MAASIN CTY- We wish to inform the public that due to potential hazard of landslide at Barangay ancho-Villa road section, 6 km from Agas-Agas bridge (K1013+600), Sogod, Southern Leyte along Daang Maharlika caused by continuous heavy rainfall, the road is temporarily closed to vehicular traffic effective March 14, 2018 until further notice.
The following suggested routes are hereby recommended:
From Tacloban going to Panaon Area (including Liloan & Benit San Ricardo Ferry Terminal)
· take the Tacloban – Mahaplag – Baybay – Bato – Bontoc – Sogod – Daang Maharlika – Liloan – San Ricardo road route & vice versa or
· take the Tacloban – Abuyog – Silago – St. Bernard – Jct. Himay-angan – Daang Maharlika – Liloan – San Ricardo road route & vice versa.
From Tacloban going to Pacific Towns
· take the Tacloban – Mahaplag – Baybay – Bato – Bontoc – Sogod – Daang Maharlika – Jct. Himay-angan – St. Bernard – Silago – Abuyog Bdry. road route & vice versa or
· take the Tacloban – Abuyog – Silago – St. Bernard road route & vice versa.
Meanwhile, DPWH Southern Leyte District Engineering Office personnel has been dispatched to the area to undertake immediate repair activities. (PR)
DPWH issues traffic advisory for those going to Southern Leyte
Leyte grandstand undergoing P70 million rehab, says Gov. Petilla
PALO, Leyte- Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla announced that the province’s biggest sports arena, the Leyte Sports Development Center (LSDC), is undergoing major repair.
Petilla said that the repair of the facility is being funded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) to the tune of more than P70 million.
“We don’t have any counterpart funding for the repair of the Leyte Sports Development Center. What we did previously was have some minor repairs there,” the governor said.
The said facility, which is also known as Leyte Grandstand, served as the command center by the NDRRMC and other agencies, to include the UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), after the region was pummeled by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.
According to the governor, the repair of the said grandstand is expected to be completed middle part of this year.
Petilla said that once completed, some activities relative to the holding of the annual fiesta of Tacloban City could be held there.
The said facility is often used for the cultural competition of the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festivals of Festival.
Also, the provincial government could make use of the facility if ever it decides to bid for the holding of the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) Meet, the governor said.
Asked if he plans to bid again for the provincial government of Leyte to host the annual Palarong Pambansa, Petilla dismissed this.
He said that considering that many provinces and cities in the country are vying for the hosting of the national sporting event, he doubts if Leyte could win the bidding.
“After all, we have just hosted the Palarong Pambansa in 2009. Chances are we might just be turned down if we bid for its hosting. There are about 80 provinces and around 150 cities that are vying to host the Palarong Pambansa,” Petilla said.
Meantime, the governor extended his congratulations to the city government of Ormoc under Mayor Richard Gomez for its performance in this year’s EVRAA.
The Ormoc city delegation was declared as the over-all champion in this year’s EVRAA.
Gov. Petilla said that with a very good sports development program of the city government under Mayor Gomez, he expects that the region could perform well in this year’s EVRAA.
Petilla said that athletes from the Leyte Sports Academy are already tested and could deliver the medals not only for Leyte but for the entire region.
(JOEY A. GABIETA with ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Mayor Sara solicits support from country’s prosecutors campaign shift towards federalism
PALO, Leyte– Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte-Carpio urges the country’s prosecutors who attended the recently-concluded national convention held in Leyte to make a proposal of federalism model that could effectively take away powers from political warlords.
President Rodrigo Duterte, the father of the city mayor, is strongly pushing the shift of form government to federalism.
However, this form of government may result for some warlords to abuse it, she said.
Warlords abusing their power are prominent in the northern part of Luzon and in Mindanao and currently in political power.
“I’m sure ano man ang nasa isip ninyo, collect it in writing and submit it to them. Mababasa nila yan, maybe ma-consider nila all the good points that you have in mind, so that you they can come up with the best model for our country,” Mayor Duterte-Carpio said.
“Ngayon nga na wala pang federalism yung mga kapit-bahay namin na Mindanao meron silang mga rido, may patayan sila. If we give them powers of their own, I think mag-worsen ang ganyan na culture sa kanila,” she added.
“If meron silang makita na model ng federalism that will not encourage this warlord culture then I am for it,” she added.
The Duterte administration cited among reasons why pushing for a federalism form of government the unfair distribution of funds among local government units and the national government under the current set up.
Currently, collected incomes of the local government units are all remitted to the national government and receive 40 percent in a form of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) from the taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
The present administration also believes that shifting to federalism style of government will also help in resolving the conflict in Mindanao.
Also during her talk, the mayor of Davao City stressed that she does not have any plans to run for senator in the 2019 election.
Rumors have circulated that the feisty city mayor is eyeing a Senate seat due to her visits to other parts of the country and by forming a political organization known as
“Tapang at Malasakit Alliance for the Philippines.”
Mayor Duterte-Carpio said that she felt that she is more effective as a public servant if she will stay in local politics concentrating to the needs of her constituents in Davao City than running for a national position.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
EV guvs, mayors to meet with Pres. Duterte in Cebu City
Federalism among possible issues
TACLOBAN CITY- All the governors and mayors of the region have already confirmed their attendance for a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte scheduled next week in Cebu City.
