Board: Wage hike possible this year

WORKERS in Eastern Visayas might get an immediate relief from the rising cost of living as the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in the region may possibly grant wage hike within this year.

Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Regional Director lawyer Forter Puguon said the RTWPB, in their recent board meeting, decided to conduct a sectoral and public consultations as the salary of workers had fluctuated and had noted a recent increase of basic commodities.

German firm pushes technical cooperation projects

SUSTAINABLE development through technical cooperation projects and services in Eastern Visayas would push through under the new German Development Cooperation (GIZ).

Philip Quitmann, GIZ deputy country director, said the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH was formally launched in the region with the same thrust of promoting economic development and environmental protection to decentralization.

Leptospirosis kills 5

PALO, Leyte – Five people died of leptospirosis out of the 20 confirmed persons afflicted with the disease, the Department of Health (DOH) in Eastern Visayas said.

Local government called to be transparent in funds

BUDGET Secretary Florencio Abad reiterated his call to all local government units (LGUs) and national agencies to observe full transparency and accountability in public funds by disclosing all fund disbursements and allotments to public.

Abad observed some LGUs do not post their local fiscal budget and finances despite memoranda from their office and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Japan crisis might affect coco by-product export

A TOP official of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) in Eastern Visayas said the recent tragedy that hit Japan might affect coconut by-products export performance this year.

Benjie Yu, coconut production and regulation officer at PCA-Eastern Visayas, told Leyte Samar Daily Express that Japan ranks third among the biggest importing countries of coconut by-products coming from the region.

Government urged to create tourism promotion in Samar

THE government should create a program that will promote the tourism capability of Samar and improve living conditions among residents, Cavite Representative Crispin Remulla said.

Ombud clears DPWH official, engineer of graft raps

THE Office of the Ombudsman dismissed charges filed against Public Works and Highway assistant secretary Jaime Pacanan and Engineer Celso Lumaniog for insufficiency of evidence.

The anti-graft court, on its eight-page decision dated February 4, dismissed the case against Pacanan, who was a Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) regional director, and Lumaniog, who was then the agency’s assistant regional director, on the P11-million rehabilitation and improvement of the Tigbao-Sta. Fe Road located in Barangay Salvacion in Tacloban.

Tacloban’s ratio of cop to population still not ideal

TACLOBAN City Police Director Wilson Caubat admitted they have not yet reached the ideal ratio of police personnel to population in this city.

However, Caubat stressed the city police office is doing all it can to address problems of criminality and peace and order in the city.

Samar lawmaker: Impeachment a tough job

CATARMAN, Northern Samar – Northern Samar first district Representative Raul Daza shared his experiences and expertise on impeachment process over DzRH radio’s program segment “Balintataw”.

“It’s really a tough job,” Daza said, referring to his experience on the Estrada impeachment case, where he acted as one of the senior lawyers of the deposed leader.

Samar officials draft tourism development plan

CATBALOGAN CITY - The Samar Island Tourism Master Development Plan is being drafted to guide stakeholders in making the island an alternative tourist destination by 2016.

Health department taps agencies over hospitals’ improvement

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Health (DOH)-Eastern Visayas called for other government agencies to help them in the improvement of three hospitals in Samar province.

This was the solution made by the DOH to immediately start the project.

Tacloban to host geodetic engineers’ convention

TACLOBAN CITY — This city will host the national convention of the Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines on June.

President of Geodetic Engineer of the Philippines Inc. Engineer Carlos Cordero made the announcement during the 36th Annual Regional Convention of geodetic engineers.

Palami: Azkals trip both historical and inspirational

TACLOBAN CITY - Being a team manager of Team Azkals is a journey that is both historical and inspirational, Dan Stephen Palami said Friday during his visit in the city.

RH bill advocates solicit signs for support

PROPONENTS of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill in Eastern Visayas are soliciting signatures from the public to seek support on the measure.

This was revealed by the regional director of the Population Commission, Leo Rama, saying the gathered signatures would be submitted to the congressmen and for them to eventually support the bill.

Local government chiefs urged to make disaster plan

SENATOR Francis Escudero urged local government chief executives in Eastern Visayas to come up with a comprehensive plan to address disasters and to provide alternative livelihood to their affected constituents.

