TACLOBAN CITY- The Sangguniang Panglungsod of Tacloban was awarded by the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as a national finalist in the 2018 Loacal Legislative Award in the highly-urbanized cities category held at the Waterfront Hotel, Cebu City on Wednesday(June 19).
Vice Mayor Jerry ‘Sambo’ Yaokasin, presiding officer of the council, said that the award only shows that when a council work hard and work together for the common good and setting aside personal interests and seeking common ground in spite of political differences, a council can achieve great things for the city and its people.
Yaokasin added that the award will serve as an inspiration to them to come up with pieces of legislation that will redound to the benefits of the Taclobanons and to better and improve their performance as the legislative arm of the city government.
The said award recognizes the exemplary performance of the council for legislating measures that help build the foundation of meaningful local administration and development.
The Sangguniang Panglungsod of Tacloban has enacted ordinances and resolutions that contributed to the attainment of desirable socio-economic and environmental outcomes, Yaokasin said.
At present, the city council is composed, aside from Yaokasin, Councilors Edwin Chua, Jerry Uy, Maria Elvira Casal, Frederick Chua, Willy Domingo, Evangeline Esperas, Aimee Grafil, Rachelle Erica Pineda, Raissa Villasin, Jose Marie Bagulaya, with ex-officio members Eden Pineda, president of the Association of Barangay Chairmen, and Thomas John Moreno Diaz, Sangguniang Kabataan city federation president.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
DILG, PCL recognizes Tacloban’s council as among country’s best
Region 8 emerges champion in Lineman Rodeo Tilt
TACLOBAN CITY-Invigorating with glory and gory, Region 8 clinched the overall champion of the Lineman Rodeo competition held during the ‘Warriors of Light’ Visayas Summit in San Jose, Tacloban City, on Friday(June 21).
Lineman rodeo was the highlight of the said summit wherein the warriors representing each of the delegates coming in from the different electric cooperatives in Regions VI(Western Visayas) VII(Central Visayas) and VIII(Eastern Visayas)competed for pole climbing, pole dressing, pole undressing, knot tying, bandaging, and conductor riding.
With firm determination, linemen from all over the Visayas braved the blazing sun and the towering poles aiming to emerge as the quickest, the most skilled, and the overall best executioners for the aforementioned competitions.
The victors of the respective categories are the following: Pole dressing – Region 8, Pole Undressing – Region 7, Spine Board Bandaging – Region 8, Pole climbing – Region 7, Conductor Riding – Region 8, and Knot Tying – Region 7.
Regions 7 and 6 settled the second and third places, respectively.
Winners of the different categories for this summit will compete in the National Warriors of Light Summit Competition which is tentatively scheduled in Baguio City on July 12, 2019.
(ELLEN LUZ L.DELA PEÑA and Apple JOY BALONDO VISITACION)
N. Samar newly-elected congressman to prioritize environment protection
TACLOBAN CITY – Newly-elected Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza said that he will prioritize in protecting and preserving the environment not only within his congressional area but the entire province.
Daza, who also served as governor of Northern Samar from 2010 to 2013, said that timber poaching continue to exist in his district which could cause flooding and landslides.
The newly-elected solon explained that his advocacy in the environmental protection and conservation is to protect the constituents in his district from damage or destruction brought about by calamities like flooding, landslides and other incidents brought about by natural disasters.
To recall, the House of Representatives conducted an inquiry on January 29 of this year on existence of rampant illegal logging activities in Northern Samar and Samar province, reason why the two provinces suffered extensive flooding spawned by typhoon ‘Usman’ last December 28, 2018.
The inquiry was initiated by Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento and supported by outgoing Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza, father of the newly-elected congressman.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
City gov’t intensifies campaign on stray dogs
In the wake of 10 stray dogs killing a boy in Mindanao
TACLOBAN CITY- The Veterinary Office (VCO) of this city has further intensified their campaign against stray dogs in the wake of an incident where a five-year old boy was mauled and killed by at least 10 stray dogs in Isabela City, Basilan.
Dr. Eunice Alcantara, city veterinary officer, said that while there is no case of a person killed by a dog in the city for the past 10 years now, they remain not complacent on their campaign against stray dogs roaming in the streets.
Alcantara said that since Tuesday (June 18), two teams from their office have been roaming around the city to impound, using nets, stray dogs.
These dogs, in turn, are placed at their impounding area where their owners are given three days to claim them with a charge of P2,000.
“That was alarming. That is why we have further step up in our campaign against stray dogs in the city though for the past 10 years or so, we have not recorded of a human case(who died due to a dog bite),” Alcantara said.
It was learned that last year, their office was able to impound 2,400 stray dogs. However, only one percent of these dogs were retrieved by their owners.
What they do, she said, is they killed them through euthanasia and buried in a pit.
“We really have to eliminate these stray dogs because, aside from causing vehicular accident, they bite those in the streets, mostly children,” Alcantara said.
These stray dogs could also transmit diseases like tapeworms.
Based on their estimates, there are more than 24,000 dogs in the city. Their office, however, could not determine as to how many of these dogs are in the streets.
