DAVAO ORIENTAL – All local government units, especially the barangays, throughout the province are now mandated to conduct an intensified clean up drive once a week as Governor Nelson Dayanghirang has issued an executive order that aims to mitigate, reduce, and control the spread of dengue vector mosquitoes.

Through Executive Order 25, Governor Dayanghirang has led on Friday, October 5, the province-wide launching of the cleanup drive declaring every Friday of the week as the regular provincial clean-up day throughout the province. The launching was held at Barangay Matiao in the City of Mati.

Governor Dayanghirang said that while dengue has become a perennial problem not just here in the province but also in the whole country, it became an imperative for the Provincial Government to take necessary actions. “Each year we spent a lot of resources for the treatment of patients with dengue. What’s worse is that people suffer unnecessary deaths due to this deadly disease which could have been prevented,” said Governor Dayanghirang.

“We can’t just sit around and wait for this disease to claim another life. We have to work together to prevent the spread of dengue,” said Governor Dayanghirang during the launching of the EO 25 wherein he also turned over two fog machines to the Public Health Office to be used in case of a dengue outbreak and one spray can to each of the eleven LGUs of the province.

“These fog machines and spray cans are only temporary solutions. What we need to do is to work together to prevent this disease from spreading,” he said.

A community-based problem

With a strong correlation between dengue cases and sanitation, Governor Dayanghirang urged everyone to be responsible of cleaning their own communities and houses, especially those areas that are potential breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes. “The solution is in our hands. There should be no more incidents of dengue in our province,” said the Governor, who underscored community awareness and action as key to dengue prevention.

“We must all be united. Let’s make it a habit to clean up our own respective communities because that is our primary responsibility. By simply doing this small contribution, we can prevent a larger problem,” the Governor said.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Herminigilda Nartates says that while there are 997 cases of dengue in the province  with four deaths recorded from January to September, dengue cases have significantly decreased in the latter months. She said that while there are 105 cases for the month of July and 137 in August, cases have dropped to only 9 for the month of September.

“Although there is a decrease in the number of cases, we should not let our guards down. Mosquitoes are small but are deadly,” she said. “Four deaths are not just a number. These are lives that could have been saved,” she added.

She emphasized the important role of the communities in getting rid of dengue mosquitoes through cleanliness and proper sanitation.

Mr. Joeford Montejo Jr. from the Department of Health Regional Office has lauded Davao Oriental for being the only province in the region who created a Dengue Task Force. He said this only means that the local leadership is serious enough in its efforts to make sure that everyone is safe from the vector-borne disease.

He also committed the department’s continuous support to the Local Government Units especially in providing free dengue test kit.

Furthermore, Mr. Montejo also educated the public on the 4 S’s of dengue prevention. First to search and destroy the breeding sites of dengue vector mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Second is to seek early consultation for those patients experiencing fever. Third is self-protection measures like wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts and use of mosquito repellent. And fourth is to Support fogging in dengue hotspot areas.

EO 25

The Governor’s Executive Order 25 specifies that all LGUs, from the barangays, municipalities and cities, are mandated “to initiate community-based clean up drive, making it a regular activity to be done every Friday of the week or forty-eight times a year.”

Mandatory in nature and conducted thoroughly in all communities and neighborhoods comprising every level of governance in the province, the mayors and barangay chairs  shall lead with the active participation of all officials in the implementation of the “enforcement of environmental sanitation such as dredging, cleaning of clogged canals, esteros, and other waterways; pruning, cutting of overgrown or thick bushes, plant foliage, vegetation and tree branches; and removal or draining of water-collecting receptacles like old tires, tin cans, plastic containers, etc., that contain stagnant water,” reads an excerpt of the order.

Furthermore, the order mandates the massive conduct of information drive to heighten awareness of the public on dengue and how to contain it. By Karen Lou Deloso/Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan