PALO, Leyte – The 40-year-old National Food Authority (NFA) regional office building here has been undergoing major repair after several calamities weakened its foundation.
NFA Regional Manager Henry Tristeza said the P12 million major facelift of their office that started last May will be completed in November.
“This is the first major rehabilitation building after a fire incident in 2007, super typhoon Yolanda in 2013, and strong earthquake in 2017,” Tristeza said.
The project, which mainly involves retrofitting, will add one more storey to the two-storey building. It will also convert vacant spaces into storage area, records room, and lodging rooms for visitors.
“The new NFA office will look modern with full glass convention hall on the third floor,” he added.
The building built in late 1970s houses the regional office, Leyte provincial office. It is located in Barangay Pawing, this town, just 10 kilometers away from Tacloban City.
NFA is a government-owned and controlled corporation tasked to ensure the food security of the country and the stability of supply and price of the staple grain rice through procurement of paddy from farmers, buffer stocking, processing activities, and dispersal of rice to strategic locations.
(MELVA MAE C. MENIANO)

BURAUEN, Leyte- The Villa Rosas Elementary School (VRES) of Burauen North District is a complete elementary school categorized as small school by the Leyte Division with a total enrolment of 165 for this school year.
The school has 7 regular permanent teachers and is supervised by a school principal.
It has a total land area of 10,000 square meters with a vegetable garden area of 140 square meters.
The vegetable garden is managed by the EPP teacher Marilyn M. Cabus with the support and help of parents, pupils and barangay officials.
May of this year, the school received P10,000 to fund the “Gulayan sa Paaralan Program” which will be used for purchase of garden tools, seeds and other garden materials.
The school has started the implementation of Gulayan sa Paaralan Program with the assistance of parents, pupils and barangay officials.
Products of the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program will be used for the supplementary feeding program of the school.
(Note: The author is the head teacher of the Villa Rosa Elementary School in Burauen, Leyte)

By: MELVIN G. AMARGO

CARIGARA, Leyte-The Department of Public Works and Highways- Leyte Second District Engineering Office has convened contractors recently in an effort to correct the negative slippages that may lead to termination of contracts if remained unsolved.
“Let us help one another to resolve and avoid negative slippages. The district office is here to support you because we cannot stand alone. The accomplishment of the department lies in you,” District Engineer Carlos G. Veloso said to the contractors.
He added that the administration strictly adheres the Department Order No. 193, Series of 2016, “Administrative Action on Contracts with Negative Slippage in Accordance with the Revised IRR of Republic Act 9184” to terminate contracts with negative slippage of 15% or more.
This would therefore result to non-payment, cancellation of contract, or blacklisting.
The district office advised that, if necessary, contractors must file for time extension with legal causes of delay before the expiration of contract to prevent termination.
The office, however, suggested for the contractors to submit catch-up plan to work up and fast-track projects delayed caused by unpleasant weather condition and such, so projects would still be completed right on time.
Veloso further instructed not only to strictly follow the required duration of contracts, but also comply with the quality standards and specifications set by the department.
He also ordered that the office must altogether work proficiently on projects in order to provide better service by sustaining the needs of the public on infrastructures.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The blister wing oyster pearl culture undertaking of Leyte fishermen is evolving into another source of income for many of them.
This was disclosed by Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla in an interview with reporters who said that based on their assessment and findings, the pearl culture is emerging as one of the profitable undertakings for among the fishermen.
Gov. Petilla said that the results of the field trials and studies conducted by his office on pearl culture production was very encouraging.
Thus, he is asking the fishermen to venture to pearl culture production as it has been proven to be highly feasible and profitable undertaking.
Petilla claims that pearl culture can help improve the income and eventually alleviate the depressed socio-economic conditions of the fishermen.
He explained that that growing the blister wing oyster that produces the pearl does not need feeds and medicines like in the piggery or poultry production and with minimal care as the oysters just grow in the sea naturally.
The governor added that the meat of the oysters is in demand in the market while the shells command high price in the shell craft industry.
Gov. Petilla said that, at present, there are eight fishermen’s groups in the province that are into the pearl culture venture which include the: Pinamopoan Fisherfolk Wing Oyster Culture Association, Culasian Wing Oyster Growers Association, and Atipolo Fisherfolk Wing Oyster Association all in Capoocan town; Babatngon District 1 and 4 Fisherfolk Wing Oyster Association in the town of Babatngon; Pinarigusan Fisherfolks’ Association in San Miguel town; Balud Fisherfolks’ Association and AHON Duka Association both of Barugo town; San Mateo Small Fishermen’s Association and West Victoria Small Fishermen’s Association both of Carigara town.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

