Palay production in Eastern Visayas increased by 7.9 percent, from 239,600 metric tons (MT) in the second quarter of 2017 to 258,486 MT in the second quarter of 2018.
Increases were observed among all provinces, except in Northern Samar, which posted a decrease of 9.3 percent.
Southern Leyte recorded the highest increase in production of 50.3 percent, from 24,817 in the second quarter of 2017 to 37,306 percent in the second quarter of 2018.
Among the provinces, Leyte produced the highest volume of palay at 147,221 MT, which comprised more than half (57.0 percent) of the total palay production in the region.
Eastern Samar, meanwhile, had the lowest volume of production (12,215 MT) accounting for only 4.7 percent.
The total harvest area for palay in the region decreased slightly by 0.2 percent, from 69,453 hectares in the second quarter of 2017 to 69,289 hectares in the second quarter of 2018.
Increases recorded in Biliran (7.0 percent) and Samar (1.0 percent) were offset by the decreases registered in Northern Samar (6.8 percent) and Southern Leyte (2.0 percent).
Leyte recorded a little over half or 53.6 percent (37,144 hectares) of the total palay area harvested during the quarter in review, while Biliran contributed the least (4,763 hectares) accounting for only 6.9 percent.
Yield per hectare for palay in the region went up by 8.8 percent, from 3.4 MT per hectare in the second quarter of 2017 to 3.7 MT per hectare in the same quarter of 2018.
Among the provinces, Biliran posted the highest yield per hectare during the quarter in review at 4.6 MT per hectare. Eastern Samar registered the lowest yield per hectare at 2.3 MT per hectare.(PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – At least P 2.3-million worth of livelihood assistance was distributed by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional office and the city government of Tacloban under Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez to beneficiaries on Friday.
DOLE Undersecretary Renato Ebarle and Assistant Secretary Mariano Alquiza led the distribution along with City Councilor Evangeline Esperas who represented Mayor Romualdez, DOLE 8 Director Yahya Centi, National Maritime Polytechnic Executive Director Romulo Bernardez, and Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Manager Emilia Cruz.
Sixty beneficiaries from different barangays received P 1.7-million worth of grant under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) for various livelihood activities like Dress Making/Tailoring, Pedicab, Nego-Cart, Rice Retailing, Bread and Pastry Making and Food Vending.
On the other hand, the Nazareth Farmers Association which has 27 members received P699, 000 worth of livelihood grant for their Sustainable Organic Vegetables and Milkfish Alternative Production Project.
Thirty-one coconut farmers in Barangay 12 Palanog also received P475,800 cash assistance, and a grant of P778,000 was given to the 24-member Tiangge Fruit Vendors Association (TFVA).
One of the beneficiaries of the assistance, Melanio Pelino, said that the grant will bring livelihood enhancement to him and members of their association.
“This livelihood grant is helpful to us who rely on fruit vending as a source of income to support my children and family in the financial aspect,” said Pelino.
“We thank DOLE and the city government for this assistance” he added.
The DILP aims to promote poverty reduction and provide protection to vulnerable and marginalized workers. The program promotes entrepreneurship through small income-generating projects.
(HENRY JAMES ROCA/CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

Hours after he stepped down from the post

BY: JOEY A. GABIETA/RONALD REYES

TACLOBAN CITY- The former chief of the Leyte regional prison colony in Abuyog, Leyte, was ambushed by still unidentified suspects just hours after he stepped down from his post during a ceremony on Monday(August 6).
Geraldo Aro, 55, who survived the slay try, was on board a vehicle when he, together with his four companions, were ambushed in Barangay Cadac-an, about 15 kms away from the Leyte Regional Penal Colony at about 12 noon.
Three of Aro’s companions reportedly died in the ambush incident.
The incident happened just after Aro formally stepped down as chief of the regional penal colony and was on his way to Tacloban City, Supt. Norberto Tuazon, police provincial director for Leyte, said.
Aro was replaced by Supt. Danilo Dador as head of the Leyte Regional Penal Colony which is located in Barangay Mahagna, Abuyog.
“As of this time, I cannot give you further details regarding the incident as members of our SOCO (scene of the crime operatives) and the Abuyog police are still in the area,” Tuazon, in a phone interview, said.
Tuazon also declined to say what could be the motive of the perpetrators as investigation is still ongoing.
Aro, who assumed the post as head of the penal facility in 2013, sustained several bullet wounds and was brought to an undisclosed hospital in the city.
Three of his companions, one of them a woman, died on the spot.
They were on board a Hi-Lux vehicle with plate number SAA-3937.
Names of the dead, who were all personnel of the Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) which runs the regional facility, were not disclosed as of this writing.
Aro was on his way to the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, this city, when the incident happened.
He was supposed to take the post as head of the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Sablayan, Mindoro Occidental on orders of Bucor Director Ronald ‘Bato’ de la Rosa.

