TACLOBAN CITY– A graduating Nurse student won handily in the race for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) top post in Barangay 109-A, V and G subdivision.
Maxinne Allyssa Cancino Roseño was proclaimed as the duly-elected winner for the chairmanship of the SK in the village during the recently-concluded barangay and SK polls.
And the 23-year old Nursing student was rather surprised by her poll victory considering that of the 900 SK voters in their village, she only knew one of them, her schoolmate.
But she worked hard to get the majority votes of the SK voters by campaigning hard and practically went to a house-to-house campaign, aware of the 10-day campaign period set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“I was overwhelmed by the number of things expected from a candidate. It is vastly different from school elections where you will just introduce yourself in every classroom because if you are an SK candidate, you need to visit every house,” she said.
Roseño helped in giving out campaign materials around their barangay and took the initiative to introduce herself to SK voters in order to gain recognition.
“I had to manage my time well between school and running as a candidate. It is hard since our school has a hectic schedule,” she said, emphasizing how she values education.
She is currently a 4th year college Nursing student at the Remedios Trinidad Romualdez (RTR) College of Nursing in Tacloban City.
Roseño stated that there were times she had to go on hospital duties and then promptly meet with the other SK kagawad candidates in her lineup.
“There was also a time that I needed to go home immediately during a motorcade because I would be late for my hospital duty,” she said.
On election day, Max and her political team partnered with Tingog Kabataan Inc., a non-stock, non-profit, socio-civic youth organization.
Together, they established a Voter’s Assistance Center offering free SK precinct verification and blood pressure check.
They also offered complimentary water and Maxx candies to pedestrians, poll watchers and voters, regardless of what barangay they belong.
“It was a good thing that I voted early in the morning without any inconvenience. There were no queues and the weather was not that hot,” she said.
At 1 am, the following day of the balloting, Max Roseño was officially proclaimed as the SK chairperson of Barangay 109-A, V and G Subdivision, Tacloban City, garnering a total votes of 352.
Additionally, five of her SK Kagawads were also elected: Iris Jaingue (1st Kagawad), Nitay Bareja (2nd Kagawad), Mavs Duran (4th Kagawad), Deb Gonzaga (6th Kagawad), and Jorge Coral (7th Kagawad), were also proclaimed as winners.
“I did not expect that I would win as a first-timer. I would like to thank all those who voted for me and provided invaluable support during the campaign,” she said, adding that she is very much ready to lead the youths in their village by coming up programs and activities that would benefit them. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
THEN AND NOW. As Tacloban City and the rest of Eastern Visayas will mark the 10th anniversary of the onslaught of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ activities have been lined up. Photo shows Tacloban Convention Center in the aftermath of the deadly typhoon serving thousands of people as the temporary site and how the structure looks now, a decade after. (ALFRED ROMUALDEZ FACEBOOK)
Pres. Marcos to lead ‘Yolanda’ program
THEN AND NOW. As Tacloban City and the rest of Eastern Visayas will mark the 10th anniversary of the onslaught of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ activities have been lined up. Photo shows Tacloban Convention Center in the aftermath of the deadly typhoon serving thousands of people as the temporary site and how the structure looks now, a decade after. (ALFRED ROMUALDEZ FACEBOOK)
TACLOBAN CITY– President Ferdinand Marcos ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. will lead this year’s commemorative program of the onslaught of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’, now in its 10th year.
For this year’s commemoration of one of the world’s deadliest typhoons to hit inland that resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 people, over 2,200 are from this city alone, will be of a ‘thanksgiving.’
President Ferdinand Marcos ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr.
The President will arrive in the city in the morning on Wednesday (Nov. 8) and will proceed to the Tacloban City Convention Center (astrodome), once the biggest temporary shelter of Yolanda survivors who lost not only their material things but also their loved ones.
Mr. Marcos will be accompanied by Leyte congressman and Speaker Martin Romualdez and will be welcomed by local officials led by City Mayor Alfred Romualdez.
Last year’s anniversary, the President also graced the event held at the mass grave in Barangay Basper, where the more than 2,200 people from the city who died due to Yolanda where buried.
During this year’s commemorative program, the President will also lead in the distribution of land titles to Yolanda survivors.
In the afternoon, a Thanksgiving Mass will be held at the mass grave site at the Holy Cross Memorial Park.
A solemn candlelight ceremony in every streets of the city will marked the end of the commemorative program.
Ma. Lumen Tabao, city tourism officer, said that unlike in previous commemorations, this year will be more on thanksgiving and will have a ‘celebratory tone.’
“It’s been 10 years now. What we will be observing is a thanksgiving, especially to those who extended assistance to us like various international nongovernment organizations which help us recover fast from devastations,” she said.
“This is our way of saying thank you to them and 10 years after, this year is a celebration of a new lease of life especially coming from the pandemic that we all have experienced,” Tabao said, referring to the coronavirus disease.
This sentiment is also being shared by Emelita Montalban, who was the village chairman of Brgy. 88-the worst-hit village in the city- at that time.
“Of course, we cannot forget Yolanda but I think we have to move on and just be grateful that we have survived,” she said.
