Already PH number one tourists

PALAPAG,Northern Samar – Expect more South Koreans to travel to the Philippines as its ambassador to the country vow to bring in his countrymen to come here.
Ambassador Han Dong-man said that he personally informed President Rodrigo Duterte of his promise to further increase the number of South Koreans visiting the country.
Han, who made this disclosure during his visit to this town during the groundbreaking of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project which is funded by their government on Thursday (May 31), said that promised to Mr. Duterte of about 2 million South Korean tourists this year.
“I promised him to bring two million tourists to the Philippines every year and increasing tourist receipt from $15 billion to $20 billion,” the ambassador said.
Han met with the President on May 28 ahead of the first ever state visit by Mr. Duterte to South Korea on June 3 to 5.
About 1.6 South Koreans visited the country last year, making them the top visitors.
Han added that he will make sure to further strengthen the relationship of his country and the Philippines by also improving the business climate in the country.
“Every time I meet Korean businessmen I always tell them to invest, invest, invest in the Philippines in accordance with President Duterte’s Build Build Build project,” Han added.
“I always tell them that this is the right time to repay the Philippines for what the country did to our country during the great Korean War,” Han said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

MAASIN CITY – Full restoration of landslide-hit road section in Sogod, Southern Leyte may take longer than expected as experts have still to find out the real cause of abnormal ground movements, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) field office here reported.
“Although we temporarily opened the Mahaplag-Sogod Road to motorists this week, we are still uncertain as to when we will fully restore the 250-meter road section affected by landslide in Barangay Pancho Villa in Sogod,” said DPWH Southern Leyte district engineering office chief Ma. Margarita Junia.
The official noted that unpredictable ground movements in the slope along the highway in Pancho Villa impedes the infrastructure agency’s repair works.
“Even if our maintenance workers managed to clear clay materials out of the road, we take a step back a bit due to the recurring swelling of the ground on the road, hence, delaying clearing activities,” Junia added.
Citing findings by the Philippine Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Junia said there is no fault line in the area that could trigger ground shaking.
“Experts from the central office already conducted a soil exploration on the slope to determine the status of the area there. We are still waiting for the result because that will be the basis for our restoration master plan,” Junia ended.
As of now, the road is passable for 45 days with the closure of Abuyog-Silago Road, a major alternative route connecting Visayas to Mindanao. The closure is due to the ongoing major rehabilitation works in Cadac-an Bridge along the alternate route.
On March 14, a major landslide occurred in Pancho Villa village damaging a part of the highway. The debris and signs of another landslide prompted the DPWH to temporarily close the road for safety of motorists. (PR/DPWH-So. Leyte/MMCJ/RSB)

TACLOBAN CITY – At least 12 barangay contingents participated in the Annual Grand Santacruzan of the city government on Wednesday, May 30 held to mark the culmination of the month-long observance of Santacruzan de Mayo– a traditional religious celebration that has become both a tourist and crowd-drawer for this city.
The late afternoon event organized by the city government under Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez to highlight the religious fervor and intimate devotion of Taclobanons to the Blessed Virgin Mary, featured a procession of sagalas (beautiful maidens) and elaborately-decorated arches adorned with flowers which wound its way through city’s main thoroughfares.
The traditional procession also featured children donning angel costumes who earlier participated in the Flores de Mayo celebrations in their respective barangays.
The 12 official 2018 Miss Tacloban candidates and their escorts also took part in the Grand Santacruzan to provide a glimpse of the Fiesta Beauty Pageant which will have its Grand Coronation this coming June 22, 2018.
Highlight of the festivities was the crowning of the 2018 Reyna Elena and the announcement of special awards at the Balyu-an Ampitheater; winners received trophies, sash and cash prizes.
Martha Hope Louisiana Varona of Brgy. 96 Calanipawan was crowned Reyna Elena 2018 and received a cash prize of P 8,000.
First Runner-up Britney Charisse Retuerto of Barangay 67 Anibong received P 6,000 and was also awarded the Miss All White Special Award, while second runner-up Kimberly Claire Rosanes of Brgy. 65 Paseo de Legaspi got P 4,000 cash prize and the Miss Skin Blend Award.
The grand champion honors went to Barangay 67 Anibong which received P 50,000 cash prize; 1st runner up was Brgy. 70 –Rawis Anibong which won P 30,000 and Brgy. 2 Jones won 2nd runner up and got P 20,000 cash prize.
Third and fourth runners up were Barangay 96 Calanipawan and Brgy. 52 Magallanes which got P15,000 and P10,000, respectively.
Consolation prizes of P 5,000 were given to the remaining barangays.
Special awardees were Brgy. 67 for most disciplined barangay, Brgy. 48-B Magallanes for the most participating sagala, best arch award went Brgy. 67 Anibong and Brgy. 70 tied with Brgy. 2 Jones for the best lantern award.
From a purely religious activity depicting the search and discovery of Christ’s Cross by St. Helena (Reyna Elena) and Constantine (Prinsipe Constantino), the celebration has evolved into a major tourism event here in the city. Thus the city government made the annual event a showcase of the best barangay Santacruzan.–HENRY JAMES ROCA/CIO)

