TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) has already released P22.2 million indemnity claims to 4,435 farmers in the region this year. Most of the recipients are farmers who suffered losses due to pest infestation, diseases, and dry spell affecting rice, corn, and high value crops production. These farmers who received the claims from January 1 to July 18 are the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA) program with premiums sponsored by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and local government units (LGUs). “Although the drought slightly hit some parts of the region, majority of claims are caused by damages brought by pest and disease infestation,” said PCIC Regional Manager Dominico Digamon. Last year, the PCIC paid more indemnity at P30 million during the first semester. The higher amount is largely contributed to increase in the number of farms covered with insurance due to free premiums after disaster. “We are still hoping to surpass our performance last year with the commitment of support from the DA and LGUs.Also, farmers now are more aware of the impacts of disaster and the need for crop insurance,” Digamon said. A farmer pays P890 for every single hectare covered. Once damaged, they will get up to P10,000 indemnity. The government’s crop indemnity program provides insurance protection to agricultural producers against loss of the crops on the account of natural calamities, plant pests and disease, and other perils.
Rice remains the major program but PCIC also covers corn, high value commercial crops, livestock, fisheries, non-crop farm products, term insurance power program, and death benefits for those with insured rice and corn farms.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY- Department of Agriculture Secretary Manny F. Piñol in his official visit to Eastern Visayas has expressed his intention to bring back to DA’s supervision all agricultural extension workers (AEWs) who were devolved to local government units due to the enactment and implementation of the Local Government Code of 1992.
“This is an anomaly,” Secretary Piñol said in an agri- stakeholders’ forum held recently at Hotel de Francisco in Catbalogan City, Samar as part of his “Biyaheng Bukid initiative” since his appointment as the Agri Chief by President Rody Duterte.

He said he had discussed this matter with DILG Secretary Mike Sueño on the possibility of having agricultural extension workers detailed at DA so the agency can answer for the cost of their travelling expenses to far flung barangays, even providing them with gasoline allowance for their vehicles. The DILG head was amenable to the idea, Piñol said, adding that he will also talk about this matter with concerned local government units and consequently craft a memorandum of agreement for this purpose.

Three governors, namely: Gov. Sharee Ann Tan of Samar, Gov. Jose Ong of Northern Samar and Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla of Leyte who were with Sec. Piñol during the dialogue aptly dubbed as “Aragtubang: Gobyerno ug Mulopyo (face-to-face: government and people) appeared to be amenable to the idea. According to Piñol he had toyed the idea of having field workers detailed at DA due to common observations that these workers are often seen in high heels and just staying at the office when they are supposed to be in the field.

During the forum he disclosed a massive plan to transform the entire Samar Island into a major food basket due to its seemingly vast array of untapped agricultural lands.
At the press conference which followed after the dialogue, Piñol said that “palalagu-in natin ang Samar until it turns into a food basket”. A project management team will be organized to be composed of DA-Regional Staff and the LGU-based extension workers. Accordingly, these extension workers, once detailed at DA and empowered with travel incentives, will be the focal persons to monitor progress of agriculture projects in their localities, and the measure of success will be to alleviate poverty of marginal farmers in two or three years’ time. The Municipal/City Agriculture Officers (MAOs) attending the stakeholders’ forum with the governors, district and party-list representatives, and the local farmer-leaders applauded on hearing Piñol’s elaborate plan to detail field workers to DA.

