To take effect next month

TACLOBAN CITY- The region’s more than 1 million privately employed workers, both in the agriculture and non-agriculture sectors, are to receive a higher daily pay starting next month.
This after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved Wage Order Number 20 pegging the daily minimum wage in both sectors at P305.
The new wage order increased by P20 the current daily minimum wage of workers in the non-agriculture sector while it raised the day pay of workers in the agriculture sector by P30.
The current daily minimum wage among non-agriculture workers is at P285 while those in the agriculture, to include in the sugar industry at P275.
Cyril Ticao, regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for Eastern Visayas, said that the wage board decided on its own or moto propio.
“We took into consideration the increasing prices (of basic commodities) and gasoline in our action,” Ticao said.
He said that they have approved Wage Order Number 20 on May 7 and forwarded it to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) for review and approval.
The NWPC approved the new wage order last Monday (May 21).
According to Ticao, Wage Order Number 20 will take effect 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of regional circulation.
The DOLE regional director, who also act as the chairman of the RTWPB-8, warned employers to follow the new wage order.
“There is no exception on this wage order. This should be enforce by them. (Otherwise), we will conduct inspection for them to pay their workers accordingly or file charges against them for not following the wage order.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

He’s hurting, she said

TACLOBAN CITY- President Rodrigo Duterte’s partner, Cieleto “Honeylet” Avanceña, has asked the public to understand the Chief Executive in his decision firing several members of his Cabinet and other government officials holding high posts.
Avanceña, who was here Tuesday (May 22) to inaugurate the six-story main building of the new Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center located in Barangay Bagacay, admitted that the President is not happy whenever he fires any of his officials as most of them are his friends who convinced him to seek the presidency in 2016 elections.
Avanceña said that she is giving her full support on the decision of her husband to axe these officials as they were accused of committing corruption.
“Please do not take it against him. A lot of people are bashing the President because he has been firing the people he himself had put into office. He is just true to his promise to stop illegal drugs and eliminate corruption in the government,” she said in her speech.
“He is hurt, to be honest with you because they are all his friends. He doesn’t enjoy it all. That’s why, it break his heart to fire them but he cannot do anything about it,” Avanceña added.
Avanceña said that eliminating corruption in the government is one of the priorities of the administration of her husband.
She added that with corruption being addressed by the Duterte administration, confidence among investors will be restored which will result for the country’s economy to thrive.
The latest to be axed by Mr. Duterte due to alleged corruptions or misuse of government funds were former Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo and actor Cesar Montano, chief of the tourism promotion board. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

CATARMAN, Northern Samar- A two storey-six classroom and 2 units of one-storey two classroom school building at San Isidro National High School (SINHS), San Isidro, Northern Samar was turned on May 16, 2018.
The blessing and turn-over of the project was graced by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Northern Samar First District Engineering Office (NSFDEO) together with the Department of Education (DepEd), San Isidro National High School faculty, and the senior high school students, the beneficiaries of the project.
The project was constructed by Rhyes Builders and Supply amounting to P8.3 million for the 2 storey 6CL and more than P5 million for the two units of one-storey 2 classrooms school buildings.
“I humbly ask SINHS faculty and students to take good care of the building and treat it as their second home” said Engr. Maritess Lucinario, officer-in charge, assistant district engineer DPWH-NSFDEO.
Nedy Tingzon, SNHS school principal, accepted ADE Lucinario challenge.
“For the last two years, San Isidro National High School have been experiencing a very crowded condition due to opening of senior high school classes of Grade 11 and Grade 12 without classroom yet. You cannot do otherwise but to compress our classes just to accommodate the senior high school students. Now, by this time, we our very much happy that you are here, the government give us this fund, the two-storey building with six classrooms together with 4 classrooms over there”.
“At this time, I believe that the classroom given to us is already sufficient for our senior high school and I would like to take this opportunity to also thank Department of Public Works and Highways for always assisting us,” she added.
In her acknowledgment message, Riza Laguidao, head teacher III, said “Apart from the efforts we share the success of any project depends largely on the encouragement and guidance of many others. On behalf of San Isidro National High school family let me take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the people who have been an instrumental for the successful completion of this school building. This is the most precious time to show our deepest thanks and appreciation to the Rhyes Construction along with DPWH for the tremendous effort exerted just to materialize this second home of our students”, she ended.
Prior to the completion of the project, classes are being congested into 4 sections just to accommodate senior high school students, with the completion of this project it is expected to benefit 200 senior high school students of the said school. (ANALIZA A.PABIA, PIO Designate)

