Eastern Visayas airports get P1.32-B upgrade

TACLOBAN CITY, March 29  -- The provincial government is spending PHP1.32 billion for the development of seven airports in Eastern Visayas this year, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) confirmed on Wednesday.

CAAP Eastern Visayas Area Manager Danilo Abareta said they are committed to upgrade airports with existing commercial flights to ensure safety and compliance to aviation standards.

“These projects are part of the long-term plan of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to upgrade all airports by 2022. We are doing our best to make these airports operational even at night,” Abareta told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The budget for airport development this year is twice the PHP684 million allocation in 2017, which only covered the development of four airports in the region.

Bulk of the budget for 2018 is for the site development and construction of new terminal building for Tacloban Airport with an allocation of PHP716.12 million.

With 34 inbound and outbound daily flights, the Tacloban airport is the country’s seventh busiest airport with 1.2 million passengers last year.

The new facility, which would be at par with global standards, will have a floor area of 12,400 square meters or 12 times bigger than the existing terminal.

In Samar province, the Calbayog Airport got a budget of PHP245 million for the runway strip and shoulder grade correction; drainage canal system; runway, apron, and taxiway markings; and provision of runway end safety area at both ends of the runway.

Calbayog, one of the biggest cities in the country in terms of land area, has regular flights to Clark by Philippine Airlines and to Cebu by Cebu Pacific.

With a budget of PHP128 million, the Ormoc City airport’s 1,020-meter runway will have a new asphalt overlay pavement and reflectorized markings. The outlay will also cover the acquisition of lot to widen its strip.

Two weeks ago, Air Juan launched its Ormoc-Cebu flight, months after Cebu Pacific stopped flying the same route.

In Southern Leyte province, DOTr sets aside PHP122 million to correct the runway of Maasin Airport, build runway slope protection, extend the runway to 1,500 meters, and construction of 60-meter strip end of runway.

Last year, Air Juan launched its Cebu-Maasin-Tagbilaran-Cebu flight. The domestic airline is the first to serve the route.

The PHP72.26 million for Borongan Airport in Eastern Samar will fund the extension of runway from 1,200 meters to 1,350 meters. The budget will also construct strips at both ends of the runway.

Presently, the Eastern Samar airport has no commercial flights. Earlier, Aviation Cadet Development Inc. – Multi-Purpose Cooperative announced that their turboprop-powered “Fokker 50” aircraft will fly from Cebu to Borongan starting April.

The Borongan Airport never had commercial operations since 2008 after South East Asian Airlines stopped its Manila-Borongan flights.

Among the seven airports, Biliran Airport got the lowest budget this year of PHP14.7 million for the construction of 4,500-meter perimeter fence. Currently, Air Juan has three times weekly flights to Naval, Biliran from Cebu. (SQM/PNA)

Leyte’s Baybay City declared as drug-free

BAYBAY CITY, Leyte, March 29  -- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have jointly declared this city as free from the drug menace.

All of Baybay City‘s 79 drug-affected villages have been cleared of illegal drugs, as certified by the anti-narcotics agency and the police.

Members of the village drug-clearing oversight committee signed the certificate for each area at the Baybay City legislative building on Wednesday.

“I am very thankful that formally Baybay City is declared as drug-cleared,” said Mayor Carmen Cari.
“To the police, thank you for helping a lot in reducing the supply of illegal drugs in the city. Without your efforts, our city will not be declared as drug-free.”

Police Regional Office 8 (Eastern Visayas) Regional Director, Chief Supt. Gilbert Cruz, lauded village officials for taking the lead in fighting illegal drugs, reminding them to maintain the status of their community and ensure a safe and secure environment for their children.

Cruz also tasked local officials to help drug surrenderers recover from drug dependence and start a new life.

“This is not yet over. Remember that after the declaration, we must ensure that illegal drugs will not proliferate again in your place. Give surrenderers a second chance to start a new life because they want to get back their identity,” he said.

PDEA-8 Regional Director Edgar Jubay, meanwhile, urged local officials not only to focus on their area of responsibility, but also prevent the proliferation of illegal drugs in nearby villages.

“Maintain, sustain and enhance your status, but most of all, also monitor your neighboring villages if there are illegal drug operations,” Jubay said.

This city is the 13th local government in Leyte province to be declared as drug-cleared.

