Monday, July 19, 2010

More hotels needed in Leyte to host tourists, conventions



published July 19, 2010 in BusinessWorld

TACLOBAN CITY -- Regional officials of national government agencies have called on the business community to invest in the construction of hotels and accommodation facilities here.

Department of Tourism (DoT) regional director Karina Rosa S. Tiopes said in an interview that the absence of big accommodation facilities here has deprived the tourism industry in the region of the opportunity to host major events and conventions.

"Our region has been on the list of proposed venues of national events because people want to see our tourist spots," Ms. Tiopes said.

The only existing big convention center in the city is owned by the city government and can seat over 3,000.

Cynthia R. Nierras, regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry and current regional tourism coordinating committee chairperson, said in their future investment promotion activities, they will present this gap that could be addressed by investors.

"Various groups have planned to hold gatherings in Tacloban City and Leyte but they changed their plans after learning that there was no accommodation facility that could house hundreds of their participants under one roof," Ms. Nierras said.

Records obtained from the Tourism department showed that there were 28 accommodation facilities with a total of 870 rooms in Tacloban as of June.

The city government has announced that it will incorporate DoT’s accreditation standard to raise the bar for local accommodation facilities. -- S. Q. Meniano

DoST sounds call for inventions to bridge industry gaps

published July 19, 2010 in BusinessWorld

PALO, LEYTE -- Local scientists and inventors are encouraged to join the 2010 Visayas Island Convention Contest and Exhibits to advance the promotion of local researches that could bridge gaps in the industry.

In the case of Eastern Visayas, the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) has sounded a call for inventions that could address production concerns in the agriculture sector. A major problem is the long time it takes for abaca farmers to knot fibers. No machine has been invented so far to aid in the process.

"The road map was introduced to researchers two years ago. The purpose was to present in detail industrial gaps so that local inventors could focus their studies based on those gaps," said DoST regional director Edgardo M. Esperancilla.

He said there were inventions that have remained untapped because these do not address a particular industry need.

"By collaborating with researchers, we are more assured that studies will be focused on resolving poverty and other common concerns," he added.

Commercialization of technologies is facilitated by the newly enacted Technology
Transfer Act, which entitles researchers and scientists to share in the royalties generated by their inventions. The Visayas leg of the annual contest will take place from Aug. 12-14 at the Amigo Plaza Mall in Iloilo City.

"We want the inventors to bring their inventions to a higher level... that would showcase their works to investors and other stakeholders," Mr. Esperancilla said.
The contest categories are invention, utility model, industrial design, creative research and student creative research for both secondary and college level. This year’s contest is anchored on the theme "Filipino Inventions and Innovations: The Way Forward." -- Sarwell Q. Meniano

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Dengue cases hit all-time high in Eastern Visayas


published July 14, 2010 in BusinessWorld

TACLOBAN CITY -- The Department of Health (DoH) has called for community mobilization to intensify vector control measures as officials recorded an all-time high in dengue cases in Eastern Visayas.

As of this week, the deadly virus has killed 54 people and afflicted 4,030 others, a surge of 957% compared to the same period in 2009, said DoH regional sentinel nurse Roderick Boyd S. Cerro. This topped the 3,000 recorded cases in 1998.

"It’s very alarming. We are asking everyone to take part in community cleanup to control the mosquito population," Mr. Cerro said in a telephone interview. Dengue fever is caused by a virus transmitted by an infected mosquito.

Mr. Cerro said Eastern Visayas is one of the top five areas with high dengue cases this year.

Pressed with this concern, the Health regional office yesterday sent letters urging local government units to mobilize the community in a clean-up drive to control the vector. The government is waging the 4S campaign -- search and destroy, self-protection measures, seek early consultation and say no to indiscriminate fogging.

With 54 fatalities, the mortality rate from dengue reached 1.3% this year, higher than the government target of less than 1%. Most of the victims were less than 25 years old.

About 26% of the dengue-related deaths were in Tacloban, where a water supply shortage is forcing the residents to store water. An outbreak was also recorded two months ago in Sta. Margarita, Samar, where 23 patients were afflicted.

Mr. Cerro said the high incidence of this disease even during a prolonged dry season is not surprising because infected mosquitoes can lay eggs even in containers with a small amount of water.