TACLOBAN CITY-As an accomplished professional, living a relatively comfortable life with family, she can just be where she is, but this lady chose to meddle and mingle with the poor in a far depressed barangay of Eastern Samar.
On April 2, 2018, PCOO Undersecretary Lorraine T. Badoy unbelievably risked the long, winding route to barangay Binaloan, Taft Eastern Samar, in her passion and enthusiasm to join the school children’s graduation rites, 14 of whom were boys, six were girls.
Everybody in the village, young and old, calls her “doctor” more than a “ma’am”, and from more eavesdropping, the sound of her name got clearer, she is a medical doctor. But previous research likewise revealed, she is a print communicator, a doctor-blogger.
Watching her hugged and talked pleasantly to the children, tickled certain degree of guilt for someone who comes from the place but has yet to touch the ground of that calamity stricken barangay yet, a lady of her regard and respect appeared without having to impress on anyone, she is one of the trusted persons of the country’s highest leader, PRRD.
Who’s she? Why these children? Why this place that is nestled in a deep forested area of Eastern Samar’s so-called virgin forest? Was she ever aware that the area used to be a haven of the red fighters? Can she imagine of some unseen eyes watching from the tree tops or perhaps a number of gun nozzles pointing at us?
PCOO Undersecretary Lorraine T. Badoy is the name and here, is her zealous mission and crusade, from the accounts of the women in the barangay.
Typhoon Ruby in 2015 was the strongest typhoon to have hit the northern barangays of the province in recent years. Next to “Yolanda”, it rendered vast devastation, pulling people’s lives to extreme poverty and demoralization.
Barangay Binaloan, Taft, Eastern Samar had its fair share in desolation and wreckage. Located in a low land valley, with a river belting around the place, gives the place the big opportunity to catch the waters from everywhere: from incessant rainfall, from swelling waterfalls nearby or from the river that has not recovered in decades to its normal state from an ungrateful, devious mining company.
So, “Ruby” with her enormous volume of water soaked the houses, floated the classrooms and severely destroyed the children’s treasured books then, the future went bleak and dark.
However, from out of the blues, a Medical Mission must had been brought by an Angel. They composed of closely saintly medical practitioners, one Lorraine Badoy included.
And it unfolded everything as lady Lorraine vowed, “I shall return”.
From then on, she has been frequenting the place particularly during school commencement exercises.
With her intercession, by having had to ask her friends and colleagues for needed assistance, books, slippers, medicines poured in to the place.
“I like the place,” USEC Badoy said in a brief talk. “Extreme poverty,” was her answer, when asked why the children from the place.
Two girl sisters indeed are fatherless, the mother a PWD; one is a book lover, but the school doesn’t have a library and books, so the lady USEC intervened for the need.
She also wrote National University in Manila for a scholarship of a local boy, who was a Palaro Winner in swimming. After staying for three years now in Manila, Jericho Salas, the youngest of six siblings will now be moving to Grade-9 with stipend and free dormitory. Dominga, his mother informed that the boy is now with Perpetual Help School, where he continues his scholarship grant.
USEC Badoy is also up to help the livelihood needs of the unemployed women in the barangay.
In her graduation brief message, USEC Badoy stressed to the young, on education as the best tool to achieve a brighter future.
“Malaking laban kung kayo ay nag-aral,” she told the graduates. She neither agrees to the notion, on “the poor being lazy”.
“Baka hindi lang natutulungan,” was her counter.
She shared, that her parents’ parents were not wealthy as well. Her grandpa was a vegetable vendor and her grandma had many siblings that distributed the family’s income to more priority expenses.
But both her grandparents and parents reached their respective education and titles through scholarship programs. She was too, a UP Scholar, while hubby Walter took the scholarship program of the PMA.
Citing the free tuition college education program, USEC Lorraine urged the 20 elementary graduates of Binaloan Elementary School, Taft, Eastern Samar to never tarry nor go weary because they are almost there.
