Northern Samar has a new DILG provincial head in Jinky Maquelabit, switching the post from Danilo Laguitan who was named as provincial head for Southern Leyte. (DILG-Northern Samar)
CATARMAN, Northern Samar- This provincial office of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) here has a new head.
Geraldine Maquelabit officially took the post on Monday(Sept.19) in a simple ceremony, taking the position from Danilo Laguitan.
Laguitan, meantime, took over the post as Southern Leyte’s provincial local operations officer, the post vacated by Maquelabit.
Maquelabit, in her message, urged her co-workers to work together for them to realize their goals.
“We will journey together. We [may all] have our differences but our differences will make a good blend. We will have so much to share to one common goal, with one common purpose. And it’s always a team. From the least position up to the top, everyone has a contribution,” she said.
She added:” I put premium on what you have said ‘Matino, Mahusay at Maaasahan,’ because at the end of the day, whatever you do, it’s always a legacy of your name being in the DILG,” Maquelabit added. (EUGENE M. ENANO)
LEYTE MUSEUM. With the seat of the provincial government of Leyte now in Palo town, the American-era provincial capitol building in Tacloban City will be turn into a museum, a move welcome by the Department of Tourism. (PHOTO COURTESY)
TACLOBAN CITY – Having a museum is essential for the preservation of historical artifacts in the province of Leyte where the public can to visit to learn its rich history.
Thus said the regional director of the Department of Tourism Regional, Karina Rosa Tiopes, reacting on the plan of the provincial government to convert the old provincial capitol building into a museum.
Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla announced last month that they will be converting the old capitol building located here in the city into a museum while the legislative building will be use as events place.
Work for this plan will start within this year, according to him.
“Leyte is rich in history but we don’t have place to go where we can really tell that story. We go of course to the site like World War II engagement site but we do not have one place where we can show and learn the history of Leyte not just probably centered on World War II but all throughout,” Tiopes said.
The museum may also feature or showcase milestone of its people in their journey towards the quincentennial commemoration of Ferdinand Magellan and Roman Catholicism arrival in the country which the Philippines celebrated this year.
Recently, two groups had visited the province, one from Metro Manila while the other from the United States.
The group from Metro Manila specializes in World War II memorial tour that bring in US nationals, some of veterans while others are their relatives to engagement sites in the country.
Tiopes said that the group had long been bringing in foreign tourists to the country but they only visits the World War II engagement sites in Luzon area.
This year, the group will be bringing in foreign tourists to the province.
“This time they are including Leyte because this year their theme is victory in the Pacific, and that victorious event happened here in Leyte,” Tiopes said.
“The market is there, just waiting for us to say, we are ready for this kind of tour,” the tourism official added.
Every 20th of October, the province of Leyte is celebrating the Leyte Gulf Landings commemoration which celebrates the arrival of Allied Forces headed by General Douglas Macarthur in Philippine soil in 1944.
His arrival together with hundreds of Naval fleet with more than 200, 000 personnel was dubbed to be the biggest Naval battle in human history.
Another visitor the province had in relation to Word War II was Nathan Huegen, Director for Travel of the National World War II Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Huegen visited some World War II engagement sites in the province with the help of the provincial tourism office.
After his visit, he had a feedback meeting with the provincial government and the DOT on how to enhance some areas and on tour guiding.
“By next year probably they will bring in guests. They brings in about four groups in a year from the US who do memorial tour,” Tiopes said. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
TACLOBAN CITY- Local producers of ‘pasalubong’ items will sell their wares at a trade fair organized by the City Tourism Operations Office from September 27 to 29, 2022.
The highlight event of the Tourism Week Celebration of the city, which will be held at Plaza Rizal, will also make available an array of services from the city government.
Aside from being a venue to market and showcase the food and non-food items of local producers, it will also have on September 27th a free employment information and skills registration booth courtesy of the Public Employment Service Office (PESO).
The booth will provide details valuable to job seekers.
The Community Livelihood Extension Program (CLEP) will also bring their “Libreng Gupit” and free massage services on opening day (September 27) to patrons of the fair.
In consonance with the EV Turismo Booster Caravan of the Department of Tourism, a COVID-19 Vaccination Drive in partnership with the City Health Office will also be held and target about 94 workers from the local tourism industry who are yet to get their booster shots against the viral disease, according to acting CTOO Head Maria Lumen P. Tabao.
She said that the initiative seeks to ensure the full revival of the local tourism industry after a slump brought on by the pandemic.
The trade fair will be open on the said dates from 8 am to 5 p.m. (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
ORMOC CITY-Two men died while one other sustained burns in separate electrocution incidents in two Samar towns on Wednesday (Sept. 21).
