TACLOBAN CITY—The Commission on Population (POPCOM) in Eastern Visayas joins the international community in celebrating the World Population Day 2015 this July 11 with its theme “Dignity and Protection of Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies.”

POPCOM-8 Regional Director Elnora R. Pulma said that based on a report of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), women, children and young people comprise over three quarters of the over 50 million people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes by conflict and disasters in most parts of the world. “They face much greater risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, violence, forced marriage, reproductive health-related illnesses, and death due to the lack of protection and an absence of aid delivery to address their needs,” Pulma added referring to the UNFA report.

She said that to observe World Population Day in the region, POPCOM has enjoined all government and non-government partners to help spread information, messages and resources to address reproductive health needs and challenges of vulnerable populations during natural or human-induced catastrophes.
World Population Day celebration started in 1989 to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, particularly in the context of overall development.

Meanwhile, as part of the celebration, POPCOM has awarded Tacloban City and Dulag, Leyte as winners of the Rafael M. Salas Population and Development Awards (RMSPDA). The RMSPDA has recognized and honored local government units (cities and municipalities) that have clear policies, programs, services and interventions, and implementing and monitoring mechanisms to address population and development issues and concerns.

Runners-up were Ormoc City and Calbayog City for the cities; and Paranas, Samar and Almeria, Biliran for the municipalities. Earlier, three cities and three municipalities were ranked based on the selected indicators in the LGU scorecard for health, which include Governance on health and Health Financing, Access to Programs, Services and Facilities; and Performance Monitoring (40%) and Population and Development (POPDEV) Elements (60%). (REYAN L. ARINTO/IMCU, POPCOM-8)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Sangyaw Festival’s “Parade of Lights” will serve as among the highlights of the annual fiesta of Tacloban.
And to live up on its name as one of the fast-emerging festivals in the country, contingents coming from different schools and barangays of the city will parade around Tacloban’s main streets on June 29, vesper day of the fiesta which gives honor to its patron, Senior Santo Nino.
Emphasizing their 3LED light creations in floats and costumes, ten contingents will be competing for the best school contingent for the school-based category and another 10 for the best barangay parade float for the body of the Parade of Lights and six for the Sangyaw merry makers.
Big prizes are at stake to the lucky top three winners, its designers and choreographers.
Councilor Cristina Romualdez, executive committee chair of Sangyaw, enjoins all the Taclobanons and visitors to come and see the Sangyaw “Parade of Lights” and be part of the festivities Taclobanons prepared to show to the world that indeed Tacloban is now back on its feet more than a year after it was devastated by supertyphoon “Yolanda.” (GAY B.GASPAY, TISAT)

ORMOC CITY- Good acts reap rewards.
This adage proves to be true in the case of two brothers who were amply rewarded of housing units of their own after they returned P35,000 they discovered a year ago.
Roel Plinos, 40, a tricycle driver, discovered a brown envelope tucked inside the motorcycle he was driving.
Curious, he opened the envelope and found some documents and the P35,000 cash inside.
He later saw his younger brother, Rodel, and asked on how they could return the envelope containing the huge cash to its owner.
According to Roel, while he was in dire need of money at that time, not once did he thinks of keeping it for himself.
Rodel, 37, suggested that they give the money and the documents to their employer, Benedicto Lambunao instead.
Lambunao, in turn, decided to give them to Mayor Edward Codilla.
Codilla, with the help of his staff, was able to trace the owner.
The city mayor then promised the siblings that they would be given priority once the distribution of housing units at the relocation site in Barangay Linao starts.
And on June 23, their rewards came as they were given their own units.
The 2,000 housing units at Linao were constructed by the Tzu Chi Foundation, a Taiwan-based organization that assisted victims of supertyphoon “Yolanda” that also hit Ormoc.
The siblings lost their houses during the massive typhoon.
Roel, a father of two children lives in Barangay Libertad, while his younger brother, who has three children, is a resident of Brgy. Cogon.
(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)