TACLOBAN CITY- Evaluators from the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) were in the in the city to conduct a validation as Tacloban was shortlisted for the presidential award for child-friendly municipalities and cities.
Tacloban, the lone highly urbanized city in the region, is nominated for the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Government (SCFLG) – a recognition and audit system for LGU-initiated programs benefiting children.
The team, headed by Ma. Erlinda Aguila, evaluated five barangays namely, 92, 93, 87 and 43 and one model barangay- Brgy. 62-B, identified by the local government unit.
Other members of the evaluation team were Maricel Manlapaz (DSWD), SPO2 Marsha Agustin (PNP), and Jacob Maximin Thaddeus Taguinod (CWC) from the National Award Committee (NAC).
Also part of the team were Jenna Negros (Department of Interior and Local Government), Dr. Milagros Bolito (Department of Health), Dr. Catalino Dotollo (National Nutrition Council) and Richelle Villamor from regional sub-committee for the Welfare of Children.
Last year, Tacloban City garnered a 91% rating in the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit (CFLGA) which merited its inclusion in the list of 18 LGUs shortlisted nationwide for the SCFLG.
According to Aguila, the seal’s indicators include the LGU’s policy formulation and resource mobilization in the delivery of basic social services for health, education, social protection and community initiated projects for the welfare of children.
She added that they will also look into indicators in the barangay level, like the presence of barangay health stations, elementary or high school, day care centers, and functionality of the local and barangay councils for the protection of children.
Last Friday (Sept.8), the team conducted their exit conference which presented the initial results of the validation they have conducted.
Tacloban City is among four HUCs included in the nationwide SCFLG shortlist which includes Baguio, Davao, and Muntinlupa.
Among the noteworthy programs of the city benefitting children is the supplementary feeding program which benefits 4,260 children from 71-day care centers around the city.
Lasting a cycle of 120 days, it is being implemented by the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and is considered to be instrumental in the drop of malnutrition prevalence in the city.
The city government also maintains a center for abused children (along with a Center for Abused Women) – the only facility of its kind in Region 8 which offers psychosocial support and a temporary sanctuary for neglected and maltreated children.
Child-friendly desks were also instituted in the barangays to render protection services benefiting children, while the City Health Office maintains a network of health centers which puts a premium on child health care.
The promotion of health and welfare of children in the city is one of the priortiy programs of City Mayor Cristina Romualdez.
The Presidential Award for the Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities is pursuant to Executive Order No. 184 issued last December 13, 1999. It is considered as a mechanism to gauge the level of child-friendliness of a particular city or municipality and at the same time gives recognition to LGUs that puts a premium on child-friendly Governance. (HENRY JAMES G.ROC/CIO)

TACLOBAN CITY – At least nine subsections of the P7.9 billion storm surge protection road heightening and tide embankment project are now ongoing, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has reported.
The ongoing construction under section 4 covers 7.80 kilometers of the seawall in some parts of the San Jose district in this city; and Candahug, Macarthur Memorial Landing National Park, Baras, and Cogon villages in Palo town.
The national government had set aside P2.38 billion for the nine subsections.
The four-meter wide structure is designed as a bicycle lane, according to DPWH Regional Director Edgar Tabacon in an interview.
The DPWH divided the project into six sections with 30 subsections. Other sections have not yet started due to ongoing detailed engineering, feasibility, alignments, and public consultations.
“For sections 1 and 2, there are proposals to make the tide embankment as an alternative road. It’s not yet approved because we are considering the technical, social, environmental and economic aspects,” Tabacon told PNA.
The infrastructure agency will bid out within this year the P700 million for section 6 in Tanauan town. Bidded out earlier was the P1.2 billion for some parts of sections 5 and 6.
The project also tagged as Leyte’s “Great Wall” was supposed to prioritize the coastal communities from Tacloban City Astrodome to San Jose district but it was not pushed through pending the relocation of families within the danger zones.
The 27.3-kilometer project stretches from Barangay Diit in Tacloban to Brgy. Cabuynan in Tanauan town. Sections 1 to 3 are in Tacloban, section 4 are the coastal villages of Tacloban and Palo, section 5 are some areas in Palo and Tanauan, and section 6 in Tanauan town.
The project will protect 33.7 square meters area of properties and 33,185 houses and buildings.
The four-meter high structure was pushed through by the previous Aquino administration after the 2013 storm surges wipe out neighborhoods in Leyte province in the aftermath of super typhoon ‘Yolanda’.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)