Based on the reports reaching the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) based in Palo, Leyte, the two fatalities due to the electrocution incident were identified as Felicisimo Solayao, 67, and his brother Alfonso,63, both residents of Barangay Pacao, Villareal town in Samar.
It was learned that the two sexagenarian siblings were processing copras at about 12:30 pm on Wednesday when the younger Solayao accidentally touched a live wire.
His elder brother tried to rescue him but was also electrocuted.
The two were immediately brought to the town’s rural health unit for medical treatment but were pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Meantime, Loisito Dacutanan, 50 and a resident of Brgy.1, Motiong, sustained burns after he was electrocuted.
The police report said that the 1:45 pm incident, the victim accidentally touched a live cable wire in a house that is being constructed.
Dacutanan was brought to the town’s rural health unit for medical treatment and subsequently referred to the provincial hospital located in Catbalogan City for the burns he sustained. (ROBERT DEJON)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Tourism (DOT) here in the region has asked local leaders to be active in gathering tourism-related statistics to know the tourism situation within their areas.
Statistics are important especially if they ask for funding for tourism-related projects, says tourism regional director Karina Rosa Tiopes during her recent meeting with 12 mayors in Southern Leyte.
“You have to make sure that you have a tourism statistics. No statistics, no assistance,” she added.
“It is really good to understand numbers because these numbers tells us whether we are doing the right thing (and if) if there are gaps; when we develop our products or at marketing,” Tiopes added.
Among the top tourist spots in Southern Leyte’s second district are Limasawa; San Pablo and San Pedro beaches in Hinunangan; and Sogod Bay.
Meanwhile, the DOT in the region is still consolidating data provided by tourism officers of the province on the update of tourist arrivals for the second semester of this year.
But for the first semester of 2022, the second district of Southern Leyte recorded 185, 632 day time tourist arrivals, contributing a big chunk to the 411, 207 arrivals for the entire Eastern Visayas.
Last year of the same period, the province was visited by 446,426 tourists.
Aside from statistics, Tiopes asked the mayors to have their own tourism plan.
“We have to be prepared to usher in our guests. We cannot just say that I have a tourism site why not promote it, we must not promote it unless it is ready,” Tiopes stressed.
They must also have a clear tourism product and market development, she added.
Tiopes said that in product development they are biased in supporting people organizations whom they train to be entrepreneurs, and providing them with the appropriate skills in order for them to provide a great service. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
ANOTHER MISS GLOBE TITLE? Chelsea Fernandez is confident of a possible back-to-back win for the Philippines for the Miss Globe title which is slated to be held in Tirana, Albania on October 15. Photo shows the 23-year old Taclobanon beauty queen paying a courtesy visit to City Mayor Alfred Romualdez on Thursday(Sept.22). With them is Tourism Officer Malou Tabao. (GERON PONFERRADA)
TACLOBAN CITY- Binibining Pilipinas Globe Chelsea Fernandez made a two-day homecoming to this city as she promised to do her best to retain the international crown to the country.
The 23-year old Taclobanon returned to the city on Wednesday(Sept.21), more than two months since bagging the crown that will bring her to compete its international version in Tirana, Albania on October 15.
She paid a courtesy visit to City Mayor Alfred Romualdez at his office on Thursday(Sept.22) to express her gratitude for the support of the city government on her journey for the title.
According to Fernandez, crowned as Miss Tacloban in 2017, she is feeling the pressure as the Miss Globe crown is being held by a Filipina, Maureen Montagne.
“I have to admit that there is a pressure considering that the current holder is from our country, the Philippines. Its kind hard to achieve for a back-to-back win but it is not impossible,” she said in a press conference called by the city government.
And for her to achieve this, the 5’7 beauty queen has embarked a strenuous training like doing her own ‘pasarela’ walk and improving her speaking skills.
She said that she is giving focus on her speaking skills as one of the categories in the Miss Globe competition is a head-to-head debate challenge among candidates.
The winner of the head-to-head debate eventually gets a spot for the final round.
Fernandez is a graduate of mass communication major in broadcasting in one of the private colleges here in the city.
Aside from a press conference and a meet and greet with her fans and a motorcade, Fernandez visited an elementary school and a women and children’s center for the abused.
In her visit to the facility, she met a girl who was also named as Chelsea who asked her for a hug and told her that she is an inspiration, the beauty queen said.
“I told her to tread her own path and I am pretty sure she will make it on her own. But it is nice to be inspiration to our young children,’ Fernandez said.
Meantime, Fernandez admitted that if she will not get the Miss Globe crown, she is not discounting the possibility of joining another ‘big’ beauty contest in two years’ time.
She declined to say if she is eyeing the Miss Universe-Philippine pageant.
Prior to her being crowned as Binibining Pilipinas-Globe, among the titles Fernandez won was the Miss Philippines Earth-Water in 2019.
