284 Eastern Visayas villages tagged as elections hotspots

TACLOBAN CITY, April 28  -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified 284 villages in the Eastern Visayas region as election hotspots, citing intense political rivalries, threats of armed rebels, and violence committed by criminal groups.

PNP-8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Chief Supt. Gilberto Cruz said in a press briefing Friday night that they identified these areas in consultation with other security agencies, and also based on the parameters set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Northern Samar has the most number of areas on the watch list with 114, followed by Samar (82), Eastern Samar (60), and Leyte (28).

These villages are in the towns of Bato, Carigara, Tabango, Alangalang, Albuera, Burauen, Hilongos, Inopacan, La Paz, Leyte, Macarthur in Leyte province; Basey, Calbayog City, Calbiga, Daram, Hinabangan, Jiabong, Marabut, Matuguinao, Motiong, Paranas, San Jose de Buan, Sta. Margarita, and Talalora in Samar; Can-avid, Dolores, Hernani, Jipapad, Llorente, Maslog, Arteche, Balangkayan, Balangiga, General Macarthur, Giporlos, Maydolong, San Policarpo, Sulat, and Taft in Eastern Samar; Catarman, Catubig, Laoang, Lapinig, Las Navas, Lope de Vega, Mapanas, Pambujan, Palapag, Rosario, San Jose, San Isidro, and Silvino Lobos in Northern Samar.

“With only a few days left before the polls, the PNP is fine-tuning measures to ensure the safety and security of the elections. Rest assured that we will be extending our best efforts in order to uphold the integrity of Barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections,” Cruz told reporters.

“These areas will be closely monitored. We also appeal to the public to be vigilant at all times to prevent unscrupulous individuals and other lawless elements from taking advantage of the election period,” he said.

Of the total, 185 are classified as areas of immediate concern and 99 are categorized as areas of concern, said Cruz.

The number is 6.5 percent of the 4,390 villages in the region’s six provinces.

Based on Comelec Resolution No. 10077, a village is labeled an area of concern if it has a history of violent political rivalries. A community is tagged as an area of immediate concern if there are serious threats posed by the New People’s Army, private armed groups, and terrorists. (SQM/PNA)

7,000 jobs up for Tacloban Labor Day applicants

TACLOBAN CITY, April 28  -- Some 7,000 jobs are up for grabs at the Labor Day job fair in Eastern Visayas, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced Friday.

The fair, to be joined by 62 employers composed of government agencies, local business, and recruitment agencies offering overseas jobs, will be held at the Tacloban Convention Center on May 1.

It will also have a livelihood component for those interested in self-employment, such as counseling, product display and sales, franchising, sharing of success stories, skills training, and job generation tips.

“This is to give the unemployed the opportunity to find a job, and those with entrepreneurial bent, an opportunity to earn an income,” DOLE 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Cyril Ticao said in a press briefing at the Leyte Park Hotel Friday afternoon.

Applicants were encouraged to pre-register at the DOLE regional office before May 1 so they can be matched with employers.

Of the 7,000 job vacancies, at least 3,000 are for overseas employment. The remaining slots are for jobs within the region.

For local jobs, participating employers are hardware stores, retail shops, hotels and restaurants, malls, sales and marketing, financial institutions, private school, hospital, information technology firm, and national government agencies.

“DOLE aims to prepare the jobseekers, our future workers to be employed with jobs in which they can take pride with. We have several activities designed to fast-track the matching of jobseekers and employers, particularly in identified industries where skills are highly in demand,” Ticao told reporters.

During Labor Day commemoration, the government will release PHP6.95 million livelihood grants to nine local government units and private organizations.

The region, composed of the provinces of Leyte, Samar, Biliran, Southern Leyte, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar, has a workforce of about two million. Its employment rate stands at 96.3 percent as of last January.

