Farmer Ruperto Alesna
14 mayors no show during Digong’s meeting
TACLOBAN CITY- The regional office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) reported that 14 mayors from the region did not attend the meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday(Jan.11).
Of the 14 mayors, six of them were from Leyte; two from Samar; three from Southern Leyte and one each from Biliran, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar.
Pia Monina Lovete, chief of the local government monitoring and evaluation division of the DILG-8, said that all the 143 city and town mayors of the region were given an invitation to attend the Malacañang meeting course through their office.
“As far as our office is concerned, all the city and municipal mayors were invited and confirmed their attendance,” she said.
Asked if these 14 mayors who failed to attend the Malacañang meeting would be asked to explain for their absence, Lovete could not ascertain.
“I am not really sure but it was just an invitation…” she said whose department was among those in charge on this matter.
The invite was signed by DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero.
Among those who failed to attend was Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez who was scheduled to leave for London, Lovete said.
Also absent from the gathering were Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla; Hindang Mayor Betty Cabal; Isabel Mayor Marcos Cerillo; Tunga Mayor Amando Aumento Sr. and MacArthur Mayor Rene Leria, all in Leyte.
From Samar, Mayors Ananias Rebato of San Jose de Buan and Leonilo Costelo of Talalora were also no show during the meeting as well as Mayor Dominador Agajan of Almeria.
In Southern Leyte the mayors of Hinundayan (Evelyn Lee), Malitbog (Alan Go) and Tomas Oppus (Agustin Escaño) were not also around in the meeting.
In Eastern Samar, the mayor of Gen. MacArthur, Jaime Ty was absent as well as Mayor Isidro Bandal of Capul, Northern Samar.
Meantime, Barugo, Leyte Mayor Ma. Rosario Avestruz, who attended the gathering, said that Pres. Duterte asked them to help his all-out war against the proliferation of the illegal drugs.
“Actually, I am supportive of his campaign against the illegal drugs and with his (latest order), I will further intensify our war against illegal drugs,” she said.
But she stressed that while she will intensify the campaign, she would make sure it would “possibly save lives.”
Avestruz was apparently alluding to killing incidents that have attended the brutal campaign of the Duterte’s administration on the illegal drugs.
Dolphin rescued in Eastern Samar town
Photo courtesy Salcedo Municipal Police.
TACLOBAN CITY- A wounded dolphin was rescued on Wednesday (Jan.11) off the coast of a village in Salcedo town, Eastern Samar.
The dolphin, measuring over one meter in length and 29 in diameter, was seen floating about 6 am near the wharf of Barangay Butig, three kms away from the town proper, said Chief Inspector Emerson Badilla, police chief.
According to Badilla, the dolphin was first seen by the fishermen of the village around 6 am with wounds on its fins, face and some parts of its body.
“They first tied the dolphin so it would not hit some hard objects floating in the waters and they then called the MENRO(Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office) to help them rescue the wounded dolphin,” Badilla, in an interview, said.
Danilo Duran, head of MENRO, in turn, called up the office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources located in Guiuan town for assistance with the help of the local police.
A motor boat was used to bring the dolphin, which was visibly weak, to the wharf so it could be treated of its wounds, Badilla said.
It was not clear what caused the injuries of the dolphin.
The waters of Butig is facing the Leyte Gulf, it was learned.
“Perhaps the dolphin, which has injuries, was just carried away by the currents. It was the first time that such animal found its way to the village,” Badilla said.
The dolphin was later released back to the waters after it was treated of its injuries. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
50 women receive sewing machines from Mayor Romualdez
TACLOBAN CITY- About 50 women from various barangays of the city each received one unit electric sewing machine donated to them by the city government through Mayor Cristina Romualdez.
The sewing machines will serve as a source of livelihood for these beneficiaries who are all survivors of the supertyphoon “Yolanda,” Mayor Romualdez said.
