NAVAL, Biliran-The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Biliran District Engineering Office (DEO) ended 2018 with an 84.62% accomplishment of its infrastructure projects.
According to district engineer David P. Adongay Jr., Biliran-DEO surpassed the 80.87% planned target accomplishment by 3.75% as of December 31, 2018.
Out of the 60 total projects, 44 were completed and 16 are on-going.
Adongay said that the main reason for the slight delay are the implementation of big ticket projects amounting to P50 million and above.
“Medyo nadedelayed ang aming projects because of the late approval of authority to bid and implement of these projects from the DPWH Central Office pero yung’ mga projects namin na below P50 million ay almost completed na,” Adongay said.
Adongay said that the target completion date for all 2018 projects is on June, 2019.
“Hopefully we can complete this by March 2019,” Adongay added.
Under 2018 Regular Infrastructure Program, Biliran DEO has completed 18 flood control projects, four rehabilitation of bridges, four slope protections, three access roads leading to tourist destinations, three access roads leading to trades and industries and economic zones, two asphalt overlays and one drainage project.
Meanwhile, under 2018 Local Infrastructure Program, Biliran DEO has already completed four multipurpose buildings, one flood control project, one Farm-Market Road (FMR) project, one seawall project, one bay walk/breakwater project and one road concreting project. (PR)
DPWH-Biliran DEO accomplished 84.62% of its 2018 infrastructure projects
‘Proyekto 25” of E. Samar government yields improve delivery of health services
TACLOBAN CITY-A banner program under the administration of acting Governor Ferdinand Marcelo ‘Dindo’ Picardal of Eastern Samar dubbed as “Proyekto 25” has brought reforms to the operations of health care facilities in the province.
George Erroba, provincial administrator, said that Picardal is “fixing the bureaucracy in Eastern Samar provincial government to better serve the constituents.”
“Gov. Picardal doesn’t like that people have to line up and wait for a long time, so we have put up a mechanism to speed up the transactions,” Erroba said.
Picardal also established a Provincial Governor’s Office (PGO) in the hospitals to “immediately respond to the problems and monitor the needs of the patients” who are confined in the different health care facilities.
The PGO is an initiative of Picardal to provide transparency and good governance in the province following the goal of “Proyekto 25”, Erroba added.
With the full implementation of “No Balance Billing” policy in all hospital establishments and the availability of the medicines and supplies, more people opted to go to government hospitals because of the availability of logistics, Erroba said.
He added that PhilHealth officials across the country have recognized the implementation of “No Balance Billing” in Eastern Samar.
On bed occupancy of the hospitals, Eastern Samar had served around 18, 230 in-patients (admissions) in all of its hospitals with 44 percent or 8, 194 admitted in Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital, as of November 2018.
On the average, the monthly bed occupancy rate is 80 percent.
Also, five out of nine hospitals had more than 85 percent monthly bed occupancy rate.
In 2017, the provincial average of monthly bed occupancy rate was only 48 percent but was increased to 80 percent in 2018.
On its hospital revenue, it showed that there was a 62 percent increase in the hospital income or about P100 million collection. (RONALD O.REYES)
Cleaning up Tacloban’s major ways is everybody’s responsibility, says official
TACLOBAN CITY – Cleaning the bodies of water located within the city should be supported by all.
Thus said Ma. Lumen Tabao, information officer of the Tacloban city government, reacting to posts in the social media referring efforts to clean the Panalaron Bay, in particular.
Tabao said that members of the Fishery Law Enforcement Team (FLET) conduct regular cleanup of the said bay which is located within the city’s main public market.
But the city information officer said that most of the wastes found at the Panalaron Bay were not from the market but those coming from villages along the Mangonbangon Creek and the communities along the bay.
“We cannot control the flow of current especially during high tide. If we really want the bay to be clean, let’s make this as a concerted effort and not only the City Hall that will work because the government is not only the City Hall of Tacloban,” Tabao said.
