NAVAL-Biliran- “Fastracking our projects doesn’t mean that we need to sacrifice the quality of our work, even if we are ordered to accelerate our accomplishment,” Alfredo L. Bollido, assistant district engineer of the Biliran Engineering District Office reiterated during his meeting with the contractors.
From the month of May to June, 2018, Bollido emphasized that the overall accomplishment of the district just increased to only 3% a month when it should supposed to accomplish at least 15% each month.
Bollido said that the District Engineer wants the contractors to accelerate their work in order to meet the 15% monthly target accomplishment of the district.
“Allotment of the budget is based on the performance of the district. If we continue to have low accomplishment, this will affect our budget allotment for next year,” Bollido added.
Starting 2019, the department will be implementing the cash-based policy which means that contractors have only one year validity period to finish the implementation of projects.
With this, Bollido orders contractors to rush the implementation of projects funded from current General Appropriations Act (GAA) as well as those funded from previous years’ GAA i.e. 2016 and 2017 in order to smoothen the 2019 project implementation.
According to Bollido, BDEO would identify those contractors who have low accomplishments.
“Those contractors who have already 50% – 100% negative slippage will be recommended for contract termination and will be automatically blacklisted to participate in any future biddings in Biliran DEO,” Bollido said.
“We need your cooperation because we are not only be the one that will be affected, but also you (contractors)”, he added.
BDEO has been allotted P1.6B for 2018 with a total of 60 projects funded under the General Appropriation Act (GAA). Out of the 60 projects, 24 are already completed, 28 are on-going and 8 are Not-Yet-Started (NYS) as of July 31, 2018 with an overall accomplishment of 42.60%.
Under 2017 project implementation, out of the 57 projects, BDEO has completed 52 with still five projects on-going which are being rushed for completion. (PR)

PALO, Leyte- The Department of Science and Technology(DOST) here in the region together with Science Education Institute announces that the DOST 2019 scholarship form is now available.
In a statement, Engr. Ramil Uy, center manager of Science and Technology Human Resource Development and Promotion Center (STHRDPC) of the said agency, said that the scholarship is offered to talented and deserving students who wish to pursue 4 or 6 years degree priority courses in science and technology fields.
He added that DOST’s scholarships and the merit scholarships both aim to produce and develop high quality human resources needed for science and technology (S&T) and research and develop, (R&D) initiatives in the country.
Uy said that those interested may visit their office or at their various provincial offices to get the scholarship application form for under graduate scholarship for academic year 2019-2020.
Uy added that the application form is accessible for download in the DOST SEI website thru the link http://www.sei.dost.gov.ph/images/ downloads/ 2019UndergApp.pdf.
The deadline for filing of application is on August 31, 2018 while the date of examination is October 21. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY – A farm-to-market road constructed in the town of Babatngon, Leyte is expected to help improve farm productivity in the area.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla told reporters that the P 2 million-worth project situated in Sitio Sogod, Barangay District 4 of said town will be of great help to the farmers in bringing their farm products to the market.
Gov. Petilla also said that it will encourage farmers to invest and produce more considering the ease in the transportation of farm products.
He added that more vehicles will travel the area and eventually lower the transportation costs.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

