HINUNANGAN, Southern Leyte – A local airline will soon be servicing the Maasin City Airport according to this town local chief executive.
Mayor Elisa Cadingan said that a 30-seater Fairchild-Dornier 328JET will soon fly the Manila-Maasin route in preparation for the surge of tourism in time for the founding anniversary of Southern Leyte this July and the 500 years celebration of the First Easter Mass in Limasawa on March 30, 2021.
Cadingan added that the plane to be used is owned by her family, Orient Aviation, a flying school located in Pasay City.
The town mayor’s husband, Romel, is the assistant director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ flight standards inspectorate services.
Cadingan added that they chose to name the airline Air Southern Leyte as way to promote their province that is not only historical but also rich of natural attractions and tourist destinations that needs to be promoted and marketed to local and foreign tourist.
“If there is a flight going and coming directly from the province, this will greatly help in boosting the promotion of our tourism sites,” she said.
She added that initially, they are planning for a thrice a week flight but would increase its number of flights, depending on the demand of passengers.
Having an airline operating in Maasin City Airport will help and ease the burden of airplane passengers from traveling for almost four hours from Southern Leyte to Tacloban City where the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport is located.
The operation of the plane in the province will also help the promotion of tourism in their area.
Cadingan added that it was her husband who first thought of offering a flight from Maasin to Metro Manila but only materialized when Governor Damian Mercado talked with her last January.
In 2018, the Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines inaugurated the Maasin Airport also called the Pana-on Airport passenger terminal building that now has a capacity of 300 passengers per day.
The inauguration came after the aviation company Air Juan opened its Maasin-Cebu, Maasin-Tagbilaran flight using a 9-seater Cessna commercial plane. However, the company stopped their operation in the province after several months.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez of this city lead in the distribution of financial assistance from President Rodrigo R. Duterte to 120 typhoon’ Ursula’ affected farmers in the northern part of the city on March 6 at the City Hall North Extension in Brgy. 106 Sto. Niño.
A total of P884,000 was released to the livestock farmers during the distribution activity. Each beneficiary was given an amount ranging from P3,000 to P5,000.
Aside from the beneficiaries in barangay Sto Niño, the recipient-farmers were also from Barangays 100, 101, 105, 108, 103, 98, 107 and 71 Naga-naga.
Meantime, four farmers’ associations namely; Tagpuro Farmers Association (FA), New Kawayan FA, Sta. Elena Integrated FA, Paglaum FA received P20,000,respectively.
The cash aid aims to assist farmers in the development of their livestock production, said Mayor Romualdez.
Present during the distribution of financial assistance were City Veterinarian Dr. Eunice Alcantara and Raymund Romualdez, the local executive’s son.(TACLOBAN CITY
INFORMATION OFFICE)

TACLOBAN CITY- A group of photography enthusiasts made a school hopping in the towns of Jipapad and Arteche, two of the most remote municipalities in Eastern Samar, with a mission to take photos of graduating elementary students.
And this activity being conducted by the Borongan Digital Photography Forum (BDPF), a group of professional and hobbyists photographers mostly based in Borongan City, expectedly brought smiles to the young graduates.
One of them was Vienna Antoniette Orque from the Arteche Central School (ACS), Arteche town.
The 12-year old graduating Grade VI student said that as far as she knew, it was the first time that graduating students from their school got the chance to have a graduation photo.
For this year, ACS has more than 100 graduates.
“(We) will treasure this moment. This will serve as our souvenir that we can keep until we get old,” she said, as she expressed her gratitude to the BDPF for their effort in coming to their school to take a class graduation picture.
She and the other graduating pupils are to march next month for their graduation rites.
It was learned from Miguel Veloso, one of the administrators of the BDPF, that it was the first time that their group have conducted this kind of activity, using their own money and resources.
For this year, they gave free graduation photos to five elementary schools in Arteche and four in Jipapad town, benefiting more than 360 pupils in total.
Aside from ACS, the group visited the elementary schools of Buenavista Elementary School, Carapdapan Elementary School, Tangbo Elementary School, and Catumsan Elementary School with combined 251 number of Grade VI graduating students.
In the town of Jipapad, the group went to the Casapa Elementary School, Jipapad Central School, Roxas Elementary School and Jiwaran Elementary School with combined 110 graduating students.
Veloso said that their group, formed in 2012 with 15 active members, came up with the program to provide a long-lasting souvenirs to these graduating elementary pupils, considering that they live in remote villages and have no access for this kind of picture-taking and the additional cost this would entail for the families of these students.
“We have the equipment and the talent so why not share these, especially those residing in the under served villages which does not have this kind of access,” he said.
Alren Beronio, another administrator of the group, said that they don’t mind travelling, in some cases using a pump boat just to reach their targeted schools, just to accomplish their mission.
“I am happy to see the smiles from these pupils. This is my simple way of sharing my talent to these children,” he added.
The group vowed to continue this kind of undertaking.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

MAASIN CITY- A tour package will soon be launched in Southern Leyte for the Sinugdan Quincentennial celebration of the First Easter Mass in Limasawa.
An assessment tour was recently held composed of three groups from tour operators, Department of Tourism (DOT), travel agencies and media.
The groups visited the seven stone churches in the diocese of Maasin, activities in the Sogod Bay area, and the tourist destinations in the Pacific coastal towns.
The three tour packages were aimed to cater not only the pilgrims who will visit the province next year but also for tourists who want to do sightseeing and visit to other destinations of the province as they join the quincentennial celebration of the First Easter Mass in Limasawa.
These stone churches are the Immaculate Conception Church and the Punta Chapel, both in Baybay City; the Immaculate Concepcion Church in Hilongos, Leyte; Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Matalom; the Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral in Maasin City; the Sto. Niño Parish Church of Malitbog in Malitbog; and the St. John the Baptist Church in San Juan, all in Southern Leyte.
In the Sogod Bay area, visited for assessment were Son-ok Point for whale shark interaction and snorkeling; the Molopolo Beach, the Tagbak Marine Park, the La Caridad Farm, and the Tangkaan Beach.
Also assessed were the sperm whale bone display and Silago Eco Adventure Park in Silago town; the Calag-itan Fish Sanctuary and the San Pedro and San Pablo Island, Pungkay Mountain Park in Hinunangan; the Hinundayan Plaza for barbeque fest; the Mainit Hot Spring in Anahawan; and the Guinsaugon Eco Adventure Park.
The tour packages are designed to all end in Limasawa Island where the historic first Catholic Mass in Asia was held on March 30, 1521 when the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan landed on the island.
During the assessment, the group rated each destination on their marketability and readiness for tourist arrivals including giving comments on how to improve the services, including facilities and amenities.
“Our church is not yet ready for this kind of activity, hopefully with your help we can prepare them and make them ready,” Fr. Mark Jeben Diola of the Maasin Diocese said.
The priest also extended his gratitude to the DOT for helping the church in creating the tour package for the Quincentennial which is expected to be flocked by pilgrims and other tourists.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)