Although jobless rate is low at only 3.7 percent, underemployment rate remains high at 19.4 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA defines underemployed as “employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours.” (SQM/PNA)

Tacloban Customs office exceeds Q1 target earnings

TACLOBAN CITY, April 27  -- The Bureau of Customs (BoC) district office here surpassed their collection goals for the first quarter of 2018, raising optimism about exceeding its annual target within the first half of the year.

BoC-Eastern Visayas acting district collector Jose Naig said in an interview Friday that the three ports in the region under their watch generated PHP181.13 million from January to March. The amount represents 68 percent of the PHP267 million target collection for the entire year.

The field office generated an excess of PHP121 million from the PHP60 million goal for the first three months of the year. The BoC district office covers the ports of Tacloban, Isabel in Leyte, and Catbalogan City in Samar.

Of the total earnings, PHP32.12 million were collected in January, PHP80.68 million in February, and PHP68.32 million in March.

The remarkable ports collection in the early part of the year can be attributed to the increased volume of importation of liquefied petroleum gas, the operation of the Seaoil depot, and cement shipment in Tacloban and Catbalogan, said Naig.

The sub-port of Isabel has been consistently earning high collections from ores, slag, ash, inorganic chemicals, organic and inorganic compounds of precious metals, and others. These are raw materials requirements of the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation and the Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corporation.

“We are now close to achieving the target collection for 2018, but we will not be complacent as we need to attain and surpass our monthly target collection,” Naig added.

For the three remaining quarters of the year, the BoC is eyeing to generate PHP207 million or an average of PHP23 million every month.

Nationwide, the BoC eyes the collection of PHP598 billion in 2018 or PHP139 billion higher than the PHP468 billion actual earning last year. (SQM/PNA)

Eastern Visayas’ economic growth slows down in 2017

TACLOBAN CITY, April 26 -- Eastern Visayas’ economy managed to grow by 1.8 percent in 2017, but the growth is significantly slower than a year ago due to scaling down of post-Yolanda construction activities and decline of farm and fishery output.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Regional Director Wilma Perante said in a press briefing Thursday the slowdown was driven by poor performance of industry and agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing (AHFF) sectors last year.

The Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) performance nosedived by 10.2 percent from a positive growth of 12 percent in 2016. The region’s growth is way below than the 6.7 percent in the national level.

The industry sector, which accounts 42.6 percent to the GRDP, dropped to negative 1.7 percent from positive 19.5 percent triggered by slump in the construction and mining and quarrying subsectors, according to PSA.

From a remarkable 42.2 percent increase in 2016, the construction subsector’s growth dropped to negative 21 percent last year.

“It was in 2016 when we saw the peak of construction activities alongside Yolanda rehabilitation and reconstruction. The huge funds for rehabilitation was something abnormal in the region. Naturally, it slowed down in 2017,” said NEDA Assistant Regional Director Meylene Rosales.

Also pulling down the performance of industry sector is the electricity, gas, and water supply with 3.1 percent decline.

This is largely due to the damage on Leyte power plants caused by 6.5 magnitude earthquake last July, resulting to month-long power shutdown.

AHFF sector, with a share of only 14.9 percent in the regional economy, declined by 2.3 percent last year as fish catch dropped dramatically.

“The fishing subsector, on the other hand, downscaled by negative 10.1 percent as a result of the reduction in commercial fisheries, brought by the intensified patrol operations, inclement weather and decrease in the number of licensed commercial fishing vessels,” Rosales said.

Services, the second biggest contributor to GRDP (42.5 percent), recorded an increase of 6.2, but still lower by 2.2 percent than the previous year.

The region’s per capita GRDP slightly dipped from PHP37,144 in 2016 to PHP37,125 in 2017. This level, the third lowest in the country, is very much lower than the national average of PHP82,592.

Last year’s GRDP growth is way below than the 5.2 percent to 5.7 percent target set under the ‎2017-2022 Regional Development Plan.

GRDP measures the value of goods and services produced by a region. The figure of all regions sums up to the gross domestic product of a country. (SQM/PNA)

P1.2-B foreign investments eyed for Region 8

TACLOBAN CITY, April 26  -- The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is eyeing a PHP1.2-billion foreign investments for Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) this 2018 despite poor performance in attracting big time investors over the past years.

NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio Uy said on Thursday that the region had a share of only 0.2 percent in the nationwide foreign investments approved by the Board of Investments (BOI) since 2012.

“In 2016, there were PHP800 million investments approved by BOI for Eastern Visayas, constituting merely 0.2 percent of the PHP441.8 billion total nationwide. If we need to sustain our economy, we need more private investments,” Uy told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) through a mobile phone interview.

The NEDA regional office is still waiting for official reports if Eastern Visayas attained the PHP1-billion target foreign investments in 2017.

Two years ago, Region 8 ranked 15th among the 17 regions in terms of attracting foreign investments.

Under the 2017 to 2022 Regional Development Plan (RDP), Eastern Visayas is eyeing a 20-percent increase in BOI-approved investments for the poverty-stricken region.

Foreign investments in the region, measured by the total amount of projects registered in the BOI, reached PHP13.03 billion from 2012 to 2016. The region had 16 projects in agriculture, forestry, fishing, utilities, manufacturing, real estate, and logistics sectors, according to NEDA reports.

More than 88 percent of the said investments were intended to finance projects in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply subsector, which indicates the potential of the region as a source of renewable energy, Uy added.

The NEDA regional chief admitted that investments coming into the region has been limited. This is mainly due to the lack of necessary infrastructure, high cost of support utilities, inadequate skilled human resource base, and weak business environment.

“Efforts in providing a business-friendly climate should be scaled up. There is still weak adoption of government-initiated procedures and processes by the local government units. The infrastructure support in establishing said systems and procedures must be given priority,” Uy said.

The NEDA official urged local government to establish mechanisms needed to attract investments, such as the local investment and incentives code, comprehensive land use plan and the accompanying zoning ordinance.

Based on the national industry roadmap localization of the BOI, priority areas for foreign investment are copper, processed meat, processed marine, processed fruits, natural health products, and agribusiness.

In particular to agriculture-based products, some of these include coco coir, coffee, cacao, banana, abaca, pili nuts, ginger, pineapple, jackfruit, bangus, mussel, seaweeds, and crabs.

On Tuesday, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center launched its knowledge corner in Eastern Visayas in a bid to engage more local officials in PPP ventures.

The information hub, housed at the NEDA regional office here, will answer all PPP-related questions from local government units, state universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations, and private investors.

The knowledge center initiative is a partnership between the NEDA and PPP Center as part of the government’s strategy to engage more local implementing agencies to rollout more bankable and viable PPP projects in the countryside. (SQM/PNA)

Eastern Visayas air passenger traffic up 24%

TACLOBAN CITY, April 26   -- Air passenger movement has increased significantly last year primarily driven by lower fare rates and commercial operations of airports outside the regional capital.

In an economic situationer report released by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Thursday, air passengers in Eastern Visayas has increased by 24 percent to 1.55 million last year from 1.25 million in 2016.

The Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in this city, considered as the region’s gateway, served 93 percent of the total number of passengers in the Region 8 last year.

NEDA also noted significant increase of air passenger movements in Calbayog Airport in Samar, Catarman Airport in Northern Samar, and Ormoc Airport in western part of Leyte province.

“The influx of passengers could be traced to the lower fare rates offered by airline companies and normalcy in airline operations,” NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio Uy said in a mobile phone interview.

Diversion of flights to Clark last year resulted to lower airfare to Samar Island from Luzon.

Reached for comment, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Eastern Visayas area manager Danilo Abarreta said in a mobile phone interview also on Thursday that air traffic movement has been consistently rising in the region over the past years.

“Tacloban is the seventh busiest airport in the country. For Tacloban alone, the airport has an average of 3,000 outbound and inbound passengers every day since this is the gateway of the region,” Abarreta told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The city’s domestic airport has regular daily flights to Manila, Cebu, Davao and Clark.