Of Baybay’s 2,252 drug surrenderers, 238 were categorized as low risk, 262 as moderate, and 98 as high risk, needing rehabilitation. (RTA/PNA)

Leyte’s Passion play to attract thousands of Region 8 pilgrims

PALO, Leyte, March 28  -- About 50,000 devotees from different parts of Eastern Visayas will join the Holy Week observance in this town as part of the Roman Catholic tradition that has been kept alive for more than four decades.

Fr. Gilbert Urbina, liturgist of Palo Archdiocese, said the procession has been drawing a lot of pilgrims every year to witness the re-enactment of Jesus Christ’s suffering.

The re-enactment starts at noon of Good Friday and ends at 3 p.m. when Christ is crucified. All penitentes are played by men. They join the play on the Palo Cathedral grounds as a form of offering to the Lord.

“They are different groups of brotherhood with the aim to express their personal devotion to the Lord,” Urbina told reporters on Tuesday.

These men stay on until Black Saturday with some of them guarding the “body” of Christ in Palo Cathedral until Easter Sunday.

The person playing the role of Jesus will not be nailed to the cross during the play. Up for display, instead is a life-size image of Christ on the cross.

Palo native Brian Pacheco will act as Christ, a role he has been playing during “Pamalandong” (local term for meditation) since 2004, according to stage director Mabel Moron-Sevilla.

Sevilla, a retired college professor, said the main casts are now ready for re-enactment on Good Friday. The stage director is the daughter of former Palo Mayor Salvador Moron, founder of “Pamalandong.”

About 300 cast members of the “Pamalandong” theater group will join the re-enactment of Christ’s sacrifice using the original script written by the late priest from Carigara town, Msgr. Ben Lloren Sabillo.

The re-enactment is followed by the “Siete Palabras” where priests, acting as speaker, interpret the Last Seven Words of Jesus.

Before the re-enactment, there will be a Mass at the cathedral in the morning, followed by the Station of the Cross. Confession is then offered prior to the play.

The day’s activity will be capped by a procession dubbed as “Santo Entierro”, where the “body” of Jesus Christ is paraded around the town’s main streets.

Those who will not join the procession have the option to climb the Guinhangdan Hill as part of their penance.

The old cross atop the Guinhangdan Hill, which was built in the early 1960s, is one of the most concrete manifestation of the Catholic zeal in the town after the Jesuits arrived to bring Christianity to its inhabitants way back in 1596 and after the town survived the ravaged of World War II in 1940s.

Palo town is home to the offices of the ecclesiastical government of the Roman Catholic’s Archdiocese of Palo; the archbishop's residence; as well as the secondary, tertiary and theology seminaries of the archdiocese.

The diocese has 1.2 million Roman Catholic residents, 63 parishes, 1 chaplaincy and 13 mission stations, divided into two districts - the Eastern District for Waray-speaking people and the Western District for Cebuano-speaking resident. (SQM/PNA)

Tacloban mulls year-round maintenance of ‘Calvary Hill’

TACLOBAN CITY, March 28  -- The city government here vowed to beautify its own version of Calvary Hill not only during Lenten season but whole year round to make the site one of the top tourist attractions in the regional capital.

Mayor Cristina Romualdez said the site is only cleaned up in time for the Holy Week, but under the new plan, the city government will step up efforts to maintain the hill throughout the year.

“We have a beautiful plan for Calvary Hill for walking and hiking tours. We’re trying to get funding assistance from the national government through endorsement from the Regional Development Council,” Romualdez said Tuesday.

Since almost all tourists in the region arrive and depart at the Tacloban Airport, the city needs to develop local sites to give tourist the reason to extend their stay in the city, the mayor said.

This Holy Week, thousands are expected to hike the Calvary Hill in Siren district as part of the Roman Catholic’s tradition of penance and recital of prayers.

The Hill is perfect for hiking tour as it showcases a view of the city’s downtown, San Juanico Bridge, and San Juanico Strait.

The pilgrimage site with concrete stairs for climbing, has 14 life-sized stations made of pure cement and painted white and of some primary colors.

On the top of the hill is the statue of the resurrected Jesus Christ facing the city with arms stretched out.

Some throw money on the statue, which has a screen fence, to ask fulfillment of their wishes and petitions.

The place was named after the hill outside ancient Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified. The scene was replicated around the world being used by Roman Catholics as part of their worship and veneration of God.

Aside from Calvary Hill in this city, the local government is also proposing for the development of Balugo Falls in the city’s Salvacion village.