Aside from helping fishermen in the area

CABUCGAYAN, Biliran- Residents of this village and nearby areas earn income out of protecting mangrove areas aside from ensuring their place from possible storm surge.
Town Mayor Edwin Masbang told Leyte Samar Daily Express in an interview that the mangrove protection in his town showcases the blending of environmental protection and the appreciation of nature with ecotourism, livelihood and poverty alleviation in this municipality.
Practically it is like a “mangrove gardening” with a blend of environmental protection and livelihood, he said.
The style of mangrove protection in sitio Naga, Rawis Villa Corro of Barangay Looc, fondly called by the residents as ‘boardwalk,’ demonstrates that environmental protection and conservation can go hand in hand with livelihood undertakings to uplift the depressed socio-economic conditions of the people in the area.
He said about 100 fishermen in the area are benefiting the mangrove protection program.
The mayor claims that the people in the area find their livelihood as the mangrove areas are now a tourist attraction of the town.
“An average of 5,000 local and foreign tourists are now visiting the area every week to enjoy swimming and the ambiance of the mangrove areas including its natural setting. The place offers the tourist for relaxation, communion with nature, enjoyment and a unique experience one can observe with nature and the picturesque view of the area,” Masbang said.
The rise of the ecotourism industry encourages him to work on improving their new tourist attraction by putting up facilities.
The new improved project was unveiled by Mayor Masbang last January 8, 2017, with a 300-meter boardwalk that traverses to the sea passing through mangrove areas wherein everyone can enjoy the floating boardwalk experience.
Presently, the project with a mud crab production in the area has cottages, a restaurant and has boating services for the tourists to enjoy the attractive and picturesque view of nature. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

PALO, Leyte- The Saint Paul School of Professional Studies (SPSPS) continues to be one of the country’s top notch schools, particularly in the field of accountancy.
This was disclosed by its president Erwin Vincent Alcala who said that the school is also fast emerging as choice school in Law and real estate management.
Alcala also revealed that the SPSPS has partnered with some well-known universities in the world like the Seisen University in Tokyo, Japan and even foreign governments like Canada in conducting research.
The school president also said that they were also contracted by the Leyte Metropolitan Water District for its human resource plan.
SPSP will also partner with the De la Salle University and Environmental and Climate Change Institute in training higher education institutions in the region on disaster preparedness due to climate change, Alcala said.
Alcala said that he still envisions to see SPSPS become a world-class academic institution by producing world-class professionals imbued with the ideals of Saint Paul, giving back, living up to society’s expectations on environmentally-conscious and socio-economic responsive academic instruction, development research and community service.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

LAVEZARES, Northern Samar – About five men from this town were detained and facing charges for illegally cutting coconut lumbers.
The suspects, Mario Singler, Ruben Mauno, Albert Permas, Fernando Banjawan and Domingo Gega were arrested by the members of the local police led by provincial director, in an officer-in-charge capacity, S/Supt. Felix Diloy, while transporting the illegally sewn lumbers.
Seized from the suspects were 157 pieces of illegally cut coconut lumbers with an estimated value of P16,200.
It was learned that the suspects failed to produce a document allowing them to cut and transport the seized items.
The hot items were delivered to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) for safe keeping and evidence against the suspects.
The elf truck, used by the suspects as their delivery vehicle, was also confiscated by the local police during the September 3 incident.
The suspects were arrested in Barangay Libis, this town.
They will be charged for violation of Republic Act 10593, otherwise known as the ‘Regulation of the Cutting of Trees.’ (PR)