Gov. E. Jaro Elementary School (GEJES) in Babatngon, Leyte has new school building that will serve as additional venue for the journey of students and teachers towards quality education.
GEJES school head Valentin Trapela said the school project, in the amount of P4 million, involves the construction of 1-Storey building with two standard-size classrooms funded by the Department of Education (DepEd).
Trapela said that this school building project was completed just in time for the opening of classes for academic year 2019. He added that the 1-Storey, 2-Classroom school building can accommodate more or less 80 students, considering the 1:40 classroom-student ratio.
This building will provide students and teachers a conducive learning facility, one that is new and a lot more comfortable. He said that the building will be used by two Grade 1 sections and added that it will answer the lack of classrooms they had experienced in the past years, benefiting the students as well as the teachers and the community.
(Note: The writer, Shellarica C. Arinto is a Teacher III at Gov. E. Jaro Elementary School in Babatngon II District, Babatngon, Leyte)

By SHELLARICA C. ARINTO

TACLOBAN CITY-A businessman based this city was shot dead by still unidentified suspects on Sunday (July 14).
The victim was identified as Manuel Tan,50,who was gunned down while he was about to enter ACN Hardware, of which he owned located in Barangay 74 located along Lower Nula-Tula, this city, at about 6:55 am.
Based on a police report, the victim arrived in front of his establishment on board of his vehicle Toyota Rush then blow his horn in order for the security guard to open the gate.
While the security guard, Anaclito Labanan, 39, was about to open the gate, the three unidentified suspects approached the victim from his side and fired the latter several times.
The victim sustained gunshot wounds on the different parts of his body. Right after the incident, suspects fled on-board of a motorcycle bringing with the weapons used.
The victim was rushed to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center by the responding police officers for medical attention but he was pronounced dead-on-arrival by the attending physician Dr. Glenn Guzman at about 7:29 am.
During crime scene investigation conducted by members of the scene of the crime operatives were able to recover three pieces fired cartridges, one fired bullet and two live ammunitions for .45 Caliber pistol. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- Classes in all levels across Biliran province were suspended Monday(July 15) due to the bad weather brought by tropical depression ‘Falcon.’
The suspension of classes were signed by all the eight mayors of the province to ensure the safety of the students.
In Cabucgayan town, more than 3,000 students from elementary and college were affected by the suspension of classes, said Hossana Gomez, town planning officer and formerly its disaster risk reduction management officer.
“We have been experiencing moderate to heavy rains since Saturday,” she said in a phone interview.
Gomez said that upon the orders of Mayor Marisol Masbag, the town rescue team members immediately conducted their operations like checking the condition of their rivers that could bulge due to nonstop rain and could result to flooding or landslide.
Ten out of the town’s 13 barangays are identified to be susceptible to flooding and landslide.
The provincial disaster risk reduction management office is also monitoring all rivers of their levels as they directed the local government units across the province to take the needed precautionary measures and monitor the weather condition.
Aside from Cabucgayan, classes were also suspended in the towns of Maripipi, Culaba, Biliran town, Culaba, Almeria, Caibiran, Kawayan, and at the provincial capitol of Naval.
Work, both in the government and private establishments, were not suspended.(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (TFRB) in Region 8 in coordination with the City Government of Tacloban joined the nationwide simultaneous launching of the government’s “One Time, Big Time” PUJ Modernization Program held at the city hall grounds on July 11 in this city.
With the theme, “LTFRB and the NATION: One Direction towards PUJ Modernization,” some 35 public utility jeepneys were launched to ply the routes Tacloban – V & G areas and vice versa, and Robinson’s Mall in Marasbaras to Robinson’s North in Abucay, both in Tacloban City, and vice versa.
LTFRB Regional Director Gualberto Gualberto in his message said, “As modernization is one of the flagship programs of the President which envisions a modern, well-managed and environmentally- sustainable transport sector, Region 8 is on the right track. We are one with the nation’s vision of providing the riding public with safe and comfortable transport vehicles.”
The jeepneys are solar-powered with spacious and comfortable seats. They are equipped with modern facilities to include Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS), Global Positioning System or GPS, Wifi, CCTVs and ceiling fans to ensure safety and comfort of the commuters.
Said vehicles that have adopted the Israeli and Australian technologies and supplied by Star 8, are not the first in Tacloban City.
In 2017, some 45 E-jeepney units were launched in the city which were followed by another 15 in 2018, with different transport destinations.
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez expressed his gratitude to LTFRB and other stakeholders in bringing the technology to the city.
“I welcome this new technology. This is now part of the lives of the Taclobanons. This is practical and affordable and will give convenience as well as job opportunities to the people,” Mayor Romualdez said.
“Convenience is a priority in Tacloban because of the heavy traffic we are having now, which costs a lot of money, causes delay and discourages investors. Considering the big population in the city and it being the regional center with major universities and colleges, it is really important to provide convenience and mobility to the people so they could make the best of their transactions,” he added.
Relative to the formal launching, a motorcade around the city was conducted to make Taclobanons fully aware of the presence of the new vehicles. A one-day drivers’ training will likewise be held to further orient them on the new technology and inculcate in them the proper behavior in dealing with the riding public.
(LDL/GTT/PIA-8, Leyte)