TACLOBAN CITY – The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) urged tourism-related businesses to adopt climate change mitigation measures, as global demand for responsible tourism rises. In his brief visit in this storm-ravaged province last May 17, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said that more business are now joining the drive for more environment-friendly operation, hence reducing the risks of climate change. “I am sure that every day, we have more tourism businesses that are committing themselves to reduce the risk of climate change. The travelers are demanding that. They want to go to places that respect the environment,” Rifai said. He said that climate change poses an increasing risk for tourism operations in many destinations. The UNWTO calls for improving resilience to climate change due to coastal erosion, damage to coral reefs, destruction of infrastructure and property, and threats to human life and health. “Responsible and sustainable tourism is the keyword. The more people travel the world responsibly, the better the world will become. If one billion tourists decide that they do not want to change their sheets every day in the hotel, it will have a great impact on our environment,” he added. Rifai noted that hotels and resorts have been initiating measures that would respond to the worst impacts of natural calamities like using a fraction of their profits for mangrove reforestation. “Business owners should realize that the tourism industry will be gone if our environment is destroyed,” he said. “Tourism is a human activity that is overwhelming. There are one billion international travelers across borders. There are six billion domestic trips within boundaries. Any human activity will have an impact on the environment and people,” Rifai said. Global tourism receipts grew by 5 percent from 1.03 billion in 2012 to 1.08 billion last year, according to UNWTO. Travel and tourism accounts 29 percent of the world’s exports of services and 6% of overall exports of goods and services. The UNWTO chief was in Leyte to see the devastation of super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) and meet tourism stakeholders. He also inspected the site for the Department of Tourism and UNWTO RE3START (Recover, Rebuild and Resilience through Sustainable Tourism with climate change Adaptation and Renewable energy for The Philippines) Center in Palo, Leyte. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Rotary Club of Chinatown Manila District 3810 is very committed to uplift the lives of typhoon Yolanda survivors. The club, headed by its first class president Zeni Yao and Rotary International District 3810 Governor for Rotary Year 2013-2014 district governor Karen Tama, has donated sewing machines to women inmates at the Tacloban City Jail Female Dorm last May 19. In donating sewing machines to female inmates, the Rotary Club of Chinatown Manila believed that the inmates should be provided with livelihood skills so that when they go back to the normal life of being free, they will be empowered. Aside from the sewing machines, the Rotary Club of Chinatown Manila has also donated pedicab units for Tacloban’s drivers who lost their source of income because of Yolanda. “This is a big help to the people of Tacloban who lost their means of livelihood after typhoon Yolanda,” Yaokasin said. Earlier, the group donated six classrooms to the Northern Tacloban City National High School (NTCNHS) through the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. and Tacloban Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Inc. on its endeavors, particularly on classroom donations. Meantime, one of their member-clubs the Rotary of Manila 101, presented Science Laboratory Equipment/Water Filters to the Sacred Heart College. The turnover was led by the club’s first class president Joyce Reyes. Rotary club’s motto is “Service Above Self,” which exemplifies the humanitarian spirit of the Rotarians all over the world. (VICKY C. ARNAIZ)

TACLOBAN CITY – Repair of damaged schools due to supertyphoon Yolanda in Leyte’s second district will now start as construction materials are now available. Thus said district engineer Carlos Veloso of the 2nd Leyte Engineering District (LED) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). According to Veloso, the rehabilitation of the damaged schools under his area was delayed due to lack of materials. About 256 classrooms in Leyte’s second district were identified to be rehabilitated by the 2nd LED with partially damaged classrooms given priority for immediate repair within the 76 sites in various municipalities in the district. “These are schools which sustained minor damages such as their roofings. Those that were totally destroyed will have to be undertaken by the Department of Education,” Veloso said. The 2nd LED prioritized repair of classroom of three big schools through the use of the office own materials and funds. “We initially started the repair of these three sites so as to jump start the works. Everything else will be in full swing since the materials needed are now available,” Veloso said. He said that they target to finish the entire rehabilitation work before the start of classes this June to ensure that students will no longer attend their classes inside makeshift classrooms. Veloso said that with typhoon strength and frequency increasing yearly, the district aims to repair and rebuild classrooms with roofs that can endure maximum sustained winds of at least 300 kilometers per hour. With an average strength of 314 kilometers per hour, Yolanda was the strongest typhoon to make landfall in recent history. (AHLETTE C. REYES)

PALO, Leyte- The Civil Service Commission here in the region will lead a partnership summit on human resources and good governance slated on May 26, 2014. In a press statement, CSC Regional Director Victoria Esber said that the summit will be a convergence of “competence and commitment” among leaders and human resource practitioners both of the national and local government institutions. It will be an opportune time to share principles and practices on organizational productivity (SPMS), effective frontline service delivery and promotion of good governance Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) Program, Esber added. The summit is to be held at the Visayas State University in Baybay City. The program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) will also be launched in the said event. According to Esber, the PRIME-HRM aims to continuously capacitate agencies in the performance of their human resource management functions; as well as recognize best practices in the various areas of human resource management. During the summit, a memorandum of cooperation among CSC- 8 officials and the awarding of the Anti-Red Tape Act Citizen’s Satisfaction Center Seal of Excellence to deserving agencies will be signed. Esber also emphasized the need of the involvement of the external stakeholders particularly the Multi-Sectoral Advisory council to encourage feedback and recommendations; views and perspective in formulating and executing strategies initiatives on the CSC policies, programs and services which heightens transparency and accountability. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)