‘Yolanda’ museum eyed in Tacloban

TACLOBAN CITY, March 28 (PNA) – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is pushing for the establishment of a "Yolanda" memorial center to preserve the memories of suffering and recovery from the monster typhoon that pummeled Eastern Visayas in 2013.

Officials from four national government agencies and the Tacloban city government will form a technical working group to come up with a proposal for the center.

Initially, the museum needs PHP50 million, but agencies will come up with more accurate estimates after the proposal’s completion within two months. It will rise within the city, considered as super typhoon Yolanda’s ground zero.

“It will be a site where people can go to learn about our experiences and how we recovered from the disaster,” NEDA regional director Bonifacio Uy said on Tuesday.

The proposed project will be patterned after a museum in Sendai, Japan, which features photographs and other items showing the tsunami damage to the city and the progress of rebuilding.

NEDA, the agency tasked to monitor post-Yolanda recovery efforts, will lead in the drafting of proposal. Other members of the technical working group are the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Tourism, Office of the Civil Defense, and Tacloban city government.

Uy is lobbying for funding of the proposed museum under the remaining funds for the 2016 Yolanda Rehabilitation and Recovery Program (YRRP). The proposal will be submitted to the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council.

“As an alternative source of funds, we can also include the proposal in the 2018 budget of the Department of Tourism,” Uy added.

YRRP is the government’s blueprint to help Yolanda-hit communities recover from the country’s deadliest typhoon on record, which killed at least 6,300 people on Nov. 8, 2013. It is the strongest storm recorded at landfall.(PNA)

SQM

More Northern Samar-Sorsogon ferry schedules eyed

TACLOBAN CITY, March 28 (PNA) – The possibility of more ferry boats plying Northern Samar and the Bicol region on a regular basis will be looked into by the House of Representatives, an official said.

Rep. Cesar Sarmiento said Monday the idea for additional schedules came following the conclusion of the first "House of Representatives Western and Eastern Nautical Highway Expedition” from March 17 to 27.

Sarmiento, House committee chair on transportation, also said that all ferries registered with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) should follow their schedule of departure.

“If they don’t follow that, they are violating the right of the public to be ferried on time”, Sarmiento said in an interview.

Ferries not following their assigned schedule have caused both passengers and goods inconvenience and prolonged their travel time.

The House of Representatives Western and Eastern Nautical Highway Expedition was conducted to give legislators first-hand perspectives on the state of roll-on roll-off projects of the government, the conditions of road network and the transportation system in the provinces.

“The expedition also sought to give the legislators first hand information for the 2018 budget season, and to determine if there are potential and existing infrastructure and tourism projects that need funding support from the national government,” Sarmiento said. (PNA)
AHLETTE C. REYES

Typhoon victims file raps vs Catbalogan mayor over shelter aid slash

TACLOBAN CITY, March 24 (PNA) – Militant group People’s Surge-Western Samar chapter filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas against Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan for allegedly slashing the Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) meant for victims of typhoon Ruby that hit the province in December 2014.

The complaint was signed by Rechiel Yrigon Laylay, president of People’s Surge- Western Samar chapter, against Uy-Tan, city social welfare development officer Nida Aroza and some of her staff, and Lagundi village secretary Lita Solis.

People’s Surge alleged that the amount received by the city government was intended for the totally damaged houses.

“However a week prior to the distribution of the aid on Oct. 13, 2016, the alleged re-categorization of totally damaged (houses) was apparently changed to partially damaged houses,” Laylay said on Friday.

The undetermined number of beneficiaries who were supposed to receive PHP16,000 were only able to receive PHP8,000, the complaint said.

For the sharer and renter, instead of receiving PHP5,328, they only received PHP3,000 or PHP4,000 only, it added.

The big disparity prompted the group to bring its issues to the Ombudsman, which was received by the Tacloban office last March 21.

Uy-Tan cannot be reached for comments.(PNA)
VICKY C. ARNAIZ

Party-list solon expresses optimism on transport system after lawmakers’ tour

TACLOBAN CITY, March 27 (PNA) – A member of the House of Representatives in Eastern Visayas appeared bullish on the country’s transportation network following the legislators' inspection tour.

An Waray Party-list Representative Victoria Noel lauded her colleagues for personally checking the transport system and road network through the 10-day Western and Eastern Nautical Highway Expedition.

“I am optimistic that the House of Representatives will be able to determine the kind of support needed by potential and existing infrastructure projects of the national government,” Noel said on Monday. 

The partylist lawmaker hosted the welcome event for the House of Representatives members who joined the inspection tour when the group arrived in this city on Sunday.

Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, who led the delegation, bragged that "present members of the House of Representatives are all hard working as they were already on the road a day after they went on recess."