The falls, located 10 kilometers north of the city, is a developed area with beautiful tropical trees, flowers and shrubs, swimming pools, nursery for vegetables and tree saplings. (SQM/PNA)

Rebel killed, firearms seized in Eastern Samar clash

TACLOBAN CITY, March 28  -- A member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed in a clash between government troops and rebels in Maslog, Eastern Samar on Tuesday -- two days before the 49th anniversary of the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

In a press statement sent Tuesday night, the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division confirmed the death of the rebel fighter in the remote village of San Roque in Maslog town, 194 kilometers northeast of Tacloban.

The 30-minute firefight also led to the recovery of one M-16A1 rifle, one AK-47 rifle, one hand grenade, two landmines, 11 jungle hammock backpacks, 12 poncho tents, one cellular phone, and documents with high intelligence value.

The encounter started when 12 NPA fighters fired upon patrolling soldiers of the 14th Infantry Battalion, who acted on the report of sightings of armed rebels in an upland portion of the village.

“(There was) no reported casualty on the government side while one dead body of the enemy was recovered at the encounter site,” said Capt. Francis Agno, spokesperson of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City in Samar.

The clash happened two days before the NPA anniversary on Thursday, during which, rebels are expected to launch attacks against government troops. Bernabe Buscayno and Lucio Manlapaz founded the NPA on March 29, 1969.

“These CPP-NPA terrorists are taking advantage of the shadow of fear and weakness of the community from their threat, we will not put our (guards) down in securing the safety and protection of community,” said Maj. Gen. Raul Farnacio, commander of the 8th Infantry Division.

Farnacio said the unrelenting campaign of the army in the region is aimed at deterring the criminal activities of insurgents in far-flung communities during the observance of the Lenten Season.

In Eastern Visayas, the Philippine Army disclosed that three cities and 24 towns in the region have confirmed NPA activities as of February 2018. There are 404 active NPA members in the region equipped with 576 firearms, according to the military. (SQM/PNA)

DPWH deploys ‘Lakbay Alalay’ teams in Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, March 28  -- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) field offices in Eastern Visayas have deployed “Lakbay Alalay” teams in strategic areas along national highways to assist travelers this Holy Week.

The reactivation of motorists’ assistance program is in compliance to the directive of DPWH Secretary Mark Villar to field offices nationwide to deploy teams starting Wednesday noon.

The program will end noon of April 2.

“Our Lakbay Alalay teams are ready with the equipment placed in areas where there is influx of motorists. All our skeletal force will be available round-the-clock in an eight-hour shifting. If the need arises, we will provide service vehicles for possible emergencies,” said DPWH Southern Leyte field office chief Ma. Margarita Junia said in a mobile phone interview.

In Southern Leyte province, the 24-men skeletal force will be deployed in four strategic areas along the national highway.
These areas are in the Maasin City area; Divisoria Junction, Bontoc town; Junction Maharlika Concepcion and San Miguel, Sogod town; and Junction Himayangan in Liloan town.

In Biliran, the district engineering office installed traffic, warning and directional signs on key locations along the national roads, bridges and ongoing projects.

The purpose is to prevent untoward incidents, said DPWH Biliran field office chief David Adongay Jr. in a statement sent to reporters.

Stations of the “Lakbay Alalay” team in Biliran will be at the corner of Caneja and Garcia Streets at the entrance of the town center of Naval along Matsumoto Bakeshop, at the corner of Padre Inocentes and Castin Streets in front of Velasquez Drugstore and at the Biliran Junction in Biliran town.

DPWH Samar 1st district engineering office chief Alvin Ignacio said the motorist assistance program is in coordination with the Land Transportation Office, Philippine National Police, local government units and other government agencies for more unified assistance.

“The team will provide timely and reliable assistance on normal and emergency situation to the travelling public as the whole nation observes the Lenten season,” Ignacio told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
In the northern part of Samar province, teams will be deployed in three major road sections: Calbayog-Allen Road, Calbayog-Catbalogan Road, and Calbayog-Catarman Road.

The team will not just assist the traveling public to give direction but is also tasked to provide help during emergency situations on roads such as vehicular accidents. (SQM/PNA)

Eastern Visayas army on full alert for NPA anniversary

TACLOBAN CITY, March 27  -- The Philippine Army in Eastern Visayas is on full alert for the 49th anniversary of the New People’s Army on March 29.

