Leyte army again calls on Reds to surrender, avail of aid

ORMOC CITY, Leyte, Feb. 21  -- A top Army official in Leyte province has called on the New People’s Army (NPA) to abandon communism and avail of government assistance meant for rebel returnees.

Brig. Gen. Francisco F. Mendoza Jr., commander of the Philippine Army’s 802nd Brigade based here, said Wednesday they have been pushing maximum opportunities for rebels to surrender to return to their normal lives.

To encourage more rebels to return, the government offers financial help through the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP), which includes an immediate assistance of PHP15,000 that a rebel returnee would receive while undergoing processing, an additional PHP50,000 for livelihood, and PHP20,000 from the Provincial Social Work and Development Office.

“Rebels who submit firearms would get a financial assistance from the government, ranging from PHP2,000 to PHP449,000, depending on the kind of weapon. These are given so they could start life at the mainstream anew,” Mendoza said.

Any rebel who surrenders a heavy machine gun caliber 7.62 (M73) is entitled to a PHP279,510 cash assistance.

Mendoza said last year, armed rebels deployed 18 individuals from Northern Samar for their recruitment in upland Leyte, which turned out to be a failure.

“The fatality during the encounter in Hilongos, Leyte last year and the one wounded were both from Las Navas, Northern Samar. As we monitored, they have already returned home following failures in their mission,” Mendoza told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The army assured they would assist all rebel surrenderers, whom they advised to approach village officials, local chief executives, religious leaders, relatives from the army and police, or media.

Late last year, at least five rebels from Leyte turned themselves in to authorities. (ERR/PNA)

Malacañang sets consultations for post-Yolanda projects

PALO, Leyte, Feb. 20  -- The Office of the President has scheduled consultations in five Eastern Visayas provinces pummeled by super typhoon Yolanda in a bid to update the public on government-led recovery efforts and hear concerns of beneficiaries.

In a meeting held Tuesday at the National Economic Development Authority regional office here, Presidential Assistant Wendel Avisado, said each consultation would invite 120 participants composed of beneficiaries of resettlement projects, local and national government officials, and representatives of civil society organizations.

“We will go to all provinces and our office has allocated budget for these consultations. That’s how serious our President is as he ordered government agencies to provide solutions to all concerns. Let the people know that they are not neglected,” said Avisado, the official tasked by President Rodrigo Duterte to oversee Yolanda rehabilitation.

The first leg of series of consultations will be in relocation sites in Tacloban City on March 19 to 20.

It will be followed by dialogues in Guiuan, Eastern Samar (April 3); Balangiga, Eastern Samar (April 4); Basey, Samar (April 10); Carigara, Leyte (April 11); Isabel, Leyte (April 12); Naval, Biliran (April 17); and Silago, Southern Leyte (April 19).

Nearby towns and cities to the venues are invited to the provincial consultations.

The activity will gather issues and concerns encountered by survivors in resettlement sites and convene various government instrumentalities to identify interventions that will ensure sustainability of resettlement projects and improve their quality of life.

After the consultation, the Office of the President expects to formulate the multi-year post-resettlement program for submission and approval of President and inter-agency task force.

The consultation, which was recently completed in Western Visayas, includes reporting of projects status for every cluster, open forum, and ocular inspection of resettlement sites.

The central government has already released PHP146.15 billion for areas ravaged by the 2013 monster typhoon as of end of last year.(SQM/PNA)

Eastern Samar ex-rebels receive cash aid

BORONGAN CITY, Feb. 19  --Three former rebels from Eastern Samar province received financial assistance under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP).

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Eastern Samar Provincial Director Visitacion Giva and 14th Infantry Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Manuel Leo Gador led the awarding of financial assistance to the three former rebels over the weekend.

Each of the rebels received PHP65,000 for livelihood activities.

The financial assistance was broken down to PHP15,000 as immediate assistance, PHP50,000 as livelihood assistance.

