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Alfred appoints new disaster council chief

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TACLOBAN CITY- City Vice Mayor Jerry “Sambo Yaokasin said that he was glad that finally the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) has a new and permanent chairman.

Yaokasin said that having a permanent chair of the CDRRMC is important considering that the occurrence of typhoons in Tacloban has become frequent. Recently, City Mayor Alfred Romualdez appointed Edilbrando Bernadas as the chair of the CDRRMC, replacing Derek Anido, Jr., who left for abroad. Bernadas was once the chief of the City General Services and ran but lost during the 2013 elections as councilor. Vice Mayor Yaokasin also urged the Executive Department to put up a permanent office for the CDRRMC as well as a hotline wherein the public could call during a disaster. At present, the CDRRMC holds office in a tent at the Kanhuraw Hill.

”We have to institutionalize ito.This is to give the constituents a number to call in times of disasters, emergencies and if in need of assistance” Yaokasin said. Meanwhile, the vice mayor said that he was glad that the people of the city appeared to have learned their experiences during the supertyphoon Yolanda. He said that when Tacloban felt tropical storm Glenda, the people especially those living in tents and bunkhouses voluntarily went to the evacuation centers identified by the city government without being directed.

“I just hope that this will continue in terms of disaster awareness and preparedness for the city of Tacloban “Yaokasin said. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Orientation held on the implementation of the PRDP in Eastern Visayas

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TACLOBAN CITY- The regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) spearheaded a briefing on the implementation of the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) here in the region held at Hotel Alejandro on July 22, this year.

PRDP is designed to establish an inclusive and market-oriented agri-fishery sector through strategic investments in priority commodity value chains. The program will collaborate with local government units and private sector in providing key infrastructures, facilities, technology, and information that will help increase incomes, productivity, and competitiveness in the rural areas, said Jenny Lyn Almeria, regional focal person of the PRDP.

According to Almeria, the main objectives of the program are as follows: to have at least 5 percent increase in annual real farm incomes of PRDP household beneficiaries; make a 7 percent increase in value of annual marketed output and increase of 20 percent in number of farmers and fisheries with improved access to DA services.
There are also program components under PRDP and these are I-PLAN (Investments in AFMP Planning at the Local and National Levels); I-BUILD (Intensive Building up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development); I-REAP (Investments in Rural Enterprises and Fisheries Productivity) and I-SUPPORT (Implementation Support to PRDP).
The implementation of the six-year program is to start next year and is funded by the World Bank at a cost of P27 billion.

Among present during the briefing on the program were Director Bernadette San Juan, regional executive director of the DA; Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and representatives of member agencies of the Regional Program Advisory Board. (VALERIE COLE C. LIBARIOS, LNU-Intern)

DA urges coconut farmers to practice intercropping to help them recover losses due to Yolanda

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TACLOBAN CITY-The regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has encouraged coconut farmers to practice intercropping to help them recover somehow the losses they sustained due to the onslaught of supertyphoon Yolanda.
Coconut farmers in the region bore the brunt when Yolanda hit the region eight months ago.
It takes close to 10 years before coconut trees to fully recover and be productive again.
Thus, to help coconut farmers earn income and go back to farming, the government provided alternative livelihood solution such as intercropping.
Presently, the Philippine Coconut Authority is providing “pinakbet” seeds composed of squash, ampalaya and eggplant with free complete fertilizer to fully utilize the land and increase the crop production.
After three months time, farmers can already harvest their vegetable crops, thus helping them to produce their own food and augment their income.
“In the region, 600 hectares were already planted for alternative crops,” said by Bernadette San Juan, DA regional executive director.
“We were able to distribute 400 kilos of vegetable seeds and3, 000 kilos of corn seeds in the region,” she added. (ANNIE ORLENE B. TISMO, LNU Intern)

First batch of K to 12 graduates in Leyte finds employment after Yolanda

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TACLOBAN CITY- The K to 12 program of the Department of Education has pave the way for them to find employment. Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla told reporters in an interview said that 90 percent of the graduates, all victims supertyphoon Yolanda, are now gainfully employed in various establishments in our country and abroad. There were about 100 students coming from the Palo National High School and Merida Vocational School who were the first to finish the K to 12 program implementation in the province.

