Central Leyte gets P2.7-B for infra projects in 2018

TACLOBAN CITY, Oct. 19  -- The second legislative district of Leyte will get PHP2.7 billion budget for infrastructure development in 2018, considerably higher than this year’s allocation.

Leyte 2nd District Rep. Henry Ong told reporters on Thursday that he pushed for higher budget next year to improve access roads leading to far-flung villages. For 2017, the district got PHP1.7 billion.

The bulk of the amount for 2018 will fund new infrastructure projects identified by the district office as essential to the economic transport and development of the area.

“We have considerable amount for health and education programs, but the majority is still for infrastructure development since this is the key to unlock economic opportunities in Leyte,” Ong said.

“One thing I noticed in my visit to different areas, especially those located upland is the difficulty of life because of poor access from the town center.”

District Engineer Carlos Veloso said among those included in the 2018 budget is the construction of bridges in Mayorga and Dagami towns worth PHP400 million combined.

A new road project gets PHP85 million funding in Jaro town leading to a number of natural tourist destinations located in the village of Villa Conzoilo, twelve kilometres from Jaro town proper. These are Silawa Falls, Duka Falls and Kabagtan Falls which hemmed besides cloud-capped mountain ranges.

“There is already an existing road going towards Villa Conzoilo. The fund will be utilized for concreting of the road to increase tourism and ease traffic and transport of agricultural products,” Veloso said.

He added that this is one project being pushed by Leyte Governor Dominico Petilla and endorsed by the Regional Development Council in Eastern Visayas.

If completed, the road will provide an alternative route to Ormoc City, passing through another tourist destination – Lake Danao.

The 2018 budget is also appropriated for widening and road reblocking along the Palo-Carigara-

Ormoc road. Veloso said that this vital highway that cuts across Leyte province had been steadily widened in order to accommodate increasing traffic flow.

Leyte’s 2nd congressional district covers the towns of Barugo, Burauen, Capoocan, Carigara, Dagami, Dulag, Jaro, Julita, La Paz, MacArthur, Mayorga, Pastrana, Tabontabon, and Tunga. These towns have a combined population of 406,359. (SQM/ACR/PNA)

Leyte to mark simple celebration of PHL Liberation

TACLOBAN CITY, Oct. 19  -- Leyte province will hold a simple celebration of the 73rd anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings on Friday with several foreign dignitaries coming to remember the historic event which ended the Japanese occupation in the country.

Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorezana will not make it to the celebration but he will be represented by Lt. Gen Oscar Lactao, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command, according to the provincial government.

To deliver solidarity messages are Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines John Holmes, Australian Embassy to the Philippines Deputy Chief of Mission Mathieson Kimberley, and US Embassy in Manila Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Klecheski.

From the Japanese Embassy, joining the commemorative program are Deputy Chief of Mission and Head of Political Section Minister Takehiro Kano and First Secretary and Defense Attaché Mr. Kazunobu Akutsu.

Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said several activities had been lined up to celebrate the country’s liberation from Japanese occupation during the World War II and recognize the heroism of war veterans.

“We have to remember the veterans’ bravery, their gallantry, and their love for the nation. We should learn from them. After these years, we still have many battles to win such as poverty, criminality and drugs, diseases, teenage pregnancy and human trafficking,” Petilla said on Thursday.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf is remembered as the largest naval battle ever fought in modern history. It was fought in four separate engagements near the islands of Leyte, Samar and Luzon from October 23 to 26 in 1944.

“This is one of the biggest events in Leyte province. In our tourism and our trade, we mainly promote Leyte with the theme of Leyte Gulf Landings, but beyond tourism what is more important is the message, of what had happened 73 years ago,” Petilla said.

On Oct. 20, 1944, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, as the head of the largest US fleet of transport and warships, and accompanied by Commonwealth President Sergio Osmeña and Gen Carlos P. Romulo, landed at Red Beach of this town to reclaim the Philippines from the Japanese. (RTA/PNA)

EDC distributes cash aid to company scholars

ORMOC CITY, Leyte, Oct. 18  -- The country’s giant geothermal power producer based in Leyte handed out on Tuesday PHP1.6 million worth of assistance and stipend to its student scholars.

The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) gave half of its financial help for the whole year to 16 elementary schools in Kananga town and in this city as miscellaneous fees for selected scholars in Grades 7 to 10.

This is aside from the PHP716,925 cash that were directly given to 460 Grades 11 and 12 scholars as stipend for this semester at PHP2,000 each to 230 scholars from Ormoc and same number from Kananga.

Erwin Magallanes, EDC’s community partner division head said “of all the company’s projects, education is given more focus because EDC believes that through education, the lives of the poor people in our partner communities will improve and prosper, living with the belief that education is the poor’s passage to prosperity.”

Priority for scholarship are children of poorest families who reside in geothermal power plants’ host villages. They have an average grade of not less than 80 percent and with good academic standing.

The philanthropic company allocated PHP781,981 for Ormoc and PHP854,944 for Kananga.

The school heads received the check for the miscellaneous fees for Ormoc’s nine elementary schools from upland villages that were also affected during the recent 6.5 magnitude earthquake namely: Cabintan, Dolores, Gaas, Liberty, Milagro, Nueva Vista, Cabaon-an, Tongonan and Lake Danao.

The same with Kananga’s seven elementary schools: Aguiting, Hiluctugan, Lim-au, Montebello, Rizal. San Ignacio and Tongonan received by the school heads.