Mayor Romualdez led the turnover of the sewing machine units together with Bernadeth Navarra, Leyte north field office head of the Department of Labor and Employment(DOLE) and Mely Cruz, head of the Public Employment Service Office last January 12 held at the lobby of the City Hall.
“Alagaan niyo ini nga mga sewing machine dako ini nga bulig ha iyo,” Mayor Romualdez said in her talk, addressed to the beneficiaries.
The city chief executive likewise thanked DOLE for the support and assistance they extended to the city government in helping the people regain their livelihood after Yolanda’s onslaught three years ago.
“Salamat Mayor Kring & DOLE for picking me as one lucky recipients, now I can give the needs and support my students,” Flor Sudario of Barangay 77, Fatima Village, said. (GAY B.GASPAY-TISAT/Kanhuraw Media Team / PHOTOS: TIM CANES)
CTO reports of 8% increase of revenue collection
TACLOBAN CITY- An 8% increase in revenue collection was noted by the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) during the first week of business and real property tax payment and renewal.
City Treasurer Zosima Cordaño said this is significant since the city government under Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez is aggressively inviting more business locators to the city.
In the past five days, the CTO has already collected more than P 11 million, compared to P10, 850.664.55 collected from the same period last year or an increase of about P883,000.
It has so far issued 179 business permits and renewed 412 business applications.
According Cordaño, local business operators will have until January 20, 2017 to renew their business permits and licenses per City Revenue Ordinance 99-58 or be penalized with a 25 percent surcharge and a 2 percent interest per month.
She encouraged real property owners to avail of the 20 percent maximum discount by settling their tax payments on or before January 31.
The city treasurer disclosed that, as part of the revenue generation initiatives of Mayor Romualdez, they have come up with innovations that would give taxpayers more ease in paying their taxes at the Kanhuraw Business Center; this is aside from the extended payment hours which last until 8 pm.
Cordaño said assessment and payment of real property taxes can now be had in one location, while business renewal have been streamlined into three steps.
Queuing taxpayers are given forms to fill out in advance so when the time comes for them to pay at the cashier, they just have to give the paper to the teller.
Five tellers are serving taxpayers at the business center while additional collectors have been drafted to bring ease to taxpayers.
Bookkeepers are given a different schedule to process their payments so as not to compete with walk-in clients.
The CTO hopes to meet its revenue collection target of more than P1 billion for 2017.Last year, it posted a 97% collection rate.
(HENRY JAMES G. ROCA/CIO)
PCA seeks security offices to help them enforce logging ban in EV
GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The regional office of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) asked government law enforcers to assist them in the enforcement of a three-month coconut logging.
Citing manpower constraints, PCA Regional Manager Joel Pilapil admitted that they are incapable of imposing the cutting ban.
“Our field personnel are trained on agricultural production and not running after those behind illegal activities,” Pilapil said.
Key PCA officials in the region will meet with the Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Philippine Coast Guard, among others, to seek their assistance in the implementation of the nationwide ban.
“We really have to impose the ban because loggers are still taking advantage of debris clearing activities even if it’s already three years after supertyphoon “Yolanda”,” Pilapil said.
The moratorium issued by PCA Administrator Billy Andal is effective for three months starting Jan. 3, 2017, while there is an on-going review of the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act (RA) 10510593.
RA 10510593 amends RA 8048, which aims to streamline the processes related to permits and clearances.
The PCA Governing Board pushed for a logging moratorium considering the weak enforcement of RA 8048 or the Coconut Preservation Act of 1995.
The national moratorium covers all areas in the country except in Basilan province and Isabela City due to coconut scale insect or cocolisap infestation.
Eastern Visayas used to be the top coconut producing region in the country before Yolanda struck on November 8, 2013.
The region, with an annual average yield of 1 billion nuts, reported 33.82 million damaged trees by Yolanda, almost half of the previously 72.75 million thriving coconut trees. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO)