergency Hotline “137-175” on September 15, 2020. Hotline 137-175 is a centralized post for reporting of emergency cases and incidents, including quick response for emergency rescue cases which require police assistance, firefighter rescue services, traffic rescue services, and ambulance medical services. City residents are welcome to use the hotline for their emergency concerns.

Muntinlupa City Department of Disaster Resilience and Management (MCDDRM) chief Erwin Alfonso said the installation of the unified hotline aims to improve the city’s immediate response in providing rescue, medical, and police assistance.

Alfonso noted that calls received through the emergency hotline will be processed in Muntinlupa City Command Center by designated officers from MCDDRM, Muntinlupa City Rescue, Muntinlupa City Health, Muntinlupa City Traffic and Management Bureau, Muntinlupa City Police Station, and Bureau of Fire Protection – Muntinlupa for coordination to their respective units.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi urged the public to save the city’s hotline in their phones or in their homes to easily access the emergency service. The mayor hoped that through the centralized emergency hotline, responses of the city’s departments will be delivered in a more effective, quick and coordinated manner.

“The launching of Muntinlupa’s Emergency Hotline 137-175 is very timely especially that we are in a pandemic and enter the rainy season where cases of road accidents increase. The local government hopes to provide a quick response system that will immediately address and respond to the public’s emergency concerns,” Fresnedi said.

As of September 14, Muntinlupa City has 3,872 confirmed cases with 3,066 recoveries, 679 active cases, 127 reported deaths, 487 suspect cases, and 611 probable cases.

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Latest City Government of Muntinlupa details sourced from their official media release. Some parts were edited for this website.

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Comic Quest announces closure!

Comic Quest, a notable retailer of comic books and geek stuff (including premium products like action figures) here in the Philippines, announced yesterday that it will be closing its 35-year-old business due to the tremendous economic difficulties related to, unsurprisingly, the ongoing pandemic and also the disrupted state of the international distribution of comic books. Before the end comes, however, a Farewell Sale at their SM Megamall branch in Mandaluyong City has launched and will last until sometime in October. The said sale will have all items discounted at least 50%.

In my experience of the past decade, as a resident of Alabang, Muntinlupa, I often bought new comic books (especially Wonder Woman) at the Festival Mall Alabang branch of Comic Quest. It was also at the same store located a short walk away from the cinemas where I also ordered and received hardback editions of EC Comics Archives. Comic Quest Alabang was a favorite weekend destination of mine for many years. Even before I became a collector of comic books (specifically superhero comics), I first heard about Comic Quest way back in 1990 in the classroom where I had a few classmates who bought comic books from them. Back in the 1990s, Comic Quest had a branch in Makati and it was there where I bought Web of Spider-Man #100 in 1993.

As time passed by, my personal interest in comic books waned and I actually stopped buying comic books (both new and old) shortly before the lockdown here in the Philippines was implemented. The pandemic and related lockdown brought entire economies down worldwide and the Philippines was not spared. It is also depressing to learn that many people lost their jobs as well as their income. No disposable income, no more demand for entertainment products like comic books, theatrical showing of movies, shows and the like. The priority now of people living during the pandemic goes to the essentials.

Yesterday, hours after Comic Quest’s closure announcement, I took the opportunity to visit and see their Festival Mall branch in Alabang. It is gone!

The commercial space in the middle used to be occupied by Comic Quest inside Festival Mall. This picture was taken hours after the closure announcement.

Comic Quest’s decision to close down is understandable and acceptable. They did the best they could to survive and prevent their employees from becoming unemployed until the pandemic-related depression overwhelmed them (as well as the many other businesses of different types and sizes).

Just a few years ago, another comic book specialty retailer had to close down their Alabang Town Center branch. It’s clear that comic books as a business continues to fail especially now that people are often online and find their kind of stuff through digital services/retailers.

In closing this, posted below for your reference is the complete closure announcement of Comic Quest. The retailer will be missed!

This is a special announcement for all our valued customers. We hope you ‘re doing well and staying safe during this difficult time.

We just want to let you know that because of the combined pressure of the pandemic, as well as the disruption of the global distribution of comic books, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to begin the process of closing down Comic Quest. It is and has been an extremely challenging time for us, and we feel that this is our best option moving forward.

