W. Visayas trade and investment potentials get exposure at Asia-Pacific mayors’ meet

CATBALOGAN CITY, April 9 (PNA) – The trade fair and tourism exhibit held during the United Cities and Local Government – Asia Pacific (UCLG-Aspac) executive bureau meeting here was an excellent venue to promote Eastern Visayas' products and tourist spots to the international market.

Cynthia Nierras, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regional director, issued the pronouncement as she thanked the city government here for the opportunity to promote local products and tourist destinations to Asia Pacific cities during the conference.

“It is one of their (UCLG-Aspac) advocacies to help their members, and the trade fair was a way for them to see the products that we have,” Nierras said on Saturday.

This city hosted the executive bureau meeting from April 5 to 7, participated by over 300 officials from 20 local government units in 19 countries from the Asia-Pacific region.

Each of the region’s six provinces were provided with a booth to promote local products marketable in the international scene developed by small and medium enterprises assisted by the DTI and other agencies.

Banig or woven mat from Basey, Samar made out of grass is one of the top sellers, Nierras said.

Hard wood furnitures and houseware items are also popular to event participants, she added.

Naning in China, one of the event participants, expressed its interest to buy food, furniture and accessories from the region needed in hotels and offices in their area, according to Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan.

Catbalogan and Naning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China, sealed their sisterhood status during the conference.

“I always want to help promote local products not only of Catbalogan and the region but also of the Philippines, and show what we can offer to the world,” Uy-Tan said.

Naning will host the annual China-Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Expo. It is an annual event that exhibits commodities such as food and beverage, consumer goods, raw materials, tourism, advisory and consulting service. It also promotes investment cooperation, advance technology and trade and services.(PNA)
ROEL T. AMAZONA

Asia-Pacific city mayors push for active youth participation

CATBALOGAN CITY, April 9 (PNA) – The United Cities and Local Government – Asia Pacific (UCLG-Aspac) is strongly advocating for youth participation in developing cities.

UCLG-ASPAC Secretary General Bernadia Tjandradewi said that local government units (LGUs) should value youth involvement in the planning and implementation of programs.

The official emphasized youth participation on Saturday, a day after the conclusion of the three-day UCLG-Aspac executive bureau meeting held in this city.

“We value the importance of young people because they are the ones who will decide for the future. They have to involve now and not just blame their local governments if nothing good is happening,” Tjandraderi told reporters.

The top UCLG-Aspac official said that among the ways for the youth to participate in the development of their localities is by regularly sending feedbacks.

“If the youth see their city as something they don’t look like, it is their fault because they do not participate in the development process,” Tjandraderi added.

This city hosted the UCLG-Aspac executive bureau meeting from April 5 to 7 participated by over 300 officials from 20 local government units in 19 countries from the Asia-Pacific region.

These countries are China, South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, Kiribati, Salomon Island, Betio, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Catbalogan, the capital of Samar province, is the lone city member of UCLG-Aspac in Eastern Visayas and one of the few in the Philippines. It became a member in 2015.

UCLG-Aspac is the regional section of the UCLG, a worldwide association of local government organizations that dates back to 1913.

Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan said that the bringing the UCLG-Aspac members to the city is a way of opening opportunity to the city.

“We have limitations and needs that we cannot do and achieve because of limited resources and capacity of the city, but because of our partners we know that creating connections can help small cities like us,” she added.

The event was themed “Kauswagan Kalibutan (progressive world): Creating Connections for Sustainable Societies.” (PNA)
ROEL T. AMAZONA & VICKY C. ARNAIZ

Leyte town to pursue landmark cross improvement

PALO, Leyte, April 7 (PNA) – The local government will push through with the improvement of the town’s 50-year-old cross despite the opposition of some groups.

Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla said the improvement is needed to make the cross more visible and the site more convenient to pilgrims.

“The cross is small that it cannot even be seen in nearby Guindapunan village. I just want the cross to be seen all around Palo town,” Petilla added.

The mayor said "there's nothing wrong" in making improvement to the cross on top of Guinhangdan Hill since it was built in the 1990s and not a heritage structure as claimed by some groups.

“We will not destroy the cross. We will make it bigger and taller and make the place well lighted at night. Others may have been sending wrong information, but before we embark on the project, we carefully studied the plan,” Petilla said.

The local government will also put up view decks, comfort rooms, and wider stairs.

Guinhangdan Hill is a favorite pilgrimage site every annual celebration of the Holy Week, with thousands of Roman Catholic devotees climbing 522 steps to reach the cross to offer prayers.