The date falls on Maundy Thursday when many pilgrims are expected to flock to churches and pilgrimage sites in the region.

“The Army will remain steadfast in its campaign in protecting the populace from terrorists and other threat group’s criminal activities, and secure churches, places of religious worship, resorts, economic centers, seat of government instrumentalities, and other vital installations to ensure the peaceful observance of the Lenten season,” said Philippine Army 8th Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Raul Farnacio, in a statement issued Monday. He said security measures in camps and detachments were heightened.

The top military official in the region issued the statement after soldiers encountered five NPA fighters in the upland Cansangaya village in Can-avid, Eastern Samar before noon on Sunday.

The army acted in on the information of residents that communist rebels were conducting extortion activities in their community.

No one on either side was hurt during the five-minute firefight, but soldiers recovered a rifle and a bandolier with four clips of magazine with ammunition as rebels fled to the forest.

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines formed and founded by Bernabe Buscayno and Lucio Manlapaz on March 29, 1969.

In Eastern Visayas, the Philippine Army disclosed that three cities and 24 towns in the region have confirmed NPA activities. There are 404 active NPA members in the region equipped with 576 firearms in the region’s four provinces, the military said. (SQM/PNA)

Road linking Leyte to Mindanao remains closed due to landslide threat

TACLOBAN CITY, March 27  -- The road that links Leyte Island to Mindanao remained closed two weeks after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) noticed cracks, indicating a potential major landslide.

In a statement issued Tuesday, DPWH Southern Leyte field office chief Ma. Margarita Junia said they are still unsure when to re-open the road in Pancho Villa village in Sogod town with the ongoing intensive soil exploration and anti-landslide measures.

"One thing is for sure, the road is not safe. There is an active ground movement in the slope along the highway that might collapse anytime," Junia said.

The road closure has affected Mindanao-bound motorists, who prefer to take the landslide-prone road to get to Benit port in San Ricardo, Southern Leyte.

Benit port is considered as the region’s gateway to Mindanao.

Since March 14, the 200-meter road section that forms part of the major highway that connects Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao Islands, has been closed to all types of vehicles.

The road section is just six kilometers away from Agas-Agas Bridge, the country’s tallest. The road stretch has been tagged as highly susceptible to landslides.

Motorist bound for Benit port are advised to take the Tacloban-Mahaplag-Baybay-Bato-Bontoc-Liloan-San Ricardo route and vice versa or Tacloban-Abuyog-Silago-St. Bernard-Jct. Himay-angan-Daang Maharlika-Liloan-San Ricardo route and vice versa.

From Tacloban to Pacific towns, motorists can take the Tacloban-Abuyog-Silago-St. Bernard route and vice versa orTacloban-Mahaplag-Baybay-Bato-Bontoc-Sogod-Jct. Himay-angan-St. Bernard-Silago-Abuyog road route and vice versa.

Preliminary findings of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau confirmed the presence of active ground movements in tension cracks, ruptured surface, and vertical displacements in the road section.

The assessment within the 200-meter stretch of the road also showed that there is an increase in water discharge and water saturation from springs nearby, which caused changes in groundwater level and increase of water pressure.

The DPWH Southern Leyte district office initiated a soil study to determine the properties of the subsurface soil and identify proper measures to prevent major erosions.

The exploration will dig up to 20 meters or more to get soil samples, and identify the most stable soil level, which is highly necessary in determining the most efficient erosion prevention technology applicable in the area. (SQM/PNA)

Leyte priest prays for sunny Holy Week amid storm threat

PALO, Leyte, March 27  -- The Archdiocese of Palo is praying for a good weather as an approaching tropical storm threatens to dump rains in Eastern Visayas region this Holy Week.

Fr. Gilbert Urbina, Palo archdiocesan liturgist, said Monday they have strong faith that no storm will hit the country this Lenten season.

“No typhoon is coming, but in case there would be rains, we will still have the procession for as long as there are no strong winds,” Urbina told reporters on Monday.

In its latest advisory, state weather bureau PAGASA spotted the center of Tropical Storm Jelawat at 1,005 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 80 kilometers per hour.

The weather disturbance is most likely to enter the country’s area of responsibility and will be named "Caloy" once it is inside the country.

PAGASA, however, forecasted that the tropical storm still has no direct effect in the country.

