CAMP GENERAL VICENTE LUKBAN, CATBALOGAN CITY –The officers of 8th Infantry (STORMTROOPERS) Division, Philippine Army led by its commander, Maj. Gen. Raul M. Farnacio had a dialogue with the officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Office 8 led by its executive director Crizaldy Barcelo on April 25, 2019 at headquarters, 8ID and renewed commitments on mutual support towards Environmental Protection and Livelihood Enhancement of the communities in the region.
During the discussion, joint endeavors have been agreed upon, involving the local communities in the National Greening Program and in the protection and preservation of the environment to sustain ecological balance and biodiversity. These could bae conducted through the Community-Based Forest Management scheme involving the residents of the mountainous areas in the protection and preservation of natural parks, reforestation of denuded areas and promotion of eco-tourism.
It can be recalled that during the 30th Founding Anniversary of the Stormtroopers Division, Secretary Roy A. Cimatu of DENR recognized the contribution of 8ID in the Environmental Protection of the region being one of the deputized agencies of the government.
Atty. Barcelo expressed his gratitude to 8ID for hosting the dialogue as a manifestation good working relationship between said government agencies as a showcase whole of the government approach in the pursuit of peace and development.
In his response, Maj. Gen. Raul M. Farnacio, who is also the Commander of Joint Task Force “STORM” said that “gusto lang naming tumulong na maipaabot ang kaukulang mga programa at mga proyekto ng gobyerno sa mga malalayong barangays na nangangailangan para ma-empower ang mga opisyales at residente doon.”(PR)
DENR 8 and 8ID renewed commitments on environmental protection, livelihood enhancement
Hanging hammock and the various adventures one could enjoy at Bantayan Cliff
In Borongan City
BORONGAN CITY– An island in this city is offering extreme activities that adventure seekers are sure to enjoy.
For just 30-minutes boat ride from Sawang port, the guests could reach Ando Island fondly calls by the locals as ‘puro halaba” or long island.
The island, facing the vast but treacherous Pacific Ocean, is where the Bantayan Cliff is located.
It is here where the famous “hanging hammock” is located and was conceptualized by Huplag Adventure owned by Eleazar Labtic in 2012.
Since the activity was opened to the public, it slowly attracted attention partly due to the posts in social media sites by those who visited the place.
The hammock is suspended 116 feet or at least 36 meters above, making one to see a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean.
Tourists who will try the hammock are treated with picturesque view of the vast ocean, a beautiful sunrise if they stay overnight at the campsite, which will surely earn more likes and share when taken by pictures and posted in the social media sites.
“But Bantayan Cliff is not only about hanging hammock. Guests mostly posts and shares their experience about how they enjoy sitting in the hammock suspended in the top of the cliff. But our activities is not only the hanging hammock because we are offering more,” Labtic said.
He added that they came up with more activities to make sure that those who will visit their place will enjoy and treasure their experience.
But make no mistake. These activities are not for those with faint heart and with health problems.
He first thought of creating a tour package where guests can explore the whole island but scrapped the plan and instead decided to focus on what Bantayan Cliff can offer to its guests.
For adventure seekers, a trail was developed for tourists to follow before they can try the hanging hammock. It will start at the “makuri trail” which translate to difficult trail, “matarum trail” or sharp trail.
Guests will also experience a sort of caving, rock climbing, ascending by rappel up to about 6-meters high ridge and rappelling 116 feet down from the Bantayan Cliff.
Down in Bantayan Cliff, guests may enjoy dipping their weary bodies in the small lagoons during low tide.
Among the activities, the ascending is optional for the guests to try. Before they can do it, they must try to ascend in a talisay tree at the camp site. If they can successfully lift their bodies to the branch of the tree, they are allowed to do it, but if they fail, they will follow another trail that doesn’t need climbing.
Labtic added that he prefers small group, or at least four to six people trying the trail to make it easier to handle, and have their experience in Bantayan more meaningful.
Doing the challenges is bit costly, with rate for single person cost to P6,500; for two guests the package will amount is P3,000 each; package for three to four guest cost P2,500 each; for five to six person, the tour cost P1,800, while for seven to eight guest cost P1,500 and nine to 10 guests cost P1,200.
