Tacloban booth wins anew in this year’s travel mart

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September 5, 2019

HALL OF FAMER. For winning for three consecutive years, Tacloban City was elevated into the hall of fame in this year’s Philippine Travel Mart (booth category). The Tacloban City booth was likewise named as the people’s choice winner. Photo shows Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes (2nd from left) and her city counterpart, Bardot Atillo(right) with the award-winning booth as their backdrop. Also in photo are former tourism director and now consultant, Norma Morantte and Miss Tacloban-Charity Isabelle Balboa, among others.(Photo Courtesy)

TACLOBAN CITY- Once again, the booth of Tacloban City was adjudged as the best in this year’s Philippine Travel Mart.
City Mayor Alfred Romualdez congratulated and thanked the team responsible behind the award-winning booth of the city through its City Tourism Office.
“Congratulations and thank you city team for the job well done”, the city chief executive said.
With this latest victory of the Tacloban City, the city was elevated into hall of fame as it won for three consecutive years.
During the August 30 to September 1 event held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, the Tacloban city booth was also adjudged as the people’s choice winner.
Tourism officer Bardot Atillo said that the city booth, mainly designed by Daniel Guarino with the help of his team, depicted the four elements of earth, air, fire and water.
Highlighted by the remnants of the strongest typhoon to hit inland, super typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ the booth showed the M/V Eva Jocelyn shipwreck at Anibong; the Monumental Flame located at the Astrodome where the names of the more than 2,200 people who perished during the deadly calamity are written, and the mass burial site located at the Holy Cross cemetery where those who died were buried.
The booth also showcased the destination assets of the city like the Sto. Niño Church; Sto. Niño Shrine; and the iconic San Juanico Bridge which connects the islands of Leyte and Samar inaugurated by then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos in 1974.
The booth also displayed and offered food tasting of Tacloban’s best foods, delicacies and local wine like lechon, tuba, moron, binagol, sagmani, pastillas, and cookies, among others.
The Tacloban booth also showed the city’s annual Sangyaw Parade of Lights which is being held a day before the city fiesta celebration on June 30.
The annual event, now on its 30th year, is sponsored by the Philippine Tour Operators Association which aims to promote and develop domestic and inbound tourism. (GAY B. GASPAY, TISAT)

Security up in South Leyte special polls

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September 5, 2019

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Province to hold congressional elections on Oct.26

BY: JOEY A. GABIETA, LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA

CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON,PALO,Leyte- The Philippine National Police (PNP) is in full alert relative to the forthcoming congressional special elections in Southern Leyte.
And as part of the security measures being implemented by the PNP authorities across the province due to the special balloting in the province slated on October 26, is the establishment of check points in designated areas and the implementation of gun ban, said Police Colonel Nelson Eucogco, police provincial director for Southern Leyte.
Eucogco, however, stressed that since the start of the election period in the province, which begun on August 26 and to end on November 10, they have not monitored any incident relative to the conduct of the special elections.
“Southern Leyte is a peaceful province. Since the start of the election period, we have not received or monitored any violence relative to the conduct of the (special) congressional elections,” the provincial police director said Monday during the regular weekly briefing held here.
Police General Ariel Arcenas, police deputy regional director for administration, for his part, said that they have also laid down their own security plan in relation to the conduct of the special elections.
“Though we have not received (any violence related to the special congressional elections), we cannot afford to be complacent. We cannot just wait for an incident to happen,” Arcenas said during the same media forum.
Lawyer Felicisimo Embalsado, assistant regional director of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), in a separate interview, had said that Southern Leyte is not considered as a concerned area during conduct of elections.
In fact, he said, during the recently held May 13 elections, there was no violence reported with all the 592 clustered polling precincts functioning.
But still, Embalsado said that they are not taking any possible occurrence of election-related violence reason why the Regional Joint Security Committee is being activated just like during conduct of regular elections.
The conduct of the special congressional elections in Southern Leyte was the result of the splitting into two the previous lone congressional district of the province.
This after President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11198 earlier this year.
For the first congressional district, which consists the city of Maasin and the towns of Macrohon, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus and Bontoc, those in the running are incumbent Southern Leyte lone congressional congressman Roger Mercado, former board member Albert Esclamado, and Vicente Geraldo.
The first congressional district has total voting population of 132,114 registered voters.
And for the second congressional district, which covers the towns of Libangon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, Saint Bernard, San Ricardo, Anahawan, San Juan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan, Silago, and Sogod, the candidates include Vice Governor Christopherson ‘Coco’ Yap, former vice governor Sheffered Tan, former congressman Aniceto Saludo, former Saint Bernard mayor Napoleon Cuaton, and Miguelino Caturan.
The second congressional district has 160,223 registered voters.

Biri town to ban use of plastics to preserve its environment and tourist attraction

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September 2, 2019

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STILL STUNNING. The rock formations of Biri, Northern Samar never fails to attract the attention of the visitors. The rock formations of the island- municipality is considered to be among the country’s iconic natural tourist attractions. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Known for its stunning rock formations

BIRI, Northern Samar – This town, known for its majestic rock formations, is soon to ban the use of all kinds of plastics as a way to preserve the environment and its natural attractions from harm cause by the use of plastics.
The Sangguniang Bayan members are now in the process of drafting the needed ordinance calling for the prohibition on the use of plastics across the island municipality and not just around its famous rock formations, Mayor Antonio Delos Reyes, Jr. said.
He said that they have to protect the natural beauty of their town and the environment in general that gives livelihood to his people.
Banning plastic is part of their advocacy to protect the environment and for the promotion of sustainable tourism, Delos Reyes said.
Instead of using plastics, the town mayor said that they will encourage tourists, to include the local residents to use reusable materials.
“Plastics takes time to decompose. It does not only pollute our water, it’s also one of the reasons why some marine animals are dying. For us to enjoy these beautiful sceneries we have here in Biri and for our visitors to enjoy their stay, we have to protect it by not using products that will destroy it,” Delos Reyes said.
Delos Reyes added that there are plastics that can be found in the mangrove area at the rock formations but these are not from their town but from other communities, swept by waves to their area.
Delos Reyes added that the local government unit is strictly implementing the no smoking, no vandalism and no bringing of liquor to the rock formations site to avoid accidents.
Tourists are only allowed to take pictures, swim in the lagoons and climb the rock formations and will be accompanied by the ‘habal-habal’ drivers who were trained by the Department of Tourism as community tour guides.
Popular for its unique rock formations, Biri Island is the top tourist destination in Northern Samar. Tourist arrivals is at its peak during summer season.
There are seven rock formations in the island but only six are accessible to tourists (Magasang, Magsapad, Macadlaw, Puhunan, Bel-at, and Caranas).
The seventh rock formation, where a lighthouse is located, is found in the entrance of San Bernardino Strait, that guides international cargo ships that are entering the country.
The giant rock formations are close from each other but are separated by crystal clear water. It will take almost half day to explore the rock formations.
Aside from the rock formations, the local government unit of Biri is planning to develop a surfing area but this will only be open for the professionals or expert surfers as the waves in the site are big and dangerous for amateur surfers.
Delos Reyes said that they only allow tourist to go at the surfing site during summer and when there is no weather disturbance.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Red tide alert up in 6 bays in Samar, Tacloban

