TACLOBAN CITY – Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda disclosed that he is planning to hire former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) as tourist guides.
He, however, was quick to say that these rehabilitated rebels would undergo intensive training in tourism guiding, adding that they would also accept ordinary civilians who would like to work as tourist guides.
According to Mayor Agda, by hiring these former NPA members, not only they would have income but would realize that the government is there to help them as they return to a normal life.
As of last year, about 100 NPA rebels who were identified to be from the city have surrendered and returned to the fold of the law.
Mayor Agda made the declaration in hiring former NPA rebels during the recent site assessment of personnel from the Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) of the Department of Tourism at ‘Sea of Clouds” located in Barangay Hebacong.
TIEZA has committed to fund some improvements at the said tourist attraction in the amount of P17 million.
The city government plans to put more facilities in the area that can be enjoyed by visitors like zipline or car cable that will serve as additional attractions and activity. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Poverty incidence among families in Eastern Visayas in the first semester of 2023 was estimated at 26.1 percent. This implies that in the first semester of 2023, about 1 in every 4 families in the region was poor or have income that were below the poverty threshold, or the amount needed to buy their basic food and non-food needs.
In the first semester of 2023, poverty incidence among families in Samar was estimated at 35.8 percent; Eastern Samar at 35.6 percent; Northern Samar at 27.5 percent; Leyte (excluding Tacloban City) at 23.8 percent; Southern Leyte at 16.6 percent; and Biliran at 13.2 percent.
Significant improvements in poverty situation among families between the first semester of 2021 and first semester of 2023 were noted in Biliran, Leyte (excluding Tacloban City), and Southern Leyte. Poverty incidence among families in Biliran dropped to 13.2 percent in the first semester of 2023 from 22.4 percent in the first semester of 2021.
The province of Leyte (excluding Tacloban City) registered a 23.8 percent poverty incidence among families in the first semester of 2023, lower than the 31.3 percent in the first semester of 2021. Poverty incidence among families in Southern Leyte decreased to 16.6 percent in the first semester of 2023 from 25.5 percent in the same semester of 2021.
Given the new master sample, PSA was able to generate reliable statistics down to the provincial level as well as for highly urbanized cities (HUCs).
Poverty incidence among families for Tacloban City, the lone HUC in the region, was recorded at 13.2 percent in the first semester of 2023.
Around 34 out of 100 individuals in Eastern Visayas are poor.
Poverty incidence among population in Eastern Visayas in the first semester of 2023 was estimated at 33.7 percent. This implies that in the first semester of 2023, around 34 in every 100 individuals in the region belong to the poor population whose per capita income was not sufficient to buy their minimum basic food and non-food needs.
In the first semester of 2023, poverty incidence among population in Eastern Samar was estimated at 44.9 percent; Samar at 43.5 percent; Northern Samar at
36.2 percent; Leyte (excluding Tacloban City) at 31.3 percent; Southern Leyte at
23.8 percent; and Biliran at 19.7 percent.
Poverty incidence among population in Biliran dropped to 19.7 percent in the first semester of 2023 from 30.7 percent in the first semester of 2021. The province of Leyte (excluding Tacloban City), registered 31.3 percent poverty incidence among population in the first semester of 2023, lower than the 39.1 percent in the first semester of 2021.
Poverty incidence among population in Southern Leyte decreased to 23.8 percent in the first semester of 2023 from 31.7 percent in the same semester of 2021.
Poverty incidence among population in Tacloban City in the first semester of 2023 was recorded at 19.2 percent. (PR)
TACLOBAN CITY – Residents in areas endemic to schistosomiasis are assured of sufficient stocks of praziquantel tablets to combat schistosomiasis in four provinces of the Eastern Visayas region, the Department of Health (DOH) regional office here said on Tuesday.
There are still over 116,000 tablets stored at the DOH regional office in Palo, Leyte, while thousands of tablets are ready for administration in provinces, cities, and towns, said Flor Jimenez, DOH regional schistosomiasis program manager, in a phone interview.
“These inventories are the medicines not used last year with an expiration date of 2025. We encourage everyone living in endemic areas to take this medicine. This life-saving and effective treatment is free,” Jimenez told the Philippine News Agency.
“If we need more, we can request more medicines from our central office to support our mass drug administration activities,” she added.
The official made the assurance after the reported non-availability of praziquantel tablets in rural health units in 2022 and some parts of 2023.
The official admitted that fighting the disease was not prioritized during the pandemic since government resources were focused on battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
The target is to cover at least 85 percent of the exposed population every year in mass drug treatment.
In the region, nearly one million people remained exposed to chronic parasitic disease.
The disease, also known as snail fever, is endemic in 897 villages in 63 towns and cities in Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar provinces.
The DOH emphasizes the importance of treatment as the country celebrates schistosomiasis awareness and mass drug administration month this January.
The health department defines schistosomiasis as an acute and chronic disease caused by parasitic worms called trematodes or blood flukes.
The most common symptoms of the disease are abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stool, and liver enlargement.