Samar police intensify drive vs private armed group

THE Philippine National Police in Samar province, through the Regional Public Safety Management Battalion (RPSMB) based in Barangay Canticum, Calbiga town, said they are sustaining the campaign on crackdown of private armed groups (PAGs) operating in the area.   Police Inspector Jovie Espinido, who heads the RPSB in Canticum, said they are confident that the PAGs are slowly dismantling with the reported killing of one man identified as notorious by the police who heads the Moloboco group operating in Samar’s first district towns.

Public told to be vigilant amid heavy rains

THE Office of the Civil Defense (OCD)-Eastern Visayas on Thursday advised citizens to be vigilant for any possible fallout due to the continued heavy downpours the region has been experiencing for the past weeks now.

Graduates advised to become businessmen

DEPUTY majority floor leader and Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo advised the graduates to go into business.

“We should emphasize to our people to turn into entrepreneurs and become businessmen,” Romulo, who was the commencement speaker of the Eastern Samar State University-Guiuan Campus, said Thursday.

21 houses in creek removed

THE City Engineers Office demolished 21 houses illegally constructed inside the creek in Barangay 59-A Sampaguita, Tacloban City that has been blocking the free flow of water last week.

The demolition team was led by City Engineer Donnie de Paz with Mayor Alfred Romualdez.

Eastern Visayas to set up more seaweed culture labs

THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will set up new tissue culture laboratories in Eastern Visayas to raise seed stocks if in case floodwaters will destruct seaweed farms.

Leyte town water structure collapses

THE mayor of the municipality of Alangalang in Leyte province confirmed that a water dam located in Barangay Tombo collapsed due to the heavy rains.

Mayor Loreto Yu told Leyte Samar Daily Express the dam impounding a sizeable amount of water was damaged just this week after successive days of downpour.

Board member: Sex education must be ‘age-appropriate’

SEX education among teenagers needs to consider two things, said Leyte Board Member Carlo Loreto when asked to comment on the plan to implement a sex education program in all public schools in the province.

Guv: Mining agency seems ‘not to care’ Leyte

LEYTE Governor Jericho Petilla said the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) regional office doesn’t seem to care about the mining issues of the province because Leyte is not its province.

According to him, MGB-Eastern Visayas is introducing policies and manipulating the issuances of mining permits without even considering the geographical situation of the province and the socio-economic status of the people.

Groups unite in organizing Earth Hour

GOVERNMENT and non-government organizations in Tacloban City have once again signified their commitment by working together to create a better future for planet Earth.   The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) along with the Junior Chamber International (JCI) took the lead in organizing the Earth Hour.

Oil, gas exploration in Leyte town okayed

THE Leyte Provincial Board passed a resolution interposing no objection to the request of the energy office for the application to conduct an oil and gas exploration of NorAsian Energy Philippines at Sitio Kalunasan, Barangay Banat-e, San Isidro.

“The Department of Energy (DOE) had satisfied the members of the Provincial Board on the presentation of said plan to conduct exploration in said municipality, as there was an assurance from the said government agency and from the Environmental Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that the exploration will have no ill effects to the environment,” Board Member Roque Tiu said.

Floods destroy P40.2M worth of palay

LAST week's flooding has damaged 8,536 hectares of rice farms in Eastern Visayas with a production loss of 12,050 metric tons (MT) amounting to P40.2 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.

Leo Cañeda, DA-Eastern Visayas executive director, said the calamity, which hardly hit Leyte rice farms, has affected 11,906 farmers in five provinces.

Fil-Chinese chamber donates 1,700 packs of relief goods

A CHINESE chamber donated about 1,700 packs of relief goods to the Provincial Government of Leyte.

The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII), through its regional director for Eastern Visayas Allan Cabigon, donated the relief items for the flood victims in the province.

Health department taps Abuyog hospital for a rehab center

THE Department of Health (DOH) in Eastern Visayas tapped the Abuyog District Hospital (ADH) in Abuyog town to act as a special rehabilitation center for filariasis.

DOH-Eastern Visayas Director Edgardo Gonzaga said Abuyog will get a big share of the Hospital Facilities Enhancement Program budget of the DOH this year while they have identified the ADH's role as rehab center for filariasis victims.

Crop insurance head inspects flood-ravaged areas

THE Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) has started validating the crop damages claims in some farms in Leyte due to floods that hit the province last week.

5,000 relief goods distributed to flood victims

LEYTE first district Representative Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez distributed some 5,000 relief goods to flood victims in San Miguel, Sta. Fe, Palo, Tacloban, Tolosa, Tanauan and San Joapuin Palo.

Romualdez expressed condolences and extended assistance to families of the 11 reported fatalities and all other victims of the floods.