Smaller airports in Naval, Biliran and Maasin City, Southern Leyte also accommodated more air passengers with the launching of new routes from and to Cebu by Air Juan last year.

CAAP has asked Air Juan to expand its operations in Eastern Visayas to link the region to more popular destinations in Luzon and Visayas.

Abarreta said it is easier to encourage Air Juan to fly to less popular destinations, considering that the domestic airline firm only uses nine-seater Cessna Grand Caravan airplanes capable of landing in shorter runways, even with rough surface. (SQM/PNA)

Underwater chapel is Biliran’s new attraction

TACLOBAN CITY,  April 25  -- An underwater chapel named “Capilla del Mar” is the new attraction waiting for tourists visiting the picturesque Higatangan Island in Naval, Biliran.

Mayor Gerard Espina on Wednesday said they submerged a 12-foot cross and eight benches as a new destination for divers of Higatangan Island. The benches symbolized the eight towns of Biliran province.

The local government set up the cross and benches on Sunday with a depth of 25 to 30 feet in the site identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving.

The underwater chapel is not only designed to attract tourists, but will also serve as an artificial reef to increase the population of marine life surrounding the island.

“Capilla del Mar (Chapel of the Sea) is Naval's tribute to aquatic life and to our seafarers. May they be protected during typhoons and unusual conditions,” said Espina in a mobile phone interview.

“This project will help residents in the two villages of Higatangan to have an alternative source of income because we fully believe the big potential of tourism in improving people’s lives,” he added.

Residents of Higatangan’s two villages mainly depend on fishing and mat-weaving for their livelihood. Tourism has been an alternative income of locals with the launching of tourism activities and opening of resorts in the areas.

“We fully believe that tourism will uplift the lives of Higatangan residents. Instead of tolerating illegal activities, we encouraged them to engage in tourism,” Espina said.

With the addition of Capilla del Mar as new attraction, the local government will train fishermen on underwater tour guiding. ”This will provide additional income to them, which is more sustainable in the long run.”

The local government will also develop the cliff jumping site at the Higatangan Rock formations to expand activities in the island and make it as 100 percent leisure island destinations for tourists.

Higatangan is a famous destination in Biliran province due to its 200-meter shifting sandbar that changes its color depending on the time of the day.

Position of its shifting sandbar varies on the weather pattern. During southwest monsoon months the sandbar is position on the left while during northeast monsoon season, the sandbar position directs to the right.

On April 28 to 29, the local government will host the Higatangan Island Summer Festival featuring activities like beach volleyball, triathlon, jetski competition, kite flying, kayak race, bikini open and boat race.

It will be the second time for the local government to showcase the festival intended not only to invite tourists to explore the island, but also for businessmen to check the island’s investment potential.

In 2017, more than 4,000 tourists visited Higatangan Island, which the local government describes as overwhelming considering that it is the first time to have a big activity held in the said island. (RTA/PNA)

DPWH Samar kicks off P350-M bypass road project

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar, April 25  -- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the first district of Samar province has begun the implementation of the PHP350-million bypass road.

The 4.67-km. road project, designed to decongest traffic in the city’s commercial district, covers bank and slope protection works and other structures, said DPWH project engineer Ramon Calagos.

“The PHP350 million budget is only for phase 1 of the project. It does not include the concreting and the construction of the bridge located in Aguit-itan village,” Calagos told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday.

Work on the entire diversion road, which began early last month, will be completed in 2020, he said.

The road will traverse the seashores of seven coastal villages in the city, but he assured that mangrove plantations will not be affected.

“The increasing volume of vehicles coming in and out of the city congests the road, so we need to do something to help control it,” Calagos added. “This project, just like the Calbayog Diversion Road, will help in solving our traffic problems and help in bringing economic development to our place.”

Samar 1st District Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, in a press statement issued last week, said that he is very positive of the project’s outcome to the people of Samar.

“Calbayog is the center where vehicles coming from Luzon and Mindanao pass through. With this, they now have an alternative route, aside from the city proper and the diversion road.” Sarmiento added.

