PIA exec cites need to raise ASEAN awareness among Filipinos

TACLOBAN CITY, April 6 (PNA) – The Philippine government is stepping up efforts to help Filipinos appreciate “what it means to be part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) community” by putting up information kiosks in public places and holding multi-sectoral forums.

Citing latest survey, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Deputy Director-General Gregorio Angelo Villar said that only 29 percent of the entire ASEAN population are aware of the significance of ASEAN to their lives.

“We refer (to) ASEAN as them, but it is supposed to be us, because we are part of it. It should be the same way that we are proud of talking about us being Filipinos. We should know that we are part of this bigger region, how we are citizen of a bigger region, and how we are dealing with our ASEAN neighbors,” Villar said during Thursday’s information kiosk launching at the Tacloban Airport here.

In the past few months, PIA, the government’s information arm, has been setting up information kiosks to raise public awareness about ASEAN and the government’s flagship programs.

The kiosk, which is up for display in the entire year, contains information about ASEAN history, its priorities and endeavors, and its relevance to every Filipino. The agency also launched a similar kiosk at the Ormoc City bus terminal.

On Friday, there will be a one-day ASEAN forum at Robinsons Place Tacloban to be attended by heads of national government agencies in the region, local government officials and private sector representatives.

“ASEAN offers opportunities to each and every member state and to every Filipino by opening doors to travel, learn and earn. It is a community of opportunity and something the PIA wishes to communicate to each and every Filipino,” Villar added.

The association’s economic integration allows free flow of goods, services, investments, capitals and skilled labor.

The ASEAN 2017, chaired by the Philippines, carries the theme “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.” The country’s chairmanship also coincides with its 50th anniversary.

The Presidential Communications Operations Office has been providing media coverage and logistics for the ASEAN launch in Davao City on January 15, the 30th ASEAN Summit on April 2017, the 50th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Related Meetings coinciding with ASEAN’s 50th anniversary celebration in Metro Manila by August and the 31st ASEAN Summit in Clark, Pampanga in November.

ASEAN was established on Aug. 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration by the founding fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. 

Later, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia joined, bringing to 10 the group's composition. (PNA)
SQM

CAAP to expand Tacloban airport terminal building

TACLOBAN CITY, April 6 (PNA) – The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will carry out a PHP20 million expansion of the airport terminal building here to curb the perennial problem of congestion, a top regional official said Thursday.

Danilo Abareta, CAAP Eastern Visayas area manager, said their central office has been drafting the contract of the project, which is up for implementation this year.

“It‘s already under process after it was bid out by our central office. After the signing of the notice to proceed, the project will start immediately,” Abareta told the Philippine News Agency. The official, however, declined to disclose the project’s specific timeline.

The PHP20 million project will prioritize the expansion of the pre-departure and check-in areas of the city’s Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport.

“The pre-departure area has an existing 360 seats. We want to expand it to accommodate 560 passengers. We have registered a million passengers coming in and out of the airport every year and the problem of congestion is terrible,” Abareta said.

The DZR Airport is one of the country’s busiest with 14 daily flights from and to Manila and Cebu.

CAAP pushed for the implementation of the project less than two years after the PHP43.63 million reconstruction of the one-storey terminal building that was badly damaged by super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

The expansion project is part of the PHP1.59 billion worth of DZR Airport development projects under the 2016 allotment.

The official cited the need to improve the existing facility while waiting for the construction of a new terminal building nearby under the long term plan.

The DZR Airport, classified as Class 1 major domestic airport, is the main gateway from Manila and Cebu to the Eastern Visayas region. The airport is named after former House Speaker Daniel Z. Romualdez, an uncle of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos.(PNA)
SARWELL Q. MENIANO

DAR to developers: Secure clearance for ‘Yolanda’ housing before deadline

TACLOBAN CITY, April 4 (PNA) – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has reminded housing developers for super typhoon "Yolanda" survivors to seek land conversion clearance before the March 5, 2018 deadline so they can take advantage of more relaxed rules.

The DAR regional office here reiterated the call with just 11 months left before the expiration of special rules as set in Administrative Order No. 2 issued last Feb. 23 by Secretary Rafael Mariano.

The directive, which covers Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas regions, took effect on March 5 this year. It extended the special rules for land conversion, which has been implemented since 2014.

