TACLOBAN CITY-To advance the city government’s waste management initiatives, Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez has instructed the different city government offices to practice waste segregation and recycling.
In a memorandum dated July 4, 2018, the chief executive mandated the effective use of garbage bins assigned to each office and those placed in strategic locations inside the City Hall building and its premises.
The mayor likewise, enjoined the offices to support the Clean Green and Resilient City Program and the “Basura Mo, Pakabuhi Ko” livelihood initiative which benefits the inmates at the Tacloban City Jail by collecting residual waste (e.g. junkfood/coffee wrappers, newspapers, magazines, etc.) and recyclable materials (e.g. plastic bottles, plastic utensils, used bond paper, etc.).
On June 11,administrative officers from the different city government offices attended an orientation on waste management and recycling organized by the City Environment and Natural Resources Offices (CENRO).
Specialized carton boxes that will be utilized to collect useful segregated materials were also distributed during the orientation. The collected materials are made into saleable handicrafts by the jail inmates.
Ordinance No. 2017-13-37 or “An Ordinance providing for an Integrated Ecological Solid Waste Management for Tacloban City” provides for the segregation of garbage at source as one of the effective solid waste management initiatives. (CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

TACLOBAN CITY-The Department of Education (DepEd) Leyte division has extended its “deep sympathies” to the bereaved family of a 21-year-old grade school teacher who killed herself on July 12.
“The schools division of Leyte personally extended condolences and deep sympathies to the bereaved family of teacher Emylou Malate. We are saddened and in pain over this incident,” it said in a statement.
Malate, single, started her teaching job in a multi-grade class at Bagacay West Primary School, an upland school in La Paz town, just last June 21 of this year.
Senior Inspector Ernie Rocha, officer-in-charge of La Paz Police Station, said that Malate committed suicide by hanging herself as relayed by Malate’s father, Rodulfo.
Based on the police interview conducted with the victim’s father, it was revealed that Malate committed suicide due to depression.
Three suicide notes addressed to her mother and alleged boyfriend were recovered at the scene.
In her suicide letters, Malate mentioned the word “weak” three times.
Malate’s parents also confirmed that the signature in the suicide notes was that of their daughter.
“May the death of teacher Emylou be not in vain, but be an opportunity for everyone to realize that in our everyday engagement with teachers we will consider the fact that each one has different emotional stability,” Edgar Tenasas, the assistant schools division superintendent, said.
Tenasas and other division officials personally visited the family of Malate to convey their condolences and inquire about the incident.
Amid the death of Malate, Tenasas also urged school administrators to consider in their yearly crafting of annual improvement plan (AIP) the regular conduct of team building and other activities that will lead to the personal development of teachers.
Meanwhile, DepEd Regional Director Ramir Uytico said that it’s “still too early to judge” that Malate’s work as a teacher was the reason why she committed suicide.
“Ang teacher talaga has to do his or her part. Pag mag-apply ka sa DepEd, alam mo na ang mga challenges ng DepEd,” Uytico said over a radio interview.
(RONALD O. REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY- The annual Inflation Rate (IR) of Eastern Visayas rose to a record high of 6.3 percent in June, posting the highest since January 2018. This IR was 0.5 percentage point higher compared with the 5.8 percent IR a month ago, and 3.0 percentage points higher than the recorded 3.3 percent IR in the same period last year. The regional inflation rate was 1.1 percentage points higher than the 5.2 percent national average in June.
All provinces in the region registered higher inflation rates in June compared with their figures in the previous month, except for Biliran, the only province that has registered a decrease of 1.1 percentage points, from 6.0 percent in May to 4.9 percent in June.
Northern Samar posted the highest increase of 2.3 percentage points, from 5.5 percent in May to 7.8 percent in June. The rest of the provinces recorded increases ranging from 0.2 percentage point to 0.9 percentage point.
Northern Samar had the highest IR at 7.8 percent, while Southern Leyte posted the lowest at 1.4 percent.
By major commodity groups, Transport recorded the highest increase of a hefty 6.0 percentage points, from 2.0 percent in May to 8.0 percent in June. Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages followed at 0.6 percentage point.
Annual price changes in Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco decreased by 2.1 percentage points, but still recorded a double digit inflation rate of 22.0 percent, the highest among all commodities. Clothing and Footwear and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels likewise shed off by 0.4 percentage point and 0.2 percentage point, settling at 0.9 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively.
Communication recorded zero inflation rate during the month in review, while Recreation and Culture, Education, and Restaurants and Miscellaneous Goods and Services retained their previous month’s rates of 0.9 percent, 3.5 percent, and 1.6 percent, respectively.
The Purchasing Power of Peso (PPP) of the region remained at P 0.81 in June 2018. This PPP implies that goods and services worth 100 pesos in June 2018 only costs 81 pesos in 2012.
Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Southern Leyte registered a 0.01 centavo decrease in the PPP compared with their figures in May. Whereas, Biliran recorded a 0.01 centavo increase in PPP, while the rest of the provinces had sustained their PPP from last month.
Leyte recorded the strongest PPP at P0.84. Southern Leyte ranked second at P0.83, followed by Biliran at P0.82 and Eastern Samar at P0.79. Northern Samar and Samar, meanwhile, posted the weakest PPP at P0.76. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY-Anti-drug elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA 8)-Tacloban City Office, TCPO PS2 and CIB arrested another newly-identified drug personality during the conduct of a buy-bust operation in Barangay 86, San Jose, this city, on July 13, 2018 at around 4:30 pm.
In a report submitted to PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino, elements of PDEA RO8-Tacloban City Office under Director Edgar T. Jubay, TCPO PS2 and CIB identified the suspect as Renato Lavinia, alias “Jun”, 43, married, driver, and a resident of Brgy. 86 San Jose, this city.
Purchased and confiscated during the said operation were seven pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu weighing more or less 25.0 grams with an estimated market value of P170,000 and various drug paraphernalia.
Lavinia will be facing charges for violations of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 12 (Possession of Drug Paraphernalia), Article II of RA 9165.
The suspect is now temporarily detained at Tacloban Police station 2 lock-up facility. (PR)

