TACLOBAN CITY-The Philippine Army will help in the call to dismantle the private armed groups (PAGs) operating in Samar province.
Colonel Mario Lacurom, commanding officer of the 803rd Infantry Brigade based in Catarman, Northern Samar, said that they have deployed Army personnel to help man checkpoints and conduct operations against individuals who have standing warrants, particularly in Calbayog City.
“This is also part of the intensified operation of the PNP, AFP with the indefinite (declaration of the) state of national emergency on account of lawless violence that was declared by our President,” Lacurom explained.
“We will help in maintaining peace in the area and partly running after lawless elements in Calbayog,” he added.
But the Army officer appeal for the cooperation of the public for them to neutralize the PAGs.
“The only way to break down the armed groups is when people say that they do not support them and they want them to be out of their place,” Lacurom said.
During his visit to the region on Tuesday (Sept.13), Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa issued an order for the Samar police to dismantle the PAGs particularly in Calbayog City.
Calbayog Mayor Ronald Aquino personally appealed to de la Rosa for the dismantling of PAGs in his city.
The spate of killing incidents that happened in Calbayog was blamed on the PAGs believed to be controlled and maintained by certain local politicians.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

CARIGARA, Leyte- The National Housing Authority (NHA) will build 3,224 housing units intended for families living in areas considered as flood-prone and in coastal villages.
The construction of houses is part of the assistance by the national government in the aftermath of supertyphoon ‘Yolanda’ that hit Leyte in 2013.
The construction of the houses is now underway.
The resettlement sites are located in Barangays Parag-om consisting of 1,524 units and Cabdigahub involving 680 units. The government has allocated P1 billion for this housing project.
But Mayor Eduardo Ong disclosed that the transfer of the intended beneficiaries to the resettlement sites could be hampered due to the condition set by the NHA.
“They have to destroy their houses before the new units will be awarded to them. It would be difficult because it is where their livelihoods are.Maybe they can stay in their old house during mornings and go home in their new house during evenings,”Ong said, referring to the condition set by NHA.
Ong admits that the LGU cannot afford to provide livelihoods to all residents in the relocation sites.
He said he hope the NHA will reconsider their condition. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

ORMOC CITY- A group of American and Filipino soldiers met with Mayor Richard Gomez of this city to discuss the holding of a “Balikatan” exercises slated next year.
Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez, who met the group on Thursday (Sept. 14), has expressed his support to their proposal to help enhance the peace and order situation in the city.
Making the city secure in so far as its peace and order is concerned is one of the priorities of Mayor Gomez saying this could lead to investors coming to Ormoc.
The planned Balikatan exercises in Ormoc are slated April next year.
Balikatan exercises are designed to maintain and develop the security relationship between the Philippines and the US armed forces through crisis-action planning, humanitarian assistance, enhanced training to counter terrorism and promoting inter-operability of the forces.
Captain Louis Kalmar, humanitarian and civic assistance planner of the Philippine-US Balikatan program, said that aside from the enhanced military training there will be medical mission, humanitarian assistance like constructing new school buildings and toilets in classrooms, renovations of school buildings, providing books and learning materials and other capabilities intended for students in the communities.
Asked if the move of President Rodrigo Duterte to pull out the US Armed Forces in Mindanao will not affect the planned Balikatan, Gomez said that since the move to pull them out is not yet final, it is best to push through with the initial talks to do Balikatan here.
“What will benefit most the people of Ormoc, will always be my priority,” Gomez said.
Kalmar said they planned to return to Ormoc on December to cement the Balikatan 2017. (VICKY C. ARNAIZ)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) and Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc. (BCFI) formally turned over to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) the Mother and Child Hospital designed to help bring down the maternal mortality rate in the region.
Health Sec. Paulyn Ubial led in the turnover of the four-level facility located within the complex of the new EVRMC at Barangay Cabalawan on Sept.8
The government constructed the new facility located at the city’s Cabalawan village through a P300 million donation from BCFI, a corporate social responsibility arm of Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels, Inc. chaired by billionaire Enrique Razon, Jr.
This is the first building completed at the new regional hospital site in the northern part of the city. The facility had its soft opening early last month.
“The (operation) of this facility is also design to help bring down the mortality rate (here in the region),” Ubial said, noting that the facility is equipped with state-of- the- art facilities.
Eastern Visayas has one of the highest mortality death rates at more than a 100 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
The Mother and Child building is designed to accommodate at least 150 patients.
At present, one doctor is on a 24- hour duty at the new facility assisted by 24 nurses.
Each room of the facility is equipped with built-in oxygen machine, ceiling fan, sink and bathroom.
