TACLOBAN CITY– National Irrigation Administration (NIA) acting administrator Engr. Eddie Guillen visited the Tingib Dam of the Binahaan River Irrigation System (RIS) in the municipality of Pastrana, Leyte as it will undergo rehabilitation works.

The rehabilitation of the Tingib Dam aims to ensure an unhampered and efficient delivery of irrigation water to the farmlands of Leyte.

NIA Administrator Together with NIA Region VIII Manager Engr. Ruby C. Tuan, Jr. and other regional officials and employees, Administrator Guillen intended to personally visit Tingib Dam so that its rehabilitation and improvement may push through, thus strengthening the dam structure to serve its farmer-beneficiaries for more decades.

At present, Tingib Dam of the Binahaan RIS serves 5,726 hectares of farmlands in the municipalities of Pastrana, Sta. Fe, Alangalang, Palo, Dagami, Tabontabon, and another 4,569 in Tanauan.

Guillen, aside from inspecting the Binahaan Dam, also held a dialogue with officials and personnel of NIA in the region to check on their welfare and a meeting with the irrigators association.

Guillen said that he wanted to personally explain to the irrigators about the programs and the direction of the agency, and the plans of the Marcos administration for them.
“If they hear it from me and see what the government can offer to them, it would be better,” he said. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

State health insurer PhilHealth and Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate and work on a synchronized and well-coordinated ICT system to promote and ensure integration, interoperability, and interconnection of their systems and applications.

The said agreement is expected to further boost health insurance services to the 111 million Filipinos in the country and abroad.

Under the partnership, the DICT will assess and evaluate PhilHealth’s current applications and systems and provide recommendations and strategy for the improvement of its ICT system. It will also identify, develop and enhance the state health insurer’s existing systems and applications to ensure effective and efficient delivery of government services.

“We couldn’t be happier with this agreement with DICT. Maraming proseso at serbisyo ang PhilHealth na kailangan ng computerization at digitalization upang lalong maging mabilis at kasiya-siya sa lahat ng Filipino. Isa ito sa mga plano na inilahad namin kay President Bongbong Marcos Jr.. Hindi namin bibiguin ang Pangulo at ang lahat ng kababayan natin”, PhilHealth Chief Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr. said during simple rites in Pasay City. He also thanked the DICT team led by Sec. Ivan John Uy and Usec. David Almirol, Jr. for their support to the PhilHealth digital transformation plan.

For his part, Sec. Uy declared the agreement “a milestone in terms of e-governance” as this will address the long standing challenge of digitalizing public health care. Uy also said that such partnership fortified a common aspiration of providing better service to the Filipino people by allowing them to access their PhilHealth benefits easily, seamlessly and pleasantly. (PR)

Tacloban City – Six years in the making (2017-2023), the “ Proposed Ordinance Regulating The Use Of Plastic And Utilization Of Polystyrene As Packaging Materials In The City Of Tacloban, And Prescribing Penalties For Violations Thereof” was finally passed for third and final reading during the City Council’s regular session on Thursday afternoon, March 23, 2023.

To recall, the Committee On Environmental Protection And Waste Management chaired by Councilor Aimee Delgado-Grafil had been pushing this since 2017, but was slowed down in the years due to economic hardships brought by natural calamities- the latest of which was the over 2 years of COVID-19 pandemic at its highest peak.

On March 20, 2023, the committee chair called for another public hearing at the CEO Gym attended by business owners/and or their representatives.

The City Council further agreed that the newly-passed ordinance regulating plastic usage shall take effect in January 2024 or once signed by the City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez. (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)