Transmission occurs when people suffering from schistosomiasis contaminate freshwater sources with their feces containing parasite eggs, which hatch in the water.
The first epidemic of schistosomiasis in the region occurred among Americans and Allied forces after landing in Leyte during World War II in 1944. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)
ORMOC CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte 4th District Engineering Office (DEO) recently welcomed a visit from the Equipment Management Division of the DPWH Regional Office to conduct an inspection focusing on the upkeep and cleanliness of equipment and vehicles within the DEO’s jurisdiction.
The inspectorate team checked Leyte 4th DEO’s essential documents including trip tickets, equipment logbooks, updated Land Transportation Office (LTO) registration and insurance records, updated property acknowledgment receipts, driver’s licenses as well as ensuring the DPWH Logo and plate numbers are visible on the vehicles.
Additionally, a thorough inventory check of the DEO’s equipment holdings was carried out to ensure accuracy and compliance with protocols.
This initiative underscores the Department’s dedication to responsible management of resources, fostering transparency, and upholding the integrity of its operations. (PR)
ORMOC CITY– The police in Baybay City has now identified the woman earlier found to be in a state of decomposition.
The woman, named Maribeth Escuadra, was identified through her sister, Fe Escuadra, the city police said.
To recall, the dead body of Maribeth was found in a forested area of sitio Tuy-an, Barangay Claridad in Baybay City on Jan.10.
The victim was a resident of Brgy. Daanlungsod, Bato, also in Leyte.
The police disclosed that based on the conduct of an in-depth investigation it was found out the principal suspect in the killing of the victim was her live-in partner identified as Cresencio Donayre.
The police said that last Thursday (Jan. 11), the sister of the victim went to their station and revealed that the suspect and the victim left their home at about 9:30 am on January 8. It was the last time that both the victim and the suspect were seen alive.
However, the Baybay police said that about 8 pm on Thursday, an investigator from Isabel, Leyte police office, Police Staff Sergeant Januis Anthony Machica, called to inform that the suspect committed suicide in a hinterland portion of Sitio Caimito, Brgy. Putingbato, Isabel.
The suspect admitted that he killed his live-in partner Escuadra saying he was betrayed.
It is not clear, however, why the dead body of the victim was found in Brgy. Claridad. (ROBERT DEJON)
Martina ‘Ina’ Gimenez was elected as the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay-Leyte, making her an ex-officio member of the provincial board. Photo shows Gimenez with Governor Carlo Jericho ‘Icot’ Petilla(center)and Rep. Carl Cari (5th district) during the Liga’s election held in Baybay City on Jan.12. (Photo Courtesy, Rep. Carl Cari)
Running unopposed
Martina ‘Ina’ Gimenez was elected as the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay-Leyte, making her an ex-officio member of the provincial board. Photo shows Gimenez with Governor Carlo Jericho ‘Icot’ Petilla(center)and Rep. Carl Cari (5th district) during the Liga’s election held in Baybay City on Jan.12. (Photo Courtesy, Rep. Carl Cari)
TACLOBAN CITY – The newly-elected president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Leyte, Martina “Ina” Larrazabal-Gimenez, disclosed that she would focus on the welfare of barangays.
Gimenez clinched the post without any opposition during the Liga’s election on Jan.12 held in Baybay City. She will serve in her position until 2025.
“I would like to appeal and advise to our barangay chairman to focus more on the work and the development of each every barangay under them,” she said during an interview.
Gimenez is the wife of Use. Mark Roa Gimenez, the Presidential Management Staff for the Visayas and sister of former elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal.
The Liga official added that she hopes to visit all the 1,393 villages in the province to personally see the situation of the people in the community and how she could help the barangay officials in looking after the welfare of their constituents.
She also expressed her support for the proposed bill on the salary standardization of all barangay officials which is still pending in Congress.
“Having that standard pay to our barangay officials will be beneficial to them,” Gimenez said.
Under the law, barangay officials are not entitled to receive a salary instead they are receiving honoraria with no fixed rate.
The Local Government Code of the Philippines mandates that an honorarium for barangay chairmen should not be less than P1,000 and P600 for the kagawad. This compensation was adjusted through Executive Order No. 332 series of 1996.
“Currently, our barangays are dependent on the national tax allocation (NTA). If you have a small allocation, you have a small budget, (while) those with a big share have bigger budget. What I’m more focused is the small barangays with small budgets. They only have minimal honorarium that we give them that is why it is better to have a standard for everyone just like in the municipality,” Gimenez explained.
“We are all barangay officials, we are all barangay chairman, so dapat pareho lang,” she added.
Based on the 4th tranche of the modified salary schedule for local government personnel or the Department of Budget and Management Circular No. 149 issued in 2023 maximum compensation barangay officials ranges from P21, 998 to P33, 843 for barangay captains depending on the class of the municipalities or cities they are elected.
Barangay kagawad or councilor’s honoraria ranges from P15, 064 to P23, 176.
Barangay officials are also entitled to a Christmas bonus, insurance coverage, free hospitalization, free tuition, civil service eligibility based on the number of years they served in the barangay, and preference of appointment to any government position. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
