TACLOBAN CITY- Series of activities has been lined up by the city government in line with this year’s 72nd Leyte Gulf Landings anniversary this Thursday (October 20).
The commemorative program of the Tacloban city government, under Mayor Cristina Romualdez, will start on Oct. 19 through a food exhibit to be held at the City Hall grounds.
At 5 pm of the same day, a sunset ceremony will be held at the Sangyawan grounds facing the Cancabato Bay.
A barrio fiesta will follow at the City Hall grounds.
The city government will honor surviving war veterans during the program.
At 7 pm, a fashion and cultural show at the Sangyawan grounds will cap the night with some candidates of this year’s Miss World expected to join the merriment.
On the day of the commemoration, Oct.20, an art exhibit is scheduled from 1 pm until 5 pm at the City Hall grounds.
In the evening, Rico Blanco, one of the country’s known soloists, will headline a free concert at the Sangyawan grounds. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

KANANGA, Leyte- The municipal government under Mayor Rowena Codilla and the local Philippine National Police (PNP) office are determined to rid this town from illegal drugs.
There are more than 700 voluntary surrenderees under the ‘Oplan Tokhang’ of the PNP, said town police chief Chief Inspector Ricky Reli.
Mayor Codilla, on the other hand, intensified the town’s initiative to combat illegal drugs.
Since she assumed office last July 2016, she reconstituted and regularly convened the Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) and Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Council (MADAC) to address anti-drug related activities within the municipality.
She ordered the police chief in this town to “do whatever it takes to make Kananga, a drug-free town”.
Vice Mayor Elmer Codilla, meantime, said that the Sangguniang Bayan have a proposed ordinance that will remove government employees and barangay officials if found positive in using illegal drugs.
He added that they are doubling their efforts to go after these drug pushers operating in this town.
Thru series of meetings, the MPOC and MADAC of the locality chaired by the mayor have identified its interventions for Oplan Tokhang surrenderees such as spiritual counseling, physical fitness and sports activities, community service, livelihood and skills training.
So far, the surrenderees divided into batches have already undergone various sessions and activities.
Recently, a cleanup drive and tree planting activity was conducted at the Uban Falls by the municipal officials, peace and order and anti-drug abuse councils, Oplan Tokhang surrenderees and barangay officials in Barangay Libertad.
Uban Falls, identified as among the eco-tourism destinations of Kananga, is 7 kilometers from the town proper.
The tree planting and clean up drive is not only to engage the town officials, council members, surrenderees in community service activities but also to help protect our environment.
For the next phase, the surrenderees will be given an opportunity to undergo skills and livelihood training wherein they can earn income.
Municipal agriculturist Carlito Torreon said that they will present during the next meeting of the MPOC and MADAC on what kind of skills and livelihood training for the drug surrenderees.
(GERARDO C.REYES JR.)

KANANGA, Leyte- The Pahulam Tulong Pangkabuhayan Program (PTPP) of the municipal government of this town released checks worth P250,000 to recipients of the said program.
Mayor Rowena Codilla, Vice Mayor Elmer Codilla and Sangguniang Bayan members led the distribution of checks amounting to P 10,000 for each beneficiary.
The recipients are mostly stall occupants at the public market of this town.
Mayor Codilla said that her administration allocated some P 3.6 million for the Pahulam Program of which P785,500 has been already released to 15 groups involving 90 individuals.
There are 42 groups that are still on-process according to Wineliza Sanchez Seromines, of the municipal livelihood office.
Mayor Codilla said that this program is designed for micro-enterpreneurs so that they will not go to loan sharks which burdened them with high interest.
She said that she wanted that this program will benefit more Kanangahanons.
She also said that she will study the possibility to extend this program to municipal government employees.
The mayor said that this town is the only LGU in the region that has this kind of program for micro-enterpreneurs thru PTPP.
The program is a three year old program that started in 2013.
Former mayor and now Vice Mayor Elmer Codilla explained that they replicate this program from the municipality of Sto. Tomas in Batangas during the LGU’s development field study sometime in 2012.
Since they learned about from the program, Codilla said that they invited the LGU employees of Sto. Tomas who trained the local employees here about the program.
(GERARDO C. REYES JR.)

CALBAYOG CITY- A new township is being mulled by the city government to expand the development of this city. This was disclosed by Mayor Ronald Aquino who said that the move will help decongest the city proper adding that government offices, to include the City Hall, will be constructed at the “New Calbayog City.” While Calbayog is the country’s third biggest city in land area (880.74 km2), its infrastructure development and businesses are largely focused at the city proper. The proposed new site is located at the Tomalon Estate, four kms away from the city proper. Two architectural firms from Metro Manila had signified their interest to work with the city government in conducting a feasibility study for creating the Tomalon Estate as uptown Calbayog City. Road network construction to the area funded by the city government worth P60 million for the transversal road and another P30 million to connect with the main road is ongoing. “We cannot expand the city proper so we are planning to relocate the City Hall, the national government offices and develop a new site for Calbayog,” Mayor Aquino explained. Aquino said that the city government owns 27 hectares in the area but needs an additional 83 hectares or a total of 100 hectares to construct the proposed Calbayog uptown. The City Assessor’s Office is now identifying the land owners to be acquired by the city government. Aquino added that the city government is contemplating to partner with the Land Bank of the Philippines or the Development Bank of the Philippines to acquire a loan in developing Tomalon Estate as the new Calbayog City.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The regional office of the Department of Health (DOH) has declared a diarrhea outbreak in a village in Almagro, Samar after the water-borne disease has downed 40 residents over the past two weeks.
DOH regional epidemiology and surveillance unit chief Roderick Boyd Cerro said local health officials traced the plague to the contamination of dug well, a major source of drinking water in Barangay Panjobjoban II, a farming and fishing village with 100 households.
“About 33 residents were confined at the Calbayog District Hospital since October 5 for suffering of diarrhea (symptoms). The rest underwent treatment at the rural health unit,” Cerro said.
The district hospital is the nearest health facility to the island town of Almagro. The only means of access to Almagro is by motorboat from the port of Calbayog City, taking usually up to two hours of travel.
“The water source is just near the residential area without toilet and canal. The contamination is very obvious even without laboratory tests confirmation,” Cerro added.
The local government has already ordered the closure of the water source. The health department has provided oral rehydration solution for affected residents and jerry cans for proper water storage.
Massive information drive on diarrhea prevention has been launched in Almagro town.
Diarrhea is characterized by stomach pain, headache, body weakness and watery stools. The worst is dehydration that can cause death.
From April to July this year, diarrhea outbreak in different parts of the region has killed 81 people and afflicted 9,432 others. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)