TACLOBAN CITY – The main public plaza in Catbalogan City has been refurbished by adding more attractions like fountains and colorful lights around the facility.
The beautification of the city park was funded under the Green Green Program of the Department of Budget and Management allocated in 2019 with an amount of P12 million with the city government providing its counterpart of P10 million.
The improvement was geared towards the development of public open spaces among cities in the country.
Major features of the improvement were the installation of greeneries in the inner portion of the plaza as well as vertical gardens behind the stage, the installation of water fountains and lighting fixtures, to further highlight its unique Rizal statue, considered as a cultural heritage of Catbalogan.
“This project was supposed to be completed in August but due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic the project’s completion was delayed,” Mayor Dexter Uy said.
Uy added that the opening of the new city plaza is timely with the celebration of Christmas providing the city residents a place to visit and give a refreshing atmosphere in this time of pandemic.
The city mayor appealed to the public who have will visit the newly-improved city plaza to observe the minimum health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 like proper wearing of face masks, and face shield, including physical distancing.
“I hope that this will not be a cause for the increase of COVID-19 cases in the city but rather will remind us that there is hope despite we are facing this pandemic,” Uy said.
The mayor also appealed to keep the plaza always clean, by avoiding loitering, and destroying the structures.
Mayor Uy added that improving the Catbalogan City plaza was conceptualized by his elder sister, former mayor and now Councilor Stephany Uy-Tan.
Catbalogan is one of the 144 local government units in the country that are recipient of the DBM project that aims to make their place livable and sustainable.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Catbalogan City’s renovated plaza now open to public
Frontliners, volunteers of Tacloban city government receive gift packs, recognition during city’s 12th HUChood anniversary
TACLOBAN CITY- As a reward to the local government’s frontliners and volunteers for their pledge in assisting and assuring the safety of the public during this health crisis, the city government of Tacloban under Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez distributed gift packs on Thursday afternoon (December 17).
About 966 employees from some frontline offices of the city government namely; City Health Office (CHO), Tacloban City Hospital (TCH), Tacloban City Rescue Unit (TACRU), City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and Traffic Operations Management, Enforcement and Control Office (TOMECO), among others, received the gift bags from Acting Human Resources Management and Development Office (HRMDO) Head Atty. Annaliza Quilope.
A recognition activity was also held among the city’s frontliners as well as retirees and loyalty service awardees of the local government on Friday, December 18, as part of the 12th anniversary of Tacloban City’s conversion into a Highly Urbanized City (HUC).
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
14 schools named as pilot for face-to-face classes
DepEd says it is on a voluntary basis
TACLOBAN CITY-At least 14 schools in the region were identified by the Department of Education (DepEd) as pilot schools for its face-to-face classes.
Jasmin Calzita, regional information officer of DepEd, said that of the 14 schools identified in the region, eight are in Samar province; and three each from the provinces of Southern Leyte and Leyte.
She, however, could not say yet as to how many students would be participating for this face-to-face classes setup as this would be ‘voluntary’ especially on the part of the parents.
“This is purely voluntary so we cannot yet determine how many will volunteer,” Calzita said.
She also declined to identify the schools where the face-to-face classes will be piloted January next year which is to last for a month.
Due to the threat of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, classes in the region and the rest of the country are being conducted either through online or modular to ensure that students and teachers would not acquire the dreaded virus.
It was learned that the schools identified as pilot areas for the face-to-face classes are located in areas considered as ‘low risk areas’ in terms of the coronavirus disease(COVID-19)cases; readiness of the school and its teachers and staff; request of the barangay or from the local government itself; and from no to low internet connection.
Meantime, the Department of Health in the region said that Eastern Visayas’ number of COVID-19 cases is now at 9,900 as 57 new cases were added on Friday.
Of the 57 new cases, 37 are from Leyte province; 13 from Samar; three each from Southern Leyte and Eastern Samar provinces; and one from Northern Samar.
The virus has already claimed 109 lives.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
LGUs in EV to procure own anti-COVID vaccines
TACLOBAN CITY- Several local government units in the region are planning to procure their own vaccines against coronavirus.
Among these local governments are the provincial governments of Eastern Samar and Biliran; and the city government here in Tacloban.
The provincial government of Eastern Samar will be allocating around P500 million to procure vaccines on anti-coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
This was disclosed by Governor Ben Evardone who said that the vaccines will be provided to all the people of the province down to its far-flung barangays and sitios.
“We are preparing about P500 million for the vaccines, medicines, and other items to make sure that our people are protected from this virus,” he said.
According to the governor those who will receive the inoculation from the province are those who will not be covered under the national government program.
“It will all be on a voluntary basis but all will be accomodated. But I would like to continue to appeal to our people to strictly observe health protocols before and after vaccinations,” Evardone said.
The governor added that he would mobilize the Provincial Health Office and all health units in the province during the vaccination to ensure that health protocols will be followed.
Tacloban City Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin said that the city government has allocated close to P30 million to procure the vaccines.
He said that P22.2 million will be sourced under the public health emergency program under the Office of the Mayor and another P7 million under the City Health Office.
The province of Biliran also plan to procure its own vaccines, said Gov.Rogelio Espina.
Espina, however, could not say yet as to how much the province will be setting aside for this purpose. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
S. Leyte’s ‘Lupong Tagapamayapa’ winners recognized, receive cash incentives
MAASIN CITY- Winners of the 2020 Lupon Tagapamayapa Incentives Awards (LTIA) were given recognition and cash incentives by the provincial government of Southern Leyte in an awarding ceremony led by the provincial office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Declared as Lupong Tagapamayapa provincial winners are Brgy. Tubod, Silago for the 4th-6th class municipality and Brgy. Catublian, Hinunangan for the 1st-3rd class municipality.
Both received P30,000 cash award and an additional financial grant for Katarungang Pambarangay (KP) development projects worth P50,000.
Brgy. San Jose of Maasin City won for the component city category and received P30,000 cash award and an additional financial grant of P30,000 for KPs development projects.
Other winners for the local LTIA were given to Poblacion in Padre Burgos, Punod of Pintuyan, Sindangan in Macrohon, and one in the municipality of Libagon. These barangay runners-up also get cash awards and an additional grant for the Katarungang Pambarangay development projects during the awarding ceremony held at the Old DPWH Function Hall on November 27, 2020.
The local LTIA awarding ceremony was held after the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force meeting led by Gov. Damian G. Mercado with the presence of municipal/city mayors who were also acknowledged for their usual support of the said program, to include the Lupon chairs, barangay treasurers of each winning barangay, and the Municipal/City Local Government Operations Officers.
(ldl/rgc/PIA8-SoLeyte)