TACLOBAN CITY-Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez attended the mock assessment for the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) 2019 held at the conference room of the city office of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
Also present during the event were City DILG Director Atty. Darwin Bibar and the department and office heads of the city government.
Mayor Romualdez is hopeful that the local government will get the seal this year, knowing that the concerned frontline offices have prepared early for the assessment in coordination with the local DILG Office.
During last year’s SGLG evaluation, Tacloban passed 5 out of the 7 assessment areas required to earn the seal.
The LGU scored well in the areas of financial administration, disaster preparedness, peace and order, business-friendliness and competitiveness and tourism, culture and the arts. (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
Mayor Romualdez positive Tacloban will get SGLG this year
Leyte town vows to give full support on reelection bid of Rep. Ong
CARIGARA, Leyte- The supporters of Leyte second district Rep.Henry Ong in Carigara town vowed to deliver 90% of votes to assure him his second term.
The leaders and big families in this Leyte town convene last Saturday(April 20), to solidify their commitment in giving their 100% support of their representative “anak han Carigara”.
According to them, it will take many more years for an “anak han Carigara” to make it to Congress so they should support their own. Admittedly the group said that opposition is inevitable, thus, 90% of votes were committed by the group.
In the 2016 elections, Ong defeated veteran politician, then congressman Sergio Apostol, whose clan ruled the second district of Leyte for more than three decades.
The group believes that the Rep. Ong can do more for the district.
In his three year stint as congressman, Ong authored and co-authored 13 Republic Acts and 66 House bills.
Currently Ong is the chairman of the committee on banks and financial intermediaries and member of 12 committees at the House of Representative.
In Carigara alone, a total of P 3,588,913,513.00 based on 2017-2019 General Appropriations Act was allocated.
This for the construction of roads, roads to economic zone, bridges, flood management, port, drainage system, multi-purpose building, school buildings and classrooms, irrigation projects as well as cash based programs and activity projects.
“We are satisfied by his performance. We want him back. We will support “anak han Carigara,” they said.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
Mayor Romualdez orders inspection of structures across the city
In the wake of the 6.5 magnitude quake
TACLOBAN CITY- About 100 buildings across the city are to be inspected by a composite team after the city was hit by a 5.9 magnitude tremor on Tuesday (April 23).
This was disclosed by Engineer Felipe Picardal, acting assistant city engineer, who said that since they have started their inspections immediately after the occurrence of the tremor, they have so far checked 15 structures across the city.
And so far, most of these structures have shown some cracks, ranging from minor to severe damage, Picardal said during a press conference on Thursday (April 25).
He said that they are recommending to the owners of these establishments to conduct repairs to ensure the stability and safety of their users.
Among those who first to comply with this order of the city government was the management of XYZ Hotel, Picardal said.
The inspection of these structures were triggered by the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that hit region with the jolt felt in Tacloban City at Intensity V.
Several buildings, to include business establishments, in the city have shown some damages like cracks on their walls and ceilings.
Mayor Cristina Romualdez, in a press conference on Thursday (April 25), said that she has to create the said composite team to ensure that all public buildings and establishments in the city are safe in the wake of the tremor.
“We should ensure that these buildings are safe for our people. Otherwise, if I will not direct an inspection for these buildings and something happen, I will be held accountable being the mayor of the city,” the city mayor said.
Among the buildings that was checked was the Asian Development Foundation College (ADFC).
On Wednesday (April 24), the city government issued a cease and desist order addressed to the school management after findings some cracks.
But its president, Edward Chua, said that there is no need for such an order be issued against them.
He added that they are now undergoing some repairs on the cracks that developed in some parts of the school’s buildings.
“We are already doing our part. We are also after the safety of our students. We will not open until the repairs are completed,” Chua said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
Samar’s Lara brand making waves at the national fashion scene; won this year’s best product at Katha Awards
(Lara Facebook)
TACLOBAN CITY- Indeed, fashion products like handbags and shoes produced by artisans from Samar have arrived at the national scene.
During this year’s Katha Awards of the Manila FAME, the Lara Samar was adjudged as the best product in the fashion design category and the People’s Choice Award.
The awarding was held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City with the show to end today (April 27).
‘Lara’ is the brand name used to refer to products made by the local artisans as it refers to how these products are made. The term ‘lara’ is a Waray term which means waiving
The Lara brand was officially launched to the national scene by Governor Sharee Ann Tan last March 9,2018 at the SM Megamall Fashion Mall to positive feedbacks and acclaim.
“I am proud to reveal that Lara Samar won best product (Fashion Design) and People’s Choice Award during the Katha Awards at this year’s Manila FAME,” Tan, in a message she posted on her Facebook account said.
“I wish to thank our Lara team, most especially our beloved banig weavers of Basey, for making the AMON Collection possible! Excellent work and great team effort! Let’s continue to support to our beloved banig (mat),” the governor added.
The Katha Awards of the Manila FAME is considered to be the country’s premier design and lifestyle event organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry.