Alcantara issued an appeal to dog owners to be responsible owners and keep their pets inside their houses or put them on a leash or in a cage.
Tacloban has introduced an animal code in 2006 wherein it enumerated the responsibilities of dog owners and their liabilities like shouldering medical expenses once their dogs have bitten someone.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
‘Parade of Lights’ on June 29 to have 22 competing floats, dance contingents
TACLOBAN CITY- Eleven creatively-made floats decorated and illuminated with multicolored lights and 11 brightly costumed dance contingents will parade along the main streets of Tacloban as part of the Sangyaw Parade of Lights on Saturday, June 29.
The City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) said that this year’s Parade of Lights will be participated in by eleven schools, barangay and community-based contingents and 11 floats which will include three from Catbalogan City, Samar, Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat.
Comprising the Dance Contingents are Tribu Danhani of Eastern Visayas State University, Tribu Tarakloban of San Jose National High School, Manarabo Festival of Hinabangan, Samar, Tribu Manhuhurip of Brgy. 84 Manlurip San Jose, Tribu San Jose of the San Jose Central School, Tribu Bakhawan of Brgy. 83 Paraiso, Tribu Mandaragat of Barangay 2 Jones, Kasirangan Tribe of Brgy. 42 Quarry District, Tribu Maglalara of Basey, Samar, Tribu Kalusayan of Brgy. 35-A Pampango and Tribu Nagkaurusa of Brgy. 49 Hillside, Young field.
The competing floats are Danhani (EVSU), Celebrate Fiesta (Catbalogan City), Finding of Sto. Nino de Tacloban (Tacloban Angelicum Learning Center), L’MBA (Maguindanao), Balanghay (SJCS), Bahandi (Brgy. 83 Paraiso), Mandaragat (Brgy. 2 Jones), Fiesta Bayanihan (Brgy. 42-A Quarry District), Kumpit Sa Sultan Kudarat (Sultan Kudarat), Fiesta Sarimanok (Brgy. 35-A Pampango) and Fluvial Procession in Kankabatok (Brgy. 49 Hillside Young field).
Each float will have its individual designs interpreting this year’s Festival theme: “Happiest Fiesta,” while the competing dance groups will be composed of 60 to 100 dancers with lighted costumes and ornamentations.
Festival entries will be judged for its theme, lighting effects, performance, creativity choreography, and musicality during the parade and performance at the Balyu-an Amphitheater.
Five Hundred Thousand Pesos and trophies await the grand champions of the festival float and dance competitions. The 2nd placer will receive 300,000 and trophy, 3rd placer- P200,000 and trophy, and consolation prizes of P10,000 will be given each to the non-winning entries.
Also taking part in the parade are officials and employees of the city government led by Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez and incoming Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, outgoing Leyte 1st District Congresswoman and incoming Tingog party-list Representative Yedda K. Romualdez, and Congressman-elect FM Romualdez.
Celebrity endorser and ABS-CBN Talent Claudia Barretto and a number of dignitaries have also confirmed attendance during the fiesta spectacle.
A civic parade which will be participated by 20 groups of merrymakers will be held at 3:00 PM on June 29 before the Parade of Lights.
The parade will pass through the following streets: Justice Romualdez, Rizal Avenue, Imelda Veteranos, Real Street and end at Magsaysay Boulevard. The Sangyaw Festival is the official Festival of Tacloban, revived in 2008 by former Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez after Tacloban was declared a Highly Urbanized City. – (HENRY ROCA/CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
MacArthur National Shrine undergoes P158 million facelift for the 75th Leyte Gulf Landings anniversary
TACLOBAN CITY- As part of the 75th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings this October 20, the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park is now undergoing major repairs.
For this major repairs, a first in 25 years, the national government has allocated P158 million, said Palo town Mayor Remedios Petilla.
The national park, where the legendary American general Douglas MacArthur made his iconic ‘I shall return’ promise which resulted to the liberation of the country from the Japanese invaders on October 20,1944, is located in Barangay Candahug, Palo town.
Mayor Petilla said that among to be refurbished are the bronze-painted statutes of MacArthur, President Sergio Osmeña, General Carlos Garcia and four others, located in a man-made pool depicting their arrivals, the centerpiece of the 6.78 hectare national park.
The scraping and repainting of the larger-than-life statutes are to be undertaken by the National Historical Commission.
The statues were first unveiled in 1981 during the 37th anniversary and made by sculptor Anastacio Caedo who was also behind the Bonifacio Monument in Balintawak.
“We are now 80 percent of the physical preparations and we can finished it on time,” the mayor said.
The repair works at the national shrine, among Leyte’s top tourist attractions, started in December last year and expected to be finished before the 75th anniversary on October 20, this year.
The P158 million funding of the repair of the national park came from Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority(TIEZA) of the Department of Tourism,P104 million; and P54 million from the Yolanda Repair and Rehabilitation Project.
The national park suffered damages when Leyte was pummeled by Super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in November 8,2013.
Aside from statutes, the works at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park includes the construction of a viewing deck; an amphitheater that has a 700-setting capacity; landscaping; and installation of lights, among others.
The last time the national park underwent major repairs were in 1994 during the 50th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)