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RTWPB approves P30 daily wage increase

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CHILDREN’S MONTH. Children enrolled at various day care centers in Tacloban City displayed their talents during a playground demonstration, one of the highlights of the 31st National Children’s Month celebration held on Thursday (Nov.16). Councilor Aurora Aimee Delgado-Grafil, representing Mayor Alfred Romualdez, announced the different programs of the city government in promoting early childhood education during the program. (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

Kasambahays also get increase

CHILDREN’S MONTH. Children enrolled at various day care centers in Tacloban City displayed their talents during a playground demonstration, one of the highlights of the 31st National Children’s Month celebration held on Thursday (Nov.16). Councilor Aurora Aimee Delgado-Grafil, representing Mayor Alfred Romualdez, announced the different programs of the city government in promoting early childhood education during the program.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

TACLOBAN CITY– The more than 2.15 million workers from the private sector in the region will have an additional P30 for their daily wage, before the end of this month.
This was after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved Wage Order 23 on November 6 of this year.

The same body also approved a P500 increase for the ‘kasambahays’ or domestic helpers’ current monthly wage as contained under Wage Order 04.

Based on the new wage order, non-agriculture workers in the region will now receive P405 for their new daily wage.

The current daily wage among those in the non-agriculture sector is P375.

However, for establishments in the cottage and handicraft industry that have less than 10 workers, the RTWPB-8 pegged their daily wage at P375 from the current P345.

Meantime, for those who are in the agriculture sector, the daily wage is adjusted to P375 from the current P345.

The wage body in the region also approved to increase in the monthly pay of the domestic helpers from the current P5,000 to P5,500 for those working in the cities and first-class towns.

While it is P5,000 for those in other municipalities belonging to the second to fifth-class economic categories.

The current monthly pay in these categories for kasambahays is P4,500.

The new wage order will take effect 15 days after its publication of a regional newspaper or on November 30.

The last time the RTWPB in the region approved wage adjustment was contained under Wage Order 22 issued on June 27, 2022.

The wage body, in adjusting the current daily wage among workers in the private sector, cited the increase of goods and services in the region from 115.5 percent in June, 2022 to 122.2 in September of this year.

And while the average inflation rate of the region declined from 6.8% in June of last year to 4.9% in September of this year, the poverty threshold for a family of five persons increased to 7.4 percent in 2018 to the current P11,187.

The decrease in the purchasing power of the peso, from P0.87 in June of last year to P0.82 in September of this year, was another factor considered for the wage adjustment.
The RTWPB, which initiated the move on its own or motu proprio, conducted several consultative meetings beginning on August 24, 2023 in Maasin City, Southern Leyte, and ended on October 9 in Tacloban City.

“After due consideration of the results of the consultations and public hearing, and a thorough review and evaluation of the existing socio-economic conditions in the region, the board unanimously agreed to adjust the prevailing daily wage rates of workers/employees in the region to enable them to cope with the rising cost of living without impairing the viability of business and industry,” the board said.

JOEY A. GABIETA

Tarsier found in Eastern Samar town; DENR remind public not to keep wildlife animals as it is punishable

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Florencio Caandoy holds a cage where the tarsier he caught was placed. The farmer from Quinapondan, Eastern Samar voluntarily surrendered the primate to the local government which, in turn, gave to the DENR regional office. Photo taken on Nov. 13. (USWAG QUINAPONDAN)

TACLOBAN CITY – A Philippine tarsier locally known as “mago” was caught in Quinapondan town in Eastern Samar province by a farmer last Monday (Nov.13).

Florencio Caandoy holds a cage where the tarsier he caught was placed. The farmer from Quinapondan, Eastern Samar voluntarily surrendered the primate to the local government which, in turn, gave to the DENR regional office. Photo taken on Nov. 13. (USWAG QUINAPONDAN)

The tarsier was caught by Florencio Caandoy while he was collecting firewood in Barangay Palactad who immediately informed their office, Engr. Felix John Bianes, head of the municipal environment and natural resources, said.

Bianes said that this was not the first time that a tarsier was seen in the village as there were sightings of the said primate in the past.

Bianes then informed the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) based in Tacloban City which dispatched a team to the town to look into the discovery of the tarsier.

