TACLOBAN CITY-Ahead of the June 4 school opening, teachers, parents, students and volunteers dirtied their hands in cleaning school rooms and grounds to ensure that students will have their first day in school inside their classrooms.
Here in the city, thousands have joined the six-day ‘Brigada Eskwela’ activity which started Monday (May 28).
At the Rizal Central School, one of the biggest elementary schools in the city, parents and their students joined with school personnel in the clean-up activity.
Greg Galos, school principal, said that he was glad that parents of their students joined the activity which is to end on June 2, two days before the start of the 2018-2019 school term.
According to him, because of the donation from their volunteers, they were able to raise half a million pesos last year.
And they expect that for this year’s Brigada Eskwela, they could surpass what they have collected last year.
He said that with their increasing number of students, the schools need additional school buildings.
At the Leyte National High School, considered the biggest secondary school in the region in terms of students’ population, parents and students also joined the Brigada Eskwela or school maintenance week.
“As of now, we are repainting and restoring the classrooms and tables and cutting grasses so that students will be comfortable during the start of classes,” Jennylind Daya, Balik- Eskwela coordinator, said.
Daya said that during last year’s Brigada Eskwela, LNHS was able to generate about P700,000 worth of donations from parents and donors.
“We seek for the support from the stakeholders especially from the parents to come and join our brigada activity. Also, we encourage them to educate their children to be discipline in waste management in case they’re in school,” she said.
VJ Esplago, a Grade 10 student and a member of Student Supreme Government, said that Brigada Eskwela is a big help as students could expect formal start of classes and would not worry of cleaning their classrooms during the first days of classes.
Brigada Eskwela is a program of the Department of Education(DepEd) which is done ahead of the school opening. It encourages involvement of all stakeholders in the community to help clean-up of schools.
The activity is also a way of the DepEd to instil the spirit of volunteerism among the public. (REJOY R. TORALBA, SHELLA MAE D. ASTORGA, DHEMA NINA O.IGAY, NwSSU Student Interns)

MAASIN CITY-The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has earmarked P2.7 million as its counterpart fund for the special program for employment of students (SPES) this summer time in the province.
According to labor inspector Marlo Sible of the DOLE-Southern Leyte, the amount represents 40 percent share of DOLE for the expected 801 SPES beneficiaries province-wide, while the other 60 percent would be the share of the concerned local government unit (LGU) which would hire students or even non-students.
SPES is a regular job placement program provided by the labor department during summer and Christmas vacation school breaks, in close cooperation with LGUs and private establishments as willing partners, so beneficiaries can earn money to buy school supplies and other needs for the incoming school year.
Sible said the basic requirements to be eligible as SPES grantee are the following: at least 15 but not more than 30 years old; must have a passing grade; for out-of-school youth there must be a certification from the local DSWD; and annual income of parents is not more than P 127,000 for Region 8.
“Interested individuals are advised to coordinate with the public employment service officer (PESO) in their respective cities or municipalities,” Sible informed. (JNPD/MMP/PIA-8, Southern Leyte)

SAN MIGUEL, Leyte- The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) donated school supplies intended to the more than 100 selected students of the Bagacay Elementary School (BES), this town on May 21.
The school supplies donated by NGCP to the school were to be distributed to the 120 Grade 1 to Grade 3 students of the said school.
The giving of school supplies to BES students is part of NGCP’s program dubbed as ‘Gamit ni Bulilit’ wherein school supplies are distributed to selected students, especially coming from poor families.
Marietta Brazil, school principal, said that they are happy that the NGCP chose their school as one of the beneficiaries of their Gamit ni Bulilit program.
“This is the second time that our school received this kind of donation from the NGCP and we are happy that they visited our school and extended donations for our school children,” she said.
Milfrance Capulong of the NGCP said that they are just happy to help the parents of the students by providing their children of their school needs.
“Before the school year starts, meron ng idea ang mga parents na mabibigyan sila ng NGCP para di na sila bumili ng school supplies,” Capulong said. (SHELLA MAE D.ASTORGA, NwSSU Student Intern)

