TACLOBAN CITY- Fishermen from Barangay 70 of this city were the biggest winners of the Banca Race 2014 held last April 27 organized by Help Direct Initiative(HDI) and Universal Sports Promotions in collaboration with the city government of Tacloban thru its Fishery Law Enforcement Team, led by Noel Ligtas.
“This is a victory for the fisher folks of Tacloban City. Together with our dedicated team, we are proud to be given the opportunity of producing and organizing this important event with the end view to destress survivors of the typhoon. They joined, they paddled and they smiled” Jane Salomon, founder of the HDI.
HDI is a social enterprise and public relations firm that aims to provide an alternative, effective platform to implement initiatives and directly advocate social change and provide solutions, through economic and social initiatives, and environment and cultural interventions, consistent with community benefit and public interest.
Jeffrey Amarilla and Francis Esperas garnered the top prize of P 10,000 and other consolation prizes. Brothers Nikki Comendador and Rey Comendador came in second with P7,000 prize and cousins Lawrence Amarilla and Limar Amarilla came in third with P5,000.
All are residents of Barangay 70, a coastal village in Anibong Area where ships washed inland during the supertyphoon Yolanda.
“We are so happy to win this banca race. Prayers, teamwork and focus helped us a lot. Actually, we were so exhausted already after the 500 meters and on the way back but we were so motivated to get the 10,000 pesos prize, which is a big amount of money to us already” Amarilla and Esperas said.
Wearing bright yellow t-shirt uniform, the top 3 winners bet the fisher folks wearing red shirts from Brgy 88, the other contingents who were able to join the semi finals.
Contestants from Brgy 71 wearing white t-shirts gave a good fight too, while Brgy. 66-A came with their orange team. Not to be outshined were the green team from Brgy. 68 and light blue team from Brgy. 67.
Six women from Brgys. 70 and 67 surprised the crowd as they competed against the muscled men.
Residents from nearby barangays cheered in front of their houses along the shores, while guests led by Councilor Vangie Esperas, Federico Anido who represented Mayor Alfred Romualdez, Engr. Danilo Morano from MARINA, P01 Alexander Rabuyo from Philippine Coast Guard, George and Tila Vacal from Vino De Coco, Hannie Avila of ABS-CBN, members of the JICA project team in Samar and Leyte and other foreigners and members of International Humanitarian Organizations, watched in amusement.
The competition, joined by 138 fishermen, was the first of its kind since Tacloban was pummeled by supertyphoon Yolanda.
Jollibee mascot also graced the event and danced to the delight of the excited crowd.
“This is just the beginning. We are happy with the result and together with our sponsors supporters and followers, we are positive and looking forward to Banca Race 2015”, Salomon concluded. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The International Labour Organization (ILO) has started rolling out a low-cost enterprise development program for potential entrepreneurs in storm-ravaged communities as the humanitarian response group moves to livelihood recovery phase.
The ILO gathered last week hundreds of stakeholders from the United Nations – affiliated agencies, government, private sector and existing small and medium enterprises raise awareness on the Community-Based Enterprise Development (C-BED), a strategy applied in some countries in Asia and Pacific in the aftermath of a crisis.
“The starting point in C-BED is the identification of existing knowledge and capacities. From there, stakeholders build skills on basic principles of business development, such as costing and marketing,” said ILO Tacloban field office coordinator Ma. Cecilia Colarina.
The ILO said that the system is very suitable for storm-ravaged areas like Eastern Visayas considering that “even with very minimal capital, an individual can put up a business using most accessible tools in pursuing businesses.”
According to ILO website, “C-BED is a low-cost, easy to implement training programs for helping entrepreneurs and micro-business owners to plan and improve their businesses.”
“Carried out without external trainers or resources, C-BED has been specifically designed for use among poor, vulnerable and marginalized communities where funding and capacities are limited or communities are hard to reach due to social or geographical constraints,” the ILO said.
C-BED was developed by the ILO in an effort to make business development training an option in any community. The community-based methodology offers a new approach for non-formal training in contexts where there is low institutional capacity and in environments characterized by limited resources.
The system differs from other enterprise development programs of ILO since it has no quality control measures to regulate delivery organizations and associations; no training of trainers and no trainers; no certification of facilitators or qualification for graduates; materials are open source and free; and the training can be completed in 16 hours.
The business development strategy has been implemented by the ILO in poor communities in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Nepal, Solomon Islands, and Kiribati. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY—As part of the initiatives to mobilize men as partners in women empowerment and gender equality, the Commission on Population (Popcom) in

Eastern Visayas has conducted a two-day training on “Mainstreaming MR GAD KATROPA in Gender and Development, and Maternal New Born and Child Health and Nutrition” on April 28-29, 2014 at Ritz Tower de Leyte.
Popcom Regional Director Elnora Pulma said the training focused on involving men in advocating and championing Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) program thus contributing to the goal of reducing maternal deaths, and in promoting responsible parenting.
Pulma added that men, as partners of women, can do so much to nurture the health of the mothers and prevent unwanted deaths caused by pregnancy and childbirth.
She said men are powerful and potent partner in protecting and caring for women to ensure safe pregnancy and childbirth.
To highlight the role of men in promoting maternal and child health and responsible parenting, Popcom has been capacitating males (men and boys) as advocates for this concern through KAlalakihang Tumutugon sa Responsibilidad at Obligasyon PAra (KATROPA) sa Kalusugan ng Ina at Pamilya (Males Responsive to their Responsibilities and Obligations to a Healthy Mother and Family).
The term “katropa” connotes a group of male peers who have developed a sense of camaraderie. Taking off from this idea, it is believed that mobilizing men collectively for maternal health and responsible parenthood can make pregnancy and child birth a joyous moment for women as well as their male partners, instead of situations where women have to risk their lives from the risk of pregnancy and child birth.
During the training, participants were introduced to basic gender concepts and issues, including masculinity and patriarchy; understanding one’s sexuality; improving relationships with partner; role in MNCHN; protection from gender-based violence; and protection from sexually transmitted diseases.
After understanding and appreciating the roles of men in various aspects of caring for women’s, their and their family’s well-being, the participants made an action plan in promoting MNCHN and responsible parenting.
The inputs would also serve as guide for the participants in their various actions that could be undertaken to promote MNCHN and responsible parenting after the training. (Reyan L. Arinto, IO-I POPCOM-8/PR)