Tabao added that a single cleanup drive is not enough to clean the Panalaron Bay from all wastes, adding that it would take everyone to be responsible to properly dispose their trash to ensure that this will not end up at sea.
She added that personnel of FLET and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office have agreed to clean the bay.
“Villages along the waterways and coastline should also help in cleaning the bay by starting within their communities, avoid throwing their trash at Mangonbangon Creek and at the bay so that they will not pollute the sea,” Tabao added.
Tabao, meantime, expressed her support to the An Waray party-list founder Florencio “Bem” Noel who called for volunteers to help them in their upcoming cleanup drive at the Panalaron Bay on February 3.
Noel, in his Facebook account, said that An Waray has accepted the challenge set by President Rodrigo Duterte to take care and protect the environment and clean up the waterways.
His post earned support from the city residents who pledged to support the cleanup drive.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Tacloban city gov’t vows to cleanup Panalaron Bay, other major waterways
TACLOBAN CITY- While this city’s major bodies of water are often seen to be dirty with all sorts of wastes could be seen floating, the Fishery Law Enforcement Team (FLET) insists that they are doing their job in cleaning them up.
In fact, their main concern now involves the cleaning up of the Panalaron Bay, said Carlos Dave Castello, FLET coordinator.
Earlier, photos of Panalaron Bay, one of the city’s major bays, full with garbage circulated in the social media with netizens calling the attention of the city government to conduct its own clean up.
Cleaning up or rehabilitating the country’s major bodies of water has become a sort of frenzy after President Rodrigo Duterte issued an order to collect garbage at the Manila Bay and restore its old glory.
Manila Bay is earlier known to have one of the best spots in the world for watching sunset.
Castello said that their office, together with the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) and the Tacloban Youth Office, and even some volunteers are taking turns in cleaning up the city’s bodies of water, to include Panalaron Bay, long before Mr. Duterte directed for cleanup of bays and creeks.
The city’s main public market, seaport, and several business establishments and houses are located along the coast of Panalaron Bay.
Castello said that their cleanup was previously done thrice a week, depending on the availability of the speed boats which are also being used on Bantay Dagat operations.
The cleanup covers all the waterways of Tacloban, he added.
Castello said that the program’s purpose is to spread environmental awareness and protection.
Today (February 2), youth volunteers will disseminate flyers regarding public awareness on why it is not appropriate to throw wastes in the sea, and penalties sanctioned on individuals who practice disobedience of the law as a means of helping the environment to become cleaner and healthier in the years to come, the FLET official said. (KIARA ARABELLA ALER, THEA MENDOZA, AMIRA MAE MIRALLES, STUDENT INTERNS, ST. THERESE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION OF TACLOBAN, INC.)
MacArthur Park to undergo major facelift in time for the 75th Leyte Gulf Landings anniversary this Oct. 20
PALO, Leyte – A national park named after American legendary general located in this town will undergo a massive facelift in time for the 75th Leyte Gulf Landings anniversary this year.
Remedios ‘Matin’ Petilla, mayor of this town, said that at least P50 million has been allocated by the national government to rehabilitate the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park which sustained damage when Palo was hit by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.
Petilla, who is only to serve the town as mayor until June 30 of this year, said that the improvement of the park named after General Douglas MacArthur will include landscaping, construction of a view deck, amphitheater and a visitor center located in front of the park, and improvement of lights and sound system.
The last time the facility underwent improvement was in 1994 in time for the 50th Leyte Gulf Landings commemoration, the town mayor added.
“We are excited but at the same time worried that the project will not be finished before October, but we are determine to finish the improvement before we celebrate another milestone year of Leyte Landing Commemoration,” Petilla said.
The park’s Eternal Flame, which was constructed during the 50th year commemoration in 1994, will be refurbished.
The Eternal Flame features dedications carved in stone tablet of countries involved at the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II lead by the United States against the Japanese Forces.
The McArthur Landing Memorial National Park was damaged when the town was hit Yolanda in November 8, 2013.
