TACLOBAN CITY- All senior citizens in the region are regularly receiving their monthly pensions from the government.
This was declared by Restituto Macuto, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The DSWD, which provides the pensions to the senior citizens, said that there are 87,920 beneficiaries of this financial aid across the region.
The beneficiaries or those who are 60 years old and above; suffering from physical infirmities; does not have regular income and come from poor sector, receives P500 a month as their pension.
Macuto said that efforts are being maximize to ensure that the social pension intended to the beneficiaries are not sacrificed.
He said that the financial assistance is meant to help them buy medicines and food.
Macuto said that the agency had linked with the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) as the service provider for the social pension through a door-to-door delivery scheme to hasten the delivery of the assistance to the beneficiaries, especially in areas where there are big number of pensioners.
The scheme was piloted in Tacloban City and in towns of Dulag, Tanauan, La Paz and Julita in Leyte; Guiuan, Giporlos, Maslog, Jipapad, San Julian and Hernani, all in Eastern Samar; Macrohon in Southern Leyte; and Jiabong, Motiong, and Hinabangan, all in Samar.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
DSWD chief says senior citizens in EV receives their pensions regularly
Planned Tacloban-Clark route could affect EV’s tourism industry, says business group
TACLOBAN CITY—Businessmen and the riding public here in the region are hopeful that the government will take heed of their appeal to “reconsider and desist” the reported implementation of rerouting of all Tacloban –Manila flights to Clark International Airport.
“We had a very productive meeting with Sec. Mike Dino of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas. Sec Dino spoke with (DOTr Secretary Arthur) Tugade and also relayed some good news in our meeting,” RTR Foundation/Mission Tacloban – Mission Director and member Leyte Chamber of Commerce Ginggay Hontiveros said on Thursday (August 11).
Based from their meeting, Hontiveros along with Oliver Cam of the Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that “any rerouting to decongest must have a win-win solution and if implemented should only affect up to 50% of flights with passengers to be offered a choice to fly via Manila or Clark.”
“Second, Tacloban is not to be singled out but that all other Visayas routes should also be part of the decongestion solution. He emphasized that no implementation would be done without proper consultation with Eastern Visayas stakeholders,” Hontiveros said.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) – Eastern Visayas earlier passed a resolution urging DOTr to reconsider its plan, saying “the region’s economy is still at a critical turnaround and recovery phase after supertyphoon Yolanda aggravated the region’s economic situation….”
The chamber reasoned out that the planned rerouting will disrupt the region’s economic growth and “effectively kill (its) tourism industry due to the following major reasons: higher costs; extended/longer travel time; and greater hassle/inconvenience.”
The three airlines serving Tacloban are Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and Air Asia.
Jude Acidre, leader of a political group Tingog Sinirangan (Voice of Eastern Visayas) is also looking forward that the government will listen to their plight.
“I hope that the administration will reconsider the plan to transfer Tacloban-Manila flights from NAIA to Clark until the needed train/freeway infrastructure is in place, an integration plan based on a dual airport system is implemented, international flights are
rationalized to other international airports and not while Eastern Visayas is still trying to rebuild its local economy,” he said online.
Over social media, concerned netizens pushed for the hashtag #NoToClarkForTaclobanFlights as a sign of protest over the rerouting issue.
(RONALD O.REYES)
Dengue fever kills 13 and downs 1,500 others in EV
PALO, Leyte – Dengue fever has already killed 13 people from the region and afflicted 2,587 others covering the first seven months of the year, the Department of Health has reported.
DOH Regional Director Minerva Molon said the number of cases has increased 223 percent compare to the same period in 2015.
The drastic rise, however, is not very alarming considering that the region’s morbidity rate from the mosquito-borne disease was very low last year, Molon stressed.
In the entire 2015, the region only recorded four deaths and 800 cases.
“Dengue cases have been breaching the alert and epidemic threshold in most weeks of the current year. As the rainy season has officially started, it is anticipated that cases will continue to occur and epidemics of dengue may happen,” Molon said.
From January to July 2016, two deaths have been reported each in Catbalogan City, Maasin City and San Miguel town in Leyte.