It has been a long and amazing road, from our earliest days in our first branch at BF Homes in Alabang, to Greenhills to Makati to multiple branches as far away as SM Cebu. But now the time has come to say goodbye, and let all of you know how much we appreciate being given the chance to be part of the comic book industry.

We want to thank each and every one of you for being one of our valuable loyal customers and a very important member of the Comic Quest family. We wouldn’t have reached 35 wonderful years in business without loyal customers like you. Our sincerest and most heartfelt thanks for being with us through all these years.

In line with our decision, we’re holding a special FAREWELL SALE from September 16th and into October, at our SM Megamall branch. During this time we will be selling ALL items from at least 50% off and up.

Please help us spread the word and share this message with other friends and collectors whom you think might be interested.

While our time in this wonderful industry comes to an end, we’re wishing you many more years of happy collecting! And in the words of the great Stan Lee- Excelsior!

Best wishes,

Comic Quest

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COVID-19 Crisis: Hospitals and clinics in Muntinlupa City mandated to report COVID-19 cases or face charges and penalties

To outline the extent of COVID-19 health situation in the city, the City Government of Muntinlupa ordered hospitals and clinics to submit health information of COVID-19 cases and identified close contacts for disease surveillance and response.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi signed City Ordinance 2020-107 mandating all hospitals, healthcare facilities, and similar establishments providing laboratory and diagnostic services operating in Muntinlupa City to submit daily COVID-19 related data to the local public health authority.

Under the local ordinance, the City Health Office shall prepare a template requesting for personal health information of COVID-19 cases and identified close contacts from local health facilities.

Processing of health information shall only involve the minimum extent of personal data necessary for case investigation and management, contract tracing and monitoring, quarantine and isolation, mandatory reporting to public health authorities, or treatment and coordination purposes.

The City Government assures the public that the manner of processing of personal health information shall be in accordance with the guidelines by the Department of Health such as Administrative Order No. 2020-0013 (Guidelines for the lnclusion of COVID-19 in the List of Notifiable Diseases for Mandatory Reporting to the DOH) and DOH Department Memorandum No. 2020-0189 (Updated Guidelines on Contact Tracing of Close Contacts of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases).

Muntinlupa City Council majority floor leader Coun. Raul Corro said the purpose of the reportorial requirement is to build a repository of real-time COVID-19 data as basis of evidence-informed health policy and intervention measures.

Corro added the real-time sharing of data from healthcare facilities and the City Health Office will help improve local response activities, including the quality and accessibility of health services and other related interventions for COVID-19.

Establishments violating provisions in the local ordinance shall be penalized with closure, suspension, or revocation of its business permit or license.

Further, Muntinlupa City Council also approved City Ordinance 2020-126 ordering the mandatory self-isolation, or admission to city isolation facilities if requirements for home quarantine are not met as certified by the City Health Office (CHO), for anyone who have undergone COVID-19 swab testing.

The local ordinance aims to restrict movement of suspect cases and prevent possible carriers of the virus to travel and infect other individuals. Residents violating the local ordinance will face P3,000 penalty for first offense, P5,000 for second offense, and a maximum of one-year imprisonment upon discretion of the court and P5,000 penalty for the third and succeeding offenses.

Isolation facilities in Muntinlupa are located in Ospital ng Muntinlupa, Brgy. Alabang and Emergency Quarantine Facility (EQF) in Brgy. Sucat. An additional quarantine facility is being constructed in Pacwood Site, Brgy. Tunasan in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi urged city residents to continue exercise vigilance and strict observance of health protocols such as frequent hand-washing, physical distancing, wearing of face masks, proper cough etiquette, and other precautionary measures.

As of September 10, Muntinlupa City has 3,785 confirmed cases with 2,960 recoveries, 696 active cases, 129 reported deaths, 552 suspect cases, and 571 probable cases.

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Latest City Government of Muntinlupa details sourced from their official media release. Some parts were edited for this website.

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Muntinlupa City represents Philippines in WWF’s We Love Cities campaign

Muntinlupa City joins the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) We Love Cities campaign, a friendly competition among global cities to raise awareness on sustainability, as one of the representatives of the Philippines.

