TACLOBAN CITY– The provincial government of Northern Samar and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) signed a memorandum of agreement on Thursday (Jan.4) that aims to expand port projects in the province.

The agreement was signed by Governor Edwin Ongchuan and DOTr Undersecretary for Maritime Elmer Francisco Sarmiento solidifying the partnership to boost employment opportunities and streamline transportation in the province, particularly, expanding the ports in the municipalities of Allen, Mapanas, and San Jose.

The projects are funded under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2022 by the DOTr amounting to P75 million.

“Malaking bagay po ito for our economic upliftment dahil dito po dadaan sa amin ang mga barges, commercial vessels para po sa mga infrastructure projects na aming tinatayo. Dito po kami nagko-concentrate sa copra buying and copra supplying papunta pong Lucena, papunta po sa ibang probinsya gaya sa Quezon,” said Gov. Ongchuan.

“We are connecting communities such as Mapanas and other municipalities in Northern Samar to the bigger island economies for their economic growth. We are happy to work with the governor and mayors in Northern Samar so that the benefits will be given to the province and respective LGUs,” Usec. Sarmiento said during the signing of the MOA.
Mapanas Mayor Ronn Michael Tejano joined Gov. Ongchuan in visiting the DOTr Central Office and witnessed the MOA signing.

Tejano expressed his gladness over the project which he said would bring more development not only in his municipality but also to neighboring towns in the Pacific Coast of the province.

The governor also reiterates his appeal to the DOTr for the funding for the construction of a domestic airport in Pambujan and the rehabilitation and improvement of the Batag Lighthouse on Batag Island, Laoang town.

The construction of the Pambujan Domestic Airport which will also be called Northern Samar Airport is proposed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines as a relocation site for the Catarman Airport to pave way for its expansion.

In February of 2023, CAAP-8 manager Danilo Ab said that they are looking for a relocation site for the Catarman Airport because the expansion is not feasible in its present location big portion of the facility is located within a military reservation, and both ends of the airport runway are classified as main roads. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY– A month-long ‘pork holiday’ has been imposed in Silago town, Southern Leyte, effective December 27.

The imposition of the pork holiday is to ensure that the African Fever Swine (ASF) that has affected several of its barangays could be contained, Mayor Lemuel Honor said.

Honor issued Executive Order Number 41 on December 27, declaring the pork holiday, particularly in the villages of Katipunan, Imelda, Hingatugan, Salvacion, Laguma, Tubaon, Tubod, Poblacion District 1, Poblacion District 2, Puntana, and part of Sudmon.
The pork holiday will last for the next 30 days, the order said.

As part of the measure to contain further spread of the ASF in the town, slaughtering of hogs and selling of pork, and other pork products from the affected barangays is strictly prohibited, the order said.

It also said that the entry and exit of live hogs is provided within the next 30 days. “Only the meat from ASF-free barangays is allowed to enter and supply the market needs of the affected barangays,” the order added.

It was learned that the ASF in the town was first detected in Barangay Tubod and Salvacion, and Puntana involving nine pigs in total were tested positive based on the blood samples undertaken by the veterinary laboratory division of the Department of Agriculture taken on December 1.

Mayor Honor said that since then, there were about 60 pigs confirmed ASF cases from the affected barangays.

“But there were also report of ASF-infected pigs which were not reported by the owners,” he said in a private message interview.

According to Honor, those who will not obey the order face confiscation of their swine which would be killed and buried to ensure that the virus would not further spread.

Honor said that they have yet to confirm how the ASF in their town started.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA)