Tacloban City – Save the Children Philippines, in partnership with the European Union, WESADEF, and LEFADO, launched an empowering initiative called Project ADDVOICE in Eastern Visayas today. The project aims to create safer and more inclusive environments for young adolescents in Mayorga, MacArthur, Abuyog, Javier, Gandara, Matuguinao, Pagsanjan, and San Jorge.

At the grand launch held in Tacloban City’s Summit Hotel, key stakeholders, government officials, and community leaders gathered to mark this significant milestone. Project ADDVOICE will provide comprehensive programs and services focusing on sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), gender equality, and child protection to address critical issues faced by young adolescents, particularly girls.

With teenage pregnancy and sexual violence against children as pressing challenges in the region, Project ADDVOICE comes at a crucial time. The initiative will equip young adolescents with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health while protecting themselves from violence.

Atty. Alberto Jesus Muyot, the Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines, expressed gratitude to the European Union for their generous support and partnership with WESADEF, LEFADO, DOH, POPCOM, DepEd, DSWD and the LGUs of Mayorga, MacArthur, Abuyog, Javier, Gandara, Matuguinao, Pagsanjan, and San Jorge in making ADDVOICE a reality. He emphasized the importance of collaboration in creating a better future for the young adolescents of Eastern Visayas.

Over the next three years, Project ADDVOICE will focus on community mobilization, capacity building of service providers, and strengthening local government mechanisms for meaningful adolescent participation in SRHR and child protection programs. By bridging gaps in access to quality services and age-appropriate information, the project aims to empower young individuals and foster their active engagement in their communities.
Eastern Visayas faces unique challenges, such as limited access to Adolescent-Friendly Health Facilities and insufficient data on adolescent sexual and reproductive health. However, through Project ADDVOICE, Save the Children Philippines is committed to overcoming these obstacles and driving positive change.

As the launch event concluded, participants expressed their excitement and anticipation for the transformative impact of ADDVOICE on the lives of young adolescents in Eastern Visayas. Save the Children Philippines remains dedicated to working alongside communities, government agencies, and civil society organizations to empower young adolescents, advocate for their rights, and create a violence-free and inclusive society where every child can thrive.

Part of the town’s 73rd founding anniversary celebration

KANANGA, Leyte– This town, home to the country’s biggest geothermal power, is turning 75 years old on June 17 has just launched its first ever cultural festival on Saturday (June 11).

Students from elementary and secondary public schools across the town joined the ‘Kananga Kaanyag Festival’ with prizes at stake.

The cultural festival showcases the history and culture of the town, where the Tongonan geothermal power is located and help power the Visayas and parts of Luzon, through dances and ritual presentations.

Mayor Manuel Vicente Torres said that with the launching of the Kananga Kaanyag Festival, he hopes that this will not only result for the young generations to know and appreciate the history and culture of their town but also pave the way for more tourists to visit Kananga, a town of more than 80,000 people.

“Kaanyag does not only refer here as physical beauty but also mean the beauty of the town itself. So, for me, today is historical because we will be launching the first ever (cultural) festival of Kananga,” he said Saturday.

For this endeavor, the municipal government sought support from the National Historical Commission for Culture and the Arts as well as from the regional office of the Department of Tourism.

For the initial presentation of the Kananga Kaanyag Festival, the municipal government has allocated a ‘modest amount’ of P1.5 million, Torres said.

The festival will now be conducted as one of the highlights of the town’s founding anniversary on June 17 of every year.

Karina Rosa Tiopes, the DOT regional director, said that she is happy that the town has now its own official cultural festival.

“Festivals are reflections of our tradition and culture and way of life. That is why, we at the DOT help promote festivals. But these festivals must be based on a research and not just a mere playground demonstration,” she said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

CATARMAN, Northern Samar-Declaring Northern Samar as an insurgency free province will have a positive effect on its tourism industry.

Thus said Governor Edwin Ongchuan, whose administration is hoping that the insurgency problem that has been affecting them for decades now will come to its end.

The province is considered as the ‘last frontier’ of the communist armed group in Eastern Visayas with two remaining guerilla fronts still operating.

While the province boosts of beautiful tourism destinations like beaches and centuries-old rock formations, its tourism sector is not totally developed due largely on the presence of the New People’s Army(NPA).

“The insurgency problem prevents the development of our province. Because of this, people has stigma and negative impression every time they hear Northern Samar. They always think of the New People’s Army,” Gov.Ongchuan said.

The governor welcomes the declaration of the Army officials to crush the insurgency problem in their problem before the end of the year.

“We are doing so much effort to inform the public that Northern Samar is safe. So with the help of the media and the provincial information office, we are disseminating to all that tourists are safe when they visit our province,” Ongchuan said.

Provincial Tourism Officer Maria Josette Doctor agrees with the governor that they are facing setback in promoting tourism due to insurgency problem.

“But that should not stop us. We should not sit and do nothing just because there is an insurgency problem in Northern Samar,” Doctor said.

“Thanks God we never had a problem with regards to tourists who became victims of insurgents. So we are making all efforts to promote our province and it is a good thing if we are declared insurgency free,” she added.

The provincial tourism office, with the help of the Department of Tourism, had continuously promote tourism-ready areas of Northern Samar.

Just this week, the provincial government under Gov. Ongchuan lunched the first ever ‘Ibabao Festival’ showcasing the rich culture of the province.
The holding of the festival, which is in line of its provincehood anniversary, is aim to help attract tourists to Northern Samar.

When travel restrictions started to relax in 2021, they were able to generate an arrival of more than 200,000 tourists.

The following year, the province was visited by over 300,000 tourists of which 10 percent of them were foreigners.

“We are hoping now that with the end of coronavirus(COVID-19) and with all these promotions that we are doing, we hope that this will lead to increase of tourist arrivals,’ Doctor said.

The opening of the Simora-Palapag road is also seen as a factor for more tourists to visit the province as it will result to easy and fast access among Pacific towns in the province. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)