After qualifying as a finalist in the recent One Planet City Challenge (OPCC), WWF selected Muntinlupa City as one the country’s representatives in the We Love Cities campaign which aims to bridge better communication between city officials and citizens they represent on climate and sustainability issues.

Muntinlupa City under the We Love Cities campaign.

We Love Cities is a public engagement campaign that allows people across the world to express support for sustainable urban development by voting for their favorite finalist from WWF’s One Planet City Challenge and posting improvement suggestions for these cities.

The campaign aims to raise awareness for the sustainability progress being made in cities, give the general public an opportunity to submit suggestions to decision makers, and strengthen public – decision makers’ cooperation.

58 cities from 27 countries that have demonstrated a strong will to transition toward a sustainable future were selected in the online campaign. Joining Muntinlupa City as part of the Philippine delegation are Batangas City, Batangas and Santa Rosa, Laguna.

WWF lauded Muntinlupa’s action plan to combat the urban heat island effect. The organization highlights the city’s holistic approach towards sustainability including gardening initiatives, first aid trainings to equip city employees in assisting the public during particularly hot periods, climate responsive agriculture training for urban farmers, aquaponics, vertical farming, mulching and mushroom culture.

The public may vote using the official hashtag #WeLoveMuntinlupaCityPH in Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Meanwhile, the number of likes, comments, and shares from the City Government of Muntinlupa – OFFICIAL and We Love Cities Facebook Page for Muntinlupa’s bid will also be counted as official votes.

Further, the public may also visit the city’s page at www.welovecities.org/muntinlupa and click the vote button or submit a suggestion on how to make the city even better.

The electric jeepney of Muntinlupa is one of the many environment-friendly projects. (source – Muntinlupa PIO)

The campaign will run for 4 weeks from September 14 to October 11, 2020. Participating cities will be promoted via WWF websites, the campaign page, finalists’ websites and social media. The winner will receive the We Love Cities Award.

The participants for this year’s We Love Cities campaign include: Argentina: Buenos Aires, Chacabuco and San Martin de los Andes; Brazil: Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro; Canada: Vancouver; Chile: Peñalolén, Santiago and Valdivia; Colombia: Mantizales, Monteriá and Villavicencio; Côte d’Ivoire: Commune de Cocody; Ecuador: Municipio de Loja; Finland: Turku; France: Paris; Guatemala: Escuintla, Iztapa and San José; Iceland: Reykjavik; India: Kochi, Nagpur and Rajkot; Indonesia: Balikpapan, Banda Aceh and Jakarta; Malaysia: Melaka, Petaling Jaya and Sebarang Perai; Mexico: Hermosillo, Mérida and Mexico City; New Zealand: Wellington City Council; Norway: Arendal and Baerum; Peru: Borja, Lima and Magdalena; Philippines: Muntinlupa, Batangas and Santa Rosa; Republic of Korea: Suwon City; South Africa: Cape Town, Durban and KwaDukuza; plus many others.

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Latest City Government of Muntinlupa details sourced from their official media release. Some parts were edited for this website.

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, no distorted views and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

COVID-19 Crisis: Toyota Philippines Donates Vios to Ospital ng Muntinlupa

In support of the local health workers handling the daily operations of the Ospital ng Muntinlupa (OsMun), Toyota Motor Philippines formally donated one unit of its popular car, the Vios. Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, OsMun director Dr. Edwin Dimatatac, and City Administrator Engr. Allan Cachuela personally received the service vehicle from TMP Chief Physician Dr. Laennec Baquiran, TMP execs Dr. Jojo Cruz and Allen Rufo on September 9.

The Toyota Vios donated to Ospital ng Muntinlupa. (source – Muntinlupa PIO)

In return, the City Government of Muntinlupa extended its gratitude to Toyota Motor Philippines for its valuable assistance to improve the local COVID-19 response efforts. The donated Toyota Vios will be used by OsMun as a service vehicle.

As of September 9, Muntinlupa City has 3,743 confirmed cases with 2,913 recoveries, 702 active cases, 128 reported deaths, 523 suspect cases, and 595 probable cases.

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Latest City Government of Muntinlupa details sourced from their official media release. Some parts were edited for this website.