“Kakaunti nalang ang tatawirin ninyo at kagaya ng marami, makakaahon din kayo sa tamang edukasyon,” the cheerful giver concluded,”
USEC Lorraine’s trip to Binaloan, Taft, and Eastern Samar was in line with the current goal of PCOO to bring government closer to the people thus, officials like her are now engaging grassroots communication. Being one of PCOO’s on ground communication bureaus, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) fully complements its communication programs and strategies. (a.nicart)

Manila, April 10, 2018 – The Philippines’ leading carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE: CEB) is sending-off its first batch of Cadet Pilots to an intensive aviation training program at Flight Training Adelaide (FTA) in Australia. The batch is composed of 16 Cadet Pilots who were selected from over 12,500 applicants. The applicants went through screening and a series of tests, as well as medical and physical examination, with 16 candidates attending an aviation foundation course at the Philippine Academy for Aviation Training in Clark Field, Pampanga last month.
The final 16 Cadet-Pilots are Dexie Jay Aljas (Banga, South Cotabato); Janine Alyssa Marie Bautista (Cainta, Rizal); Aaron Jhun Bernabe (Santiago City, Isabela); James Kevin Chua (Sta Cruz, Manila); Paulo Martin Concepcion (Sta Rosa, Laguna); Martha May De Leon (Sta Rosa, Laguna); Darryl Dave Ditucalan (Iligan City); Geronimo Miguel Mantes (Fairview, Quezon City); Lorenzo Miguel Montinola (Malate, Manila); Rydale Pintor (Cebu City); Ardeen Bernabe Reguyal (San Jose, Occidental Mindoro); Kayrwin Kirch Remolona (Mabalacat, Pampanga); Jose Angelo Santos (Cainta, Rizal); twin brothers Ian John and Ivan Kevin Satentes (Noveleta, Cavite); and Juan Carlo Wage (Bamban, Tarlac).
“Ever since I was a child it has always been my lifelong dream to become an airline pilot but my family is not financially capable of supporting my dreams,” shares Ian John Satentes.
“My twin brother and I have the same dream of becoming pilots since we were kids. The reason for this is all the airplanes we saw up-close whenever we accompany or fetch dad at the airport. While waiting for dad and looking at those big planes, our mom would always tell us that someday we will be inside the cockpit of whichever airplane she’s pointing at,” enthused Ivan Kevin.
For Juan Carlo Wage, joining the program meant having the chance to improve the lives of his loved ones, especially his parents who both worked as caretakers and housecleaners in Pampanga. “I joined the program because I knew that it would change my life. Aside from being able to travel, and learn and experience new things, I want to pay my mom and dad back for their hard work, and give them a good life as well.”
The aspirants thank Cebu Pacific for opening a program that would enable financially-challenged Filipinos to reach their dreams of becoming pilots. “I joined the program because I wanted to be a Pilot since I was in grade school. After graduating college and getting my first job, I did not think that I would be able to pursue my dream immediately because my salary was not enough to put me to flying school. Luckily, Cebu Pacific created a program for aspiring Pilots,” said Martha May De Leon.
The cadet pilots will be spending a total of 52 weeks at the FTA campus in Adelaide. After successfully completing their training there, the Cadet Pilots will return to the Philippines to complete type-rating and licensing requirements to become commercial pilots. After completion of the program, the cadet-pilots become First Officers at CEB, and join the corps of aviators at Cebu Pacific, flying domestic and international routes.
Cebu Pacific will shoulder the cost of the training, type-rating and licensing, with successful cadet-pilots guaranteed employment with CEB. They will then reimburse the cost of the program through salary deduction over a maximum of ten years at zero-interest.
Cebu Pacific will be investing US$25 million for its Cadet Pilot Program. In partnership with FTA, the program selects a total of 240 candidates over a five-year period, or 48 candidates per year divided into three batches, with each batch composed of 16 Cadet-Pilots.
The program is open only to Filipino citizens who are college graduates, proficient in English and hold passports valid for at least two years prior to the start of the program. The screening process for applicants begins with an online screening, followed by an on-site screening for core skills and pilot aptitude tests, among other examinations where a fee of AU$425.00 (PHP17,000.00) will be charged. CEB and FTA will jointly select the final list of candidates.
Candidates for the second batch of CEB Cadet Pilots are currently being screened. Application for the third batch is set to open by mid-May 2018.

TACLOBAN CITY- The An Waray party-list group will once again offer children of seven years old and above a free summer lesson and a sports clinic.
Dubbed as ‘Kaskas Bundak 2018’, Rep.Victoria Isabel Noel of the An Waray party-list, said that the yearly activity is open to all children of this city and nearby towns.
Those interested to join the annual activity has only up to April 20 to enlist themselves by visiting the An Waray party-list office at LDG Building, Real St. from 9 am until 4 pm.
