TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will build the P135 million Abucay New Bus Terminal Annex Building in this city to provide a comfortable commuting experience.

The DPWH Tacloban city district engineering office (TCDEO) announced Monday that the project funded under the 2023 budget is expected to be completed in seven months.
“The annex building is designed to address the pressing need for improved public transportation infrastructure in the city. The multi-purpose building will feature a two-story design, accommodating up to six public utility vehicles, such as buses, at any given time,” said Margarita Bacierra, TCDEO chief of the planning and design section and project engineer, in a statement.

The facility’s infrastructure includes a generator set to ensure an uninterrupted power supply, four restrooms (two for males and two for females), and two restrooms designed for persons with disabilities.

A notable feature of the terminal annex building is the inclusion of a footbridge that directly connects to Robinsons North Tacloban, offering commuters easy access to the mall.
The building’s second floor will house a food court complete with kitchen rooms to facilitate convenient dining options for commuters.

It will also incorporate a spacious lobby, ticket booths, and lower and upper decks to streamline passenger movement. An office space will also be provided to facilitate administrative and operational functions.

“Once completed, this modern facility will provide commuters with a more comfortable and efficient transit experience, while also fostering economic activity through its proximity to commercial establishments,” Bacierra added.

The Abucay terminal in the city’s Abucay village started its operation on Aug. 15, 2006 to decongest the city’s downtown.

In the past 17 years, the site has attracted several businesses, including Robinsons Malls, which opened on Dec. 14, 2017. (PNA)

Globe’s value brand, TM, has released a song that captures the Filipino team spirit, tapping the country’s P-pop kings, SB19, and rock band, The Juans, for the new Pinoy anthem.
The upbeat song, “Team Tayo,” rallies Filipinos to go for their dreams and trust that they are never alone.

The song, a follow-up collaboration for the two bands who gave Pinoy music fans “Push ang Pusuan” (2020) and “TM FunPasko” (2021), peaks in its infectious chorus that repeats “Basta’t team tayo.”

“Everyone needs a teammate on their life journey, even more so for many Filipinos for whom life can be challenging. Through this song created in collaboration with SB19 and The Juans, we hope to show every Filipino that TM is committed to be our kababayans’ teammate on both good and bad days,” said Pia Gonzalez-Colby, Globe’s Chief Marketing Officer.

The Juans vocalist Carl Guevarra spoke about the inspiration for the song.
“We wanted to write a song that would speak about the stories of an ordinary ‘Juan’ like us, not only to tell them that we understand them, but also to let them know that we want to be their teammates. It’s a song that will speak to real stories and real situations of our listeners,” he said.

He also shared how “there’s always something special that happens” whenever the band works with SB19.

“One of our heartbeats is we both want to uplift ordinary Filipinos. It’s so natural to just give back that message kasi it’s not just a slogan, it’s not just a statement, but it’s the lifestyle that we both live,” Guevarra said.

SB19 band leader Pablo Nase said creating beautiful music through collaboration is all about working together– echoing TM’s message of teamwork.

“It’s difficult being in a group since we have different creative thoughts or creative na pinanggagalingan. But it’s about maturity. And you can create something good out of it because na-cha-challenge ‘yung thoughts niyo. Of course, you can’t assume that one member knows everything or his idea or the idea of one is ‘yun na ‘yung pinakamaganda. We would collect all the ideas together for us to come up with a great piece or craft,” he said.

“Team Tayo” marks TM’s bold leap forward as it expands its services to cover both mobile and broadband, with TMBayan Fiber WiFi. This community-centric broadband service offers fast, reliable and affordable internet access closer to every Filipino family, making the promise of a connected future more accessible.

Beyond mobile and broadband connectivity, TM also offers more ways to support Filipinos as they seek to do more for their families. These include affordable promos for both mobile and broadband services, rewards as cash, and raket opportunities, among others.

“TM is committed to being Filipinos’ life partner, a brand that enables them to face life’s challenges with joy, while empowering them to make their dreams a reality,” said Issa Guevarra-Cabreira, Globe’s Chief Commercial Officer.