CATBALOGAN CITY – An official of Samar, one of the poorest provinces in the country, issued an appeal to its people to pay their taxes, patronize their own products and plant more for food sufficiency.
By doing so, the province could withstand all the challenges that would come its way, Board Alvin Abejuela (2nd district) said.
Abejuela made this appeal during a speech on Monday (August 6) in a program in a run-up for the Samar Day celebration on August 11.
“Our province can withstand challenges if we all cooperate by paying our taxes, plant our idle land in order to achieve food security, buy our own products to encourage farmers and producers to plant and produce more,” he said.
“We must also promote Spark Samar to domestic and international tourists to collate economic activity in our community,” he added.
“Let us make impact for our Samar province and this is the essence of Samar Day,” Abejuela said.
Spark Samar is a provincial government initiated program under Governor Sharee Ann Tan focusing on tourism to help economic development in the province.
Among the highlights of the one-week Samar Day celebration activities are the search for Mutya ng Samar this August 9, with 14 candidates representing their respective locality vying for the most coveted crown and the Tandaya Festival of Festivals showdown and festival street dance competition on August 11.
The Samar Provincial Hospital also lined up activities for the week-long celebration that includes health and wealth day; a medical and dental mission from August 3 and 7; medical mission in Barangay Guinsorongan in August 6; health on wheels in Motiong town on August 8 and Paranas on August 10 focusing on proper tooth brushing an oral examination and a midwife forum on childhood immunization on August 9.
Samar province previously celebrated Samar Day every November 10 to commemorate and was transferred to August 23 in the 1970s.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – A group of indigenous peoples (IPs) living in the hinterland of this province are now into modern vegetable production.
Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla told reporters that his office has extended assistance to the 35 members of the Mamanwa tribe living in Barangay Kagbana, Burauen town.
He added that the tribe members were among the 50 graduates on a skills training for organic agriculture production with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other agencies.
Gov.Petilla said that his office has extended agricultural inputs such as vegetable seeds and fertilizers, tools and implements to be used in their farming activities.
He added that his office also gave P5, 000 as seed capital for their vegetable farming activities and for their organization to register at the Department of Labor and Employment.
Petilla said that after the training on vegetable production in the early part of this year, the tribe members adopted and practiced the modern vegetable farming they have learned.
He added that the IPs are now productive alongside with the other farmers in the hinterlands of the town of Burauen.
Presently, the governor said, the IPs are producing high- value organic vegetable crops and they are supplying the local markets with their vegetables and other farm products harvested from their farms.
The governor said that his office is also extending assistance to other IPs living in the province.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

BY: Roel T. Amazona

CATBALOGAN CITY – Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said that the government of President Rodrigo Duterte is serious on its campaign to protect the environment.
Cimatu issued this assurance in an interview during the 30th founding anniversary of the 8th Infantry Division, this city, on Wednesday (July 1).
Cimatu said that they will comply with the directive of Pres. Duterte during his State of the Nation Address (Sona) for mining companies to repair their mined areas to help the government’s effort for sustainable development.
The environment secretary said that to ensure that the country will benefit more on mined minerals, the government has invited investors to build up processing plants.
The DENR chief said that once the two companies start their operations on processing mined minerals, his office will deploy personnel there to regularly check their compliance on environmental laws.
“I will be putting in a DENR personnel sa loob mismo ng company. Ang kanilang trabaho to check and the protection of the environment,” Cimatu said.
The two China-based companies will put up their processing plants in Zambales.
A Russia-based company, meanwhile, will construct a similar company in Surigao.
Cimatu said that, as of this time, their agency has not received any application for mineral extraction but only for mineral exploration.
He added that in the meeting with the stakeholders of mining industry last July 30, one of the topics they discussed was the immediate rehabilitation of the mined land by planting trees.
The DENR is encouraging mining companies to plant bamboo in mined areas instead of trees because of its big demand in the world market, particularly China.
Bamboos could be used in the construction, production of paper, textile, and in the medical and agriculture.
The grass has also potential to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, making it useful to the environment.
“When they extract mineral they have to plant trees immediately para hindi madisturb yung ano. Ang tinitingnan namin ngayon is yung bamboo, instead of other trees,” Cimatu said.
“Sayang kasi yung mined areas na hindi naman nagagamit. Kasi in an area, let say of 5,000 hectares, only 30 percent are mineralized the remaining 70 percent ay walang mineral, so we might as well plant bamboo sa lugar niyan kasi napakalaki ng demand. Pag pinutol mo ang kahoy wala na pero itong bamboo pag pinutol mo at ibenta mo meron pang tutubo ulit that is why we are very interested in this was of reinventing mining,” he added.
The mining industry is slowly transitioning to a more environmental friendly mining activity that is not destructive to the environment unlike the open-pit mining, Cimatu disclosed.