TACLOBAN CITY – The Public Employment Service Office (PESO) has announced that it will start the deployment on April 3, 2018 of the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) workers to the different departments of the city government.
Some 237 slots are available under the SPES of the city government of Tacloban under Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez for this summer break.
PESO started accepting applications for the program last January to facilitate the processing time required by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Aside from being assigned regular office work, SPES workers will also undergo several activities like livelihood orientation and other socio-civic activities as part of the holistic approach of the City Government to the program.
The SPES workers will work for 20 days and will be paid a minimum wage. Sixty percent of the total wage of students is shouldered by the city government while the other 40% is paid by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The program is mandated under RA 7393 and intends to develop the potentials of poor but deserving students to finish their education by being employed during school breaks.
(HENRY JAMES ROCA)

CALBAYOG CITY- A three-day Refresher Course on Equipment Preventive Maintenance and Operation of Construction and Maintenance Equipment and Porto Clinic Examinations was conducted for the second batch of DPWH drivers and heavy equipment operators on March 13 – 15, 2018 at Samar First District Engineering Office Multi-purpose Hall, Calbayog City.
Batch two participants included Samar I DEO, Samar II DEO, Northern Samar I DEO, Northern Samar II DEO, and Eastern Samar DEO.
The course is designed to upgrade their knowledge in maintenance of various vehicles and equipment as well as its utilization and preparation of equipment log book, log sheet and other forms.
Driver’s or operator’s clarity or sharpness of vision (visual acuity), field of side vision, synchronized alertness of eyes, hands and feet, and depth perception are also measured whether or not it all compensates the minimum standard requirements.
Pre-and-post training survey, post course evaluation and examination were administered to the participants at the beginning and at the end of training to gauge its effectiveness.
After the training, Samar I DEO drivers and operators along with other participants are expected to have a better understanding of their roles as well as have better adeptness in executing their duties and responsibilities. (BON JOSEPH N. ASTILLA/PIO STAFF)

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Office No.8 recently received the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 Certification for Quality Management System (QMS), a demonstration of its commitment to provide excellent service to its stakeholders.
ISO 9001:2015 sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is based in a number of quality management principles including strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual improvement. ISO 9001:2015 helps ensure that customers get consistent, good quality products and services.
The following frontline services of MGB-8 are covered by the ISO 9001:2015 Certification: 1) provision of Mine Management Administration;2) safety, environment and social development services; and 3) geosciences services.
RD Raul Laput is grateful to all MGB-8 employees who worked hard to achieve the milestone.
“It is a concrete manifestation of our commitment to provide excellent service to our stakeholders,” stressed RD Laput.
The Certification Audit was completed on December 18,2017.NQA, one of the biggest and most respected certification bodies in the world, has issued the Letter of Certification to MGB-8 ON January 24,2018.
(CELESTES FAITH S. DE LA CRUZ)

CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON, PALO, Leyte- A businesswoman was wounded after she was shot by a still unidentified assailant while she was on her to the municipal hall in Albuera, Leyte.
The victim, Mercy Villar, 40 and a resident of Barangay Poblacion of said town, was hit at her stomach and was rushed to a hospital at the nearby Ormoc City.
The incident took place at about 8:00 am Thursday (March 22) in front of the Albuera municipal hall.
Based on the initial police report, the shooting incident was perpetrated by two suspects who were on board a motorcycle.
One of the still unidentified suspects drew his gun and shot the victim, who had just alighted from her vehicle, hitting her at her stomach.
The victim, said to operate a lending business and own a store at the town public market, was rushed to a hospital in Ormoc City where is recuperating from the bullet wound she sustained while the suspects fled after the incident.
Elements of Albuera Municipal Police Station are conducting a follow-up investigation and hot pursuit operation for the arrest of the suspects.
Police have yet to determine the motive on the shooting of the victim.
Recovered at the crime scene were three empty shells of caliber 45 pistol. (PR)

ORMOC CITY – About 139 couples from the city officially solemnized their unions through a civil ceremony sponsored by the city government under Mayor Richard Gomez.
The mass wedding, held at the Superdome on Thursday (March 22), was part of the Women’s Month celebration of the city.
It was a happy occasion for the couples who were wed free of charge, coming from Ormoc’s 110 barangays.
All the brides came in wedding gowns with bouquets made of recycled plastic, even headdresses. The grooms, on the other hand, were either dressed in white barong or long sleeves.
The couples had Vice Mayor Leo Carmelo Locsin Jr. and the city councilors as their sponsors.
Delia Corbo, city social welfare and development officer, said that the mass wedding was part of Women’s Month celebration, with the aim of empowering women by having their unions recognized by the state, and help also their children get legal status.
Mayor Gomez also made sure that the couples’ wedding day was made memorable.
Each couple received a gift pack from him and Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez containing two hams and queso de bola. They also went home with a food pack containing rice and canned goods, and a cake and a bottle of wine each that they used during the ceremonial slicing of cake and toast.
They also had group pictures with the mayor and their sponsors.
There was also a photo booth with standees of Mayor Gomez and Rep. Torres-Gomez where the couples had their pictures taken as their souvenir.
The sponsors, on the other hand, gave the couples small tokens like rosaries to remember the day. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

ORMOC CITY- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar assures the public during his visit here on Wednesday (March 14) that the rehabilitation of the Ormoc Airport Terminal Building will be completed this year.
According to DPWH Leyte Fourth District Engineer Lino Francisco C. Gonzalez, the first phase of the rehabilitation is now more than 30% complete.
As such, the Leyte Fourth District Engineering Office (DEO) is positive that the overall improvement of the building will be finished within the year.
The building was built exactly eight years ago but was severely damaged by super typhoon ‘Yolanda in 2013’. Since then, it has been unusable and has not undergone repair.
The facility suffered major damages when Ormoc was hit by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake July of last year.
But Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade, upon seeing the dilapidated building, announced its repair through the collaboration of DOTr and DPWH.
Currently, the first phase of the rehabilitation amounting to P31 million is exactly 32.49% complete, while three more projects amounting to a total of P65 million, are set for the extended rehabilitation this year.
This will cover overall improvement of the said building, including high-quality facilities and amenities, as well as site development.
Once completed, the Ormoc City Airport will significantly improve the transportation, tourism, and economic development of the city as well as nearby municipalities. (PR)