Food tourism

TACLOBAN CITY – The regional office of the Department of Tourism was glad that some of the local dishes particularly “merienda” or refreshment food were served during the recent visit of an international cruise ship in Leyte.

Two chefs from Ormoc and Tacloban helped prepared the foods that were served to 228 American and European guests onboard the Silver Shadow cruise ship that arrived at Kalanggaman Island in Palompon from Palau and Papua New Guinea.

While Chef Jin Ho Yoo of Ormoc Herbs prepared the meal courses for the guests which included the popular lechon, Chef Myla Mabute of Miyara Patisserie served Filipino meriendas consisting of squash turon, special chocolate moron, buko carioca, minatamis na saging, halo-halo, leche flan, buko pandan, coconut macaroons, and maja blanca.
“It’s indeed an honor to be catering to international palates and showcasing our world-class service and food,” Mabute said.

This is not the first time the local meriendas were served to cruise ship guests when they made a stop in the region.

In 2018, when the Silver Discovery docked in Capul town, Northern Samar, local delicacies were also served to the foreign guests.

Serving Filipino and Eastern Visayas dishes to foreign guests is one of the dream of the tourism department here for them to be appreciated and promoted in wider audience.
Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes disclosed that it is not a requirement for them to serve local foods to foreign guests as they have a listed menu served to them.

“That is really our main goal. If we have foreign guests, w can show to them not just our culture but even our cuisine,” Tiopes said.

“The only thing we have to consider is that they have also required certain types of menu but we are happy that the snacks served to them were something new to them which they savored,” she added.

Of the snacks food that was prepared by Miyara Patisserie, among the guest requests are fruit popsicles, and fresh fruits skewers.

They also served classic cheese burger and tres quesos negritos (Black Burger) including pizza.

Promoting food tourism and highlighting the importance of local cuisine is one of the programs that Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco wanted to focus on.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

In Northern Samar

TACLOBAN CITY– Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan has asked the provincial board to conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the delay in the release of the hazard pay of provincial workers who are entitled to receive such benefits.

Ongchuan, in a post on Feb.12, said that he has learned that workers, particularly those assigned to the medical facilities of the provincial government, have not received their hazard pay for the past five months, starting from October of last year.

The amount of hazard pay depends on the monthly salary or salary grade of the employee.
There are over 200 medical personnel of the provincial government who are supposed to receive their hazard pay.

Aside from the delay of the release of the hazard pay of medical workers or front liners of the provincial government, also asked by Ongchuan among members of the provincial board is to know the reason for the delay on the release of the financial assistance to the ‘Iskolar ng Probinsiya’ program.

The provincial government-initiated program has more than 10,000 beneficiaries who have not received the assistance for the past six months now. Each scholar recieves P5,000 per school term.

On Tuesday (Feb.14), the provincial board headed by Vice Gov. Clarence Dato, invited provincial accountant Amalia Espinar to explain what could be the reasons for the delay in the release of the hazard pay and the benefits for the beneficiaries of the Iskolar ng Probinsiya program.

Espinar said that the delay on the release of the hazard pay was due to the question if all the medical personnel are entitled to receive the hazard pay, especially those who are not ‘exposed to hazard.’

She claimed that under a circular issued by both the Department of Health and the Department of Budget and Management, the amount to be given depends on the degree of exposure to hazard which she said is the basis in granting it.

Espinar added she was delaying the release as non-medical personnel who also qualified to receive the pay might question it.

But she disclosed that ‘some’ medical personnel were able to receive their hazard pay on Tuesday but was silent as to when her office could fully provide the benefit to all entitled to it.

Dr. Ninfa Kam, the provincial health officer, maintained that all health workers, whether medical or administrative, should receive hazard pay.

According to her, all of them are all exposed to some degree of risk.

The claim of hazard pay by medical and even non-medical personnel came into light when the country was battling the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Meantime, the delay in the release of the benefits of the Iskolar ng Probinsiya program was mainly to the huge number that their office is dealing, Espinar said.

Both Vice Gov. Dato and board member Don Abalon said that the release of these benefits should be given immediately considering it is in a form of a financial assistance though without disregarding the rules on accounting and other law governing such act.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)