Amid suicide of teachers due to depression

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- An education official here in Leyte has encouraged teachers to have a support system among themselves.
This call of Edgar Tenasas, assistant schools division superintendent in Leyte, came in the wake of a reported suicide of a teacher in La Paz town.
On July 12, Emylou Malate, a teacher of Bagacay West Primary School, reportedly committed suicide due to depression inside their house.
The 21-year old victim just started her teaching job this school year.
Last March 4 of this year, a teacher of the Leyte National High School, this city, Romela Segador, 23, also committed suicide by hanging herself outside her classroom. She was said to be suffering from depression too.
Tenasas said that support system among teachers is important for them to unload themselves due to heavy paper works that comes with teaching job.
“We will assure the public that this incident will reach to the division executive meeting so we can deliberate on how to eliminate the burdensome work of the teachers. This is worth to be elevated to the national. Whether they listen or not, we will be pushing it to the top. This is a national concern,” he said.
Tenasas appealed to the school principals and administrators “to be extra considerate to our teachers.”
“They report to the school with different emotional ability. There is a need for us to be more caring, understanding, and tolerant,” he said.
Tenasas also encourages teachers to air complaints if they feel they are aggrieved.
(RONALD O. REYES)

CARIGARA, Leyte-The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Leyte Second District Engineering Office will implement a total amount of P39.4 million road rehabilitation projects funded under Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) Program.
According to District Engineer Carlos G. Veloso, the Pamana program is being implemented by the government to reduce vulnerabilities, improve governance, and empower fragile communities.
“This involves socio-economic interventions to isolated and conflict-affected areas not only to foster sustainable development but also to avoid recurrence of sources of conflict,” added Veloso.
Among the three Pamana projects, two were already bid out, the rehabilitation of a farm-to-market road in Barangay Lanawan in MacArthur, Leyte in the amount of P19.7 million and the rehabilitation of the same project in Barangay Patag, Burauen, also in Leyte, worth P9.85 million.
Brgy.Lanawan is an upland community with it’s mostly farmer residents are growing corn, coconut and root crops (cassava, gabi, camote) and banana.
The farmers of the village formed into a group who bought two hectares of land and developed it into an organic farm supplying high value vegetables in Tacloban City.
An organic piggery of 75 heads, a corn mill and a farm to market road was accessed by the association.
The rehabilitation of the farm-to-market will greatly help the farmers bringing their farm produce to the main city.
Meantime, the rehabilitation of Conzoilo farm-to-market road in Jaro, Leyte worth P9.85 million is awaiting for modification.
Villa Conzoilo is an upland village seven kilometers from the poblacion of Jaro, is a budding farm-tourism destination in Leyte that has attracted both foreign and local visitors since it opened in May last year.
Villa Conzoilo, the farthest village of Jaro at the foot of Mount Amandaweng, was once a hotbed of insurgency like all its neighboring communities.
Pamana programs envisions to improve governance through partnerships with national and local institutions, building capacities or governance, and enhancement of transparency and accountability mechanisms.
It also into reducing poverty and vulnerability in conflict-affected areas through sustainable rural development, community infrastructure and focused delivery of social services.
As well as empowering communities and strengthen their capacity to address issues of conflict and peace through activities that promote social cohesion.
Veloso said that the road rehabilitation will not help reduce conflict in the area but help uplift the poor living conditions of the families.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)