Ormoc City – Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte 4th District Engineering Office (DEO) Officer-In-Charge District Engineer (OIC-DE) Rosita A. Tinawin gave an interview with local media representative John Kevin D. Pilapil of Krusada and DYRG 101.5 FM ‘Blue Radio’ centered on the ongoing rehabilitation of the Punta-Linao-Naungan Road, a component of the Construction of By-Pass and Diversion Roads (Naungan-Linao-Alegria-Poblacion) in Ormoc City.

OIC-DE Tinawin reported that the 2.75-kilometer road project, which commenced in April of this year, has an accomplishment rate of 53.04% as of October 3, 2023, putting it ahead of the planned schedule. It encompasses a wide range of scope of works including construction of road, lined canals, riprap, cross drainage and catch basin. The target completion date is February 2024, but efforts are underway to finish critical areas ahead of schedule.

When asked about the challenges experienced with the project, OIC-DE Tinawin stated that inclement weather conditions in recent days have posed a significant challenge to the progress. Additionally, she acknowledged an issue with warning signs placed which are occasionally lost or damaged. She encouraged the public to notify the DEO every time such issues arise for their prompt replacement.

Regarding the concerns that holes are being drilled into the road and left unattended, she assured that the current 400-meter reblocking activity in the area is being fast-tracked.
Responding to suggestions to exclusively do nighttime works to avoid rush-hour traffic, she explained that it can be hindered by frequent rain at night, making double shifts (morning and night works) a more viable option to expedite construction.

OIC-DE Tinawin also urged the public to cooperate with the traffic personnel and flagmen to ensure a smoother flow of traffic in the construction area. “We apologize for the inconvenience. We need your cooperation and patience, and we promise to monitor the activity of the contractor so we can deliver the project ahead of time and in the best that we can,” she said in a message to the residents and road users.

By holding media interviews, the DEO is dedicated to upholding transparency in its operations and ensuring the public is well-informed about the ongoing rehabilitation of the Punta-Linao-Naungan Road and other vital infrastructure projects in the district. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY– The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Leyte 2nd District Engineering Office has recently completed the first phase of the multi-purpose building in Barangay Mag-aso, La Paz town.

According to District Engineer Leo Edward Oppura, the new infrastructure facility aims to provide the local community with a reliable space to accommodate a range of activities and sports for the local 683 residents.

The project is funded under the General Appropriation Act (GAA) CY 2023 with a total contract amount of P6.9 million which includes embankment, concrete works, reinforcing steel, trusses, and roofing undertaken by IVS Builders and is under its basic infrastructure program multi-purpose buildings and facilities to support social services.

A multi-purpose facility is beneficial because it has the ability to connect people to their community, it can facilitate a multitude of programs and events, thus boosting relationships and friendships among the people in the locality.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Roles and responsibilities of project engineers and project inspectors. Engr. Bryan Jeramiah L. Mercado and Engr. Jon Mikel L. Maniquis both from the Construction Support Services Division, Bureau of Construction, this Department, discussed the importance of documentation, proper attitudes and discipline in project documentation, field documentation and monitoring, and payment and project close-out.

The last two (2) days of the training/seminar were spearheaded by Engr. Ryan M. Cabarubias, Section Chief, Claims Review Division – Price Escalation Review Section at the Bureau of Construction. Engr. Ryan vigorously discussed the important documents for contract management including forms, variation orders, termination procedures, blacklisting, and time variance.

During the discussion, he reiterated that all those documents are important and should be treated with utmost attention as these could make or break the project as well as those involved in the project implementation.

Overall, the training/seminar was a success as evidenced by the active participation and cooperation by the attendees especially during the conduct of workshop prepared by the resource persons. They also showed interest through active participation in the open forum and they even requested insights on some problems encountered in their projects.
For the closing remarks, OIC Assistant District Engineer Peter Scheler V. Soco expressed his hopes that the participants would be able to apply their newfound knowledge effectively and also highlighted the value of the training as a bonding experience among the engineers from the different DEOs.
The DPWH Leyte 4th DEO remains committed to enhancing the skills and capabilities of its workforce to ensure the successful and efficient completion of civil works projects in the region.
(ROBER T. DEJON, with DPWH-ORMOC report)

PALOMPON, Leyte– The local government here is now in the thick of things making this town a tourist haven where tourists cannot just enjoy the pristine water of Kalanggaman Island, undeniably its most known tourist destination.

Jenny Beltran, the tourism consultant of the local government unit, said in an interview that there are plenty of sites that the town can offer to tourists and not just Kalanggaman Island.

Among them are the town’s eco-park, Tabuk Island, the Palompon Terrestrial Eco-Adventure Park, Maria Anabe Cave, and Heaven Garden.

The Palompon Eco-Park showcases modern technology for a cleaner environment as the LGU purchases modern equipment to make their garbage disposal thoroughly hygienic.
The LGU has purchased the 02-1000 decomposition machine, the only of its kind in Leyte, which burns all rubbers, like tires, coming from the garbage collection and brought to the material recovery facility at the Eco-Park. After being put into the machine, this will be burned, and what is left are the metals from the tires.

Also, in the eco-park is a shredder machine that will pulverize all kinds of glass recovered from garbage collection and turn this into a tiny particle that they will add as raw materials in the hollow block industry.

The park also has a biodegradable shredder that will grind all biodegradable waste, such as leaves and coconut waste, into small particles and store them for several days until they become organic fertilizer.

Another alternative place to visit is the Tabuk Island Marine Park Fish and Bird Sanctuary which is just 10 minutes by boat from the mainland.

The island served as the protector of the mainland during the onslaught of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ 10 years ago as this blocked a huge wave brought by the strong winds of the typhoon from going to the town proper.

The whole island can be viewed at a lighthouse for a breathtaking view of giant fruit bats and other birds nesting in thick mangrove forests. At the seawaters, tourists can view big fish roaming in the sea, as the area was declared a fish sanctuary in the early 1990s. A tourist can also see several species of mangroves inside the island through a bamboo boardwalk.

Another attraction of the town is the Palompon Terrestrial Adventure Park located in Barangay Liberty. The adventure park has a zipline and a sky bike.

The sky biking will traverse a 100-meter line from the starting platform to the other end while the zipline from a platform at the eco-adventure is parked, it will cross the opposite mountain and travel again back to the adventure park. The rides at the eco-adventure park are very affordable, as they will only cost P100 per ride.
(ROBERT DEJON)