TACLOBAN CITY- The outpatient department building at the new Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) was formally turned over to its management by donor Japanese International Cooperative Agency (JICA) on Thursday (September 21).
Present during the turnover were JICA officials and health officials led by Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial who said that the three-story building is an additional health facility that could tremendously benefit the people of the region who are in need of health services.
The outpatient building, built at a cost of P411 million, is part of the assistance of the Japanese government after the region was battered by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ on November 8, 2013.
The facility offers services such as anesthesiology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pathology, psychiatry, radiology, rehabilitation medicine, hemodialysis, and endoscopy, among others.
The building was designed for more comfortable waiting spaces for patients, improved privacy through individualized clinics.
It is also as a green environment building because it has more open spaces with only selected areas using air-conditioning units.
The outpatient building is located adjacent to the main EVRMC building located to its new location in Barangay Cabalawan.
Sec. Ubial recognizes her predecessors Enrique Ona and Janette Garin why the building was realized.
Ubial also said that aside from the current structures that are on-going construction, the DOH will fund construction of additional structures in the complex like a cancer center, and blood center.
The regional offices of the DOH and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) will also be built inside the more than 15 –hectare complex.
Currently operational within the new EVRMC complex are the Mother and Child Hospital, a donation from Bloomberry Foundation worth almost P400 million, the 6-story EVRMC main hospital and administration building that is worth more than P1 billion funded by the national government.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON, PALO, Leyte- Expect arrests of wanted persons all over the region in the next few days.
Chief Supt. Gilberto Cruz, police regional director, directed all provincial directors, city, and municipal chiefs to go after those who have outstanding warrants.
Cruz, who issued the directive on Monday (Sept.18), said that he was surprised that despite the warrants issued against the suspects, they still remain at large.
The police regional director said that Eastern Visayas has one of the highest records in terms of persons with warrants that remain at large, particularly those facing rape charges.
“This week, we will be starting our simultaneous service of warrant of arrests to start tomorrow,” Cruz said.
In Samar, warranted persons are being used as private armed group (PAG) members, responsible of killings there.
Cruz himself said that PAGs and those who are financing their existence are up for a “surprise” as he vowed to purge them.
Local politicians are said to be financiers of PAGs in Samar, considered among the hot spot areas in the region, especially during election period.
The regional police director, barely one month since he assumed his post last August 30, said that by arresting these suspects, the problem on peace and order in the region could also be addressed.
He, however, said that the arrests would be done in such a way that the rights of the suspects would not be violated.
For one, he would make sure that those who will be arrested are only with outstanding warrants issued by the courts.
Cruz said that during their operations, body cameras he personally distributed to provincial headquarters and city police stations will be used to ensure that no violations would be committed by the authorities in the course of their operations.
Cruz had earlier vowed that the rights of the suspects would be respected though he said that if the lives of the police officers would be in danger, they have all the right to defend themselves.

BY JOEY A. GABIETA

President Duterte invited to grace the event

The city government through the New Beginnings Program has made headway in its anti-drug initiatives.

TACLOBAN CITY-As part of its commitment to the national anti-drug campaign, a gathering of all anti-drug stakeholders will take place in this city on September 21 spearheaded by the city government under Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez.
President Rodrigo Duterte and Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial have been invited to attend the morning gathering to be held at the Tacloban Convention Center.
Dr. Gloria Fabrigas, head of the New Beginnings Program, said that the event dubbed “New Beginnings for Change Summit,” will gather all sectors in the city to include the business sector, civil society organizations, barangays and various schools.
The New Beginnings Program is an initiative of Mayor Romualdez which has now become a flagship program under the Caring, Giving and Reaching out (CGR) Program which serves as the substance abuse prevention, control, rehabilitation, and recovery program of the city government.
Among the activities planned for the half-day event with theme, “Pagkaurusa para han Pagbag-o Kontra Iligal na Droga, Kriminalidad, Korapsyon, ngan Terorismo,” is a poster and jingle making competition for elementary and high school students.
A film-making competition will also be held for college students; pre-screening of entries will be done by the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education.
The event will also feature booths that will be put up by the participating stakeholders.
A recognition activity for the drug-cleared barangays is also set to be held on that day while those who completed the city drug rehabilitation program will be given recognition.
The city government through the New Beginnings Program has made headway in its anti-drug initiatives.
Recently, Advocates of the New Beginning program were made beneficiaries of free training on organic farming by the SM Foundation as part of their After Care Program.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office, meanwhile, handed out financial assistance to the drug surrenderees.
Fabregas said that the assessment and screening of drug surrenderees are continuously being done in the barangays.
The event is in cooperation with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine National Police, Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), among other stakeholders.
(HENRY JAMES G. ROCA/CIO)

TACLOBAN CITY- Vice President Leni Robredo led in the ground-breaking of a one-unit 2-classrooms school building in Salcedo, Eastern Samar.
The facility, donated by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII), will be constructed at Salcedo National High School.
The school’s buildings and other facilities were destroyed when super typhoon hit Salcedo in 2013.
“I thank our partner organizations for their pledges. We have to work together in order to promote the development of rural areas in the country, one of the pillar advocacies under Office of Vice President’s “Angat Buhay” anti-poverty program, an initiative geared towards uplifting the quality of life of every Filipino family,” Robredo said in her speech during the event held on September 14.
According to Jack Uy, president of the Tacloban Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (TFCCCI), the said donation will be constructed next month by the TFCCCI which is under the umbrella of FFCCCII.
The said donation was from the company of Jeffry Ng, vice president of FFCCCII who owns Cathay Land.
Aside from the school building, Robredo also brought the Life Straw Water Filtration equipment by the Lingap sa Laylayan ng Lipunan-Veepo Global Resources.
Aside from Salcedo, the Vice President also visited the towns of Balangkayan and Hernani.
In her Balangkayan visit, she donated a multi-cab to be used as school bus by the students of the Balangkayan National High School and water filtration equipment.
Meanwhile, Robredo led in the inauguration of the new municipal hall of Hernani and visited its most popular tourist attraction, the Canhugas Nature Park. (VICKY C. ARNAIZ)