CARIGARA, Leyte – The Leyte Second District Engineering Office (L2DEO) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) conducted a distribution of backpacks and school supplies to different elementary schools within the second district.

The distribution of school supplies and backpacks was part of the outreach program of the District Engineers League of the Philippines (DELP).

District Engineer Leo Edward Oppura and Assistant District Engineer Francisco Robin, Jr., spearheaded the activities dubbed “Gamit Pang-Eskwela Handog ay Saya” on their 6th year nationwide project of DELP.

A total of 350 pupils from Kindergarten to Grade 3 from Cogon and Canfabi Elementary School (ES), Carigara; Tolibao and Talisay ES, Capoocan; Balire ES, Tunga; and St. Peter ES, Barugo, all in Leyte, were among the recipients of the school materials.

According to Oppura, this DELP project aims to help the school needs of incoming elementary pupils especially in the rural areas.

“The joy and smile of the pupils while receiving the bag is countless, and we look forward to expanding this program to help ease the parents’ burden in providing their children’s school needs,” he said.

Oppura said that other public schools in the second district will also be visited by them to conduct the same outreach program.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The regional office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) held on Thursday (Sept.14) the “FiestaKucha,” a roadshow that aims to promote and support the local creative industries in the region.

FiestaKucha is a regional initiative of DTI to serve as a platform for the celebration, promotion, and enrichment of the diversity of talents of various regions in the country.
The term is a combination of the vibrancy of Filipino “fiestas” with the narrative charm of “pechakucha,” a Japanese onomatopoeia for chit-chat.

The roadshow was graced by DTI-8 Regional Director Celerina Bato, Tingog party-list Rep.Jude Acidre, Leyte Rep.Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon(3rd district), Leyte 3rd District board member Marie Kathryn Kabigting, provincial directors of DTI, representatives from various local government units and personalities from various local creative industries in the region.

The roadshow coincides with the celebration of the 2023 Philippine Creative Industry Month (PCIM) this September as mandated under Republic Act 11904 or the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act which provides a platform for the promotion of local creatives not just in the country but throughout the world.

During the roadshow, DTI Competitiveness Bureau assistant director Jo-Dann Darong said that with the implementation of the law, local government units are now mandated to create or to reactive their respective local culture and arts council that will help in identifying the creative industry players in their respective locality.

“The goal of the Philippines is to become number 1 in the creative industry in ASEAN in the year 2030,” he added.

The holding of the FiestaKucha in Eastern Visayas was the second such event initiated by the DTI in the Visayas after Cebu. Similar event was held in Davao and Cordillera.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY– A more than an hour fire incident gutted down 29 houses in Barangay 43, Quarry district, this city, on Monday (Sept.11) afternoon.

Arson investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire which displaced 33 families consisting of 345 individuals who were temporarily sheltering at the City Engineering Office (CEO).

The number, however, could increase as many of the fire victims were students and workers who were just renting a boarding house.

One of them was Jay Alcoseba, 21, a third year college student from Basey, Samar, who said he was at their school when the fire broke out at about 4:37 pm.

“I was not able to save anything, including my allowance for the week. I was at our school when the fire hit our boarding house,” he said.

The city government, through the order of City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, has extended assistance to the fire victims.

The fire victims received food packs and kitchen and personal hygiene kits from the city government which also provided with modular tents at the CEO.

Based on the report of the City Fire Office, the fire started at a house owned by Catalina Kahano which spread immediately as most of the houses in the area where made of light materials and were situated close at each other.

Aside from the city fire and fire volunteer groups, fire stations from the nearby towns of Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa, Pastrana, Babatngon, Sta. Fe, all in Leyte; and Basey, Samar also helped to put the fire out at about 5:54 pm.

No one was injured during the incident.

Arson investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire which resulted in the damage worth over P750,000.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)