Chemical engineer wins 2016 Miss Southern Leyte crown

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July 18, 2016

MISS SOLEyte — Miss Southern Leyte 2016 Mary Diane E. Lesiguez

MAASIN CITY- Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado crowned 24-year-old Mary Diane E. Lesiguez as Miss Southern Leyte 2016 during the grand coronation night held on Wednesday, (June 29),at the Provincial Capitol Sunken Garden, this city. The governor was assisted by outgoing Miss Southern Leyte Ma. Karina Dizon. Southern Leyte is composed of 18 towns, including the historic Limasawa and each sent a contestant to the province-wide search dubbed “battle of beauty and brains” She bested 17 other hopefuls from across the province which celebrated its 56th foundation Day on July 1,2016. Lesiguez represented the municipality of Macrohon being the reigning beauty queen of the town.

Observers said she had apparently impressed the contest jurors with her wide-ranging grasp of environment-related issues, as well as women empowerment concerns, political and general information topics during the question and answer (QA) portion of the pageant. “I would gladly pursue my advocacies in community services like medical missions, nutrition feeding projects for the poor and malnourished, involvement in proper garbage and waste disposal, and promotion of local tourism which my home-province of Southern Leyte has a lot to showcase,”Lesiguez substantively replied when asked the final question: If you were to win Miss Southern Leyte how can you be a good role model to contribute in the progress of the province?

The five-member panel of judges included Andrew Wolff, UK –born Filipino/British Rugby player currently playing for the Philippine National Rugby Sevens Team(The Philippine Volcanoes) and celebrity Erika Diaz, Miss Queen World Cebu 2016 and former DPWH Undersecretary Mabini F. Pablo. Rounding up the Miss Southern Leyte 2016 royal court are 4th runner-up Layra Cabatingan of San Juan town; 3rd runner-up Jolliene Bagasbas of Pintuyan; 2nd runner-up Wella Cruz of Maasin City; and 1st runner-up Lean Mae Palco RoaLili of Malitbog. Macrohon Mayor Fe Gaviola Edillo, in an interview, said that having produced this year’s Miss Southern Leyte 201“is indeed one legacy I am proud of in the pursuit of cultural identity of our municipality”.

Miss Lesiguez is a chemical engineer. She studied at U.P. Diliman, Quezon City and passed the licensure exam in June last year. She presently works at the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Regional Office No. 7, Cebu City. (AEL)

Mayor Cristina expresses thanks to Taclobanons for their support

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July 15, 2016

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kring2 — Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez, in her inaugural speech, vowed to improve the living conditions of her people and move to safe areas those living in danger zones in the city.The new city mayor was joined by department heads of the Tacloban city government and other officials of different government offices during her inauguration and oath-taking on June 30,2016 at the City Hall grounds.(GAY GASPAY, TISAT)

Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez, in her inaugural speech, vowed to improve the living conditions of her people and move to safe areas those living in danger zones in the city.The new city mayor was joined by department heads of the Tacloban city government and other officials of different government offices during her inauguration and oath-taking on June 30,2016 at the City Hall grounds.(GAY GASPAY, TISAT)

TACLOBAN CITY- “I thank all of you most sincerely from the bottom of my heart” says Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez as she took her oath of office held June 30, 2016 during the oath-taking and turn-over ceremony at Kanhuraw City Hall Terrace, presided by Brgy 88 chair Emelita Montalban. Mayor Cristina in intricately embroidered beige pina Filipiniana attire, stood gorgeously at the podium, also thanked her clan led by hubby and Tacloban out-going Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, her children Sofia & Dianne and father-in-law then Mayor, Hon. Alfredo “Bejo” Romualdez for their love and support. She also thanked all the Barangay Chairmen who gave their all-out support during the campaign. Cristina, above all has thanked humbly the LORD for giving her the opportunity to be of service to Taclobanon. “I hope to serve you well and be of help to promote further the development of our City” she said.

“The LORD has granted us the strength to have survived the devastation brought by Typhoon Yolanda”, HE has guided us through the reconstruction of our city and our lives. We therefore thank HIM for keeping our people bonded together under the leadership of my good husband, your Mayor Alfred. He bids his office good-bye for now, but not farewell, because he will continue to be our inspiration and our shoulder to lean on, she quipped. According to her, every suffering, every pain and every loss we went through together has brought us closer towards the fulfillment of our dreams by building ourselves from ground zero to where we are now, a better Tacloban.

