TACLOBAN CITY – Some 114 farmers’ groups in Eastern Visayas listed as recipients of the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA – SAAD) program will receive further marketing and enterprise support to boost their egg production.

The associations, with 2,253 members, have been receiving government support since 2020. They are also listed as beneficiaries of the DA’s Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) program.

DA-Eastern Visayas regional technical director for operations Larry Sultan said in a statement on Monday that a comprehensive evaluation will be done on the targeted groups provided with egg layer production support to ensure the inclusion of the F2C2 strategy.

“We will focus on the sustainability of their projects, their associations’ internal core, their financial management, and the quality and quantity of products they produce,” Sultan said.
F2C2 is a strategy implemented by the DA that focuses on grouping together crops, livestock and fish producers within a community or adjacent communities.

It aims to improve the lives of the farmers and fisherfolk by creating economies of scale, strengthening accessibility to the market, improving bargaining and marketing capability, attracting strategic investments, and improving overall agriculture sector productivity.
Of the 114 associations, 20 are in Leyte province, five in Southern Leyte, 37 in Samar, 34 in Eastern Samar and 18 in Northern Samar.

“Now, part of the monitoring activities is the identification of prospective groups with strong internal core and financial management. We want to have viable organizations to succeed in clustering and consolidation, then achieve the small brother – big brother concept,” Sultan added.

Under the strategy, the DA will conduct forecasting activities to identify the possible supplies of eggs coming from SAAD beneficiaries in the upcoming years.
This initiative of interlinking the SAAD program’s egg layer projects farmer beneficiaries with the F2C2 strategy is only a step toward incorporating other beneficiaries bearing different commodities covered by the program.

SAAD is a special program of the DA focusing on the 10 poorest provinces in the country, which include the five provinces in Eastern Visayas.

Activities are focused on social preparation and provision of agriculture and fishery-related livelihood interventions to address poverty. (PNA)

ISABEL,Leyte– The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte 4th District Engineering Office (DEO) commences the construction of a farm-to-market road in Isabel, Leyte to improve connectivity and uplift the quality of life for the local residents.

The project involves the concreting of a 0.920-kilometer two-lane Portland Concrete Cement Pavement (PCCP) road from Brgy. San Francisco to Brgy. Bantigue amounting to Php 16,790,120.00 and funded through the Department of Agriculture Farm-to-Market Road (DA-FMR) 2023.

Once completed, this vital infrastructure will provide a multifaceted positive impact, benefitting farmers, communities and the overall economy while also improving access to essential services and contributing to rural development through a reliable travel route for both motorists and pedestrians by facilitating the transportation of agricultural products, goods, and services between the two barangays as well as their adjacent community trading centers.

With a current accomplishment rate of 20.36%, the road project is expected to conclude by November of this year. (PR)

ORMOC CITY-The local police are conducting a thorough investigation involving the killing of an incumbent barangay chairwoman and her common-law husband in Barangay Campeig, Sta. Margarita, Samar on Wednesday (Sept.6) at about 7:30 am.

Local police identified the victims as Vivian Verano, 46, and the current barangay chairwoman and her live-in partner, Roel Casalay, 43.

Verano was seeking for another term in the forthcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

The incident happened in Brgy. Campeig, a remote village that could be reached only through walking about three hours from the highway.

Investigation conducted by the local police disclosed that the live-in couple were inside their house when six unidentified persons armed with long and short firearms barged into their house.

Police Staff Sergeant Jeremy Aropo-op, in a phone interview, said that while the couple were stunned upon their entry of the suspects as they suddenly opened fire with the victims killing them both on the spot.

The perpetrators immediately came out of the house after the shooting and fled to an unknown area.

Sgt. Oropo-op said that they are facing a blank wall on this incident in identifying the suspects and their motive in killing the victims. (ROBERT DEJON)

NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, N. Samar – The residents and passersby along Bantayan Bay, San Roque, Northern Samar, will be safeguarded by on-going construction of 320.00 meters seawall against potential sea-level surge. This project was implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways – Northern Samar Second District Engineering Office (DPWH-NSSDEO), led by OIC District Engineer Charlito S. Carlobos and OIC Assistant District Engineer Atty. Arthur Eric L. Sabong, funded under General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2023 with an appropriation of P52.25 million. Furthermore, CDU Construction undertakes the construction work with Contract ID 23II0017 and has contract amount of P 5,0411,055.55.

As of July 31, 2023, it had an actual accomplishment status of 81.05% and a positive slippage result of 54.65%. The project used RC Piles to increase the bearing capacity and to reduce settlement at the site, which are weak compressible soils. Hence, this project may be accomplished earlier than its planned date of completion.

To ensure the quality standard coastal protection project, the DPWH-NSSDEO management assigned, Project Engineer Filoteo T. Delorino to supervise along with Project Inspector Engr. Ma. Luzyl P. Castillo and Resident Engineer Florando Emilio O. Moscare while Engr. Justino E. Serafin, Jr., for the materials quality assurance of the project.

The impact of this project is to provide protection from soil erosion and damage to roads brought by continuous heavy rains. Since the area has the potential for promoting local tourism, the completion of seawall project would benefit the town, as well as the province’s economy.
(ZYRA JOY CHING/PR)

TACLOBAN CITY– Earthquakes were felt in Leyte on Wednesday night with no damages or aftershocks reported by local authorities.

The center of these tremors was the town of Capoocan wherein its disaster risk reduction management office conducted its inspection of the different schools to check their conditions.

As of morning, no school or classroom in the town reported to have sustained damage due to the jolts, the office said.

The first quake to strike the town was about 10:38 pm with a magnitude of 4.5.
It was felt in the towns of Kananga, Carigara, and Capoocan at Intensity IV; Ormoc City, Tunga, Jaro, Barugo, San Miguel, and Leyte town at Intensity III; Matag-ob, Villaba, Calubian, San Isidro, Tabango, Palompon, and Merida, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The series of quakes was again felt in Capoocan at about 11:18 pm with a magnitude of 2.9 followed by a 2.7 magnitude that struck at 11: 21 pm.

Meantime, a 3.0 magnitude was also hit in the historic town of Homonhon town, Guiuan, Eastern Samar at about 6:21 am on Thursday (Sept.7).

The Phivolcs said that it does not expect any damages or aftershocks due to the tremor. (JOEY A. GABIETA)