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, no distorted views and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

COVID-19 Crisis: Muntinlupa reports COVID-19 response efforts in National Task Force Against COVID-19 Team visit

(From left to right) Muntinlupa Councilor Raul Corro, DOH Undersecretary and CZAR Treatment Leopoldo Vega, Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Deputy Chief Implementer Against COVID-19 Sec. Vince Dizon, and DILG Asec. Francisco Cruz. (source – Muntinlupa PIO)

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi presented local programs and best practices in Muntinlupa City towards curbing COVID-19 during the National Task Force Against COVID-19 Team visit and launching of the Barangay Disiplina Brigades in the city yesterday.

The Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) Team, headed by the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), organized a meeting with the City Government officials to discuss the strategies, intervention methods and good practices against COVID-19 at the Plaza Central in Barangay Poblacion.

Fresnedi reported local initiatives for testing, tracing, and treatment such as the construction of the city’s molecular laboratory, testing efforts, construction of additional isolation facilities, and contact tracing, among others.

He extended his thanks to “Big Brother” Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade for his assistance to Muntinlupa and expediting national government services in the city. Recently, Tugade was assigned to the city to monitor its health system performance, critical care capacity, and stringent compliance to surveillance, isolation, and treatment protocols.

For his part, Secretary Tugade lauded Muntinlupa’s existing processes, policies, facilities, and equipped personnel working towards the fight against COVID-19.

“After working with the City Government officials for two weeks, I can say that Muntinlupa is doing well in terms of its response efforts and there is only little work that we need to add,” Tugade said.

Also attending the meeting were Deputy Chief Implementer Against COVID-19 Sec. Vince Dizon, DOH Undersecretary and CZAR Treatment Leopoldo Vega, DILG Asec. Francisco Cruz, DILG exec Robin Lim, National Incident Command exec Dr. Ofelia Saniel, Muntinlupa City Health Officer Dra. Teresa Tuliao, Ospital ng Muntinlupa director Dr. Edwin Dimatatac, and City Councilor Raul Corro.

The NTF also donated face masks, personal protective equipment, and hygiene kits to the City Government.

While, Sec. Dizon committed to donate one RT-PCR machine to Muntinlupa’s Molecular Laboratory following its accreditation with DOH. The additional equipment is set to double the laboratory’s capacity from 200 tests to 400 tests per day. Last August, Sec. Tugade also donated one unit of ambulance to the local health office.

The NTF Team promoted the One Hospital and said that the City Government may refer patients to the facility. Sec. Tugade added that hotel establishments in Muntinlupa are being studied to be converted as isolation facilities following the mandatory self-isolation of residents in the city after undergoing COVID-19 swab tests.

Recently, Muntinlupa City Council approved an ordinance ordering the mandatory quarantine, or admission to city isolation facilities if requirements for home quarantine are not met as certified by the City Health Office (CHO), for anyone who have undergone COVID-19 swab testing.

The local council also signed an ordinance mandating the daily reporting by all hospitals, laboratory, and diagnostic clinics of all COVID-19 related cases to the City Health Office.

Further, the oath-taking of Barangay Disiplina Brigades (BDB) established by the DILG and DOH was also launched in the event in support of the joint national advocacy program called, ‘BIDA ang May Disiplina: Solusyon sa COVID-19’.

The BDB BIDA Ambassadors shall promote self-discipline to the communities in keeping their families safe, as well as in safeguarding the country from the virus.

As of September 3, Muntinlupa City has 3,465 confirmed cases with 2,634 recoveries, 709 active cases, 122 reported deaths, 486 suspect cases, and 690 probable cases, with a doubling rate of 14.63 days.

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Latest City Government of Muntinlupa details sourced from their official media release. Some parts were edited for this website.

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, no distorted views and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) executives visit Muntinlupa City for 2020 Census

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) executives visit Muntinlupa City for 2020 Census: Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) execs, led by PSA-NCR Chief Statistical Specialist Estrella Vargas, paid a courtesy visit to Mayor Jaime Fresnedi last September 3 to discuss the roll-out of the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (CPH) in Muntinlupa City. Vargas extended the agency’s gratitude to the local government for its assistance for this year’s census. Fresnedi said Muntinlupa City will continue to support programs being implemented by the National Government. Also attending the coordination meeting were Muntinlupa City Planning and Development Officer Alvin Veron EnP, CPDO Planning Officer Mildred Andaleon, PSA Statistical Specialists Minerva Carpio and Judirisa Baluran, PSA Census Area Supervisor Rosario Labuguen, and PSA Team Supervisor Noel Regala. (source – Muntinlupa PIO)

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Latest City Government of Muntinlupa details sourced from their official media release. Some parts were edited for this website.