The Tacloban stop was the 10th day of their expedition, Fariñas said. 

The team is composed of Senior Deputy Majority Floor Leader Juan Pablo Bondoc; transportation committee chairman Cesar Sarmiento; public works and highways chairman Celso Lobregat; and Representatives Johnny Pimentel, Divine Grace Yu, Manuel Dalipe, Arnolfo Teves Jr., Henry Oaminal, Aurelio Gonzales, Lawrence Furton, Strike Revilla, Henry Fernandez and Alfonso Umali.

The Eastern Visayas officials who welcomed them were Rep. Ben Evardone (Eastern Samar), Rep. Edgar Sarmiento (Samar 1st), Rep. Milagrosa Tan (Samar 2nd), Rep. Roger Mercado (Southern Leyte), Rep. Vicente Veloso (Leyte 3rd), and Rep. Henry Ong (Leyte 2nd).

In an interview, Fariñas said that "roads and roll-on roll-off (RoRo) ports are generally in good conditions." 

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez was present in almost all days of the expedition. 

The legislators from Manila embarked on an expedition to Batangas, took a RoRo trip to Caticlan, moved to Kalibo and to Iloilo. They slept overnight in Bacolod and drove to Dumaguete.

Afterwards, the group took another RoRo trip to Dapitan, went to Zamboanga del Sur, then to Lanao del Norte, and drove to Cagayan de Oro. They spent two nights in Bukidnon before heading to Tagum and Davao City. The group spent their last day in Eastern Visayas and Bicol region, driving by land and taking RoRo vessel trips that connect Visayas and Mindanao. (PNA)
LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA

PMS undersecretary named adviser to RDC Eastern Visayas advisory committee

TACLOBAN CITY, March 27 (PNA) – Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Undersecretary Ferdinand Cui is the new adviser of the Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC) Advisory Committee (AdCom), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) confirmed on Monday.

NEDA regional director Bonifacio Uy, also RDC vice chairperson, said in a statement that the council unanimously approved Cui, a native of Catbalogan City in Samar, due to his active participation in the region’s highest policy-making body.

The selection was in response to Cui’s discussion on the “President’s Governance Agenda Towards Responsive Results Delivery for Juana and Juan de la Cruz” during the first quarter 2017 RDC full council meeting presided by the new chairperson, Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Gonzalez- Romualdez, last week. 

“Undersecretary Cui strongly advocated among the officers and members of the council to place the people at the center in all its strategies and challenged the council to transform from a coordinative body to a collaborative and integrative mechanism by adopting the "whole-of-government" approach,” Uy said

Cui urged RDC members to push for "integrated governance," which should lead to the delivery of result outcomes such as poverty alleviation and reduced inequality.

Inter-agency convergence and national governance and local governance convergence were identified as key factors in achieving integrated governance and can be achieved through the conduct of results-oriented planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. 

The RDC formed the AdCom to advise, assist and support it in discharging its functions. The composition of the committee includes the members of the executive committee and members of the House of Representatives, who have signified their intention to join the AdCom.

The committee is tasked to advise in the preparation of the Regional Development Plan, the Regional Physical Framework Plan and the Regional Development Investment Programs and support their implementation.

AdCom also guides regional offices of national government agencies, state universities and colleges, and special development authorities in the preparation of their annual budgets.

They are also expected to support policy recommendations that need legislation and action of the President or the Cabinet. (PNA)
SARWELL Q. MENIANO

Catbalogan mayor unfazed by graft charge over shelter aid distribution

TACLOBAN CITY, March 27 (PNA) – Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan downplayed the complaint filed by militant group People’s Surge-Western Samar before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas accusing her of slashing the emergency shelter assistance (ESA) for typhoon victims.

Although the mayor has not yet received a copy of the complaint, the local government's legal office will attend to it, said Uy-Tan in a phone interview on Monday.

“If that is about the Emergency Assistance (ESA) for typhoon victims of Ruby (international name: Hagupit) last December 2014, the city was at first even hesitant to accept the assistance from the national government,” the mayor said. 

“The release was already two years after the typhoon and it’s not categorized as an emergency assistance. The assistance could have been in the form of relocation and housing, but DSWD said that the category of the assistance is still ESA,” she said.

The process, according to Uy-Tan, was tedious and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office revalidated those on the official list. 

Uy-Tan recalled that as part of the national government’s assistance, PHP110.191 million was downloaded to the city government on Aug. 31, 2016 for distribution to the families who either totally lost their houses or sustained partial damages.

There were 12,547 beneficiaries out of the 12,813 initial list who received either PHP8,000 and PHP4,000 cash assistance, she said.

