TACLOBAN CITY- Extending until 30 years of age for one to be considered as eligible as an SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) would entail a long legal process. Thus said lawyer Jose Nick Mendros, regional director of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), when asked on his stand on the proposal to widen the age requirements for one to be considered as an SK. Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos filed a resolution extending the age requirements for the SK up to 30 years old from the present 15 to 17 years old.

According to Mendros, if the proposal of Sen. Marcos will be considered, this will take a long process as Congress has to amend the law on age requirement for the SK. On top of this, the age requirement for one to run for a local post like mayor or even governor has also to be amended considering that even a 22 year old could run for a local post, Mendros said. The Comelec regional director, however, said that he personally believes that for one to be eligible as an SK, the age requirement must be from 15 to 25 years old. Increasing the age requirements for SK members to 25 years old would result to wider range of choices for youth leaders, Mendros explained.

“If we want to increase the age of SK to 30 years old therefore we need to amend the law that allows for a person to run for elective position like on local chief executive position by also increasing their age to above 30 years old,” he added. Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto, meantime, said that while their council continue to function even without a representative from the SK, he still want to see one saying that they are better situated to really know the needs and concerns of the young sector they represents. During the recently listing up for the SK, there are now 220,416 eligible voters for the youth elections slated on February 21, 2015. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

BASEY, Samar- Officials and residents of this town are now readying activities to commemorate the first year anniversary of supertyphoon Yolanda. Basey is one of the two hard-hit areas in Samar when Yolanda barreled its way in Eastern Visayas, killing close to a hundred people and destroying thousands of houses. Mayor Igmedio Junjie Ponferrada said that they will hold a Mass to honor and remember those who were killed during the onslaught of Yolanda. He said that other activities are also being lined up during the commemoration of the first year anniversary of Yolanda. The town mayor also said that the occasion will also serve as a venue for them to express their gratitude to the various people and organizations, both local and international, for giving them the much needed assistance. (RYAN GABRIEL ARCENAS)

PALO, Leyte- After almost a year, the business processing outsourcing(BPO)owned by the family of former Leyte governor and now Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla returned its operation. The Freight Process Outstanding Solutions Inc. (FPOSI), formerly known as Accudata, started its operation last October 10 providing employment close to 1,000 people. “If you really want to help Leyte and the people, you need to bring back their jobs here,” FPOSI president Ann Petilla said in an interview. “This business became significant because when they came to us, we thought they will ask for money. But the first thing that they asked for was their jobs and I cannot say no to that,” added Petilla, referring to the workers. The BPO is a 24-hour operation and according to Petilla, more than $2 million were invested for the construction of the building which is located at the sprawling Information and Technology Park located in Barangay Candahug, Palo. The building is solar-powered with about 198 kilowatt solar panels installed on the rooftop of the building. Their new office at Palo can now accommodate around 1,100 employees seated at the terminals and about 30 to 40 administrative staff. FPOSI is a business process outsourcing (BPO) company serving American clients. “We want to support the idea that IT (information technology) is a promising profession in Leyte,” she added. (DONNA ABIGAIL BULA, LNU Intern)