TACLOBAN CITY – The province of Leyte has extended financial assistance to the six policemen who died during a misencounter in Sta.Rita, Samar.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla told Leyte Samar Daily Express in an interview over the weekend that his office has extended a total of P120,000 to the six victims of the misencounter with the government troops on June 25.
Gov.Petilla said that each victim was given P20,000.
He added that the financial assistance was given by the provincial administrator Atty. Edgardo Cordeño to the relatives of the slain policemen.
The six police men who died and were recipients of the financial assistance were: PO1 Wyndell Noromor of Matag-ob town; PO1 Edwin Ebrado of Matalom; PO1 Phil Rey Mendigo of Tanauan; PO1 Julius Suarez of Carigara; PO1 Rowell Reyes of San Isidro Northern Samar; and PO1 Julie Escalo of Basey, Samar.
The killed policemen who were on patrol duties engaged in firefight with members of the 87th Infantry Battalion.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

ORMOC CITY-A thousand T-shirts for a week-long celebration.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Leyte Fourth District Engineering Office (DEO) has given over 1,000 navy blue t-shirts to the City Social Welfare and Development, Monday morning, (July 16).
The said t-shirts were intended to be distributed and be used by persons with disability (PWDs) for their 40th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Celebration for 2018.
This was part of the department’s support to the week-long celebration conducted by the CSWDO from July 16 to 22, 2018, with the theme, “Kakayahan at Kasanayan para sa Kabuhayan Tungo sa Kaunlaran”.
To raise awareness about the inherent rights and privileges of PWDs, the celebration on National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week was declared to be held every third week of July.
This is in accordance with Presidential Proclamation No. 361 dated August 19, 2000, and Administrative Order No. 35 dated May 3, 2002, directing all government offices to hold activities promoting the annual observance of the said celebration. (PIA8-Southern Leyte, with a report from AMALE LARRAZABAL)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) will map out plans to further develop pili nuts in Northern Samar province, citing the product’s high demand in the global market.
Key officials of DA and Department of Trade and Industry(DTI) and other stakeholders will sit down to draft for the first time a pili nuts roadmap in the region, said Francisco Dayap, chief of DA regional field operations division.
“Northern Samar is the priority since the production have been established in that province considering their proximity to Bicol Region where many areas are known for pili planting. In fact, many pili nuts processors in Bicol get their raw materials in Northern Samar,” Dayap said.
Pili nuts is widely cultivated in the towns of Lavezares, Allen, San Isidro, and Bobon in Northern Samar. These towns are close to the seaport that links Northern Samar to Sorsogon.
The province has an estimated 15,000 pili trees planted in 90 to 100 hectares owned by local farmers.
“In the roadmap, we will outline how to support and reinforce the pili nuts production in the area, expand plantation, and improve productivity. One of the support we have been giving to farmers is the distribution of grafted planting materials that yield in three years,” Dayap added.
Each tree yields 60 to 100 kilograms each year. Harvesting is year round but peak harvest is June and July.
The Philippines has the monopoly for pili nuts on the foreign market. The product is exported to countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The pili nut is endemic in the country. It has a different uses from its tree that can be used for landscaping, the young shoots and the fruit pulp of pili are edible, its roots can prevents landslides, and many more.
Pili nuts also contain about 23 percent oil that may be used for lighting, cooking and in the manufacture of soaps, shampoos, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and industrial products. The shell makes an excellent cooking fuel and can be made into attractive ornaments.
The kernel is edible raw, roasted, fried or sugar-coated, and is also used in making cakes, puddings and ice cream.

