More hotels needed in Leyte to host tourists, conventions

published July 19, 2010 in BusinessWorld

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DoST sounds call for inventions to bridge industry gaps

published July 19, 2010 in BusinessWorld

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dengue cases hit all-time high in Eastern Visayas

published July 14, 2010 in BusinessWorld

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Red tide in Samar worsens - BFAR

published May 03, 2010 in BusinessWorld

TACLOBAN CITY -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has heightened the alert level in the Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar after laboratory tests showed that the toxicity level has gone up.

BFAR regional director Juan D. Albaladejo said the toxicity level rose to 4,000 cells per milliliter in April from 400 a month ago.

"This is alarming. The number is high that’s why we are strictly imposing the shellfish ban. Monitoring has been extended to nearby bays. We hired more people to monitor affected towns," he told BusinessWorld.

Matarinao, he noted, is near the BFAR station in Guiuan where abalone is raised for export.

The bureau has deployed personnel to monitor tide movement in the area. Other areas at risk are Leyte Gulf, Maqueda Bay, Samar Sea, Irong Irong Bay, Cancabato Bay, Ormoc Bay, and Carigara Bay. Red tide occurrences in these areas have been reported in the past.

The bureau has banned the harvest, sale, purchase and consumption of shellfish from Matarinao and in the coastal towns of Salcedo, Quinapondan, McArthur and Hernani.

"Eating contaminated shellfish could be fatal, especially for those who are very sensitive to the toxins," Mr. Albaladejo said. Shellfish catch from Matarinao are primarily distributed to Eastern Samar.

The capital city of Tacloban in Leyte and other areas source shellfish from Maqueda Bay, which is still free from red tide.

Mr. Albaladejo said the presence of toxins may be blamed on the heat and sudden rains in the afternoon, adding that the rains carry sediments from upland areas that could trigger a red tide.

Red tide is described as the discoloration of water caused by high algal biomass or concentration of algae. The discoloration may not necessarily be red and may also appear yellow, brown, green, blue or milky, depending on the organisms involved.

Coconut oil producer expands to banana chip processing

published April 28, 2010 in BusinessWorld

TACLOBAN CITY -- Coconut oil manufacturer SC Global Coco Products, Inc. has expanded its portfolio to include processing banana chips for export.

Emmanuel S. Licup, managing director of SC Global, said they were encouraged by the high demand for banana chips in the US and Europe.

The company based in Baybay City announced that it is looking for suppliers of the saba and cardaba varieties, which are ideal for cooking and processing into banana chips (deep-fried sliced banana coated with sugar or honey).

Both varieties can be eaten raw or cooked. It can be processed into catsup or used for cakes and pastries. Cardaba is said to provide nutritional value similar to that of potato.

"We need a very large supply. The plant started to operate last month and we need 35 metric tons per day," Mr. Licup told BusinessWorld.

10,000 hectares needed

In terms of hectarage, he said they required around 10,000 hectares planted exclusively to bananas.

He said they have been working with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), German Technical Cooperation and local government units to boost banana production in Leyte.

Currently, SC Global sources its raw materials from Mindanao.

"Our plant is now operating under capacity. We want to operate at full capacity as long as the required raw material is available. We would like to encourage farmers to intercrop bananas in coconut farms," Mr. Licup added.

Records from the DA showed that Leyte island has 30,600 hectares devoted to banana plantation.

In Eastern Visayas, a hectare of banana farm has an average yield of eight metric tons (MT) with a farm-gate price of P6 per kilo or P6,000 for every MT.

The region produces an average of 250,000 MT of banana.

SC Global mainly produces coconut by-products such as crude coconut oil, virgin coconut oil, coconut fatty acid distillate and organic flour.

Its other products are refined, bleached and deodorized coconut oil, cochin, copra cake and mill, and coconut biofuel and lubricants. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)