TACLOBAN CITY – For the first time, Eastern Visayas will serve as host of the Central Philippine Tourism Expo (CPTEx), a national tourism event set from June 20 to 22, aimed at unveiling the region’s lesser-known destinations and boosting its tourism footprint.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said the expo will gather regional tourism offices from Central Philippines, including Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and the newly created Negros Island Region.

“This is the third installment of CPTEx, a DOT-initiated event, and the first national tourism fair to be held in Eastern Visayas,” Tiopes announced during a press conference on June 13.
Unlike commercial travel fairs that favor well-known attractions, CPTEx will highlight emerging tourism sites, such as Biliran’s mountaineering trails and Leyte’s centuries-old churches.

“We have many beautiful places that are not yet known because they lack exposure. This expo will give them the platform to be discovered,” she added.

The event, which will be held at the Robinson’s shopping mall this city, is expected to draw around 200 delegates and hundreds of visitors, including tour operators, local businesses, and domestic travelers.

While San Juanico Bridge—one of the region’s main landmarks—remains under restricted access due to structural issues, Tiopes assured that light vehicles can still cross and that tourism activity will not be significantly affected.

In 2024, Eastern Visayas welcomed over 1.6 million tourists. Organizers hope this year’s expo will further unlock the region’s vast tourism potential.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

CATARMAN, Northern Samar– In a bold move to transform its local business environment and set a national benchmark, the provincial government of Northern Samar has institutionalized the Green Lane Policy, becoming the first local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines to adopt such an investor-centered framework.

Governor Edwin Ongchuan signed Ordinance No. 7, series of 2025, into law on June 13 during the Ibabao Business Conference, marking a significant milestone in the province’s push for streamlined investment facilitation.

The signing, witnessed by investors and development partners, reflects Northern Samar’s ambition to become a competitive destination for renewable energy and other strategic investments.

The policy, a brainchild of Gov. Ongchuan and implemented by the Provincial Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office headed by Jhon Allen Berbon, establishes a “single point of entry” system.

Under this model, investment proposals are processed first at the provincial level and then channeled to the appropriate municipal LGUs, ensuring faster coordination and reduced bureaucratic delays.

It also introduces innovations such as simultaneous permit processing, where prerequisites are handled in parallel to avoid bottlenecks; and delegation of permitting authority to the provincial government for projects classified as strategic investments, especially in the renewable energy sector.

“This is more than an efficiency upgrade,” said Ongchuan. “It is a deliberate shift toward a pro-investment governance model that values responsiveness, accountability, and sustainability.”

The green lane policy has earned national recognition, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally presenting awards to the province in July 2024 and again in March 2025. It has also drawn praise from international financial institutions, including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, which have endorsed the ordinance as a model policy for ease of doing business and a potential standard for future policy-based grants.

The ordinance offers both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, along with promotion and aftercare services, creating a holistic investment ecosystem.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Apostolic Orthodox Church’s Asia Pacific Diocese has called on the Senate to immediately begin the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, warning that continued delay constitutes a “betrayal of public trust” and reflects a “crisis of moral leadership.”

In a pastoral letter issued Friday, June 13, and signed by Metropolitan Bishop Jun Andrew Regidor, the Church urged senators to act with “clarity and courage” in fulfilling their constitutional duty, emphasizing that impeachment is “not a political weapon but a mechanism to uphold integrity in public office.”

“We caution against creating the perception that procedure is being used to defer or dilute substance,” Regidor wrote. “In matters of public accountability, timeliness is not merely administrative; it is moral.”

The statement came in response to the Senate’s decision to remand the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives rather than proceeding directly to trial—an action critics, including legal experts, have called constitutionally questionable.

Quoting Article XI, Section 3(6) of the 1987 Constitution, the Church stressed the Senate’s mandate to “try and decide all cases of impeachment,” and questioned whether returning the articles undermines this obligation.

The Church, based in Bohol with missions across Eastern Visayas, also condemned the use of religious rhetoric by politicians to justify procedural delays, calling it “a grave misuse of God’s name.”

“Delay invites decay. Evasion invites distrust. You are accountable not only to law but to the people’s moral expectations,” Regidor warned.

The letter also criticized senators who publicly defended Duterte before the trial, saying such actions undermine confidence in the Senate’s impartiality.

While avoiding partisan positions, the Church emphasized its duty as a moral voice: “In a democracy, silence in the face of wrongdoing is complicity.”

Vice President Duterte was impeached earlier this year by the House of Representatives on allegations including misuse of public funds and betrayal of public trust. The Senate has yet to convene as an impeachment court, with the 19th Congress set to adjourn on June 30.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)