NAVAL, Biliran-The public information officers (IOs) of Biliran District Engineering Office (DEO) are seriously taking up the challenge of fighting fake news.
Public IOs Chelsea Q. Salloman, Engr. Gene F. Delfin, and Penny Lloyd E. Batoto attended a workshop under Communication Development Program (CommDev) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on June 7-8, 2018.
The workshop was held during the 2nd Quarterly Meeting of DPWH Region VIII Public IOs at Eastern Samar District Engineering Office (ESDEO), Borongan City.
According to District Engineer (DE) Manolo A. Rojas of ESDEO, the DPWH has been allocated by the government with the biggest budget this year.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” DE Rojas said quoting the fictional character Spiderman. “This is the reason why all eyes are focusing on our performances,” he added during his welcome remarks to public IOs.
“Because of the technology and accessible social media, a lot of information are now displayed on the internet and everything is only one click away, fake news is very rampant,” he said.
According to DE Rojas, the public has to know the good news on what the DPWH is doing, that they deserve to know the truth and that they are privileged.
“That is now the work of Public Information Officers, and that is also the reason why you are important,” DE Rojas said.
“You are the voice of the department, you are the warrior of fake news, and you are the communicator of good news,” he added.
Fake news/ disinformation is an information that is false, and the person disseminating it knows it is not true, therefore it is an intentional lie.
Resource speaker, Ninfa Ilumida B. Quirante, officer-in- charge of Public Information Agency (PIA)-Eastern Samar Provincial Information Office, gave some refresher course on news writing to DPWH public IOs through workshop.
In fighting fake news, public IOs of Biliran DEO together with other district IOs of DPWH pledged to write only what is the truth, what is verifiable, and what is accurate and timely. (PR)

CARIGARA, Leyte- The “Build Build Build” program of the Department of Public Works and Highways under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is very beneficial, not only to the agency but to the grassroots level,Engr. Carlos Veloso district engineer of the Leyte’s second engineering district,said.
“Aside from the regular flow of funds, because of the program, the ultimate goal of improved living condition and convenience of every Filipino is achieved because of the program,” he said.
Veloso said that the Build Build Build program is very good as there is the ready available of funds, with the right time, right cost, right project, right people and with quality control.
The projects under the Build Build Build program, according to Veloso, are hasten because of the department’s compliance to international standard or ISO, where all activities are documented and are computerized.
Next year where the engineering district is expected to have as much as P5 billion budget with the continuation of the widening of national roads and bridges, as well as the flood programs and construction of school building, Veloso is hopeful that an additional personnel will be employed by the district to augment the number of key personnel and office staff.
The Build, Build, Build program is the medium-term goal of the Duterte’s administration to increase infrastructure spending from 5.4 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2017, to 7.3 percent by the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term in 2022.
A major project under the “Build Build Build” program in Leyte is the Leyte Tide Embankment Project, a 27.3-km project from Barangay Diit in Tacloban City to Brgy. Ambao in Tanauan, Leyte, which is expected to protect at least 33,185 houses from the destructive effects of storm surges.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

MAASIN CITY-Southern Leyte Rep.Roger Mercado was thankful to President Rodrigo Duterte for giving instructions to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to improve the connectivity and accessibility of their province.
Mercado said that even before the President made the order to DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade, the agency chief had already committed to provide fund for the implementation of various transportation-related projects in Southern Leyte.
These include the expansion of the Maasin City Airport runway and the improvements of several sea ports across the province.
“The seamless connectivity and efficient travel of tourists from airports or ports to tourists’ destinations can encourage visitors to come again,” Rep.Mercado said.
Mercado, in coordination with the provincial government, conducted the first-ever two-day Tourism, Environment, and Agriculture (TEA) Summit which aim to help boost primarily the tourism and agriculture sectors of the province.
The expansion of the airport runway will allow bigger planes to land at the Maasin City Airport which currently operates for Air Juan plane using a nine-seater Grand Cessna Caravan for Cebu-Maasin flight.
Airline passengers from Southern Leyte who will travel by plane to Metro Manila needs to take three to four hours land travel to the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City which has a daily Cebu, Clark, and Manila flights.
“I am confident that the national government will provide funding for this project not because the President gives us favor because he was born in Maasin but because these are development projects that will support the sustainable livelihood of our people and better economy of the province,” Rep. Mercado said.
DOTr Sec. Tugade, who attended the July 3-4 TEA Summit re-echoed Pres.Duterte’s message to the residents on Southern Leyte on the importance of connectivity.
Tugade said Southern Leyte’s ‘connectivity’ will help boost its local economy, to include its tourism industry.
Sec. Tugade led in the inauguration of the Maasin City Airport Terminal expanding its passenger capacity from 50 to 150.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Leyte provincial government is pushing for skills training for the children of farmers who have been receiving assistance over the past years.
The program is in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), tasked to raise the capability of youth to process and market farm produce.
Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said the training intended for children of farmers belonging to established associations, is designed to hone their skills to process raw farm products into high value processed food.
The month-long training has started this month for the first batch.
Training will be done in TESDA-accredited training centers closer to residence of recipients. No educational attainment is required to avail the program, according to the governor.
“We want children to learn these skills because food processing is more complicated than planting crops or raising animals,” Petilla added.
This training by TESDA is primarily funded from the office of Senator Loren Legarda.
The provincial government has been training thousands of farmers on producing high-value crops using new technologies.
As of June, the initiative has covered 180 villages all over the province. Priority areas are those with high poverty incidence and areas known to be former hotbeds of the New People’s Army.
The program, officially dubbed as More Income in the Countryside (MIC) compact farming for high-value vegetables and fruit crops, also covers areas with organized group of women and persons with disabilities.
Petilla said the program was conceptualized in the province seven years ago to raise the income of poor farmers, ensure stable local supply of high value crops, link farmers with institutional buyers, increase school participation rate, and curb malnutrition among children.
(MELVA MAE C. MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY- The National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP), as part of its poverty-free zone program thrust, conducted for free, the Basic Safety Training for Motorboat Handlers/ Operators / Fisher folks with Typhoon Preparedness (MBHOF) to 156 motorboat handlers / operators / fisher folks’ participants on June 4-5 2018 at the Judgebar Restobar, Victory, Abuyog Leyte.
The training was held in partnership with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Regional Office VIII.
The training was conducted taking in cognizant of the fact that maritime incidents and loss of lives are sometimes attributed to accidents involving marginalized vessels and motorboats, thus, the NMP, PCG, Marina, and the local government of Abuyog realized the need to optimize its resources and harmonize its efforts to enhance the basic safety skills of the residents of Abuyog – motorboat handlers / operators and fisher folks to promote safety of life at sea.
The Basic Safety Training for MBHOF aimed in improving the basic safety skills of local motorboat operators and fisher folks and expose them to new techniques in personal survival, Fire prevention and firefighting, elementary first aid and personal safety and social responsibility.
Other salient topics were rules of the road, typhoon awareness and marine safety requirements.
The MBHOF training is in conformity with the NMP Course Plan as approved by the Board of Trustees on 19 March 2007. (PR)