This was disclosed by the regional director of the Department of Interior and Local Government(DILG) who added that two Samar mayors, however, have begged off due to conflict of schedules.
The President is scheduled to meet all the governors and mayors from Visayas and Mindanao on Feb.12 in Cebu City.
Maribel Sacendoncillo, DILG-8 regional director, said that while the date of the meeting was specified on their letter among governors and mayors, the issue or issues to be discussed was not mentioned.
“But for sure, various issues such as anti-drug campaign and federalism could be discussed during the meeting,” she said, adding that the travels of the officials are considered as ‘official travel.’
Sacendoncillo said that all the six governors, seven city mayors, and 134 municipal mayors have already signified their attendance at the meeting.
“But two municipal mayors in Samar have informed us that they could not attend the meeting with the President due to conflict of schedules,” she said.
According to her, originally the Cebu City meeting among Visayas and Mindanao officials was scheduled on Feb.1 but was eventually moved to Feb.12.
Meantime, Borongan City Mayor Ma. Fe Abunda said that she is looking forward to the meeting and expect the issue on federalism would be discussed by the President.
“Honestly, I don’t have any idea about federalism. I need to be enlightened more about it. That is why, whenever I am asked about it, I could not give a categorical answer because I don’t really have a full grasp about federalism,” Abunda said.
By: Joey Gabieta
Sec. Briones urge students to consider importance of sports to excel in life
CALBAYOG CITY- Education Secretary Leonor Briones emphasizes the importance of sports in everyday life saying being sports-minded or physically fit could be a contributory factor how one could succeed in life.
Briones was in the city Thursday (February 8) to grace the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) Meet which is held here which ended Friday.
She was welcomed by City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino, Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento and regional officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) lead by Director Ramir Uytico.
During her talks with the student-athletes, Briones emphasized on how important sports to everyone.
According to her, that development of critical thinking, capacity to ask questions and to innovate could not be gained by an individual if he or she is not fit in mind and body.
“You cannot do all your things if you are not fit in mind and in body and this is where sports is very important. Physical fitness is very important whether you are in academic or in vocational or in arts,” Briones said.
The Education Secretary said that a minimal number of students and their parents chose sports as their field saying being an athlete could also be financially rewarding.
“We think sports is only for young people who cannot finish school but sports in itself is a great profession. It is highly respected. It is also financially rewarding profession,” she said.
Sec. Briones said that of the 1.9 million students who are in the senior high school, only .001 percent have chosen sports as their field while 60 percent are taking academic, 39 percent had chosen vocational or technical course and the remaining percentage of students chose culture and arts.
Briones expressed her gratitude for the support of the city government of Calbayog and Rep. Sarmiento for the successful staging of this year’s EVRAA.
For EVRAA 2018, about P1.5 million was allocated by DepEd,P700,000 of this amount came from the budget from the regional office.
The Ormoc City Division is this year’s runaway champions with 98 gold, 44 silver and 60 bronze medals as of Thursday.
Last year’s champions, the Leyte Division, landed second with 64 gold, 53 silver and 39 bronze medals. (JENNIFER SUMAGANG-ALLEGADO/ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Leyte’s software program that results in fast and better transaction receives recognition from Philhealth
TACLOBAN CITY- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) has given an award to the provincial government of Leyte for developing a software that results to fast service among the clients.
The recognition was held on February 1 and was personally accepted by Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and his elder brother, former governor Carlos Jericho Petilla, whose administration the software was first developed.
The award is the recognition of PhilHealth for the software or the computer program developed by the provincial government, which is the first and the only accredited by PhilHealth in the country, that greatly improves the submission and payment of claims of the health institutions accredited by the said health insurance agency.
Gov.Petilla, in an interview, said that the province has developed the program or software to be used in reporting electronically the submission of claims by hospitals or other health institutions for their patients to Philhealth as well as payment of those claims by Philhealth to the hospitals or health institutions.
He said that with the software, reporting or submission of claims for the patients of the hospitals and other health institutions in Leyte to Philhealth and payments is now faster and easier.
Petilla said that with the use of the software results to more efficient transactions as its result to lower the rejection rate of claims and in effect also result in high claim rate.
He added that more patients can avail of Philhealth services and has a better system for the submission and payment of claims.
He said that there are already hospitals in Leyte which are already using the software for Philhealth transactions.
The governor claims that the software is the first and the only accredited by Philhealth for hospital operation.
The software can be used without the internet connection and during calamities as it can be used in offline mode.
Renato Limsiaco Jr.,Philhealth regional vice president for Eastern Visayas, based in this city told reporters in an interview, that the Philhealth certification given to Leyte is very critical in the implementation of the electronic claims as the submission to Philhealth electronically automated by the end of March this year and no more manual submission to us and the acceptance of claims should also be electronically done.
“(This ensure) a very fast transaction and the payment release to the facilities is also very fast and that we need to pay the hospital or facility as fast as we can,” Limsiaco said. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)