TACLOBAN CITY-A P12-million worth of concrete farm-to-market road (FMR) was inaugurated in Alangalang by Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla.
Gov. Petilla, who led the inauguration and the cutting of the ceremonial ribbon, told Leyte Samar Daily Express that the 812 linear meters FMR in Barangay Borseth, will connect the barangay to the town proper and to the national highway.
The project will benefit the farmers in the area and will make the transportation of farm products to the market easier and faster.
Petilla claims that the FMR is of great help to his “More Income in the Countryside” program considering that Alangalang is one of the rice farming municipalities in the province. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

PALO, Leyte- The national government opened its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Knowledge Center in Eastern Visayas in a bid to promote PPP program in the poverty-stricken region.
The information hub, housed at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional office here, will answer all PPP-related questions from local government units, state universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations, and private investors.
PPP Center Deputy Executive Director Eleazar Ricote said the growing interest of Manila-based and international companies to invest outside Metro Manila prompted them to set up the knowledge center in the regions.
“You don’t have to go to Manila to strengthen your capabilities to undertake PPPs for your infrastructure and development requirements. This is like your PPP consultation room, answering all your queries related to PPPs,” Ricote said during the center’s opening Tuesday (April 24).
The official clarified that not all PPP ventures are hard infrastructure projects. Some existing PPPs include the construction and operation of public markets, terminals, slaughterhouses, and information technology systems.
The new facility will not only answer queries of government agencies and local government units but private investors as well.
There are also available templates for local government units to come up with PPP Code, feasibility studies, contracts, and other documentary requirements for PPP projects.
NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio Uy welcomed the opening of the PPP Knowledge Center here, the fifth of its kind in the country.
Knowledge corners have been set up in NEDA offices in Davao City, Cagayan de Oro City, Pampanga, and Butuan City.
“I see the significance of providing PPP technical assistance in every region to sustain economic growth through improved private investments,” Uy said.
The NEDA regional office here is eyeing PPP ventures in agriculture and fisheries, manufacturing, and tourism, the three priority areas under the 2017-2022 Regional Development Plan.
The knowledge center initiative is a partnership between the NEDA and PPP Center as part of the government’s strategy to engage more local implementing agencies to rollout more bankable and viable PPP projects in the countryside.
Among the benefits cited for PPPs are proper alignment of incentives, allocation of risk to party who can best manage that risk, tapping private partner’s innovation and expertise, revenue sharing, and addressing implementing agencies’ limited absorptive capacity and government’s limited fiscal space.
PPP Center, which was created through an Executive Order in 2010, serves as the central coordinating and monitoring agency for all PPP projects in the country.
The Center manages a USD102-million revolving fund that gives implementing agencies access to a panel of consulting firms tasked to provide advisory support and multi-disciplinary expertise.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)

Reason why illegal drugs continue to proliferate

TACLOBAN CITY- The continued proliferation of illegal drugs in he region ‘mirrors’ the non-function of anti-drug council in the barangay level.
Thus said Kenneth Joey Balase, regional focal person of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)’s barangay anti-drug abuse council (Badac) program.
Balase said that while they don’t have a solid figure to back up on their claim, majority of the region’s 4,390 Badacs are ‘organized but are not functioning’ according to their mandate.
“Based in our observation, we can say that Badacs are not functioning according to the purpose for which they were created as illegal drugs continue to proliferate in the barangay (level). It is in the barangays where these illegal drugs are being sold,” Balase said.
“The non-function of our Badacs serves as a mirror why there still illegal drugs proliferating,” he added.
He, however, cited the case of Barangays 44 and 77, both in Tacloban City, which have a functioning anti- illegal drug council which was mainly credited why these villages were among the first barangays in the country to be declared as drug-cleared.
The anti-drug council in the barangays is a mandatory-created council under the Local Government Code which is supposed to serve as the first line of defense in the fight against illegal drugs in the country.
Balase, however, said that they are dismayed that while all the 4,390 barangays in the region have existing Badacs, they were just organized for compliance purposes.
“This is the region why we are strengthening our information dissemination campaign on Badacs. That a Badac should be organized not only for the sake of compliance purposes but to help in the campaign against illegal drugs,” he said.
Balase said that sanctions are to be meted to a barangay which has its Badac but is not functioning.
“The members could either be charged for negligence or withdrawal of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) share of the said barangay,” he said.
He, however, said that not a single barangay has been meted either of the sanction mentioned.
The barangay chairman serves as the chair of the Badac with a village councilor as the vice chair with four members. The town or city police chief serves as the council’s adviser.
The government under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is currently pursuing a massive anti-drug operations never seen in previous administrations of the country.
Balase said that because of this heightened anti-illegal drug campaign of the Duterte administration, the function of a Badacs plays a significant role to eliminate the proliferation of the illegal drugs.

