TACLOBAN CITY- Livelihood support for fishermen who lost their source of income and upkeep in the aftermath of supertyphoon Yolanda in the municipalities of Guiuan and Salcedo, in Eastern Samar, received fishing boats on July 8 from the Kabuhayan Para sa Kaunlaran (KAISA), a non-government organization, funded by the Chinese-Filipino (Tsinoy) community.

According to Annabel Chua Lim, project coordinator of KAISA with the project dubbed as “Bangkabuhayan,” a total of 25 fishing boats were turned over in Salcedo and another 25 for Guiuan.

Teresita Ang See, chairman of KAISA, led the turnover. Lim said that this is just an initial support to the fisherfolks of Eastern Samar and Samar. Sometime in September another 50 bancas will be turned over to Marabut in Samar and Giporlos, Eastern Samar.

A memorandum of agreement was signed during the turn over with the mayors, KAISA, HFFI and the beneficiaries.The fishing boats donation cannot be sold, pawned, dismantled and bartered. The beneficiaries shall also not engage in illegal fishing activities.

Lim added that seven big groups in the Chinese Filipino community have united as one to respond to disastrous calamities. Leading the donor groups that donated 300 boats to different beneficiaries are the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.; Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations of the Philippines; World News Daily; Filipino-Chinese Amity Club, Overseas Chinese Alumni Association of the Philippines; Filipino-Chinese Shin Lian Association and the Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.

KAISA members visited several municipalities in Yolanda disaster-hit provinces of Iloilo, Palawan and Leyte to distribute relief goods as well as tools and construction materials for repairs of houses and school buildings.

It is also during their relief distribution that KAISA made an assessment of the livelihood support they can give to the community. Last March and April, KAISA turned over 100 bancas in the municipality of Ajuy, Iloilo. The “Bangkabuhayan” project is aimed to restore the capability of the affected fishermen to earn a living.
“We want to include another line where you help the fishermen fish and the whole community gets to eat,” Lim said. The group also targeted the fishermen of Aklan and Cebu to avail of Bangkabuhayan with another 100 fishing boats.

KAISA also partnered with Health Futures Foundation, Inc. (HFFI) which is headed by Dr. Jaime Z. Galvez Tan, that chooses the beneficiaries, monitor their activities and provide technical support in installing the motor to the banca and on its maintenance side for the next two years. (VICKY C.ARNAIZ)

TACLOBAN CITY-Filipino volunteers who have shown exemplary performance and dedication to service in helping people and communities will once again be given recognition in their role in development and nation-building as the Search for Outstanding Volunteers 2014 goes on.

Individuals of Filipino citizenship and Filipino or local chapters of foreign or international non-profit or corporation organizations are qualified to participate.
Awards for grabs are Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award (VLAA) and National Outstanding Volunteer Award (NOVA).

For an individual, group or organization that do not qualify under the regular SOV categories but which are deemed meritorious in accomplishment, a Special Citation in Volunteerism will also be conferred to recognize volunteering efforts and/or support to volunteerism.

There are however more specific qualifications being considered among the nominees in each category in order to get the coveted award.

The Regional Search Committee will careful screen the nominations and submit to the SOV National Selection Committee all the nominations on or before September 15 this year. The awarding will be held in Manila on December 12.

Louie Quebec, the media representative to the Regional Development Council, disclosed that the deadline for submission of entry is on July 31. (EILEEN NAZARENO-BALLESTEROS)

TACLOBAN CITY – Nutrition stakeholders launched on July 1 the Nutrition Month 2014 urging everyone to become “nutritionally prepared” for disasters. National Nutrition Council (NNC) regional nutrition program coordinator Catalino Dotollo encouraged local government units and non-government organizations to initiate activities that would raise the capability of communities to prepare for calamities through best nutrition practices.

“Nutrition Month 2014 aims to promote interventions to address nutritional needs in emergencies and disasters including preparedness, response and recovery. This could be achieved through the creation of local nutrition clusters,” Dotollo said during the opening of Nutrition Month celebration at the Balyuan open grounds.
This 40th Nutrition Month, anchored on the theme: “Kalamidad Paghandaan: Gutom at Malnutrisyon Agapan!,” aims to mobilize responders, particularly the local nutrition clusters and stakeholders to address gaps in nutrition in emergencies response from national to barangay levels.

The celebration seeks to increase awareness among families and individuals on coping and resiliency strategies to prevent malnutrition and worsening of nutritional status in times of emergencies and disasters.