“I hope to develop the city in a sustainable and inclusive manner, working in partnership with the private sector, non-governmental organizations, INGOs and the national government. Please be with us on this noble mission, Cristina added. Mayor Cristina cited the eleven programs she intends to focus on: Productive livelihood for marginalized sector aiming a positive measure to decrease poverty incidence; Comprehensive medical & nutrition program for children and nursing mothers; Completion of permanent shelters for Tacloban displaced families; Promote self-reliant livelihood through vocational courses under CLEP Program with linkages to profitable employment or home based income-generating small businesses; The lady chief executive added, we calibrate the K to 12 program to fit in the local culture, available employment spaces and increase sponsors for scholarships for deserving & financially distressed high school graduates; Involve our youth in sports, cultural activities and literary workshops; Encourage public-private partnership investments on local tourism and promote indigenous products of the city; Upgrade infrastructures to withstand the new normal super typhoons and earthquakes by adapting new architectural techniques for urban planning based on the fundamental concern of risk reduction, she elaborates. We likewise should adapt a common language, to unify our approach to disaster preparedness. Prioritizing every family’s learn, obey and sustain order in facing the fury of nature, to equip and prepare them; Securing peace and order situation in every barangay thru the basic services and needs that can reduce crime. The entrance of the new administration’s fight against drugs will strongly support our local law enforcers to practically clean our city from this menace; She likewise, encourages the protection, enhancement, respect and proper development of the environment as the responsibility of every individual. We simply must preserve our ecology for our future generations;

For Good Governance, indeed, transparency will be highly imposed. Continuing the legacy of my husband Mayor Alfred’s administration, I hope to promote further the progress of our city and make it a better Tacloban City. As your sister, daughter, mother and Mayor of the city, it is my intent to measure our progress not only by the increased statistics of our income and by our physical and social infrastructure, but most especially by the measure of our gross domestic happiness. Thank you once again for the trust given me, may the good LORD continue to bless our city and our people. GOD Bless Tacloban! Mayor Cristina ended. Out-going Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez handed over the City’s documents and flag to continue its work and service to his partner, the next Mayor of HUC Tacloban, Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez who gladly received it.

The 2016 Oath Taking & Turn Over ceremony likewise were attended by the City newly elected officials: Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin and Councilors: Edwin Chua, Jerry Uy, Maria Elvira Casal, Edward Frederick Chua, Victor Emmanuel Domingo, Evangeline Esperas, Aurora Aimee Grafil, Raissa Villasin, Jose Mario Bagulaya and Rachelle Erica Pineda, who took their oath as well. (GAY GASPAY)

No rehab center for narco surrenderees

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July 15, 2016

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TACLOBAN CITY- So many drug users and pushers have “voluntarily surrendered” but absence of rehabilitation centers may pose a challenge to the authorities due to the influx of surrenderees.
The drug users and pushers, labeled by police authorities as “drug personalities,” have started to surrender after the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte’s vow to relentlessly stamp out the drug problem of the country. Across the region, the number of surrenderees has reached to over 2,400, some of them were minors. In Tacloban, more than 270 users and pushers have so far surrendered to the police authorities since the campaign came into full throttle on July 1, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte formally assumed the presidency. But as to where they are to be placed for them to shake off their addiction to illegal drugs, notably “shabu,” remains a problem, admitted Senior Inspector Edgar Octaviano, head of the operations division of the Tacloban City Police Office.

“We don’t have much funds to finance the rehabilitation of these drug personalities on top of the fact that we don’t have a drug rehabilitation center here in Tacloban,” Octaviano said. Thus, after these men, who included two 16 year old minors, signed a “surrender form,” they returned to their respective homes. “We just rely on their good faith. That they will stop or refrain from engaging in the illegal drug trade,” he said, adding that all the 138 barangays of Tacloban are “drug infected.” Tacloban has no existing rehabilitation center operated by the government though there is a regional drug rehabilitation center located in the town of Dulag, Leyte. Its lone existing such facility is a privately-owned which charges P25,000 a month, a big amount which most of the users could not afford. “Our chief of police, S/Supt. Rolando Bade, will be meeting with Mayor (Cristina) Romualdez on how we can address this problem,” Octaviano said.