Thousands of devotees from different part of Eastern Visayas are expected to join the procession on Thursday and Friday in this town, the center of Roman Catholic Church in Leyte and Samar provinces.

The “Pamalandong” or meditation on Good Friday is the highlight of the Holy Week tradition in this town. 
The religious activity is a re-enactment of the Lord´s Passion celebrated in Palo town. The tradition has started in 1974. (SQM/PNA)

Research body eyes new roadmap for Region 8

TACLOBAN CITY, March 26  -- A newly-formed committee of the Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC) is eyeing to draft the 2018-2022 Regional Research Development Research Agenda (RDRA) by June in a bid to identify necessary researches to support the attainment of the region’s development plan.

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Regional Director Edgardo Esperancilla, RDRA chairperson said the existing consortium for agriculture, aquatic resources, health research and development, industry and energy, and emerging technology recently met to tackle drafting the new roadmap.

“The plan includes research topics, which the respective institutions plan to fund and undertake, as well as priority research areas that may be conducted by other agencies or research institutions,” Esperancilla said on Monday.

The RDRA will serve as a reference for state universities and colleges, but also for regional line agencies, local government units, and other research institutions.

The research roadmap is anchored on three strategies: increase agricultural and fishery production, intensify agribusiness, develop of tourism development areas, and establish information and communication technology industry.

“Effective implementation of these strategies will ultimately result to increase in productivity, employment and family income,” Esperancilla added.

The RDC formed the new research committee that will ensure the alignment of research and development activities with regional development thrusts.

Members of the new committee are regional directors of the Departments of Agriculture, of Environment and Natural Resources, and of Health; Commission on Higher Education; presidents of state universities and colleges and higher education institutions; and chairs of various consortia in the region.

Also included as members are presidents of industry groups with science and technology-related advocacies, private sector representatives, officials from the local government units.

The proposal to create a RDRA was pushed in December 2016. RDC members reviewed the proposal in three quarterly meetings until it was finally approved on December 13, 2017. (SQM/PNA)

DPWH alarmed over growing ground cracks in southern Leyte

TACLOBAN CITY, March 23  -- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has raised the alarm over growing road cracks in Sogod, Southern Leyte province.

The growing cracks, visible within the 200-meter road section in Pancho Villa village in Sogod town, have forced the DPWH to close the road to all types of vehicles since March 15.

The road section forms part of the highway that links Visayas to Mindanao.

“Last week, the crack was only 3 meters. Yesterday, the crack has extended to 8 meters. This is alarming,” Ma. Margarita Junia, chief of DPWH-Southern Leyte district engineering office, said in a mobile phone interview on Friday.

Ground cracks or earth fissures are formed as a result of soil surface tension due to the lowering of the ground surface elevation.

The DPWH is still unsure when to reopen the road as potential major landslides continue to threaten the area after last week’s heavy rains.

Junia said measures are being done to prevent landslides, such as putting up barriers, constructing drainage channels to divert the flow of surface water, and installation of weep holes. These activities are based on the recommendations of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

Preliminary findings of the MGB confirm the presence of active ground movements in tension cracks, ruptured surface, and vertical displacements in the road section in Pancho village.

“There is an ongoing soil exploration to find out the soil strata in the area. We also asked for confirmation from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology if there is a fault line in the area connected to the Central Leyte Fault,” Junia added.

The assessment within the 200-meter stretch of national road also showed an increase in water discharge and water saturation from springs nearby, which caused changes in groundwater level and an increase in water pressure.

Increase in water seepage from gabions has been observed, especially during continuous rain. Gabions are cages filled with rocks installed in roadsides to prevent soil erosions.

“Every data regarding the status of the area will be essential to properly address the threat of landslide and it will also be important in our restoration of the highway there,” Junia said.

With the road closure, motorists bound for Benit port in Southern Leyte are advised to take the longer Tacloban–Mahaplag–Baybay–Bato–Bontoc–Sogod– Daang Maharlika– Liloan– San Ricardo road route. Another alternative is the Abuyog-Silago Road. Benit port is the region’s gateway to Mindanao.

“No vehicle is allowed to pass the area as we continue to work on preventing a major landslide and monitor the situation. We are still looking for a solution and the road will remain closed until further notice,” Junia added.

The road section is just 6 kms. away from the Agas-Agas Bridge, the country’s tallest. The road stretch has been tagged as highly susceptible to landslides.

The MGB has recently ranked Southern Leyte as the seventh most vulnerable to heavy landslides in the Philippines.

