TACLOBAN CITY – The Second Leyte Engineering District (2nd LED) of the Department of Public Works and Highways reports a 71% accomplishment of target projects and is positive to finish all of its 68 projects before the year ends. Engr. Carlos Veloso, district engineer of the 2nd LED, said they have to finish the projects by September so they can start processing and bidding of priority projects for 2017. Based on their report, out of the 68 infrastructure projects being undertaken by the 2nd LED, 48 of these have already been completed while 32 are still ongoing. Nine of the projects, however, have yet to start as contract documents are still being process. The 2nd LED has completed the rehabilitation of the portion of the Breakneck Ridge in Lemon, Capoocan, Leyte.  The road was reconstructed after it was badly damaged by typhoon “Seniang” in 2014. Veloso said that they have to scrape part of the mountain side to widen the road area and take it away from the deep ravine on the other side. Among the priority projects for 2016 were the repair and rehabilitation of 18 bridges.  Most of bridges within the area are either old or have been damaged by heavy rains and water flow during the past typhoons. Also appropriated were widening and road reblocking along the Palo-Carigara-Ormoc road.  Veloso said that this vital highway that cuts across Leyte province have been steadily widened in order to accommodate increasing traffic flow. Meanwhile, Veloso disclosed that first phase of the Hiagsam Bridge in Jaro, also in Leyte, is set to be finished this year.  Should it be completed, traffic can be allowed but widening the bridge into four lanes under its second phase will continue.  The Hiagsam Bridge was among the bridges destroyed during the onslaught of “Senyang.” As the government’s lead construction agency, the DPWH’s budget allocation is the second biggest among government departments.  In 2016, the DPWH plans to complete the paving of all national arterial and secondary roads, as well as the continuing development of the national road network—including tertiary roads—and the preservation of road assets. The 2nd LED has more than P 523 million in budget for various infrastructure projects for the current fiscal year.  (AHLETTE C. REYES)

BAYBAY CITY- A branch of Metro Gaisano is soon to open this city expected to provide employment to the locals and income for the city government. A memorandum of agreement was signed earlier between the city government of Baybay thru Mayor Carmen Cari and the officials of the Metro Retail Stores Group at the City Hall. The singing of the MOA sealed the long awaited investment of the company in Baybay. “This will not only give income to the city but will also address unemployment problem in Baybay because this will generate jobs,” Cari said. The company had made an advance payment for the land rental of P12 million and paid security payment of P600,000 at the city treasurer’s office. Mayor Cari added that the company also assured them that most of the employees that they will hire are from the city. “The company will start hiring of their employees because they still need to undergo training especially those who does not have experience,” Cari said. Now that the MOA had been signed, the company can now start the construction of their building that will occupy one hectare area of the reclamation project facing the Camotes Sea. The reclamation project of Baybay started in 2013 with an area of 9.5 hectares located adjacent to the Baybay City Public Market. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan disclosed that she is offering P100,000 reward to whoever could arrest or help them find the suspect dead or alive who killed a police officer and wounded another during an anti-drug operation. Tan said that by offering a reward money, suspect Ernesto Gonzales could be arrested and put in prison. “I have offered P100,000 reward money to whoever could arrest or at least help us find the suspect, dead or alive,” the governor said. The reward money was source from her office and part of it from the provincial police headquarters, the governor said. The Samar governor said that by offering reward money, she hopes that Gonzales, a known drug pusher in Marabut, would be apprehended immediately by police authorities.

Gonzales killed PO1 Gary Cabaguing during an anti-drug operation in Barangay Logero, Marabut, also in Samar, last August 24. Cabaguing, 32, was hit on the face by the suspect, a known drug pusher in Marabut town, who was inside a hole of his room. Another police officer, PO1 Nestor Villanueva, was hit at his right chest and is still recuperating at the Divine Word University Hospital (DWHU) in Tacloban City. President Rodrigo Duterte visited the wake of Cabaguing at his house in Catbalogan City last August 29 and Villanueva at his room at the DWUH. Gov. Tan said that she provided financial assistance of P100,000 to the family of Cabaguing, father to two children, and similar amount to Villanueva. Cabaguing received a posthumous award while Villanueva received “Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting” from police regional director, Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar. Tan, meantime, said that she is fully supportive to the anti-drug campaign of Pres. Duterte. In fact, she asked all provincial officials, heads of various departments of the provincial capitol and its employees to undergo a drug test on August 11. Fortunately, the governor said, all those who underwent the drug tests yielded negative results. “This only manifest of our full support to the thrust of Pres. Duterte against illegal drugs,” Tan said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) here in the region will proceed with the bidding of some subsections of the P7.9 billion tide embankment project within this month after several design changes and consultations. Changes in project specifications particularly in some parts of Palo, Leyte have been approved by their central office, DPWH Regional Director Edgar Tabacon said. For this year alone, the allocation is P1.46 billion to start the construction of structures designed to shield coastal communities from the impacts of rising seas or storm surges.

The revised design incorporates recommendations of local government units, affected residents, and experts, according to Tabacon. “The project should have been started early this year. There will be spill over for few months for these batches and these will be extended until end of next year,” he added. Tabacon was unsure when the project covering the Tacloban section will start due to slow pace of relocation of affected families from coastal areas to northern resettlement sites.

The 27.3-kilometer tide embankment project, dubbed by some as “great wall,” stretches from Barangay Diit in Tacloban to Brgy. Cabuynan in Tanauan town. Sections 1 to 3 are in Tacloban, section 4 cover the coastal villages of Tacloban and Palo, section 5 are located in Palo and Tanauan, and section 6 in Tanauan town. The four-meter high structure, designed to shield coastal communities from storm surges, was pushed through by the previous Aquino administration after the 2013 storm surges wiped out neighborhoods in Leyte province generated by supertyphoon “Yolanda”. The P7.9 billion project include civil works and right of way acquisition broken down in four years – P1.46 billion for 2016, P1.19 billion for 2017, P2.64 billion for 2018, and P2.64 for 2019.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)