BY GLENDA TAYONA
ILOILO City – The City Health Office (CHO) is going hard on ambulant vendors and restaurants amid the rising cases of acute gastroenteritis.
Efforts of the city government to combat food and water-borne diseases are being intensified, according to Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna, CHO Medical Officer IV.
“Ginatutokan naton ang mga ambulant vendors kon kumpleto ang mga health cards nila,” said Fortuna.
The CHO has tapped the Iloilo City Compliance Team to check ambulant vendors.
Under the city’s Health and Sanitation Code, health cards should be renewed every six months.
The CHO is also training its eyes on restaurants and other food establishments, specifically their water sources.
Today, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas and the CHO will discuss with the managements of food establishments their water and food safety.
The CHO is also intensifying its inspection of water refilling stations, bulk water suppliers and deep wells.
As of Sept. 6, the number of deep wells already inspected reached 13,505 and of these, 1,164 were chlorinated.
Forty-three, on the other hand, were recommended for permanent closure.
Also, 19 water refilling stations have so far been closed for not having business and sanitary permits. Ten more were issued with closure orders for operating illegally.
As for microbiological tests, 25 water refilling stations that flunked were closed.
WATER CONNECTIONS FOR SCHOOLS
Fortuna also said the CHO secured from the Department of Education-Division of Iloilo City a list of 29 elementary schools and four secondary schools without Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) connections and just relying on deep or shallow wells for their water supply.
“Tanan nga wala (MPIW) water connection ginpa-check na naton ang water quality sang ila mga wells,” Fortuna said.
He added that, in coordination with the City Engineer’s Office, the city government is eyeing these schools to have MPIW water connections./PN