PAGASA rebuilds Tacloban station building damaged by ‘Yolanda’

TACLOBAN CITY, June 6 (PNA) -– The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has started rebuilding their office 30 months after super typhoon Yolanda razed their building to the ground.

PAGASA Tacloban station chief Mario Peñaranda said that under original timeline, the new building will be done within five months, but unfavorable weather in the second half of the year, may push completion date.

“This is safe from storm surges since it is a two-storey building and it will have a rooftop,” Peñaranda said.

Construction works for the perimeter fence has started last month and it will be followed with civil works for the new building.

The new PAGASA station will rise on a lot near the Philippine Air Force unit camp at the Tacloban Airport complex.

The state weather bureau kicked off the construction after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines designated an area within the airport complex for PAGASA station building and other government offices such as the Philippine Coast Guard and the Leyte police provincial office.

“Our presence at the airport is very important because we provide weather data, information and advice for aviation activities,” Peñaranda said, justifying their location at the airport complex badly hit by big waves.

Weather forecasters currently use an office space in one of the laboratory rooms of the Department of Science and Technology in Government Center, Palo, Leyte.

Despite absence of office building, their regular operations have been restored using old and newly acquired instruments, according to Peñaranda. (PNA)
FFC/SQM

Hotel investments near Kalanggaman Island sought

PALOMPON, Leyte, June 3 (PNA) –- The business group in this town seeks more investments for accommodation as more tourists flock to their town to explore the picturesque Kalanggaman Island.

Warblitz Martinez, president of Palompon Chamber of Commerce and Industry said they have been inviting investors to visit their town to see the business potentials of their town.

“Existing accommodation facilities only cater few tourists. This is the reason why they cannot spend more in Palompon,” Martinez said.

This town is located in the northwest part of the province, known for Kalanggaman Island, a 45 minute travel away from the mainland that is surrounded by pristine white sand beach and turquoise-blue water. The place is famous for its sandbar.

In 2015, more than 45,000 local and foreign tourists visited the island, which generated more than PHP8 million fees.

“Tourists may visit Kalanggaman, but they could not spend more because most of them don’t stay that long here due to lack of hotel rooms,” Martinez said.

The town has two existing lodging facilities - the Palompon Ecotourism Office and PACCI hotel. Both are not yet accredited by the Department of Tourism.

“If there’s lack of accommodation facilities, economic activity is not vibrant in the mainland,” she said. “We want to encourage tourists to stay longer for them to spend more for the town to earn more,” she said. (PNA)
JMC/SQM/ROEL T AMAZONA/EGR

DPWH Eastern Visayas completes 1,156 new school buildings

PALO, Leyte, June 3 (PNA) -- At least 1,156 new school building have been completed and ready for use in the new academic year in Eastern Visayas, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported, citing accomplishments of the Basic Education Facilities Funds (BEFF).

DPWH Regional Director Edgar B. Tabacon admitted that school building construction has been very challenging as some sites failed to pass the subsurface soil exploration survey, leading to cost adjustments and search for alternative sites.

The newly-completed classrooms are funded through the Department of Education’s (DepEd) BEFF for 2014 and 2015, which aims to build 1,504 school buildings in the six provinces of the region. The two-year allocation has a combined budget of PHP6.11 billion.

About 348 buildings are now ongoing and 114 have suffered construction delays. Most of the new buildings are two-storey structures in support to the government’s disaster-resilient program.

“Some sites failed the subsurface soil exploration survey while some needs more funding for foundation due to varied soil strata. Although our goal is to rush the completion of classrooms, we have to make sure that these building are erected on stable soil,” Tabacon said.

The new school buildings design takes into consideration human dimensions, applicable building codes, green building adaptation, effect of climate change, calamity-resilience, withstanding strong typhoons and major earthquake, and compliance with the National Structural Code of the Philippines 2010.

These projects are expected to boost the preparation of the province for this year’s full implementation of the senior high school program under the kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (K to 12) program of the national government. (PNA)
FFC/SQM

DA’s educational radio program to focus on climate change, ASEAN integration

TACLOBAN CITY, June 3 (PNA) –- The Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office here will focus on climate change and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economic integration in its 29th broadcast course university-on-the-air.

DA assistant regional director Elvira C. Torres said the broadcast aims to impart to farmers the strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change to rice planting. Also, it will also capacitate farmers to enhance their output to compete with those of other ASEAN countries.

The month-long broadcast course, launched on May 25, will be aired over DYVL Aksyon Radyo from Monday to Thursday, including Saturday.

On-air discussion will focus on the ASEAN economic community, global warming and climate change, impacts of climate change to rice production, climate change management options in rice farming, the role of stress-tolerant rice varieties to climate change, mitigating impacts of El Niño and La Niña, climate-smart agri-infrastructure and machinery, and good agricultural practices.

“We have experienced El Niño this year, and now La Niña is on its way, and more storms are expected to hit the region. And we know for a fact that the farmers are the ones who are most vulnerable to these adversities,” Torres explained.

“We have to equip ourselves with the knowledge on mitigation strategies to shield our farm production so that we can secure sufficiency and good quality products that can compete in the ASEAN Community.”

The integration aims to "implement economic integration initiatives" to create a single market across ASEAN nations. (PNA)
LAP/SARWELL Q. MENIANO

Leyte provincial board aligns thrust with incoming administration

TACLOBAN CITY, June 2 (PNA) -- The new set of Leyte provincial board members will once again set their priority legislation aligned with the thrust of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

Vice Governor Carlo P. Loreto said they will pass ordinances that will address problems and issues on the grounds such as criminality and proliferation of illegal drugs.

“This is the first time that we will focus on illegal drugs and criminality because as far as my mind can reach, our thrust was always food security and livelihood,” said Loreto.

The problem with drugs, according to Loreto, is two-fold - access to the product and demand.

“For our part in the local level, we think by passing an ordinance, which would require all teachers, professors to contact the parents in case they will notice actions that are indicative of drug use of the students,” Loreto said.

The vice governor is expecting different approaches to different problems especially with the participation of board members with varied background, experience, and education.

The composition of the provincial board is a mix of new and old officials. In the first district, both Gina Merilo and Ranulfo Abellanosa were re-elected. The second district will be represented by third termer Nicollo Villasin and former vice governor and congresswoman Trinidad Apostol.

Second termer Alan Ang and Mayor Maria Corazon Remandaban will represent the third district. Incumbent Mesias Arevalo will be joined by neophyte Matthew Torres in the fourth district.

Voters in the fifth district elected the incumbent board members - Florante Cayunda and Emmanuel Gasis.

Association of Barangay Chairman President Edwin Faller, who just won as town councilor of Hilongos will be replaced next month as an ex-officio member of the provincial board.

Palo town Councilor Wilson S. Uy will remain a board member as president of Philippines Councilors League Leyte Chapter. (PNA)

LAP/SQM/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA/EGR