For one, the statue of General Carlos P. Romulo was toppled due to the storm surge spawned by Yolanda.
Additional improvement of the park includes the construction of a two-storey building for coconut juice vendors located few meters away from the McArthur Park.
Pathways will be constructed along the tree park for people to enjoy walking under its shades.
A small bridge will be put up to have guests of the Leyte Oriental Hotel easy access to the park.
The MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park is situated in a 6.78 hectares in Barangay Candahug that features seven double-life-size bronze statues standing in a man-made pool depicting the arrival of McArthur in Leyte province, making good of his ‘I shall return’ promise.
The park was opened in 1981 coinciding the 37th Leyte Gulf Landings anniversary created by famous sculptor Anastacio Tanchauco Caedo, whose other works includes the Benigno Aquino Monument and the Bonifacio Monument in Pugad Lawin, Balintawak.
The MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park was declared as a national park on July 12, 1977 through Letter of Instructions No. 572 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Time Magazine Solons seek Pres. Duterte’s help to stop illegal logging in Samar Island
I
photo: Time Magazine
n the wake of massive flood, landslide due to ‘Usman’
TACLOBAN CITY-Two congressmen from Samar Island have asked President Rodrigo Duterte to also give focus in stopping illegal logging activities just like what he is doing on illegal drug activities in the country.
The call of Reps. Raul Daza of Northern Samar and Edgar Mary Sarmiento of Samar came in the wake of massive flooding that were experienced by both provinces after these areas were hit by tropical depression ‘Usman’ last December 28.
Both congressmen said that like illegal drugs, illegal logging could also result to the deaths of innocent people.
“If these illegal logging activities will not be eliminated, these will bring more misery to the people and not only that as these will prevent development of the area because if you have flooding, landslide, how can you improve the infrastructure,” Daza said.
Rep. Sarmiento said he hopes that illegal logging activities in Samar and Northern Samar, among the country’s most depressed provinces, would also come to its end with the intercession to the President.
“We have to bring this matter to the President. We have to do something to solve this not tomorrow but immediately,” the Samar solon added.
On Tuesday (Jan.29), the committee on natural resources of the House of Representatives chaired by Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa of Cebu conducted a hearing upon the request of both Daza and Sarmiento on the reported illegal logging activities in the two provinces.
During the three-hour hearing, officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources were grilled by the committee members why illegal logging activities continue to exist in the region.
Rep. Daza also scored DENR Regional Director Crizaldy Barcelo why he issued two logging permits in Northern Samar.
Rep. Sarmiento suggested to the DENR officials to review their policies concerning issuances of logging permits to ensure that only legitimate concessionaires would be given permits and in turn, these concessionaires would not abuse their permits.
The massive flooding that hit Samar, particularly the Oquendo District of Calbayog City, and several towns of Northern Samar spawned by Usman, was said to have been compounded by the illegal logging activity.
Sarmiento said that Oquendo district, which is composed of 46 barangays and is near to the town of Lope de Vega, the hard-hit area of Northern Samar due to Usman, suffered a massive flooding never seen before.
“It’s the first time that this thing happened in Oquendo (District),” the Samar solon said.
Earlier, residents of Barangay Cag-anahaw, which is part of the Oquendo District, blamed the unchecked illegal logging activity in their area as the culprit why their village was practically submerged by flood water which resulted to the killing of seven people.
Last January 9, a composite team that included personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Battalion and police personnel from the Northern Samar provincial headquarters seized more than 1,700 pieces of illegal cut lumber worth P2.8 million in Barangay Happy Valley in San Isidro, Northern Samar.
It was learned that illegal logging activity in the said area has been ongoing for years now.
The government forces could not enter the area due to the presence of the New People’s Army who reportedly are in cahoots with the illegal loggers.
Meantime, Rep. Sarmiento asked the DENR to distribute the illegally seized logs to the affected residents due to Usman which they could use in rebuilding their destroyed houses. (JOEY A. GABIETA)