In Samar

TACLOBAN CITY — The municipal government of Paranas, Samar is moving to establish an academy that will provide continuing training and professional development for local government workers, barangay officials and civil society organizations.

The Sangguniang Bayan held a committee hearing on Sept. 10, 2026, on Ordinance No. 129 which seeks to establish the Paranas Local Government Unit Academy.

The proposed academy will serve as a centralized platform for capacity development, professionalization and knowledge-sharing among municipal officials and employees, barangay local government units and civil society organizations (CSOs).

It will tap the existing knowledge and expertise of local government personnel and make these resources available through structured training, learning and skills-development activities.

The Municipal Human Resource Management Office (MHRMO) will serve as the focal office for the proposed academy.

Vice Mayor Atty. Eunice Babalcon said municipal employees themselves could help strengthen the capabilities of other public servants by sharing their knowledge and expertise.

The committee hearing also called for the preparation of a Paranas LGU Capacity Development Plan to identify priority learning needs and guide the implementation of training programs.

The MHRMO, in coordination with concerned municipal offices, is expected to prepare the plan, which will also be synchronized with the municipality’s succeeding budget cycle.

Among the priority areas identified during the hearing were social welfare, tourism, disaster preparedness, mental health, agriculture, health and behavioral development.

The proposed training programs are intended to improve the performance of municipal employees while strengthening the ability of barangay governments and CSOs to deliver services and perform their respective responsibilities.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY — Two young engineers in Silago, Southern Leyte are using science and technology to turn locally grown jackfruit and other agricultural crops into value-added food products as they explore opportunities to build a homegrown enterprise.

Engineers Aries Martinez and Christine Dalumpines, owners of Hulyanas Café, are developing crispy jackfruit products using vacuum frying technology with assistance from the Department of Science and Technology–Provincial Science and Technology Office (DOST-PSTO) Southern Leyte through its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP).

The technology allows the entrepreneurs to process jackfruit into a snack with potential markets beyond Silago and into other parts of Southern Leyte and Eastern Visayas.
“We want to create a product that people can identify with Silago, a product that can introduce our municipality to the rest of the region and, at the same time, create opportunities for our people,” Martinez said.

Hulyanas Café started as a food and beverage business but has evolved into a space where the two entrepreneurs experiment with new products and production methods.
Aside from jackfruit, Martinez and Dalumpines are testing squash, vegetables and root crops as possible ingredients for additional products that could complement their café operations and meet consumer demand.

Their approach seeks to give locally available agricultural products greater value through processing, packaging and marketing, rather than selling them only as fresh produce.
The entrepreneurs also see the venture as a potential source of additional demand for local farm products and employment opportunities as their business grows.

Martinez, a graduate of the Philippine Science High School–Eastern Visayas Campus, applies his science and technology background to product testing, process improvement and experimentation with different raw materials.

Together with Dalumpines, he has adopted a trial-and-improvement approach as they work to develop food products that can eventually be produced and marketed commercially.
Through SETUP, DOST-PSTO Southern Leyte is providing technical assistance to Hulyanas Café, particularly in the use of vacuum frying technology for processing jackfruit and other local crops.

The assistance is aimed at improving the enterprise’s production capabilities and helping the entrepreneurs develop products from resources readily available in their community.
The initiative shows how science and technology can support entrepreneurship in rural communities by helping small businesses transform agricultural commodities into products with greater market value.

For Martinez and Dalumpines, the goal is to expand Hulyanas Café’s product line, reach wider markets and create livelihood opportunities for residents of Silago.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

“My warmest greetings to all Filipinos as we celebrate Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo) 2026.

To understand our history as a maritime and archipelagic nation is to recognize the incontrovertible truth that our waters shape the life of our country. MANA Mo 2026 elevates this recognition by promoting maritime consciousness as a shared national responsibility. This year’s observance, held alongside the anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, offers a timely occasion to uphold, affirm, and reiterate our country’s lawful rights and entitlements.

The theme, “Karapatan sa Karagatan, Sama-Sama Nating Alagaan,” captures our collective duty. Defending what is ours demands our solidarity as a people and firm national resolve. I thus urge every Filipino to take part in activities organized throughout September by government agencies, embassies and consulates, local government units, educational institutions, and the private sector. These initiatives are aimed at deepening public understanding of the vital role our seas play in our history, security, and future.

I call on all Filipinos to carry this awareness forward by advancing concrete measures that champion our rights as a nation and strengthen the responsible stewardship of our patrimony. This administration, through the National Maritime Council, will continue to provide clear direction and sustained attention to this core national concern. To every Filipino, rest assured that we remain resolute in protecting our waters and safeguarding the future of our Bagong Pilipinas.

May we all have an insightful and purposeful month ahead.” (PR)