TACLOBAN CITY- The provincial government of Leyte has extended cash incentives to the more than 1,000 day care workers across the province.
Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla told Leyte Samar Daily Express that his office released more than P2 million to give cash incentives to the 1,148 day care workers from Baybay City and the 40 towns of the province.
Petilla said that the cash incentive received by the day care workers depend on their length of service.
For those who served for 6 months to 9 years, they received P1,100; for the beneficiaries who served for 10 to 19 years they received P 1,500; those beneficiaries who served for 20 to 24 years received P2,200.
And for those who rendered service for 25 to 29 years, they received P 4,000 and those in service for 30 years and above got P5,000.
Day care worker municipal coordinators also received P1, 200.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

TACLOBAN CITY- Supporters convened on Tuesday (Dec.5) in Allen, Northern Samar and Ormoc City in Leyte for the “Biyayang Pagbabago” Caravan 2017, drumming up support for the Duterte administration’s poverty alleviation agenda.
In Allen, Northern Samar, Fr. Elmer Cajilig, Visayas co-convenor of Kilusang Pagbabago (KP), arrived at the town’s plaza to meet with a group of supporters.
Cajilig’s group arrived at the town’s port from Luzon Island for the Eastern Visayas leg of the caravan.
KP members signed a manifesto supporting President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-poverty program through the Office of the Participatory Governance dubbed as “Biyayang Pagbabago”, the Philippine Information Agency reported.
In Ormoc City, KP supporters gathered at the city’s plaza for the caravan Tuesday night.
“We believe that we need a firm leader like President Duterte to bring about positive change in the country,” said Enrico Oliveros, KSP Isabel, Leyte coordinator.
On December 1, the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, in partnership with 12 agencies under the Office of the President alongside Kilusang Pagbabago, initiated the “Biyayang Pagbabago Tungo sa Masagana at Matiwasay na Buhay Pilipino” (Biyayang Pagbabago) Program, which aims to provide better living conditions for Filipinos.
The nationwide caravan commenced in Luzon, starting from Ifugao province, all the way to Nueva Vizcaya, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Parañaque, Cavite, Batangas, Quezon, Marinduque, and Camarines Sur.
After which, selected participants proceeded to Northern Samar and Ormoc City on Tuesday.
On Wednesday (Dec.6), the group proceeded to Cebu City, Cagayan de Oro City and Bukidnon province in Mindanao.
The caravan will culminate in Davao City on December 9, where President Duterte is expected to formally launch the “Biyayang Pagbabago” program at the city’s Freedom Park.
Participating agencies for the “Biyayang Pagbabago” include the Cooperative Development Authority, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, National Anti-Poverty Commission, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, National Food Authority, National Youth Commission, Presidential Action Center, Philippine Commission on Women, Philippine Coconut Authority, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. (SARWELL Q. MENIANIO/JOSEPH PILAPIL/PNA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT) is upbeat of the tourism industry’s brighter future in Eastern Visayas with the easy access by air, sea, and land.
The region’s strategic location in the central Philippines makes it very accessible through different means of transportation, according to DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes.
“Tacloban is the region’s main gateway by air. It is served by three major airlines with a total of 96 flights per week from and to Manila, Cebu, Davao, and by next year, Clark. Accessibility is a primary consideration for visiting a place,” Tiopes said.
Tacloban’s Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport is ranked as the country’s 9th busiest airport in 2016 with 1.1 million inbound and outbound passengers.
In Calbayog City, eight flights per week serve the Calbayog-Manila and Calbayog-Cebu routes while the Ormoc City’s airport in the western part of Leyte has seven flights in a week to and from Cebu.
Catarman Airport in Northern Samar has four flights a week from and to Manila.
Air connectivity between Cebu and Naval in Biliran, and between Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Cebu and Tagbilaran is made possible through Air Juan.
From April to June 2017 alone, the region’s 10 airports recorded a passenger movement of 642,701, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
This is due to the onset of summer season and long holidays during Holy Week.
In terms of access by land, Eastern Visayas serves as the vital link that promotes connectivity between Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Land travel from north to south pass this route via the Maharlika Highway, using roll-on roll-off ports in Southern Leyte and Northern Samar.
“With seaports located in various localities in the region, sea travel between Luzon, other parts of Visayas and Mindanao is also convenient,” Tiopes said.
In 2016, the region ushered 1.22 million visitors, a significant increase from the measly 365,000 arrivals in 2011.
From a 6 percent to 7 percent annual growth target, stakeholders increased it to at least 20 percent annually for both domestic and foreign guest arrivals.
Of the 3.23 million projected arrivals after six years, 81,936 of them are foreign and 3.15 million of them are domestic.
Tourism stakeholders of the region are eyeing at least 1.31 million to 3.23 million annual tourists from 2017 to 2022 as outlined in the new development roadmap. (MELVA MAE C. MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY-Believing that this city has recovered from the onslaught of super typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ couple Mira and Sinclair Lucero has put up a business.
On November 11 of this year, the couple personally welcomed their customers at their newly-opened SOS (Save on Surplus) store, incidentally, the first branch of the said well-known store in Eastern Visayas.
The SOS Tacloban branch is located along Marasbaras district.
“We are just glad to open a branch here in Tacloban City and we know that our store will be patronized by its people and even those coming outside the city,” Mira Lucero said.
“We are optimistic that we will make good here considering that we are not only offering good service for our prospective customers but competitive prices for all the items that we sell here at SOS. We see an opportunity here in Tacloban,” she added.
According to Mira, she and her husband are loyal customers of SOS, franchise arm of HRM Philippines, Inc. reason why they decided to open its branch in Tacloban.
The Lucero couple is the franchise holder of SOS-Tacloban, becoming the 21st outlets of said company in the country.
By opening a branch in Tacloban, customers from the city and other parts of the region could now enjoy the “SOS-” type of service and products being sold,Mira said.
“It’s actually like giving back. The people here need not go to Cebu or Manila just to experience how to buy in an SOS store,” she said.
The opening of the SOS-Tacloban, which is occupying about 700 square meters of an old warehouse converted into a store, also generated employment to locals.
Teofila Brosas, executive secretary of Mayor Cristina Romualdez, said that the city government is happy for the opening of SOS in Tacloban City.
“This only affirms that business confidence has been restored after Tacloban City was devastated by Yolanda in 2013,” she said during an interview.
Katrina Tolentino, franchise manager of HMR, said that they are also glad that finally, their store is now serving the people of Tacloban and the region.
She guarantees to the public that aside from low prices, all the items that SOS is selling are of good quality, many were made from the United States and Australia.
“Our products are affordable. So it’s a destination store for all…” she said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Samar conducted separate anti-drug operations in Calbayog City that resulted in the arrest of three men in possession of 23 sachets of methamphatime hydrochloride or shabu.
PDEA Regional Director Edgar Jubay, in a press statement, said that the separate operations in Barangay Balud of the said city last December 3 resulted in the arrest of Wilan Amaro, Rolando Cagomoc, and Rodrigo Ruado.
Seized from Amaro’s possession were 11 sachets of shabu while six sachets of the prohibited drug were seized each from Cagomoc and Ruado.
Cagomoc and Ruado are now detained at the Calbayog City Police Station lock-up facility while Amaro was able to elude from the anti-drug operatives.
All three were charged for possession and selling of the illegal drugs.
The operations were also involved members of the Calbayog city police and 2nd platoon of the 3rd Company of the Regional Public Safety Battalion. (PR)