Ten years after, Montalban described the major disaster as a ‘blessing in disguise.’
“It was a sort of a blessing in disguise for many of us, save of course for those who have lost their loved ones,” she said.
She was referring, in particular, to the housing assistance extended to Yolanda survivors who were mostly living in houses not only made of light materials but erected on public lands.
“Now, we not only own a house but a shelter against typhoons. For us, this is something that we can be grateful,” Montalban said.
“The families from our village who are now living in the different resettlement sites now live comfortably. They now live in better and concrete houses unlike before where they lived in houses mostly made of wood and corrugated sheet metal,” she added.
Montalban herself is now residing in one of the 15 resettlement sites put up by the government in its northern part, about 14 kms away from the city proper.
These houses, built a year after Yolanda pounded Tacloban City, were either built by the government through the National Housing Authority (NHA) or by multiple nongovernment organizations, both local and international.
She said that more than 3,000 families from their village are now living in various resettlement sites though about 900 families remain to reside in Brgy.88.
And these resettlement sites are safe from possible occurrence of storm surge, considered the main reason why Yolanda turned into a deadly typhoon, as they are located away from any body of water.
Barangay 88 faces Cancabato and San Pedro Bays where the wall of water cascaded towards the village and the rest of the city, reaching to more than 20 feet.
Montalban, who now lives at North Hill Arbours in Barangay 106(Sto. Nino) for the past five years now, said that those who chose to remain in Brgy 88 are those residing in subdivisions or due to the nature of their work.
Tedence Jopson, assistant chief of the City Housing and Development Office, said that the northern part of the city, where the resettlement sites are located, is now a ‘booming area.’
“Overall, the northern portion of the city is looking good with all the basic amenities like water and power put in place. That portion of the city is booming. There are now several business outlets like gasoline stations, convenience stores operating 24/7, among others,” he said.
The official added that the resettlement area is also proximate to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center, the regional hospital located in Brgy. Cabalawan, where they can get access to their medical or health needs.
The city government under Mayor Romualdez has also put up a city hall extension office in the north to cater to the needs and concerns of the people there, Jopson said.
A police and fire station offices were also built there as well as a training center, market, health centers, schools, evacuation centers, parks and basketball courts, and even a cemetery, Jopson added.
According to Jopson, the northern part of the city is now populated by half of the city’s more than 245,000 residents, counting the regular residents of the villages there.
“That is practically a city within a city and while the cost of living there is quite expensive for the residents but at the end of the day, our main purpose is to put these families into a safe place,” he said.
Jopson also said that the city government makes sure that all the resettlements will not experience flooding especially during heavy rains or typhoons.
“Ten years after, our people have learned lessons from Yolanda in terms of what to do before a disaster strikes. We don’t have to order them to transfer or relocate to a safer structure,” he said.
He said that this change of attitude was noticed for the past typhoons that hit Tacloban since Yolanda with the city government identifying several evacuation centers, mostly schools. Several houses after the massive typhoon put additional floors in case there will be massive flooding.
Jopson said that just like in the city proper, the city government has constructed or improved the drainage canals in each of the resettlement sites and rehabilitated rivers to ensure that there will be no flooding there.
Road widening within the sites or leading to the sites were either been constructed or ongoing, the official added.
TACLOBAN CITY– The Chinese embassy has donated a P2 million worth of greenhouse facility in Guiuan town, Eastern Samar which was formally opened on Saturday (Nov. 4).
Zheny Junlyn, representing the Chinese embassy, said that they hope that the greenhouse project donated by their government could help the local vegetable farmers increase their income, aside from learning new technology.
“We hope that our humble donation will contribute to the growth of low-land vegetables and other economic crops and contribute to the income and economic condition of the people here,” she said in her message during the inauguration of the facility located at the town’s eco-waste management center and park in Barangay Santo Niño of the town.
It was learned that the construction of the greenhouse project in Guiuan was made possible through the help of 4Ps party-list congressman Marcelino Libanan, a former congressman of the province.
The three units of the greenhouse uses a solar hydroponic system wherein vegetables grows even without the use of a soil but with the help of the solar supply.
The structures, measuring 42 square meters each, are also equipped with automated drip and microsprinkler irrigation system.
Town Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan said that she is happy that the Chinese embassy donated the facility to their town.
“I find the timing appropriate. After all, one of the most critical sectors affected by climate change that brought us typhoons like Super Typhoon Yolanda is the agriculture,” she said.
“And one of the most critical concerns is food security. I believe the greenhouse project serves as one of the most sustainable solutions to the problem of food security in the face of the changing climate,” Kwan said.
She then urged the local vegetable growers to make use and avail of the project which can help them use modern ways of planting their vegetables.
Meantime, Junlyn promised not only to provide more new farming technologies being used by the Chinese farmers but also Chinese tourists to visit the town.
Guiuan is known of its beautiful beaches including Calicoan Island which is being promoted by the town as a surfing area. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
ORMOC CITY-A lineman who was doing repairs at an electric post died on the spot after he was electrocuted in Sogod, Southern Leyte on Friday (Nov. 3).