TACLOBAN CITY — Air passenger traffic at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban Airport rose to 21.38 percent in the first semester of 2018, primarily driven by additional flights to the regional capital, airport and tourism officials confirmed on Thursday.
From 589,160 inbound and outbound passengers in the first six months of 2017, the figure rose to 715,131 in the same period this year, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said in its report.
“The major factor is the additional flights going to Tacloban. In the past, there were only 14 flights daily from Manila and Cebu to the city, but now we have 21 flights every day from Manila, Cebu, Davao, and Clark,” said CAAP Tacloban officer-in-charge Allan Cahingcoy.
The official noted that more flights were added to the city after the closure of the country’s premiere destination, Boracay Island last April 26.
From 1,104 flights in April, the number increased to 1,236 in May.
In terms of passengers, the city’s airport accommodated 152,059 travelers last May, more than the 123,673 recorded in April.
In May 2017, the airport only served 114,935 passengers.
“We really benefitted from the closure of Boracay because tourists looked for alternative beach destinations in other parts of the country,” said Trina Dacuycuy, the supervising tourism operations officer of the Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office here.
Likewise, the region welcomed a lot of returning residents last May due to fiesta celebrations in different communities, the DOT observed.
Dacuycuy, who was the officer-in-charge of the DOT regional office from January to July 30 this year, said many of the region’s destinations are becoming popular through massive social media promotions.
“The growing number of tourism-related businesses in different parts of the region is a proof that we have been welcoming a lot of tourists,” she added.
In a statement, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the notable uptrend in both passenger and aircraft movement is a clear indication of a high demand for air transport.
“It points to a need to improve the conditions of the airports in this part of the country. The regional airport has to be modernized to meet international aviation standards, not only in its services but also in equipment and facilities,” the NEDA regional office said.
From 2017 t0 2019, the central government has set aside P1.03 billion for the improvement of the airport, including P716 million for the construction of a new terminal building, which was bid out last June.
The Tacloban Airport, officially known as Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR), was named after the late former House Speaker and uncle of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos. It is classified as class 1 major domestic airport.
It is the main gateway from Manila and Cebu to the Eastern Visayas region. The airport was ranked as the country’s 9th busiest in 2016, with 1.1 million inbound and outbound passengers.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)

TACLOBAN CITY-Three children who were victims of online sexual exploitation were rescued while two of the suspects, including a mother, were arrested on July 28.
Operatives from the Women and Children’s Protection Center (WCPC) – Visayas Field Unit and Samar Provincial Police Office caught the suspects in two separate entrapment operations in Sta. Margarita and Calbayog City, both in Samar province.
The victims, ages 10, 12 and 16, were offered money by the suspects to live stream their sexually-explicit acts before their alleged customers abroad who watched them online.
The first suspect, a 33-year-old mother, in Barangay Cautod, Sta. Margarita, was caught after she offered her 10-year-old daughter in exchange for P5,000 from an online customer who watched her performed live sexually explicit acts.
The name of the mother was withheld by the responding policemen.
Four other children – ages 12, 7, 5 and 2, who were found inside the suspect’s house at the time of the arrest, were also removed by the authorities.
The second suspect was identified as 20-year-old Mary Grace Soronel, in Barangay Obrero, Calbayog City.
She was arrested after she offered two children, ages 12 and 16, to be sexually exploited online.
Police found smartphones believed to be used by the suspects for online sexual exploitation of children.
“The arrest of these perpetrators means protection of not only the children rescued from their ongoing abuse but also the protection of other children whom they would have eventually abused if they were not arrested. Every single child protected is worth it,” said Atty. Lucille Dejito, IJM Cebu’s Director of Legal Interventions, in a statement.
“With just a smartphone, inexpensive access to the internet and enough English words to communicate in cybersex trade, perpetrators think that the cost of engaging in online sexual exploitation of children is low and that they can perpetuate it with impunity.
WCPC Visayas Field Unit Chief Romeo Perigo warned online traffickers to stop the sexual exploitation of children as they continue to intensify their surveillance operations through confidential intelligence reports that they receives.
The two rescued children are now under the safe custody of the Samar provincial social welfare and development office while the two suspects are detained at Calbayog City Police Station.

By: Ronald Reyes