MAASIN CITY- At his home town in Southern Leyte, President Rodrigo Duterte was apparently at his best, throwing rowdy antics and narrating past political exploits while making his ‘kababayans’ in Maasin City laughed as he defended himself against various criticisms hurled against his administration, particularly by the religious sector.
In his impromptu speech during the 58th anniversary of the province on July 2, Duterte asked everyone to listen to him alone instead of the noise created by his critics, saying he should be trusted as the people elected him into office.
“Masuko ba diay’g ingnong lain imong Ginoo? You know, God is what you conceive him to be. Lain-lain ta’g Ginoo eh (Why do you get mad if I hit your god? God is what you conceive him to be. We all have different gods),” the 73-year-old firebrand President said as he lashed out his opponents who used the name of “God” against him.
“Ang pagtuo nako sa Ginoo, katong natun-an nako sa akong mga ginikanan…Mao to’y akong Ginoong nahibaw-an. Dili pud nang Ginoo sa anang gamiton nimong plataporma, unya gamiton nimo ang Ginoo, muingon ka’g gabaan ka kay ang Ginoo mao ni, mao na (The god I know I learned from my parents…That’s the god I know. Not the gods of those who use god as a platform, to warn of karma)…,”Duterte said in vernacular.
While he defended his own belief about God, he maintained that “God is all forgiving.”
Duterte added that his own version of “god” is better than that of his opponents.
“They said god will put me in hell. That’s crazy. My god has no heaven or hell. Do you think god is stupid to create hell?” Duterte asked.
He also reasoned out that there is no truth about hell or purgatory which are found in the traditional Roman Catholic teachings.
“Even purgatory is not true. There is heaven, but do not believe that St. Peter guards the gates….,” the President, who is also a Catholic, said in reference to the Biblical passage on Peter denying Jesus three times before a chicken crowed.
While Duterte admitted that a dialogue has been ongoing with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) which has been attacking his bloody anti-drug campaign, he said that he is not out for a fight with the Catholic Church.
“I don’t like a fight. I will have a dialogue with the CBCP. (Archbishop Romulo) Valles is from Bohol. We understand each other. He is very kind. As long as he works on his own and I work on my own, we will have no problem. If your heaven is not true, come here to my heaven. And if my heaven is not true, let me enter your heaven,” the President said in his native language.
A Palace official also confirmed that Duterte and Valles would be meeting on July 9 next week, this after Mr. Duterte was met with strong opposition over his “God is stupid” remark.
Meanwhile, a priest in the Archdiocese of Palo also saw something “good” over the recent “God is stupid” remark of Duterte which created a furor among the Catholic leaders and conservative majority.
“At the end of the day, all of this ‘Your God is stupid’ snafu will also bring out good fruit for the Church; I’ve contemplated, also looking back at her long history (others have come up with this realization long before me, and I won’t be the last), that hard times for the Church are good times for her. Times of persecution and hardship are times of clarity,” said 35-year old Fr. Mark Ivo Velasquez.
With Duterte’s harsh pronouncement against the Catholic Church and its faithful, Velasquez said that this may also bring any form of renewal to the Church and its men.
“Pastors are presented with the challenge of revamping their catechism styles (that is, if they do any catechism at all. Parish priests get to see in a renewed light the importance of educating their parishioners in the faith (this is what catechesis means). Priests receive impetus in making their presence seen and felt in their communities, barangays, local schools,” the priest said in his post in his Facebook account.
“Thank you, Mr. President sir, for granting the stage and the opportunity for our catholic communities and clergy to become truly relevant than before! The Church is a seed, the smallest of all seeds… only in burying it could it grow to become the biggest of trees. Such is the work of the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes!” Velasquez said. (Ronald O. Reyes)