TACLOBAN CITY – At least 18 individuals are now undertaking a two-year auto mechanic training at the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) – 8.

The trainees were chosen from the 620 applicants all over the region for the scholarship program offered by TESDA, Isuzu Motors Limited, and World Vision Philippines.

Among the new trainees is Megan Longasa, 20, from Barangay San Antonio, Basey, and Samar who stopped schooling after the first semester of her first year in college due to financial difficulties.

Longasa said that being chosen as one of the scholars for the program is a challenge for her being a woman as she has no prior knowledge on vehicles or on mechanical works.
“I will listen carefully during our lesson, and persevere to make sure that this opportunity that was given to me will not be wasted,” she said, adding that graduating with the national competency will allow her to land jobs not only in the country but even abroad.

“To my fellow scholars, our dream is now ahead of us and thankfully enough, we are the luckiest one out of the many others who aim to be part of this scholarship. I hope that we continue to follow our dreams, always find our passion, and never let go,” she said in her message of commitment during the welcome ceremony Wednesday (May 17).

For Remar Taneo, 22, who is from Ormoc City, the opportunity given to him to be part of the Batch 23 scholars of the auto mechanic training is a stepping stone for him to achieve his goal to become an engineer.

Taneo said that he took up an engineering course at the Eastern Visayas State University but due to some problem, he had to stop his schooling.

“I have a better chance of getting employed after my two years of training here at TESDA as an auto mechanic. The competency that they are giving to us is a big help in looking and landing for a job,” Taneo said, adding that he would like to pursue his engineering course once he already enough savings.

The Isuzu-TESDA auto mechanic in partnership with the World Vision had been ongoing since 2008 and had produced more than 300 trainees mostly come from underprivileged families but deserving to be provided with needed education to gain employment.

Isuzu and World Vision had allocated P366 million for the operation of the project since their partnership started in 2012.

The training facility located inside the regional office of TESDA-8 is complete with training tools and equipment, a dormitory for boys and girls, a cafeteria, and a multi-purpose covered court.

Graduates of the training will undergo competency assessment and those who will pass will be certified by the TESDA and issued the national certificate or certificate of competency.
The Isuzu-TESDA auto mechanic scholars were welcome by the Isuzu Senior Executive Officer of administrative division Hirokazu Okubo, World Vision Philippines Executive Director Rommel Fuerte, TESDA Regional Director Gamaliel Vicente Jr., and TESDA Leyte Director Rolando Bade.

Vicente, in an interview, said that more than 91 percent of the graduates under the scholarship program are employed after the training both locally and abroad.

“Some of the graduates are hired by Isuzu and with their learning and skills being globally competitive, companies from the Philippines and abroad may immediately hire them,” he said.

Aside from the 18 new scholars, the training center has currently 18 auto mechanic trainees for automotive servicing NC I, 18 for NC II, 18 for NC III, and 19 for NC IV.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

As EV continues to see uptrend of COVID- 19 cases

TACLOBAN CITY-Cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Eastern Visayas continue to see an uptick with health officials asking the public to again follow all the health protocols.
Based on the records from the Department of Health (DOH), the region has 135 active COVID-19 cases covering the May 8 to 14 monitoring.

The figure is higher compared to the May 1 to 7 report of the DOH which noted of 84 new COVID-19 cases.

The DOH noted that all six provinces of the region is seeing an increase of COVID-19 cases.
The province of Leyte logged the highest active cases with 88 cases, higher compared to the May 1 to 7 period which was only 59 cases.

The city of Tacloban in Leyte and the regional capital has 43 cases, an increase of 13 cases from the previous DOH monitoring.

Dr. Gloria Fabregas, assistant city health officer, said that while Tacloban City is seeing an increase of COVID-19 cases, she does not find it ‘alarming.’

This is because, she said, majority of the active cases of the city are considered ‘mild.’
“It is no longer of epidemic proportion,”she said on Tuesday.

She blamed the increase on the disregard of the public in following the health protocols.
Thus, she asked the public to again follow all the mandatory health protocols like the wearing of face mask.

The DOH in the region also made the same appeal.

Aside from wearing the face mask, it urged the public to immediately isolate oneself if sick; and get the vaccine and booster shots.

It said that the increase of COVID-19 cases in the region serves as a ‘reminder’ to the public to get anti-COVID-19 shots.

However, despite of the increasing COVID-19 cases of the region, the DOH 8 stressed that there is no severe and critical case admitted in the hospitals due to COVID-19.