Gov. Tan has been pushing the promotion of local products of Samar as part of her banner tourism campaign, Spark Samar.
Tan, who is on her third and last term as governor, said that though she is seeking the second congressional district of the province in this year’s midterm elections, she will continue to support the local artisans in making their products known not only in the country but even abroad.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
OCD says quake did not cause much damage to EV
The strongest to hit the region in 2 years
TACLOBAN CITY- The strong 6.5 magnitude earthquake that rocked the region did not result to major damages.
This was the assessment made by the regional Office of Civil Defense (OCD) which said that no major infrastructures like roads and bridges sustained serious damage due to the tremor that hit the region on Tuesday (April 23) at about 1:37 pm.
“We are thankful that we did not sustain any major damage compared to Luzon’s 6.1 magnitude (tremor),” OCD Regional Director Henry Anthony Torres said.
Luzon, to include Metro Manila, sustained a 6.1 magnitude earthquake on Monday (April 22) which resulted to damages of buildings with 16 confirmed dead and still missing persons.
The Tuesday jolt was the strongest to hit the region since the 6.5 magnitude tremor on July 16, 2017 that killed four persons, injured 100 others and tumbled several buildings and houses. It also resulted to a region-wide power outage that lasted for weeks.
Torres also said that seven people sustained injuries as a result of the tremor with no casualty reported.
Of these injured people, three were from Catarman, Northern Samar-Ricky Pabroa,39; Joseph Froilan,46; and Ernesto Aseo,42; one from Mondragon town, also in Northern Samar, William Milagros;48 and one from Catubig, also in the same province, Nikki Osal,34; one from San Jorge, Samar, Clarita Borden; and one from Tacloban City, Analyn Ibanez.
The Tacloban Rescue Team Unit (Tacru), however, said that they rescued four people, three of them students, who sustained minor injuries due to the quake.
The regional office of the Philippine National Police (PNP), meantime, reported 17 persons who sustained injuries related to the earthquake.
In San Julian town, the epicenter of the 6.5 magnitude tremor, its municipal disaster risk reduction management officer, Florence Rebamontan, said that three persons sustained minor injuries.
They were Elsa Godino,67 of Brgy.3; Bonifacio Encabo, 70 of Brgy. San Miguel; and Dolly Ponbo,30 of Brgy. Nena whose house made of light materials was damaged after a firewall of their neighbor’s house fell down.
Rebamontan, in a phone interview, said that six public elementary schools in the town also sustained cracks.
These are the San Isidro Elementary School; Bunacan Elementary School; San Miguel Elementary School; San Julian Central School; Campidhan Elementary School and Libas Elementary School.
The portion of the belfry of the centuries-old Church of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows fell down due to the tremor.
She also said bridges located in the villages of Casoroy and Campidhan sustained some cracks though these facilities remain passable.
Roads leading to the villages of San Miguel and Bunacan also saw some cracks, Rebamontan said.
She also said that four houses were destroyed due to the tremor.
“Our power supply was restored at 10:30 Tuesday night,” she said.
Upon the order of Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez, a composite team led by the City Engineering Office immediately conducted their inspections on buildings, particularly business establishments and public offices, to ensure their safety for human use.
Among the facilities in the city that sustained damages were the Asian Development Foundation College and ACE Medical Center, whose construction is still ongoing, which sustained cracks, the OCD reported.
The regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), in a separate report, said that all major roads and bridges in the region were passable.
Several government regional offices located at the Government Center in Palo, Leyte, like the National Economic Development Authority; Philippine Coconut Authority; and the Department of Education-Leyte office, sustained cracks.
Several barangay halls, basketball courts, schools, and government offices in other parts of the region also reported of minor damages, the OCD said.
The water supply in San Jorge town, Samar, was damaged due to the tremor, it added.
On the day the strong earthquake hit the city, panic ensued amid fear of a tsunami.
Mario Sy, who was just confined at Divine Word Hospital for a back pain and whose wife, May, just delivered their baby girl on April 20 were almost pinned down after packs of people who were standing at the hospital’s grounds went into panic and tried to get inside the facility as someone was overheard shouting of a tsunami coming.
The Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs) did not raised any tsunami alert though it said of aftershocks.
The tremor was felt in the city at Intensity 5.
The tremor resulted for the temporary shutdown of its power supply but was restored 10 minutes later.
Louis Po, a Grade 12 student, suffered a sprain on her left leg as she tried to get out from 578 Emporium, a business establishment located at its downtown area.
“I was on the elevator when the earthquake happened and suddenly, there was a mad rush of people going down,” she said.
Hotel guests were also seen coming out to the streets due to the tremor.
Artemio Caneja, regional director of the Department of Interior and Local Government, said that he was having a meeting at Hotel Alejandro when the tremor occurred, sending them to practice the hold, duck and cover.
“And after a while, we all went outside the hotel,” he said.
Classes and offices were promptly suspended due to the quake, resulting to a traffic jam.
BY: JOEY A. GABIETA, ROEL T. AMAZONA