“There was still available funds of PHP2.18 million because upon revalidation by the DSWD office and the local government, there were double entry, deceased individuals or unclaimed since they are no longer residents of a certain village,” Uy-Tan added.

“There are just people who want to create disorder in the city. We won’t let them be. We won’t let them continue to sow intrigues and disunity in the name of helping the vulnerable in society,” she said.

Militant group People’s Surge-Western Samar chapter president Rechiel Laylay filed the complaint before the anti-graft body last March 21, alleging that the chief executive violated the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. 

Aside from the mayor, the other respondents are city social welfare officer Nida Aroza and Lita Solis, secretary of Lagundi village in Catbalogan City. (PNA)
VICKY C. ARNAIZ

Php 232-M World Bank-funded farm-to-market road kicks off in S. Leyte

TACLOBAN CITY, March 25 (PNA) – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has kicked off its biggest World Bank-funded farm-to-market road rehabilitation project, spanning 11 rural villages in Liloan, Southern Leyte.

The project, which will be completed late next year, is 19.4-kilometer long, connecting San Roque and Bahay villages in Liloan town.

Key officials from the DA-Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) and key local government officials led the groundbreaking of the project late Friday afternoon.

Aside from road upgrading, the project will also build three bridges, according to DA Eastern Visayas Regional Executive Director U-Nichols Manalo.

“This is the biggest farm-to-market road (FMR) project in terms of allocation in the region. It will benefit 12,000 people or nearly half of the town’s voting population,” Manalo said in a mobile phone interview on Saturday.

The project is part of the Php 2.31 billion worth of 36 approved and pipelined infrastructure subprojects in five provinces of the region.

PRDP is a six-year program (2014-2021) designed to establish the government platform for a modern, climate-smart and market-oriented agri-fishery sector.

Mainly funded by World Bank, it seeks to improve agricultural competitiveness and expand market access for any identified priority commodities under the project.

It has a total cost of PHP27.48 billion in four components – local and national level planning, infrastructure development, enterprise development and support.

Infrastructure development gets a big chunk of the budget at Php 18.5.53 billion, which accounts 67.4 percent of the total outlay nationwide.

The PRDP aims to attain at least five percent increase per year in real household annual incomes of farmer and fisherfolk beneficiaries; 30 percent increase in incomes for targeted beneficiaries involved in enterprise development; seven percent increase in value of annual marketed output; and 20 percent increase in the number of farmers and fisherfolk with improved access to DA services.

Proposed for implementation in the region under the PRDP infrastructure component are the Calsadahay-Banayon-Bolirao-Maliwaliw FMR in Tanauan and Dagami Leyte; Kailingan to Salhag FMR in Rosario, Northern Samar; and Gonzaga-Lungib-Luisita-Buenasuerte-Maxvilla-San Roman-Pasabuena-San Miguel FMR in Victoria, Northern Samar.

In Samar province, these projects are Dau-San Eduardo FMR in Sta. Rita town, Lipata-Casandig FMR in Paranas, Serum-Guirang FMR in Basey, Inobongan-Poblacion FMR in San Sebastian, Inuntan-Mabini FMR in Basey, Villarosa-San Andres FMR in Villareal, and New Minarog-Pusongan FMR in Motiong.

In Southern Leyte, listed projects are Concepcion-Consolacion FMR in Sogod town, Kahupian-San Francisco-Mabuhay-Pancho Villa FMR in Sogod, Mabikay-San Pedro FMR in Sogod, and San Roque-Bahay FMR in Liloan.

These 14 rural road projects have a combined length of 100.90 kilometers designed to spur economic growth in farming communities of the region.

The farm department pushed for local roads upgrading to increase farm production, reduce transportation costs, minimize post-harvest losses and expand market opportunities. (PNA)
SARWELL Q. MENIANO

Diarrhea oubreak kills child, afflicts 40 others in Eastern Samar

TACLOBAN CITY, March 24 (PNA) – The Department of Health (DOH) sent a team to Dolores, Eastern Samar on Friday to check the reported diarrhea outbreak that killed a child and afflicted 40 others since last week.

Roderick Boyd Cerro, chief of the regional epidemiology and surveillance unit, said they received the report late Thursday afternoon about sporadic diarrhea cases in Dolores town, some 254 kilometers east from this city.

“This is alarming because the disease has already claimed a child’s life and it spreads faster compared to recent cases in Samar provinces,” Cerro said in a mobile phone interview.

The young fatality from Barangay (village) 2, whose identity was not immediately known, suffered dehydration, according to Cerro, adding that at least 13 victims were rushed to the Dolores Community Health Center.

The patients vomited and suffered abdominal cramps, watery stools, body weakness and fever after drinking contaminated water, he said.

“With the onset of the dry season, people tend to get drinking water from open wells and other unsafe sources that can cause diarrhea,” Cerro added.

