TACLOBAN CITY-The Public Employment Service Office (PESO) has announced that it will start the deployment on April 16, 2019, of the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) workers to the different departments of the city government.
Prior to their deployment, the first batch consisting of 85 SPES workers will attend a pre-deployment orientation at the Tacloban City Training Center on April 16.
Some 145 slots are available under the SPES of the city government of Tacloban under Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for this summer break.
PESO started accepting applications for the program last January to facilitate the processing time required by DOLE.
Aside from being assigned regular office work, SPES workers will also undergo several activities like livelihood orientation and other socio-civic activities as part of the holistic approach of the city government to the program.
The SPES workers will work for 20 days and will be paid a wage of P477.73 per day.
Sixty percent of the total wage of students is shouldered by the city government while the other 40% is paid by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The program is mandated under RA 7393 and intends to develop the potentials of poor but deserving students to finish their education by being employed during school breaks. (HENRY JAMES ROCA with a report from J.APOLINAR and D.ABARQUEZ/CIO)
SPES workers’ deployment set on April 16
Leyte Rep.Ong says completion of a bridge construction in Barugo town to bring in economic development
TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte Rep. Henry Ong (2nd district) has expressed his optimism that the construction of a concrete bridge that will connect three villages in Barugo town will bring in development and faster delivery of goods and services.
The reelectionist solon was referring to the ongoing construction of a concrete bridge connecting the interior villages of Minuhang, Balud and Duka, all in Barugo town.
The bridge is constructed in the amount of P190 million and is expected to be completed within this year.
“Currently, transporting agricultural and marine products to the public market is very costly and inconvenient since the existing footbridge is only passable to single motorcycles. Students also skipped classes during high tide, when the bridge is submerged,” Ong said, citing the burdens being experienced by the residents of these villages.
Aside from providing convenience to the villagers, the bridge can also be used as an alternate route in the event the Tacloban-Palo-Carigara-Ormoc road will be rendered impassable.
“I am particularly proud of this project. The foot bridge has been there long before I became a congressman and its only now during my term that this was given attention for the bridge construction and concreting,” Ong said.
The completion of Minuhang Bridge this year will allow the passage of all types of vehicles on an alternative road that connects the towns of Barugo and Babatngon.
Ong said that economic growth is expected in the area, since transportation of commodities will be easier and cheaper.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
Stranded dolphin brutally speared in Northern Samar
(Photo courtesy: BFAR)
TACLOBAN CITY- A stranded spinner dolphin was brutally speared with a bamboo pole by river-goers in Victoria, Northern Samar.
In a video sent by a concerned citizen to the regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), it showed how the spinner dolphin locally known as lumba-lumba tried to swim away from the river but was mercilessly speared instead.
The bureau said the incident occurred on April 5.
The municipal agriculturist and AT-fisheries initially responded to the site, but they were not able to see the spinner dolphin in Bangon River anymore, according to the BFAR.
Witnesses said the dolphin could have swim away from the river.
After the dolphin was killed, a resident has chopped it and brought its meat to his house in Sitio Karawisan of the said town.
Authorities however did not find the dolphin’s carcass at the residence of the suspect.
Local officials in Victoria are investigating the incident.
While the regional BFAR Fisheries Protection and Law Enforcement Group (FPLEG) and Northern Samar Provincial Fishery Office are closely coordinating with the Victoria Municipal Police Station for the arrest of the suspect.
“Killing of rare, threatened and endangered fishery species such as spinner is a violation of Fisheries Administrative Order No. 208,” BFAR said.
It added that violation of this order shall hold the offender liable to the penalty of imprisonment from 12 years to 20 years or a fine of P120,000.
Commonly found off-shore tropical water, a spinner dolphin is a small dolphin known for its acrobatic displays like spinning and leaping through the air.
BFAR urged the public to immediately report similar illegal activities to authorities for swift action and implementation of the country’s fishery laws. (RONALD O. REYES)
Biliran soon to have a bigger, spacious provincial hospital
Current provincial hospital has a ‘Malasakit Center’
NAVAL, Biliran- A modern and spacious provincial hospital is soon to be constructed in this town that can accommodate more people who need medical care.
This after a bill principally sponsored by Biliran Rep. Rogelio Espina was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte not only expanding the current bed capacity of the provincial hospital but relocating it to a safer place.
The expansion and relocation of the Biliran Provincial Hospital (BPH) is contained under Republic Act 111671 which was signed into law by Pres. Duterte on January 3, this year.
Rep. Espina, who is now on his third and last term and running for governor in the province in this year’s midterm elections, said that he is happy that finally his dream for Biliran to have a better provincial hospital is now realized.
