TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has started the construction of a P129 million farm-to-market road (FMR) that is expected to benefit at least 2,795 poor residents in three Samar towns.

The nine-kilometer Hinugacan-Villahermosa Road will traverse some remote farming communities in the towns of Gandara, Tarangnan and Pagsanghan.

These villages have a total agricultural area of 4,553 hectares suited for the production of rice, corn, vegetable, sweet potato, cassava, taro, banana, and coconut, the DA regional office said in a statement.

“We are really looking forward that through the help of this project, this could really change the lives of the farmers, not just the farmers but most especially the economic status of the communities. And we are really hoping for Samar to finally produce their own vegetables,” said DA Eastern Visayas regional executive director Angel Enriquez.

The road construction is part of the World Bank-funded Philippine Rural Development Projects (PRDP) designed to modernize and improve the resilience of the fisheries and agriculture sectors. The road project will be completed next year.

Of the P129-million budget for the project, P103.23 million is from loan proceeds, P12.9 million from the Philippine government, and P12.9 million from local government equity.
During the groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 28, Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan said the start of the project is very memorable to the people of Samar since they have been pushing for the road construction as early as 2017.

“PRDP project is very tedious. We had to process a lot of documents. I know that there were glitches and some problems along the way while we were processing the documents especially that we experienced this pandemic which made it difficult for us to follow-up,” she said during the event.

The six-year nationwide rural development project is worth P27.5 billion funded through a World Bank loan worth P20.56 billion, and P7 billion in counterpart funds from the national and local government units. (PNA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Red tide bloom has recurred in San Pedro Bay in Samar province just a month after it was declared toxin-free, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported on Friday.

BFAR-8 (Eastern Visayas) head Juan Albaladejo said the recurrence of red tide in the bay in Basey town happens because the bay has shallow parts that contribute to the interaction of warm and cold weather.

“This triggers the red tide-causing dinoflagellates cyst to migrate to (the) water surface and expose to accompanying sediments laden with organic matter. It fertilizes the microorganism, causing red tide,” Albaladejo said in a text message.

On October 11, the shellfish ban was lifted in San Pedro Bay as favorable weather dispersed red tide organisms.

San Pedro Bay in the coastal waters of Basey and Marabut towns in Samar is a rich source of shellfish in the southern part of Samar Island.

The latest advisory said the red tide toxins also remain in the coastal waters of Guiuan in Eastern Samar, Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City, and Irong Irong Bay in Catbalogan City in Samar.

“We have been issuing precautionary advice to the public to refrain from gathering, selling, and eating all types of shellfish and Acetes sp. locally known as ‘alamang or hipon’ from the said bay,” Albaladejo said.

Fish, squid, crab, and shrimp gathered from these areas are safe to eat provided that all entrails are removed and washed thoroughly with running water before cooking.

The BFAR asked local government units to heighten their watch against the gathering, trading, and consumption of shellfish to prevent the incidence of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).

PSP occurs from ingesting bivalve shellfish, such as mussels, oysters, and clams that contain red tide toxins. Its symptoms include the tingling of the lips and tongue, which may progress to the tingling of fingers and toes and loss of control of arms and legs, followed by breathing difficulties.

Red tide is a term used to describe a phenomenon where the water is discolored by high algal biomass or the concentration of algae. (PNA)

TACLOBAN CITY– A giant Christmas tree was lighted up inside the provincial capitol grounds in Catarman on Friday (Nov.4), signaling the official start of the Christmas season in the province.

Aside from the switch-on of the 18-meter foot Christmas tree, mostly made of metals led by Governor Edwin Ongchuan and his wife Bles, the event also marked as a gift-giving to about 1,000 children consisting of toys, candies, and school supplies.

This year’s yuletide theme is Christmas Carnival which showcases designs and decorations prepared by different national government offices and civic organizations, says Allen Berbon, the provincial information officer.

Those who were present during the occasion immediately took photos or selfies with the Christmas tree and various decors inside the Christmas park as their background.

Gov. Ongchuan said that the Christmas park at the provincial capitol grounds is primarily for children ‘for them to savor the joy of Christmas’ as well as for adults for them to have a feeling of childlike joy that the season brings.

“The provincial government endeavors to live out the distinct celebration of Filipinos during Christmas season where it is shared with an extended time for family, for sharing, for giving, and for renewed friendship”, the governor said, as he encouraged the public to visit the Christmas park which will end until January 6,2023.

The provincial government-initiated activity dubbed as the “Karibhungan sa Pasko” is now on its six years now.

The event, capped with a spectacular fireworks, also aims to promote the spirit of giving and sharing, and boost local tourism. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

CALBIGA, Samar – A farmer from Barangay Macaalan in this town thanked the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for the opportunity to learn the different aspects of marketing their produce such as planning, recording and even in planting.

Ricky Antony Cardeno, a leaseholder, was among the 33 agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) members of the Calbiga Vegetable Growers Association (CVGA) who graduated recently from DAR’s Farm Business School (FBS) after completing the 25 sessions in seven months.
Cardeno was chosen to receive the Mountain Mover Award for his active participation, dedication to his craft and the ability to provide solution when problem arises.

During their graduation, Thelma Alfaro, chief of the Program Beneficiaries Development (PBD) at the DAR Samar Provincial Office, encouraged the participants of the FBS to apply what they have learned in order to increase their income.

FBS, according to the point person, Kimberly Morillo, is a sub-program under the Enterprise Development and Economic Support (EDES) of the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development Sustainability Program (ARBDSP). It is guided by the principle of learning by doing together, which aims to improve market access and increase incomes of the farmers, she added.

Meanwhile, Fe Ocasla, barangay chairperson of Barangay Macaalan, emphasized to the FBS graduates that “By sharing what you have learned here will also help improve the lives of other farmers in our village.”

At the moment, Cardeno disclosed, crops planted in their garden include eggplant, bell pepper, hot pepper and bitter gourd (amplaya), as a result from the market survey they have conducted, which was among the activities they have learned in FBS.

(JESSA LABAGALA/PR)