Petilla pointed out that the first batch of the K to 12 graduates were ready to find work considering that they are gain the needed skills aside from receiving a national certification II (NC II) from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The governor disclosed that the graduates received their respective NC II from TESDA for food and beverage services, housekeeping, commercial cooking, motorcycle and engine servicing, driving, automotive servicing, computer hardware and servicing, welding and pipefitting. He added that the graduates are now employed by Andok’s Litson Corporation, Toyota Tacloban, MAC Builders Inc., Accudata, Automedic, KIA Motors, and a business firm in Saudi Arabia. He further added that only 10 out of the 100 graduates enrolled opted to continue their college education. (RESTITUTO CAYUBIT)

GSIS extends housing loan restructuring until Dec. 29

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State pension fund Government Service Insurance System has extended anew the deadline for the housing loan remedial and restructuring program until 29 December 2014 to accommodate more applicants. This is the third time GSIS extended the deadline since the program was launched in August 2013. More than Php1.5 billion accounts have so far been restructured covering a total of 3,000 borrowers. Of these, 1,049 or 34% have already fully paid their housing loans amounting to Php223 million while 1,996 or 66% opted to pay on instalment totalling Php1.2 billion.

Borrowers with current or up-to-date accounts; whose deeds of conditional sale were cancelled but not yet sold; and whose accounts are under foreclosure proceedings may apply for the program. The program is also open to buyers of rights and heirs of deceased borrowers subject to eligibility criteria. Under the program, GSIS will condone unpaid penalties and surcharges and grant extended payment terms for qualified borrowers who opt to restructure their housing loans.

Discounts will be given to applicants who intend to pay their outstanding obligations in full. Those with arrears of up to six months will get 100% discount on unpaid interest, penalties and surcharges while those with arrears beyond six months will receive discounts based on their payment history. GSIS has also made it convenient for them to pay their obligations by spreading the payments over a longer period at lower monthly amortizations for those who are qualified.

By restructuring, qualified applicants may save their houses from being sold to other buyers. GSIS is enforcing a by-appointment-only policy to ensure applicants are properly attended to when they visit and avoid unnecessary waste of their time. Metro Manila applicants may call telephone numbers 479-3548, 479-3583 and 479-3587 to set an appointment. Applicants based in provincial offices, may call the GSIS’s contact center at 847-4747. (PR)

BFAR briefs CASTSDM mayors on by-catch management

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CASTSDM chairman-Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino welcomed BFAR-8 idea of expanding the alliance to other LGUs as all has that common goal to manage Samar Sea coastal fisheries and its marine resources. (photo by IAN VILLANUEVA BALDOMARO)
CASTSDM chairman-Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino welcomed BFAR-8 idea of expanding the alliance to other LGUs as all has that common goal to manage Samar Sea coastal fisheries and its marine resources.   (photo by IAN VILLANUEVA BALDOMARO)
CASTSDM chairman-Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino welcomed BFAR-8 idea of expanding the alliance to other LGUs as all has that common goal to manage Samar Sea coastal fisheries and its marine resources. (photo by IAN VILLANUEVA BALDOMARO)

CALBAYOG CITY-The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-8 conducted a project brief on “REBYC-II CTI” (Reducing By-catch Coral Triangle Initiative) involving mayors of the CASTSDM (Calbayog, Almagro, Sto.Nino, Tagapul-an, Sta. Margarita, Daram and Maripipi) Alliance.

BFAR-8 research team head Raffy Ramiscal said that the project is a strategy for trawl fisheries by-catch management that is expected to contribute to more sustainable use of fisheries resources and healthier marine ecosystems in the coral triangle and Southeast Asia waters by reducing by-catch, discards and other impact of trawl fisheries.

Ramiscal mentioned the participating countries and executing partners of this project are Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines with Samar Sea as the pilot site. The project, he added, includes “ichthyoplankton” (fish eggs and larvae) survey, by-catch and trawl catch survey, critical habitat and fishing ground survey, formulation of Samar Sea Fisheries Management Plan, TWG (technical working group) activities, EAFM (Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management) and other capacity building activities.

The actual implementation of this 4-year project, he further said, started last year. Ramiscal said that once the project is finished, Samar Sea is sure to enjoy a more sustainable use of fisheries resources, a healthier marine habitat and ecosystems, and a secured fisherfolks’ livelihood.

The executing agency of this REBYC-II CTI Project is the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), while the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) is their Regional Project Facilitator Unit. Their project partners are the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization (IFFO), Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and the Regional Fisheries Livelihood Project (RFLP).
This REBYC-II CTI project brief for CASTSDM Alliance mayors was held last July 18 at the Mayor’s Conference Room, this city. The alliance is composed of Calbayog City through Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino (chairman), Almagro (Mayor Kathleen S. Prudenciado (vice chairman), Sto. Nino (Mayor Lilia A. Conejos; Tagapul-an (Mayor Vicente F. Limpiado; Sta. Margarita (Mayor Gemma P. Zosa); Daram (Mayor Lucia L. Astorga) and Maripipi (Mayor Uldarico P. Macorol), as members. (AIMEE CATALAN/PR)

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