According to him, the proposed new BPH will now have a 200-bed capacity or an increase of 125 beds from the current bed capacity of the current provincial hospital.
Aside from increasing the bed capacity, the new BPH will be relocated at the provincial government center located in Barangay Larrazabal.
The current BPH is located in Brgy. Santo Niño, about a kilometer away from the proposed site.
“It will be located at our government center in Brgy. Larrazabal. The proposed site is far safer compare to its current location, which is just 20 meters away from the shore,” Espina said.
“Of course, it can now accommodate more patients and it’s easy for us to develop because we have more space for expansion,” he added.
With a bigger provincial hospital, BPH would be needing more doctors and nurses, among others, to accommodate the projected increase number of patients.
It was learned from Rep. Espina that the provincial government, under Gov. Gerry ‘Boy’ Espina, provided a two-hectare lot where the proposed new BPH will be constructed.
The Department of Health (DOH) has allocated P50 million for the first phase on the construction of the new BPH which is expected to start anytime this year.
But meantime, the gubernatorial aspirant said that the people of the province, particularly the poor, have now better access of their medical needs.
This after a ‘Malasakit Center’ was introduced at the provincial hospital which was given an initial funding of P5 million for its initial operation.
Rep. Espina said that he is grateful to the administration of Pres. Duterte, particularly to his former close aide, Christopher ‘Bong’ Go, for putting a Malasakit Center in their province.
The Malasakit Center was formally inaugurated at the BPH on March 15.
A Malasakit Center is just like a one-stop shop staffed by personnel from the DOH, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development where patients can avail of immediate medical assistance.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
Ombudsman asks Biliran mayor to answer rap on docu tampering
Said official seeks vice guv post in this year’s polls
TACLOBAN CITY- The Office of Ombudsman here in the region has asked a municipal mayor who is running for vice governor in Biliran province to answer a complaint filed against him for allegedly tampering a performance rating document of an employee.
Mayor Lorenzo Reveldez Jr. of Culaba town is facing a complaint from Gloria Godes, a nurse assigned at the municipal health office, who claimed that the official changed the performance rating of her immediate superior and gave her unsatisfactory rating which could be used as basis for her eventual dismissal from service.
Godes claimed that Reveldez, who is running for vice governor in this year’s midterm elections, tampered her individual performance commitment and review (IPCR) covering the periods of the first semester and second semester of 2017 and the first semester of 2018, giving her failing marks.
Godes said that for the first semester of last year, for example, she received an overall performance rating from immediate superior, Dr. Estrella Pedrosa, of 4.33 percent with 5 percent as the highest rating.
But she alleged that Mayor Reveldez revised the rating and made it just at 2.96 percent.
“That on the 1st week of January,2019, (I) was told by the HRMO that my rating was unsatisfactory based on mayor’s rating and was told to submit means of verification(MOV) or supporting documents to justify (my performance),” she said in her letter.
“The HRMO handed to us our IPCR/OPCR with the notation of Mayor Reveldez dated Nov.26, 2018 regarding submission of MOVs. Upon browsing, there were corrections on the rating of our immediate superior, the Municipal Health Officer in the mark/rating on a red pen. No dialogue nor meeting was conducted to justify, not even the Performance Management Team,” Godes said on her March 25 letter.
She said that Mayor Reveldez also made the same alleged tampering on the performance rating of two other employees.
This act of the mayor resulted to sleepless nights as the unsatisfactory rating she received from the mayor could lead to her dismissal from service, Godes said.
Reached for his comment, Mayor Reveldez dismissed the allegation of Godes saying that as the mayor and head of the Performance Management Team (PMT), he has the final say in giving ratings to the employees of the municipal government.
According to him, the rating is being used by him as a basis in giving performance bonus to the employees.
“I am the mayor of the town and chairperson of the PMT of which I created. I have the final say,” he said.
He added that all employees of the municipal government is given the opportunity to rate their own performance which is then forwarded to the PMT, which, in turn, submit their ratings for his review.
“I have to evaluate why they rate themselves five, for example. These self-ratings are submitted to the PMT which endorse these to me as its chair for my own evaluation,” he said.
He then conduct his own evaluation by asking them mode of verification which include mostly supporting documents.
“These ratings should be supported with documents and not just hearsays,” Reveldez said.
Reveldez said that he has already submitted his reply to the Ombudsman on March 23.
The Ombudsman has yet to issue its decision on this complaint against the outgoing Culaba town mayor.
BY: JOEY A. GABIETA