27.9 C
Tacloban City
July 10, 2025 - Thursday | 8:09 AM
Home Blog

Marcos leads phases 2 and 3 launch in Leyte

0
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. launched Phases 2 and 3 of the high-speed fiber optic network during a ceremony held Monday, July 7, at Tropics Hotel,Palo. He was joined by Speaker Martin Romualdez and DICT Sec. Henry Rhoel Aguda.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. launched Phases 2 and 3 of the high-speed fiber optic network during a ceremony held Monday, July 7, at Tropics Hotel,Palo. He was joined by Speaker Martin Romualdez and DICT Sec. Henry Rhoel Aguda.

 

PALO, Leyte – Eastern Visayas is now among the regions set to benefit from the national government’s expanded fiber optic backbone program aimed at improving internet connectivity across underserved areas.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. formally launched Phases 2 and 3 of the high-speed fiber optic network during a ceremony held Monday, July 7, at Tropics Hotel in this town—located near the historic MacArthur Landing National Memorial Park. The project is spearheaded by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Local officials, including Biliran Governor Rogelio Espina and Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone, welcomed the development, citing the program’s potential to boost communication, strengthen disaster preparedness, and attract investments in the region.

“We are happy that Biliran is part of this program of our national government. This will be a big boost to us considering that half of our 132 barangays in our province either have slow internet signal or dead spots,” Espina said.

He added that the program’s rollout aligns with his plan to establish a local business process outsourcing hub to provide job opportunities for unemployed professionals in the province.

For Evardone, the program’s impact will be especially critical during calamities.
“It will now be easy and fast to call our local disaster officials or the Office of Civil Defense during a disaster situation,” he said.

Evardone noted that over 100 of Eastern Samar’s 590 barangays—mostly in far-flung areas—remain digitally isolated. To address this, the provincial government has allocated P15 million to purchase Starlink connectivity equipment for remote villages.

In his speech, President Marcos said Eastern Visayas is among the regions included in Phases 2 and 3 of the program, along with Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Bicol, and Central Mindanao.

These phases will cover approximately 1,871 kilometers and deliver 100 Gbps of bandwidth to at least 20 provinces, 1,000 government offices, and roughly 1.39 million individual users, according to DICT.

“Ngayong araw na ito ay nakakatuwa kasi nakikita natin na ikokonekta natin ang buong Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng ganitong fiber backbone. Ang lahat ng mga Pilipino, kahit sa malalayong isla….ay magkakaroon ng internet upang makatulong sa kanilang trabaho, upang makatulong sa kanilang pamumuhay,” Marcos said.

“Hindi na pribilehiyo ang pagkakaroon ng mabilis na internet. Ito ay pangangailangan na. Kailangan ito sa pag-aaral, sa trabaho, sa negosyo at para mapanatili ng koneksiyon sa ating mga mahal sa buhay,” he added.

The first phase of the national fiber backbone was launched last year, covering 1,245 kilometers and connecting Laoag, Ilocos Norte to Quezon City, serving 14 provinces.
Also present during the launch were DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda and House Speaker Martin Romualdez of Leyte’s first congressional district.

Aguda emphasized the project’s long-term goal of building a responsive, tech-enabled government.

“This plan is no longer a dream. It is already taking shape. This is (our) way of answering the President’s call to use ICT to build a more responsive government that serves the people, anytime, anywhere,” he said.

JOEY A. GABIETA

Samar targets childhood malnutrition with cash aid, gardens, and parental involvement

0
NUTRITION PROGRAM. Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan poses with nutrition personnel from the province and the region as she vows to address malnutrition problem among children. (PHOTO COURTESY)
NUTRITION PROGRAM. Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan poses with nutrition personnel from the province and the region as she vows to address malnutrition problem among children. (PHOTO COURTESY)

TACLOBAN CITY – In a bold move to address persistent malnutrition, especially among children, the provincial government of Samar has rolled out the “One Values Program”, a targeted nutrition initiative launched on July 4, 2025, in time for the observance of the 51st Nutrition Month.

The program provides P5,000 in cash assistance to each of the 119 identified families across the province, which they are encouraged to use in preparing nutritious meals for their children. The aid will be distributed over a 120-day period, allowing families to sustain healthier diets throughout the program duration.