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, no distorted views and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

2020 Alabang Hills Village vehicular stickers for non-residents now available!

Recently the Alabang Hills Village Association (AHVA) announced that it is accepting applications (for brand new and renewal, and for residents and non-residents) for the 2020 edition of the vehicular stickers for Alabang Hills Village, Barangay Cupang, Muntinlupa City. Motorists whose applications got approved will see their brand new AHVA stickers released to them.

For your visual reference, see the images below.

The front page.
The back page.

As seen in the images of the 2-page application form, required (in the form of the latest photocopies of the requirements) if the vehicle is under the applicant’s name are the vehicle’s Official Receipt (OR) and the Certificate of Registration (CR) of the vehicle. If the vehicle is not under the applicant’s name, required are OR, CR and a notarized Deed of Sale.

If the vehicle is under the name of a Company, required are the OR, CR and a Company Certification signifying that the applicant is the authorized user. If the vehicle has been recently acquired and has no license plate yet, required are the Delivery Receipt and Sales Invoice.

Most notable of all, as listed on the application form, are some changes on the application procedure which is the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Take note that things will be a little bit different compared to last year. Firstly, the application form must be filled-up with details (for non-residents, this includes an endorsement from a legitimate Alabang Hills Village resident, from your homeowners’ association or from a school or organization) and must be signed by the applicant (on the back page). Secondly, the signed application form and the required documents (note: must be attached with the form) must be sent to the AHVA through email at alabanghills@yahoo.com (note: you don’t need to personally and physically submit your application form and documents. You only need to scan them for the purpose of sending them to AHVA via email)

Thirdly, the applicant must wait for the AHVA to reply by email from the Sticker Processor on the payment arrangements and day of appointment. That being said, you must prepare yourself for whatever amount will be charged and whatever method of payment will be revealed. Constantly monitor your email. Fourthly, an authorized crew member of the AHVA will install the new vehicular sticker on the windshield (driver’s side) of your vehicle on the day of appointment.

One last thing…the AHVA confirmed to me today that they charge P1,200 for a 1-year sticker (2020-2021) and P2,400 for the 2-year sticker (2020-2022) for non-residents.

Inside Alabang Hills Village, I spotted a tarpaulin (located a short distance away from the Tirona street gate) about the different schedules of the start of applications of AHVA’s 2020 vehicular stickers for different types of applicants. The following details are:

August 24, 2020 – Non-residents

September 14, 2020 – Residents

September 28, 2020 – Commercial

October 12, 2020 – Motorcycle/bicycle

Meanwhile, the old vehicular stickers issued by AHVA in 2019 for private vehicles (both resident and non-resident) and commercial vehicles will expire on September 30, 2020. Meanwhile, the 2019 AHVA stickers issued for motorcycles and bicycles will expire on October 30, 2020. As such, anyone who have expiring stickers need to apply and renew as soon as possible.

Inside Alabang Hills Village.

If you have further questions for the AHVA, send them email at alabanghills@yahoo.com or call them at 8850-8254 and 8850-9631.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Muntinlupa City to impose mandatory isolation after COVID-19 swabbing, daily reporting of hospitals

In a new attempt to slow down community transmission in the city, the City Government of Muntinlupa will be imposing mandatory isolation of residents who have undergone swabbing for COVID-19 and daily reporting of all hospitals and clinics to the local health office.

Muntinlupa City Council Majority Floor Leader Councilor Raul Corro said the City Council is set to sign an ordinance this week ordering the mandatory self-isolation, or admission to city isolation facilities if requirements for home quarantine are not met as certified by the City Health Office (CHO), for anyone who have undergone COVID-19 swab testing. Corro noted that the stringent measure aims to restrict movement of suspect cases and prevent possible carriers of the virus to travel and infect other individuals.