He said that because of the police campaign against drug personalities, dubbed as “Operation Tokhang,” they expect the number of those who will surrender to increase further. ““With no less than the President issuing this order, we will intensify and strengthen this campaign which we think could be achieved,” he said. Among those who surrendered were six men considered among Tacloban’s high value targets or those engaging in illegal drug sale in big volume. Manuelito Aradazon, house manager of the Farm Family and Recovery, a private rehabilitation center in Tacloban, said that since the start of the campaign, they have received “numerous inquiries.”

“Some come to us personally while others call us to inquire about our center, particularly how much we charge and how long the treatment will last,” Aradazon, 32, said. The facility, which started its operations on November, 2015, however, could only accommodate 30 individuals. At present, the facility has 20 “clients” who are charged P25,000 a month. The treatment, which includes counseling, lasts for nine months-six months inside the center and three months “after care” which means the clients are sent home to be with their families while they are still being monitored by them, Aradazon said.

Most of their clients came from families who can afford their fees. Among the clients are a police officer and a government employee. “So far, they are doing well,” he said. But Aradazon, who admitted to be once hooked to the illegal drugs, admitted that their facility could only do so much to their clients. “Drug addiction is a mental problem. It cannot just be treated immediately. It could take years, if at all,” he said. He described himself as a “recovering addict” though he claimed that he is now “clean.” “It’s a matter of self-control,” he said. In this city, aside from rehabilitation, they are also asking the surrenderees to attend masses every Sunday and help clean at their police station or at their respective villages. The process will take for about a month or two, Octaviano said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

Ambassador of Italy

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July 15, 2016

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kring — Mayor Cristina Romualdez personally gave a certificate of appreciation to Ambassador Massimo Roscigno Ambassador of Italy in gratitude for the funding assistance provided by the Italian Government for the construction of the permanent shelter to Taclobanons who lost their houses due to supertyphoon “Yolanda.” The Italian ambassador visited the Tacloban city mayor at her office on July 7, 2016.

Mayor Cristina Romualdez personally gave a certificate of appreciation to Ambassador Massimo Roscigno Ambassador of Italy in gratitude for the funding assistance provided by the Italian Government for the construction of the permanent shelter to Taclobanons who lost their houses due to supertyphoon “Yolanda.” The Italian ambassador visited the Tacloban city mayor at her office on July 7, 2016.

Gore visits Tacloban; offers prayers at the mass grave

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March 16, 2016

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Former US Vice President Al Gore offered a silent prayer for the 2,200 people buried at the mass grave at the Holy Cross Memorial Park in Brgy. Basper who died due to supertyphoon “Yolanda.” He was joined by Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Sen. Loren Legarda. (MEL CASPE)

TACLOBAN CITY- Former United States Vice President Al Gore visited this city on Saturday (March 12) with city officials expressing hope that his visit will remind the world on what happened here on 2013. Gore, who is considered to be a leading environmental advocate, particularly on the fight against climate change, arrived in the city around 2:45 pm via a Philippine Airline and welcomed by city officials led by Mayor Alfred Romualdez.

From the airport, Gore, who was in the country for a talk on climate change in Manila, went to Barangay 88 in San Jose district, considered to be the worst-hit in Tacloban due to Yolanda.
The former Vice President, accompanied by Senator Loren Legarda, met with village resident Demetria Raya at her house for about 10 minutes. “We are proud and shocked at the same time that he visited us. He is a former leader of the United States. We just hope that his visit will once again remind the country and the world on the effects of Yolanda which was said due to climate change,” village chair Emelita Montalban said.

From the village, Gore went to the mass grave located at Holy Cross Memorial Park in Barangay Basper. In his 20-minute visit at the mass grave where 2,200 people who died due to Yolanda were buried, the US’ 45th Vice President offered a silent prayer in one of the graves. He also offered a wreath and lighted a candle together with Legarda and Romualdez. Romualdez briefed the visiting former US leader on how many were buried at the mass grave and how many of them were actually identified by their families. The government, through the National Bureau of Investigation, conducted its disaster victim’s identification (DVI) in an effort to identify those who perished due to Yolanda. On his way to the City Hall, Gore’s convoy stopped at the Yolanda shipwreck memorial at the Anibong district. The shipwreck, consisting of a bow of the MV Eva Jocelyn, a commercial ship that was beached inland due to the storm surge, was converted into a memorial park which is now fast-emerging as Tacloban’s most visited “place of interest.”