Incentivizing positive outcomes, the provincial government has also announced a P5,000 reward for each child who “graduates” from the program—meaning they have reached a healthy weight by the end of the intervention.

Governor Sharee Ann Tan, in her address, underlined the vital role of parents in the fight against malnutrition. “We urge parents to take an active role in preparing healthy meals for their children. Good nutrition starts at home. Our goal is to reduce the number of undernourished children across Samar,” she said.

The One Values Program is also promoting food self-sufficiency through backyard gardening. Families are encouraged to grow their own vegetables and herbs, which not only provide a sustainable food source but also reduce daily food costs.

The provincial government has committed to working closely with local health workers, barangay officials, and the Department of Agriculture to support the gardens and ensure long-term success.

According to the latest National Nutrition Survey, parts of Eastern Visayas, including Samar, continue to grapple with high rates of child malnutrition due to poverty, limited access to healthy food, and gaps in nutrition education. This program aims to address these root causes through a holistic, incentive-based approach.
This year’s Nutrition Month theme, “Food and Nutrition Security Maging Priority! Sapat na Pagkain Karapatan Natin,” calls for government and community action to ensure that every Filipino has access to sufficient and nutritious food. Samar’s program is one of the concrete responses to this national call, demonstrating local leadership in tackling hunger and undernutrition at the household level.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

New dialysis center to rise in Allen, Northern Samar to serve Balicuatro area

0

TACLOBAN CITY – Access to life-saving kidney treatment in Northern Samar is set to improve with the upcoming construction of a hemodialysis center at the Allen District Hospital (ADH), following a groundbreaking ceremony led by provincial officials.

The event, held on the hospital grounds in Allen town, was graced by 2nd District Representative Governor Edwin Ongchuan, Vice Governor Clarence Dato, Board Member Arturo Dubongco Jr., and members of the Manook family, who generously donated the land for the facility. Also present were ADH Chief Dr. Joseph Cary Tomada, along with hospital officials and staff.

The facility is part of the provincial government’s plan to establish three dialysis centers across Northern Samar to meet the growing demand for treatment, especially in underserved areas.

The Allen center will primarily serve patients from the Balicuatro area, which includes the towns of Allen, Lavezares, San Isidro, and Victoria, as well as the island municipalities of San Antonio, Capul, and San Vicente.

At present, the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital (NSPH) is the only public health facility offering dialysis services in the province. Due to limited capacity, many patients are forced to seek treatment at private clinics or travel to nearby cities such as Calbayog or Tacloban.
Another dialysis center is planned for the G.B. Tan Memorial Hospital in Laoang, which will cater to patients from the Pacific area. These initiatives aim to decentralize access to dialysis treatment and reduce the financial and physical burden on patients and their families.

“This facility is one of the three dialysis centers the provincial government aims to operate to adequately respond to the needs of our people,” the provincial government said in a statement. “We also hope to add more dialysis machines at the NSPH to serve the central towns.”

The construction of these centers is in line with Governor Harris Ongchuan’s administration agenda, which prioritizes healthcare, along with capacity building, climate resilience, and economic opportunities.

Once completed, the new dialysis center is expected to significantly improve access to affordable, quality care for patients in Northern Samar battling chronic kidney disease.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

DAR condones P53M amortizations of ARBs

0
More than P53 million of amortization of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Eastern Visayas were erased as 1,293 ARBs receive their Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROMs) from Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Undersecretary for Field Operations Office, Atty. Kazel Celeste, on Saturday.
More than P53 million of amortization of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Eastern Visayas were erased as 1,293 ARBs receive their Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROMs) from Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Undersecretary for Field Operations Office, Atty. Kazel Celeste, on Saturday.

TACLOBAN CITY-As the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) commemorates on Monday, the second year of implementation of the Republic Act No. 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, DAR in Eastern Visayas again distributed this morning at the Tacloban City Convention Center nearly 2,000 Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROMs) to 1,293 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) across the region.
Atty. Kazel Celeste, DAR Undersecretary for Field Operations office, led the distribution of COCROMs, which erased more than P53 million of unpaid amortizations, including interests of the said ARBs.