By: Joey Gabieta

TACLOBAN CITY- Aside from poor health, the other reason why former first lady and now Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos appears not liking to visit her home province of Leyte is due to her ‘depression’ on what happened to Olot Mansion located in Tolosa town.
This was revealed by her elder daughter, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos who was in the city Tuesday(April 17) for an speaking engagement.
The young Marcos said that to help their mother somehow overcome her sadness, they will do something about the 42-hectare beach front property.
“She is not happy to travel these days because her left knee is really bothering her and she does not like to use a wheelchair. I think, she’s also a little bit depressed kasi yung Olot, there has nothing left. So we have to do something for her para mawala ang kanyang lungkot sa Olot,” The Ilocos Norte governor told members of the media during a press conference held at the VIP Lounge of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, here.
The structures inside the sprawling property located in Barangay Olot, Tolosa town, were totally destroyed when super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ hit Leyte on November 8, 2013.
The property consisted of a seven-room residential mansion;14-room guest mansion; a pavilion which could accommodate 1,000 people and a nine-hole golf course designed by legendary Jack Nicklaus.
Also washed out by Yolanda were several fabulous gowns and signature shoes of the former first lady and silver wares and some paintings.
The last time the Marcos widow visited Leyte was on November 8, 2014, the first year anniversary of Yolanda’s onslaught.
She did not visit the property though her children, Bongbong and Imee, went there.
Asked what exactly the plan of the family about the destroyed property, Gov. Marcos declined to say.
“We’ll talk about it but we’re not quite certain (on what to do). So we’ll not reveal,” she said.
The property was among the sequestered properties of the Marcoses in Leyte.
But sometimes in 2008, the Supreme Court issued an order allowing Marcos to retake the property.
The Romualdezes traces their roots at Tolosa, a sleepy town more than 20 kms away from Tacloban City, where the family continue to yield political clout. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

PALO, Leyte – The top official of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) urged the voters on the forthcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections not to vote candidates who are into illegal drugs.
PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino, who graced the inauguration of their regional office at Government Center, this town, Wednesday (April 18), also said that if he has his way, he would publicize the names of barangay officials who are into illegal drug trade but would wait instructions from President Rodrigo Duterte on this issue.
Aquino said that he is appealing to the barangay and even SK voters to reject candidates for the May 14 balloting who are into illegal drugs.
This way, the barangays would be freed from illegal drugs and attain the goal of Mr. Duterte to have a drug-free Philippines.
Of the 4,930 villages in the region, 2,952 of them are affected by illegal drug trade.
About 1,618 were already cleared with the remaining 934 villages still to be cleared from the proliferation of illegal substance.
Of the six provinces in the region, Southern Leyte was the first to be declared as drug-cleared while four of the seven cities (Tacloban, Ormoc, Baybay and Maasin) were already declared as drug-cleared.
Aquino, meantime, disclosed that based on their watch list, 274 barangay officials are considered to be on the illegal drug trade.
The figure, however, is lower compared to the 289 barangay officials under the list of Malacañang.
He said that while he would like to publicize the names of these barangay officials who are into illegal drug trade, he would still wait for the President to do it.
“Hinihintay ko ang, ang order sa amin ng Department of Interior and Local Government or maybe the President,” Aquino added.
“(But)if I will have my own way and the President orders it, I will publish the names of the village officials involved in illegal drugs so that their constituents will know and they will not vote them,” he added.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The police are intensifying their monitoring on the entry of illegal drugs in Leyte, following reports that the Espinosa group have resumed its illegal drug operations.
Senior Superintendent Norberto Tuazon, Leyte police provincial director, told Leyte Samar Daily Express that they could not confirm about the report though they are closely monitoring movements in Albuera relative to illegal drugs proliferation.
Albuera is the hometown of self-confessed illegal drug lord Kerwin Espinosa whose late father, Rolando Espinosa, was once its mayor.
The young Espinosa is now detained at Camp Crame.
S/Supt. Tuazon said that they are keeping a tighter watch on the entry of illegal drugs in Leyte, especially in the town of Albuera.
The police official added that they are closely monitoring the Espinosa group and also all terminals, ports, airports and even clubs and establishments to ensure that illegal drugs will not reach the town of Albuera and other areas in the region.
Leyte, according to Tuazon, is merely a transshipment point for illegal drugs as they have not monitored any presence of illegal drug laboratories in the area.
He also claimed that the strict enforcement and successful implementation of Oplan Double Barrel campaign resulted in the drop in the supply of illegal drugs in the province.
“We are winning the war against illegal drugs,” Tuazon said.
He, however, did not provided any data to support on his claim.
(JAZMIN BONIFACIO)