All 13 school divisions in Eastern Visayas participates this year’s regional festival of talents that is being held in Calbiga, Samar. It opened on Saturday(June 10).(DepEd)
All 13 school divisions in Eastern Visayas participates this year’s regional festival of talents that is being held in Calbiga, Samar. It opened on Saturday(June 10).(DepEd)
CALBIGA, Samar– Delegates from 13 different school divisions of Region VIII participated in the grand parade during the 2023 Regional Festival of Talents hosted by Calbiga National High School, Saturday, June 10.
In a magnificent display of regional pride, school divisions from six provinces and seven cities across Eastern Visayas converged in the municipality of Calbiga’s Auditorium for the grand parade.
The resplendent procession features delegates from Baybay City, Biliran, Borongan, Calbayog City, Catbalogan City, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Maasin City, Northern Samar, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, Tacloban City, and Samar divisions. Together with their dedicated coaches, delegation heads, DepEd officials and personnel, these participants traversed the streets of Calbiga, radiating unity and showcasing the immense talent and vibrant spirit of Eastern Visayas.
Further, the parade is participated by the Calbiga’s Armed Forces, PNP, Bureau o Fire, MDRRM, LGU officials and as well as the Drum and Lyre Corps of Calbiga I CES, Patong National High School, and Calbiga National High School.
The opening program will follow after the parade at the Municipal Auditorium.
The competition (RFOT) will run until June 13, 2023.(DepEd-8)
. The Sangyaw Foundation announced that 12 contingents are to participate in this year’s Sangyaw Festival Parade of Lights which is to be held on June 19, a day before the annual city fiesta of Tacloban in honor of its patron, Senior Santo Niño.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
. The Sangyaw Foundation announced that 12 contingents are to participate in this year’s Sangyaw Festival Parade of Lights which is to be held on June 19, a day before the annual city fiesta of Tacloban in honor of its patron, Senior Santo Niño. (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
TACLOBAN CITY-Twelve lighted and decorated floats and 12 contingents of dancers depicting the rich history and cultural heritage of the city will parade along the main streets of Tacloban as part of the Sangyaw Parade of Lights on June 29, 2023.
The City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) said that this year’s Parade of Lights will be participated in by seven local schools, three barangays, and two LGU-based contingents and floats, which will creatively and meticulously portray the historical narrative behind El Capitan’s (the main image of Señor Sto. Niño de Tacloban) loss at sea and eventual return to Tacloban that happened in the 1880s, and the basis of the city’s current fiesta date.
Acting City Tourism Chief Ma. Lumen Tabao said that the Leyte-Samar Heritage Society, Inc., has come up with the guidelines for the participating contingents to make sure that they “jive’’ with the historical and cultural significance of the event.
Comprising the contingents are Tacloban City National High School, Brgy. 91 Abucay, Tacloban Institute of Electronics, Sagkahan National High School, JE Mondejar Computer College, Brgy. 85 San Jose, KFDMT Barangay 53-B, Tacloban Angelicum Learning Center, Tacloban Night High School, San Jose National High School, LGU Basey, and LGU Caibiran.
The participating contingents received a cash subsidy of P150,000 each from the city government.
Twenty members will make up each contingent who will perform in each float that will pass through Real, Imelda, Rizal, and Justice Romualdez streets at 5:30 p.m. on June 29.
Entries will be judged for their design, costume, and performance in three areas spread throughout the parade route, and the announcement of winners will be made at the Balyuan Amphitheater.
Two officials from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will make up the nine-member panel of judges.
About P500,000 and a trophy await the grand champion of the Festival Float Competition, while second and third placers will receive P300,000 and P200,000, respectively.
A consolation prize of P20,000 will be given to non-winners.
Special awards include “Best in Street Dance,” with a 20,000 prize, and “Best in Costume” and “Musicality,” with a prize of 10,000 pesos each.
Since Tacloban was classified as a highly urbanized city in 2008, the Sangyaw Festival has been regarded as the city’s official cultural event. (HROCA/TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
Police Regional Director B/Gen. Vincent Calanoga lead in welcoming Interior Sec.Benjamin Abalos on his visit to Borongan City on June 9 to attend the SIPPAD Assembly.
