TACLOBAN CITY- The annual Inflation Rate (IR) of Eastern Visayas rose to a record high of 6.3 percent in June, posting the highest since January 2018. This IR was 0.5 percentage point higher compared with the 5.8 percent IR a month ago, and 3.0 percentage points higher than the recorded 3.3 percent IR in the same period last year. The regional inflation rate was 1.1 percentage points higher than the 5.2 percent national average in June.
All provinces in the region registered higher inflation rates in June compared with their figures in the previous month, except for Biliran, the only province that has registered a decrease of 1.1 percentage points, from 6.0 percent in May to 4.9 percent in June.
Northern Samar posted the highest increase of 2.3 percentage points, from 5.5 percent in May to 7.8 percent in June. The rest of the provinces recorded increases ranging from 0.2 percentage point to 0.9 percentage point.
Northern Samar had the highest IR at 7.8 percent, while Southern Leyte posted the lowest at 1.4 percent.
By major commodity groups, Transport recorded the highest increase of a hefty 6.0 percentage points, from 2.0 percent in May to 8.0 percent in June. Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages followed at 0.6 percentage point.
Annual price changes in Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco decreased by 2.1 percentage points, but still recorded a double digit inflation rate of 22.0 percent, the highest among all commodities. Clothing and Footwear and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels likewise shed off by 0.4 percentage point and 0.2 percentage point, settling at 0.9 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively.
Communication recorded zero inflation rate during the month in review, while Recreation and Culture, Education, and Restaurants and Miscellaneous Goods and Services retained their previous month’s rates of 0.9 percent, 3.5 percent, and 1.6 percent, respectively.
The Purchasing Power of Peso (PPP) of the region remained at P 0.81 in June 2018. This PPP implies that goods and services worth 100 pesos in June 2018 only costs 81 pesos in 2012.
Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Southern Leyte registered a 0.01 centavo decrease in the PPP compared with their figures in May. Whereas, Biliran recorded a 0.01 centavo increase in PPP, while the rest of the provinces had sustained their PPP from last month.
Leyte recorded the strongest PPP at P0.84. Southern Leyte ranked second at P0.83, followed by Biliran at P0.82 and Eastern Samar at P0.79. Northern Samar and Samar, meanwhile, posted the weakest PPP at P0.76. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY-Anti-drug elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA 8)-Tacloban City Office, TCPO PS2 and CIB arrested another newly-identified drug personality during the conduct of a buy-bust operation in Barangay 86, San Jose, this city, on July 13, 2018 at around 4:30 pm.
In a report submitted to PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino, elements of PDEA RO8-Tacloban City Office under Director Edgar T. Jubay, TCPO PS2 and CIB identified the suspect as Renato Lavinia, alias “Jun”, 43, married, driver, and a resident of Brgy. 86 San Jose, this city.
Purchased and confiscated during the said operation were seven pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu weighing more or less 25.0 grams with an estimated market value of P170,000 and various drug paraphernalia.
Lavinia will be facing charges for violations of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 12 (Possession of Drug Paraphernalia), Article II of RA 9165.
The suspect is now temporarily detained at Tacloban Police station 2 lock-up facility. (PR)

Amid suicide of teachers due to depression

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- An education official here in Leyte has encouraged teachers to have a support system among themselves.
This call of Edgar Tenasas, assistant schools division superintendent in Leyte, came in the wake of a reported suicide of a teacher in La Paz town.
On July 12, Emylou Malate, a teacher of Bagacay West Primary School, reportedly committed suicide due to depression inside their house.
The 21-year old victim just started her teaching job this school year.
Last March 4 of this year, a teacher of the Leyte National High School, this city, Romela Segador, 23, also committed suicide by hanging herself outside her classroom. She was said to be suffering from depression too.
Tenasas said that support system among teachers is important for them to unload themselves due to heavy paper works that comes with teaching job.
“We will assure the public that this incident will reach to the division executive meeting so we can deliberate on how to eliminate the burdensome work of the teachers. This is worth to be elevated to the national. Whether they listen or not, we will be pushing it to the top. This is a national concern,” he said.
Tenasas appealed to the school principals and administrators “to be extra considerate to our teachers.”
“They report to the school with different emotional ability. There is a need for us to be more caring, understanding, and tolerant,” he said.
Tenasas also encourages teachers to air complaints if they feel they are aggrieved.
(RONALD O. REYES)