One surrenderer received an additional PHP15,500 for turning over a firearm.

The former rebels completed a two-day training for former rebels on values formation and livelihood project management at the provincial capitol prior to the awarding of financial assistance.

Giva is hopeful that the assistance given to former rebels will truly help them in their quest to renew their life by integrating with the normal community and will become partners of the government in convincing other rebels to surrender.

“We assured that the government will continue to provide support. They will be monitored regularly to ensure that the awarded assistance is used properly,” Giva said.

Gador voiced optimism that with the assistance extended by the government, former rebels will now achieve their dreams of having a better life.

“Due to poverty, many are enticed to join communist rebels. The lack of opportunity to have decent jobs that can provide needs of the family also adds to this problem,” Gador said.

Through CLIP, the army is hopeful that this will contribute in achieving a lasting peace and economically developed community.

Gadro assured that the military will continue to support government agencies in curbing insurgency in Eastern Samar province by bringing basic services to remote communities. (RTA/PNA)

Ormoc’s best athletes to receive cash reward

ORMOC CITY, Feb. 19  -- The city government here will provide cash reward to athletes who won medals in the recently concluded Eastern Visayas Regional Athletics Association (EVRAA) held in Calbayog City.

City Councilor Vincent Rama passed a resolution recognizing student athletes and coaches who showed good performance in the regional athletic event, making the Ormoc team as overall champion for the first time in EVRAA meet.

“Said victorious outcome is the first in the history of Ormoc City delegation to EVRAA, which deserves a high commendation and recognition of all personal sacrifices, determination and discipline displayed by athletes and coaches in carrying of Ormoc,” Rama said on Monday.

In the resolution, the city government will reward PHP5,000 for each gold medalist, PHP3,000 for silver medalist, and PHP2,000 each for bronze winners.

Teams which earned gold will receive PHP20,000. Those teams that won silver and bronze will get PHP18,000 and PHP15,000 cash prize, respectively. Winning coaches will receive PHP3,000.

The city government will allocate more than PHP1 million funds as financial reward to players.

Ormoc city division gathered a total of 109 gold, 56 silver, and 74 bronze, defeating Leyte team, the seven-time EVRAA over-all champion.

More than 50 athletes from this city will join the official Eastern Visayas delegation to the Palarong Pambansa 2018 in Ilocos Sur on the last week of April. (RTA/PNA)

Eastern Visayas’ inflation climbs in January 2018

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 16  – Inflation rate in poverty-stricken Eastern Visayas region stood at 4.5 percent in Jan. 2018, higher than the previous month’s data and significantly faster than the figure seen in the same period last year.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported Thursday that the region’s inflation rate was 0.5 percent higher from 4 percent a month ago and 1.7 percent more from 2.8 percent recorded in Jan. 2017.

Faster inflation was buoyed by the higher cost of transport, food beverages, tobacco, furnishings, household equipment, and routine house maintenance.

In contrast, annual price changes has slackened in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, and health from Dec. 2017 to Jan. 2018.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy said the inflation rise is expected due to the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law that adjusted oil and automobile excise taxes, and introduced excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.

“The impact of faster inflation will be minimized with financial assistance to poor families, lowered and simplified personal income taxes, and the subsidy for minimum wage earners,” Uy added.

Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising and, consequently, the purchasing power of peso is falling.

“We are hoping that this is temporary as government moves to stabilize production to bring down the level of prices of goods and services,” Uy said.

The region’s purchasing power of peso was recorded at PHP0.61 in January 2018. This is weaker compared with the PHP0.62 registered in Dec. 2017. This means that goods and services worth 100 pesos in 2006 only costs PHP61 in Jan. 2018.

Northern Samar, the region’s poorest province, registered the highest inflation rate in the region at 7.3 percent, while Southern Leyte posted the lowest inflation at 1.5 percent. Northern Samar’s poverty incidence is at 47.9 percent, higher than the 30.7 percent in the regional level. (SQM/PNA)