As timber, the wood is characterized by fine striated grains making it very ideal for the manufacture of high quality furniture, wall panels, carved doors, and other wooden products. The rootstock could also be utilized for wood carvings and tool handles. (MELVA MAE C.MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY – The MASA Health Service Unit of the Tacloban City Government reported serving some 3,634 during the second quarter of this year.
Of the total number of patients served, 2, 259 were adults and 1,375 pediatrics.
Located on the second floor of the Tacloban City Public Market, the health unit offers free health services to indigent residents of the City.
From April to June, the unit conducted health education to its clientele on smoking cessation tuberculosis management and prevention, dengue; lifestyle modification, proper use of antibiotics and oral health.
Other health services offered by the office are community visits, pre-natal check-ups, HIV testing, drug dependency examination, physical examinations, PHILHEALTH profiling and referrals of patients to various health facilities.
Consultations were also made on patients with upper respiratory tract infection, hypertension, bronchial asthma, urinary tract infection, and pneumonia, among others during the same period.
Meantime, medical missions and outreach activities conducted by the health unit during the second quarter include one in Brgy. 68, the Divine Mercy Cooperative, and the Anti-Smoking/COPD spirometry testing held at the Tacloban City Training Center on April 13 and May 18, 2018.
Labs ko a Lawas ko, a healthy lifestyle advocacy program of the MASA Health Unit also led a number of activities like Zumba, BMI CBG testing, and medical consultation.
MASA is a priority program of Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez that seeks to improve healthy lifestyle, prevent diseases and alleviate the suffering of indigent Tacloban residents through its different programs and services.
(HENRY JAMES ROCA/CIO)

ORMOC CITY- This city is experiencing an economic boom and it seems, there’s no turning back.
Business leader Apple Alagon has this forecast on the business and investment prospects in the city under the administration of Mayor Richard Gomez.
“The investment atmosphere is picking up. I can’t say where we are for sure but business-wise, more people are coming to Ormoc to invest in businesses, franchise or homegrown,” said Alagon, who is now the elected president of Rotary Club of Ormoc Bay.
“We recently had a Local Government Unit-Ormoc Chamber Kapihan talk at the Multipurpose Hall sometime May this year. The talk was about ‘Preparing Ormoc Towards Urbanization’ where we acknowledged the presence of big players in the city,” she added.
Alagon, who owns JO’s Milagrina chain of restaurants, added that they have seen many opportunities for growth with the opening of Robinsons Place Ormoc in April and the upcoming SM Center and Metro Gaisano.
“Obviously, they see Ormoc City as a prime area where they can grow their businesses which also translates to more job opportunities and more tourists in the city,” she added.
In 2017, the city registered a total of 1,366 establishments.
As of July 19 this year, it has already 896 number of establishments.
In 2017, Ormoc has P1,226,341,583 total budget. For this year, it has increased to P1,320,923,786.
By next year, it will have P1,457,990,318 budget sourced out from Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), local sources, local economic enterprises, other sources, and share from the national coffer.
For its vibrant economy, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry dubbed Ormoc as the “Most Business-friendly city” in the region in 2005. (RONALD O. REYES)

PALO, Leyte — The construction of the P1.62 billion diversion road with flood control and drainage systems will push through in 2019 to decongest traffic and curb flooding in areas bordering this town and the regional capital.
The proposed 2.87-km., four-lane road along Candahug, Pawing and Campetic villages will be the first of its kind in Eastern Visayas designed to decongest traffic and stop perennial flooding.
“Floodwater remains in these areas for weeks. That is why these have been idle lands until now. The road and drainage project will convert vacant lots into prime commercial districts,” Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Edgar Tabacon told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Friday.
The project, to be implemented in six packages next year, will mitigate massive flooding in highly-populated communities in Marasbaras, Caibaan, Calanipawan and V&G Subdivision in Tacloban City; Candahug, Pawing, and Campetic villages in Palo town.
This is an urgent project identified by the Regional Development Council as part of the department’s mandate to construct new roads to enhance the national road systems nationwide.
The road will serve as an alternative route from Tacloban City going to the eastern and western parts of Leyte, addressing heavy traffic at the junction of the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s regional office.
Palo, the nearest town to Tacloban, is the seat of most government departments, bureaus and regional offices in Eastern Visayas. It is also home to the offices of the ecclesiastical government of the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocese of Palo.
The infrastructure, included for funding in 2019, can be considered as a diversion road since it will start at a national secondary road leading to the airport (San Jose, Tacloban – Candahug, Palo Road) and ends at a national primary road (Maharlika Highway), Tabacon said.
Of the P1.62 billion proposed budget, P1.13 billion is intended for civil works and P490.18 million for right-of-way acquisition. The inclusion of outlay to acquire properties is expected to expedite the road construction phase, the official added.
Building alternative roads, widening, and connecting gaps along national roads has been the priority of Public Works Secretary Mark Villar to decongest traffic in two to three years. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)