“TM has always been at the forefront of providing access to Filipinos— first through calls, text and data, and, more recently, through our ground-breaking TMBayan Fiber WiFi. These, together with our suite of rewards, promos and programs, are all geared towards helping our TM subscribers feel that they are part of a team, supported through good times and bad. This is what this new anthem is about.”

TM’s evolution not only redefines its offerings but underscores its commitment to be a supportive teammate to every Filipino. This transformation underscores TM’s dedication to championing the Filipino spirit– a testament to a brand that truly understands, respects, and enriches the lives of its customers. Basta sa TM, Team Tayo! (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office here has reiterated its call to rice farmers in Eastern Visayas to adapt to climate-resilient practices to solve output drop.

One of the practices that Eastern Visayas farmers should do is to plant early maturing, high-yielding and stress-tolerant rice seed varieties as excessive rain could happen and may affect pollination while typhoons may cause lodging or falling over.

“Our call to farmers is to seek fertilizer application recommendation from agricultural extension workers to avoid excessive application of fertilizer,” the DA said in a statement Friday.

Farmers were urged to get an indemnity crop insurance claim from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation before planting and using postharvest types of machinery to reduce wastage.

The DA said high exposure to the effects of climate change remains a major factor that negatively affects the region’s agricultural output and productivity.
Recurrent natural hazards make Eastern Visayas one of the most disaster-prone areas in the country.

Records showed that eight typhoons caused an estimated PHP1.50 billion in damage to agricultural products from 2017 to 2021.

The region also faces other climate disaster-related risks, including drought, landslides, soil degradation, water shortages in some areas, and increased pests and diseases.

Eastern Visayas is a predominantly farming region with 1.17 million hectares of land area dedicated to agriculture and fisheries or 54.55 percent of its total land area.

About 19 percent of the land or 219,936 hectares is for annual crops including rice.

In 2022, the region recorded 840,345 metric tons (mt) of palay (unhusked rice) harvest. Last year’s production was lower than the 864,373 mt yield in 2021. (PNA)

NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, N. Samar– The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Northern Samar Second District Engineering Office, spearheaded by OIC, District Engineer Charlito S. Carlobos and OIC, Assistant District Engineer Atty. Arthur Eric L. Sabong, has completed a widening project for the Balud bridge in Brgy. Dale, San Roque, Northern Samar.

The widening project aims to provide better and safer roads, and stress-free travel experience of commuters.

The main scope of work involves widening of the bridge from the existing two (2) lanes to four (4) lanes.

The project with contract ID no. 22II0039 under contract with CDU Construction with an allocation of P84 million, is funded under the General Appropriation Act (GAA) of 2022 and is supervised by Project Engineer Joseph C. Romance.

People coming from Brgy. Dale up to Lapinig, Northern Samar, are the ones who will benefit from the constructed bridge.

This widened bridge has a profound impact as it will lessen and rather prevent vehicular incidents. It also encourages commuters and motorists to travel any time of the day without hesitation.

The convenience of the widened bridge was completed last May 20, 2023. The fruition of the project promotes seamless transport of goods and services. Thus, this project paved to opportunities that can elevate the economic status of the locality, and its completion made the resources accessible and attainable.

The NSSDEO bridge-widening projects are expected to meet its objectives of intensifying domestic trade, agri-business, and eco-tourism by continuously providing added road space
(RONEL T. GALUPO, PIO STAFF)

ORMOC CITY-Police authorities in Mondragon, Northern Samar are facing a blank wall on their investigation involving the killing of a laborer who was found dead in a river in sitio Lubog, Barangay Makiwalo on August 9.

Police said that they have yet to identify the suspect and his motive in killing Roel Toreng, who was from Capul, also in Northern Samar.

Personnel from the scene of the crime operatives (Soco) who processed the crime scene noticed four gunshot wounds in different parts of the victim’s body. The Soco also recovered three cartridge cases of cal. 45 from the crime scene.
(ROBERT DEJON)