Covering 1st quarter of the year

TACLOBAN CITY – The province of Leyte has registered the highest volume of palay production as its regional production has decline in the first quarter of 2018, a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority) said.
Wilma Perante, PSA-8 regional director, told Leyte Samar Daily Express that palay production in Eastern Visayas declined by 2.1 percent from 285,616 metric tons (MT) in the first quarter of 2017 to 279,728 MT in the first quarter of 2018.
Perante said that the decline were observed among all provinces, except in Northern Samar and Southern Leyte, which posted an increase of 12.1 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively.
She said that among the provinces, Leyte produced the highest volume of palay at 147,131 MT which comprised more than half or 52.6 percent of the total palay production of the region.
Biliran, meanwhile, had the lowest volume of production (1,938 MT) accounting for only 0.7 percent.
Perante said that the total harvest area for palay in the region likewise decreased by 0.3 percent, from 89,139 hectares in the first quarter of 2017 to 88,865 hectares in the first quarter of 2018.
Biliran contributed largely to this decrease posting a drop of 83.9 percent.
Leyte recorded almost two-fifths or 38.8 percent (34,498 hectares) of the total rice area harvested during the quarter in review, while Biliran contributed the least 429 hectares accounting for only 0.5 percent, the PSA director said.
Perante said that the yield per hectare for palay in the region went down by 3.1 percent, from 3.2 MT per hectare in the first quarter of 2017 to 3.1 MT per hectare in the same quarter of 2018.
Among the provinces, Biliran and Southern Leyte posted the highest yield per hectare during the quarter in review at 4.5 MT per hectare. Eastern Samar registered the lowest yield per hectare at 2.1 MT per hectare, the director said.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

MAASIN CITY – At least 47 new school buildings will greet students in Southern Leyte during the opening of new academic year on Monday(June 4) built by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under the 2017 Basic Educational Facilities Fund.
The school buildings have 96 classrooms with upgraded design enough to withstand destructive typhoons and earthquake.
“Eastern Visayas is very vulnerable to natural calamities. We need classrooms like these that can be converted into an evacuation center during extreme weather events,” said DPWH Southern Leyte chief Ma. Margarita Junia.
The structural components of these school facilities such as footing, column, and beam were improved based on the upgraded design agreed by DPWH and the Department of Education (DepEd).
Of the 47 school buildings, seven are in Maasin City, five each in Bontoc, Hinundayan, and St. Bernard, four in Silago towns, three each in Padre Burgos, San Francisco, and Sogod towns, two each in Limasawa, Malitbog, and Hinunangan towns, and one each in Liloan, Macrohon, Tomas Oppus, Pintuyan, Anahawan, and Libagon towns.
The construction of these school buildings started in the fourth quarter of last year with a funding of P143.6 million.
Overall, the 2017 school building projects for Southern Leyte has a total P1.21 billion covering the construction of classrooms and technical vocational laboratories. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- After supertyphoon ‘Yolanda’ pummeled the Visayas in 2013, Caritas Philippines has launched its “most massive, far-reaching and largest funded” response amounting to P2.6 billion “funding infusion” from all Caritas Internationalis member organizations, benefiting more than 1.8 million Filipinos who were severely affected by the deadly storm.
Jing Rey Henderson, communications and partnership development coordinator of Caritas Philippines/National Secretariat for Social Action, disclosed that they informed the survivors that the program “is not of the Catholic Church or the social action centers.”
The Catholic Church’s humanitarian arm believed that even vastly devastated by the typhoon, the communities and families still have the innate capacity to bounce back and become more empowered, resilient and sustainable, she said.
“Through these, it was ensured that even without the presence of the social action centers, and even beyond the funding period, the communities can sustain the programs and interventions,” Henderson said in an interview.
“And true to our vision, this is what has been happening among all 166 communities under the church’s Yolanda/Haiyan intervention. With how the three-year program intervention was designed, implemented, and now being monitored, the communities were given the center-stage to decide, operate and manage the projects and activities,” she added.
With regards to the housing, Henderson stressed that the designs have already been finalized in collaboration with the beneficiaries reason for the different designs in different locations.
“This is to ensure that the needs and priorities of the homeowners are met, and protection, security, and safety were also provided. We are happy and proud to let you know that these Yolanda/Haiyan houses have been used and identified also as supplemental evacuation centers during typhoon Ruby and the succeeding typhoons affecting the nine provinces,” she added.
All houses have been completed already, Henderson reported.
“And now, the communities (home-owners’ associations) are managing the housing projects, both on-site and in the relocation sites. The home-owners were also trained on the resiliency features of the houses, carpentry, masonry and other skills which they are now using in maintaining the upkeep of their houses and as additional sources of income for their families,” she said.
Caritas Philippines reported that from Calbayog, Capiz, Aklan, Coron, Borongan, Iloilo, Antique, Cebu and Leyte, they have repaired 593 housing units and constructed 768 transitional units, 1, 923 progressive core-shelter units, and 1, 167 permanent shelter units both in on-site and relocation sites with a total amount of P347,287,400.00 to include its labor cost.
On its design, their progressive core house has a lifespan of 10 years, designed to expand and upgraded by beneficiaries, with covered living space in a square meter of a minimum of 12m2 floor space, yet target families will be able to expand within 12 months and with close monitoring and allocation of a contingency fund.
Permanent houses are either built in row houses with a partition for room and toilet facilities or on-site single detached with a partition for two rooms and toilet facilities.
Aside from the housing and relocation site development, Caritas Philippines also provided early interventions from emergency food, hygiene distribution, livelihood support, water facilities construction, hygiene and sanitation promotion, solid waste management, and ecosystems recovery and other environmental protection activities.
(RONALD O.REYES)