By: Sarwell Q. Meniano

TACLOBAN CITY – After the devastation the region has suffered when it was pummeled by supertyphoon “Yolanda,” its economy appears towards recovery. This was disclosed by the regional director of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Bonifacio Uy, who announced that the region’s economy grew by 3.9 percent in 2015. The increase of the region’s economy from previous 2.4 percent makes it the “fastest growing region in the country,” Uy boasted. Uy added that the economic growth of the region was even “higher” compare to other regions which did not suffer from the devastations of Yolanda, considered the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland.

Yolanda battered the region, particularly Leyte considered the economic center of the region, in 2013 which resulted for its economy to suffer. Based on the report of the Philippine Statistics Authority, as presented by its director Wilma Perante, the region’s economy accelerated by 6.3 percent between 2014 to 2015, gaining P152.21 billion in the process. The services sector posted a 6.8 percent growth, a significant rebound from four percent decline the previous year fueled by strong performance in the transport, storage and communication subsector. NEDA tagged the sector as the strongest driver of the regional economy. The sector has generated thousands of jobs, absorbing 45 percent of the region’s working population first semester of 2015.

“We also observed gradual growth in the value-added share of most components of the services sector, primarily accounted for by the resurgence of businesses. For instance, in Tacloban City, the region’s capital, we see newly-established hotels and food establishments, which is evident of a vibrant service-oriented economy,” Uy said.
Industry sector, which accounts 41.4 percent of the regional economy, recovered from the 3.3 percent decrease in 2014 to 4.4 percent growth last year. Subsectors such as mining and quarrying; construction; and electricity, gas and water supply have shown double-digit growth last year.

“While the manufacturing subsector contributed the largest share to the region’s industry, it contracted by three percent, although better than the 16 percent slump in 2014,” he explained. The NEDA regional chief reported that weak global demand for copper must have affected the supply of metallic inputs in the production of cathodes at the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refinery Corp., one of the heavy industries situated in Isabel, Leyte. Agriculture, the sector which has the majority of the region’s workforce, continued to decline, but at a slower rate from 12.7 percent in 2014 to 3.5 percent in 2015. Farming and forestry recovered from negative 3.6 percent. Fishing also managed to improve from negative 18.2 percent to negative 3.2 percent, according to the PSA. “Broad-based growth was not realized given the setback in the agriculture and fisheries sector – a challenge that consistently hounds the region. Natural threats such as the effects of El Nino and the impact of typhoon Nona have aggravated the already fragile agricultural production of the region after super typhoon Yolanda,” Uy pointed out. Despite economic growth in 2015, poverty incidence in the region has worsened between 2012 to 2015, placing the region as the country’s second poorest, based on the latest Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) result.

TACLOBAN CITY- A total of 102 disaster risk reduction management projects in Eastern Visayas are currently being funded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s anti-poverty progam, the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS).
Part of Kalahi-CIDSS’ expansion through the National Community-Driven Development Program or NCDDP is the innovation to respond to the “new normal.”
This was achieved through the inclusion of evacuation centers and barangay disaster risk reduction management centers in the program’s project menu.
Through the Kalahi-CIDSS process, which uses the Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach, community members are given the opportunity to achieve improved access to services and to participate in a more inclusive local planning, budgeting, construction, and implementation of their identified project which can resolve their most pressing issue or problem in the community.
Out of 102 DRRM projects, 50 of these are evacuation buildings. Some 52 are barangay DRRM centers across the region are undergoing construction.
In Northern Samar, 24 projects are for implementation, 11 in Southern Leyte, 4 in Biliran province while 63 are within the Yolanda-hit municipalities in Leyte, Samar and Eastern Samar.
“Part of the agency’s mandate is to tailor our programs and services, including Kalahi-CIDSS, to become more responsive to DRRM and even environmental protection and conservation. DRRM and environmental safeguards are also part of Kalahi-CIDSS capability-building trainings for its volunteers, civil society organizations, and barangay and municipal LGU partners”, Regional Director Restituto Macuto emphasized. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- An evacuation center is soon to rise in the area where bunkhouses were hastily constructed to provide temporary shelters for survivors of supertyphoon “Yolanda” this city.
A two-story evacuation center will be constructed in Barangay 91, Abucay district with the Department of Social Welfare and Development(DSWD) funding the project at a cost of P10 million.
The project, which had its ground-breaking last Thursday(July 21) is expected to be finished in 120 days, barring any unforeseen events, said Grace Sudario, social marketing officer for risk reduction management of the DWSD-8, said.
Sudario said that constuction of an evacuation center in Tacloban was delayed due to lack of location.
The village, more than 4 kilometers away from the city center, was spared from the storm surges that caused the massive destruction of properties and loss of more than 2,200 lives in the city.
About 172 families were temporarily resettled by the government at the bunkhouses in Brgy.91 after Yolanda pummeled this city on November 8, 2013.
All the families, who were residents of coastal barangays along Sagkahan district, were transferred to their permanent homes at Ridge View in Brgy. Cabalawan last April of this year.
Mayor Cristina Romualdez said that she appreciates the assistance of the DSWD in constructing an evacuation center in Tacloban, ground zero of the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland.
”As of now, we really lack evacuation centers. So, we’re trying to get more donors. So right now, our coding scheme for evacuation centers, we have to use churches and schools,” Romualdez said.
Aside from churches, schools and barangay halls, the city’s astrodome is considered to be its main evacuation center. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