Police Regional Director B/Gen. Vincent Calanoga lead in welcoming Interior Sec.Benjamin Abalos on his visit to Borongan City on June 9 to attend the SIPPAD Assembly.
BORONGAN CITY-Interior Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” de Castro Abalos Jr. visited Eastern Samar to attend the 47th Samar Island Partnership for Peace and Development (SIPPAD) Assembly, with the theme “Strengthening the Partnership between the Church and Government” on Tourism and Environmental Concerns on June 9, 2023 at Provincial Capitol Gymnasium, Brgy. Alang-alang, Borongan City.
The assembly was held to bring together key stakeholders from the three Samar provinces to discuss plans for promoting peace and development in the region.
During the assembly, Sec.Abalos emphasized the importance of collaboration and partnership among local government units, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders in promoting peace and development in the region. He also highlighted the need for effective governance and transparency in the implementation of development programs.
The assembly was attended by various representatives from local government units (LGU), Civil Society Organization (CSO), None Government Organization (NGO), Academe, Church members and other stakeholders, who shared their experiences and insights on various development initiatives in the region.
Also present during the assembly were PB/Gen. Vincent S. Calanoga, RD,PRO-8, PCol. Matthe L Aseo, PD, ESSPO, Governor Ben Evardone, Minority Floor Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep.Marcelino C Libanan, and Rep. Ma. Fe Abunda as represented by Allan Contado.
The SIPPAD Assembly provided a platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas and coordinate efforts towards promoting peace and development in Samar Island. (PR)
ORMOC CITY– The dead body of a 70- year old man was found floating in a river in Isabel, Leyte last Friday (June 9) at about 6:50 pm.
The victim was identified by the local police as Ricardo Diongzon, a resident of Barangay Cantuhaon, Palompon, also in Leyte.
The police said that based on their investigation, the septuagenarian visited a relative in sitio Pasil of Brgy. Marvel, Isabel town where they had a drinking spree after taking their lunch on that day.
The victim, it added, said that he excused himself to take pee but failed to return.
Some villagers later discovered Diongzon at the river in the said place.
The responding police officers immediately contacted the rescue team from Isabel, Leyte and brought the victim to Isabel Emergency Hospital for medical attention but was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician. (ROBERT DEJON)
Visayas State University Tolosa’s College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE) is now the emerging best criminology school in Eastern Visayas after 90 of its 175 first time takers have successfully passed the recently concluded April 2023 Criminologists Licensure Examination (CLE).
The Professional Criminologists Association of the Philippines (PCAP) here in the region announced this on June 9 where they emphasized VSU Tolosa’s continuing growth as an emerging top criminology school in Eastern Visayas.
VSU Tolosa obtained an institutional passing percentage of 51.43% for first time takers which is the highest rating under Category A (above 100 takers). Overall institutional performance was at 42.73% as only 4 of the 41 repeaters made it on their second take of the CLE.
This overall institutional performance surpasses the national passing percentage of 31.84% with only 4,139 out of 11,131 takers nationwide successfully made it in the April 2023 CLE.
The PCAP-8 also disclosed that VSU Tolosa also produced three regional top scorers in the April 2023 CLE with John Ryan A. De los Santos got the 3rd highest percentage while Arnold B. Ramis and Glen D. Manito secured 5th and 7th spots, respectively.
De los Santos expressed his reflections on his remarkable journey as one of the regional top scorers.
“It sends shivers to my spine, figuratively, upon achieving this milestone. As I was preparing to take the examination, I felt a lot of torture, great tension, mental agony and excitement. But my family was always there to lift my spirit of hope up and to keep it burning whatever the odds were. So I was glad to pass the exam and to land as the 3rd highest regional scorer I supposed is already a bonus for me and my family,” he said.
Meanwhile, VSU Tolosa Chancellor Dr. Queenstein D. Lauzon expressed her delight about this news saying that despite having their criminology program as a relatively young offering,it is now starting to make a mark in the region.
“This is indeed a welcome development for us because criminology has been one of our in-demand curricular programs in VSU Tolosa for the past years. This feat is also a testament of our continuing commitment to improve the overall quality of our criminology education in Eastern Visayas,” she said.
The VSU Tolosa Chancellor also shared her aspiration of producing national topnotchers in the future.
