Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and wife, Councilor Cristina G. Romualdez, led in welcoming Margareta Wahlstrom, the United Nation secretary general state representative of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction during her visit to the city on March 2, 2014.
Wahlstrom arrived with Climate Change Assistant Commissioner Naderev “Yeb” Saño to have an ocular inspection of the city which bore the brunt of the supertyphoon’s wrath.
With Mayor Romualdez, the UN official went around the city at the UNDP funded Global DIRT (Disaster Immediate Response Team) for the biggest deployment of cadaver retrieval operations which is still ongoing, over four months since the November 8,2013 killer typhoon.(Photos By: TIME CANES/GAY B.GASPAY-TISAT)
Alfred, Cristina welcome UN official
Graduates struggles to find work amid crisis
TACLOBAN CITY- Kristene Joy Alas, 21, is a smart lady and on her way to receive her diploma in business administration on April 2, 2014 in Manila. Like many other young graduates in the country, Alas is already dreaming herself working in a corporate office, earning enough money to send for her family back in the Yolanda-hit province of Leyte and save some for her own.
Latest employment figures reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority, however, show no rosy picture for Alas and for the rest of the more than 700,000 college graduates who will join the labor market in the next few days.
According to the agency, unemployment rate rose to 7.5 percent in January 2014 from 7.1 percent in January 2013. Independent think-tank IBON also contested that about 4.5 million were unemployed last year, hinting also a similar problem on unemployment rate for this year.
In spite of her gut feeling that landing into a job is feat of “survival of the fittest,” Alas remains positive.
“I know it’s not that easy to get a job but if you’re really that person who is motivated and dedicated in job hunting I think you’ll get lucky,” she told Leyte Samar Daily Express.
Raymund Astorga, also graduating on his accountancy degree from a reputable school, shared the same views with Alas.
“I don’t have any fear in entering the business knowing that business courses are in demand nowadays. For us, it will depend on our performance and good background in our undergraduate history like the school, grades and other affiliations,” he said.
Astorga added what he fears most is the job mismatch.
“I want to be in a workplace where I will be happy, in my line of degree,” he said, yet adding he is open to any possibilities for work experience.
He also expressed disappointment to the government on the rising unemployment.
To cope with the changing needs of time, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has announced expansion to its short-term courses which include learning foreign languages, this as some Filipinos who cannot find a work in the country opted to leave for abroad.
It is estimated that about one million left the country every year to find work overseas. (RONALD O.REYES)
DepEd official urge brgy officials to activate literacy council
CALBAYOG CITY- The Department of Education Calbayog City Division urged barangay officials to activate the Barangay Literacy Coordinating Council (BLCC) as mandated to them.
In an interview, assistant schools division superintendent Raul Agban said that barangay officials should also make sure that the said council is functional to support the literacy program in the barangay level.
“Barangay officials are mandated to form a Barangay Literacy Coordinating Council and they must make sure that said council is functional. This is part of our effort in strengthening the literacy program in the barangay,” Agban said.
The BLCC is headed by the barangay chairman; the school principal as the vice chairman and with all the barangay councilors and the Alternative Learning System (ALS) coordinator of DepEd sitting as members.
Meanwhile, DepEd Calbayog City Division ALS program coordinator Ricky Cano said that the barangay has an important role for the success of the literacy program.
Cano added that one of their predicaments when they are in the barangay is to encourage the out- of- school youth to continue their education through the program.
He encouraged the barangay officials to coordinate with DepEd’s mobile teacher and help them in the sustainability of the ALS in their respective barangays.
As of now, there are 978 out-of- school youth in the city that are enrolled under the ALS Program. The DepEd is hoping that the number will increase with the help of the barangay officials.
“We are hoping that the said 978 enrolled out –of- school youth will increase with the help of our barangay officials, “Cano said.
Formerly known as Non- Formal Education which mainly focuses on livelihood program, the ALS Program now gives importance to the education of the youth who does not have means to continue their studies in regular schools. (JENNIFER SUMAGANG-ALLEGADO)
UN OCHA expressed concerns on aid distributions
TACLOBAN CITY- Bias, favoritism and duplication.
These are but just few of the feedbacks received by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) about aid distributions in the communities.
Worst, these concerns are usually listed under high frequency category basing on the number of queries by the typhoon-affected.
Adding also are questions about how the criteria for choosing a beneficiary is being chosen.
With these complaints and feedbacks, OCHA sees the need to incorporate its accountability to affected populations (AAP) working group not just what it did during the early stages of Yolanda Humanitarian Response but also in creating a more sustainable mechanism that will focus on effectiveness, learning, quality and accountability in aid distributions.
Veronika Martin, UN OCHA AAP officer, said that this measure will effect change to ensure that communities are heard in the decision-making.
The AAP will play a critical role to promote community perspective, thus the need to systematically gather, hear and integrate their view points, she added.