TACLOBAN CITY — Concerns have been raised over early signs of environmental degradation in Cuatro Islas, an emerging tourist destination in Leyte province.
In a “Protect Cuatro Islas” report issued Tuesday, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional office here said the environmental condition of the four picturesque small islands is not as worse as Boracay’s but early signs of pollution are now evident.
These four islands are Apid, Mahaba, and Digyo in Inopacan town; and Himokilan in Hindang town.
The 48-hectare Himokilan Island is the most populated with 200 families or 1,110 individuals.
There are about 2,138 people living on the four islands, which were declared as marine protected areas by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 270 dated April 13, 2000.
Among the environmental issues identified by the DENR include the existence of communities in the protected landscape, biodiversity disturbance due to influx of tourists, and poor waste management.
“As small islands, these are not capable to withstand the pressure of communities in the area. Adding pressures to the fragile ecosystem is the influx of tourists,” said DENR regional information officer Maita Reina Sucgang.
Sucgang said the island’s carrying capacity has been breached since early 2015 after the local governments of Hindang and Inopacan intensified promotion their tourism activities.
The DENR assessment team noted that many families on the four islands are non-tenured migrants, with some of them already served notices to demolish structures that disturbed the natural biodiversity and vegetation.
“Solid waste generation in disposal in Digyo Island alone is basically increasing due to high influx of the coming in and out of visitors and tourists contributing to number of kilograms of garbage per person per day. However, only 30 percent of these were then regularly collected by the local government and brought out of the four islands in compliance to the protected area rules,” the report said.
Earlier, the DENR launched “Protect Cuatro Islas” campaign in its bid to raise awareness and understanding on the significance of cleaning up not as an ecotourism area, but also as an ecosystem.
The drive also seeks to elicit support and participation of stakeholders in saving the eco-tourism destination, and strengthen partnerships and networks for this effort.
Cuatro Islas covers an area of 12,500 hectares known for its white sandy shores surrounded by coral gardens, which are considered as one of the best in Leyte Island. It is home to Tridachna and marine turtles such as Green Sea and Hawk bill turtle.
Experts found 287 species of reef building corals in the island’s waters. It is also a rich fishing ground and a home to countless diverse coastal and marine organisms, wildlife and ecosystems. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Despite the lack of needed equipment, the members of a football team of San Jose Central School, this city, are determined to play the game they have learned not only to enjoy but also to love.
Playing in a sandy field without shoes to protect their feet from getting hurt, they are so determined to know the discipline of the sport and become good at it.
William Dacutno, 9, got used of playing football without shoes since he joined the club last year.
“I’m already used of playing this sport without a shoe,” he said.
“But it’s better if I will have a football shoes and other gears so I can play better,” the young football player, who comes from a poor family, added.
Idolizing Lionel Messi, the Argentinian football superstar, Dacutno said that he also aspire to play and represent Tacloban City in a big football competition.
Like Dacutno, Leo Reyan Fabi, 12, also plays football without a shoe and idolizes Messi. He had been playing football since he was six years old.
A son of a canteen worker and public utility vehicle driver, it was his elder brother who influenced him to play football.
“I used to have a shoe but it’s already damaged,” Fabi said.
Seeing the kids practice football without shoes is a common scene inside the San Jose Central School, John Ghannier Regis, volunteer football trainer of San Jose Football Club, said.
The football club has been in existing for more 10 years now, but was only reactivated in 2014 due to lack of trainers and gears.
Just like Dacutno and Fabi, Regis said that he also experienced the same when he was young.
Regis, whose most family members are playing football, is now varsity player for Leyte Normal University football team.
Regis added that since the children are from public school and their families are indigents, it is hard for them to buy footgear like shoes, socks and shin guards.
They are hoping that there are people with good heart to donate gears for their football players.
“We want them to have footgear to avoid injuries. We want to avoid problem with the parents of our club members because they got injured during our practice,” Regis said.
Regis added that his football coach had promised to provide the needs of the young football player by setting aside portion of his salary to buy gears of the children.
They were able to buy training vest to know who their players are during practice.
“Even we don’t have good field for practicing football, even they don’t have gears, I can see the determination from the children to learn the sport. There is potential for the children to become good football players,” Regis said.
“Their enthusiasm encourages us more to teach and train them, share with them our knowledge on playing football,” Regis added.
The kids’ performance on playing football will be determine this coming Tacloban City Meet, said Regis.
“That is why with or without gears, rain or shine we continue our practice to prepare the children. I want them to, if not reach or even surpass, what we have achieved,” he said.
Like Regis, some members of San Jose Football Club are now playing as varsity players in prominent schools in the country.
They include Jarred Troy Regis who was admitted as high school varsity player for University of Sto Tomas.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

GANDARA, Samar – The scarcity of carabao’s milk, the main ingredient in the production of ‘keseo,’ has affected its production and made it rather expensive.
Local producers said that because of the lack of carabao milk, they have to get their supply in Bohol, pushing its price in the process.
Keseo or white cheese is a local delicacy of which Gandara is more known.
Marietta Bernales, a local producer, said that she needs to source out the needed carabao’s milk in Bohol every time supply runs out in her town.
“The price of carabao’s milk is cheaper in Bohol than here,” Bernales said.
A jug of carabao’s milk cost P80 in Bohol while it’s higher by P20 if one will source it in Gandara.
At least 100 litter of carabao’s milk is needed per production.
The importation of carabao’s milk from Bohol resulted for the increase on production costs, raw materials, transportation and price of the product, Bernales said.
From the previous P80 pack of keseo, it now cost P110 while the retailers sell her product at P150.
These retailers include Savemore, Robinsons, Island City Mall in Bohol, Grand tours terminal and Monterey.
Last week, President Leni Robredo distributed 15 female carabaos to the municipal government of Gandara to help keseo producers and farmers to have value-adding activities.
Town Mayor Eufemio de los Santos Oliva said that the donation of Robredo would be of big help to the keseo industry of their municipality.
“This will complement the infrastructure projects implemented by the local government and the district representative of Samar, Edgar Mary Sarmiento (and) will give additional source of livelihood to support their family,” Mayor Oliva said, referring to the beneficiaries.
Mayor Oliva added that the 15 carabaos will be distributed to people’s organization in the town composed of persons with disabilities, senior citizens, single parents, retirees and farmers’ groups.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)