It said that out of 49 intensive care unit (ICU) beds intended for patients with COVID-19, only 5 beds are occupied or 10.20%. Meanwhile, 21.79% of 1,083 non-ICU COVID-19 beds are currently being used.

Meantime, the province of Samar has 22 cases from the previous 18; Northern Samar, 10 from earlier cases of 3; Eastern Samar, eight from a single case; Southern Leyte, from two to four cases; and Biliran, from one case to three COVID-19 cases.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROBERT DEJON)

In Northern Samar

TACLOBAN CITY –Students from a remote village in Las Navas, Northern Samar have now no reason to be absent from their schools located the town proper.

This after the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) in Barangay San Isidro, led by its chairman, Elmer Pajanustan bought a motorboat sourced from their funds to help ferry students from their village to the town proper.

Launched last month, Pajanustan said that he is thankful that their village officials supported his idea.

The SK council had spent P120,000 to buy the motorboat and for repainting. They source it from their standing fund amounting to P400,000.

Pajanustan, in an interview over Facebook messenger, said that it takes an hour of travel from their village to the town proper of Las Navas.

The village has around 40 students who are studying in Colegio de Las Navas in the town proper and at the University of Eastern Philippines – Catubig located at the adjacent town of Catubig.

These students would sometimes need to fight for a seat in the motorboat each time they would return home or go back to the town proper but this is no longer happening since they started operating in April.

Pajanustan also shared that during his college days there were times when he could only go home once a month because on financial problem, which this project hope to address.
He graduated in 2022 with BS in Criminology course at the UEP Catubig campus and currently preparing to take the criminology board examination this August.

From P70 usual fare, students are now saving a lot since they only collect P25 which they use to buy for fuel and for maintenance of the boat, Pajanustan said.

“Education is not just shaping your future it is a foundation that nobody can break. It is important nowadays to earn a degree to have a brighter career,” Panajustan stressed, emphasizing the importance of education reason he pushed for the project.

Lea Belle Lebico, a first year at the Colegio de Las Navas taking Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, said that for a poor student like her who only has a P500 allowance every week, the project is a big help because this assures her that she could go home every week.

“Because of this SK program, we now have the strength and reason to continue our studies. Even though we came from a hinterland barangay, we do not longer need to have a big sum of money just to go home and be with our families every weekend,” Lebico said.
Since the boat’s primary purpose is to cater to college students, they are only using it every Friday to pick up students who are going back to their village, then on Sunday afternoon to send them back to the town proper to make sure that they won’t be late for their Monday class.

But during emergency cases, residents may also use the motorboat to transport their patients going to the town proper or back to their village.

“Actually, the SK motorboat is also intended for emergencies. A year ago, there was an incident in our village, a pregnant woman who was about to give birth but died during labor, because our barangay LGU does not own a transport service that can be used on emergency cases,” Pajanustan shares.

Renting a commercial boat from their village going to town proper would cost P2,000, a huge amount for mostly poor residents of the village.

“We can use the SK motorboat in emergencies cases like in transporting residents that need to be treated in a medical facility,” Pajanustan added.

Pajanustan hopes that the next set of SK officials in their village will provide a budget for its maintenance so students may already ride it free and no longer pay a fare.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The provincial government of Samar and the city government of Mandaluyong signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for a scholarship program for residency training of doctors from Samar at the Mandaluyong City Medical Center (MCMC).
Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan and Mandaluyong City Mayor Ben Abalos signed the agreement on May 16.

Under the agreement, doctors from Samar who will undergo the residency training will particularly specialize in pediatrics.

Gov. Tan said that agreement will be a good opportunity for their doctors to be trained further in pediatrics considering that health access is one of the major problems of Samar.
“Samar needs technical people. Most doctors do not want to work in Samar. They want to stay in urban areas because of the opportunity there,” Gov. Tan said.

“But this time around with the help of Mandaluyong city, our doctors are going to be trained so that when they return to the province they will render better services,” she added.

Tan added that they chose pediatricians to undergo the residency training because of the situation of the province wherein most families consist of more than five children.
“That is why it is really important for the province to have a trained and able pediatrician,” she stressed.

Under the MOA pediatric doctors from Samar will undergo a three years residency training at the MCMC and will receive a salary as contractual medical officer III, including benefits and accommodation for three years.

This residency program is also open to doctors who have roots from Samar province. Those interested to avail the program have to signify their interest to the MCMC or to the provincial government.

Tan added that she hopes after the residency training, the doctors will render their service to any hospitals under the management of the provincial government.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)