Calbayog is a first-class city in Samar, with a population of 183,851 in 157 villages. It is the third largest city in terms of land and water areas in the Philippines. (JSA/PNA)

DENR urges Eastern Visayas folk to act vs. plastic

TACLOBAN CITY, April 23  -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has renewed its call for more than four million residents in Eastern Visayas to end the use of plastics.

“Since plastic was introduced, it killed our environment, choking our ocean, poisoning our water resources and food supply, and affecting our health and well-being (sic),” said DENR Regional Director Crizaldy Barcelo during Sunday’s Earth Day celebration.

Barcelo said women should lead in the reduction of plastic use in the region, challenging them to observe zero plastic use in their homes.

“More often than not, it is you the women that goes to the supermarket, we challenge our women to promote the use of reusable eco-bags, refuse the use of plastic straw and encourage the members of your family to recycle the use of plastic,” he said.

“There is so much we can do to combat the increasing use of plastics as we have the power to recycle, reduce, reuse, refuse and remove,” he added.

Barcelo also challenged the youth to take an active part in protecting the environment by educating themselves on the negative effects to the environment of their lifestyle.

“As the backbone and the future of our nation, be part of this advocacy by educating yourselves on your lifestyle and activities that are harmful to our environment. I urge them to embrace change that promotes green and healthy environment. Channel your heart and mind to activities that would create new ideas and dramatically promote the reduction of waste in our environment,” he said.

On Sunday, the DENR led a Jam for the Earth 2018 event at the Robinsons Place Tacloban as part of the Earth Day celebration with the theme “Green the cities, green the ocean and plastic pollution.”
The event is highlighted with a fashion show featuring dresses made of plastic materials and a mini-concert event featuring local singers.

It aims to encourage people to minimize using plastic that cause pollution and flooding.

Aside from the Jam for the Earth activity, the DENR also conducted coastal cleanup and tree planting participated by various stakeholders.

The celebration of Earth Day every April 22 aims to raise the level of awareness on the gravity of environmental degradation and destruction due to human’s careless activities. (RTA/PNA)

Army combats Leyte insurgency with dancing soldiers

TACLOBAN CITY, April 24  -- Government troops in Leyte learned how to dance as a strategy to win the hearts of villagers in communities highly vulnerable to insurgency.

The dancing soldiers of the 78th Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Burauen, Leyte, have been performing in medical missions, school-based events, and other gatherings where soldiers are invited.

“By nature, Filipinos love to sing and dance. Dancing binds you with the community. It allows you to do what they want do and if you do it with them, they would relate to you,” said Col. Danilo Dupiag, 78th Infantry Battalion commanding officer.

Dupiag believes that they have earned the trust of people in far-flung communities through entertainment. In return, villagers have been providing intelligence information to the military.

Insurgency problem in Leyte is not as worse in Samar Island, but there is still a challenge for them to keep the insurgency situation from manageable to completely eradicated, he said.

The military official noted that convincing the people not to join the New People’s Army (NPA) is easier now because most of the NPA members are individuals who have criminal records and without ideology.

Dupiag added that even if the national government cancelled peace talks last year local peace initiative in the province has continued.

“I am very supportive to the peace talks that is why even the national government cancelled it last year, we continue doing that in the local level to show our sincerity. Through this, we are able to convince three rebels to surrender,” he said. (RTA/PNA)

PPP launches knowledge center in Region 8

PALO, Leyte, April 24  -- The national government opened its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Knowledge Center in Eastern Visayas in a bid to promote PPP program in the poverty-stricken region.

The information hub, housed at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional office here, will answer all PPP-related questions from local government units, state universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations, and private investors.

PPP Center Deputy Executive Director Eleazar Ricote said the growing interest of Manila-based and international companies to invest outside Metro Manila prompted them to set up the knowledge center in the regions.

“You don’t have to go to Manila to strengthen your capabilities to undertake PPPs for your infrastructure and development requirements. This is like your PPP consultation room, answering all your queries related to PPPs,” Ricote said during the center’s opening Tuesday.