This year’s theme stresses the importance of increased awareness and higher level of preparedness which can be achieved through the prevention of hunger and worsening of malnutrition during calamities.

During the opening, Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla renewed the provincial government’s commitment to reduce malnutrition. “From 11 towns included in the top nutritionally-depressed areas in the country in 2012, the number was reduced to four municipalities last year. This is an indication that everyone is working on the preventive side,” Petilla said.

However, these gains will only be sustained if local nutrition committees are more prepared to respond to nutritional needs during crisis. Briony Stevens, nutrition coordinator of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) emphasized the need for families to store three days of food supply before a disaster, to satisfy food requirement of families while waiting for emergency food assistance.

“This celebration is a reminder to prepare of what we should do before a disaster. Nutrition is not just about food. This is also about health, sanitation, and hygiene,” Stevens said.

Malou Tabao, nutrition action officer of Tacloban City government, lauded various international humanitarian organizations for their support to arrest malnutrition in the aftermath of Yolanda.

“Their presence has raised the capability of the local nutrition workers on how to nutritional needs during emergencies,” Tabao added. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

ORMOC CITY- A 74-year old woman was killed after she was hit by a 10-wheeler truck last week, this city, with the driver of the vehicle could escape from possible jail term. The victim, Benecia Ocan of Barangay Lilo-an, Ormoc, was crossing along corner Aviles and Rizal Streets when the 10-wheeler truck, driven by Ernesto Boholst,25 and a resident of Brgy.Mabato ,hit her.

The truck, with plate number GSU 836, was carrying color roofs and was bound for Tacloban at the time of the accident. Witness said that the victim was bumped and dragged by the 10-wheeler truck that caused her fatal injuries on the hip to the feet and hematoma to other parts of her body. She was declared dead hours later at the hospital due to blood loss.

The ORMOC rescue and the Bureau of Fire Protection rescue units came to save and rushed her to the hospital but her severe wounds worsen the condition. Boholst said he was on the “go” sign but did not notice the woman was crossing.

While traffic enforcer on duty Jenelyn Jaca said she was then signaling “go” for two corners including the path of the said truck so she failed to see the accident.
While the suspect was detained at the Police Station 1, no case was filed against him as it was learned that an amicable settlement could have been reached as the operator of the 10-wheeler truck extended financial assistance to the family of the victim who was to turn 75 years old next month. (ELVIE ROMAN ROA)

CALBAYOG CITY-“I’d like to proudly announce that of the 27 depots in the whole country, the Calbayog Procurement Depot is the most beautiful of all.” Thus said Procurement Service Executive Director Estanislao Granados during the inauguration of the new depot building of Calbayog on July 4. Granados said that Calbayog depot should now be the standard for all depots nationwide where the support of the city government through the able leadership of Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino highly manifests in the building– with a tiles flooring, well-furnished, with droplights and signboards, among other features.

Granados, who is to retire from government service on July 21, however, assured that he would particularly ask his successor to include in his first agenda the Calbayog depot visit. He likewise promised to give a gift to Calbayog depot – an LED TV which he will get from his retirement pay, and of course, a continuing 100% support of PS to the Calbayog Depot.

To recall, the procurement service depot in Calbayog was opened on June 24, 2010 at the Calbayog Sports Center. It started as an obscure little store trying to compete with the established business enterprises in the city. Now, it grow big and competitive enough that many of the city government purchases for supplies are now made in this procurement depot, and even attracted a strong clientele from neighboring municipalities that made Calbayog depot the present top grosser in the whole region.
Department of Budget and Management Regional Director Imelda Laceras, concurrently the Procurement Service Supervisor for Region 8 was also in attendance during the Calbayog depot inauguration and likewise proudly announced that the total sales of Calbayog depot during the last two and a half years had reached to P16.8 million.
From said amount, a check amounting to P277,000 was handed over to Mayor Aquino by Granados and Laceras during the inauguration as city’s share in the PS operation.

The operation of depots is mandated under the Government Procurement Reform Act or RA 9184 and the Administrative Order #11 issued in 2011 by President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino. These encourage LGUs to partner up with the Procurement Service and the DBM with the LGU provides the staff and area as its counterpart with the PS provides the goods and consignments and operating funds for running the depot. The DBM coordinates and supervises.

At the end every year, net profits are also divided three-way – to the LGU, to the DBM Regional Office and to the PS Central Office.
Prices of all goods and materials sold at the depots are at low prices. (AIMEE CATALAN/PR)