LOPE DE VEGA, Northern Samar- Students who are studying out of the scholarship programs of the municipal government can be assured of their continued studies. This after Mayor Ana Tan Palloc said that providing free education to students coming from poor families but are showing interests to study and finish school would remain among her top priorities. She said that the scholarship program is just a continuation program initiated by former mayor and sister, Linda Palloc Cinco. Cinco is now serving as an ex-officio member of the town council being the president of the association of barangay chairman. The same post was occupied by Mayor Palloc before she became the town chief executive.
“Definitely yes, igpapadayon ko an mga programa komo sunod nga gin tapuran kahuman nga mag serbe ka-mayor an ak bugto nga si Linda Palloc-Cinco, ngamao an ABC President yana,” the lady mayor, serving on her first term told Leyte Samar Daily Express in an interview. At present, there are 750 high school students and another 100 college students who are enjoying the scholarship program of the municipal government. Considering that Northern Samar particularly, her town as famous for its vast lands of coconut plantation, Palloc said that she hope that scholars would take agriculture-related courses and help provide valuable contributions to the town’s agricultural programs.
Mayor Palloc said that she is also providing livelihood employment opportunities to the women of the town like soap-making, coconut oil processing, among others. She said women organizations were armed of their needed technical know-how trained by the Department of Trade and Industry in collaboration with other concerned government agencies. Several school buildings, day care and health centers were recently inaugurated the construction of which were funded under the KALAHI-CIDSS(Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Services) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The mayor said that of the P17 million worth of various infrastructure projects, her government funded around 15 percent of these projects expected to be finished by December of this year. On top of this, Mayor Palloc added, she is also bent at improving the health services programs. To date, their rural health unit building has now a lying-in unit manned by a hired municipal health officer and other medical experts along with the assistance of the national government’s Nurses Deployment Program. They have a readily-available stand-by ambulance for use in cases of emergency and referral to the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital in Catarman and even in Manila for further medical treatment. (PETER PAREDES)