The team brought with them some medicines to treat victims who have seriously fallen ill.

Aquatabs and chlorine are up for distribution to curb the contamination in affected villages.

Last week, the DOH investigated the spread of diarrhea in Hinabangan, Samar where 108 people were afflicted. In the last week of February, at least 208 people got sick of diarrhea in the province.

To curb diarrhea, the public are advised to wash hands before cooking foods, wash foods before cooking, cover foods, practice personal hygiene, practice proper disposal of waste and use of sanitary toilets. (PNA)
SARWELL Q. MENIANO

DOST to put up 150 digital libraries in Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, March 24 (PNA) – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will set up digital science library kiosks in 150 elementary and secondary schools in Eastern Visayas.

DOST Regional Director Edgardo Esperancilla said that their office got at least PHP12 million funds to put up user-friendly portals dubbed as Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk Station (Starbooks).

“This will be the first attempt to set up both hardware and software for Starbooks in the region. In the past, we just provided software for installation in schools and government offices,” Esperancilla said on Thursday.

Starbooks is a user-friendly information portal that can be accessed even without internet connection. It contains local and foreign science and technology resources in text, video and audio formats including journals, investigatory materials and livelihood videos.

The materials cover a diverse range of topics, from food and nutrition, health and medicine, energy, environment, livelihood, technologies and many others.

“What we will have are the Super Starbooks. Aside from its original content, it will carry some 20,000 materials of livelihood information ideal for students, professionals and housewives with entrepreneurial spirit. It includes 120 full-length how-to videos on income-generating projects,” Esperancilla explained.

The facility is open to the public even if it will be set up inside selected public school campuses, according to the DOST official.

The Super Starbooks is being deployed nationwide in schools, town libraries, government offices and other entities for free. The partner-proponents will only shoulder the computers and kiosks and the DOST-Science and Technology Information Institute will provide the content and training of librarians.

The project earned the American Library Association Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects last June 29, 2015 at the International Librarians Reception at the San Francisco Library in San Francisco, California.(PNA)
SQM

Southern Leyte solon pushes reclassification of local roads

TACLOBAN CITY, March 24 (PNA) – Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado is pushing for the conversion of five local roads into national highways, a measure that will allow the national government to allocate funds for the maintenance and upgrading of these roads.

Earlier, Mercado filed House Bills (HB) 2519, 2520, 2521, 2522, and 2523 to reclassify some barangay (village), municipal, and provincial road networks that directly links to the provincial capital, commercial centers and major seaports.

Proposed for conversion into national highways are roads from Asuncion village in Maasin City to Paku village in Bontoc town (HB 2519), Paco to San Rafael Road in Maasin City (HB 2520), Tawid–Guadalupe-Cabulihan-Sto. Rosario-Manhilo Road in Maasin City (HB 2521), road connecting St. 

Bernard and Hinunangan towns (HB 2522), and Pinut-an- Bahay - Liloan Road in Liloan town (HB 2523).

“All our national highways in the province are already concrete. Instead of widening national roads, we can use the funds to improve local roads,” Mercado told reporters on Thursday after a meeting with key national government officials here.

Mercado pushed for the passage of HB 2519, 2520 and 2521 to bring more economic opportunities to rural communities, according to a press statement by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

On the other hand, the solon lobbied for the approval of HB 2522 and 2523 given the inability of local government units in repairing and maintaining the road network damaged by floods and “ordinary wear and tear.”

The road conversion will pass the responsibility for the road maintenance to the DPWH from cash-strapped local government units.

“I even filed a bill to allocate 40 percent of DPWH budget to concrete local roads because I believe that the key to poverty reduction is infrastructure development. Southern Leyte used to be in the list of top 20 poor provinces, but we have improved a lot after concreting our roads,” the solon added.

Southern Leyte ranks fourth in poverty among the region's six provinces with an incidence of 30.2 percent as of 2015, ahead than the three Samar provinces. The province is next to Biliran and Leyte provinces with improved economy.

In a statement, DPWH Southern Leyte District Engineer Ma. Margarita C. Junia supported the proposed road conversions to complement future road opening activities.

“Our office have been extending assistance to the office of Congressman Mercado to come up with documentary requirements for the said bills to be acted upon by the House Committee on Public Works and Highways,” Junia said.

The DPWH Southern Leyte office is tasked to maintain 299 kilometers of national roads and 155 bridges, built in 18 towns and one city.

Southern Leyte, a lone congressional district, occupies the southern quarter of the island of Leyte.

It is bounded by Leyte province to the north, by Surigao Strait to the east, Bohol Sea to the south, and Canigao Channel, across from Bohol, to the west.(PNA)
SARWELL Q. MENIANO