The victim was identified as Olvic Arayan, 42, and a lineman of the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (Soleco) and a resident of Brgy. Zone V, Sogod town.
Investigation conducted by local police disclosed that the victim was conducting repairs at the Soleco post near Corompido Hospital at about 11:50 am on that day when his body accidentally touched a high voltage wire that caused the electrocution.
The electrocution caused his body to stick at the post which resulted in his death.
Soleco personnel immediately cut the power supply in the area to rescue the victim.
Local rescue group rushed the victim to Sogod District Hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician, Dr. Maria Jemalyn Carvero.
The victim’s cadaver was immediately brought to a local funeral parlor. (ROBERT DEJON)
TACLOBAN CITY – After visiting the island towns of Biri and Capul in Northern Samar and Maripipi in Biliran province, the 73 guests of the excursion cruise ship Coral Adventurer dropped anchor in Babatngon and this city on Friday (Nov. 3).
The foreign guests, composed mostly of Australians, arrived at the Babatngon Port past 8 am where they were welcomed by the local officials led by Mayor Leny Lugnasin and Department of Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes and the warm smile of the town people.
“Even if they didn’t have any activity here in our town, welcoming them to our town will still give them awareness and this will make them curious to know what are the tourist destinations of our town like the Busay Falls that the LGU has improved and the various beach resorts in Barangay Tulaan,” Mayor Lugnasin said.
After they were welcomed in Babatngon the guests proceeded to Tacloban and visited fist the Yolanda mass grave at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Brgy. Basper and Yolanda Memorial in Anibong District.
The visit to Tacloban is part of the Eastern Visayas leg of Coral Adventure excursion in the country.
Aside from visiting the Yolanda memorial site, they also visited the Sto Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum where they toured the edifice built in 1979 by former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, mother of Pres. Marcos, Jr.
After visiting the Sto Niño Shrine they also went to the Prince Mansion, the official residence of Gen. Douglas McArthur when he stayed in Leyte during the liberation period in World War II.
After the Price Mansion they also went to the McArthur Park National Shrine in Palo town.
Unlike their visit to the island towns of Biri, Capul, and Maripipi where they had cultural immersion, the visits to Tacloban and Palo were more focused on sightseeing on famous landmarks.
Just like Biri and Maripipi towns, this is the first time that Tacloban and Palo were included in the cruise ship visit itinerary.
Tiopes said that this was designed to make sure that every cruise guest who will visit the region will have a unique and different experience and memories in every locality that they visit during their cruise call in Eastern Visayas.
After visiting Tacloban and Palo, the group then sailed to the Cuatro Islas in Inopacan, and Canigao Island in Mahaplag, both Leyte, before heading to Bohol.
Coral Adventurer will return to the region on Nov. 12 and 13 to visit Padre Burgos and the island town of Limasawa, both in Southern Leyte and Kalanggaman Island in Palompon town. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
More than 500 riders from several parts of the region attended the resilience ride held on Nov.4, one of the events leading to the 10th year anniversary of Yolanda’s onslaught in Tacloban City and the rest of Eastern Visayas. (Photo Courtesy)
Yolanda’s 10th year
More than 500 riders from several parts of the region attended the resilience ride held on Nov.4, one of the events leading to the 10th year anniversary of Yolanda’s onslaught in Tacloban City and the rest of Eastern Visayas. (Photo Courtesy)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in partnership with the Tingog party-list hosted the 2nd Resilience Ride as part of the commemorative program of the onslaught of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ exactly 10 years ago.
The resilience ride was participated by about 500 riders who are members of various organizations in Eastern Visayas and personnel from various government agencies such as the 8th Infantry Division, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Department of Interior and Local Government.
The Resilience Ride held last Saturday (Nov. 4) started at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, this city, going to Ormoc City, Baybay City, Abuyog town then to Rizal Plaza in Tacloban or a total of 264 kilometers distance of travel.
OCD Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion said that the resilience ride is not only for remembering what happened during typhoon Yolanda but also aims to highlight the contribution of riders during disaster response.
“Sometimes yung four-wheel natin hindi makapasok sa areas especially every after disaster. Odette had told us that, so this is one way of letting them know that we value the, and in case of any disaster we will be asking for their assistance,” he said.
Torrecarion added that the activity also aims to increase resiliency awareness in the region not only among people but also to the local government units and government agencies.
Ten years now since super typhoon Yolanda devastated Eastern Visayas and other parts of the Visayas, teaching resiliency remains to be a continuing process to ensure that this will not be forgotten by the people.
“When we rest on our laurel that is sometimes we fell short, that is why it needs to be a continuous process. We need to be aware, we need to be updated with new trends,” Torrecarion said.
Aside from the Resilience Ride, the OCD together with its partners agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Army, and the Philippine National Police as an on-going exhibit at Robinsons Marasbaras featuring various disaster response equipment like satellite phones, two-way radio, search and rescue equipment, food packs and non-food packs assistance and camp management design.
The OCD is also hosting a two-day Resilience Forum at the Leyte Normal University guest includes United Nation Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzales, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, Department of Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes, Mayor Alfred Romualdez, among others. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
