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)

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)

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)

TANAUAN, Leyte- The mayor of this town want to propagate their local cultural festival for better understanding of the residents.
Mayor Pelagio Tecson, Jr., said that he want his people to be more aware and conscious of their own culture reason why he want to push their own festival, dubbed as Pasaka Festival, within the town.
The Pasaka Festival, now on its 25th year, was conceptualized during the administration of mayor Roque Tiu and his wife Olive, depicting the town’s culture showing Tanauan’s main sources of livelihood, namely, farming, weaving, fishing and pottery.
It is held a day before the August 15 annual town fiesta.
For this year’s edition, seven contingents from various elementary and secondary schools of the town joined the festival.
In elementary division, Tanauan District 1 bagged was declared as champions winning P15,000 and also won 1st runner-up for the festival float category.
The Tanauan District 2 bagged the 2nd place and won P10,000.
For secondary division, Tanauan School for Craftsmanship and Home Industry (TSCHI) was declared as champion and won P30,000.
TSCHI also bagged best in choreography, musicality, costume, street dancing and float.
Tanauan National High School was named as 1st place and won P15,000 while Tanauan School for Arts and Trade bagged 2nd place and won P10,000.
Isabela Balboa, lead dancer of Assumption Academy was the first Pasaka Festival Queen.
Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes, who served as the chairman of the board of judges in this year’s festival, said that this year’s presentation was better and the performance of the contingents were comparable to contingents joining the province-wide Kasadyaan Festival. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)