TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte’s gains in global employment competitiveness and business investments were cited during an industry forum hosted by the provincial government.
In his message, Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said the industry forum has provided greater collaborative linkages between the academe, the industry and the government in creating an effective program that will match requirements with available supply of graduates or skilled workers from different educational institutions currently needed by the industry.
“More importantly, it has opened doors for the province to be a competitive link in the supply chain as well as a business destination,” Petilla said during his speech at the forum held on Thursday (Sept.29) at the provincial capitol building.
Jescyn Kate Ramos, unit head of the Leyte Tourism and Investment Promotion Center (LTIPC), said the event originally aims to establish a tie-up between schools and industries particularly on how the school curriculum can be refined to the modern technology requirements of the industries.
However, the forum, now on its 10th year, has also brought industries and partnerships that help local businessmen.
Ramos, among others, identified the accomplishments out of the holding of the forum the following: introduction of new businesses such as Oishi and Gardenia and the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Max’s Group of Companies with the Leyte Federation of High Value Crops and Vegetables where the latter will supply the former with their needed farm produce.
Also pointed out as an important impact of the program was that state universities and colleges in the province have developed programs that suits manpower requirements; faculty-student immersion such as the Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Corporation; academic linkages and provision of IT equipment.
Among the speakers during the two- day event were top honchos of The Oriental Hotels Resorts, Maxim Integrated Philippines, Applied Machining Corporation, Palafox Associates, Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation and Costales Farm Tourism Philippines of Majayjay, Laguna. (AHLETTE C. REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY- District governor Mary Anne Solomon received a warm welcome from officials and members of the five Rotary Clubs based in this city during a luncheon tendered in her honor Friday (Sept.30).
Solomon, district governor of Rotary District 3860, was in the city since Wednesday (Sept.28) to personally meet members of the various Rotary Clubs in this city.
The luncheon was held at Patio Victoria in San Jose district AND attended by officials and members of Rotary Club of Tacloban, Rotary Club of San Juanico, Rotary Club of Kandaya, Rotary Club of Kankabato and Rotary Club of Leyte Gulf.
Jean Marechaux, president of the Rotary Club of Leyte Gulf, said that the visit of district governor Solomon was just routinary.
“She just wants to meet us all, discuss any updates and give us some advises how we can we perform well,” he said.
Aside from visiting Tacloban, Rotary Club District 3860 also covers other parts of Visayas and Mindanao.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol fulfilled his promise to come back to Eastern Visayas for a 2-day working visit and engage farmers, fisherfolk and other stakeholders in “face-to-face consultations” to ensure they are guided on the priorities and the road map of the Duterte administration in agriculture and fisheries.
Sec. Piñol and party, including staff from DA Region 8 headed by Regional Executive Director Wilson A. Cerbito, reprised his successful ‘biyaheng bukid’ this time to Catarman, Northern Samar then to Borongan City where he spearheaded a series of dialogues with key stakeholders and presided the turnover of various agriculture and fishery projects worth P53 million for Northern Samar and Eastern Samar.
In said occasions, Sec. Piñol enumerated various measures to increase farm output and farmers’ income in these three Samar provinces which indisputably among the top ten poorest provinces in the country according to the latest poverty statistics released by the Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA).
In his dialogue with the political leaders in Northern Samar, Piñol urged them to support what he called as the Corporate Farming System which he has crafted in order to help hasten the food and economic development and growth of the farm sector.
“There is an urgent need for convergent efforts to lift up farmers and fishermen and those who depend on agriculture for their livelihood and business,” Piñol said.
To help increase their production, Piñol added that the local government units should invest in developing at least 5,000 hectares through contract farming and help provide farmers with seeds, fertilizer and other farm inputs, while the national government will focus in providing them financial and logistical support such as production facilities, pre and post-harvest equipment and farm mechanization, among others.
“With even just 5,000 hectares the LGU who will venture in corporate farming will stand to gain to as much as PhP50Million per cropping, Piñol explained.
Accordingly, with such kind of arrangements, farmers will already be assured of the market since LGUs will take care of it and farmers will no longer be manipulated by local traders and middlemen. “Any extra produce will be used by the LGUs in their local feeding programs,” Secretary Piñol added.
