PALO, Leyte- Renaldo Dionaldo, 65, says he is finally home now after years of spending his life literally in the dark, away from others and God.
Shunned by his own siblings and neglected by the community, Dionaldo is one of the 23 poor and sick elderly now living at the Pope Francis Center for the Poor, this town.
“I was blind for years due to cataract. The center helped me in my eye operation. Not only that, they also give me a new family, a bigger one,” Dionaldo, an unmarried elderly from Jaro town, says in vernacular.
“I was blind and living alone in a makeshift shelter. It was a hopeless situation. Coming here in the center remains a big surprise to me.The place absolutely changes my life. Here, I found hope and God’s love and feel blessed,” he added.
Fr. Philip Park, executive director of the center, says that they continue to go around the region which was pummeled by supertyphoon “Yolanda” in November 8, 2013 to search for more abandoned and sick elderly.
“We want to serve more people here,” says the 33-year-old Korean priest from Kkttongnae congregation of South Korea.
Following certain guidelines in the center, manned by 24 staff, Park said that those who will be admitted are poor and sick elderly with no family around to attend them.
The clients’ information will also undergo validation by their staff.
Park, however, says he is happy that more people were able to know about the center two years after Pope Francis inaugurated it for Yolanda survivors.
“Even on weekends, many people visit the center,” he said, adding that the Pope’s Center has recently accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Alicia Advincula, adviser and consultant of the center, said that with the accreditation, the center follows the standard in their operations and services.
“More than that, the sick and elderly here in the center got inspired, they are being loved after coming out from a distasteful, inhuman condition,” says the 68-year-old former government social worker.
The youngest orphan in the center is a 24-year-old abandoned and mentally challenged man while the oldest is 94.
(RONALD O. REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY- The local government unit of this province has extended financial assistance worth P7.91 million to several barangays of Albuera for their priority projects.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla visited and held the first “barangayan” in the three barangays that he visited in Albuera.
The governor said that this is the first time he held a barangayan and consulted the people in the communities in Albuera after the killing of former mayor Rolando Espinosa as the town is now peaceful.
Petilla said that at Barangay Antipolo, he led the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon during the inauguration of a concrete pavement of the provincial road serving at the same time the farm-to market road along junction Antipolo road section worth P5 million.
At the same time, he handed over check as financial assistance to barangay chairman Eduardo Jaballa in the amount of P120,000 for the construction of covered court and also distributed 353 food packs to the villagers.
Petilla also handed over the certificate of completion of three months training for the 26 members of the Antipolo Farmers Association who graduated in compact organic farming on vegetables and root crops.
Meantime, the governor also distributed checks as financial assistance to 11 barangays of Albuera for their different priority projects with a total amount of P1.660 million.
In his visit to the neighboring barangay of Mahayag, Petilla handed a check worth P130,000 to barangay chairman Rene Gilbert Estacio for water system connection and food packs for constituents
Petilla also visited Brgy. Cambalading and inaugurated the box culvert bridge worth P1 million.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

TACLOBAN CITY- Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in partnership with the local government unit of Tomas Oppus in Southern Leyte conducted an information caravan on membership promotion cum organizational diagnosis to the members of Tomas Oppus OFWs and Families Association (TOOFA) at the municipal covered court last January 30, 2017.
Said caravan was participated by 103 OFWs and beneficiaries.
Edmar T. Tobias, OFW help desk officer of Tomas Oppus, opened the ceremony and prompted that his office is always open for any assistance the OFWs and their families’ need.
The caravan was graced by the Mayor Agustin Escaño wherein during his message he promised to support all endeavor and future plans of Tomas Oppus OFWs and Families Association.
Present also during the caravan were Arlene F. Salloman, OIC, chief, Programs and Services Division, Heidi A. Hosillos, OWWO II, Rodah A. Cerna, Family Welfare Officer and Crisanto Moreno, OFC president of TOOFA.
During her discussion, Salloman informed the audience on how to be a member of OWWA and shared to them the advantages and benefits that an OWWA member can avail from the agency.
She also expressed her gratitude towards the LGU and the association in Tomas Oppus for gracing the occasion and for continuously supporting the agency’s cause in strengthening its programs and services.
Moreover, Hosillos discussed the reintegration program of OWWA which includes Balik-Pinas, Balik-Hanapbuhay and the P2 billion reintegration program. Other programs and services were discussed by Rodah A. Cerna, FWO.
After the orientation on the different programs and services of OWWA, Crisanto Moreno, OFC president of Tomas Oppus OFWs and Families gave his testimony on how OWWA helped him with his son’s studies thru the OWWA’s Scholarship Program (OFW Dependents Scholarship) and urged his fellow OFWs to avail of OWWA’s programs and services.
During the open forum, questions and concerns were answered and acknowledged. OWWA staff also received applicants for the Balik-Pinas, Balik-Hanapbuhay Program, 2 welfare cases, one qualified for the death and burial benefit and 30 members signed up for the IT training offered by RWO VIII. (PR)

