PALO, Leyte – The farmers in one of the Leyte towns are now producing organic agricultural products amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a report from the Office of the Governor said.
Leyte Governor Petilla said that his office has extended financial assistance to a group of 27 farmers in Barangay Cambinoy, Palompon town five years ago who were into organic vegetable production.
Petilla added that his office has also extended training, technical assistance, and agricultural supplies to the association like vegetable seeds and organic fertilizers, a flagships program of the Leyte province for countryside economic development.
He also said that his office has extended assistance to the association register in any registering agency of the government to attain the juridical personality of the association and be able to transact legally with any government and private entity.
The governor further said that the group of farmers are now selling their products in the nearby communities and even to Tacloban City.
Petilla is encouraging farmers to engage in organic farming considering that organically produce products have high demand and command a better price. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
Farmers produce organic products amid the COVID-19 pandemic
PH gains $600 million worth of investments from UAE, says DPWH Sec. Mercado
MAASIN CITY- The country stands to access a wide array of foreign investments following a top level trade visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, Sec. Roger Mercado of the Department of Public Works and Highways reported.
“There were negotiations for Investment Promotions Protection Agreement (IPPA) worth about $600 million,” Mercado said at a press conference with local media Sunday, February 20, at Kinamot Restaurant, Maasin City.
Mercado shared that he was part of the group that went to Dubai for an official visit in which one of the highlights was the holding of bilateral trade talks with top UAE officials for a comprehensive economic agreement deal.
Aside from the DPWH secretary, the Philippine delegation also included Trade and Industry Sec. Ramon Lopez, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, Agriculture Sec. William Dar, and PCOO Sec. Martin Andanar, among others.
Another fruit of the Dubai visit was that foreign contractors can come in and pursue infrastructure projects under the Build, Build, Build program of the current administration, as well as agribusiness, tourism-related ventures, and other high-end investments in key industry sectors, Mercado said. (MMP)
acloban PESO to open SPES application on Feb. 22
TACLOBAN CITY-The local government of Tacloban, under Mayor Alfred Romualdez, through its Public Employment Service Office (PESO) will start receiving applications for the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) this February 22, 2022, on a first-come, first-served basis.
According to PESO, for this year, there are only 161 slots for summer employment, although they will accept up to 200 registrants for validation and screening. However, applicants to be registered from numbers 162-200 will be considered as waitlisted, the office clarified.
Qualifications for the summer job program are as follows:
• must be 15 to 30 years old
• a resident of Tacloban City
• Enrolled; with outstanding/passing grades
• Combined net income after tax of parents does not exceed the latest annual poverty threshold level for a family of six (6) which is P 149, 874.00
• Non-4P’s beneficiary
Registration will start at 8:30 A.M at the City Engineer’s Gymnasium. Applicants are advised to bring their own pen, follow strict health protocols, wear proper facemask and practice social distancing.
SPES is a youth employment-bridging program which aims to provide temporary employment to poor but deserving students during summer and/or Christmas vacation or any time of the year to augment the family’s income to help ensure that beneficiaries are able to pursue their education.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
407 schools in EV start in-person classes
As DOH reports declining COVID-19 cases
TACLOBAN CITY- Students from 407 public schools here in Eastern Visayas trooped back on Monday(Feb.21) to their respective schools to attend the resumption of the face-to-face classes, albeit limited.
Jasmin Calzita, regional information officer of the Department of Education (DepEd), said of the 407 schools participating in the limited in-person classes, 157 of them are in Samar, including the cities of Catbalogan and Calbayog; 155 in Eastern Samar including Borongan City; 77 are in Leyte which include the cities of Baybay, Ormoc and Tacloban; Southern Leyte with 13; and Northern Samar, with five schools.
The conduct of the in-person classes came at a time as Eastern Visayas’ was categorized by Malacanang as under Alert Level 2 for the rest of the month due to decreasing number of its coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Eastern Visayas’ active COVID-19 cases are now at 207 with only 13 new cases as reported by the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday (Feb. 21).
Gary Mosquito, principal of the Cabarasan Daku Elementary School in Palo, Leyte, said that both parents and the students were excited for the resumption of face-to-face classes in their school.
He said that out of the school’s 215 enrolled students,60 are participating who are enrolled at Kindergarten up to Grade 3.
“We are very happy that our opening of this expanded limited face-to-face classes was very successful. We don’t have any issues and concerns nor challenges experienced. It was very organized and health protocols were observed upon entry from the school gate,” Mosquito said.
He said that a nurse, assisted by a member of the barangay health emergency response team (BHERT), mans the school gate, adding that all of the school’s teachers are already fully vaccinated.
The same excitement was also observed among students of the Cabacungan National High School in Allen town, Northern Samar as all of its around 80 students enrolled at Grades 11 and 12 are to attend the in-person classes for at least two months period.
Gary Vacunawa, the school principal, said that these students are to attend their classes only in the morning for four hours and 30 minutes.
He also said that 40 students are to attend the first week of the resumption of in-person classes with the other half to attend their classes in school next week.
All the participating students and the school’s 20 teachers are already fully vaccinated, Vacunawa said.
3 of 10 families in Eastern Visayas poor in 2021: report
TACLOBAN CITY – At least three out of every 10 families in Eastern Visayas are poor based on the result of the first semester 2021 survey, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
In a report released by PSA on Feb.3, the poverty incidence among families in the region in the first half of 2021 was estimated at 28.9 percent, slightly lower than the 30.4 percent level recorded in the same period in 2018.
“These families have income that were below (of) amount needed to buy their basic food and non-food needs,” Wilma Perante, PSA Eastern Visayas regional director, said in a phone interview.
A family of five in Eastern Visayas needs at least P11,292 monthly to sustain their basic needs last year. The amount is higher than the P10,163 monthly income requirement in 2018.
“The first semester 2021 data is a reflection of income and spending experiences of families in the region in the past three years. This is also affected by what people have gone through during the pandemic early last year,” Perante added.
The National Economic and Development Authority has yet to come up with an analysis of the latest poverty statistics.
Meanwhile, poverty incidence among families in Eastern Samar was estimated at 36 percent, the highest in the region.
However, the province has shown improvements after it recorded a 43 percent poverty incidence in 2018.
Leyte province maintained its poverty incidence in three years at 31.3 percent.
Samar’s figure dropped to 30 percent from 32.2 percent while Southern Leyte registered a higher incidence from 22.9 percent to 25.5 percent.
Northern Samar province is one of the most improved provinces as poverty incidence dropped to 23.1 percent from 30 percent three years earlier.
On the other hand, poverty incidence among families in Biliran increased to 22.4 percent from 18 percent.
Poverty incidence among families for Tacloban City, the lone highly urbanized city in the region, was recorded at 14.7 percent in the first semester of 2021, higher than the 13.1 percent recorded three years ago.
PSA came up with these figures from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey held every three years.
The study examines the family’s income and capacity to buy basic food requirements based on the 100 percent adequacy for the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake, and 80 percent adequacy for other nutrients.
It also looks into the ability of families’ income to provide basic non-food requirements such as clothing and footwear, housing, fuel, light, water, maintenance and minor repairs, healthcare, education, transportation and communication, furniture, household operations, and personal care.(SARWELL Q.MENIANO/PNA)