BORONGAN CITY – The Eastern Samar State University, main campus, Borongan City will host the 3rd International Conference on Integrative Disaster Risk Reduction Management on September 1-3 at the ESSU Multi-Purpose Hall, Borongan City with the theme, “Reducing Risks, Developing Quick Response to Disasters.” Given current trends in disaster impacts and increased exposure to risks in the country, the university in response to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is supporting its call in making disaster risk reduction and resilience into development work a top priority. In a study conducted by UN Team, it was found out that only 10 percent or 170 out of over 1,700 cities, towns and provinces in our country have taken steps in making cities resilient to disasters.

The conference will bring together government officials, non-government experts, students and faculty researchers and other specialists from public and private agencies to discuss and present papers and posters on reducing risk and developing quick response to disasters. It is a fact that vulnerability and exposure to disasters is increasing particularly in the Philippines as more people and resources locate in areas of high risk. Among the highlights of the three-day event is paper and poster presentations from various institutions particularly local government units, higher educational institutions and private and public secondary and elementary school involved in incorporating disaster risk reduction and developing quick response through differentiated strategies and planning for development growth.

The panel of distinguished speakers including the following: De. C. Emhdad Haque, Professor, University of Manitoba, Canada, Honorable Thomas Ossowshi, German Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, executive director of Project NOAH of DOST, Dr. Dennis S. Erasga, full professor, De La Salle University, Robert Dorgan, U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, among others. Welcome address will be delivered by ESSU president, Dr. Edmundo Campoto. Registration fee is P4,600.00 inclusive of meals, snacks, conference materials, certificate and tour to selected resettlement sites in Eastern Samar. Interested parties may call/text Dr. Eva Palada, vice president for planning, research and extension at 09991540358, 09077770674, 0912985578 or log on to essu.disaster.summit@gmail.com. (V. Agda, Director for Extension, ESSU)

TACLOBAN CITY – Two alleged drug users were apprehended by police operatives in the city as they intensify their campaign against those who are in the illegal drug trade and who refuses to voluntarily surrender.
Arrested during a buy-bust operation were Erwin Edrich Montecastro, 37 and a resident of Fatima Village and Carmela Ponsalan, 26 of Rainbow Village.
The two suspects, who are both jobless, were caught selling the illegal drug of shabu to a police asset in Rainbow Village last Monday (July 25) at around 10:30 in the evening.
City police director, Senior Superintendent Rolando Bade said that confiscated from the suspects were 12 sachets of suspected shabu and the P500 marked money.
Bade said that the two have been under surveillance by the police due to their illegal drug trade activities in the city.
A case for violation of Sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165 were filed against the two who were detained at the Tacloban City jail. (JAZMIN BONIFACIO)

TACLOBAN CITY – The repair of the Hiagsam Bridge in Jaro town, Leyte is to be finished by next month with the completion of the half-lane of the bridge. This was announced by Engineer Carlos Veloso, head of the 2nd Leyte Engineering District of the Department of Public Works and Highways (2nd LED-DPWH). This complete the first phase of the rehabilitation of the Hiagsam Bridge, damaged in 2014 after it was hit by typhoon “Senyang,”  The first phase of the project was targeted to be finish this month.  However, it was delayed due to the difficulties encountered in driving its huge pier deep down to the soil which needed additional soil exploration and boring tests.
With the completion of the half of the lane, Veloso declared an 83% rate completion of the work. The Hiagsam Bridge, considered among the major bridges in Leyte, is envisioned to be a four-lane bridge to accommodate increasing traffic volume. The bridge is a reinforced concrete deck girder (RCDG) bridge which is 19.3 meters wide and will span the length of 50.8 linear meters. It will be expanded on each side in line with the road widening projects being done to the public highways adjacent to the bridge.
Other improvement works will also be done on the bridge such as slope protection, drainage and sidewalks. The rehabilitation project of the Hiagsam Bridge, which started on November 16,2015 has a budget allocation of P37.9 million.  While waiting for the completion of the bridge, an asphalt overlay detour spillway has been constructed as an alternative bridge and has since been utilized to provide access along this route. The detour bridge is accessible to motorcycle, light vehicles and medium truck. The detour bridge runs both ways. (AHLETTE C. REYES)