TACLOBAN CITY – Candidates of the October 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections from this city vowed to make the balloting free and orderly.

The more than 2,000 candidates attended a peace covenant on Friday (Sept.29) held at the Tacloban convention center, or astrodome, initiated by the city office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The morning event was also attended by the City Police Office, the City Prosecutor’s Office, military, and other stakeholders.

“This peace covenant signing is very important for us to have a peaceful, safe, orderly, credible, and most of all, successful barangay and SK elections,” lawyer Ma. Goretti Cañas, city elections officer, said during the event.

Tacloban City is placed under ‘Green category’ by the security and the Comelec.
Areas placed under the said category are considered not “areas of concern” or no recorded intense political rivalry, no presence of private armed groups and history of election related violence.

“We wish to maintain such category with the help of our candidates, their supporters, and the voters as well,” Cañas said, adding that their office would do everything to make sure that no political violence would erupt in Tacloban City comes the barangay and SK balloting.
City police director Col Michael Palermo, in his message during the covenant signing, assured of their commitment to ensuring that the forthcoming elections will be secure and orderly.

“Even the smallest and simplest deed will significantly contribute to our common goal…to ensure the voting populace that we are sincere in giving them our utmost respect for their right to vote without any intimidation and let them choose the leader that the city deserves,” he said.

After the covenant signing, a forum followed where Cañas informed the candidates to strictly follow the elections law for them not to be charged for any violation relative to the conduct of the balloting.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, N. Samar– The Department of Public Works and Highways-Northern Samar Second District Engineering Office(DPWH-NSSDEO) finance section personnel participated in the consultation meeting for the Full time Delivery Unit (FDU) of the Department of Budget and Management(DBM)– DPWH Region VIII Fiscal Year 2023 mid-year Agency Performance Review (APR) held last August 29, 2023 via Google Meet.

The meeting was organized by DBM-Regional Office VIII and attended by all DPWH-District Engineering Offices regionwide.

The proper meeting was graced by the welcome message of DBM Regional Director Imelda C. Laceras followed by a series of Agency Performance Review Reports for the 1st semester of the current year 2023, participated in by all DEOs.

On the other hand, Neuman N. Gallardo, Sr., BMS of DBM-RO8, discussed the FY 2022 DPWH performance and updates on DBM issuance and relevant policies; a summary of FY 2023 1st semester Budget and Financial Accountability Reports (BFARs) submission of Unified Reporting System (URS) was also discussed by Solie T. Dosado, senior BMS, DBM-RO8 and ways forward by Juvy A. Lobedica, chief BMS, DBM-RO8, followed by a closing message given by Assistant Regional Director Aleli N. Hernandez, DBM-RO8.

The aforementioned consultation meeting was attended by NSSDEO personnel of the Finance Section: Romeo C. Ramirez, administrative assistant I and Kristin Kalayaan R. Flores, administrative aide I.

In addition, Engr. Genaro C. Pinca Jr., Engineer II of Construction Section and Engr. Meryl E. Tendido, Engineer I of the Planning & Design Section were also present during the meeting.
(KRISTIN KALAYAAN R. FLORES, PIO STAFF/PR

Also as a way to decongest NAIA

ORMOC CITY– The Regional Development Council (RDC) endorsed a resolution urging airline companies to open and offer flights from the Tacloban’s Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

Offering a flight from Tacloban DZR Airport to the Clark International Airport will help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the resolution, passed during the council’s meeting held this city on Tuesday (Sept. 26) said.

Connecting DZR to Clark, it added, will also be an opportunity for the region to encourage more people to travel, thus, help promote the region’s tourism, and increase income for both the private establishments and the local government, it added.

“If we open this route, it will really open up more chances for people in that area in the north of Luzon to come and visit Eastern Visayas because it would be now more convenient for them to come,” Karina Rosa Tiopes, the regional director of the Department of Tourism, said.

“And that also will open both doors. It’s an opportunity for them and an opportunity for us and it’s what we are looking for in tourism hindi lang one way,” she added.

At present, there are 20 daily flights from DZR Airport to NAIA.

Prior to the pandemic, there was a flight connecting DZR Airport and Clark through AirAsia but this was canceled in 2020 because of the reduction of flights due to travel restrictions.
Since travel restriction was lifted and more flights were offered, DZR Airport was ranked 7th as the country’s busiest airport with 1,489,803 passenger movements.

Officials of the council added that the immediate completion of the improvement of the DZR Airport is also necessary to accommodate more passengers. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

MATAG-OB, Leyte– This town successfully held its second Himorasak Festival on Sunday (September 24) with eight clustered barangays participating in the street dancing and ritual dance presentation.

Himorasak, a local word for abundant, is a festival organized by the local government held every month of September in time of the rice harvest season of the municipality.
Matag-ob is one of the local government units in Leyte province that is considered as a top rice-producing town.

Top prize for the 2nd Himorasak Festival was won by Cluster 8 carrying a cash prize of P50,000.

Matag-ob Tourism Officer Jude Sulla said that they will be conducting a post-festival assessment immediately to determine how they can improve in hosting the event to make it better in next year presentation.

“We will be doing it within this week with all the members of the executive committee,” she said.

Sulla added that hosting the month-long event helps the municipal government attract and invite people to visit their municipality.

Mayor Bernardino Tacoy, for his part, said that since they introduced the festival last year, they saw its potential in helping them boost their tourism industry and help their local farmers.

Tacoy said that they created the festival as a way of giving thanks for an abundant harvest and in the process, help improve the living conditions of his people and the same time, promoting its own culture and tradition.

Tacoy added that next year, he is planning to open the festival competition to their neighboring localities to join.

Department of Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said that opening the festival to participants from other localities is a good plan because it shows that localities in the fourth district are working in unison.

She also lauded the local government and the festival organizers for coming with the event.
“I’d like to salute the festival contingents, their choreographers, and organizers. It is not easy to come up with a festival from the conceptualization, the creation of steps in dancing, to the creation of props, and even the music that they will be using. It’s not that easy,” Tiopes said. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)