Groups claim a failed gov’t

BY: JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T.AMAZONA

TACLOBAN CITY- Lies and unfulfilled promises.
Thus claimed members of the different progressive groups in the city as they held their protest rally in time of the third State of the Nation Address (Sona) by President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday who boasted his administration’s accomplishments.
The rallyists, which started their rally inside the premises of the Santo Niño Shrine along Real Street and ended at Rizal Avenue where they held a short program, claimed that despite of the report of Mr. Duterte, Eastern Visayas, in particular, remain to be undeveloped with much of its people remain to be living below poverty line.
And their misery was compounded further with the implementation of the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) Law which they claimed resulted only in the soaring of basic prices.
Joshua Sagdullas, spokesperson of the Bayan Muna, said that under the administration of Pres. Duterte, killings have become common and ordinary.
He was referring to the controversial campaign of the President on illegal drugs which resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 people.
Sagdullas also said that the campaign has also resulted in the arrest of even innocent civilians.
In his Sona, Pres. Duterte said that, among others, his campaign against illegal drugs would continue be it may be ‘chilling.’
The campaign is being strongly criticized by human rights groups, to include some foreign countries.
The President also boasted his campaign to end contractualization being practice by several business establishments.
Mr. Duterte also asked government agencies to stop red tape which has been seen as a cause of corruption among government leaders and personnel.
The President also vows to connect all islands of the country, to include Eastern Visayas, by constructing needed facilities like bridges and seaports.
The 100 rallyists said that they would continue to dramatize their opposition to the administration of Pres. Duterte which they have earlier pinned their hopes in addressing the country’s basic woes like its poverty situation.
Joshua Sagdullas, spokesperson of the Bayan Muna, said that the implementation of the TRAIN Law also resulted for a higher inflation rate, or the rising of prices of goods and services, in the region.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the inflation rate of the region stood at 6.3 percent as of June, which was higher compare to the national level of 5.2 percent.
Jun Berino, secretary general of Sagupa (Samahan han mga Gugti na Parag-uma ha Sinirangan Bisayas), said that farmers in the region, for one, remains to be poor with majority of them still without their own lands to till.
“He had promised to give free lands to our farmers but this remains to be an unfulfilled promise,” Berino said.
He also said that proving another burden to the poor Filipino people was the implementation of the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) Law which he said resulted to higher prices of basic commodities.
“This TRAIN only resulted for the lives of the poor to become more miserable as it resulted to higher prices of commodities,” Berino said.
The President said that he would continue to implement the TRAIN Law saying it benefitted the poor through financial assistance.

With only few takers

MAASIN CITY – Officials of Southern Leyte are calling those who are qualified to take advantage of a scholarship program it is offering for those who want to become doctors.
For some reasons, only few are taking advantage of the medical scholarship program which was introduced by former governor and now congressman, Roger Mercado.
“We need more applicants for this program to address the lack of doctors in our hospitals,” Mercado said.
At present, only 20 students have availed of the program of the provincial government, Governor Christopherson Yap said in a separate interview.
“Having enough doctors in the province would allow our poor constituents to have better access to medical and hospital services. Like education, taking care of the health aspect our constituents is very important for our province to grown,” the governor said.
Aside from tuition, matriculation and laboratory fees, those who will be accepted of the scholarship grant also receives free board and lodging, books, uniform, and transportation allowance.
The program was conceptualized by the provincial government under then governor Mercado after the province faced a problem on lack of doctors serving the provincial run-hospitals spread on its seven towns and in Maasin City.
Since it was implemented in 2014, the program had produced two doctors who are now serving at the Southern Leyte Provincial Hospital.
“The only requirements needed for them to be accepted in the program is to finish the pre-medical school course and be accepted in a medical school,” Rep. Mercado said.
The applicants must also send their letter of intent to the Southern Leyte Board of Medical Scholarship Program.
Mercado added that those who will become doctors after the program will have to serve five years to any of the hospitals under the provincial government. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

By: ROGER C.MELO

Amandangay Elementary School was one of the three schools in Tabontabon District, Tabontabon, Leyte that was chosen by DepEd to become a recipient of Gulayan sa Paaralan Program . We were thankful then of this big opportunity and privilege for this would be of big help to the families of our school children since most of them are low income earners and besides most of them are 4Ps members.
In this connection, our school were given by DepEd P10, 000 to start the program. We bought different garden tools, seeds and other materials to be used in the implementation of the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program.
After that, I, together with the teaching force of our school called for a Parent’s Meeting at once to inform them of the said program and amount given by our department.
During the meeting, it was decided that we will have our gulayan at the back of our school buildings since we have a wider space there. Immediately the day after, the parents came to our school to help in the Pintakasi.
Many of our parents, barangay officials and even the LGU of the municipality of Tabontabon were so supportive of our program.
The Municipal agriculturist Arturo Juanico, together with his staff visited our school. They gave us an orientation on the different strategies in raising different vegetable products. They also gave us some seeds and organic fertilizers.
As of now, we already started the program. The parents already planted different seeds like ampalaya, okra, tomatoes, pechay, string beans, patola, kangkong and eggplant. They will still plant other vegetable plants like squash, pipino and watermelon.
We are hoping that our Gulayan sa Paaralan Program would prosper. This would be of big help in our school to support and sustain our other program which is the School Based Feeding Program. Also, since most of the families of our pupils are low income earners this would help them in their day to day living .
All of these would help banish malnutrition in our school and alleviate poverty in our beloved barangay – Barangay Amandangay, Tabontabon, Leyte. (Note: the author is a teacher of the Amandangay Elementary School, Tabontabon, Leyte)

TACLOBAN CITY – The province of Leyte has extended financial assistance to the six policemen who died during a misencounter in Sta.Rita, Samar.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla told Leyte Samar Daily Express in an interview over the weekend that his office has extended a total of P120,000 to the six victims of the misencounter with the government troops on June 25.
Gov.Petilla said that each victim was given P20,000.
He added that the financial assistance was given by the provincial administrator Atty. Edgardo Cordeño to the relatives of the slain policemen.
The six police men who died and were recipients of the financial assistance were: PO1 Wyndell Noromor of Matag-ob town; PO1 Edwin Ebrado of Matalom; PO1 Phil Rey Mendigo of Tanauan; PO1 Julius Suarez of Carigara; PO1 Rowell Reyes of San Isidro Northern Samar; and PO1 Julie Escalo of Basey, Samar.
The killed policemen who were on patrol duties engaged in firefight with members of the 87th Infantry Battalion.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

ORMOC CITY-A thousand T-shirts for a week-long celebration.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Leyte Fourth District Engineering Office (DEO) has given over 1,000 navy blue t-shirts to the City Social Welfare and Development, Monday morning, (July 16).
The said t-shirts were intended to be distributed and be used by persons with disability (PWDs) for their 40th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Celebration for 2018.
This was part of the department’s support to the week-long celebration conducted by the CSWDO from July 16 to 22, 2018, with the theme, “Kakayahan at Kasanayan para sa Kabuhayan Tungo sa Kaunlaran”.
To raise awareness about the inherent rights and privileges of PWDs, the celebration on National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week was declared to be held every third week of July.
This is in accordance with Presidential Proclamation No. 361 dated August 19, 2000, and Administrative Order No. 35 dated May 3, 2002, directing all government offices to hold activities promoting the annual observance of the said celebration. (PIA8-Southern Leyte, with a report from AMALE LARRAZABAL)