TACLOBAN CITY- With more than 70 projects that it completed last year, the first engineering district in Leyte was named number one in the implementation of projects last year. Last year, the said engineering district, which covers the towns in Leyte’s first district, completed 72 projects involving an amount of P405.37 million. Engr. Pablo De Los Reyes, chief of the construction section of the first engineering district, in an interview, said that they are also positive that they could maintain their remarkable performance for this year considering that they have completed 64.91 percent of their projects as of April.
The 72 projects that their office has completed last year involved road concreting, multi-purpose centers, road slips, school buildings and bridges. Meantime, the fourth engineering district which is based in Ormoc City had a project completion of 32.86 percent involving an amount of P438.92 million followed by the third engineering district whose office is in Villaba with a 29.08 project completion involving P131.18 million. “We are thankful that we are able to implement (and finish) all these projects and we are grateful to the contractors for supporting us,” De Los Reyes said.
(LITO A. BAGUNAS)
TACLOBAN CITY- Apparently, the competitiveness of this city after it was ravaged by supertyphoon “Yolanda” more than a year ago, was not diminished. These after constructions of new commercial buildings were noted to sprout again in the city. Last year, there were 113 commercial buildings that were either newly-constructed or repaired in the city generating an income of about P7 million while 57 others were noted covering the first four months of the year.
Engineer Roberto Gabriana of the City Engineering Office said that the construction of these commercial buildings in Tacloban only shows that investors, both coming from outside and within the city, still believes on the competitiveness of the city. “This only means that our businessmen still believe that we have not lost our competitiveness. After all, Tacloban remains to be the regional capital of Eastern Visayas,” he said.
Thus, they expect more new building constructions will take place within this year and in the succeeding years. He noted that several owners of these new buildings were not from the city, an indication that businessmen did not lose their interest in Tacloban. Gabriana said that the construction of this commercial building is a welcome development considering that aside from generating an income for the city government, it also helps in the generation of employment not only among residents of the city but those coming from other parts of the region. He disclosed that representatives from some of the country’s mall operators visited their office looking for the possibility of constructing their own shopping malls in Tacloban.
Gabriana, however, disclosed to provide details on this saying he is not authorized to divulge this matter. Before Tacloban was hit by Yolanda in 2013, construction boom was noted in the city.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
TACLOBAN CITY- The Leyte provincial government has stepped up its drive against child trafficking in the province. Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said that the Leyte Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) has organized and deployed anti-child trafficking teams in various ports in the province in cooperation with the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies as part of its effort to address occurrence of human trafficking, mostly involving children, in the province.
Petilla said that it has been observed that traffickers are using mostly sea ports as their way out in smuggling their victims considering that the security in the sea ports are more lax compared to land and airports that can easily be detected by law enforcers. Petilla added that there were already several instances wherein the syndicates were apprehended by authorities with their victims in various ports in the province. He added that the teams were deployed in all major seaports across the province, namely, those located in Hilongos, Bato, Palompon and Isabel and in Baybay City.
By deploying teams in sea ports across the province, they are giving more security to these facilities and could serve as deterrent against traffickers, the governor said. Petilla expressed optimism that with the creation and deployment of the anti-child trafficking teams in various sea ports in the province will result to reduction, if not elimination, of cases of human trafficking in Leyte. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
TACLOBAN CITY- From a recent study conducted by the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP), a government maritime training and research agency located at Brgy. Cabalawan, this city, it revealed that 82% of its seafarer-trainees are easily absorbed into sea-based jobs after completion of their training and 84% of them have jobs related to skills acquired. These employability-related data of NMP graduates were taken from the research study completed in 2014 by the NMP Maritime Research Section entitled “Tracer Study of NMP Graduates, 2007-2011.”
The said study, aimed at determining the impact of NMP training to the employability of its graduates, also established and compared the profile of graduates from 2007-2011 ‘before’ and ‘after’ training at NMP. It showed that most of the seafarers undergoing training at NMP are males, pegged at 98%. About 63% of these graduates are single; only 35% are married. Most of them come from the Visayas regions where 48% are from Region VIII and 28% are from Region VII. In the educational attainment profile, 37% of them are Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) graduates. Only about 15% are Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMarE) graduates.
The study also revealed that before undergoing training there was only about 14% of the seafarer-trainees who have licenses and 48% of them are employed. After training at NMP, 33% have already secured licenses and about 90% are employed. The said study is a follow-up research undertaking conducted in 2007 which also established the profile of NMP graduates during training from 2003 to 2006; determined the knowledge and skills acquired by NMP graduates from every training course and the graduates’ employment, absorption and skills utilization rates, employment mobility in terms of progression in license and rank; and identified the benefits obtained by graduates from training courses taken at NMP. In comparison of the findings of the tracer studies between 2007 and 2014, data revealed that the latter tracer study shows improved employment-related outcomes compared to the 2003-2006 graduates.
