TACLOBAN CITY-The city government through Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez and Public Employment Service Office (PESO), in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment, turned over 30 ovens and baking pans on Tuesday (November 29) to beneficiaries of the Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP).
The livelihood package worth P12,000 each was distributed to beneficiaries who have undergone baking classes offered by the Cristina’s Learn and Earn Program (CLEP) and the City Cooperative Office.
Mayor Romualdez was joined by DOLE 8 chief of North Leyte Office Bernardita Navarra during the turn over ceremony held at the City Hall lobby, witnessed by PESO chief Emilia Cruz.
The second batch of beneficiaries will receive their ovens on December 9, coinciding with the grand barangayan that will be held at the City Hall grounds.
On that day, 30 pedicab drivers will also receive their units availed through the Kabuhayan Restoration Program of DILEEP. The beneficiaries who came from Yolanda-stricken communities was validated and screened by PESO. (HENRY JAMES G. ROCA, CIO)
30 beneficiaries received ovens from Tacloban city gov’t, DOLE
Army official affirms their loyalty to Pres. Duterte
STA.RITA, Samar – Soldiers in the region remains to be loyal to their Commander-in-Chief, President Rodrigo Duterte.
This was assured by the deputy commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Division, Colonel Cesar Idio, who said that they don’t find it imperative to conduct any loyalty check among its forces.
“Our soldiers in the region remain faithful to the chain of command and the Constitution,” Idio said.
On August 8, Mr. Duterte became the first President to visit the 8th ID headquarters in Catbalogan City wherein he assured the soldiers of the region of his unequivocal support to them.
Col. Idio said that they have not received any information that soldiers in the region are restive on the administration of the President who was overwhelmingly voted to office on his pledge to stamp out the illegal drug trade in the country.
His administration also initiated another fresh round of peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front(CPP-NDF) with the hope to end the more than four decades of insurgency problem in the country.
The Army recognizes that loyalty is the thread that binds their actions together and defines their commitment to each other, to their units, country and the Constitution, Idio said. (JAZMIN BONIFACIO)
280 `Yolanda’ families settled to their new homes
As directed by Pres. Duterte
TACLOBAN CITY-When this city was pummeled by supertyphoon “Yolanda” on November 8, 2013, Elena Bituon did not only lose her two young children but all their material possessions.
Bituon, 29, said that while the lives of her children, Argel, 7 and Shaun Rinzel, 10 months old, could not be recovered, at least Yolanda gave them something to cheer about: a new and concrete house.
Bituon, whose husband Arjun,32 works as a fish vendor, was among the 280 families from Barangay 88 in San Jose district, worst hit area due to the onslaught of Yolanda, who were resettled at their new permanent houses located at North Hill Arbours in Barangay Santo Niño, 13 kms away from the city center, on Monday (Nov.28).
“This is now our new home and beginning today, we will start to build our dreams and our future,” Bituon said.
The couple has still two children, Jirah Faith, 8, and Jade Ivan, 1 year old.
“I could say now that Yolanda turned out to be a blessing. We may have lost our two children, whose bodies were not recovered until now, but we have now a new house which is big and better compared to our shanty in San Jose,” the housewife said.
The military trucks as well as vehicles from the city government helped the families during their transfer to their new homes which were provided with electricity with water still to be rationed by the city government for their daily uses.
Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, presidential assistantfor the Visayas, said that the resettlement of the 280 families to their new permanent houses was a result of the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to relocate families still living in danger zones and temporary shelters to the permanent houses.
The transfer of the families, the initial group out of the 12,000 families that need to be relocated, came 18 days after Mr. Duterte issued the directive to Dino during his Nov.8 visit, coinciding the third year commemoration of Yolanda’s onslaught to Tacloban, considered the ground zero of the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland.
“This is what we call the Duterte Express. This happenned just 18 days after his visit (here in Tacloban),” Dino said.
According to Dino, when the President learned that there are still 12,000 families still to be relocated three years after Yolanda’s onslaught, he made right away the decision to relocate all of them by December.