The Samar police director gets backing from town mayors

CALBAYOG CITY- The police provincial director of Samar was declared as ‘persona non grata’ by the officials of this city but received commendation from different mayors of Samar for what they claimed his ‘excellent service.’
The city council, during their regular session on Monday (May 21), moved for S/Supt. Nicholas Torre III, who assumed his post as Samar provincial director May of last year, be declared as persona non grata for his alleged failure to solve the series of killings in the city and his reported political partisanship.
The said measure, contained under Resolution 2018-15-141, was initiated by Councilor Rey James Uy and was supported by five other councilors.
However, three councilors did not support the move while another councilor was absent during the meeting.
“Whereas, S/Supt. Nicholas Torre III allegedly engaged in a political partisan activity when he provides services only to well-known political personality in the province of Samar,” part of the resolution said.
“His police service… is tainted with doubt against crimes and (in) maintain(ing) peace and order,” the resolution added.
Thus, Torre should be declared as a persona non grata within Calbayog City, the resolution said.
A persona non grata means that a person or personality is not welcome or not acknowledge in a place where the declaration was made.
The resolution further stated that the police need to be effective and credible as partner of the community for the betterment of the populace and the businesses.
The resolution cited the killing incidents in Barangay Catabunan wherein a candidate for punong barangay and his father were killed; in Brgy. San Jose wherein a farmer was beheaded, among others.
But Torre, in his Facebook post, dismissed the declaration of the city council of Calbayog saying that he has done enough to solve the killing incidents in the said city.
According to him, since he assumed the post May of last year, only few killing incidents occurred compared to previous years.
He also said that he got a certification from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) city office stating that, for one, the incident in Catabunan was not politically-related relative to the conduct of the May 14 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
“Don’t they like a peaceful Calbayog?” he said.
But Torre said he was relieved that the league of mayors of the province expressed their confidence on his leadership as they passed a resolution expressing their support on him.
“Whereas, the local chief executives of Samar has admired the vigor, honesty and sincere desire of PS/Supt. Nicholas Torre III to make Samar Police Provincial Office more active and visible in promoting public safety and security within the localities,” part of the resolution issued by the mayors on May 10 said.
The mayors also said that the relentless campaign of Torre against criminals with ‘political connections may have earned him some critics and enemies.’

TACLOBAN CITY– Lack of licensed pharmacists has been noted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as among the problems plaguing drug stores operating in the region.
This was disclosed by lawyer Emilio Polig, Jr., officer-in-charge of the FDA, during a gathering Thursday (May 24), here in the city.
The lack of licensed pharmacists in several drug stores in the region and other parts of the country as well could be traced due to the low salary that they are receiving, the FDA said.
“Our pharmacists are being pirated by other countries so we are trying to come up with a plan to address this problem. It is important that we develop an appropriate technology for the creation of virtual pharmacy or tele-pharmacy if there is no pharmacist available,” FDA Director General Nela Charade Puno said.
Under Republic Act 10918 or the Philippine Pharmacy Act of 2015, mandates that only licensed or registered pharmacists have the exclusive rights to dispense medicines and must be conducted only within a licensed establishment.
Polig said that they are appealing to local government units not to issue business license to a drug store which does not have a registered pharmacist.
“That is why, the FDA needs the assistance of LGU in the enforcement of law in the local level because they are in charge in giving licensing and business permit,” he said.
Jonathan Chiquillo, vice president of the Philippine Pharmacist Association (PPA) in Eastern Visayas, assured the FDA that they are all following the law mandating to always have a license pharmacists in their respective establishments.
The FDA had been talking with the PPA to come up with ideas that can be implemented to address the problem on the shortage of pharmacists.
“We are understands that there is a crisis but rest assure that we are addressing this problem and we are pushing for an immediate implementation once we come up with a solution to this problem,” Puno stressed.
Also cited by FDA as problems affecting the drug store business are unregistered health products; without license to operate and operating with expired license. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

To take effect next month

TACLOBAN CITY- The region’s more than 1 million privately employed workers, both in the agriculture and non-agriculture sectors, are to receive a higher daily pay starting next month.
This after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved Wage Order Number 20 pegging the daily minimum wage in both sectors at P305.
The new wage order increased by P20 the current daily minimum wage of workers in the non-agriculture sector while it raised the day pay of workers in the agriculture sector by P30.
The current daily minimum wage among non-agriculture workers is at P285 while those in the agriculture, to include in the sugar industry at P275.
Cyril Ticao, regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for Eastern Visayas, said that the wage board decided on its own or moto propio.
“We took into consideration the increasing prices (of basic commodities) and gasoline in our action,” Ticao said.
He said that they have approved Wage Order Number 20 on May 7 and forwarded it to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) for review and approval.
The NWPC approved the new wage order last Monday (May 21).
According to Ticao, Wage Order Number 20 will take effect 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of regional circulation.
The DOLE regional director, who also act as the chairman of the RTWPB-8, warned employers to follow the new wage order.
“There is no exception on this wage order. This should be enforce by them. (Otherwise), we will conduct inspection for them to pay their workers accordingly or file charges against them for not following the wage order.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)