The official clarified that not all PPP ventures are hard infrastructure projects. Some existing PPPs include the construction and operation of public markets, terminals, slaughterhouses, and information technology systems.

The new facility will not only answer queries of government agencies and local government units, but private investors as well. 

There are also available templates for local government units to come up with PPP Code, feasibility studies, contracts, and other documentary requirements for PPP projects.

NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio Uy welcomed the opening of the PPP Knowledge Center here, the fifth of its kind in the country. 

Knowledge corners have been set up in NEDA offices in Davao City, Cagayan de Oro City, Pampanga, and Butuan City.

“I see the significance of providing PPP technical assistance in every region to sustain economic growth through improved private investments,” Uy said.

NEDA regional office here is eyeing PPP ventures in agriculture and fisheries, manufacturing, and tourism, the three priority areas under the 2017-2022 Regional Development Plan.

The knowledge center initiative is a partnership between the NEDA and PPP Center as part of the government’s strategy to engage more local implementing agencies to rollout more bankable and viable PPP projects in the countryside.

Among the benefits cited for PPPs are proper alignment of incentives, allocation of risk to party who can best manage that risk, tapping private partner’s innovation and expertise, revenue sharing, and addressing implementing agencies’ limited absorptive capacity and government’s limited fiscal space.

PPP Center, which was created through an Executive Order in 2010, serves as the central coordinating and monitoring agency for all PPP projects in the country. 

The Center manages a USD102-million revolving fund that gives implementing agencies access to a panel of consulting firms tasked to provide advisory support and multi-disciplinary expertise. (SQM/PNA) 

Bailiwicks of slain Leyte mayor Espinosa tagged as poll hotspots

ALBUERA, Leyte, April 23 -- At least five villages in this town have been identified by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as election hotspot areas for this May 14 village and youth council polls.

Senior Insp. Ronald Espina, Albuera town chief of police, said these hotspot areas are Tinag-an, Balugo, Mahayahay, Sherwood and Binolho villages, citing history of election-related violence.

These poll-related incidents in the past arose from political rivalries, presence of private armed groups, and reports on proliferation of loose firearms.

Espina told Philippine News Agency on Monday that identified villages are also known to be the stronghold of the Espinosa drug group in previous years.

The drug group is headed by slain Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa and detained self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.

“To prevent violence ahead of village polls, we have to tighten the security in the entire town and deploy additional policemen on Election Day. This is to ensure that civilians will fully enjoy the right to vote free from threats of private armed groups,” Espina said.

Aside from monitoring the presence of private armed groups, the local police force also keeps an eye on candidates included in their drug watch list.

The town police has stepped up its campaign against illegal drugs after receiving reports that illegal drugs trade is gaining traction due to the regrouping of former drug group members. (JB/PNA)

DFA opens mall-based consular office in Tacloban

TACLOBAN CITY, April 22  -- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) inaugurated its mall-based consular office in a bid to bring passport application services closer to the public.

The transfer of the DFA consular office to Robinsons Mall North from its old location near the provincial capitol aims to provide convenience to applications since the mall is located within the bus terminal complex in Abucay village.

“The regional consular office’s new location promises a more convenient and comfortable passport application experience in line with the DFA’s commitment to make the passport application system faster and easier for the public,” said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Frank Cimafranca during the inauguration Saturday.

The new office will have more processing and bio-metric encoding counters to process more applications. Clients will also be able to avail of assistance-to-nationals services at the new consular office.

“Since its transfer to its mall-based location in January, DFA Tacloban has served around 22,000 clients. Our new location has greatly improved the delivery of our services to the public, making it a more comfortable and convenient experience,” DFA Tacloban Acting Officer-in-Charge Dorotea Apostol told reporters.

The consular office can accommodate up to 300 appointments a day, excluding those who avail the courtesy lane such as persons with disability, senior citizens and pregnant women.

