EV workers get P50 wage increase
This after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved Wage Oder Number 22 on Friday (June 11) after conducting a series of public hearings in major parts of the region.
Based on the new wage order, the P50 wage increase will be given in two tranches to the more than 1.74 million workers in the region.
The first tranche or P25 will be given upon the effectivity of Wage Order Number 22 or 15 days following its publication in a regional newspaper.
The second tranche will take effect on Jan.2, 2023, the order said approved by its current six members chaired by Henry John Jalbuena, the regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment.
Based on Wage Order Number 22, non-agriculture workers are now to receive P375 for their daily wage. The same daily wage is to be received by workers in establishments employing 11 workers and above.
Establishments with 10 workers and below and those in the cottage and handicraft sectors are to receive P345.
The same amount will also be received by those in the agriculture sector.
The new wage increase will apply to all minimum wage earners in the private sector in Eastern Visayas, regardless of their position, status, designation, and irrespective of the method by which their wages are paid, the order said.
The last time the regional wage board of Eastern Visayas issued a wage order was last August 18, 2019 setting the daily wage to P325 for non-agriculture workers and P295 for agriculture workers.
DOT, tourism stakeholders to launch EV ‘road trip’ tour package
Local tourism stakeholders in the region described it as the ‘next big thing’ to happen to the tourism sector of the region which was affected by the pandemic caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The tour package will showcase the good transportation linkage between Luzon and Eastern Visayas going to major tourism sites within the Asian Highway.
A product audit of the tourist destinations to be visited in the three main islands of the region was conducted by the regional Department of Tourism (DOT) office and the members of the Philippine Travel Agency Associations sometimes last month.
Eliezer Casas of EC Minds Tour said that the tour is designed as a long-haul tour package that will last for at least 10 days, starting in Northern Samar province once the bus that carries tourists crosses Matnog, Sorsogon to Allen town.
“Ang Eastern Visayas is siya ang gateway kung pupunta ka ng Mindanao and Visayas region bukod sa magaganda ang lugar. Kung ano ang makikita mo sa ibang lugar sa Pilipinas, makikita mo rin sa Eastern Visayas,” Casas said when asked why they chose the region to offer the tour package.
Included in the list of itinerary under the Eastern Visayas Asian Highway Network Road Trip are Sila Island in San Vicente, Lalaguna Mangrove Eco Park in Lavezares, and Biri Island, all in Northern Samar.
Waterfalls, diving sites, river cruises, and farms tourism can also be found in the region but Eastern Visayas is not only about natural attractions as it is also rich in historical places like Limasawa Island Casas said.
Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said that the region has everything to offer to tourists.
“We will be going to show that Eastern Visayas really has a lot of tourism assets for people to discover,” she said.
“Sabi pa nga naming, infinite escapes from Northern Samar going down to Leyte, marami kang makikita not just sites but also you can experience a different kind of tourist activities that are being offered in the region. It’s more like really discovering Eastern Visayas and getting to know the people and our culture,” Tiopes added.
To promote the tour package, a familiarization tour is set to be conducted next month with participants coming from various tour operators from Metro Manila and Luzon.
The Eastern Visayas Asian Highway Network Road Trip will also help in revitalizing the tourism business of the region as it gears toward recovery after the pandemic.
Aside from the familiarization tour set next month is the business-to-business (B2B) meeting between buyers (tour operators from Luzon and Metro Manila) and sellers (tourism enterprise stakeholders in Eastern Visayas), and benchmarking activity.
“Hopefully this tourism restart will also restart the profit of our tourism stakeholders,” Pocholo Franco, Eastern Visayas Tourism Association president, said.
“Restart not only in survival mode but also thrive mode,” he added. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
3 Calbayog councilors resign; move ‘surprises’ DILG exec
TACLOBAN CITY-Three incumbent city councilors of Calbayog City have tendered their resignations, a move which ‘surprised’ the provincial head of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The three, Charlie Coñejos, Cesar Sabenecio, and Billy Martirez, have until June 30 but chose to tender their resignations ahead of the constitutionally-mandated end of their terms.
Judy Batulan, provincial DILG director, said that while the act of resignation is a ‘personal decision’, he was still surprised that the three did not wait until June 30.
“I am surprised that they have to tender their resignations when their terms in office are to end in less than a month. But that is their personal decision,” he said in an interview aired over a local radio station in Catbalogan City, the provincial capital.
Among the three councilors, the Leyte Samar Daily Express only managed to contact Coñejos to ask for the reason why he resigned.
“It is for health reasons,” he said, without elaborating.
Coñejos was also the only one among the three councilors to have run but lost during the May 9 elections. The two others were serving out their last terms.
Batulan said that despite of the resignation of the three councilors, the legislative works would not be disrupted considering that the new set of city legislators are to take their positions beginning June 30.
“Even if there will be only two or three councilors, there will still be a quorum,” he said, adding that the resignations will not paralyze the legislative works in Calbayog City.
Incidentally, all 12 elected councilors of the city were from Nacionalista Party. The three resigned councilors belonged to the Liberal Party.
The incoming mayor and vice mayor of the city, Raymund Uy and Rex Daguman, belong to NP and Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Meantime, Batulan also confirmed that the wife of slain mayor Ronaldo Aquino, Marcelina, has also tendered her resignation as village chairman of San Policarpo.
He, however, said that he has no information as to the reason why she also resigned.
Earlier, Aquino’s son, Clarence, who run but lost as vice mayor, said that the family has decided not to run for any elective posts in future elections.
Army commends CHR for Red-related crime probe
A team from the regional CHR went to the village of Binibihan in Carigara town last Monday (May 30) to start their probe on the killing of one Jesus Sarcilla by alleged NPA members on December 7, 2021.
The said incident was witnessed by the daughter of the victim and was perpetrated by a group of rebels led by Juanito Sellesa who is known also by his alias ‘Ka Tibor.’
Col. Noel Vestuir, the commanding officer of the 802nd Infantry Brigade which is based in Ormoc City, Leyte, said that he welcomes the probe of the CHR involving the killing by the rebels of a civilian saying it was a clear violation of the international humanitarian law (IHL).
“The promotion, adherence, and respect of human rights is the utmost responsibility of every soldier. Thus, assisting the CHR in the implementation of the provisions of IHL and RA 9851 is a sworn duty of individual soldiers so as to protect the life and properties of civilians from a terrorist act of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army—National Democratic Front,” he said in a statement.
RA 9851 penalizes crimes against IHL and other crimes against humanity.
The CHR team, led by Raquel Barastas, said that aside from providing financial assistance, they want that justice will be served to the family and prosecute those behind his killing.
Government forces in the past have criticized the CHR for not conducting its own investigation on atrocities reportedly committed by the insurgents.
Vestuir had earlier said that he is serious in quelling the insurgency problem in Leyte as he called on the civilians to help them by not allowing themselves to be used by the rebels.