“We cannot promise that we can relocate them all but we will do our very best to do that,” Dino said, referring to the presidential December deadline.
As part of the package, six buses owned by the Ceres Bus Liners were “loaned” to the government which will serve as service vehicle for the residents for the next six months, he added.
“Lumalabas ang malasakit ni Presidente. Nakita natin ang tapang niya kontra sa droga; nakita naman natin dito ang malasakit ni Presidente sa mga pamilya,” Dino said.
Dorcas Secreto, estate specialist management of the National Housing Authority (NHA-8), said that out of the 14,433 houses to be constructed in the 11 resettlement sites, 4,346 are ready for occupancy while the rest of the houses are still in “various stages of construction.”
She also said that based on their records, 2,101 families have been resettled at RidgeView 1 and 2 in Barangay Cabalawan; 172 families at Villa Sofia in Brgy.Tagpuro; 322 families at Villa Diana in Brgy. New Kawayan and 720 families at the Tacloban North Village in Brgy.Cabalawan.
Mayor Cristina Romualdez said that she is happy for the speedy assistance of the President to help the affected families relocated to their new permanent shelters.
“We will really do our best that all the remaining families will be relocated to their new permanent shelters,” she said.
The city government, with the assistance of other government agencies, is to provide livelihood assistance to the beneficiaries, Romualdez added.(with report LIZBETH ANN A.ABELLA)
Gov’t rushes transfer of families to relocation sites
TACLOBAN CITY – The government has moved 280 families from danger zones to permanent relocation sites on Monday (November 28) in an effort to beat the timeline for mass transfer of Yolanda-hit families within the year.
Government trucks and buses moved hundreds of families from coastal San Jose District near the city’s airport to North Hill Arbours housing site in Barangay Sto. Niño.
“We will try our best to fast track the transfer before the end of December. President Rodrigo Duterte felt so bad that after three years many families are still living in shanties,” said Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino.
During his visit to this city on Nov. 8, Mr. Duterte has expressed dissatisfaction over slow housing development project for super typhoon Yolanda survivors, prompting him to order concerned agencies to make significant improvement within a month.
He vowed to return this December to check if the families have been relocated to their permanent shelters.
On Sunday night, the Leyte II Electric Cooperative initially completed the power supply project to the new relocation site with 1,100 units built by the National Housing Authority.
As a “stop gap” measure for the water needs, Dino asked the Department of Public Works and Highways, Leyte Metropolitan Water District, and Bureau of Fire Protection to deliver water and set up tanks at relocation sites.
The Local Water Utilities Authority said it will complete the long term water supply project late next year.
Vallacar Transit, Inc., the largest public land transportation company in Negros Island has lent their six Ceres Liner buses to the government for the use of relocated families.
“The buses will stay for six months to ensure that the students can go to school and occupants whose job is in the city, can go to work,” Dino said.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has asked distributors to deliver stocks to store owners in the new resettlement sites.
“Those who own stores in their old community can continue doing business here before the establishment of big retail shops and better transport system,” said Ma. Delia Corsiga, chief of the DTI regional business development division.
This is on top of the upcoming livelihood support program of P5,000 each for 1,102 identified families in the city.
City Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez said the city government target to transfer at least 200 families every week to their respective relocation sites starting Nov. 28 until January next year.
The National Housing Authority (NHA) reported that out of the 14,631 houses targeted for construction in this city alone, 7,148 have been completed so far, but only 2,101 units have been occupied as of last week.
Out of the 14,631 targeted units, 13,062 are NHA projects and 1,569 units by eight non-government organizations. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)
Kerwin cleared officials from illegal drug trade
BY: ROEL T. AMAZONA, VICKY C. ARNAIZ, LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA, JAZMIN
BONIFACIO and JOEY A. GABIETA
TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte officials who were earlier implicated to the illegal drug activity felt vindicated after Kerwin Espinosa cleared their names as among their protectors.
Espinosa, considered as the region’s drug lord, during his appearance at the Senate on Wednesday (Nov.23) said that no officials from Leyte received money from them.