The DENR personnel conducted an interview with Caandoy as they informed him that keeping a tarsier is illegal and punishable.

Caandoy, however, said that he had no intention to keep it to himself the said animal which was released back to the forest.

The DENR in the region has reiterated its appeal to the public not to keep any wildlife like the tarsier saying it’s punishable under RA 9147(Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act)

Violators face imprisonment of up to four years and a fine of up to P300,000.
Earlier this week, a Philippine tarsier (tarsius syrichta) was seen and photographed in Almeria town in Biliran province.

The town’s information office said that the tarsier was seen on Nov. 11 in the forested area of Sitio Palayan, Brgy Caucab.

Last year, a sighting of tarsiers was documented in Tacloban City during the night survey conducted University of the Philippines Tacloban in Brgy. Sta Elena.

Tarsier is a primate that is endemic to the Philippines and commonly found particularly in the islands of Bohol, Samar, and Leyte, including Biliran and Maripipi islands.

Nocturnal in nature, its main diet includes insects like grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, small vertebrates such as small lizards and birds.

The Philippine tarsier is considered to be one of the smallest primates in the work whose ranges from 118 to 149 millimeters while its average weight is between 113 and 142 grams.(ROEL T.AMAZONA with ROBERT DEJON)

OWWA honors a nurse and a seaman as this year’s MOFYA winners

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TACLOBAN CITY – The Office of Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in the region has awarded the regional winners for the Model OFW Family of the Year Awards (MOFYA) in a simple awarding ceremony held at Hotel de Fides in this city.

Helen Balerite from Leyte province was chosen as the regional winner for the land-based category while Rufo Demiao, Jr. of Southern Leyte was selected as winner for the sea-based category.

The two will be representing the region at the national awarding to be held next year.
Balerite worked as a nurse in Dubai then later on became a food safety quality manager of Marriot Hotel and Intercontinental Hotel, two of the popular hotels of said country after she finished studying food safety management.

This allowed her to save more which she then invested in various businesses that her family put up not only in the country but even in Dubai.

“We need to learn how to save and spend on what is essential and needed by our family,” Balerite said when asked of what advice she has to her fellow OFWs.
“No matter how high your salary is if you don’t know how to manage your finances you will end up with nothing,” Balerite said.

Demiao shares the same advice to OFWs adding that although saving is also important, having constant communication with the family is a must to ensure that their relationship will remain strong despite being separated by distance.

“Giving time to communicate and talk with your family is one of the most important aspects of keeping your family relation strong. This builds trust despite the distance that separates you from each other,” he said.

Demiao has worked as a captain on a cruise ship for over 30 years, allowing him to support the education and needs of his family.

OWWA OIC Regional Director Mary Catherine Pastor hopes that the two MOFYA regional winners will become an inspiration to fellow OFWs who are struggling to work abroad to provide support to the needs on their families.

The official has high hopes that the regional winners will eventually emerge as national winners.

Eastern Visayas has already one MOFYA national winner – ship captain Manuel Gabornes of Lawaan, Eastern Samar – who won the competition in 2012.

MOFYA is an annual search that showcases the best practices on how to nurture an OFW family despite the distance and challenges, and on how their success resonates not only in their community but in the rest of society. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Remote N.Samar village hailed for using technology-based program to improve living conditions of its people

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The village of Calantiao in Bobon, Northern Samar was awarded by the Department of Science and Technology as this year’s recipient of its community empowerment through science and technology program.(PHOTO COURTESY)
The village of Calantiao in Bobon, Northern Samar was awarded by the Department of Science and Technology as this year’s recipient of its community empowerment through science and technology program.(PHOTO COURTESY)

TACLOBAN CITY – An interior village in Northern Samar will be the region’s representative for this year’s national search for a competition spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under its community empowerment through science and technology (CEST) program.

The village of Calantiao in Bobon town is the regional winner of the DOST’s CEST program which aims to provide livelihood and alleviate poverty in remote communities using technology-based livelihood projects as identified by the communities.

Calantiao, which is an hour away from the town center, is also identified by the Philippine Army as a beneficiary of its community support program (CSP)being an armed conflict related to insurgency.

Nilda Sapatos, Calantiao barangay chairperson, said that they received three projects from the DOST that are now being enjoyed by her people since 2021.