There is an increase in the skills utilization rate at 8%. Skills utilization rate refers to the percentage of employed graduates in a given period whose jobs are related to skills acquired.
Absorption rate has also increased at 6% from 76% to 82%, respectively. Absorption rate is defined as the percentage of certificated trainees who got a sea-based job after completion of training to the number of graduates who were not employed prior to completion of training. With the present study, the NMP Maritime Research Section plans to embark on continued and more comprehensive conduct of similar tracer studies to determine the progression rate of employability-related data of NMP graduates and the relevance and importance of the trainings offered by NMP to the requirements of the industry. (PR)
Winning group. Catbalogan’s “Tribu Katbalaugan” won this year’s Aliwan Festival during its first try to join said competition. (Photo courtesy of City Mayors Office)
CATBALOGAN CITY-Showing world-class performance and creativity, the “Tribu Katbalaugan” (Manaragat Festival) of Catbalogan City was declared the grand champion in street dancing competition of this year’s Aliwan Festival held in Manila last April 25. The performance of the Tribu Katbalaugan, a first-timer at the Aliwan Festival, has impressed the judges and the crowd for its dance movement, fast paced choreography, graceful dancers, musicality, props and lighting effects. “This is indeed a milestone in our effort to make a mark at the national level and engraving our city in the tourist map of our country for the world to know,” said Catbalogan Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan after the victory.
“The triumph means a lot to us. I always value the youth sector’s contribution in my governance as I continue to tap them in various undertaking. I also take pride of my committed and passionate support team who painstakingly did a superb job,” she added. The group won cash prize of P1 million and additional P25, 000 for winning third place for best musicality category.
The annual Aliwan Festival, now on its 13th year, gathers champions of local cultural festivals from all over the country to compete against each other in various categories. Tribu Katbalaugan bested Aliwan hall of famer “Lumad Basaknon” representing Sinulog of Cebu City. Lumad Basaknon celebrates this year its 25th year in joining the Sinulog Festival. Catbalogan Manaragat Festival’s storyline revolves around the fishing industry of the city and the bounty of harvest the Maqueda Bay has endowed the people through the years.
Manaragat comes from the root word “dagat” (sea) and “manaragat” refers to the person who makes a living by fishing or a fisherman. Fishing has been the source of income of its many residents and Maqueda bay has provided them with abundant marine life. The core group of the team has 300 dancers including instrumentalists and props men. The dancers are 14-17 years old. Aside from the championship, the festival also won third place in the Tunog ng Aliwan or Best Musicality.
The competition also saw the Mayaw-Mayaw Festival of Pinabacdao, Samar taking the 3rd place, Sakuting Festival (Tribu Sakuting) of Dolores Abram 4th place and the Meguyaya Festival (Tatribong Upi) of Upi, Maguindanao, fifth place. Mayaw-Mayaw Festival, also its first time to perform at Aliwan, was adjudged the Best Float and bagged P500, 000. After the victory, the team was guest performer of the “Festivals in the North” in Dagupan City held last January 26. Buyogan Festival of Abuyog, Leyte and Lingganay Festival of Alangalang, Leyte, two world-class festivals in Leyte, has won the Aliwan championships for the past years. (VICKY C.ARNAIZ)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the region is ready to take over the United States-funded road upgrading project in Samar provinces if works will not be completed within the time table. DPWH Assistant Regional Director Edgar Tabacon said the road network has been existing even before the implementation of USD214 million Secondary National Roads Development Project (SNRDP) in late 2012.
“We have maintained those roads for several years. We are ready to continue what the project will not be able to cover after expiration of contract,” Tabacon said. The official, however, admitted that rehabilitation activities of the of the 222-kilometers road stretch from Paranas, Samar to Guiuan, Eastern Samar has slowed down in 2012 and 2013 since they are waiting for the full rehabilitation project.
Tabacon assured that DPWH regional office has the capability to build a road with the same US standard since international and Manila-based contractors tapped local contractors as partners.
“These contractors have been working with us for many years and their resources have been used by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to implement the SNRDP,” Tabacon told reporters.
The DPWH made the statement after the MCC asserted that it will not extend the project despite implementation delays incurred by the project this year. Two of the four segments of the US-funded road project have been delayed, raising concern of the consequences of incomplete projects beyond the May 25, 2016 timetable. Unfinished works will have to be continued by the Philippine government through the DPWH.
Overall, of the 222.23 kilometers of the road length from Paranas, Samar to Guiuan, Eastern Samar, only 120.56 kilometers or 68 percent have been paved by contractors. (SARWELL Q.MINIANO)