The package rate includes, tour guide, island accommodation, boat transportation, porters, entrance fee, meal and government tax.
At present, guests who will stay for overnight in the island are accommodated in an open nipa hut at the camp site, with an option to sleep in a hammock or at the floor. Labtic explains that this is to make each guest experience the feeling of living an ordinary life.
“But we have plans of constructing a small house made from bamboo that can accommodate a couple or a group of friends who wishes to have privacy when they decide to stay for overnight,” Labtic said.
A comfort room is available for the guests to use and in this day and age of internet, the place has a good mobile phone and internet signal.
Recently, officials of the Eastern Visayas Tourism Association (EVTA), an organization accredited by the Department of Tourism, visited the island and assess the services in Bantayan Cliff.
During their visit, the group gave suggestions on how to improve more the site and the services they offer to guest which was warmly welcome by the operator. They also promised to promote and market the hanging hammock to their clients.
EVTA also noted that the place is not only good for adventure seekers but also a good site for those who are into birding. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
DPWH Eastern Samar lines up 51 tourism roads for year 2020
BORONGAN CITY-Under the convergence and special support program of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Eastern Samar District Engineering Office (ESDEO) proposes 51 tourism roads for year 2020 and submit lists to DPWH Regional Office for possible funding.
According to Engr. Christian Paul Balita of ESDEO, these lined-up access roads projects leading to tourism destination for year 2020 were coordinated with the tourism officers of the LGU in every municipalities of Eastern Samar.
Engr. Balita disclosed that before they came-up with lists to regional office for funding, they validated the tourist sites and also considered the feasibility of access road as to road right of way (RROW) and environmental issues are concern.
“Some of our priority projects for access roads leading to tourism destinations for year 2020 are the completion and continuation of our prior years’ projects like the access roads leading to Canhugas Nature Park and Borongan-Llorente Closed Canopy Forest Area,” added Balita.
The total appropriation of the proposed tourism roads for year 2020 is nearly 1.5 billion pesos.
Included in the declared tourism destinations in Eastern Samar to be built with access roads are Bangon Falls and Guiduyanan Cave in Hernani; Pinasuan Falls and Uragon Caves in Brgy Antipolo Llorente; Tingson Falls in Gen MacArthur; Casidman Cold Spring and Pisak Falls in Arteche; Malogo Watershed Sanctuary and Eco-Park in Can-avid; Matandogon Beach in Brgy. Canjaway and Pahungaw falls in Brgy San Pablo in Borongan City.
These tourism-infra projects also include the improvement of jump-off point to known island in Eastern Samar; the Hilabaan and Tikling islands in Dolores, Eastern Samar and Rawis Naked island in Can-avid.
Meanwhile, according to District Engineer Manolo A. Rojas of ESDEO, improving the local roads leading to secluded tourist spots will increase the tourism and impact on the development on social and economic well-being of Eastern Samar.
“We are hoping that these tourism projects will be approved, in order to implement access roads starting the year 2020 and it will allow not only the locals, but also the tourist to delve into the hidden sceneries of Eastern Samar,” said DE Rojas.
DE Rojas disclosed that the access roads will not only boost the tourism industry but also the convenient of livings of the locals because of easy transport of products and services to nearby municipalities.
“Concreting the gravel roads will ease the mobility of the locals who live in the secluded place to the health and education centers, town proper or even faster transportation of their goods to the market, and it will also increase the tourist visits of our province creating vast opportunities to the locals,” added DE Rojas.
DPWH ESDEO implemented two convergence projects access roads leading to declared tourism destination worth 212 million pesos for year 2018 and still waiting for the approval of the 8 projects for GAA 2019 with a total appropriation of 169 million pesos. (LARA MIKAELA SUYOT-PIO STAFF/PR)
Mamanwa tribe now uses modern farming; shuns wild hunting
Assisted by the provincial gov’t of Leyte
TACLOBAN CITY-The members of the Mamanwa tribe, an indigenous people living in the hinterland of Burauen, Leyte have transformed themselves from wild hunters to modern farmers producing high value crops and vegetables.
Bernal Managbanag, 94, the chieftain of the tribe, admitted that the learnings in modern agriculture earned by his tribe members, was the turning point for them to abandon hunting of wild animals and fruits for their daily subsistence and practice scientific farming.
Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla extended assistance to the Mamanwa members last year and trained them in modern farming in coordination the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other government agencies.
About 50 tribe members– 19 men and 31 women – finished the training on the techniques of modern farming.
Managbanag said that the members of his tribe, 15 of them were even former members of the rebel group, the New People’s Army, are now producing high-value crops and vegetables such as onions, asparagus, radish, cauliflowers, strawberries, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, among others.
Petilla said that alongside with the training, his office provided financial support for the organizing and registration of the group at the Department of Labor and Employment for them to have a legal personality for them to transact business with any government or private entity.
He added that his office also extended support and provision of farm implements, agricultural tools and agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and vegetable seeds.
Petilla reported that presently, the members of the tribe are now productive and are now supplying the local markets with their high value crops and vegetabl-s harvested from their farms.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
Media man dies in a car accident
TACLOBAN CITY- Tributes have poured in for broadcast journalist Eric Tupaz who died in a fatal car crash over the weekend.
Initial police investigation showed that Tupaz, 46, was driving his white-colored Hyundai Eon car towards his residence when he lost control of the vehicle upon reaching the curve area at Barangay Arado in Palo around 4:40 p.m. Saturday (April 27).
He accidentally bumped the road traffic sign which resulted his car to flip to the side and subsequently hit the electric post.
The injuries he sufferred from the hard impact led to his instant death.
“Eric had a big contribution to the broadcast industry in providing timely and relevant information to the public,” said Tacloban newspaper publisher and broadcaster Fred Padernos.
“Rest in peace broadcaster Eric. Your fellows in the media will truly miss you,” added Padernos.
His media colleagues condoled with the bereaved family.
“We had lots of happy moments during our time at DyVL especially when we were recording our news,” Roel Amazona of this paper,said.
Amazona was a former reporter of DyVL like Tupaz.
Tupaz worked with Tacloban-based radio stations such as DyVL-Aksyon Radyo of Manila Broadcasting Corporation, DyDW-Radyo Diwa, and Lamrag Radio of the Aliw Broadcasting Corporation. He also published a weekly newspaper.
Tupaz, a native of Dulag, Leyte, was the board president of Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Dorelco) in Tolosa.
His family also clarified that no amount of alcohol was found in his body when the accident took place based from a doctor’s statement.
Tupaz was survived by his wife Irene and two children. (RONALD O. REYES)
House Speaker Arroyo visits wounded soldiers at EVRMC; supports resumption of peace talks
TACLOBAN CITY- House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo visited six soldiers who were wounded during an ambush at Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) Saturday (April 27) afternoon where they are confined.
During her brief visit, the former President comforted the soldiers as she hope for their speedy recovery from the wounds they sustained after they engaged in a firefight with the rebel New People’s Army(NPA) in Barangay Beri Calbiga town in Samar province last April 23.
Six soldiers, who belong to the 46th Infantry Battalion, were also killed during the ambush, the worst suffered by the government troops in years at the hands of the rebels.
“We honor the bravery… of our brave soldiers and we hope that they will recover soon. But more than that, we hope that lasting peace will come to the Philippines,” Arroyo said during an interview after she visited the soldiers.
The soldiers, Private First Class Darwin Magoncia, Private First Class Joseph Salonga, Sergeant Gilbert Benito, Jr. and Private Rex Español, also received a cash assistance from the former President.
The House Speaker, who arrived at the EVRMC located in Barangay Cabalawan, this city, 4:40 pm and left on 5:10 pm, was joined by former Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Leyte Rep. Henry Ong and was welcomed by the hospital’s chief, Dr. Salvador Evardone.
Private Español, 25 and just in the service for over a year, said that she was surprised on the visit of Arroyo to them.
“I am happy and thankful for her visit to us,” he said.
Two of their companions, Private First Class Mark Kevin Frigillana and Corporal Reymart Vigilia were earlier discharged from the hospital
Meantime, Arroyo said that she supports on the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to resume again the peace talks with the communist leaders, led by its founder, Jose Ma. Sison.
“I agree with what he decides,” she said.
Mr. Duterte has once again invited Sison to resume the peace talks with the Philippines government after he decided earlier to scrap the agreement citing the ambuscade incidents involving soldiers and police with the rebels despite of the peace talks.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)