Based on MGB’s geo-hazard mapping and assessment, the province recorded a 78 percent landslide probability. (SQM/PNA)

Leyte policemen receive new body cameras

TACLOBAN CITY, March 23  --The provincial government of Leyte has turned over 41 body cameras to town police chiefs to promote transparency in their anti-illegal drug operations.

The province has become the first local government unit in Eastern Visayas to distribute body cameras to police offices.

The distribution of body cameras to the law enforcers is a priority project of the Provincial Drug Abuse Council.

Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and Leyte Provincial Police Chief, Senior Supt. Norberto Tuazon, handed over the equipment on Thursday to the 41 town police chiefs.

“We want to erase doubts against our policemen during the conduct of police operations. Recordings from the body cameras will be used as evidence to show what really transpired during police operations,” Petilla said.

The governor said more cameras will be provided to 41 town police stations in the future.

Leyte policemen conducted 41 operations leading to the arrest of 46 personalities from December 2017 to March 2018. Operatives also confiscated more than 25.88 grams of shabu in the past four months.

No one was killed during these police operations. (RTA/PNA)

DPWH to replace Biliran’s typhoon-hit bridge

TACLOBAN CITY, March 23  -- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will build a taller, longer and stronger bridge to replace the Caraycaray Bridge in Biliran province , which was destroyed by Typhoon Urduja last December.

Biliran’s lone district Rep. Rogelio Espina said a study is being done for a new bridge design that could withstand natural calamities, to be released in two months so the project could proceed in the first semester of the year.

“We don’t know how much the required budget is since the study is still ongoing. But we’ve been informed that the bridge project is very expensive, with an estimated cost of PHP1 million per meter,” Espina told reporters on Friday.

Caraycaray Bridge was 130 meters long before it collapsed due to massive flooding brought by “Urduja” in December 2017. The replacement bridge could be longer as the river has changed its course.

The bridge, which forms part of the major highway, is a vital infrastructure to get to Biliran’s provincial capital of Naval from Leyte’s provincial capital of Tacloban City.

While visiting Biliran last week, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar announced the building of a detour bridge across Caraycaray Bridge while waiting for the completion of the permanent structure. The 45-meter temporary bridge will cost PHP4.76 million.

“This will reduce the travel time of heavy vehicles from Biliran town to Naval from two-and-a-half hours to 30 minutes,” said DPWH-Biliran chief David Adongay.

Load restrictions for the damaged bridge force heavy vehicles to take the 90-kilometer route around the circumferential road.

“The government has to speed up the construction of the new bridge to bring (down) the cost of goods in Biliran province. For instance, a sack of rice is PHP200 higher in Naval than in Leyte,” Adongay added.

Caraycaray Bridge is categorized by DPWH as an old bridge, since it was built 40 years ago without major rehabilitation. (SQM/PNA)

HUDCC assures participation of beneficiaries in post-disaster rehab

TACLOBAN CITY, March 22 -- The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) will come up with policies to ensure that victims of calamities will be involved in the planning of post-disaster housing projects.

HUDCC Assistant Secretary Leira Buan said the mistakes in the implementation of permanent housing projects for Super Typhoon Yolanda survivors are a result of the previous administration’s failure to consult with beneficiaries.

“Before, they build thousands of small houses in inaccessible areas. That’s why, it’s really challenging to provide water and electricity in some of these housing sites,” said Buan during the Open Government and Participatory Governance Regional Dialogues at Hotel Alejandro here Thursday.

The HUDCC official made the statement after some groups raised concerns on substandard housing projects and unoccupied units.

These problems prompted the HUDCC to come up with a uniformed policy to always include beneficiaries in the post-disaster rehabilitation planning process.

“Whatever we will do, we will always listen to the point of view of people affected by calamities and not just focus on quantity, but quality as well,” Buan said.

In 2014, the government approved releasing PHP19 billion for permanent housing of “Yolanda” victims in central Philippines.

Buan admitted that many of the houses built are still unoccupied.

“In our investigations, we found out that substandard project is a result of lack of consultation,” Buan said. “This is very hard but we are trying our best to catch up. The problem is where to get budget since the fund was already allocated in the past.”

In Eastern Visayas region alone, only 12,000 out of 56,000 target permanent houses for typhoon survivors have been completed last year. Most of these housing units are in this city, considered as Yolanda’s ground zero.

