TACLOBAN CITY- Ma. Kathleen Geremias is proud of her achievement- she is the first of her family members to earn a college degree.
The 21-year old just finished her college studies at Leyte Normal University (LNU), this city, with a degree of Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Mathematics this year with an academic distinction.
Geremias managed to finish her college education through the help of SM Foundation who helped children mainly from poor families after the region was pummeled by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.
“Of course, I am very thankful to the SM Foundation. Without their help, I am not really sure if I could even reach college, much more earn a degree,” she said.
Geremias lost her mother, Leonila, due to Yolanda while her father, Meliton, 58, works as a driver of a public utility vehicle. Both her parents did not finish their studies.
Her elder sister, Marie Kenneth Joy, only managed to reach third-year college and is now living with her husband while her brother, Mark Anthony, is to finish his college next year.
“Despite our financial problems, compounding with the untimely death of our mother due to Yolanda, I was determined to finish my studies and again, thanks to SM Foundation for their help to me and the rest of their scholars,” Geremias said.
The SM scholar now wants to reach her goal- find herself a stable job and help her family from the quagmire of poverty.
“That’s really my goal why I am this determined to finish my studies,” she said.
And this determination of Geremias only made Carmen Linda Atayde, executive director of SM Foundation for education, smile and proud.
“Our founder, Henry Sy, knew too well that education is a key for one to reach his or her goal in life. That is why, we have these scholars who mostly came from poor families but are qualified and determined to reach their dreams,” she said.
Since the SM Foundation started providing scholarships in the region after it was barreled by the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland close to four years now, 132 lucky students have been enlisted to the foundation as scholars.
As scholars, they receive a monthly stipend and free tuition fee.
The SM Foundation also offers employment to their scholars who want to work with any company affiliated with ShoeMart(SM).
“As part of our program in providing employment opportunity, we offer jobs to our scholars who would finish college,” Atayde said.
Those who could avail the scholarship, one must be a high school graduate with a general average of 88 percent and above and whose family annual income is not above P150,000 and of course, must pass the qualifying examination.
For those interested applicants, the SM Foundation encourages them to visit their site www.sm-foundation.com where they will post their announcement from October to Decemr. Also, the SM Foundation will distribute poster in various school with regards to this scholarship program. (RYAN GABRIEL LLOSA ARCENAS/JOEY A. GABIETA)

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The regional office of the Department of Health (DOH), based here, reported that dengue fever cases in Ormoc City for this year have already claimed the lives of four children.
Records from the department’s epidemiology and surveillance unit disclosed that the fatalities ranged from five up to nine years old.
The same unit also reported that since the start of this year up to August 19, 361 people have been inflicted by the mosquito-causing disease.
The number of dengue fever cases in Ormoc is already 28.46 percent higher compared to last year of the same period.
The DOH is encouraging the public to practice the 4S or the search and destroy, seek early consultation, self-protection method, and say ‘yes’ to fogging during epidemics or outbreaks.
Local health units have also been encouraged to intensify its surveillance activities and organize dengue brigades every barangays of the municipalities. (MARWAH JAILANI, LNU Student Intern)

JAVIER, Leyte – With the road leading to Barangay Guindapunan now concreted, residents here can already eat fresh fish and avail of the various government services.
This was the testimony of barangay councilor Elizabeth Mendoza as she thanked the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Mayor Leonardo Javier Jr. for concreting the Odiong-Guindapunan road.
Guindapunan is situated on top of Mount Mairig, some seven kilometers away from the town proper in this fourth class municipality.
Residents here used to ride in a horse as their mode of transportation in the past as the place has steep slopes, sharp curves and dangerous for other kinds of vehicles especially on rainy days.
But with the said road now concreted, this village is already accessible to all kinds of vehicles. Hauling of farmers’ products is easier now and a lot of opportunities were opened to residents here, said villager Simplicio Bahinti.
ARCP-II National Project Manager Jean Fornoles disclosed that in 2010, Mayor Javier was among the first and very few mayors who invested in the second phase of the Agrarian Reform Communities Project (ARCP-II) when DAR introduced it.
According to her, many mayors turned down the offer for they found the share of the LGU in the total project cost too big that they cannot afford to finance. But Mayor Javier thought otherwise, Fornoles added.
Under ARCP-II, for a fourth class municipality, the national government will provide only 40 percent of the project cost through a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), while the LGU will shoulder the remaining 60 percent.
Fornoles further disclosed that Javier did not only commit to provide equity to one farm-to market road but wanted six road projects, a road opening and five road concreting, with an aggregate project cost of P84.5-million.
The concreting of the 2.64-kilometer Odiong-Guindapunan road was the second project completed and was turned over recently by DAR Assistant Regional Director Ma. Fe Malinao representing Regional Director Atty. Sheila Enciso who was then out of the region.
The remaining four other road projects are expected to be completed before the year ends.
During the said occasion Malinao reminded the LGU and the recipient villages to maintain the road in good condition within 10 years otherwise they will also be shouldering the 40 percent share of the national government thereby converting the grant into a loan.
In acceptance, Vice Mayor Michael Dragon Javier in behalf of the mayor, as the latter was recuperating after undergoing a kidney transplant, thanked DAR for the assistance and assured “we will take care of this wonderful gift”. (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)

TUNGA, Leyte- The regional office of the Department of Agriculture(DA) based in Tacloban City has turned over agricultural assistance to this town Wednesday(Sept.6)
DA-8 Regional Executive Director U-Nichols Manalo said that the turnover of the assistance worth P10 million was funded by the Yolanda Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program (YRRP) was made during the launching of the YRRP livelihood initiated by their office in this town for the farmers who were victims of the super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.
Manalo said that the assistance composed of modern farm machineries, equipment, tools and inputs and also includes farm animals, has 166 farmer-beneficiaries from four associations of the town which includes San Roque Cassava Farmers Association, Cassava Planters Association, Tungan-on Coconut Farmers Association and Pasakay Farmers Irrigators Association.
Town Mayor Catalina Agda said that the assistance will be a great help for the recovery of the farming systems by the farmers in her town who are still reeling and recovering from the devastation brought about by Yolanda and for building back better of their livelihood.
Agda added that the assistance will further help her administration to convince more farmers in the town to adhere to the modern and scientific farming and livestock production.
She said that the assistance will also help boost the farm productivity in her town and eventually more income of the farmers.
Tunga is an agricultural 6th class municipality with 7,584 population. It is located in the second district of this province with an area of 7.7 square kilometers and with eight barangays.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)