Cimafranca added that for the DFA field office to cater to more applicants, they will adding more mobile system for the passport processing in places far from the consular offices.

DFA has four mobile offices. Each mobile system is capable of processing 2,000 passports.

“If we will have passport on wheels, the local government units can request for deployment of the mobile system in their areas,” Cimafranca added.

The DFA also eyes to establish passport offices in every provinces and major cities in the country for a more convenient and comfortable passport application.

DFA Tacloban is the first of at least three consular offices hosted inside Robinsons Malls up for opening this year. Two other consular offices will be inaugurated in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte and Santiago, Isabela in the next several weeks.

DFA and Robinsons Malls inked a memorandum of agreement for the establishment of 14 consular offices in 14 malls in the country.

Other Robinsons Malls with DFA Consular Office include Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas, Robinsons Star Mills in Pampanga, Robinsons General Santos, Robinsons Lipa, Robinsons Place Bacolod, Robinsons Place Iloilo, Robinsons Butuan, Robinsons Place Palawan, Robinsons Place Dumaguete, Robinsons Pangasinan, and Robinsons Novaliches.

The DFA will also open four new consular offices in province surrounding Metro Manila and two in Mindanao region, in the cities of Tagum, Davao del Norte and in Ozamis City.

DFA’s Tacloban office was established in July 13, 2003 as the country’s 11th DFA consular office. In November 2013, the consular office was forced to suspend its operation after the destruction of super typhoon Yolanda and resumed operations in July 2014. (RTA/PNA)

NHA cancels 10 ‘Yolanda’ housing contracts

TACLOBAN CITY, April 20  -- The National Housing Authority (NHA) central office has terminated the contract of 10 post-“Yolanda” housing builders due to delays and for being substandard, a regional official said Friday.

NHA Regional Manager Rizalde Mediavillo said their central office had cancelled from late last year until the first quarter of 2018 the contracts of these projects in some parts of Eastern Samar, Samar, and Leyte provinces after validating reports of poor-quality houses and for missing the timetable.

“Government had no option, but to terminate projects because developers could not do it. If a contract has a negative slippage of 15 percent, it is already a candidate for cancellation,” Mediavillo added.

He, however, refused to name the 10 projects with terminated contracts.

Earlier, the NHA main office cancelled the contract in Eastern Samar of JC Tayag Builders for registering 82 percent negative slippage in construction.

The NHA regional office here is tasked to monitor nearly 100 post-“Yolanda” housing projects in Leyte, Biliran, Samar, and Eastern Samar.

Cancelled projects will be bid out again using existing funds allocated for permanent housing of survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

The NHA is eyeing to complete post-“Yolanda” permanent housing projects by end of 2019 amid issues of substandard houses hounding the resettlement efforts.

Mediavillo said accelerating the implementation of housing projects has become more attainable two years after the super typhoon.

For Eastern Visayas alone, about half of the 56,000 target permanent houses for typhoon survivors have been completed as of this month.

Early this year, the NHA approved at least PHP4 billion to build additional 12,016 houses for areas not previously covered by resettlement projects meant for “Yolanda”-affected areas.

Of the 12,016 houses, 9,516 units will rise in Leyte province -- 1,500 in Dulag town, 1,616 in Leyte, 1,000 in Barugo, 1,000 in Tabontabon, 2,000 in Villaba, 600 in Capoocan, 300 in Dagami, 1,000 in Sta. Fe, and 500 in Javier.

In Samar province, 2,500 new houses will be built in the towns of Talalora (1,000 units), Daram (1,000 houses), and Zumarraga (500 units).

Each resettlement site will have a multi-purpose covered court and training center to support livelihood and other community projects.

“The new projects have the same sizes, but we upgraded housing units, such as setting up of partitions and painted walls. The project is not perfect, but it is better than the previous (one),” Mediavillo added.

Each house has a 40-square meter lot area. It is loft-able with a total floor area of 33 square meters with structural improvements following the "Build Back Better Policy" and other guidelines for disaster-resilient housing. (SQM/PNA)