“The city government of Tagbilaran acknowledges that it is in the best interest of the public to adopt the Paleng-QR PH program through the efforts of the BSP and the DILG in the hopes of driving financial inclusion and digitalization of payment,” Councilor Charles Cabalit.
“Paleng-QR PH introduced us to one of the leading financial providers, GCash. We also encourage all financial service providers to participate in the program.”

Cabalit was a speaker at the recent GCash One With the Nation Forum in Cebu which carried the theme “Innovations and inclusion: The future of digital financial services”. It was attended by BSP, DILG, and LGU representatives.

To ensure the program’s effective implementation, he said the LGU has reached out to all local stakeholders and made sure that there is reliable internet and data connectivity in the city, particularly in public markets and tricycle terminals.

Cabalit has sponsored the passage of ordinance C-339, which enjoins all business establishments and local transportation in Tagbilaran City to adopt QRPH digital payment in line with the Paleng-QR PH program.

“As soon as the Paleng-QR PH program is launched in our locality, we can say we are stepping ahead and we are getting closer to our dream of transforming Tagbilaran City into a digital city,” he concluded.

During the event, Visayan LGUs also pledged their commitment to the program before BSP Head of Regional Economic Affairs Staff Gregg Bacay. The LGUs are expected to help the BSP achieve its objective of getting 70% of Filipino adults to have formal accounts.

Meanwhile, DILG Assistant Director Alfonso Maralle, Jr. pointed out that initiatives like Paleng-QR PH become more effective when the government works with the private sector.
“We would like to express our appreciation to GCash for making the DILG part of this event which promotes and advocates financial inclusion for Filipinos. Hindi po kaya ng government lang. We have proven many times that public-private sector collaboration moves us forward toward this endeavor. There are so many remarkable things we can achieve when we all come together with the private sector and other stakeholders,” he stressed.

Even before Paleng-QR PH, GCash has been helping vendors and drivers with its various services. Egg vendor Junar Cabuenas and tricycle driver Rotchel Kuyoka, both from Lapu-Lapu City, are among those who benefitted from GCash.

“In the past, I always give the wrong change but when I started using GCash, now it’s a lot better. GCash is very useful to me. Like when someone places an order, they just pay me through GCash so it’s not too much of a hassle. It’s so easy,” said Cabuenas.

GCash hosted the regional expansion of One With the Nation for the first time to explore how the private and public sectors in VisMin can work together to foster economic growth through digital ecosystem development, especially in a post-COVID landscape. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY– Interior secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr is now an adopted son of Leyte.
Senior provincial board member Carlo Loreto said he personally informed Abalos on this matter during his visit in the province on Wednesday (Feb. 8).

Loreto, who is from the fifth district of the province, disclosed that a resolution to this effect was unanimously approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan members during their regular session Tuesday (Feb.7).

They cited Abalos’ excellent performance as Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as well as his clear visions for the department.

“I think he has the traits, religious, family man, and sincerity and these traits are worthy of emulation for all the people of Leyte,” Loreto said.

He added that the move is with the hope that it will translate with more services although he stressed that the Secretary does not need it because people can really see that he is performing well in his role as head of the agency.

Loreto said that Abalos was happy with the declaration and thanked the people of Leyte.
Abalos was the guest of honor in the regional roll out of the government’s anti-drug campaign dubbed as “Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan’ held at the convention center in Palo.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

ORMOC CITY-An employee of the public market in Tacloban City surrendered to the police one sachet containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu.

Alejandro Sembrero, 44 said that he found the sachet of shabu on the flooring of the building at about 11:25 am on Wednesday (Feb 8) which he immediately turned over to the city police office.

The prohibited substance, placed in a transparent heat-sealed plastic, has a weight of 0.05 grams and with an estimated street value of P1,500.

Sembrero told police that at about 11:25 on that day, he was at his workplace at Tacloban Public Market, particularly at the trading post area sweeping the floor and when he noticed the said item.

Having the perception that the item could be an illegal drug item, he then called the attention of the police officers near their area at Market PCP, PS2-TCPO, and coordinated the same, then subsequently brought the said item to Police Station 2 for proper disposition and disposal.
(ROBERT DEJON)

PASTRANA, Leyte – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Leyte Second District Engineering is now implementing seven school building projects for recipient schools in the second district in the province.

These school buildings will be constructed in Talisay Elementary School, Mayorga; Amandangay Elementary School, Tabontabon; MacArthur Central School, MacArthur; Caridad Primary School, Julita; Buracan Elementary School, La Paz; Aringit Primary School, Pastrana; and in Tunga Central School, Tunga.

Each school building has a construction budget of P4.9 million sourced from the Basic Education Facilities Fund of the Department of Education (DepEd).

These facilities were simultaneously constructed on January 19 and are expected to be completed May 3 of this year.

District Engineer Leo Edward Oppura directed the project engineers to closely monitor the implementation of the school building projects to ensure that they adhere to the plans and program of works.

School building projects implemented by DPWH are in convergence with the Department of Education (DepEd) aiming to address the classroom gaps in high-priority schools nationwide.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY– The Department of Social Welfare and Development Services (DSWD) here in the region is targeting 73,252 new beneficiaries under its Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for this year.

The new beneficiaries will replace the graduated or exited 4Ps households from the program, Paula Unay, 4Ps division chief of the DSWD-8, said.

The identified underprivileged households in the ‘Listahanan’ or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) are potential beneficiaries of the program, she added.

Last January, orientation and posting of the list of set 12 potential households were conducted in each barangay/municipality with the validation and registration now ongoing across the region where copies of the master list of potential beneficiaries are posted in the different local government unit offices until the end of this month.

“By March 15, we expect the approval of our regional director for these new registered beneficiaries,” Unay said.

In addition to being underprivileged in the Listahanan, beneficiaries of the 4Ps program must also be able to comply with the program’s conditions as part of their shared responsibilities which includes having children between the ages of 0 and 18 or being pregnant at the time of the assessment.

Potential members are required to submit marriage certificate, birth certificate/baptismal, school enrollment certificate of children 3-18 years old enrolled in pre-school, elementary, junior and senior high school, health registration certificate of children below 5 years old from RHU/BHS, and valid identification card (ID).

Unay urged the public especially the potential beneficiaries to be aware of the registration.
“The DSWD gives consideration for late registration from March 1-14,” she emphasized.
Of the 73,252 target new beneficiaries, 1,983 will come from Biliran; 11,638 for Eastern Samar; 29,795, Leyte; 9,785, from Northern Samar; 13,797 in Samar and 6,254 from Southern Leyte.

Currently, there are 274, 989 active 4Ps household beneficiaries in the region.

(HAZEL LLANETA, LNU Student

CALBAYOG CITY – The second phase of the flood control structure built along Tabawan Creek has been constructed, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways Samar First DEO.

Phase I of the said construction was completed on November 2019.

The 560-meter-long flood control structure with an average vertical height of 3-meters includes a 1.5-meters-wide pavement and 0.8-meter parapet that serves as a protection wall for residents of the barangay.

According to Meraflor G. Largo, a resident of Barangay Tabawan, before present, the creek overflows due to the water coming from the mountaintop, particularly during heavy rains and the rainy season, so some areas of the said barangay have become inundated—houses have been flooded, and flood water has reached waist length.

Now, residents of the community no longer worry when it rains because the flood control structure reduced the effects of the deluge, particularly during heavy weather.

As part of the DEO’s regular infrastructure plan, this project has a contract amount of P 48.63 million from the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2022.

(FLORSELISSA A. JUSAYAN, PIO Staff)