Malacañang to check delayed post-‘Yolanda’ projects

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 16  – Malacañang will hold consultations on the implementation of recovery projects in areas ravaged by super typhoon “Yolanda” in Eastern Visayas more than four years ago.

Presidential Adviser on Special Concerns Wendel Avisado, the official tapped by President Rodrigo R. Duterte to check post-“Yolanda” rehabilitation, will lead the consultation next month, said National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy on Thursday.

NEDA, the agency tasked to monitor government-led post-Yolanda recovery initiatives, will host a meeting on Feb. 20 with regional heads of national government agencies in the region.

Avisado will preside the meeting where schedules of the three-week provincial consultation will be presented to concerned agencies.

“The presidential adviser wants to know the status of projects and what the remaining issues and concerns are in the project implementation phase,” Uy said.

The NEDA regional chief said the consultation will focus on unfinished housing and livelihood projects along Yolanda’s path in four of the region’s provinces – Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Biliran.

In Eastern Visayas alone, only 12,000 out of 56,000 target permanent houses for typhoon survivors have been completed last year. Most of these housing units are in this city. The NHA targets to build 14,433 units in this city alone. About 9,000 houses have been awarded to beneficiaries.

NEDA confirmed several projects under the livelihood cluster had not yet begun in Eastern Visayas last year.

Consultations will be held in towns where projects are delayed to ensure that concerns of stakeholders will be heard.

On Nov. 8, 2013, super typhoon Yolanda unleashed its wrath in central Philippines, killing around 6,300 people and leaving more than 4.4 million people displaced and homeless.

The city, the regional hub of Eastern Visayas region, was considered as Yolanda’s ground zero. (SQM/PNA/Feature photo courtesy of Leyte Metropolitan Water District)

DPWH Eastern Visayas completes 571 projects in 2017

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 15  -- At least 571 infrastructure projects had been completed in Eastern Visayas region in 2017 as the government poured more investments in widening of roads and upgrading of bridges.

Edgar Tabacon, Regional Director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), said on Thursday that the region has constructed and upgraded 369 roads, 182 bridges and 102 flood control structures.

The DPWH regional office here also implemented 416 non-regular projects such as local roads, farm-to-market roads, local bridges, water systems, school building, multi-purpose government facilities, day care centers, and health facilities.

The regional office received PHP23.48 billion of the PHP32 billion approved budget for the year in Eastern Visayas. The remaining funds will be used to finance 233 ongoing projects and 30 projects intended for last year.

“We achieved about 70 percent accomplishment last year, lower than the 80 percent completion rate target because of the many challenges beyond our control,” Tabacon said.
Major setbacks were road right of way acquisition issues, limited capacity of contractors, unfavorable weather, delayed bidding, among others.

Tabacon told Philippine News Agency (PNA) that they are taking notes of the reasons why some projects were delayed and are to carry out measures to improve their performance in 2018.

Among the strategies are the early bidding of projects, come up with detailed plans late, and help contractors improve their capability.

The DPWH regional office here implements big ticket projects and supervises the performance of 13 district engineering offices in Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte provinces. (SQM/PNA)

DOH-8 exec allays public fear on vaccination amid Dengvaxia mess

PALO, Leyte, Feb. 15 -- The Department of Health (DOH) has reiterated its call to support the government’s immunization program this year that will benefit 213,717 children in Eastern Visayas amid dengue vaccine scare.

DOH Regional Director Minerva Molon made the call to the public after some parents resisted the administration of deworming pills to their children last month due to the dengue vaccination fiasco.

“We have to explain to school officials and local government officials to help us inform parents the benefits of deworming and the activity is not related to Dengvaxia,” Molon told Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday.

In the next months, the health department will conduct its regular mass vaccination to combat polio, measles, tetanus, meningitis, diphtheria, and tuberculosis.

The immunization program will cover 129,370 children 0 to 12 years old and 84,347 Grades 1 to 7 school children in the region.

“We need to strongly support and continue our routine immunization to children to protect them from acquiring vaccine-preventable diseases,” Molon said.

The DOH official is worried that Dengvaxia issue will further drag down the 75 percent immunization coverage in the region last year, lower than the 95 percent target.

“Our vaccines in the regular immunization program have been proven effective and this should not be affected with this Dengvaxia issue. Imagine what would happen to our children three to five years from now if they’re not immunized,” Molon said.

Vaccination, according to Molon, should push through noting that in the past two years, there are still confirmed cases of fatal diseases preventable by vaccines.

Between 2016 to 2017, the region recorded five deaths from tetanus and three deaths from pertussis. At least 56 children contacted polio, and 157 others suffered measles.

The official clarified that the region is not covered in the mass dengue vaccination conducted in Regions 3, 4-A, National Capital Region, and Central Visayas.

In Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), four children who were given Dengvaxia in other regions were admitted in hospitals in Leyte and Samar from December 2017 to early February 2018.

All of them suffered dengue and have been discharged from hospital.

The government’s immunization program was established in 1976 to ensure that infants, children, and mothers have access to routinely recommended childhood vaccines.

Six vaccine-preventable diseases were initially included in the program: tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and measles.

The World Health Organization estimated that in 2002, about 1.4 million of deaths among children under five years due to diseases that could have been prevented by routine vaccination. (SQM/PNA) 

Eastern Visayas rolls out Arts Month activities

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 15  -- The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and a local partner have lined up several activities to celebrate the National Arts Month this February.

The activities, under the National Committee on Literary Arts’ Maartext, include poetry and theatrical performances, interactions with critics, writers, and other cultural workers.

Activities will start on February 16 through “Pagpasamwak” (announcement), a live streaming poetry and musical performance of writers and artists from the region, which will be held at the city’s KBox Studio.

“Songs and poems using languages of Eastern Visayas people which are Winaray, Cebuano-Bisaya and Inabaknon will be performed by our local artist,” Jen Garcia, Katig-uban han mga Magsusurat han Sinirangan Bisayas or Katig (group of Eastern Visayas writers) president said.

On Feb. 20, a book and zine fair of Eastern Visayas writers called “Merkado Sinirangan Bisayas” (Eastern Visayas market) will be held at the University of the Philippines Visayas-Tacloban Campus.

Inside the zine are compilation of selected poem and literary piece of local artist which can be bought for only PHP15 each.

From Feb. 22 to 26 “Kaliding han Siday” (wheel of poetry) will be held in 11 different areas in Eastern Visayas to be hosted by local government units.

“Kaliding han Siday” features poetry reading by members of Katig and local artists from the host local government, arts exhibit, book and zine display and book introduction will start in Naval, Biliran.

Other participating local governments in this event are the towns of Carigara and Dulag in Leyte province, Ormoc City in Leyte, Catbalogan City in Samar, Borongan City in Eastern Samar, Baybay City, Calbayog City, and the towns of Catarman and Capul Island in Northern Samar.

A lecture on forum on Eastern Visayas literature and imagination primarily delivered in Waray called “An Pinulungan ngan Imahinasyun” (the language and imagination) will be held at that University of the Philippines-Tacloban campus on Feb. 26.

During Feb. 26 culmination day, Katig members will hold a short story writing workshop at the same venue.

With the activities lined-up for the celebration of the National Arts Month, Garcia said members of Katig hopes that youth in Eastern Visayas will develop interest in enriching their knowledge and talent on Region 8’s literature and help in preserve local culture and history.

“Our long term of goal is not only for the youth to have interest on our local arts and culture but also for us to share it with them so that they can share it to other youth in the future and for more people to recognize and appreciate our own literature,” Garcia said.

The annual celebration of National Arts Month started with the signing of Presidential Proclamation 683, in 1991, declaring February as National Arts Month. Over the years, NCCA as well as private and government agencies organize events and activities to highlight the artistic brilliance of the Filipinos. (RTA/PNA)

Basyang’ leaves 4 dead in east Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 14  -- Three fishermen from Eastern Samar were swept by big waves while a two-month old baby was buried alive in Leyte when Tropical Depression “Basyang” crossed the Visayas this week.

The Philippine National Police reported Wednesday afternoon that local authorities recovered the bodies of fishermen Reggie Samson, Wilson and Wilfred Alde in Cabo-ong village in Borongan City, Eastern Samar.

Their bodies were found at around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, a day after witnesses saw them swept by big waves while sailing on a wooden raft off the coast of Siha village in Borongan.

In Albuera, Leyte, a landslide buried a house in San Pedro village that killed two-month old Christian Jake Tumandao on Tuesday afternoon.

His mother, Jenessa and siblings Rex, 3 and Kim, 7 managed to escape when they sensed that mudslides would cover their house.

“The victim was rescued by their neighbors and was rushed to the rural health center, but was declared dead upon arrival by doctors,” the police said.

San Pedro village in Albuera town is just one of the 1,075 villages in Eastern Visayas tagged as highly susceptible to landslides.

These are defined as unstable areas, highly prone to mass movement, based on data released by the Department of Interior and Local Government Center for Disaster Information and Coordination from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

On Monday afternoon, the Regional Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council issued a red or heavy rainfall warning for Eastern Visayas provinces. Authorities warn local government units and residents against massive flooding and landslides.

The local governments of Tacloban and nearby town of Palo in Leyte suspended classes and work in the government on Wednesday due to widespread flooding that displaced thousands of residents.

Regional offices of national government agencies are located in these two areas.

On Wednesday, netizens posted photos of flooding at their doorsteps greeting their friends “Happy Bahalentines.” It is a combination of the words baha (flood) and Valentines. (SQM/RTA/PNA)