Now on its 10th year

TACLOBAN CITY- The Oktubafest is not just merely promoting the region’s premier locally-made wine, tuba, but it also helps transform the lives of those in the industry.
Thus said former congressman Florencio ‘Bem’ Noel of the An Waray party-list group which is behind the annual event, now on its 10th year.
Noel said that while the main goal of the Oktubafest, which was patterned after the beer-drinking Oktoberfest of Germany, is to serve as an avenue in promoting tuba or coconut toddy and its other uses like using as a food concoction, doing so also pave the way in helping those in the industry with their group providing the needed assistance.
“We have come a long way since we started the Oktubafest 10 years ago. We have sent some of the children of those in the industry to school (through our scholarship program),” Noel, who is the party’s number one nominee, said Friday.
This year’s Oktubafest was held at the Tacloban Convention Center which was attended by Senators Grace Poe and Sonny Angara, Rep. Zajid Mangundadatu of Maguindanao, mayors from different provinces and directors of various regional offices and officials and students of state universities and colleges.
For her part, Rep. Victoria Isabel Noel said that the An Waray is proud of this particular activity considering that tuba is the region’s most noted locally-made wine.
She said that the main idea of the Oktubafest is to ‘promote the product(s) of Region Eight which includes tuba.’
She also said that tuba gathering is not just something as a source of livelihood among the tens of thousands of people but it also ‘showcase the way of life of the Waray people.’
The one-day event serves as a competition in various categories like best ‘bahal and bahalina’ and dishes infused or with concoction with tuba.
And during the event, the An Waray party-list group launched its ‘One Eastern Visayas” program which aims to help promote the region’s other products and tourist attractions. (JOEY A. GABIETA with LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA and ROEL T. AMAZONA)

NAVAL, Biliran-The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Biliran District Engineering Office (DEO) has recently completed nine school building projects that would benefit the students in four towns of the province.
The province of Biliran is composed of eight towns, namely, Almeria, Kawayan, Culaba, Caibiran, Cabucgayan, Biliran, Maripipi and Naval, the capital town.
In Culaba town, Biliran-DEO has completed the construction of a P3.1 million school building, a 1-storey 2-classroom structure, and construction of P4.5 million school building, 1-storey, 3-classroom both in Acaban Elementary School that would accommodate around 200 students of the said school.
The construction of P13.6 million,3-units 1 Storey 3 – classroom at the Bool Elementary School, also in Culaba, was also recently completed that will benefit about 360 students.
In the town of Caibiran, the district office has also completed the construction of a 1-storey 4-classroom in Caibiran Elementary School that will benefit at least 160 pupils.
About 120 pupils will also benefit the newly-completed construction of the 1-storey 3-classroom in Katipunan Elementary School of the same town.
The construction of the P4.4 million, 1-storey 3-classroom school building at Salangi Elementary School in Almeria town is also one of the schools that will benefit the newly completed building that can accommodate more or less 120 students.
About 80 students will also benefit on the newly-completed P3 million, 1-storey 2-classroom in Bato Elementary School in the town of Biliran.
Biliran DEO under the helm of District Engineer David P. Adongay Jr. has already conducted final inspections on these school building projects that are funded under Basic Educational Facilities Fund (BEFF) of FY 2017.
As per inspection, minor defects and deficiencies were noted by the inspectorate team.
Adongay orders contractors to immediately rectify the said defects and deficiencies of the building in order to turn over the projects in time so that it can be utilized by the end users.
Biliran DEO has a total of 71 school buildings implemented under 2017 BEFF. Out of this number, the district office has completed 53 with 17 on-going projects and one not-yet-started (NYS) with an overall accomplishment of 89.18% as of September 30, 2018. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY-Police Senior Inspector Jovel Young was waylaid by still unknown gunmen outside his house on Tuesday (Oct.23) at Barangay Buri in Palo town.
Chief Inspector Joemen Collado, chief of police of Palo, said that Young,39, was with his two children inside their vehicle and was on his way to his office at the regional police headquarters, some four kilometers away from his residence, when he was ambushed by the suspects.
Police recovered about 36 empty bullet shells in the area.
“Our initial investigation showed that the unknown gunmen were onboard a white van and grey-colored Fortuner vehicle,” Collado said.
The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds while his children were safe from harm.
Young, a former Ormoc City Drug Enforcement Unit chief, is currently assigned at the personnel holding unit of the police regional office at Camp Ruperto Kangleon in Palo.
He is now being treated in a hospital in Tacloban City.
Police are investigating the incident as to who could be behind on the attempt slay of Young and their motive.
(RONALD O. REYES)

