TACLOBAN CITY– A first termer councilor from Eastern Samar won handily as the region’s president of the Philippine Councilors League- Eastern Visayas chapter in elections held in Cebu City Wednesday (Nov. 23).

Ralph Vincent Evardone, 22 and a council member of Sulat town, defeated Chique Uy, a councilor from Palo town, who is the incumbent interim chairman of the said league.
“Of course, I am happy but at the same time, anxious because I am in a position that I cannot disappoint,” he said in a phone interview.

Evardone obtained 61 votes against the 39 votes of Uy.

The newly-minted PCL-Eastern Visayas chapter who is also a son of Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, vowed to make their group a working one for the region’s over 1,200 councilors.

“While the councilors are aware that PCL exists, many of them do not know of its benefits like they can apply for further studies, it offers medical assistance and even mortuary,” he said.

He also said that while he may be the youngest among the newly-elected president, his slate is ‘full of veteran politicians who can help him.

“I have a good relationship with them. I’m pretty sure I can work with all of them,” Evardone, who is a graduate of management economics at Ateneo de Manila University, said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY– Eastern Visayas disaster risk reduction management officers have welcomed the recent statement of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. to place the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council(NDRRMC) under his office.
Rei Josiah Echano, speaking on behalf of the region’s disaster management officers, said that aside from easy and fast response during a disaster situation, placing the NDRRMC under the Office of the President could also result in addressing several issues hounding them, disaster responders.

“We concur with the decision of the President that his office should be more accountable of the hazard’s impact and its response efforts by placing NDRRMC directly under OP,” Echano, who is the provincial disaster risk reduction management officer of Northern Samar, said.
“We just look forward that this zeal of the President to take over the responsibility would trickle down to our grassroots disaster response operators in the form of material upliftment of their welfare and benefits,” he added.

The region’s provincial, city, and municipal disaster risk reduction management officers have submitted a position paper to Pres. Marcos during his Tacloban visit last Nov.9, coinciding with the 9th year anniversary of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ seeking for his intervention on matters affecting them.

Based on their petition, the region’s disaster responders have sought, among others, of benefits and remunerations considering of the hazards they risk during a disaster situation.
“Our organizations for DRRM workers led by the Office of the Civil Defense in the region justly encourage the national government to take a look at our sad plight in the LGUs and institutionalize their interventions so that it becomes the basis of our LGUs in their actions for resilience building in their jurisdictions,” the petition said.

“We hope that the President heeds this call given the geomorphology and social vulnerabilities of our people in the region in particular and in the country in general,” it added.

Echano said that “90 percent” of the DRMM officer in the region is a ‘one-man team office,’ with most of them either contractual or job order workers.

Thus, he said, they ask that they must be regularized and be given longevity pay, hazard fee, and other appropriate benefits given the nature of their work.

During his visit, the President said that he is mulling the possibility of placing the NDRRMC directly under his office, saying this could result in better response during a disaster.
The NDRRMC is the highest body for the country’s disaster risk reduction and management and was established by virtue of Republic Act 10121 in 2010.

It is composed of various government, non-government, civil sector, and private sector organizations.

The council is currently chaired by Defense Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The city government here will construct a tenement-type of housing units next year.

This was disclosed by city housing chief Tedence Jopson said that the proposed housing project will be located at the northern part of the city.

He, however, clarified that the housing project is not part of the housing projects of the government intended for families who lost their houses due to the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda.’

“This is not a low cost housing because each unit will cost from P750, 000 to P1.5 million,” he said during a media forum held at Hotel de Fides, this city.

One has to apply through the Pag-Ibig, Jopson added.

He added that it will be the National Housing Authority (NHA) that will build these houses of at least 10,000 units.

The building will be around three to five stories and will be constructed in the northern part of the city starting next year, 2023.

The building will occupy 50 percent of the land area allocated for the project while the remaining 50 percent will be allocated for construction of park, multipurpose building, and parking area.

Jopson added that these residential units are not only open for Tacloban residents but even for those who are not residents of the city.

“For as long as you have the capacity to pay you can buy a unit. This is ideal for working class population but subject to the approval from Pag-Ibig,” he stressed.

He added those who already have a house or those who received a Yolanda housing unit are disqualified to have a unit.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

BORONGAN CITY– To correct the errors as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in this province implemented the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), Regional Director Reynaldo Anfone ordered to re-survey the awarded lots in Balangiga town.

Anfone, who was at the moment in Manila attending a planning conference, joined virtually the dialogue with protesting farmers at the DAR Provincial Office in this city on Thursday and ordered Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II), Lawyer Bryan Lassiter, to conduct the re-survey of the subdivided lots under Lot No. 2230 in Barangay Cag-olango in Balangiga to determine the correct area and assignment of lots based on the actual tillage of the farmer beneficiaries.

The erroneous survey was found out when the farmers complained that Simeona Bennet, a recipient of an individual Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) for Lot 2230-A, based on the approved survey plan (ASP), is not an actual tiller; while Elena Balagasay, who is actually cultivating the said lot, received her individual CLOA for Lot 2230-J.

Lassiter confirmed the allegations of the farmers which conformed with the findings of the DAR-Eastern Samar investigation team composed of the Chief of the Legal Division, Atty. Jane Arra Promeda; Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officers (MARPOs) Ma. Flor Daganta and Glicerio Camenforte Jr.; Geodetic Engineer Renan Cadiente and Cartographer Saldy Corado.

Aside from the issue involving Bennet and Balagasay, other farmers within the 25-hectare lot also complained of erroneous survey, prompting Anfone to order the conduct of re-survey.

Further, Anfone likewise ordered the simultaneous identification of qualified actual tillers who will be awarded with individual CLOAs.

Furthermore, Anfone ordered the filing of petition for the cancellation of the two CLOAs issued to Bennet and Balagasay and issue CLOAs to the rightful occupants in this 25-hectare government-owned land (GOL).

Anthony John Jumauay thanked Anfone and the entire DAR workforce in behalf of the protesting farmers for a fruitful blended-mode dialogue facilitated by the Clientele Relations Service headed by Director Jayzon Collado.
(JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA/PR)