As one of the country’s poorest provinces

CATBALOGAN CITY- The provincial government of Samar is targeting to reduce its poverty level to about 30 percent from its current level of almost 50 percent.
The target to lower its poverty level could be achieved within the five-year period, said provincial administrator Mario Quijano.
Quijano said that the provincial government under Governor Sharee Ann Tan could achieve the target through its Spark Samar Program.
The program, launched by Tan in 2015, aims to develop the tourism industry of the province but at the same time, giving focus in providing farm-to-market roads, health, livelihoods, agriculture, and irrigation.
“There is an integrated approach to development which the (provincial) government created for its implementation to be in unison,” Quijano, who also acts as the coordinator of Spark Samar Program, said.
Initially, the Spark Samar Program focuses on tourism-ready towns of Basey, Marabut, and Paranas but is expected to reach other towns in the province.
Samar is considered to be one of the country’s underdeveloped provinces with its poverty incidence placed at 49.6 percent in 2016.
Quijano heads the project management office (PMO) that oversees the implementation of the projects, including evaluation and ensuring the completion of the project.
The office is in charge in looking for funds for the projects from national line government agencies, organization or foreign-assisted funding if the provincial government has no capacity to implement it due to budget constraints.
Quijano added that to ensure the success of the target, the provincial government is putting emphasis to health by improving health services referral from rural health units to hospitals.
“We need to bring health to the rural areas, to the poorest of the poor; to the farthest barangays and this is a big challenge for all of us,” Quijano said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Due to delayed ‘Yolanda’ housing projects

TACLOBAN CITY- The committee on urban housing and urban development is mulling for a possible filing of criminal charges against National Housing Authority and the contractors it hired relative to the construction of housing units for families who lost their houses due to super typhoon ‘Yolanda.’
The committee, chaired by Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, conducted a public inquiry here in Tacloban City Friday(Sept.1) on the status of housing units constructed in the aftermath of Yolanda’s onslaught.
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, a member of the committee, said that he does not only see “massive corruption” on the Yolanda fund but sees criminal negligence why four years since the catastrophe hit Eastern Visayas, NHA and its assigned contractors have yet to finish the housing projects.
“Definitely, there is a massive corruption in the implementation of this housing project. The mere fact that the implementation is much delayed; they have deprived the people of their assistance and their needs,” Evardone said.
He also alleged that based on their ocular inspection of a housing project in Hernani, Eastern Samar, last Thursday(August 31), the project was “substandard,” without elaborating.
Hernani is one of the towns in the region that was devastated by Yolanda in 2013.
Up to this time, the construction of the 989 houses intended for typhoon survivors have yet to be finished. The construction of these houses started in 2015.
Rep. Vicente Veloso, another committee and from Leyte, said that the fact that the project has long delayed could constitute of criminal negligence on the part of the NHA and its contractors.
“We will just fix the factual basis that we will file to the Department of Justice and its now up to the DOJ to file the appropriate action,” he said.
Of the more than 205,000 housing units intended for areas hit by Yolanda, only 71,930 have been occupied.
In Tacloban City, considered as the ground zero of the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland, only 9,801 housing units have been occupied out of the 14,433 housing units spread on the 11 resettlement sites in the city.
Rizalde Mediavillo, NHA regional manager, however, said that on his level, he can assure the public that the project was above board.
“I can say that at the regional level, there is no corruption. And those houses that we deemed to have been constructed below the standards, we ask the constructors to fix them,” he said.
He also said that the remaining 4,632 would be completed by 2019.
Asked why the Yolanda housing projects are facing delays, Mediavillo said that lack of land titles of the identified resettlement sites and no takers among contractors to the projects were the factors for the delay.
Rep. Benitez said that to solve this problem, it was agreed that tax declaration should be considered by the Commission on Audit which earlier wanted that land titles be required in procuring lots for resettlement sites and if local government units are willing, for them to undertake the housing project themselves.

BY: JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA

Cruz lauds Beltejar for his accomplishments

PALO, Leyte- Police Chief Superintendent Gilbert Cruz assumed the post as the new director of the Philippine National Police here in the region on Wednesday (August 30)as he vowed to continue the campaign on illegal drugs that saw success under the administration of his predecessor.
Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar stepped down from the post he held for more than a year after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Cruz, prior to his assignment here in Eastern Visayas, served as the chief of the Police Community Relations Group in Camp Crame.
The new regional police director was said to be behind some successful programs of the Philippine National Police to shore up its image like the ‘Gwapulis, ‘PO1 Bato’ mascot and the public service ‘Itaga mo sa Bato: TEXT BATO 2286.”
In his speech, C/Supt. Cruz praised his predecessor for his accomplishments particularly on the campaign on the illegal drugs.
In particular, Cruz mentioned the achievement of Beltejar in the dismantling of the drug syndicate headed by slain Albuera mayor Rolando Espinosa and his son Kerwin.
Cruz also cited the filing of cases against the suspect of the bombing incident in Hilongos, Leyte, Yusuf Macato.
The turnover rite, held at the grounds of the PNP regional headquarters, was attended by several local officials in the region. Among them was Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and Palo town Mayor Remedios ‘Matin’ Petilla.
Cruz also assures that he will continue to work and even strengthen the relationship with other stakeholders as practiced by his successor.
“It is exceptional and noteworthy and I will definitely continue. You have touched the grassroots. You have involved practically all the stakeholders. Different sectors have been tapped truly adhering to the dictum that the community is the police and the police is the community,” he said.
“As I assume command as the chief of PNP-8, I am confident that we can attain the change that we Filipino people truly deserve,” he added.
The new PNP-8 regional director is a member of PNPA Class 1998 and is a two-time Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines awardee, 2007 Country’s Outstanding Policemen in the Service, PNPA Lakan Hall of Fame, and PNP best chief of police and provincial director.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)