CATARMAN, Northern Samar – The provincial government of Northern Samar was recently conferred the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy on Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) Maturity Level 2 Compliant award, the only province in the region to have won the said recognition from the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
The CSC conducted assessment on the local government units using the 4 PRIME-HRM indicators: recruitment selection and placement, learning and development, performance management, and rewards and recognition.
As “maturity level 2 compliant”, the provincial government of Northern Samar implements the equal employment opportunity principles (EEOP) on recruitment, selection and placement and other aspects of human resources whatever the race, gender, and religious affiliation of the individual including persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Jocelyn Addun, the provincial human resource and development officer, told Leyte Samar Daily Express that the CSC regional office recommended the Northern Samar provincial government for the PRIME-HRM Bronze award
Governor Jose Ong Jr. thanked the CSC evaluators – Lucille Lepasana and Maria Victoria Arevalo – and the provincial government department heads and employees for working hard to achieve the said recognition from the CSC. (RACHEL V. ARNAIZ with report from SYLMA LUTAO, PIO)

NAVAL, Biliran-The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Biliran District Engineering Office (DEO) has recently completed nine school building projects that would benefit the students in four towns of the province.
The province of Biliran is composed of eight towns, namely, Almeria, Kawayan, Culaba, Caibiran, Cabucgayan, Biliran, Maripipi and Naval, the capital town.
In Culaba town, Biliran-DEO has completed the construction of a P3.1 million school building, a 1-storey 2-classroom structure, and construction of P4.5 million school building, 1-storey, 3-classroom both in Acaban Elementary School that would accommodate around 200 students of the said school.
The construction of P13.6 million,3-units 1 Storey 3 – classroom at the Bool Elementary School, also in Culaba, was also recently completed that will benefit about 360 students.
In the town of Caibiran, the district office has also completed the construction of a 1-storey 4-classroom in Caibiran Elementary School that will benefit at least 160 pupils.
About 120 pupils will also benefit the newly-completed construction of the 1-storey 3-classroom in Katipunan Elementary School of the same town.
The construction of the P4.4 million, 1-storey 3-classroom school building at Salangi Elementary School in Almeria town is also one of the schools that will benefit the newly completed building that can accommodate more or less 120 students.
About 80 students will also benefit on the newly-completed P3 million, 1-storey 2-classroom in Bato Elementary School in the town of Biliran.
Biliran DEO under the helm of District Engineer David P. Adongay Jr. has already conducted final inspections on these school building projects that are funded under Basic Educational Facilities Fund (BEFF) of FY 2017.
As per inspection, minor defects and deficiencies were noted by the inspectorate team.
Adongay orders contractors to immediately rectify the said defects and deficiencies of the building in order to turn over the projects in time so that it can be utilized by the end users.
Biliran DEO has a total of 71 school buildings implemented under 2017 BEFF. Out of this number, the district office has completed 53 with 17 on-going projects and one not-yet-started (NYS) with an overall accomplishment of 89.18% as of September 30, 2018. (PR)

CALBAYOG CITY-At least 15 candidates bearing similar family names of leading and more established candidates in the province have voluntarily withdrew their certificates of candidacy at the provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The ‘nuisance candidates’ withdrew their candidacies together with their lawyers on October 20, just three days after the end of the five-day filing of the certificates of candidacy.
Provincial elections supervisor Corazon Montallana said that she welcomed the decision of these candidates to withdraw their candidacies saying this would stop the practice of some candidates to confuse their respective rivals.
Montallana said that under section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code, the Comelec, on its own or motu propio, could refuse to give due course to or cancel a certificate of candidacy if it is shown that said certificate has been filed to put election process in mockery or disrepute or to cause confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates.
By doing so, the candidates made it easy for the Comelec to identify legitimate candidates for the forthcoming May 13,2019 elections, Montallana added.
“As I observed, said act has become a practice because every elections, nuisance candidates (who files their certificates of candidacy) increases in number,” she said.
“I want this to stop because it becomes a culture that is not good to the entire province,” the provincial elections supervisor added.
Of the 15 candidates who withdrew their CoCs, one bears the surname Tan and Sarmiento, four Zosa for the position of governor, two Tan and four Sarmiento for the position of House of Representatives in the first district of the province, three with the surname Bolastig for the position of House Representatives in the 2nd district.
The Comelec had identified outgoing Rep. Milagrosa Tan and Emil Zosa as legitimate candidates for the position of governor.
Rep.Edgar Mary Sarmiento and Vice Gov. Stephen James Tan are considered to be the major candidates for the province’s first congressional district while Gov. Sharee Ann Tan and lawyer Christopher Bolastig are the acknowledged serious candidates for Samar’s second congressional district.
Montallana said that candidates coming from both parties should know the rules regarding fielding candidates with the same name as to their opponents. (JENNIFER D.SUMAGANG-ALLEGADO)