PALO, Leyte– Governor Carlos Jericho ‘Icot’ Petilla issued a challenge to the newly-elected youth leaders of this town, saying they should confront and address issues and problems hounding their community.

The governor made this challenge during the mass oath-taking of the newly-elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials held on Monday (Nov.13) at the Leyte Academic Center.

Also present during the mass oath-taking were Vice Gov. Leonardo Javier, board member Ronnan Christian Reposar, Palo Mayor Remedios ‘Matin’ Petilla and her vice mayor, Jojo Chiquillo and court judges.

“This is a growing concern that needs to be addressed. We have to address this problem together with the SK because this is no longer about how to become a leader, but this is about identifying the problem that you have and taking care of yourself,” Petilla said during the mass oath-taking.

He was particularly referring to the growing problem of mental health affecting the youths which is blamed to depression and sometimes end to suicide.

He emphasized the importance of the youth council in addressing this problem as teenagers prefer to talk and share their problems among themselves instead of sharing it with adults.

Aside from mental health problems like depression, SK officials should also focus on other concerns involving youths like drug addiction, and education and not just focus on sports program.

“That is a challenge of the SK right now and I am putting emphasis on the SK because you are the one who will replace us as future leaders,” Petilla said.

Joanne Alcaraz of Barangay Candahug said that mental health problem is one of the concerns that they wanted to address in their area by raising awareness among their fellow youth of how they can cope up with depression and other issues concerning mental health.
“Most youth nowadays are sensitive. They easily get depressed when they get low grades and even offended so we need to create a program to help them manage mental health issues by partnering with organizations and government agencies that cater to this specific problem,” Alcaraz said.

Other than mental health issues, Alcaraz said that she would also want to focus on implementing a program that will help elementary children with their reading ability.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

PALO, Leyte– The Japanese government through its embassy based in Manila donated medical equipment valued at P6.49 million to the local government here.
The medical equipment, consisting of X-ray machine, ultrasound, and other essential medical equipment, were turned over to the municipal government on Wednesday (Nov.15) and received by Mayor Remedios Petilla.

The delegation from the Japanese Embassy was headed by its second secretary Tokiko Nishimura.

Nishimura, in her speech during the turnover, said that their country is just glad to help the municipal of Palo in helping its people with their medical needs.

“In this evolving health landscape, the Embassy of Japan believes everyone should have access to adequate quality health services,” she said.

“We were concerned for the residents here in Palo, most particularly those who could only access very basic laboratory services that were insufficient for the majority of their health needs,” Nishimura added.

The medical equipment were placed at the town’s rural health center.

According to Nishimura, the donation of these medical equipment is part of their government’s grant assistance for grass-roots human security projects (GGP).

“Based on the doctrine of human security for all, GGP is a lasting proof to the enduring commitment of the Embassy of Japan to support local initiatives. Our mission is to protect and uplift the lives of people on the ground,” she said.

For her part, Mayor Petilla said that they are grateful to the Japanese government for donating the medical equipment to them, as poor people of their town could now avail of these equipment without going to its neighboring city of Tacloban.

“The facility could now provide health services to our people, without going to a hospital,” she said.

Petilla, however, made it clear that the services will not be free but with only a ‘minimal cost’ compared to a hospital or private clinic fee to help the local government keep the facility sustained.

“But if you have nothing to pay, then we can provide it for free,” she added.
The Palo mayor also said that aside from the local residents, those coming from nearby towns could also avail the services. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

ORMOC CITY-The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte 4th District Engineering Office (DEO) participates in the 4th Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) in coordination with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on Thursday, November 09, 2023.

During the exercise, employees engaged in the implementation of the Duck, Cover, and Hold Technique, a fundamental practice for personal safety during earthquakes.

Additionally, the emergency response team simulated earthquake scenarios involving the assistance of an injured person and demonstrating first aid measures.

Upon the drill’s completion, the evaluators from the BFP provided valuable feedback, contributing to the continuous improvement of the DEO’s disaster response strategies.

The quarterly NSED is conducted in adherence to the standards set by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) through the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) aimed to enhance preparedness and safety protocols in the event of seismic activities.(PR)

NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, N. Samar– The DPWH-Northern Samar Second District Engineering Office (NSSDEO) has recently completed the road widening of tertiary roads in Rawis-Catubig Road Section, Brgy. Simora, Palapag, Northern Samar, on October 19, 2023 under contract with CDU Construction and supervised by Project Engineer Analyn Mananguite.

The DPWH allocated P74 million from General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2023 for the project which covered the following: (1) concreting/widening of 1,269.00 meters roadway with 1.50m shoulder both sides; (2) concreting/widening of 737.00 meters roadway with 1.50m shoulder both sides; and (3) installation of 64 pieces solar street light.

“Maupay po nga mayaon na ngadi solar panel light, darako an pinagkaiba san una nga waray pa ilaw. Tapos masirom la. Yana maupay na kay gisunai. An mga panel (truck), ngadi na sa ligid napahuway kay masuna na didi ngan safe na para kanra ngan syempre para sa amon nga mga resident didi sa Simora.” Remer Dianito, a resident of Brgy. Simora, expressed his gratitude during an interview conducted by the PIO staff.

This road widening project will help in the decongestion of the town center, and at the same time improve road user’s safety. It will also cater a larger volume of vehicles including 10-wheeler trucks and transporting goods.

It is also expected to encourage more tourists to visit various tourist destinations in Catubig, Laoang, and Palapag areas which will help the tourism and economic growth.
Furthermore, the solar street lights are sustainable, cost-effective, and safer than traditional lights since it automatically turns on itself when the lighting is needed at night, it can also switch on and off according to the brightness of the environment which can help the safety of driving and pedestrians at night.

Solar LED Street lights were installed to provide adequate lighting and to reduce the occurrence of accidents in the area.
(LYCA MAE T.QUILICOL, PIO ALTERNATE/PR)