She added that the registration is a first come first serve basis.
Kaskas Bundak offers free lesson on guitar, dance, arts, voice, Frisbee, badminton, ukulele, film making, and acting.
Noel said that although the Leyte Sport Center is undergoing repair as well the An Waray Youth Center, located inside the compound of Leyte Sport Center, they are doing their best to finish the repair before the summer activity starts.
Noel said that the program is one of the continuing projects of the An Waray party-list that caters the needs of the children in sports and culture and arts. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY-To further improve the healthy growth and development of children in the city, Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez encouraged parents of the Day Care Center children to continuously nurture them and become useful citizens of Tacloban.
Day care children from three areas of the city recently received their awards and citation during the Day Care Recognition Day held at LNU gymnasium graced by Mayor Romualdez.
During her inspirational address, the city mayor exhorted the parents to “constantly nurture and take good care of your children to enhance a positive parent child relationship, a community responsible and supportive of a positive child development.’
“Our children are our future citizens and leaders of our community so take good care of them,” the city mayor said.
The city government of Tacloban under the administration of Mayor Romualdez has been supporting day care centers across the city like providing supplemental feeding to help nourish the children.
Each Day Care center is manned by day care workers who provides supplemental parental cares to children enrolled in day care classes.
At present the city government is maintaining 70 day care centers clustered into several areas.
(GAY B. GASPAY-TISAT/KANHURAW MEDIA TEAM)

TACLOBAN CITY-A number of countries are to join an international darts competition to be held on April 19 in Palo, Leyte.
The international darts competition, to be staged at the Leyte Academic Center, will be the first time ever that the region will be hosting.
Former congressman Florencio ‘Bem’ Noel whose An Waray party-list group is among the sponsor of the international sporting event, said that international darts competition will be sanctioned by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
In fact, some PSC officials will be attending the international competition, Noel said.
He added that considering that the Philippines will be playing as host in next year’s ASEAN Games, there is a possibility that darts will be included among its sports’ events.
Noel said that more than 300 darters have so far registered to the four-day international darts competition.
The former solon said that they expect that the number of darters who will participate in the competition will increase as registration is still ongoing.
Aside from the darters from the country, darters from the United States, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Croatia, Poland, Austria, England, France, Indonesia, and Brunei are to join the event.
“This will be the first time that such kind of event will be held here,” Noel said.
Noel said that they hope that by hosting the international dart competition it would further help in rekindling the interest of the sports lover in the region on dart.
“In fact, we have some of the best dart players in the country,” he said.
And if darts will be included in next year’s ASEAN Games, Noel said that it could become one of the country’s sources of medal hauls.
Noel also said that the four-day event, renewing the interest of the public on dart, could also help the local tourism and economy of Palo and Tacloban City where the participants are to be billeted. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA with report JOEY A. GABIETA)

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has recently kicked off its April round of the quarterly Labor Force Survey (LFS).
A total of 2,721 systematically and randomly selected sample households in Region VIII were identified as respondents. PSA personnel and hired statistical researchers will undertake the survey from 8 – 30 April 2018 using tablets guided by Computer Aided Data Collection System (CADaCS).
The LFS is a quarterly nationwide survey of households which aims to gather data on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population. It also aims to provide a quantitative framework for the preparation of plans and formulation of policies affecting the labor market.
Specifically, the LFS serves as a tool in measuring the distribution of household population 15 years old and over by employment status – employed, unemployed or underemployed. It is used to determine various employment characteristics such as industry, class of worker, nature of employment and basis of payment. In addition, questions on hunger experienced by any member of the household and the frequency of occurrence, benefits received by the members of the household who are salaried and wage workers, legal status/organization of enterprise where the household members work, and functional difficulties of any member of the household
15 years old and over are also asked.
Moreover, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), a newly-constituted independent quasi-judicial body mandated to implement the national competition policy, and enforce the Philippine Competition Act (PCA) or RA 10667, has included rider questions on awareness and perception of households on the PCA and the PCC.
The PSA is appealing to the public to cooperate and respond to the said undertaking. The Office assures the public that all information shall be accorded with utmost confidentiality as provided under RA 10625. Data generated from this survey will be disseminated in statistical summaries without reference to any individual person or household.
For inquiries and further information, please contact our office with telephone numbers (053) 321-8392 or (053) 321-5153, and email address psa_reg8@yahoo.com.(PR)