TACLOBAN CITY-“Let us join millions of people around the globe in rehabilitating and cleaning our coastal areas, seas, rivers and waterways from marine debris that harm our marine life and ecosystems this International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day, September 16”, says Assistant Regional Director for Management Service and in-charge of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 8 Arturo N. Salazar.
In observance of this year’s International Coastal Clean-up Day, the Conservation and Development Division of the DENR Regional Office and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) will spearhead a clean-up activity along the coast of Panalaron Bay, Cancabato Bay, San Pedro Bay and Mangonbangon River.
The activity will start simultaneously in every designated area at six o’clock in the morning of September 16. After the cleanup, a short program will be held at Plaza Rizal, this city.
Nearly 300 volunteers will join the event. This includes partners from different agencies and civil society organizations such as ABS-CBN Bantay Kalikasan, Let’s Do It! Philippines, Philippine National Police, Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and PCG-Auxiliary, Knights of Columbus, United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), Volunteer for the Visayans, Petron Corporation, Tacloban City Rescue Unit (TACRU), Rotary Club of Kandaya, SEED4Com, the city government of Tacloban and other national and local government agencies.
Information from the EMB states that for this year, an orchestrated cleanup will be conducted by donor-partners of the Adopt-an-Estero/Waterbody Program.
A synchronized coastal cleanup will also be spearheaded by different DENR field offices in other parts of the region.
The EMB also disclosed that recyclable wastes collected from the clean-up will be sold to junk shops. Proceeds will be donated to Tahanang Walang Hagdan, a non-government organization.
“We enjoin the active participation of the public in cleaning-up our waterways especially this International Coastal Clean-up Day and in ensuring a safe and sound environment beneficial to the health and well-being of the community”, says assistant regional director Salazar.
The International Coastal Cleanup Day is being observed annually every third Saturday of September in consonance with Presidential Proclamation No. 470 signed on September 15, 2003 and consistent with Proclamation No. 244 declaring September as National Clean-up Month.(PR)
DENR 8 to spearhead synchronized coastal clean-up on International Coastal Clean-up Day this Saturday
Fishermen from Masbate rescued off the waters of Capul in Northern Samar
CATARMAN, Northern Samar- Three fishermen were rescued off the waters of Capul, this province, on Wednesday (Sept.13) after their unmarked fishing boat was battered by strong winds and currents.
The rescued fishermen were identified as Ricardo Osasena, Ceasar Tupaz, and Dino Atigo, all residents of Cataingan, Masbate province.
Inspector Ricardo Banjawan, Capul police chief, said that he and his men were on board a passenger boat on their way to Allen town when they saw the motorized fishing boat where the fishermen were on board with a white cloth hung at its mast.
Banjawan said that when they spotted the fishing boat at around 7 am, it was already “half submerged.”
The rescued fishermen disclosed to the police that they were from Masbate to deliver their catch to Naval, Biliran when they were battered by strong winds.
Soon water rushed into their boat and the strong sea current drifted them away towards Capul Island.
The fishermen also said that they have to throw to the sea their catch of fish to ensure that their boat would not completely sink.
Banjawan ordered for the three to be brought to Allen District Hospital for a medical checkup and were released by 12 noon on that same day.
“Dumating yung amo nila, ang may ari ng pumpboat, at sinundo na sila para makauwi sa Masbate,” he said.
The officer said they have verified that the persons they rescued were indeed fishermen. The police found empty styrofoam boxes in the rescued boat and other fishing paraphernalia.
(RACHEL V. ARNAIZ)
Call center agent surrendered; accused of direct assault
SAN JOSE, Northern Samar- A call center agent accused of direct assault personally surrendered before the San Jose municipal police station (MPS) on September 11.
David Verano,23, single and a resident of Barangay Gengarog, this town, surrendered to the San Jose Police municipal station as a warrant for his arrest was issued by Judge Ulysses Loverita, presiding judge of MCTC of Biri-San Jose-Rosario on September 4.
Verano is facing arrest for direct assault with the court recommending P12,000 for his temporary liberty.
The suspect was detained at San Jose MPS for booking and proper disposition and later released from custody after posting a bail for his temporary liberty.
Police Senior Supt. Felix Diloy, police provincial director, said that the suspect has to face the charge against him.
But his decision to personally surrender before the authorities would lessen the penalty as the same is considered as a mitigating circumstance. (PR)
DOT expects more travel workers in Samar after tourism course offered in senior high school
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is eyeing more well-trained tourism workers in Samar province with the offering of tourism training program in senior high school (SHS).
DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said the Department of Education (DepEd) Samar division has picked tourism as a banner training program for SHS considering that it is the priority of the provincial government.