Aside from “checking” the system of aid distributions, AAP will also become the avenue for pointing out the gaps in assistance and a follow-up arm for unmet needs. Thus, it may also play a role in formation of future strategies in humanitarian aspects, Martin added.
Meanwhile, initial surveys under AAP perspective reveals that most asked for availability of construction materials from the humanitarian aid groups.
A clear indication that the people are now more into the rehabilitation stage and may have recovered from the early effects of the calamity like fear for lack of food supply. (REGIN OLIMBERIO, COMMUNITERE)
Resilient, vibrant liveable Tacloban
How could Tacloban City be better described than being resilient, vibrant and livable? This is Mayor Alfred Romualdez administration’s vision of this once progressive and tourist-drawing city now gradually rising above the ruins created by the deadly supertyphoon Yolanda on November 8 last year. A masterplan presented to the public on March 21 gears towards this end but will entail a hefty PhP 2.5 to 3 billion to get it done over a considerable period of time.
If only Mayor Romualdez will be assured of a tenure beyond his three successive terms in office as the city’s chief executive, the Proposed Tacloban Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan, which was helped get done in a short one-and-a-half-month time by the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), could materialize worriless.
Knowing though how the country’s political climate is as erratic as the weather system affected by the phenomenon called global warming, any plan for now may not seem to be it after the present dispensation’s power has ceased. In June 2016, Romualdez will have relinquish his power in favour of his successor.
This fast changing possibilities could not easily be dismissed. Take for instance the construction of the Department of Health edifice in Brgy. Cabalawan in Tacloban City that was ordered abandoned in the midst of its construction for allegedly nestling atop of a faultline. A project of the administration of then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, the building was touted as a white elephant. However, this time, under the administration of the Marcos nemesis Pres. Noynoy Aquino, the same compound where this abandoned edifice stands will be utilized for the new building of Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center.
Another is the revival of the Eastern Visayas Regional Growth Center, a catchment basin type of adjacent agricultural lands which was an original concept of the Marcos administration. Following the ouster of the former strongman, EVRGC likewise was put on shelf. Now, in the recovery and rehab plan of the only highly urbanized city of Eastern Visayas, reviving the EVRGC is shaping up to be part of the economic component of the four-tier framework of the city’s build back better program particular in the northern portion of the city.
Only two main factors that can hold back the success of this masterplan: sustainability and resources. The plan, which was designed to help mitigate a similar extent of devastation in the face of possible tsunami and another storm surge to occur in Tacloban, and to relocate the residents in the “no build zones” to safer residential grounds in the upland such as Barangays Sta. Elena, Sto. Nino and New Kawayan, is plausible if only all aspects in it are tenable.
Congratulations to Bar Hurdlers
We should be touched by the revelations of bar topnotch Nielson G. Pangan, a UP graduate who garnered a score of 85.80 percent. He said he did not expect to rank No. 1 among bar takers given last year’s. Pangan was just an average graduate among his classmates of 200 students. He was a shy type says one of his professors Atty. Harry S. Roque.
Well, well-shy? This is to a certain extent a disadvantage if one is shy and hard at showing off, so one gets unnoticed in classroom interactions and by the teachers. Nielson’s kind of character however reflects the reality of another revelation that captures the saying that says – silent waters run deep!
Of course Nielson Pangan did not get the highest grade in the bar exams by luck alone. He was so interested to pass the bar by spending ten hours a day during the week review schedules; further he goes to the UP library for this study. And he spends his free time praying at the Iglesia Ni Cristo temple. He is an active number of the church!
Again, congratulations to all successful bar passers!!!
-oOo-
A little patience, a little understanding; and respect for our authorities, should be observed by everyone. In the past days, we heard of several victims of the Yolanda catastrophe who were apparently dissatisfied with the way relief operations were conducted. Their targets of criticisms were government officials and government agencies. Let us admit there were unavoidable lapses.
These few victims air their grievances in local broadcast stations, and the effect on listeners is and to most of them they get easily convinced and believe that these complainants are true; they swallow hook line and sinker in such complaints.
-oOo-
The whole pictures disprove them. The relief operations by and large are effective. This can be seen. What they should do is to be patient and be understanding. Certainly these relief goods or even cash relief are going to be given to those who are qualified to receive them.
And finally let us show respect to our leaders, both in the national and local levels. We can be assured that these national and local leaders are human and I think they understand our situation and they sincerely and really want to help.
-oOo-
Let us not worry if corruption gets into the picture in this relief and rehabilitation efforts. They will be discovered.
With Rehabilitation Secretary Panfilo Lacson on top of this operation, we can be assured the corrupt will be discovered in time and Lacson will NEVER initiate, allow much less undertake a cover-up, that I am certain.
Our belief in Ping Lacson’s integrity is bolstered by the fact that as Senator of the republic in the past he is one of two in the Upper House who did not avail of the corrupt – laden pork barrel “enjoyed” by majority of Philippine lawmakers who have obviously enriched themselves thru these.
The other one is former Senator Joker Arroyo!