As a way to help the environment

TACLOBAN CITY-A public hearing on the possible regulation on the use of plastics and polystyrene here in the city was conducted by the members of the committee on environmental protection and waste management.
The panel, chaired by Councilor Aimee Grafil, aims to solicit opinion and at the same time, support from the public on a measure she introduced at the city council on the regulation of single-use of plastics and polystyrene on food products.
The committee’s public hearing, conducted at the session hall of the Sangguniang Panglungsod, was attended by business establishments’ operators or their representatives, barangay officials, and some environment groups.
Councilor Grafil said that under her proposed ordinance, end-users, to include business establishments, will be given six months to properly dispose and stop in using plastic bags and polystyrene.
But this deadline was opposed by some saying it is too short for them to comply the mandate of the proposed ordinance which carry a penalty of fines of not less than P5,000 and imprisonment.
However, majority present in the public hearing eventually agreed for a six months grace period.
Under the proposed ordinance, the City Information Office, the media and information arm of the city government, will lead in the information dissemination campaign on the regulation on the use of plastic bags and polystyrene on food products.
Grafil is pushing for the enactment of the ordinance saying that there is now a need to at least regulate the use of plastic use in the city not only they cause damage to the environment but also to help lengthen the use of the city’s sanitary landfill.
Jonathan Hijada, city environment and natural resources officer, informed those who attended the more than three-hour public hearing that there is really a need for the people of the city to be conscious in properly disposing their waste, particularly plastics which are non-biodegradable.
According to him, the waste disposal in the city is declining due to the cooperation of the public, especially on proper waste disposal and segregation.
Hijada reported that from the previous 154 tons per day of waste, they now collects 114 tons a day.
“But with the proposed ordinance, we hope to target to just 100 tons a day of waste,” he said.
Also present during the public hearing were Councilors Evangeline Esperas, Dalisay Erpe and Leo Bahin.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

CAMP KANGLEON, Palo Leyte-The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Eastern Visayas is set to declare a full alert status in the region starting Wednesday, October 31, 2019, at 6 o’clock in the evening until November 3, 2019, at 6 o’clock in the morning.
This is in preparation for Oplan Undas or All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 1 and 2 respectively.
In a press conference held Monday, October 28, 2019, at Camp Kangleon, this municipality, Police Lieutenant Col. Hector F. Enage, chief of the PNP8 Regional Operations Management Division, said this would mean that all PNP personnel whether on leave or not are mandated to report to their respective units.
“This coming Undas we are on full alert. This means that all personnel in their respective units kahit on leave sila, magrereport sila doon sa unit nila so it means 100 percent ng unit anduon of course excluding yung non-uniformed personnel which is bounded ng civil service law,” Enage said.
A Regional Standby Support Force at the regional and provincial levels will be created that will serve as a quick reaction team to other units if augmentation is needed.
Aside from the four thousand force multipliers from various agencies, over two thousand police personnel will be deployed in new bus terminals, seaports, airports, malls, cemeteries and other areas of convergence all over the region.
With regards to traffic enforcement in the city, the Tacloban City Police Office has a contingency plan in coordination with the Traffic Operations, Management, Enforcement, and Control Office (TOMECO).
Police Lieutenant Col. Lope M. Macauba Jr, deputy city director for administration of the Tacloban City Police Office said, all the six cemeteries in the city will be secured with police personnel scattered in such areas during the holidays. (nbq/cba/PIA8)

PALO, Leyte – The lecture on early Visayan script opened the series of activities lined up for the 75th Leyte Landings Commemoration this October 20.
The 3rd Quincentennial Lecture Series, entitled, ‘Surat: The Early Visayan Script’ is also part of the nationwide campaign on the 500th celebration of First Easter Mass in the Orient or the First Mass in Limasawa which will be marked on March 30, 2021.
The activity, held on Thursday (Oct.10) is organized by the National Quincentennial Committee in partnership with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), provincial government of Leyte, and the municipal government of Palo.
The discussion focused on the early writing system in the Philippines prior to the arrival of the Spaniards.
University of the Philippines-Manila Health Sciences professor and Eastern Visayas resident historian professor Rolando Borrinaga served as the lecturer attended by secondary school students from Ormoc City and from several schools in Leyte.
“As Filipinos we need to have the historical and cultural awareness,” Borrinaga said.
Learning that there is an ancient script or way of writing of Filipino will help the younger generations to know that prior to the arrival of Spain or Western Colonizers, there is already a civilization in the country that has a system of writing called the ‘baybayin’.
“It’s not difficult to learn how to write our ancient writing. We must know to write in our old way,” Borrinaga said.
Borrinaga said that learning the ancient way of script is not hard as this can be studied within two to three hours of workshop.
In April 2018, the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture has approved House Bill 1022 or the proposed “National Writing System Act” that seeks to declare baybayin as the country’s national writing system.
The bill received the support of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, who welcomed the participants in the lecture, said that younger generations should make sure to know their history have an accurate and correct information.
“To help solve our country’s problems, we need to understand and learn the lesson of the past for the new generation to be better equip with knowledge and skills to address challengers,” he said.
Part of the lecture is the display of the national costume that Miss Universe Catriona Gray wore during the last year’s Miss Universe competition held in Thailand.
Prior to the competition, Gray along with her team visited Tacloban and talked with local artist Dante Enage and Borrinaga on how to come up with the design of her national costume.
The national costume of Gray was inspired by the tattoo motifs of Visayas ancestors called by the Spanish as “pintados”.
Shown in the Boxer Codex, it contains pages of the earliest known limned illustrations of Filipino ancestors described as “accustomed to paint their bodies with some very elegant tattoos.”
The display the national costume Gray used during the Miss Universe pageant will be viewed until October 24 at the lobby of the Leyte Oriental Hotel, this town. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

First time for Reinvent to join global contest

TACLOBAN CITY – A hip-hop dance group from Leyte won the 2nd place in the recently-held World Supremacy Battlegrounds (WSB) 2019 Finals – International held in Blacktown City, New South Wales, Australia.
The 10-member Reinvent defeated 18 other hip-hop dance groups coming from different parts of the world to clinch the second place during the October 6 competition.
The audience were so enamored with the basketball dance routine of Reinvent which they also used as their dance routine when they competed at the 2019 Pintados-Kasadyaan Festivals of Festivals Hip Hop Competition, placing only second place.
Audience congratulated the crew after their dance performance as they asked for picture with them.
It was the first time for the members of the Reinvent to join an international dance competition. Kenyo Street Fam from Bulacan province, was declared as the grand champion.
The group is composed of Aron Baroña, Richard Amoyan, John Paul Estrada, Jay Jeff Warren Pino, Carl Russel De Guzman, Willy Warren Pino, Joie Quiminales, Jr., John Mark Baldonado, Solomon Franco and Jerson Sulla.
In a video message after the competition, the group expressed their gratitude to those who helped them compete in the world stage by providing them financial support.
Among those who gave them assistance were Samar Rep. Sharee Ann Tan, Samar Governor Milagrosa Tan, Samar Vice Governor Michael Tan, former Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla, Mayorga Mayor Alexander de Paz, An Waray party-list, Tingog party-list, and Tacloban City Councilor Brian Granados, among others.
Prior to winning second place at the WSB, Reinvent won 3rd place at the Battleground Philippines held in Cebu City participated by 64 dance crew from different cities and provinces in the Visayas.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)