“All those who will develop Yolanda resettlement projects should apply for land conversion permit at the regional office before the expiration date or else they will have to submit the requirements at the central office,” said DAR regional director Sheila Enciso in a phone interview on Tuesday.

The special rule has increased the land conversion approval authority of the regional office to 15 hectares or three times more than the regular procedure.

Among the documents waived in the processing are true copy of land title as of June 15, 1988, original copy of tax declaration, proof of financial and organizational capability of the developer, socio-economic benefit study, and certification from the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board on land reclassification.

“Our office has been simplifying the process as the President (Rodrigo Duterte) called up for speedy construction of houses for Yolanda survivors. The expiration of the order is early next year because we presume that all resettlement projects will be ongoing by early of 2018,” Enciso said.

Mariano specifically issued the order to DAR's land use planning and conversion team and its field offices in Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas, the two regions badly hit by the 2013 monster typhoon. The two regional offices are only given 10 days to complete the process.

The rule applies to both government-funded houses and shelter donated by non-government organizations. However, for privately funded projects, they have to seek certification from the National Housing Authority (NHA) to prove that houses are meant for Yolanda survivors.

Since 2014 until last month, the DAR regional office here has already approved the conversion of 41 hectares for Yolanda housing in various sites in Tacloban City; Basey, Samar; and the towns of Pastrana, Carigara, Mayorga and Macarthur in Leyte.

A land use conversion clearance from DAR is one of the requirements needed to set up relocation sites. The NHA intends to build 205,128 houses for affected areas in the central part of the country. (PNA)
SARWELL Q. MENIANO

Eastern Visayas provinces, city tagged as priority in 6-year nutrition plan

TACLOBAN CITY, March 29 (PNA) – This city and four provinces in Eastern Visayas have been listed as priorities in curbing stunting and wasting among children under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022.

Catalino Dotollo, National Nutrition Council (NNC) regional coordinator, said the central government will step up interventions to address the irreversible impacts of stunting and wasting in the first 1,000 days of life.

The new PPAN has included Tacloban City and the provinces of Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte and Northern Samar as priority areas due to high incidence of stunting and wasting and their vulnerability to natural calamities, which adversely affects the nutritional status of children.

“These are the priority areas, but it does not mean that other cities and provinces are not included since there are still regular programs of the national and local governments,” Dotollo said.

The action plan aims to reduce wasting from seven percent in 2015 to negative five percent in 2022. 

Wasting or thinness indicates in most cases a recent and severe process of weight loss, which is often associated with acute starvation and severe disease.

The nutrition roadmap also seeks to reduce stunting from 33.4 percent to 21.4 percent in the next five years. Stunted growth reflects a process of failure to reach linear growth potential as a result of suboptimal health and nutritional conditions.

“The consequence of stunting is irreversible. A child’s potential is not maximized if a child is stunted,” Dotollo added.

The regional capital and four provinces in the region are among the 38 priority areas in the country where local government units will be mobilized to achieve better nutritional outcomes.

“It will involve capacity building and mentoring of local government units (LGUs) on nutrition program management to transform them to self-propelling LGUs able to plan, implement, coordinate, and monitor and evaluate effective nutrition programs,” the NNC official explained.

The PPAN 2017-2022 is an integral part of the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022. It is consistent with the Duterte administration's 10-point Economic Agenda, the Health for All Agenda of the Department of Health, and the development pillars of Ambisyon Natin 2040.(PNA)
Sarwell Q. Meniano

Eastern Samar diarrhea incidence now under control - DOH

TACLOBAN CITY, March 29 (PNA) – The diarrhea infections, which killed a five-year-old boy and afflicted 43 others in Dolores, Eastern Samar in the past four weeks, is now under control, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday.

The DOH categorized the incident as serious since it claimed someone’s life, prompting them to continue the close monitoring in the town, some 254 kilometers northeast from this city.

“Everything is now under control after a team from the regional office worked with local health workers to prevent the spread of the illness,” said DOH regional epidemiology and surveillance unit head Roderick Boyd Cerro.

The young fatality from Barangay (village) 2 suffered dehydration. At least 15 victims were rushed to the Dolores Community Health Center since early March, Cerro said, citing a March 28 report.

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

The illness was noted in eight villages, but the health department has not declared an outbreak in Dolores town since the cases were sporadic. (PNA)
Sarwell Q. Meniano