CARIGARA, Leyte- The local government here is extending assistance to students to make them computer literate.
In particular, the computer literacy program initiated by Vice Mayor Eduardo Ong, Jr., is giving free half-day training to students who are in the Grades 5 and 6 levels across the town.
Ong Jr. said that the program is in close coordination with the information technology (IT) students of the Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) – Carigara campus.
The IT students are taking up their internship at the local government unit, particularly at the office of Ong, Jr. whose father and namesake is the mayor of the town.
According to the vice mayor, teaching students about the basic information and how to use computers at their early age could help them prepare for a number of possible careers and a higher education as the main reason why he initiated said computer literacy program.
He also said that he decided to come up with this kind of program as most of these students don’t have access to computers.
And since they have started the program last Feb.10, they have visited 18 public elementary schools.
Ong said that as much as possible he goes with the interns-cum- trainors to personally supervise the program, likening it as any regular government activity of bringing the government closer to people. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte and this city both recorded the highest number of dengue fever cases in the region.
The regional office of the Department of Health (DOH-8) said that as of February 28, Tacloban posted 146 cases while Leyte got 872 cases.
“While dengue (fever) cases are continually scaling up in the region, let us not be complacent. We need to address the root causes of dengue, and practice preventive and precautionary measures all year round to fight this disease,” said Dr.Exuperia Sabalberino, assistant regional health, said in a statement.
“I urge everyone to continue all the efforts and to remain vigilant, sustain the gains of the enhanced 4S strategy to keep dengue away,” she added.
Eastern Visayas has a total of 1,861 cases of dengue fever reported from January 1 to February 22, with five deaths, with a case fatality rate of 0.27%.
The recorded five deaths were from Abuyog, La Paz, Ormoc City, Baybay City and Tacloban, all in Leyte.
This year number of cases are 24% lower compared to the 2,436 cases covering the same period last year.
With the increasing cases of dengue this year, the DOH-8 called on the public to intensify the 4S strategies through search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites, employ self-protection measures, seek early consultation, support fogging/spraying only in hotspots areas where an increase in cases are registered for consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak.(RONALD O.REYES)

BORONGAN CITY-The Department of Public Works and Highways – Eastern Samar District Engineering Office (DPWH-ESDEO) led the ceremonial groundbreaking for the construction of the three-storey Municipal Police Station (MPS) building at Barangay Malaintos, Dolores, Eastern Samar on February 26.
Dolores Chief of Police Rommel Cesista, in his opening remarks, extended his gratitude towards the people behind the realization of the Dolores MPS wherein they’ll have a strong and conducive workplace to meet the needs and demands of their clients.
”This is indeed a big help to all PNP Personnel who are currently and will be assigned to Dolores MPS. Rest assured that we will give our best in the performance of duties and responsibilities for the betterment of Doloresnon,” Cecista remarked.
Moreover, Domcelio M. Natividad, assistant district engineer of DPWH-ESDEO, presented the project briefer for the construction of the Dolores MPS building.
According to him it was funded through the convergence program of DPWH and PNP under the Department of National Defense.
“The Dolores Police Station will provide convenient and good working environment to our policeman and will improve their services to the people.” Engr. Natividad said.
On the other hand, Provincial Director Carlito D. Abriz and the Representative of Regional Director Alden Estabaya Dugan who are also present during the groundbreaking ceremony.
They both stated on their remarks, that they were thankful for the realization of the modern, well-equipped police station and for the untiring support of the government officials.
Moreover, Rep.Maria Fe R. Abunda declared that this is the fruit of the unification of government officials.
According to her, she knows the life of being a man in uniform and she will continue to support the PNP as a wife of a policeman and as a member of Public Order and Safety Committee in the congress.
Rep. Abunda suggested that the policemen should bring themselves closer to the people, especially those who live in the remote barangays to explain about their jobs and there has nothing to be afraid of interacting with the men in uniform.
Aside from helping the policemen, Abunda announced her support to DPWH in the building of infrastructure projects in Eastern Samar.
“Hingyap ko nga magkaurusa kita, kay ine nga mehoras in dire nam igkakait.” Abunda exclaimed. “It akon la hangyo, to continue hiton nga mga roads and bridges, an mga seawall, nga mga gin tikangan. Waray hiton pulos ngin dire iton matatangpos.” Abunda recited what she told to the DPWH Secretary Mark Villar during their meeting with other Congressmen.
The groundbreaking ceremony was led by Fr. Emelio Torieto as the officiating priest. Also present on the said ceremony was Sulat local government stakeholders, officials from Sulat PNP personnel and DPWH-ESDEO.
The P10-Million project includes a cabling network, CCTV system, complete with electrical connections and a rooftop that will serve as a viewing deck for the Sulat PNP Personnel.
(MAY ANTOINETTE O. NABLE, PIO Staff)