“Excited!”
This was how Yvette C. Bonavente, Information Officer II of the ECC regional Extension Unit 5, felt upon arriving in Makati last Monday to attend a workshop on news writing, organized and facilitated by the Lilac Center for Public Interest, a policy research, advocacy, and communication organization headed by former DOLE Undersecretary Nicon F. Fameronag.
The training was a follow-through of the writing workshop held in September last year, facilitated also by the Lilac Center for ECC’s information officers. The focus of the workshop was to know how to effectively write a news lead using the inverted pyramid framework for newswriting and an in-depth discussion on how to capitalize on social media platforms when it comes to writing news.
“News writing is part of our tasks as information officers. It is important for us to be continually updated with the methods and techniques of the trade. The workshop is a capability-building activity for all our information officers as it will improve their skills in developing leads for their news releases,” said Cecile E. Maulion, Chief of the Information and Public Assistance Division of the Employees Compensation Commission.
Part of ECC’s efforts to continuously increase public awareness about the Employees’ Compensation Program is to regularly conduct capability-building training and workshop to ensure that all its employees are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge the work requires.
“We, at ECC, including our Regional Extension Units across the country are constantly looking for ways to expand, enhance, and equalize our programs. The news writing workshop is one of the results of our desire to fully equip our regional personnel with the needed skills and knowledge for us to achieve our goal of serving the Filipino workers with utmost excellence and proficiency,” ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis explained. (Michelle Basal, Information Officer/PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- Anti-narcotics operatives scored on their campaign on the proliferation of illegal drugs in the city after they arrested in a separate buy-bust operation two suspects in possession of ‘shabu’ or methamphetamine hydrochloride with a combined worth of P512,200.
First to be arrested by the members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the anti-narcotics unit of the Tacloban City Police was Marc Neil Obias, 18, single and a resident of Barangay 88, Costa Brava in San Jose district.
Obias was arrested in a buy-bust operation at Brgy. 76,Fatima Village last Tuesday(May 22) at about 2:10 pm and in possession of one sachet of shabu weighing 1.5 grams with a market value of P10,200.
Further searched on him yielded six sachets of shabu weighing 50 grams with an estimated market value of P400,000.
And on that same day, at about 6 pm, the anti-narcotics agents nabbed Sojarto Montallana, 26 and a resident of Brgy.Campetic in Palo, Leyte, in another buy-bust operation in Brgy.77, Marasbaras District, this city.
Seized from his possession were four sachets of shabu weighing 16.5 grams with market value of P112,200.
Both are now detained at the Tacloban City lock-up facility and charged for selling and possession under Republic Act 9165, the comprehensive dangerous drugs act. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY-The Leyte population officer is encouraging mothers in the province who are in risky pregnancies to give birth in the hospital.
Melchora Cawile, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Populations Office, aired her concern anew over the pregnant mothers in risky pregnancies by encouraging them to give birth in the hospital and not in their house or in a rural health unit (RHU).
Cawile informed Leyte Samar Daily Express that Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla requires the family planning officer and staff to visit the hinterland barangays as a way to encourage pregnant mothers, particularly those having difficulties in delivering their babies.
“Our office is conducting regular symposium even in the remote areas and we campaign to encourage pregnant mothers in risky pregnancies to give birth in the hospital,” she said.
Cawile claims that mothers in risky pregnancies “are required that they will give birth in the hospital and not in the house or RHU.”
She,however, admitted that there are mothers in the province in risky pregnancies who do not heed or pay attention to their advice to give birth in the hospital especially those in the hinterland areas.
Cawile said that risky pregnancy refers to early pregnancy of below 20 years old which is considered as teen-age pregnancy while the other risky pregnancy is the too old with the pregnant mother of more than 35 years old.
As much as possible these too old and too early pregnancies need more attention and they should undergo regular check-up with the medical practitioners, the population officer added.
Cawile said that young mothers are given more attention and are given family planning services after they give birth in the hospital.
On the other hand, Cawile said, mothers of more than 35 years must consult with doctors.
“We are encouraging them to have a regular pre-natal checkup if possible monthly consultation for the safety of the mother and the baby is healthy upon birth.”
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)