Fr. Mark Ivo Velasquez, of the Archdiocese of Palo's Commission on Culture and Heritage, thanked the local government for its concern on pilgrimage sites such as the Guindaghan Hill.

“I would like to congratulate the local government of Palo for their efforts to help improve, beautify and preserve these monuments, which are part of our collective soul and identity as people of Palo,” Velasquez said.

In the past few weeks, concerned Catholic residents launched the “Save Palo Cross” online campaign to stop the plan.

The old cross atop the Guinhangdan Hill was built in the early 1960s, according to the opposing group. It is said to be one of the most concrete manifestation of the Catholic zeal in the town after the Jesuits arrived to bring Christianity to its residents in 1596 and after the town survived the ravages of World War II in the 1940s.

Palo, just 12 kilometers north of Tacloban, is a third class town and home to the offices of the ecclesiastical government of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo. (PNA)
LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA

Leyte legislators check anti-drug program of villages

TACLOBAN CITY, April 7 (PNA) - The Leyte provincial board has been scrutinizing the proposed budget of local government units to make sure they are setting aside funds to eliminate illegal drugs down to the village level.

The provincial government has been informing mayors and town council members about the Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 4, series of 2016, which emphasizes the importance of an anti-drug program in every village.

The regulation provides for a monitoring mechanism for anti-drug abuse campaigns in the villages.

“The anti-narcotics agency of the national government asked the help of provincial legislators to monitor the compliance of local government units in allocating budget that would strengthen the implementation of the anti-illegal drug campaign in the villages,” Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto said on Friday.

The city and town councils are primarily tasked to review the proposed budget of villages. After their scrutiny, the local government presents the proposal to the provincial board for approval. The deadline for submission to the provincial board is every October of the year.

All villages have been mandated to establish their anti-drug abuse councils, to help law enforcement agencies in the eradication of illegal drugs.

Under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002, local government units are required to allot a substantial portion of their annual budget to prioritize preventive or educational programs and the rehabilitation or treatment of drug dependents.

“Our unyielding pursuit for a drug-free Leyte province remains. We will make it a point that every municipality in the province will not only allocate budget for drug clearing programs, but will also successfully plan and implement unrelenting campaigns against illegal drugs,” Loreto said.

Under a memorandum from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, failure of local officials to appropriate a portion of their budget to the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 is a ground for disapproval of the village's annual budget. (PNA)
JAZMIN BONIFACIO

900 cops secure Asia-Pacific mayors’ meet in Catbalogan City

CATBALOGAN CITY, April 7 (PNA) – At least 900 policemen have been deployed to secure the 300 foreign and local chief executives attending the four-day United Cities Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG-ASPAC) executive bureau meeting in this city.

Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, Police Regional Office 8 director, said they have been stepping up security measure since the delegates arrived on Tuesday until their departure on Friday and Saturday.

“With the augmentation, we’re able to prevent potential security threats to our guests such as the rally of about 200 members of a militant group who has no permit,” Beltejar told PNA Thursday night.

The pre-deployment of security personnel was implemented as early as March 31 from the different provincial and town police offices.

Sr. Supt. Allan Cuevillas spearheaded the deployment as head of the task group created for the conference. Security officers had set up a joint tactical operations center for the Philippine National Police and and the Philippine Army at the 8th Infantry Division headquarters in Camp Maulong, this city.

The 900 policemen have been on guard in strategic areas in this city, particularly near the hotels and venues of the event. Some were deployed within the highway that links the city to Tacloban, where the airport is located.

With the theme “Kauswagan Kalibutan: Creating Connections for Sustainable Societies” some 120 foreign delegates from 21 countries attended the gathering.

They are mayors and key government officials from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Maldives, India, South Korea, Australia, Vietnam, Kiribati, Pakistan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Japan, Afghanistan, Solomon Island, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Thailand, Bhutan and Mongolia.

Nearly 200 local government officials from the Philippines also joined the international gathering.

UCLG-ASPAC is the regional section of the UCLG, a worldwide association of local government organizations that dates back to 1913.

It is the only local government organization recognized by the United Nations (UN) and nominates 10 out of 20 members of the first advisory body of local authorities affiliated with the UN.

Catbalogan is the lone city member of UCLG-Aspac in Eastern Visayas and one of the few in the Philippines. It became a member in 2015.

(PNA)
VICKY C. ARNAIZ