TACLOBAN CITY – Reaching the town center of Jipapad, Eastern Samar from the main highway is now more convenient following the completion of a hanging bridge crossing the town’s major river earlier this April.
The P18.6-million, 80-meter hanging bridge with a mix of concrete and steel structure connects the town center to the other side of the town leading to the national road.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Eastern Samar district engineering office chief Ma. Margarita Junia said in a phone interview on Friday the hanging bridge is also designed for the passage of motorcycles bringing farm products to the town’s commercial area.
The hanging bridge was built to withstand and be serviceable to the public anytime especially during emergencies, according to Junia.
The construction started in mid-2020.
The bridge is already being used though there is still no formal turn-over from the DPWH to the local government.
“Jipapad is known as a flood-prone area because of its topographical location, the maximum flood level was considered in the design of the hanging bridge so that this will be accessible even during the occurrence of floods, during rainy seasons, and calamities,” Junia added.
In the past, residents used temporary wooden bridges easily washed away by strong water current during rainy days.
Residents also ride small boats to cross the Jipapad river, adding inconvenience and transport costs.
Jipapad, a 5th class town in Eastern Samar and home to 7,885 people, is located 117 kilometers north of Tacloban City, the regional capital. (PNA)
Hanging bridge improves access to E. Samar town
Towns in Eastern and Northern Samar opens community pantries
TACLOBAN CITY-The concept of community pantry has reached Eastern Visayas and this found its way in the remote towns of Biri in Northern Samar and Oras in Eastern Samar.
In Biri, the community pantry was organized by two women who works in the government sector: Mary Joy Sabangan, an elementary school teacher and Maria Vandervis, who works at the local government unit of Biri.
The two organizers spent around P8,000 from their own pockets and solicited some with their friends to buy the food items consisting of rice, canned goods, noodles, eggs, vegetables, sachet of coffee, and even bar and laundry soaps and shampoos.
They opened their community pantry last April 18 and put them on display in Barangay poblacion which is located just in front of the town auditorium.
And as expected, people made a line to take the items on display.
“But we asked them to take three to four items which they think they need most for that day. This way, more people can avail from our own community pantry. That we can be able to help one person or his family to have a meal even only for a day,” Vanderis, 42, said.
Sabangan,33, said that they were ‘overwhelmed’ with the response that they received from the people who mostly were poor that they could barely afford to buy their foods for the day.
“We never thought that we could help our people who are in need during this time (of pandemic) and at the same time, received donations from other people,” she said.
Among those who helped them is Sabangan’s friend, Jovi Domingo, 42 and also a school teacher assigned at the Biri National High School.
“This is an endeavor worth helping. And I am willing to help and share whatever I have as I know this will help our people who are now affected by the pandemic,” Domingo said.
Their community pantry is opened starting at 1 pm until 5 pm daily.
In Oras, their version of community pantry was initiated by Franklin Robedizo and his brother-in-law, Jessiejun Columbretes, which opened just this Tuesday (April 20) using their own money of P7,000.
According to Robedizo, who works as the secretary of the provincial board based in Borongan City, they put their items just outside of his bakeshop located in Barangay San Eduardo, about three kms away from the town proper.
Robedizo said that they have packed the items into a kilo of rice, two noodles and one sardine to ensure that any ‘get- all-you-want’ attitude could be avoided.
He said that when they opened their community pantry at around 5:30 am, the items that they put into display were gone in less than two hours.
Brgy. San Eduardo is said to be the biggest village in Oras with more than 4,000 people.
Both organizers of these two community pantries admitted that they decided to come up with their own versions after they were inspired by the Maginhawa community pantry in Quezon City.
And the organizers have made it known that they just want to help their communities during this time of pandemic caused by coronavirus disease and not to make them ‘dependent’ on this kind of set-up.
“We try to inform them that this community pantry is like a bayanihan kind of thing. We want to help those who are in need (during this time). This is our way of saying that we should not depend on our government all the time,” Robedizo said.
The organizers admitted that due to their lack of own resources, they hope that those who could afford would help them for them to sustain their own community pantries.
“Giving is caring,” says Vandervis.
The towns of Biri and Oras are among the poorest areas in Eastern Visayas.
Based on the 2015 poverty incidence data of the Philippine Statistics Authority(PSA), Oras, which has a population of 36,540, has a poverty incidence of 45.6 percent while Biri(population:11,767) has a poverty incidence of 49 percent.(JOEY A.GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Bising displaces 4,600 families across EV
Power and communication lines still down in some areas
TACLOBAN CITY- Typhoon ‘Bising’ has barreled its way in Eastern Visayas on Sunday (April 18) which resulted to the displacement of more than 4,600 families consisting of over 19,000 individuals and cut power and communication lines across the region.
Based on the data from the various provincial risk reduction management offices and the regional office of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bising, the first typhoon to hit the country for this year packing winds of 195 kph per hour near the center and gusts of up to 240 kph, has forced 4,677 families involving 19,030 persons.
In Northern Samar, provincial risk reduction management officer Rei Josiah Echano said that 3,323 families involving 14,269 persons were affected by Bising.
The affected families were from the province’16 towns, to include its capital Catarman.
As of press time, power and communications lines remain unavailable in most part of the province.
Echano said that they have not monitored any person hurt or killed due to the typhoon.
He also said that about 941 passengers from the ports of Dapdap, Santa Clara, and Balwharteco, all in Allen town, were stranded.
In Eastern Samar, 774 families comprising of 2,701 individuals also fled their homes due to the rise of water levels spawned by Bising.
Among the most affected was the town of Jipapad, a low-lying area, where 68 families or 248 individuals were evacuated to safer grounds.
Power supply were restored since Monday in several parts of the province though there are still areas in the province where electricity has yet to be restored.
In Samar province, 272 families involving 1,045 individuals were also affected by the typhoon.
In Catbalogan City, a vessel was beached at the city’s seawall though no one was hurt but its disaster risk reduction management personnel are monitoring the situation.
In Leyte, 101 families involving 276 individuals from the six towns of Leyte were also evacuated.
In Tacloban, 45 families involving 274 persons were also taken into evacuation centers by the city government.
Several local government units also suspended their work and classes due to Bising.
The suspension took effect in the entire province of Eastern Samar, most parts of Northern Samar, and some parts in Biliran and Leyte, to include Tacloban City.
Meantime, crew and equipment from the Department of Public Works and Highways were also deployed to conduct clearing operations in major highways and roads which were littered with fallen trees and other debris.