TACLOBAN CITY- The region posted a $61.34 million surplus in the total Balance of Trade in Goods (BoT-G) in October 2019, 65.84 percent higher compared with the $36.99 million trade surplus in the October 2018.
The region’s total trade in goods in October 2019 increased to $104.62 million from $65.80 million in the same period in 2018, a significant growth by 58.99 percent.
The region’s total volume of exports in October 2019, weighing 67.10 million kilograms, was valued at $82.98 million. This was 61.46 percent higher compared with the $51.39 million exports in October 2018.
The commodity group of natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metal, metal clad with precious metals and articles thereof; imitation jewellery; coin was the major export during the month in review with total revenue of $50.26 million.
This accounted for 60.57 percent of the region’s total export revenue in October 2019.
Hong Kong was the top export market destination with $50.26 million total export revenue, which shared 60.57 percent of the region’s total exports.
The region’s total imports increased by 50.21 percent, from $14.41 million imports in October 2018 to $21.64 million in October 2019, with total gross weight of 60.18 million kilograms.
Ores, slag and ash commodity group was the major import during the month with total revenue of $13.32 million, comprising 61.58 percent of the region’s total imports in October 2019.
The top import supplier of the region in October 2019 was Peru with total import bill of $13.10 million, comprising 60.55 percent of the region’s total imports.(PR)

Under Petilla’s Leyte EconoMICs program

TACLOBAN CITY – The province of Leyte aims to achieve a single-digit poverty incidence percentage in 2022 with the strengthened economic strategy dubbed “Leyte EconoMiCs (More Income in the Countryside).”
In an interview, Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said the efforts for human, family, and community development to alleviate poverty in the province have intensified considering the encouraging effects on the progress in the countryside.
Leyte EconoMICs remains to be the province’s main economic strategy that aims to reduce the 23.6 percent poverty incidence in 2015 to just 9 percent in the next two years.
The program adopts a community-based approach to capacitate the poor and marginalized villages through packages of goods and services.
With a target of 250 farmers and fisherfolks’ associations for 2018 to be given assistance, the program has contributed to the lives of more than 5,000 members of more than 200 groups in the province’s 40 towns and Baybay City.
Petilla said poverty is the root cause of many problems including low productivity, low government trust, vulnerability to disasters, low education, damaged moral values, poor infrastructure, lack of capital, peace, and order, lack of awareness on environmental protection, population increase, and corruption.
“Touching base with our farmers and fisherfolks proved to be rightful and significant for us because they are the most underserved sector in our society craving for the government intervention,” Petilla said.
Among the opportunities provided for them are high-value and fruit crop production, livestock projects, skills development, values formation, and education, community resiliency, and infrastructure projects.
Petilla said the Leyte EconoMICs program has slowly but surely steered the perspectives of these poor people to bond and work together to create resilient, inclusive, and competitive community economies.

“I firmly believe that people are our greatest resource and with this program backing them up, we will be able to bring about productive and sustainable rural communities,” Petilla said.
(GERICO SABALZA/PNA)

PALO, Leyte-Jan 23, 2020, marks a momentous event in the feat of Rural Electrification Movement and Rural Development – the first ever Regional Summit of Member-Consumer-Owners Organizations (MCOO) of Eastern Visayas was held at the Oriental Leyte, Palo with the theme “MCOO: Vanguards of Rural Electrification and Rural Development”.
Attended by more than 200 MCOs representing the local organizations of the 11 ECs in the region together with their Board Presidents, General Managers, ISD Managers and LEXICON.
The event was also graced by key leaders in the empowerment of electric consumers such as Dir. Nollie B. Alamillo (IDD-NEA), Mgr. Guillermo M. Paz (CDPD-NEA), Urbano “Tay Bong” Talibong (NCECCO National Coordinator), and no less than the Admin.Edgardo Rama Masongsong (NEA Administrator).
The event was leap in the empowerment of electric consumers for it was an avenue of educating, raising awareness and involving the MCOs, and giving them the opportunity to be active participants in the Rural Electrification Program and Development.
Text Box: Masongsong talks on MCOPE program of NEAMasongsong urged the MCOO leaders that they are the vanguards of rural electrification, and as vanguards, they must help and protect their Electric Cooperatives.
“You must know the essence of MCOO, na maramdaman at maisapuso kung ano Kooperatiba. Educate, Organize and Mobilize, that is key to MCO empowerment,” Masongsong said.
Election of region wide MCOO Officers was also c onducted yesterday. Atty. Geraldo C. Teves, MCOO from Catbalogan representing SAMELCO II emerged as the Region 8 President.
Text Box: Masongsong leads Oathtaking of newly-elected Eastern Visayas MCOO OfficersThe Member-Consumer-Owners Program for Empowerment (MCOPE) is a program of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) in order to empower the MCOs of Electric Coops as its partner in achieving its vision of providing sustainable rural development. Under the program, organized MCOs will be involved in the major activities of the ECs thus making them partners in the cause of the electrification movement. (PR)