Marilou Tabao, chief of staff of Mayor Romualdez, said that they are “glad” that Gore visited Tacloban. “I guess, in his talks about climate change, he will use Tacloban as a talking point. Perhaps his visit to the Philippines will not be complete without him visiting Tacloban,” Tabao said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

Sen. Cayetano vows to help “Yolanda” survivors

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March 16, 2016

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Vice presidential aspirant, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, vowed to provide livelihood assistance to survivors of supertyphoon “Yolanda.” Cayetano visited on Monday(March 14), 306 families still living in bunkhouses along Sagkahan district.(LITO A. BAGUNAS) — Vice presidential aspirant, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, vowed to provide livelihood assistance to survivors of supertyphoon “Yolanda.” Cayetano visited on Monday(March 14), 306 families still living in bunkhouses along Sagkahan district. (LITO A. BAGUNAS)

TACLOBAN CITY- Vice Presidential aspirant, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, expressed his willingness to support survivors of supertyphoon “Yolanda” for them to return to their normal lives.
Cayetano made this commitment during his visit at the bunkhouse located in Sagkahan district which is just around 500 meters away from the office of the National Housing Authority (NHA), the government agency tasked to construct permanent shelters to families who were rendered homeless after Yolanda pummeled the city on November 8, 2013. There are around 308 families or 1,066 individuals who are still housed at the bunkhouse waiting to be relocated to their permanent shelters located in the northern part of the city. “While we cannot give you assistance as much as we want to because we are prohibited to do so, I am making a commitment to help you,” Cayetano, who together with his running-mate Mayor Rody Duterte held their campaign rally in Tacloban on Monday, said.

He said that he would see to it that once the families are transferred to their permanent shelters, they should be provided with livelihood. Cayetano also said that the relocation sites should have the basic amenities like schools, market and health center to make their living more decent. During his almost an hour visit to the area, Cayetano heard the tales of several survivors living in the bunkhouses. Marites Burico, 44 who originally resided in Barangay 60-A, said that they are already “tired” living at their bunkhouses. “There is no livelihood here. There is no enough water supply and electricity is limited,” the mother of nine children said. Cayetano also proposed for the residents to form a cooperative for them to easily get financial help from government agencies.
Meantime, Cayetano informed the residents on his move to lift the bank secrecy law saying it would be a “potent weapon” against those who have enriched themselves while in the government.
Cayetano said that he and his running-mate, Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte, are willing to open their respective bank accounts for scrutiny. The two have affixed their signature in a manifesto which their group has made. The manifesto shown during his audience with the 306 families or 1,066 individuals was written in a big cardboard.

“”This is a potent weapon. Ito ay isang nuclear bomb kumbaga sa giyera na pwede mong ibagsak sa mga corrupt sa bansa,” Cayetano said. “Maganda ito para sa bansa,|” he added. He said that bank records are strong evidence against any corrupt individual saying that even he withdrew his deposit, it could still be traced. He said that if the bank accounts of government officials are open for public scrutiny, corruption in the government could be avoided. Cayetano, quoting report of the AMLAC (Anti- Money Laundering Council), said that they were shocked that there were incidents of withdrawals of certain individuals reaching up to P50 million to P150 million a day.

Cayetano said that while he and Duterte are open for scrutiny on their bank accounts, they could not say the same to other candidates. He admitted that it is up to the other candidates to do the same. Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is running for President, is under fire for allegation of massive corruption while he was the mayor of Makati City. (Joey Gabieta)

Leyte Samar Daily News

Chemical engineer wins 2016 Miss Southern Leyte crown

Mayor Cristina expresses thanks to Taclobanons for their support

No rehab center for narco surrenderees

Ambassador of Italy

Gore visits Tacloban; offers prayers at the mass grave

Sen. Cayetano vows to help “Yolanda” survivors

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