TACLOBAN CITY – The finished infrastructure projects in Leyte town now serve and enhance or boost the economy of the municipality and nearby areas, a report from the office of Leyte provincial governor, based in this city, said.
Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla told reporters in an interview that the concreted road including the bridge and other related infrastructure projects worth P72 million leading to Kalabato Hot Spring, in La Paz town is now serving the constituents and the tourist destination of the town.
Petilla said that the road enhances the economic activity and provides opportunities for residents of the town through easier transport of commodities and products to and from the market.
He added that the infrastructure projects also boost the tourist’ destination of the municipality.
In an earlier interview, Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said that the road in the newly-identified tourism spot in La Paz town will surely attract more local and foreign tourists with the infrastructure now in place.
Tiopes explained that the construction of the infrastructure was made possible through the Tourism Road Infrastructure Projects (TRIP), a project convergence between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The Kalabato Hot Spring is located within the Mahagnao Volcano National Park, a protected zone with an area of 635 hectares situated within the boundaries of the municipalities of La Paz, Burauen and McArthur, all in Leyte.
Other attractions of the tourist destination, aside from the hot spring, are the lush forest and the wildlife species like the various kinds of birds, tarsiers and monkeys that abound in the area.
(RESTITUTO A.CAYUBIT)

TACLOBAN CITY- Police rearrested a 43-year-old inmate who bolted from jail in Caibiran, Biliran on Wednesday (October 7).
The escapee, identified as Jaime Bacarisas, requested for a sunning for his health condition when he suddenly ran away from the custodial guard of Caibiran Municipal Police Station around 11:55 am.
Caibiran police led Lieutenant Ruel Sitoy, officer- in- charge, and Biliran Provincial Mobile Force Platoon led by Senior Master Sergeant Ronie Inocentes immediately conducted a hot pursuit operation and rearrested the escapee around 1:40 pm on that day at Sitio Banacod, Barangay Victory of the said town.
Bacarisas was accused for violation of Republic Act 9262 or Violence against Women and their Children.
(RONALD O. REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY-A police officer and two civilians were injured in an ambush incident reportedly staged by members of the New People’s Army (NPAs) that took place in Jiabong town, Samar province at around 8 am Wednesday (Oct. 7).
The injured police officer was identified as Patrolman Ace Denver Aharuddin,24, who was wounded on his buttock and right shoulder.
He is assigned at the Pinabacdao police station, also in Samar.
The police officers were on their way to Catbalogan City to serve as escort for an inmate, Dino de la Peña, for his court hearing on arson charge.
The two civilians who were sustained minor injuries during the ambush incident Elma Geli,58; and Reynaldo Calipis, 52, driver of a passenger van where they were on board.
All were residents of Villareal town, also in Samar.
The other police officers who were on board on their vehicle, Corporal Paul Hadlong,34; SSG Crisistomo Mabansag,51; and Corporal Reymart Romero,30, were unhurt, report from the PNP regional headquarters based in Palo town, Leyte said.
Based on the report, the two vehicles were traversing along Maharlika Highway at Barangay Tagbayaon, Jiabong at around 8 am en route to Catbalogan City, also in Samar, when an improvised explosive device planted by the rebels at the roadside exploded followed by several gun shots.
All the injured were immediately brought at the Samar Provincial Hospital based in Catbalogan City as members of the 2nd Samar Provincial Mobile Force Company led by Lt.Col. Joy Leanza immediately conducted a hot pursuit operations against the rebels.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had distributed so far 59,268 waitlisted beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) across the region.
Out of these number of beneficiaries, 10,317 received the P5,000 cash assistance through direct cash payout while remaining 48,951 through digital payment.
The DSWD had distributed a total of P296.340 million to beneficiaries from 127 local government units.
The waitlisted beneficiaries were from Leyte province with 29,573; 11,057 from Samar;9,362 from Northern Samar; 3, 999 from Eastern Samar; 3, 845 from Southern Leyte; and 1,432 from Biliran province.
Among those who received SAP was the 86-year old Consuelo from Allen, Northern Samar who said that at her old age, it is now difficult for her to work for a living.
“I’m thankful to the DSWD for the SAP assistance. I can now buy milk, vitamins, and for my maintenance,” she said.
Raymundo from Ormoc City was also thankful to the financial assistance from the government through the DSWD.
“This P5,000 cash assistance is a big help to my family, especially now that it is hard to look for job,” he said.
Raymundo said that the will use the SAP assistance to buy food, and medicine for his wife who suffered from stroke and has high blood problem.
Another waitlisted SAP beneficiary from Babatngon town, named Marcelina is also thankful to the assistance given by the agency to her.
Marcelina after receiving the P5,000 immediately went to a store to buy medicine, vitamins, milk, and food.
The SAP beneficiaries comes from qualified poor families who did not received the cash assistance during the first tranche, DSWD Regional Director Marie Angela Gopalan said.
During the first tranche, Gopalan said they released a total of P2.75 billion, serving 550,480 families from the region’s 143 towns and cities. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The unemployment rate of the region has declined to 8.1 percent in July 2020 from a record-high of 14.3 percent in April 2020, a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) regional office.
PSA Regional Director Wilma Perante said that the 8.1 percent in July 2020 is 3.9 percentage points is higher compared with the 4.2 percent in July 2019.
Perante said that Eastern Visayas ranked 9th among 17 regions in the country with low employment rate.
She explained that unemployment rate is the proportion of unemployed persons to the total labor force while unemployed persons are persons in the labor force who are reported as without work; and currently available for work; and seeking work or not seeking work.
Perante said that out of the estimated 3.1 million population in the region, 15 years old and over in July 2020, about 1.9 million were economically active or in the labor force.
“This number translates to a Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of 60.9 percent. This figure is 1.1 percentage point lower compared with the 62.0 percent LFPR in the same period a year ago. Among the regions, Eastern Visayas registered the seventh lowest LFPR,” she said.
The PSA official reported that about 1.7 million persons in the labor force of Eastern Visayas were employed.
“This translates to an employment rate of 91.9 percent or 3.9 percentage points lower than the 95.8 percent employment rate recorded in 2019 but 6.2 percentage points higher than the 85.7% in April 2020,” she said.
Perante also explained that the employment rate is the proportion of employed persons to the total labor force.
She added that among the employed persons in July 2020, 0.8 percent worked for more than 48 hours per week due to the quarantine measures of the COVID-19 pandemic. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)