Unsolved killings continue

CALBAYOG CITY- The apparent relentless killings involving barangay officials of this city have stalked fear among them to the extent some have expressed their desire to step down from their posts.
But Mayor Ronald Aquino appealed to them not to quit from their posts as he instead asked them to work together to help him end the killing incidents.
The recent victim of these killing incidents involving a barangay official of the city was Roberto Gacelos, chairman of Barangay San Jose who was gunned down last November 15 by still unidentified armed men.
Incidentally, a police detachment is located 100 meters away from where Gacelos was murdered.
A staff of Mayor Aquino, Joe Patrick Lentejas, was also shot to death five days later by still unidentified suspects.
It was learned that before they were murdered both Gacelos and Lentejas received death threats.
Because of these series of incidents, some village leaders have expressed their fears and wanted to resign from their positions to avoid being targeted.
“I don’t know why all these senseless killings are happening in our city and I don’t know for how long we will continue to live in fear,” a village official, who asked not to be named, said.
“We are appealing to our police authorities to do something to end these senseless killings. All we want is to live in peace,” the official added.
Mayor Aquino asked barangay officials of the city not to give up as he asked them to help him solve the killing incidents hounding Calbayog for years now.
“It is so shocking and sad. But I want you not to give up this battle. Let us not be discouraged from serving our city,” he said.
The series of killings that have transpired in Calbayog were blamed to private armed groups reportedly maintained by certain politicians.
(JAZMIN BONIFACIO)