Aside from COCROMs, Celeste, assisted by DAR Eastern Visayas Regional Director, Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, also distributed 4,486 individual land titles, covering an aggregate area of more than six thousand hectares to 3,779 ARBs.

(JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)

Head-on motorcycle crash in Ormoc injures two drivers, one student

0

ORMOC CITY – A head-on collision between two motorcycles left two drivers injured and a teenage back rider slightly hurt in an early morning accident along the national road in Barangay Lilo-an, this city, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.

According to Police Captain Jason Mateo, chief of the Ormoc Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU), the victims were identified as alias “Alde,” 49, a vendor and resident of Tzu Chi Village in Brgy. Lilo-an, and alias “El-el,” 19, a junior high school student from Brgy. San Juan. Both were brought to the Ormoc District Hospital for medical attention.

A back rider of “El-el,” identified as alias “Sham,” 15, a student from Brgy. Jica Lao, sustained minor injuries and opted for self-medication.

Initial police investigation revealed that both motorcycles—a Euro driven by “Alde” and a Honda driven by “El-el”—were traveling in opposite directions. Upon reaching the area of the incident at around 6:50 a.m., the Honda motorcycle reportedly attempted to overtake another vehicle and veered into the opposite lane, resulting in a head-on collision with the oncoming Euro motorcycle.

Responding TEU officers and the Ormoc Rescue Team rushed to the scene following a call from a concerned citizen. Both motorcycles have been taken into custody by authorities for proper disposition.

Police remind motorists, especially students and young drivers, to exercise caution and avoid reckless overtaking, especially on national roads with high traffic volume.

(ROBERT DEJON)

Spreading literacy and love: David Licauco fans launch book drive for Tacloban Youth

0
DONATION. The fans of actor David Licauco in Tacloban City conducted a gift giving to children consisting of books, toys, and school supplies.
DONATION. The fans of actor David Licauco in Tacloban City conducted a gift giving to children consisting of books, toys, and school supplies.

TACLOBAN CITY – What started as a simple act of fandom has blossomed into a meaningful mission to uplift young lives through education.

Fans of actor and entrepreneur David Licauco organized a Book Drive Project that brought joy, learning, and inspiration to children in two of Tacloban City’s barangays.

Held on June 6 in Brgy. Sampaguita and on June 15 in Brgy. El Reposo, the initiative went beyond handing out books—it fostered a spirit of hope. Along with books, the group distributed toys and school supplies, aiming to spark curiosity and a love for learning among the youth.

“Reading is a powerful activity that broadens your perspective, sparks curiosity, and inspires new ideas,” the group said in a statement. “It can also be a source of relaxation, enhance imagination, and promote self-growth.”

The project was carried out in partnership with Kabataan San Sidlangan, a local youth-oriented organization dedicated to educational and community development. Through this collaboration, the project reached more children and emphasized the power of shared efforts in making a difference.

More than a tribute to Licauco, the Book Drive mirrors his advocacy for education and youth empowerment.

His recent visit to Tacloban during the city’s vibrant Sangyaw Festival only deepened the fan community’s commitment to giving back to the place that welcomed their idol so warmly.

Organizers continue to call on the public to join the cause by donating books, toys, and school materials or volunteering in upcoming outreach activities.

By combining the influence of a public figure with grassroots action, the David Licauco fan community has shown how admiration can evolve into a movement that changes lives—one book at a time.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Recent Posts

DALMACIO C. GRAFIL
PUBLISHER

ALMA GRAFIL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ROMEO CEBREROS
OFFICE IN-CHARGE

OFFICE
BRGY. SONGCO, BORONGAN CITY

CONTACT NUMBERS
(055) 261 – 3319 | 0955 251 1533 | 0917 771 0320 | 0915 897 7439 | 0921 511 0010

DALMACIO C. GRAFIL
PUBLISHER

RICKY J. BAUTISTA
EDITOR

ALMA GRAFIL
BUS. MANAGER

OFFICE
RIZAL AVENUE, CATBALOGAN
(INFRONT OF FIRE DEPARTMENT, NEAR CITY HALL)

CONTACT NUMBERS
0917 771 0320 | 0915 897 7439 | 0921 511 0010

EMAIL
lsdaily2@yahoo.com

WEBSITE
www.issuu.com/samarweeklyexpress