These are the rice mill, water refilling station, and Starbooks, a standalone offline library with a total amount of P500,000.

The rice mill solves the woes of the farmers on the high cost of transportation to the town center where they usually spend P70 per unhusk rice to transport to the rice milling station located in the town proper.

Aside from the cost of transportation, they also need to pay P4 per kilo for every rice milled.

“Now that we already have a rice mill in our village, farmers only spend for the cost of milling which is only P3 per kilo,” Sapatos said.

The water refilling station, on the other hand, address issues pertaining to water-related health concern that affect most of their children.

Sapatos said that a common health problem related to water in the village is diarrhea.
The source of the water for their refilling station is the Level II potable water system project worth more than PP4.8 million funded under the 2021 Local Government Support Fun – Support to Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP).

“Our village is thankful to the DOST for the three CEST projects that they had given us because of its great impact to the lives of our people,” Sapatos said.

The community received P10,000 cash prize for winning the CEST program.

They will be representing the region at the national search, which will be held this November 25, 2023 at the Iloilo Convention Center, Iloilo City.

Ramil Uy, DOST Eastern Visayas regional CEST coordinator, said that Calantiao was chosen to be part of the program after their central office pledged to the Office of the President to support programs and projects implemented under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

“We want to address the socio-economic issue confronted by the village so that they will no longer be influenced and give support to the left-leaning group,” he said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

33 former Red members, sympathizers received assistance from Samar provincial government

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At least 33 former members of the New People’s Army in Samar receives assistance from the provincial government through Governor Sharee Ann Tan. Also in photo were Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo, the commanding general of the 8th Infantry Division, who encouraged the reformed rebels to make into good use the assistance received by them. (SAMAR INFORMATION OFFICE)
At least 33 former members of the New People’s Army in Samar receives assistance from the provincial government through Governor Sharee Ann Tan. Also in photo were Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo, the commanding general of the 8th Infantry Division, who encouraged the reformed rebels to make into good use the assistance received by them. (SAMAR INFORMATION OFFICE)

TACLOBAN CITY– The provincial government of Samar extended assistance to 33 former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) under its local social integration program (LSIP) on Monday (Nov.13).

Governor Sharee Ann Tan, in her message, said LSIP was crafted mainly due to rebel members who chose to return to the folds of the law.

“We have crafted these programs for your benefit as you have a special place in our hearts. In return, you have to work hard as your fate also relies on how you take care of the responsibilities given to you,” the governor said.

Major General Camilo Ligayo, the commanding general of the 8th Infantry Division, on the other hand, emphasized that the cooperation of everyone would lead to the success of the anti-insurgency programs of the government.

The LSIP is a program formulated when Gov. Tan was still a congresswoman while her brother, Rep. Reynolds Michael Tan, was the sitting governor of the province.

The package, worth P2.93 million, was received 23 former NPA regular members, six former militia ng bayan members, and three former mass supporters.

The military forces from the 63rd Infantry Battalion (IB), 46IB, 87IB, and 78IB, all under the 8th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, and the police officers from the 2nd Police Mobile Force Company, under Samar Police Provincial Office, facilitated the surrender and the papers of the former rebels.

In the same activity, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office also provided livelihood settlement grants (LSG) in the amount of P20,000 to 41 former rebels.
The LSG assistance is provided to each former rebel for the establishment or support for the continuity of their livelihood.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Couple killed in a road accident; suspect fled

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ORMOC CITY– Police are conducting their manhunt operation against a driver involved in a vehicular accident that resulted in the death of a couple in Dulag, Leyte on Friday (Nov. 17).

The deadly accident happened along Lusad St. of Barangay San Jose in the said town at about 3 am.

It was learned that the victims, Joel Coronado,53, and his wife Liza,42, were traveling towards the direction of Tacloban City to sell their farm products.
The police said that the motorcycle was ahead of the white van driven by the still unidentified driver. However, the police added that upon reaching Lusad St., the white van attempted to overtake the single motorcycle but hesitated due to an approaching vehicle coming from the opposite direction.
As a result, the van hit the rear portion of the single motorcycle which caused it to crash on the concrete pavement.
This resulted in the immediate death of Liza while her husband was brought to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban where he was declared dead on arrival.
The driver of the white van fled in an unknown direction.
(ROBERT DEJON)

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