The DOH confirmed single fatality each in Abuyog, Baybay City, Palo, and Tanauan, all in Leyte; Borongan City; Calbayog City and San Vicente, Northern Samar.
Dengue victims ranged from one month to 81 years old, but most of them are within the age bracket of five to nine years old.
Of the 2,587 dengue victims in the region, 1,164 were in Leyte, 673 in Eastern Samar, 414 in Samar, 181 in Northern Samar, 78 in Biliran, and 77 in Southern Leyte.
Among the strategies design by the DOH to combat the rising cases of dengue fever include intensified mosquito control efforts, coordination with local government units in information drive, conduct fogging and larviciding in areas with clustering of cases, install dengue express lanes in hospitals and purchase and preposition of fluids.
“Likewise, we have been distributing insecticide-treated mosquito nets in schools and pediatric wards of hospitals to increase protection for our children,” Molon added.
Dengue-infected persons suffer high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting and swollen glands or rash. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)
Farmers from 3 Leyte towns receive assistance from Gov. Petilla
TACLOBAN CITY- The provincial government has extended P2.3 million financial assistance to three towns intended for their respective rice production program, among other priorities. The financial assistance given to the towns of Babatngon, Sta. Fe and Tanauan is part of the More Income in Countryside (MIC) for rice. The program provides financial assistance to the farmers in the province to help them become more productive. The town of Babatngon was given the highest allocation at P1.67 million intended to help its palay growers while an amount of P310,000 was extended to the rice farmers of Tanauan. About P135,000, meantime, was given to the farmers of Sta. Fe. According to the governor, improving the agriculture sector will help the farmers better their economic condition. “Let us continue to help or cooperate with one another for us to escape from the bondage of poverty. Your support to the project is your support to your livelihood,” Petilla added. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
Sambo, netizens oppose transfer of DZR flight to Clark International Airport
TACLOBAN CITY- The plan to transfer the flights at the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport to Clark International Airport (CRK) was met with strong oppositions by officials and residents alike of this city.
The move will not only add up to hour of travel but would mean additional cost to the travellers, they said.
After Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade announced on Wednesday (August 10) this plan, netizens from this city and other parts of the region registered their strong opposition by coming up the “#notoclarktransfer” in social media.
The Tacloban city council, meantime, will file a resolution addressed to the Department of Transportations (DoTr) to reconsider its proposal, Vice Mayor Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin said.
Yaokasin said that if this plan will push through, disadvantages are aplenty than the anticipated advantages.
“If this happens, our city and the whole Eastern Visayas will experience a hemorrhage, both our tourism and economy will be adversely affected especially that we are just recovering from the devastation caused by supertyphoon Yolanda,” the vice mayor said.
He added that travellers coming from Tacloban using the DZR Airport will be inconvenienced aside from incurring more expenses.
Sec. Tugade said that the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), which approves the air routes of carriers, had already approved the change.
Businessman Oliver Cam, on his post on twitter, said that the change could displace travellers from Tacloban.
“This will effectively kill our tourism, not to mention the fact that this will be added cost, travel time and hassle!” he said.
Glaiza Mae Seno using her twitter handle @glaglaseno asked why Tacloban was single out in particular on this proposed transfer.
“We’ve been trying to improve our tourism, this would kill it,” she said.
At present, all flights from the DZR Airport lands at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City while the CRK is located in Mabalacat City, Pampanga. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
Government employee killed in buy-bust operation in N.Samar town
CAPUL, Northern Samar- A government employee of this province was killed during a buy-bust operation conducted by the local police of this town last August 1.
Based on the report of the Capul Police Station, killed was Nick Magdaraog,44 and connected at the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board.
Magdaraog was killed during a buy-bust operation in sitio Camarin, Barangay San Luis, this town, after he attempted to shot a police member who acted as a buyer.
Recovered from the suspect were four small sachets containing methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu; marked money worth P500 and another cash amounting in all to P1,383; Caliber 45 pistol and several ammunitions.
Several identification cards were also recovered from the suspect.
It was learned that Magdaraog, whose remains were brought at the Capul Northern Samar Rural Health Unit for autopsy, was considered to be a high value target by the police authorities. (PR)