“It’s a good thing to note that we’re also producing regional top scorers now. I really hope that next year or in the following licensure exams for criminologists, one day we will see a #ProudViscan from VSU Tolosa will emerge in this prestigious list. That’s why, we are doing all necessary steps to continuously improve our instructional quality for all the degree programs that we offer here on our campus,” Dr. Lauzon added.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board of Criminology administered the first CLE this year on April 3, 4 and 5, 2023 in Manila, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Calapan, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, Zamboanga, Antique, Bacolod, Bayambang, Bohol, Calbayog City, Cauayan, Dumaguete, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Kidapawan, Occidental Mindoro, Naga, and Palawan. (From VSU TOLOSA DOLPHIN PUBLICATION STAFF)
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Philippines Country Director Eunsub Kim (left) and U.S. Agency for International Development USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn sign the P111.5 million ($2 million) partnership between the United States and South Korea to boost the climate resilience of six cities in the Philippines.(US Embassy)
Borongan City among the beneficiaries
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Philippines Country Director Eunsub Kim (left) and U.S. Agency for International Development USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn sign the P111.5 million ($2 million) partnership between the United States and South Korea to boost the climate resilience of six cities in the Philippines.(US Embassy)
Manila_On April 22, the United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed a P111.5 million ($2 million) grant partnership agreement to boost the capacities of Philippine cities to adapt to, mitigate, and manage the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.
Through this grant funding, KOICA will support the implementation of the USAID’s five-year, P836.5 million ($15 million) Climate Resilient Cities Project that benefits partner cities of Batangas, Borongan, Cotabato, Iloilo, Legazpi, and Zamboanga.
KOICA’s technical assistance will enhance the capacity of local government units (LGUs) to develop guidelines for and use climate adaptation technology.
More than 180 Philippine officials and stakeholders will also be invited to participate in capacity building programs organized in the Philippines and Korea.
USAID and KOICA will also support the six LGUs and other stakeholders to more effectively disseminate climate-related information to local communities; increase access to climate financing for economic and social development; and promote natural climate solutions that strengthen cities’ resilience to climate change.
Additionally, the governments of the United States and Korea will soon launch a partnership to prevent and reduce marine pollution in Manila Bay. This partnership also seeks to enhance knowledge and influence social and behavioral changes for marine pollution reduction and prevention.
This latest agreement between USAID and KOICA follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding in April 2021 where the two leading development agencies agreed to strategically collaborate on priority programs, including climate change-related initiatives, to advance development in the Philippines.
“As the United States and Korea are among the largest bilateral donors in the Philippines, this momentous partnership of USAID, KOICA, and the Philippine government will bring together our accumulated experience and technical expertise to build climate change and disaster resilience in the country,” KOICA Country Director Eunsub Kim said.
“For 70 years, the United States and Korea have worked together to pursue mutual goals based on our core values of democracy and human rights,” said USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn. “The United States has pledged to strengthen this alliance and broaden the focus to address issues of critical importance to the Indo-Pacific region and the world. In particular, we will deepen our cooperation in addressing the climate crisis, reducing plastic waste, and promoting advanced technologies. We will also enhance our economic cooperation and people-to-people ties,” he added.
The Philippines consistently places high in global rankings on climate change risk and vulnerability. With an average of 20 typhoons per year and frequent floods, landslides, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, the Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone nations.
According to the 2022 World Risk Index, the Philippines ranked first out of 193 countries with the highest disaster risks. Between 2011 and 2021, the country incurred more than Php 670 billion worth of damage and losses due to tropical cyclones alone.
The negative impacts of climate change and disasters severely impede national economic development and worsen poverty. Thus, one of the top priorities for sustainable development is to strengthen national and local climate resilience systems.
The USAID-KOICA partnership supports the Philippine government’s 2023-2028 strategy framework goal to “enhance adaptive capacity and resilience of communities and ecosystems to natural hazards and climate change.”
The U.S.-ROK alliance will be marking its 70th anniversary this year. In the U.S.-ROK leader’s joint statement in May 2022, U.S. President Biden and ROK President Yoon agreed to strengthen the global comprehensive strategic alliance beyond the Korean Peninsula. (PR)