Ubial said the project is a product of public-private partnership in the bid to provide better health services to poor Filipinos.
“We need everybody’s cooperation and assistance to make the health system work in this country. This building is a work of everybody – private sector, national government, local government, and hospital staff. They are all part of the growth and development,” Ubial said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson was present during the inauguration. He was one of the officials who looked for donors for the project in his capacity as Presidential Adviser for Rehabilitation and Recovery during the early phase of post-Yolanda recovery.
“This looks like a private hospital. This is a product of private sector initiative,” Lacson said.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY– Three years after supertyphoon “Yolanda” pummeled Eastern Visayas, thousands of its survivors continue to grapple just to meet their daily needs.
But thanks to the continued effort of Oxfam, an international relief agency, survivors who are still reeling from the financial impact found an ally on them.
Last Sunday, (September 11), Oxfam together with Smart and PayMaya Philippines banded together in collaboration with the Tacloban city government launched the financial inclusion program at the Leyte Park Hotel.
The program is projected to benefit 16,000 Yolanda survivors.
At the launching, Justin Morgan, Oxfam country director, said that Oxfam believes that equitable access to financial services is crucial for them to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
“We are happy that Smart and PayMaya are working with us to help the LGU of Tacloban rebuild the local economy by improving financial literacy and inclusion. We have good partners in this collaboration for Tacloban to recover faster,” he said.
Oxfam is an international confederation of 18 organizations working in 94 countries, as part of a global movement for change, to build a future free from injustice of poverty.
In the Philippines, Oxfam works with poor people to sustain their livelihoods and reduce their risks to natural and human-made disasters and climate-change impacts.
Charmaine Esguerra, 24, a resident of Barangay Paseo de Legaspi, this city, with her four-month old baby girl in tow during the launching, said that she is happy that she was identified as one of the program’s beneficiaries.
“I want to avail of the Smart Retailer SIM and the sari-sari starter package incentive and resell the products. My baby is only four months old and this package is convenient for me since I don’t need to go out to sell the items. I can sell Smart load at the comfort of home,” Esguerra, whose husband is a construction worker, said.
Alex Hembra, 65 and a resident of Brgy. Calanipawan shared that program could just be the beginning for him to stop working as a pedicab driver, a job he’s been doing for the past 20 years now.
“I am too old to drive a pedicab. My dream is to have a mobile sari-sari store and I know this will come true with this program,” Hembra, who lives with his 73 year-old brother, also a pedicab driver, said.
The humanitarian project promotes entrepreneurship and the value of savings in communities.
Under the project, qualified beneficiaries will receive Smart Money prepaid cards that can be linked to their mobile phones – a mobile money product of PayMaya Philippines where they are encouraged to place any amount (P1 and above) through any Smart Padala Center in Tacloban.
As they put their money, they will receive real-time notifications such as available balance via SMS or short message service.
Rewards and incentives are in-store for the beneficiaries.
Once they reached a certain amount in their savings, they can opt to have a Smart Retailer package consisting of a Smart retailer SIM and credits that they can use to start a mobile load business.
Another choice is a sari-sari store starter set with Unilever products that they can resell as another source of income.
The estimated 16,000 beneficiaries from 45 coastal villages in the city are encouraged to save every day to build the culture of savings.
City Administrator Irene Chiu, representing Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez, thanked the partners in helping the city become resilient.
“It has been three years but Oxfam and Smart Communications are still helping the people of Tacloban and make our city better. This project is very helpful as not all have access to traditional financial banking system and it make it easier for people to save through Smart and PayMaya,” Chiu shared.
The Financial Inclusion for Tacloban Resettlement Integrated Program (TRIP) also offers accident insurance.
For families composed of six or more members, the family is entitled to two beneficiaries who are 18 and above and belong to vulnerable group — senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), conditional cash transfer beneficiaries, single parents, child-headed families and pregnant or nursing mothers.
City Vice Mayor Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin who graced the event said that that he and the people of Tacloban are grateful for this financial literacy and entrepreneurship program.
He said that this program uses technology to fight poverty, fight injustice, uplift and empower our people. This is the kind of program that ensures that nobody is left behind.
Benjie Fernandez, co-chief operating officer of PayMaya Philippines, shared that this program revolves around the slogan of the launching “Handa, Matatag, Determinado, Asenso Tacloban!
“PayMaya Philippines is committed to creating a long-lasting impact on the development of communities through our financially inclusive innovations including Smart Money, which provides SIM-based mobile money services,” Fernandez said. (VICKY C.ARNAIZ)