TACLOBAN CITY- The region’s business group has encouraged the public to use a mobile application to help monitor the status of internet connectivity in Eastern Visayas.
Oliver Cam, private sector representative to the Regional Development Council (RDC), said they had been seeking support from different sectors to raise public awareness on the benefits of using project BASS (bandwidth and signal strength).
“This is a crowdsource monitoring tool that will measure the signal strength of a mobile carrier in an area and compile the local data available that would help improve the internet speed in the country,” Cam said.
The project’s primary aim is to inform the telecommunication companies which areas need improvement, especially with the internet speed, which has been a big issue in the country, the businessman added.
“If the information and communication technology infrastructure in the country will improve, it will reduce poverty incidence since internet speed has a direct impact to poverty based on studies conducted from 2007 to 2010 in four Eastern African countries,” Cam said.
The concept of the use of the Project BASS application is based on the principle of Hawthorne Effect which is the tendency to perform or perceive differently when one knows they are being observed, Cam added.
“Using this principle will help the telecommunication companies to take steps on improving their services as they are aware that their performance is being observed and measured,” he told the Philippine News Agency.
He also encouraged the local government units and government agencies to use the application to further improve their projects.
The developers are working for the Windows version of the app so that installation will be available for laptops and desktop computers.
The project will be presented in future meetings of RDC and sectoral committees, added Cam.
(JERALDYN BAGASIN/PNA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Communist Party of the Philippines(CPP) in Eastern Visayas denied claims of the military that they were responsible of an ambush directed against soldiers who were trying to help villagers escape their village from flooding spawned by tropical storm ‘Urduja’ in Northern Samar.
In an emailed statement, the group also said that they have declared a ‘state of calamity’ in the entire region as it was battered by Urduja and Vinta.
“The Communist Party of the Philippines in Eastern Visayas denies that the New People’s Army carried out any tactical offensive on Government of the Republic of the Philippines troops allegedly doing relief operations during Typhoon Urduja in Northern Samar,” the group said on its statement issued on December 26, coinciding its 49th founding anniversary.
“This allegation was separately spewed, Goebbels-like, by the Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson as well as presidential mouthpiece Harry Roque. This is a brazen lie to diminish the prestige and political support of the CPP-NPA-NDFP in line with the US-Duterte regime’s terrorist-tagging and suppression of the revolutionary forces and all political opposition,” it added.
On December 16, a group of soldiers belonging to the 20th Infantry Battalion was on their way to Barangay Hinagoyonon, Catubig town in Northern Samar when they were ambushed by about 50 alleged NPA members in Barangay San Miguel.
The soldiers were heading to Hinagoyonon to rescue trapped families of the said village of flooding as Urduja battered the province.
Two of the soldiers, Corp. Yzazel Laure and PFC Roland Gomez, were wounded due to the armed fight that lasted over an hour.
President Rodrigo Duterte condemned this attack staged by the communist group which he branded as a terror group.
In the same statement, the communist group also said that they have declared a state of calamity across the region and ordered all rebel members to help storm victims.
“To serve the people on this 49th anniversary of the CPP’s reestablishment, and in solidarity with the plight of the people who are struggling against natural calamity as well as the brutal and repressive US-Duterte regime, the CPP Regional Committee in Eastern Visayas declares a state of calamity for the entire region and orders all NPA units to give priority to relief operations and other necessary support for all those affected by Typhoons Urduja and Vinta,” it said.
“Aside from addressing the direct damages of the storms, the people must also be supported in their struggles against hunger and socio-economic crisis in the coming months because of ruined or lesser crop yields,” the group added. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Eastern Visayas Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC) has welcomed the recent approval on the extension of validity of Korean-funded $20.63-million loan for the Samar Pacific Coastal Road.
In a meeting held Wednesday, RPMC chair and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy said the extension will ensure the improvement of the 109.3 kilometers road.