TACLOBAN CITY– Four government workers who died while on duty during the onslaught of supertyphoon Yolanda were honored by the Civil Service Commission.
Recognized by the commission in simple rites held last April 14 were Salvacion Avestruz of the Philippine Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and three firemen from Tanauan, Leyte .
The firemen recognized for their bravery were FO2 Rolando Cinco; FO2 Melquiades Baguio and FO1 Felix Miranda.
CSC Regional Director Victoria Esber said that the four government workers deserved to be given honor as they died while they were in service at the height of supertyphoon Yolanda.
The families of the four deceased public servants received a citation, cash reward of P100,000 each, and scholarships in state universities and colleges for their dependents.
Avestruz is still missing, while the three firemen were rescuing the residents of Barangay Calogcog in Tanauan early morning of November 8, 2013, died when the fire track they were on board was swept away by the storm surge generated by Yolanda.
“This is a tribute to the men and women in the government workforce, who died while in the performance of their duties,” Esber added.
She said that the Pamanang Lingkod Bayani (PLBi) Executive Committee has initially selected four beneficiaries in the region. There were eight others who were selected from other disaster hit provinces.
The others who died in service, but lack the necessary documents, will be honored in another date and venue, Esber said.
The CSC Resolution No. 1302553, promulgated on November 29, 2013, provides for the guidelines on the giving of tribute to government officials and employees who were killed in line of duty or those who died while in the performance of their official duties. (VICKY C. ARNAIZ)

TACLOBAN CITY- Fugitive businessman Cedric Lee falls into the hands of government agents as he was arrested, together with a coaccused, in a beach house in Dolores town, Eastern Samar.
During the operation, Lee had tried to resist arrest from the agents of the National Bureau of Investigation only to be subdued.
Also arrested was Lee’s companion, Simeon Palma or Zimmer Raz inside a beach house located in Barangay Lunang, a kilometer away from the town proper of Dolores.
The two, accused of serious illegal detention filed by comedian Vhong Navarro, were nabbed by the NBI last April 26 at around 11:30 in the morning.
As of this writing, it has yet to be established how Lee and his companion, said to be a native of Santa Margarita in Samar, were able to hide at the said beach house whose alleged owner is living in the United States
A day after the two were arrested, they were booked on the first flight of the Philippine Air Lines for Manila where they were immediately detained at the NBI headquarters.
In his talks with the media, Lee vehemently denied that he attempted to resist the arrest as he claimed that he was ready to surrender.
The case filed against the businessman and his coaccused is a non-bailable offense.
Before Lee and Raz boarded PAL Flight Number 2982, passengers at the departure area of the Daniel Z. Romualdez, took their mobile phones to take pictures of the two.
Several passengers jeered Lee while he was whisked by the agents to the plane for their flight to Manila. The two were handcuffed though these were covered with t-shirt.
Arriving at the DZR Airport at 5:59 am, Lee and Raz were on board in a white tainted van in a convoy of vehicles.
Lee, when asked by reporters trailing him all the way to the tarmac on his arrest, declined to answer.
An NBI agent, who asked not to be identified, said that they were able to track on the whereabouts of the two by using the GPS (global positioning system) as they were using their mobile phones.
He said that the two were seen in the area days before the Holy Week. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

ORMOC CITY- A policeman is now languishing in jail after he was arrested in a buy-bust operation inside a lodging house last April 28.
Arrested by police operative was PO1 Bernard Alvarez, 32 and was assigned at the police station in Matag-ob, Leyte. His still unidentified companion managed to flee during the operation.
Seized from the suspect was a sachet white substance believed to be shabu.
Alvarez was nabbed inside a room of a lodging house of this city which he turned into a drug den, authorities said.
Chief Inspector Ibrahim Jambiran, the station 1 chief and the team leader said that the police had bought drugs from Alvarez twice already during a one week surveillance.
He added the surveillance established that the room Alvarez rented for about two months now was used as drug den.
The police chased Alvarez’s companion who carried the marked P500 bill but failed.
Alvarez denied he owned the suspected drug recovered from his left back pocket during the body search that was witnessed by the village official, representative from the Department of Justice and media.
He also belied allegation that he was involved in the illegal drug trade and that he is hooked to shabu.
Large sachets believed to contain drug residue and used tin foils were also recovered inside the room.
Alvarez, who entered the police service four years ago, added he is currently on leave but his claim was denied by PO3 Dennis Sabundo, the Matag-ob police station Administrative Officer.
Sabundo said that Alvarez was supposed to report last April 24 considering the station have a new police chief.
He added that Alvarez texted on the 25th that he was sick so he was advised to produce medical certificate but until his arrest, the disgraced policeman did not report to duty without filing an official leave of absence.
(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)