The policy of consultation has been applied in building relocation projects in war-torn Marawi City.

HUDCC is the government agency which serves as the oversight, the over-all coordinator, initiator and facilitator of all government policies, plans and programs for the housing sector.

Department of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno, the keynote speaker of the two-day gathering, said the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte truly recognizes the value of citizen engagement in governance.

“Through various citizen engagement programs, we are making sure that governance is not limited to government alone. We are opening up government by providing citizens with a seat at the policy table, and giving them a legitimate voice and vote in what the government does and plans to do in the years to come,” Diokno told participants of the town hall session.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Kristian Ablan said the dialogue is an effective way for local and national leaders to meet constituents. “This is to genuinely engage people and directly interface with high government officials.”

This is the last round of Open Government Partnership dialogues.

Earlier senior government official held sessions in Bacolod, General Santos, Zamboanga, Manila, and Baguio City. (SQM/PNA)

Gov’t takes control of foreign ship that sank off N. Samar

TACLOBAN CITY, March 22  -- The government has assumed ownership of the foreign cargo ship that drifted off the coastal waters of Pambujan in Northern Samar province last January.

The crew has abandoned the vessel Jing-Ming No. 16 and decided to return to their respective countries, said Philippine Coast Guard Eastern Visayas commander Lawrence Roque.

“The owner had not shown interest to recover the vessel, it became stateless resulting for it to become a government property,” Roque said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.

The vessel is currently docked at Cancabato Bay in this city.

Roque said the ship will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs, the agency tasked to decide what to do with the ship to recover the cost paid to the company that salvaged the ship.

“Unfortunately, the salvaging of the ship to prevent the oil spill incurred payment,” Roque said.

The vessel reportedly loaded with oil, left China on December 12 and was sailing to Chile when they encountered rough seas, according to crew members.

The vessel made a distress call on January 2 due to Tropical Depression Agaton while crossing the San Bernadino Strait that separates Samar Island and Luzon Island.

The vessel has nine crew composed of six Chinese nationals, two sailors from Hong Kong, and a Taiwanese.

The incident happened just as the same time when authorities recovered a blue drum filled with 24 kilograms of cocaine worth PHP125 million in the shoreline of Matnog, Sorsogon.

Matnog town is just more than a hundred kilometers away from Pambujan town in Northern Samar.

Investigation is still ongoing to find out if the vessel dumped illegal drugs in Philippine seas before it sank in the waters off Northern Samar and had been salvaged and towed to a port in Pambujan town. (RTA/PNA)

Intensified anti-drug ops in villages urged as poll nears

TACLOBAN CITY, March 21  -- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has asked local officials to step up the campaign against illegal drugs if they want to increase their chances to be re-elected in the upcoming village polls.

PDEA Eastern Visayas Regional Director Edgar Jubay said village officials should not stop eliminating the drug menace for fear of losing in the upcoming local elections.

“Many people will vote for their incumbent village official if they are functional members of Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) because drug dependents have been rehabilitated and drug pushers stop selling illegal drugs in their communities. People want peaceful communities,” Jubay said on Wednesday.

Considered as the first line of defense against the proliferation of prohibited drugs in the community, BADAC primarily consists of village officials and local sectoral representatives having first-hand information about the members of the community.

The PDEA regional chief made the statement after some village officials in this city have expressed fears of losing in the village polls if big time traders would use drug money to boost the campaign of their rivals.

Last year, President Rodrigo R. Duterte approved the postponement of village polls amid fears that drug money would be used in the elections. The village poll is scheduled on May 14, 2018.

“In the past, we were scared to do something to stop illegal drugs in our area that is why drugs proliferated. Now, we have no reason to fear because anti-drugs program is a priority of President Duterte as well as our national government agencies, governors, and mayors,” Jubay added.

As of last month, 2,348 out of 4,390 villages in the region remained drug affected, according to PDEA. At least 74 villages have been cleared from the drug list.

Last year, close to 700 villages were declared as drug-cleared by PDEA, including several villages in Tacloban, the regional capital.

Tacloban City became the first highly urbanized city in the Visayas to be declared drug-cleared last December.

Declaring an area as drug-cleared means non-availability of drug supply; absence of drug den, pusher, and user; absence of clandestine drug laboratory; active involvement of village officials in anti-drug activities; existence of drug awareness, preventive education and information; and existence of voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation processing desk. (SQM/PNA)