CARIGARA, Leyte-The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Leyte Second District Engineering Office will implement a total amount of P39.4 million road rehabilitation projects funded under Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) Program.
According to District Engineer Carlos G. Veloso, the Pamana program is being implemented by the government to reduce vulnerabilities, improve governance, and empower fragile communities.
“This involves socio-economic interventions to isolated and conflict-affected areas not only to foster sustainable development but also to avoid recurrence of sources of conflict,” added Veloso.
Among the three Pamana projects, two were already bid out, the rehabilitation of a farm-to-market road in Barangay Lanawan in MacArthur, Leyte in the amount of P19.7 million and the rehabilitation of the same project in Barangay Patag, Burauen, also in Leyte, worth P9.85 million.
Brgy.Lanawan is an upland community with it’s mostly farmer residents are growing corn, coconut and root crops (cassava, gabi, camote) and banana.
The farmers of the village formed into a group who bought two hectares of land and developed it into an organic farm supplying high value vegetables in Tacloban City.
An organic piggery of 75 heads, a corn mill and a farm to market road was accessed by the association.
The rehabilitation of the farm-to-market will greatly help the farmers bringing their farm produce to the main city.
Meantime, the rehabilitation of Conzoilo farm-to-market road in Jaro, Leyte worth P9.85 million is awaiting for modification.
Villa Conzoilo is an upland village seven kilometers from the poblacion of Jaro, is a budding farm-tourism destination in Leyte that has attracted both foreign and local visitors since it opened in May last year.
Villa Conzoilo, the farthest village of Jaro at the foot of Mount Amandaweng, was once a hotbed of insurgency like all its neighboring communities.
Pamana programs envisions to improve governance through partnerships with national and local institutions, building capacities or governance, and enhancement of transparency and accountability mechanisms.
It also into reducing poverty and vulnerability in conflict-affected areas through sustainable rural development, community infrastructure and focused delivery of social services.
As well as empowering communities and strengthen their capacity to address issues of conflict and peace through activities that promote social cohesion.
Veloso said that the road rehabilitation will not help reduce conflict in the area but help uplift the poor living conditions of the families.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

MAASIN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) field office here has started installing a new batch of rainwater collection systems in 16 schools in Southern Leyte aimed at curbing water shortage and promoting water conservation in the province.
Recipients of the project are national high schools (NHS) in Libhu, San Rafael, Asuncion, Ibarra, Guadalupe, Dongon, and Maasin City National High School in Maasin City; Ichon and Villa Jacinta in Macrohon town; Lungsodaan in Hinundayan town; Hinunangan in Hinunangan town, Liloan in Liloan town, Himbangan in St. Bernard
Elementary school (ES) recipients are in Padre Burgos town and Asuncion Integrated School in Maasin City.
The P3.4 million project is part of the climate change adaptation of the administration to curb water shortage by maximizing the use of rainwater.
“With this kind of innovative initiative, we hope that in the future, the growing concern of diminishing water supply for sanitation in particular places will be fully addressed,” said DPWH Southern Leyte chief Ma. Margarita Junia.
Rainwater collector system harvests, collects, and stores rainwater from the roof, groundwater catchment or multipurpose pavement to store it in tanks with capacity of 4, 000 liters.
Accumulated rainwater is distributed to toilets, wash rooms, and other utilities through pipes or faucets attached to the system. In 2016, the DPWH installed 15 rainwater collection systems in Southern Leyte province.
The project aims to answer the perennial concern in water shortage in Southern Leyte due to over extraction of groundwater, water pollution, illegal connections, water pipe leakages, faulty water meters, and climate change. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Region 8 has released a new wage order for Eastern Visayas effective June 25, 2018.
Wage Order No. RB VIII-20 entitled “Prescribing a New Minimum Wage Rates for Eastern Visayas” specified reclassification of the industries and sectors as well as increases in basic wage and the integration of the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) to the new basic wage.
Under Section 2 of the new wage order, there shall be an increase in the basic wage, as follows: P20 per day for non-agriculture; P30 per day for retail/service employing 11 up to 30 workers (now merged to non-agriculture); P22 per day for cottage/handicraft; P30 per day for retail/service employing 10 workers and below; P24 per day for non-sugar farm agriculture (now collapsed under agriculture); and P30 per day for sugar farm agriculture (now collapsed under agriculture).
With above increases made, new minimum wage rates are as follows: P305 for non-agriculture including retail/service employing 11 up to 30 workers; P275 for cottage/handicraft; P275 for retail/service employing 10 workers and below; and P275 for agriculture.
Section 3 of the new wage order emphasized that the said wage increase prescribed shall be for the normal working hours, which shall not exceed eight (8) hours a day.
RTWPB VIII Board Secretary Reynaldo Soliveres said that the issuance of the new wage order was a result of different sectoral wage consultations conducted by the Board in Catarman, Northern Samar on March 14, 2018; Catbalogan, Samar on March 15, 2018; Borongan, Eastern Samar on March 16, 2018; Ormoc City on March 21, 2018 and Maasin City on March 22, 2018.
“The series of consultations and public hearing conducted in the region revealed that there is really a need to increase our minimum wage. Of course, we also took into consideration the viability of businesses in the region”, said Board Secretary Soliveres.
Wage Order No. RB VIII-20 was approved last May 7, 2018 by Orlando C. Uy (employers’ representative), Miguel T. Tezon and Efren M. Gabriola (workers’ representatives), NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio G. Uy (vice chair), DTI Regional Director Cynthia R. Nierras (vice chair) and DOLE Regional Director Cyril L. Ticao (chairman). (PR)