Practically, this has long been the common clamor of the devolved agricultural workers ever since the Local Government Code has been enforced. However, due to seeming lack of political will and other related reasons, the previous plans to bring them back to DA’s fold has been stalled. With this latest pronouncement and affirmation from the new DA Secretary, many are optimistic that sooner, Secretary Piñol will make good on his promise. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – Citing the need to uplift the condition of the unemployed poor in the 2nd district of Leyte province, the regional chief of the Department of Labor and Employment, Director Elias A. Cayanong and Rep. Henry Ong agreed to deliver programs that will provide alternative livelihood, particularly to youth, women, disabled persons, and parents of child laborers. During a meeting held on July 21, 2016 at the Office of the DOLE Regional Director, the two government officials expressed their commitment to extend livelihood assistance to the informal sector workers who are oftentimes left out in the highly competitive labor market. Director Cayanong explained that the DOLE under its Integrated Livelihood Program has been providing self-employment through livelihood, with the hope of providing productive and gainful employment for the marginalized and unprotected workers. “I am very happy that congressman Ong expressed his interest to partner with us in the implementation of our livelihood program. And I would like to match that commitment by strongly working with him to speed up the processing of livelihood proposals that may be submitted to our office”, the labor chief said. Rep. Ong thanked Dir. Cayanong for the support to his advocacies despite being a neophyte legislator, particularly of his livelihood program. (PR)

GOVERNMENT CENTER,PALO,Leyte- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office VIII during its 6th Monthly Coordination Meeting at the DPWH Multi-Purpose Building, Baras, Palo, Leyte on July 19, 2016 tackled the following policy instructions from acting Secretary Rafael C. Yabut on the first Regional Director Meeting held at the Central Office, Manila, on July 11, 2016. · Performance will be based on disbursements made against obligations and allocations. · All Implementing Offices should already check their proposed projects for 2017 and succeeding years to avoid future modifications which are one cause of delay in implementation.

· Road Right of Way should be settled and cleared first from encroachment and obstruction prior to funding of civil works to avoid delay in the implementation.
· Implementing Offices (IOs) need not charge certain infrastructure damage to a typhoon whose occurrence happened quite a long time already.
· On-going DOT projects with ROW problem shall coordinate with the concerned LGU.

OIC-Director Edgar Tabacon bared 36.85% overall accomplishment versus 37.38% target of CY 2016 Infrastructure Program of DPWH RO 8 as of June 2016. Of the 13 District Engineering Offices (DEOs), Biliran DEO is the TOP PERFORMER with 76.97% percent accomplishment. Biliran DEO has a total number of sixty-six (66) infrastructure projects; of which 52 projects are completed, 10 are ongoing and only 4 projects which are not yet started (NYS) due to delayed delivery of materials for the projects. The NYS projects include the repair of National Bridges in the province with a total cost of P 12 million. RD Tabacon commended all engineers and field workers for their hard work in speeding up the projects in order to improve road accessibility for better mobility of people and products. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- More than 400 job order (JO) workers assigned at the different departments and offices of the City Hall, this city, were retrenched with lack of budget cited as reason. Teofila Brosas, head of the human resources department, said that while it was “difficult” on the part of Mayor Cristina Romualdez to dismiss these workers, she had to do it for the greater interest of the city government and ensure that needed basic services intended for the residents will not be affected. “It was a very difficult part for Mayor Romualdez (to dismiss them) considering that they have their respective families to support and we’re still in the recovery period (due to supertyphoon Yolanda) but she has to do it nevertheless,” she said.

Tacloban, considered the ground zero of Yolanda, world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland, has resulted for it to suffer financial losses due to closure of business establishments. Thousands of workers lost their jobs in the process.  It was learned from Brosas that considering that the salaries of these JO workers were only taken from its savings, the city government has to do this drastic move. She said that for the months of July to December this year, P34 million is the projected savings of the city government. The amount is just enough to pay 605 job order workers, Brosas added.  JO workers are those hired by the city government for short working period, three months at the maximum though their work contract could be renewed, receives P260 a day, the current daily minimum pay in the region. Brosas, however, said that while they have to retrench these workers, they could still expect to return to work once the local income of the city would improve. “They will be the first priority. The mayor does not like to see them working but without any salary. That would not be fair to them,” she said. Brosas added that some department heads could still continue the services of the JO workers assigned at their respective offices as long as they could fully justify their presence. The retrenchment started this month just after the Mayor Cristina Romualdez assumed, succeeding her husband, Alfred, who finished his nine years in office.