On the issue regarding the considerably low level of irrigated areas in three provinces of Samar, the DA Chief underscored the need to focus on small scale irrigation system such as the water impounding project, diversion dams and the provision of shallow tube wells, rum pump and the like which can be constructed more cheaply and quickly compared to irrigation systems built by the National Irrigation Administration.
He also encouraged the adoption of the solar-powered irrigation technology which turns sunlight to thermal energy and ultimately drives a steam turbine to generate electricity designed and popularly used in California, USA.
Piñol likewise instructed the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. to intensify PCIC’s implementation of its crop insurance program to farmers in the 3 Samar provinces which are identified as “high-risk” or vulnerable areas for flooding. (PR)

TANAUAN, Leyte- A public consultation with the residents of Barangay Sto. Niño, this town, affected by the road heightening and tide embankment (HRTE) project was conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-8 officials last September 23, 2016.
Also present during the public consultation were Mayor Pelagio Tecson, Jr., some local barangay officials and some 21 residents who will be affected by the project.
The said consultation aimed to resolve the issue of the original alignment of HRTE in contrast to the proposed new alignment to the existing barangay road.
This is part of the 3.1 kilometer project (Section 6) of HRTE which stretches from Calogcog Junction and ends at Bislig Rotonda, this town.
The proposed new alignment is to the existing barangay road instead of the original alignment which is 40 meters from the shoreline.
The original alignment will preserve the shore area based on tourism development plan and will avoid affecting concrete residential houses and other structures.
The majority of residents that will be affected with the new alignment finally agreed to reconsider the original proposed plan of DPWH.
Other issues raised by the affected residents by the original plan include livelihood, boat landing, and structures, i.e. homes.
This was also resolved and assured by Mayor Tecson that these have been taken into consideration by the Area Management Committee of HRTE.
DPWH requested assistance from the barangay officials to facilitate parceliary survey requirements like: proof of ownership; title of land among others.
Affected structures, properties on land surface like plants, houses, etc. will be paid by the government.
The consultation concluded with barangay resolution signed by the persons affected by the project endorsing the original plan or alignment.
A follow-up barangay session will be conducted on October 1, 2016 at the Brgy. Sto. Niño Hall to discuss other matters.
The P 7.9 billion HRTE project include civil works and right of way acquisition broken down in four years – P1.46 billion for 2016, P 1.19 billion for 2017, P 2.64 billion for 2018, and P 2.64 for 2019.
This 27.3-kilometer project stretches from Diit village in Tacloban to Brgy. Cabuynan in Tanauan town.
Sections 1 to 3 are in Tacloban, Section 4 is coastal villages of Tacloban and Palo, Section 5 is some areas in Palo and Tanauan, and Section 6 in Tanauan town to Bislig.
The four-meter high structure is designed to shield coastal communities from storm surges similar to that generated by supertyphoon “Yolanda.” (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC) is pushing for the creation of a task force to formulate a mini-Marshall Plan to curb poverty in three Samar provinces.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, former RDC chairman, said that a task force is needed to “deeply understand the problem on poverty in Samar areas and formulate a Marshall Plan.”
“The region cannot push for economic growth if the challenge on poverty persists in Samar Island. The economic ranking of the region will never improve if areas in Samar remain poor,” said Petilla, who just concluded his term as RDC head on June 30.
A Marshall Plan refers to the massive financial aid program of the United States to western and southern countries in Europe to help them rebuild after the destructions they suffered in the aftermath of World War II.
In response to the proposal, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) has allocated funds for research development.
One of the studies approved for this year is to determine the socio cultural factors on the poverty situation in the region.
“NEDA Region 8 has allotted P5 million funds to conduct the said study which will be bid out to come up with scientific and objective study on the factors and root causes of poverty,” said NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio Uy.
Aside from the NEDA initiative, the RDC is also counting on studies initiated through the implementation of Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan program, which downloaded P5 billion funds in Samar remote communities.
The RDC also urged national government agencies to step up support to Samar provinces under existing programs.
The Philippine Statistics Authority has identified Samar provinces as among the 10 areas with the highest poverty incidence in the country.
Eastern Samar had 40.1 percent poverty incidence while both Samar and Northern Samar posted 41.8 and 52.4 percent poverty incidence respectively.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)