CARIGARA, Leyte- A freak accident in one of the villages here resulted to the death of two individuals who were both asleep at the time.
Based on a police report, the 10-wheeler truck rammed through two houses in Barangay Ponong at about 4 am Wednesday (February 15).
The vehicle, owned by Red Dragon Aggregates and Construction Supply and bound for Tacloban City, went wayward and hit the houses of the victims, Luceno Mesias Jr., 29 and Jennilyn Javines,18 who died on the spot due to the severe injuries she sustained.
Mesias died while being transported to a hospital based in Tacloban City for treatment
The local police are still conducting their probe as of press time to determine whether the driver of the vehicle, Doblius Deyeto and his companions, Mario Sacro and Jerome Jaro, were asleep or under the influence of liquor at that time.
Deyeto also sustained serious injuries while Sacro and Jaro are in critical conditions. (VICKY ARNAIZ)

TACLOBAN CITY- Families now living at the resettlement sites in this city are to enjoy an uninterrupted water services in two years’ time.
This was disclosed by the general manager of the Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD), Pastor “Patoy” Homeres.
Homeres said that the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) issued a grant of P527 million in favor to LMWD which will be used to fund in providing water to families in the northern part of Tacloban.
The northern part of the city is where 14,433 families to be relocated by the city government after their houses were totally destroyed when supertyphoon “Yolanda” pummeled Tacloban in 2013.
Homeres said that the project, which has a two-year duration, will be bid out next month.
It was learned that the source of water that will be provided to the families in the northern part of the city will come from Barangay Tingib in Pastrana.
LMWD gets much of its water supply from Tingib. Its other source is located in Brgy.Hibunawon, Jaro.
Meanwhile, Homeres said that LMWD will continue to provide water supply to the families now living at the resettlement sites covering 17 barangays.
However, beginning March 15, they will be charged P14.85 per 1,000 liters of water consumption.
Homeres urged the residents of these villages to organize themselves into a cooperative to locally manage the distribution of the water to their constituents.

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The Commission on Population (POPCOM) celebrated Valentine’s Day with Heart to H.E.A.R.T campaign on February 14, 2017 to create awareness on the increasing number of HIV/AIDS victims and teenage pregnancy in the country.
The campaign talked about the H.E.A.R.T. issues of adolescents and teens as: H – HIV/AIDS; E- Early Sexual Encounter; A – Adolescent Sexuality – Reproductive Health and T – Teenage Pregnancy.
The Department of Health reported in December 2016 through the HIV and AIDS Registry of the Philippines (HARP) that there were 750 new HIV antibody sero-positive individuals. Most (96%) of the cases were male. More than half belong to the 25-34 year age group while 29% were youth aged 15-24 years.
In 2016, the DOH recorded 9,264 cases of HIV/AIDS, including 1,969 deaths.
On February 3 this year, before we hit the week of Heart’s Day celebration, a study of the National Institute of Health (NIH) at the University of the Philippines-Manila revealed that more aggressive Thai strain of HIV was seen among infected Filipinos and this could be one of the reasons for the continuous increase in new infections.
On the other hand, the most recent Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study 4 (YAFS 4) Further Studies showed that in 2013, 13.7 percent of females 15-19 year-old have begun childbearing. This is more than half of increase from 2002 (6.2 percent).
Also, according to YAFS 4 Further Studies, the average age of first sexual encounter in the country is 17 years old for both male and female. Most of these encounters happened at home when parents are away. Some of the YAFS 4 papers cite the strong relationship of Internet in early sex among youth.
In Eastern Visayas, one critical emerging issue is the increasing birth among adolescents. Based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, teenage mothers are getting younger aside from the fact that young mothers are increasing; year 2011-8,425 number of births by teenage pregnancy; year 2012-8,707; year 2013-8,668; and year 2014-9,155.
YAFS4 revealed that 9.7 percent of females aged 15-19 are already mothers; 2.1 percent of females aged 15-19 were pregnant with their first child at the time of the survey interview; 11.8 percent of females aged 15-19 have begun childbearing.
The study also revealed that the proportion of women who have begun childbearing increase with age from 2.0 percent those aged 16 to 31.8 percent among those aged 19. (PR)