PALOMPON, Leyte- The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) launches its economic recovery plans, efforts supporting Leyte ’s tourism industry which was among the key sectors that was affected by supertyphoon Yolanda.
The DILG regional office turned over 10 stand-up paddle boats and glamping tents funded by the Canadian government through the Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED).
The LGSP-LED is a DILG program funded by the Government of Canada. It seeks to reduce poverty by creating business-friendly LGUs and competitive tourism industries.
The LGSP-LED is working with the provincial government of Leyte to revitalize key attraction sites along the North West (NW) Leyte Tourism Circuit in order to invite tourists to go back to the destination and also encourage more tourist arrivals.
The equipment are scheduled to be turned over in Ormoc City on March 25, 2014. The Barangay Organization to Guide, Serve and Accommodate You (BOGSAY), a people’s organization protecting and co-managing the Lake Danao Natural Park , will receive the said equipment.
The Palompon Municipal Ecotourism Council (PMETC), Inc. received the equipment through a turnover ceremony held at the town’s Tourism Building. The PMETC is a private sector partner of the municipal government in managing the tourism activities in Kalanggaman Island.
The provision of equipment (including training and business enterprise management) provides for more visitor activities and add to the destination’s attractiveness to tourists.
The enhanced site will be able to cater to more tourists, particularly for the upcoming third visit of the cruise ship MS Europa 2 on March 17, 2014 to Kalanggaman Island.
The MS Europa 2’s last visit brought over 300 foreign tourists who participate in ‘voluntourism’ activities, boosting the tourism economic recovery in the area. DOT Secretary Jimenez previously expressed plans to put Kalanggaman Island on the cruise ship tourism map of the world in his last visit in Palompon.(PR)

TACLOBAN CITY-The Australian government has upped its financial assistance to the country with an additional 30 million Australian dollars during his visit to this city on March 25.
Ambassador Bill Tweddell said that the additional financial aid to the typhoon-stricken country would help further its effort to rebuild areas hit by the massive disaster almost five months ago.
With the additional aid announced by Tweddell, the Australian aid to the Philippines has now reached to around $70 million.
“We try to be responsive; we try to be generous as a neighbor and friends of the Philippines, to support you in times of disasters…and in the long terms, to mitigate and help ensure the impact of disasters is limited,” Tweddell said.
“In behalf of the Australian government and its people, I am very pleased to announce today that Australia will provide of A $30 million in contributions for recovery and reconstructions activities in areas devastated by typhoon Yolanda,” the ambassador added.
Earlier, the Australian government extended financial of A$40 million in the aftermath of Yolanda for emergency relief.
The Australian ambassador made the announcement before Social Welfare Sec. Corazon “Dinky” Soliman and other officials of the regional office of the Department of Social the officials of the Department of Social at the Citi Hardware in Apitong Area.
The Citi Hardware serves as a hub where donated sacks of rice are repacked and distributed to the typhoon victims.
The $30 million fresh financial assistance of the Australian government will be used for the following: A$4 million(P162 million) to help about 450,000 people affected by the typhoon to restore their livelihoods;A$3 million(P121 million) for construction of 75 classrooms and day care centers;A$1 million(P40 million)to help 336 communities in Leyte and Eastern Samar to build back better and be more disaster resilient through multi-hazard mapping, improved land use planning and building codes and establish early warning systems and emergency response teams;A$1 million(P40 million) to various agencies of the United Nations to restock prepositioned supplies, to include dignity kits, rice and high energy biscuits and another A$1 million to help bring in Australian technical experts.
Also, the Australian government will provide A$20 million or more than P800 million to build 500 classrooms in typhoon hit areas, Tweddell said.
Sec. Soliman assured the Australian ambassador and his government that the additional financial assistance extended to the country would be used according to its purpose.
“The additional support that they have announced today will further strengthen our efforts to rebuild and build back better the areas that have been affected by Yolanda…in Tacloban and Leyte and Samar,” Soliman said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

PALO, Leyte – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is keeping the P6.18 billion collection target for Eastern Visayas – slightly higher than last year’s goal – despite losses suffered by businesses in the aftermath of supertyphoon Yolanda.
BIR Deputy Commissioner Nelson Aspe said that despite negative impacts in the business sector, they remain optimistic to generate more taxes from rebuilding and reconstruction activities.
“There is high demand due to rebuilding activities plus government infrastructure spending. We believe that 25% to 50% of the economy will improve because of government spending,” Aspe told reporters at the sidelines of the 2014 BIR Tax Campaign on March 25.
The official said the target is final and thee regional office is mandated to collect the amount, notwithstanding negative impacts of the storm last year.
“We just work hard by trying to attain the target considering that there are factors that would dramatically increase the collections. However, at the end of the reporting period, if there are factors beyond control, we will probably take some considerations,” Aspe said.
This year’s P6.18 billion target for the region’s six revenue district offices (RDO) is slightly higher than the P6.05 billion in 2013.
Last year, the BIR office here posted a P1 billion shortfall when it only generated P5.01 billion of the P6.05 billion target, according to BIR Regional Director Diosdado Mendoza.
Storm-ravaged Tacloban (northern Leyte) RDO has the lion’s share of the regional target with P2.72 billion, Ormoc (western Leyte) RDO with P1.08 billion, Catbalogan (Samar) RDO with P775.59 million, Catarman (Northern Samar) RDO with P553.34 million, Borongan (Eastern Samar) RDO with P533.17 million, and Maasin (Southern Leyte) with P514. 57 million.
“During the first two months, we set the target for the region as if there was no typhoon last year. I expect that they would not even attain 50%, but they achieved 75 to 80%. This is a very good turnout,” Aspe added.
Director Mendoza, obviously feeling the pressure, said that they would do their best to meet the collection target set by their central office.
“It is given to us and we have to collect. We just need to strictly implement tax laws to achieve the goal,” Mendoza said.
Although the region is heavily dependent on withholding taxes from the national government, but they still have to closely monitor the compliance of storm-hit businesses, the BIR regional chief said.
The tax bureau’s field office here generated almost zero collection from November 8 until end of December in the region especially its revenue district offices in Tacloban, Ormoc, and Borongan.
“Based on our survey, only 25% of businesses in Leyte and Eastern Samar provinces have resumed (their) operations,” Mendoza told reporters.
“Banks were not operating normally, thus affecting the collection even in areas not devastated by Yolanda,” said Mendoza in his first press briefing for almost a year. The BIR regional office has stopped sharing information to Tacloban-based media, heeding an April 22, 2013 memorandum order of BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)