Earlier, Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, Vice Gov. Carlo Loreto, Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez, Baybay City Vice Mayor Michael Cari and Rep. Vicente Veloso were tagged as among drug protectors of the Espinosa drug group.
The officials were allegedly named by murdered Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. in his affidavit.
But Kerwin said that he had no dealings with the five officials as he claimed that the signature of his father that appeared at the affidavit was forged.
Rep. Veloso said that he was sure that eventually he would be vindicated as he never knew or met either the slain mayor or his son.
“I don’t even know them from Adam,” the solon said.
Veloso added that the affidavit alledegely containing the signature of Mayor Espinosa was defective and a sham reason why he was confident that he would be vindicated.
“I am very, very innocent on this issue. I knew all along that the affidavit was defective. I am thankful that I was vindicated and cleared,” Veloso said.
Gov. Petilla also sounded victorious on Kerwin’s clearing his name to any illegal drugs activity.
“I feel victorious. This is one of the victories on battle against illegal drugs because the truth was revealed about the questionable affidavit that was executed with our names on it,” Gov. Petilla.
“If the truth was not revealed, the innocent people are the ones who will suffer and get implicated and the people who are actually involved will remain free. That is why I would say that this is a victory in the battle against illegal drugs,” the governor added.
Vice Gov. Loreto, meantime, said that he was sure that his name will be cleared as he insisted that he had not dealt with the Espinosas in so far as their illegal drug trade is concern.
“I am happy that I have been finally cleared from the issue. This is a vindication of my name and we are glad that the truth has come out,” he said.
Vice Mayor Cari, a cousin to both Petilla and Loreto, said that he could now sleep soundly after Kerwin cleared him.
“I’m glad my name is cleared. I can now sleep soundly. But the damage has been done to me and to my family,” Cari said.
Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez also said that finally, the truth has come out as no less than Kerwin cleared him.
“We will never be involved in drug trade. And what happened the past months are political handiworks by Albuera police chief (Chief Inspector) Jovie Espenido and the Codillas,” Gomez said.
Kerwin tagged Espenido as close to the Codillas, a political clan in Leyte’s fourth district considered as the arch political enemy of the Gomezes.
Tacloban city gov’t supports 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women
TACLOBAN CITY- The city government of Tacloban through Mayor Cristina Romualdez joins the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW) with the theme: “VAW –Free community starts with me” which had its kick-off on Friday, November 25, 2016.
The campaign will run until December 12, 2016.
This year’s theme shifts the campaign to positive advocacy messaging with a strong emphasis on everyone’s commitment and contribution.
Activities of the campaign started with a motorcade around the city and were followed by the kick-off program at the Tacloban City Convention Center.
The program was attended by Mayor Romualdez and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Director Restituto Macuto, together with other VAW advocates and stakeholders.
The campaign observed annually to raise awareness among all stakeholders the threat that VAW poses to women, supports the national government’s commitment to address all forms of VAW and protect Women’s Right.
Proclamation 1172 series of 2006 and Republic Act 10398 (2013) institutionalized the annual observance.
Among the pervasive forms of violations of Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence against Women and their Children are physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuses; of which 27, 403 have been reported to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Mayor Romualdez has always been an active supporter of women’s right and empowerment. In fact, she inspired the putting up of a Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Tacloban in June 2010.
According to Shelter Head Carmela Bastes, the facility which offers psychosocial support and temporary shelter for abused women and children, has 28 admitted clients.
About 163 walk-in clients have also availed of their counseling services from January to October 2016, said Bastes.
After a social case study of each client has been made, in-house social workers will file court cases and seek protection orders for the victim.
The facility is the only one of its kind in the region maintained by a local government unit and is accredited by DSWD National Office. It conducts center-based advocacy and education of RA 9262.
Among the women empowerment initiative of the local government is the Cristina’s Learn and Earn Program which offers 8 short-term livelihood courses.
Started in 2006 by then Councilor Cristina G. Romualdez, it has graduated more than 8,000 beneficiaries mostly women.
Victims of VAW are advised to seek help from a sympathetic family member or friend and report to the barangay, social worker, or the police. (HENRY JAMES G.ROCA/CIO)