The skills training will center on housekeeping, restaurant operation, bartending, and tour guiding.
“We looked at the possibility that there are some marginalized areas where students couldn’t really afford to go to college but want to be employed in a tourism industry. They need skills that will help them find a decent job in the tourism industry,” Tiopes said.
The training has started this school year and the tourism department hopes to replicate the program in other provinces of the region.
Prior to offering tourism in the academic tracks, the local government, DOT, and DepEd trained 58 teachers and drafted the teaching modules.
Part of the training is the tour to tourism-related establishments in Samar province to observe and practice.
After the training, they will also be brought to Manila to observe the standards of services and facilities in different tourism establishment and training centers.
(MELVA MAE C. MENIANO)
Works on the P615.36-M World Bank-funded rural roads in E. Visayas now underway
TACLOBAN CITY – Construction of seven farm-to-market-roads (FMR) projects worth P615.36 million under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) are now ongoing, the regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported on Tuesday(Sept.12).
The infrastructure component of the World Bank-funded PRDP aims to help in transporting farm products to commercial center, hence, raising the income of families in farming communities, said Jenny Lyn Almeria, DA-PRDP regional deputy project coordinator.
These projects are P50.32 million rehabilitation of Bantayan-Malobago Pagsang-an FMR in San Roque, Northern Samar; P77.6 million concreting of Cogon-Mabini FMR in Basey, Samar; P20.26 million improvement Dau-Eduardo FMR in Sta. Rita, Samar; and the P24.93 million concreting of Camanhagay-Poblacion 1 FMR in San Sebastian, Samar.
In Southern Leyte, these projects are the rehabilitation of P30.39 Suba Kanangkaan-San Vicente-San Juan FMR in Sogod town; P182.7 million improvement of Mahayahay-Manalog FMR in Saint Bernard; and P229.1 million upgrading of San Roque-Bahay FMR in Liloan.
“There are also 15 other pipelined projects still waiting for approval with a total budget requirement of P10.6 billion,” Almeria said.
The PRDP is a six-year project of the Department of Agriculture which covers nationwide. This aims to modernize and improve sectors of resilient fisheries and agriculture.
The project is a partnership among World Bank, national government, and local government units.
The PRDP is a six-year rural development project worth P27.5 billion to be funded through World Bank loan worth P20.56 billion, and P7 billion in counterpart funds from the national government and local government units. The project has started in 2014. (PATRICIA SALVO/PNA)
Nearly P7-B budget eyed for roads to industries
TACLOBAN CITY – Eastern Visayas is eyeing a P6.89 billion budget in the next two years to finance road projects leading to various industries and economic zones.
For 2018, the national government has approved P558.97 million for 10 projects dubbed as Roads Leveraging Linkages for Industry and Trade (ROLL IT) Program, a convergence between the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Submitted for 2019 funding are 42 roads with a total budget requirement of P6.33 billion.
“The priorities are the roads leading to areas with processing activities or major sources of raw materials. This is the basic concept of the project,” said DTI Regional Director Cynthia Nierras in an interview Friday(Sept.15).
In Naval, Biliran, up for implementation next year are upgrading of Caraycaray-Cabungaan Libton Road, NRJ Agpangi connecting road in sitio Pongo, NRJ villa Consuelo connecting to Libtong Road, Villa Caneja connecting to Kahukaw subvillage road, and Villa Caneja-Anislagan Road.
Other projects include improvement of the access road from the national highway to Barangay Iberan in Salcedo, Eastern Samar; Divisoria-Langit-San Antonio Farm-San Diego-Sto. Niño Road in Alangalang, Leyte; Minuhang-Balud and Balud-Duka Road in Barugo, Leyte; Ichon-Sindangan-Guinabonan-Maningning Road in Macrohon and Malitbog, Southern Leyte; and Road from Patong-Tuburan-Ilaya-Nava-San Juan in Southern Leyte.
The DTI and DPWH will have yet to release the list for 2019 projects.
The initiative is patterned after the Department of Tourism – DPWH Convergence Program or the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program that resulted to the upgrading of roads leading to tourist destinations.
In a statement, DPWH Regional Director Edgar Tabacon said is also timely as a fulfillment of the promise of the golden age of infrastructure for the Philippines by the Duterte Administration.
“This would create the opportunity to utilize the projected substantial increase in the budget for infrastructure into the development of complementary networks of regional and local roads that will connect to, and optimize the use of, the improved national roads system,” Tabacon said.
Priority industries and activities are those with high potentials to globally competitive, innovative and resilient and those that can generate jobs and create spill-over effects to other industries and economic activities.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)