During the turnover program, Magallanes announced, “the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) is anchored to Helen projects – Health, Education, Livelihood and Environment.”

Despite calamities, the company sustained from the typhoon Yolanda and the strong earthquake wherein power plants experienced twice the damage, Magallanes assured the Helen program continues and education remains the top priority.

“With the company’s available resources, we will try to give our best efforts so that we can help the students complete the basic education of our recipients, take a right course, and find the right job with a right career pattern towards destiny, fueled by EDC’s new slogan: Powered by Good,” Magallanes explained.

Mayor Richard Gomez vowed support for the young learners, saying, the current administration has tripled the number of college scholars compared to the previous.

He encouraged the students to work hard and grab the chance provided by the EDC saying they are lucky that a company is offering such an opportunity.

He cited himself as example being also a product of public school, has gone through a lot of struggles and now enjoying the fruit of his labor.

“Life is full of struggle, but you have to work for it (to become successful in chosen field)”, Gomez said.

The EDC’s education program is part of its corporate social responsibility that started in 2005 for elementary pupils. With the implementation of kindergarten and 12 years of basic education, the company extended its assistance.

Next year, it will re-establish the Career program with 14 college scholars to be enrolled in state colleges or universities.

Presently, they are assisting review to 26 takers for the University of the Philippines College Admission Test and passers are groomed as potential college scholars. (ERR/PNA)

Security in place for 73rd Leyte Gulf Landings

PALO, Leyte, Oct. 17 -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office here has already mapped out plans and security measures for foreign dignitaries, tourists, war veterans, servicemen, and other visitors attending the 73rd Leyte Gulf Landings on Friday.

PNP-Eastern Visayas regional director, Chief Supt. Gilberto Cruz, said they had discussed security preparations early on, particularly in areas where big events would be held, such as at the Leyte Landing Memorial in Palo, commemorative rites in Tolosa, and at Hill 120 in Dulag town on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

“We are prepared for the security requirements of the Leyte Gulf Landings and if needed, there is a ready augmentation force from other PNP units in Eastern Visayas,” Cruz said Tuesday.

Hundreds of PNP personnel will be deployed to identify areas where invited foreign dignitaries will be in attendance, before the commemorative program on Friday.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will be the guest-of-honor and speaker for the commemoration, themed "Keeping Alive the Valor of the Heroes of World War II”.

Meanwhile, Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said Tuesday the province leads the yearly commemoration to show the “brave warriors” of the Second World War the people’s gratitude for their courage and bravery and for “laying their lives so freedom can be enjoyed”.

Petilla said he wants the celebration to educate the younger generation about the significance of the annual commemoration, as well as the role of World War II and Filipino veterans in the history of the world.

The sunrise activity will be held at the park, while the sunset ceremony will be led by the veterans’ organizations and their sons and daughters.

The governor added that the provincial government had opted for a low-key celebration this year as it gears up for the 75th diamond commemoration of the Leyte Gulf Landings in 2019.

On Oct. 20, 1944, American forces landed on the Red Beach, led by US Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who two years before vowed, “I shall return!”, as well as former Philippine president Sergio Osmeña and Brig. Gen. Carlos P. Romulo.

The landing at Candhug village, 11 km. from Tacloban City, marked the return of the Commonwealth government to the country after years of exile in the US.

The Allied Forces won the two-month Battle of Leyte that ended on Dec. 31, 1944. A battle was also fought on Ormoc Bay and Camotes Sea in November of that year. (ACR/PNA)

2-day transport strike has no impact in Tacloban

TACLOBAN CITY, Oct. 17 -- The two-day nationwide jeepney strike has no impact in this city as most drivers and operators snubbed the call to join the nationwide protest against jeepney modernization, the city police office here confirmed Tuesday.

Senior Inspector Jessica Ortega, spokesperson of the city police office here, said the regional capital is generally peaceful since Monday.

Not a single rally against the jeepney phase out was held in any part of the city.

“Public transport is normal in the city and the situation is generally peaceful based on our monitoring,” Ortega told PNA in a mobile phone interview.

Francisco Penedilla, Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) Eastern Visayas president said their group did not officially declare a strike in the region, but some joined the nationwide protest.

“Many of our jeepney drivers opted to operate Monday and Tuesday to support their families’ hand-to-mouth existence and we respect them,” Penedilla told reporters.

Most of those who joined the transport strike are drivers of San Jose-bound jeepneys. The route is from the city’s downtown to airport.

In the region's capital, public transport was not paralyzed with the presence of multicabs transporting passengers from downtown to different parts of the city. A multicab is a small light truck in the Philippines generally used for public transport.

Patricia Salvo, a student intern from Tanauan, Leyte, some 18 kilometers south of the city, said it’s like a normal day for jeepney commuters in Leyte.

“It’s even easier to catch a jeepney ride especially that the government suspended classes in public schools,” Salvo said.

Malacañang cancelled government works and classes in all levels nationwide on Monday and Tuesday due to the two-day transport strike.

Piston organized the nationwide protest to oppose the government’s planned jeepney modernization program.

Under the modernization program, jeepneys older than 15 years, would be replaced with electric-powered and Euro 4-compliant vehicles.

“Instead of phase out, regulators should check if a jeepney is road worthy or not. The Land Transportation Office is very strict with minor violations, but doesn't even strictly check if a jeepney is really safe,” Penedilla added. (SQM/VCA/PNA)