The extension will cover civil works for the 11.3-kilometer unpaved section of the coastal road and construction of three bridges. These projects are not included in the original proposal.
“The Samar Pacific Coastal Road will eventually complete the circumferential road loop for Samar Island. This will enhance the development of potential agricultural lands and fishing grounds of Eastern Samar and Northern Samar provinces,” Uy said.
The approval has paved the way for the Department of Public Works and Highways to award the contract for the project before Christmas holidays, he said.
The NEDA-Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee has approved last December 6 the loan validity extension of the foreign-funded project from Jan. 18, 2018 to Jan. 17, 2020.
The extension of the implementation from September 2017 – July 2019 to January 2018 – December 2019 was also approved.
The project has been delayed due to security issues, bidding failures, concerns on hiring of consulting services, and late submission of deliverable bidding documents.
The Korea Export-Import Bank-Economic Development Cooperation Fund Loan No. Phl-14 was signed on Aug. 19, 2013 and took effect on Jan. 17, 2014 with the original closing date of January 16, 2018.
The DPWH completed the detailed engineering design last Oct. 8, 2015. Pre-procurement conference for selection of contractors was held Jan. 11, 2017, followed by a pre-bid conference on February 7 and submission of technical and financial proposal on February 28.
The government submitted the report to the Korean bank on Mar. 25, 2017 and was concurred last July 5, 2017.
The fund will also be used for civil works, payment of consulting services, and for contingencies.
The foreign-funded project is on top of the ongoing works for the Arteche-Jipapad-Las Navas-Catubig-Rawis that link Eastern Samar and Northern Samar provinces. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Department of Health (DOH-8) recorded six cases of firecracker victims in the region since they started monitoring in December 21, 2017.
John Paul Roca, DOH-8 information officer, said that victims are from the towns of Dolores and Salcedo, both in Eastern Samar province, and one from Tacloban City.
“Worst of these victims is from Salcedo (Eastern Samar) who lost his index finger for using a whistle bomb,” Roca said.
Other victims of firecracker incidents used ‘lantaka’ or bamboo cannon and kwitis.
The six cases reported were far below from the 98 cases of firecracker victims last year from December 21 to January 10.
But the DOH expects the number could increase during the New Year’s revelry.
“Twenty-five to 30 percent cases of firecracker incidents happen on the evening of December 31, that is why we are continuously monitoring it,” Roca said.
“We are urging public if you see vendors of illegal firecrackers please report it to authorities,” he added.
Roca added that instead of using firecrackers individually, people should instead join the firework display in their respective locality or used the identified firecracker zone which police authorities will select.
No report on victims of stray bullet had been received by the DOH during the Christmas celebration.

Aside from the DOH, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also warns public not to sell illegal firecrackers.
“Those who is caught manufacturing, selling, distributing or using illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnics may be fined or imprisoned or suffer both penalties,” the DILG, in a statement, said.
Republic Act 7183 or An Act Regulating the Sale, Manufacture, Distribution and Use of Firecrackers and Other Pyrotechnic Devices states that any person who manufactures, sells, distributes or uses firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices shall be fined from P20,000 to P30,000, or imprisoned between six months to one year, or both such fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court and their license and business permit of the manufacturers will be confiscated.
Included in the list of prohibited firecrackers are piccolo, pop pop, Goodbye Philippines or Crying Bading, Yolanda or Goodbye Napoles, Watusi, pla-pla, giant kwitis, watusi or “dancing firecrackers,” super lolo, atomic big trianggulo, mother rockets, lolo thunder, pillbox, boga, big Judah’s belt, big bawang, kwiton, Bin Laden, kabasi, atomic bomb, five star, Og, and giant whistle bombs.
Allowed firecrackers includes baby rocket, bawang, small triangle, pulling of strings, paper caps, el diablo, and sky rocket (kwitis), sparklers, luces, fountains, jumbo regular and special, mabuhay, Roman candle, trompillo, air wolf, whistle device, and butterfly.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)