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September 2, 2019

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TACLOBAN CITY – A shellfish ban is up in six bays in Eastern Visayas as red tide toxins plague coastal waters, including a bay in this city known as a major source of clams for export, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported on Thursday.
BFAR confirmed that the seawater of Cancabato Bay here tested positive for red tide toxins. The bay is a rich source of cockle clams being shipped to Taiwan and Hong Kong.
“The toxin level is 946 cells per liter of water, way beyond the regulatory limit of 10 cells per liter. We have to strictly prohibit harvesting, trading, consumption, and shipment of shellfish from this affected area,” said BFAR Regional Director Juan Albaladejo in a phone interview.
The field office here is still waiting for a confirmatory test of shellfish samples sent to the BFAR main office.
“To safeguard human lives, we are issuing this warning as precautionary advice to the public to refrain from gathering, selling, and eating all types of shellfishes,” Albaladejo said.
Other bays identified as red tide positive are San Pedro Bay in Basey and Marabut, Samar; Maqueda Bay in Jiabong, Samar; Silanga Bay in Catbalogan City, Samar; Irong-irong Bay also in Catbalogan; and Cambatutay Bay in Tarangnan, Samar.
Red tide toxins have been present in different bays in Samar for several months already.
Among the most affected areas is Jiabong, Samar, the region’s top producer of green mussels, with harvest of about 200 sacks daily.
Each sack is sold for P1,500. The town has been losing P300,000 daily or over P2 million since the shellfish ban on July 12.
Jiabong serves as a central trading center from where mussels are shipped to Metro Manila, Davao City, Bicol, Cebu City, and other parts of the country.
If an area is red tide-positive, the fisheries bureau prohibits the public from eating, harvesting, marketing, and buying bivalve marine products and Acetes sp. (small crustaceans) from it until such time that the toxicity level has gone down below the regulatory level.
Local government units are advised to regulate the gathering, marketing and transporting of shellfish in infested areas.
Fish, squid, shrimp, and crab are safe to eat “provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” BFAR said.
Red tide is a term used to describe a phenomenon, when the water is discolored by high algal biomass or the concentration of algae.
The discoloration may not necessarily be red in color, but it may also appear yellow, brown, green, blue or milky, depending on the organisms involved.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)

Comelec readies for the polls in Southern Leyte

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September 2, 2019

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Result of the creation of 2 congressional districts

TACLOBAN CITY- The more than 292,000 registered voters of Southern Leyte are to elect their new congressmen representing its two newly-created congressional districts on October 26, this year.
And the regional Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that it is ready for the conduct of the special balloting, lawyer Felicisimo Embalsado, polls assistant director, said.
By virtue of Republic Act 11198 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on February 1 of this year, Southern Leyte was split into congressional districts.
The law called for a special elections to be held within six months after its enactment.
All candidates running in the October 26 congressional special elections are to campaign starting on September 11 until October 24.
The entire election period will run from August 26 until November 10 with all the prohibitions like liquor and gun bans to be enforced within the period.
“We are now ready for the special congressional polls which will be using vote counting machines,” Embalsado said.
The elections official said that this early, they are confident that the conduct of the special polls in Southern Leyte will be peaceful just like the recently-held May 13 elections.
The filing of the certificates of candidacy, which started on Monday (August 26), ended on Wednesday (August 28).
The incumbent congressman of the entire Southern Leyte, Roger Mercado, is running for the first congressional district which covers the towns of Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Limasawa, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus and the city of Maasin.
The first congressional district has a voting population of 132,114 registered voters.
Mercado, a former governor and running under the PDP-Laban, is facing two rivals, Albert Esclamado, a former board member, and Vicente Geraldo, both running as independents.
Meantime, for the second congressional district, among the candidates is Vice Governor Christopherson Yap who is running under the PDP-Laban banner.
He is facing four opponents who included former vice governor Sheffered Lino Tan (United Nationalist Alliance), and former congressman Aniceto Saludo of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.
The second congressional district has 160,223 registered voters covering the towns of Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, San Ricardo, Pintuyan, Saint Bernard, Anahawan, San Juan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan, Silago, and Sogod.
Vice Gov. Yap, meantime, was personally endorsed by lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
Carpio joined Yap in a political gathering at the municipal gymnasium in Sogod town last Tuesday (August 27).
He said that he is backing the congressional bid of Yap ‘all the way,’ describing the vice governor as a ‘close friend.’
“I am here to personally show my support and I told Sara that I am going to Southern Leyte to personally show my support to Coco,” Carpio said.
Marie Marjorie Jaramilla, regional president of PDP-Laban, said that the party will throw all its support to Yap.
“The vice governor is one of my silent supporters during the presidential election of President Duterte, (he) personally endorsed (the President) and I will support him. The PDP-Laban will support him 100 percent,” Jaramilla said.