Dubbed as ‘Secret Kitchen of Samar’

CATBALOGAN CITY – The provincial government of Samar is set to launch another tourism campaign.
This time focusing on local cuisine of the province as an added element on the Spark Samar tourism program of the province.
The launching will be held on March 12 to 15 at the Shangri-la Mall, Mandaluyong City.
Dubbed as the ‘Secret Kitchen of Samar,’ selected local dishes will take the center stage to aid the on-going promotion of the province’s tourist destinations and the various products made from ‘banig’ (mats), through their ‘Lara’ brand.
Governor Reynolds Michael Tan said that at least 10 ‘heirloom cuisines’ will be showcased during the national launching of the Secret Kitchen of Samar.
“These are only few of the foods that tourists may taste and eat when they visit Samar. We have more dishes but as of now, we only selected 10 dishes and foods that Samar can offer to our visitors,” the governor said.
As part of the campaign, a three-day tour with local and national media was held last week visiting the towns of Santa Rita, Pinabacdao, Calbiga, Paranas, Motiong, Jiabong, Gandara, San Jorge, Pagsanghan, Villareal and the cities of Calbayog and Catbalogan.
“It’s called Secret Kitchen because during olden times, when people are cooking their heirloom foods, they would close all the windows and doors of their houses to keep their ingredients and the process of cooking a secret. This process and ingredients will soon be pass on to a relative as a way of preserving the cuisine within their family,” John Michael Cristobal, Samar tourism operations officer, explaining the reason behind the campaign,said.
Cristobal added that the foods that are to be showcased are approved by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), and received intervention from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
During the tour, members of the media were shown how the various local foods are being prepared.
Among these are the ‘Bola Catalana’ and ‘tamales’ of Catbalogan City.
Preparation and cooking of tamalos done by Juliana Nabong-Samson and the bola catalana by siblings Mary May and Gilbert Paleyan at their respective home kitchens.
Bola Catalana is Catbalogan’s version of ‘embutido’, a Spanish generic term for sausage, which contains ground meat, seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices, and wrapped in the skin of the pig’s intestines.
But for the local version, it is wrapped in leaf lard known as ‘sensal’ and ground pork with spices mixed with sliced cooked eggs and cheese sticks.
Unlike embutido that is cooked by steaming, Bola Catalana is steamed and baked.
Meanwhile, tamalos is a variation of the tamale, a dish of Mexican origin, which found its way to the Philippines via the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade.
The tamalos in the city is an heirloom recipe consisting of rice dough filled with pork and flavored by a sauce called ‘pipi-an’, which is made of ground glutinous rice with chilies and pasotes to produce that piquant flavor and zing that Mexicans love. A thick peanut sauce blankets the creation before it is wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.
Another secret recipe in Samar is the ‘humba’ in Villareal where 75-year old Leonora Nono showed how this favorite dish of the town prepared during big occasions such as fiesta is being done.
Villareal’s humba is unlike to other in terms of serving. Pork belly are cut in big chunks, flavored with soy sauce and native vinegar, a good portion of bay leaf, onion, garlic, corn pepper, sugar and fresh peanut.
Like the olden days, cooking humba in this town is done using a pot where young leaves of coconut are layered in the bottom before the ingredients are poured in and cooked in traditional way, in a low heat over a stove.
The members of the media also visited Calbayog City’s famous tinapa (smoked fish) at the Ping Ping’s Tinapa owned by the de Guzman siblings whose roots hails from Cavite. Tinapa production of the de Guzman started in 1979 that is now considered as an institution of the city’s Tinapa industry.
Unlike in other place where Tinapa is made from bangus and galungong, the Calbayog tinapa is made from freshly catch aguma-a (hasa-hasa in Tagalog) and burao (or alumahan). But there are also producers who made Tinapa from tamban.
Other food preparation that were visited by the group were queseo-making in Gandara, a mostly home-based industry made from carabao’s milk with a little mixture of vinegar. The milk is boiled and transforms into a white cheese after it is mixed with vinegar.
The tour also included a visit at the ‘karlang’ and ‘camote’ chips processing center in Sta. Rita town that is managed by the Sta. Rita Food Processors Association; snack foods in Pinabacdao, namely, sagmane, puto conserva, cassava linupak, suman malagkit and kuping; tinolang manok in Calbiga town and the galleta of Paranas.
The group also visited the town of Jiabong which is famous of its ‘tahong’ which is now used to make pop rice, chips, ‘relyeno’ nuggets and sweet and sour tahong balls.
Samar’s tourism promotion is a brainchild of former governor and now congresswoman, Sharee Ann Tan, who also initiated the Spark Samar Tourism Program in 2015.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)