ABUYOG, Leyte — Sixty persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Leyte Regional Prison (LRP)here will have the chance to earn college degrees while serving their sentences under a new education program designed to help them prepare for life after incarceration.
The program, called ‘Project Paglaun’, was formally launched on Aug. 4 through a memorandum of agreement signing between the LRP and Abuyog Community College (ACC) at the prison’s Maximum Security Camp.

The program will offer a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship, with formal classes scheduled to begin on Sept. 1. The 60 enrollees will be divided into two sections and will attend classes three times a week.

ACC president Clemelle Montallana said the program builds on the prison’s existing educational initiatives, which already include junior and senior high school programs.
“There is a need for the Leyte Regional Prison for a continuing education after the establishment of Junior and Senior High School,” he said.

Montallana said providing higher education to PDLs would give them knowledge, skills and livelihood opportunities that could help them become productive members of society after their release and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

“We know for the fact that if we take care of our PDLs, it creates a good opportunity for society not to deal so much with recidivists of crimes,” he said.

Entrepreneurship was selected as the degree program after a survey of prospective students and an assessment of the practical limitations of offering other courses inside the prison.

Montallana said an information technology program, for instance, would require laboratory facilities, while education was considered already oversubscribed. Entrepreneurship, on the other hand, can prepare students for self-employment, business ownership and partnerships.

The program also takes into account the requirements of the Commission on Higher Education, including on-the-job training, which could be difficult for incarcerated students to complete.

Tuition and other education costs for the students will be covered under the government’s Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, or UniFAST.

ACC will also include the PDL graduates in its job-placement database and help connect them with potential employers after their release, Montallana said.

For the first semester, six ACC personnel will teach the students, with the number expected to increase to nine in the second semester.

Preparations for the program included arranging transportation for teaching personnel and preparing classrooms inside the prison. Montallana said the classrooms were constructed by PDLs themselves.

Correction Officer 2 Noli Ann Billo, acting deputy superintendent for reformation of the LRP, said the 60 students were selected based on their eligibility and the expected length of their remaining incarceration.

Applicants were required to have at least five years remaining on their sentences or to be expected to remain at the LRP for the next five years to ensure continuity in their studies. Priority was given to PDLs housed in the maximum-security camp.

Of the 60 enrollees, 57 are graduates of the Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System. Most are over 20 years old, while some senior citizens are also among those enrolled.

Billo said the initiative is the first college education program implemented by a prison facility under the Bureau of Corrections, although a similar program is being offered at the New Bilibid Prison through a private organization.

The initiative is supported by the Abuyog local government unit and the Commission on Higher Education as part of efforts to expand educational and rehabilitation opportunities for the PDLs.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY— The municipal government of Tabango is seeking to establish Kimud Shoal as a major dive tourism destination under its jurisdiction, as it works to attract visitors and generate more local economic benefits from the area’s famed thresher sharks.
Mayor Ma. Corazon Remandaban said the municipality wants to promote Kimud Shoal as part of Tabango and correct the long-standing perception that the dive site is associated with Malapascua Island in Daanbantayan, Cebu.

For years, tourism activities around the shoal have generated income largely for dive operators based in Malapascua, she said.

Remandaban said the issue had already been raised by her husband, Vice Mayor Benjo Remandaban, during discussions with officials of Daanbantayan even before she became mayor. Among the concerns discussed was the collection of environmental fees from tourists visiting Kimud Shoal.

She said environmental fees collected from visitors had previously gone entirely to the local government of Daanbantayan.

Kimud Shoal is known as a cleaning station for thresher sharks, which are attracted to the area by small fish that help remove parasites and other debris from their bodies.
Thresher sharks are distinguished by their exceptionally long tails, which can account for nearly half of their total body length and are used to stun prey.

Remandaban said Tabango still has work to do to develop its own tourism industry, particularly because licensed divers and operators currently serving the area are largely based in Malapascua.

“That is our target now for tourism. However, we still have many things to do because many of our licensed divers are from Malapascua. But we partner and collaborate with them,” she said.

Rather than displacing existing dive operators, the mayor said the municipality intends to work with them while gradually developing Tabango’s capacity to accommodate tourists.
As part of its tourism development efforts, the municipal government has also sought assistance from the Philippine Ports Authority to improve Tabango’s port facilities.

Remandaban said the municipality hopes to upgrade the port so larger vessels carrying tourists can dock directly in Tabango, making the town more accessible to visitors.
The local government believes improved port facilities, stronger partnerships with dive operators and the promotion of Kimud Shoal can help increase tourist arrivals while ensuring that more of the economic benefits from the marine attraction reach Tabango.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY — Stricter food safety compliance is opening more market opportunities for coconut-based enterprises in Eastern Visayas, as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) urges micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to secure the necessary Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits.

The call was made during the opening of the 2nd Eastern Visayas Regional Coconut Trade Fair at Robinsons Place Marasbaras here where 24 MSMEs assisted by DTI-8 and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)-8 are showcasing coconut-based food and non-food products.

DTI-8 Regional Director Celerina Bato said the number of exhibitors declined from 28 during last year’s inaugural trade fair, mainly because of stricter compliance requirements for food businesses.

“In line with the directives of the DTI regional operations group, all participating food exhibitors are either holders of a valid FDA License to Operate or have an application already in process,” Bato said.

She said the stricter requirements should be viewed as an important step toward improving product quality and protecting consumers rather than as a setback for businesses.
“This heightened compliance standard is a primary reason our exhibitors are lower than last year, but I see this not as a setback but a step forward for quality and consumer safety,” she said.

Bato encouraged coconut MSMEs to secure their FDA authorization, adding that DTI continues to assist businesses in complying with regulatory requirements.
An FDA License to Operate authorizes an establishment to engage in regulated activities involving food and other health-related products. It also helps ensure that products sold to consumers meet food safety standards.

For coconut enterprises, securing an LTO could allow them to participate in more government-supported trade fairs and gain access to larger markets, including major commercial outlets.

PCA-8 Regional Manager Marlon Terado said FDA compliance could help participating enterprises expand their market reach.

“We expect that since our exhibitors here are already FDA-registered, their market will become wider and they will be able to expand,” he said.

The four-day trade fair features a range of value-added coconut products, from food items to non-food products. Organizers are targeting P1.5 million in sales during the event.
Bato said the trade fair forms part of the implementation of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan under Republic Act No. 11524, which seeks to increase the income and productivity of coconut farmers, promote poverty alleviation and social equity, and modernize the country’s coconut industry through a 50-year development program.
One of the exhibitors is Island’s Best of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, which is showcasing coconut wine, a fermented beverage made from coconut water.

Carmel Amoroto, the company’s sales and marketing specialist, said the beverage has an alcohol content of 13 percent and comes in classic and calamansi variants.
She said coconut wine is different from traditional tuba because it is made from coconut water rather than coconut sap.

Amoroto said the product was developed by her brother, a food technician, and underwent product innovation last year before being introduced to the market this year. Coconut wine is now an addition to the company’s main product, calamansi concentrate.

The 2nd Eastern Visayas Regional Coconut Trade Fair was held from Aug. 13 to 16 at Robinsons Place Marasbaras in Tacloban City.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)