Isolation facilities in Muntinlupa are situated in Ospital ng Muntinlupa, Brgy. Alabang and Emergency Quarantine Facility (EQF) in Brgy. Sucat. An additional quarantine facility is being constructed in Pacwood Site, Brgy. Tunasan in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Further, Muntinlupa City Council will also be signing an ordinance mandating the daily reporting by all hospitals, laboratory, and diagnostic clinics of all COVID-19 related cases to CHO. Councilor Corro said that this will help the local health office gauge the actual situation in the city and implement effective response efforts.

Meanwhile, new curfew hours will be implemented in Muntinlupa City from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am for the duration of the General Community Quarantine which officially took effect on September 1.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi urges city residents to refrain from going out unless necessary and to follow health protocols such as frequent hand-washing, physical distancing, wearing of face masks, proper cough etiquette, and other precautionary measures.

Muntinlupa City has 3,389 confirmed cases with 2,502 recoveries, 768 active cases, 119 reported deaths, 533 suspect cases, and 840 probable cases as of September 1.

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Latest City Government of Muntinlupa details sourced from their official media release. Some parts were edited for this website.

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, no distorted views and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

COVID-19 Crisis: Muntinlupa City Government receives personal donation of one ambulance from DOTr Sec. Tugade to fight COVID-19

Department of Transportation secretary Arthur Tugade turned over one unit of ambulance to the City Government of Muntinlupa, a personal donation to help the city’s fight against COVID-19. Recently, Tugade was assigned as an overseer in Muntinlupa by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi received the donated ambulance by Sec. Tugade in Muntinlupa City Hall yesterday via an online turn-over ceremony. Fresnedi expressed his thanks to Tugade for his support and assistance to the city. He said that the ambulance will be used for the transportation of COVID-19 patients and other emergency response activities.

The transportation secretary said an additional five ambulances will be turned over to Muntinlupa from the Department of Health in the coming months. Tugade vowed to assist Muntinlupa in its COVID-19 response efforts and in operationalizing national government services in the city.

Recently, cabinet members were assigned to Metro Manila cities and other provinces with high community transmission to strictly monitor health system performance, critical care capacity, and stringent compliance to surveillance, isolation, and treatment protocols.

Also joining the ceremony were Foton Motors Inc. president Rommel Sytin, DOTr Asec. for Procurement and Project Implementation Giovanni Lopez, Atty. JayArt M. Tugade,  Muntinlupa City Health Officer Dra. Teresa Tuliao, Ospital ng Muntinlupa director Dr. Edwin Dimatatac, Muntinlupa City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Erwin Alfonso, Local Economic and Investment Promotion Officer Gary Llamas, and Public Information Officer Tez Navarro.

Last August 18, Muntinlupa LGU officials reported local initiatives for testing, tracing, and treatment such as the construction of the city’s molecular laboratory, testing efforts, construction of additional isolation facilities, and contact tracing to Sec. Tugade via online meeting.

Meanwhile, the Muntinlupa City Council for the Protection of Children (MCCPC) called for an emergency meeting to discuss course of action on how to address the alarming increase of COVID-19 cases among the youth.

The City Health Office have recorded rising COVID-19 cases among the 0-19 age group and noted that possible transmission may have occurred from playing outside of their homes or visiting public parks and playgrounds. As of August 16, CHO recorded 62 confirmed cases on children from the city’s eight barangays.

MCCPC is set to submit a resolution recommending the review of existing ordinances on curfew hours and strict wearing of face masks, including “incentivizing” best practices of communities with regard to the fight against COVID-19.

Further, the local council also recommends for the mobilization of homeowners’ associations (HOAs) to augment monitoring in the communities and creation of series of social media content and other information campaigns to bolster information dissemination of city ordinances.

Muntinlupa PNP has augmented police visibility in public parks and hotspots of COVID-19 transmission as determined by the council. Additional roving and stationary officers were installed to ensure that no children will be roaming outside their homes and other public spaces.

Muntinlupa City has 2,731 confirmed cases with 1,739 recoveries, 891 active cases, 101 reported deaths, 1,047 suspect cases, and 706 probable cases as of August 19.

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Latest City Government of Muntinlupa details sourced from their official media release. Some parts were edited for this website.

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, no distorted views and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.