ORMOC CITY-With the onset of ‘ber months’, comes along the rainy season in the Philippines.
As such, the Maintenance Section of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Leyte 4th District Engineering Office (DEO) thru its fieldworkers intensifies the clearing and cleaning of drainages along the National roads within its jurisdiction.
This includes de-clogging and clearing of silted waterways, especially in flood-prone areas.
In an interview with the local media, District Engineer Allan D. Eway urges the public to practice proper waste disposal, and to refrain from throwing of garbage into the canals and drainage system, which cause clogged drainages that result in flooding.
Furthermore, he ensures that the Maintenance Personnel are always on alert and prepared to respond during calamities. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – More than 20 root crops farmers in Baybay City benefited from the “Kulinarya” training of the Department of Tourism(DOT) as part of its assistance to the city hit by typhoon ‘Odette’ December of last year.

Training, held last September 7-9, was supervised by Mark Reynan Sabayan, the first chef in Eastern Visayas accredited by the DOT.

Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said that the city government of Baybay selected the root crops farmers as beneficiaries of the skills training because it produces more than enough supply of crops that can be made into sweet potato chips, ‘kabkab’, and ice cream.

Farmers who are into root crops planting were hard-hit when Baybay was pummeled by Odette and later by typhoon ‘Agaton’ that hit the city April of this year.

Tiopes said that the skills training is intended to ‘level up’ their value-added products and in the process, increase their income.

Part of the training of the beneficiaries was improving and innovating the quality of food that they will serve, food handling and preparation, food safety and sanitation, menu planning, and costing.

Tiopes added that training on culinary is also a way of preparing the city for MICE or Meeting, Incentives, Conventions, and Events which is one of the priority tourism products of Baybay.

Among those who attended the training were Emilita Laluna, Nancy Goliat, and Luzviminda Avelino, all sweet potato farmers.

The three said that they did not expect to be selected for the skills development because what they know before is culinary training is only for those who are already in the food business like restaurants.

“There was a doubt at first but after it was explained to us that this training is an opportunity for us to improve and develop new skills that can help us have more income, it excites us,” Laluna said.

“This training helped me enhance my knowledge in baking which is a hobby of mine, giving me more knowledge on making dishes especially on root crops like sweet potato,” Goliat, for her part, said.

For Avelino, the training had opened and changed her perception on what tourism is.
“Before I always think that when you say tourism, it is only for people who can afford to travel or those with money. But after they explained to us that farmers also belong to the tourism sector because our products are used by the industry it changes my perception and I am glad that I was part of this training,” she said.

After the skills training, the participants received a cooking set which they can use to come up with a pop-up store to sell dishes and delicacies they will create from root crops products they produce on their farm.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Slated on October 9

VACCINATION CAMPAIGN. As the country is slowly relaxing its health protocols like making it optional the wearing of face masks, vaccination campaign continues. Here in Tacloban City, health personnel are doing barangay rounds to ensure that those eligible for vaccination will receive the vaccine against COVID-19. The City Health Office admitted that vaccination among senior citizens in Tacloban remain to be low.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

ORMOC CITY-All its systems go for the holding of a plebiscite here in this city involving the merging of 28 barangays into just three villages slated next month.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has scheduled the holding of the plebiscite on October 8 as contained under Resolution Number 10796 issued on June 22 of this year.
The plebiscite aims to consolidate 28 barangays into just three villages which are all located within the city proper.

At present, Ormoc has 110 barangays.

The affected barangays of the plebiscite, namely, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 17, 23 and 27, if merged, will be known as Barangay South while Brgys. 9, 10, 11, 16, 18, 25, and 28 will be known as Brgy. East.

Meantime, the remaining villages of 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, and 26 will be referred as Barangay West.

The current Barangay 29 will be renamed as Barangay North.

For this purpose, the city government has allocated P8 million. In all more than 7,600 people are to be affected by the merging of the 28 barangays.

Comelec Regional Director Jose Nick Mendros said that as part of the plebiscite, their office has conducted a command conference held last Sept.9; canvassing committee has been constituted and security preparations are now being laid out.

Based on the calendar of activities promulgated by the Comelec, the campaign period starts on Sept. 24 until Oct. 6.

City Mayor Lucy Torres Gomez said that they have decided to merge the affected barangays for easy management and except for one barangay (26), all are inhabited with less than 1,000 people.

She said she will lead in the ‘yes votes’ campaign saying that the move will lead to development to these villages.

“Because if you see the reason, it’s obvious yes because it will redound to better services for the people,” Gomez said, projecting for a yes victory.

For his part, Rep. Richard Gomez, himself a former mayor of the city, said that most of these affected villages are small that they could not provide needed facilities like health centers and barangay halls.

“They could not even hire their own tanods due to their small population,” he said.
Gomez said that it was at first difficult to convince the leaders of these barangays but were prevailed upon when they eventually realized that the move is for the benefit of their respective residents.

The merging of these barangays is by virtue of an ordinance passed by the city council last January 9, 2021.