TACLOBAN CITY– Over 2 million kilograms of premium rice and a total of P250 million in cash assistance were distributed to 83,000 beneficiaries across the Eastern Visayas region under the national government’s “revolutionary” Cash Assistance and Rice Distribution (CARD) Program from April 5 to 7, 2024.

The CARD recipients mostly came from marginalized groups, including the poor, senior citizens, persons with disability, single parents, and family breadwinners, among others.

“Lumapag na po sa Leyte, Samar at Biliran ang CARD Program upang maghatid ng libreng bigas at ayuda para sa ating mga kababayan na nagmumula sa mga vulnerable sectors. Dito po ipinadadama ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa ating mga mamamayan ang pagkalinga ng pamahalaan,” said Leyte First District Congressman and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez in a statement.

The CARD program was rolled out as part of Marcos’ nationwide Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF).

House Deputy Secretary General Sofonias Gabonada Jr. said the CARD Program “has benefitted the citizens of Tacloban City, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar.”

“Under the leadership of Speaker Martin, the House of Representatives is fully committed to addressing President Marcos’ challenges, focusing on aiding the vulnerable sectors,” said Gabonada who leads the secretariat for the House of Representatives’ CARD program.
He also lauded the partnership with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian for the program.

Launched in 2023, the CARD Program seeks to provide cash and rice assistance to qualified Filipino families, which will be identified by the congressional districts.

The pilot distribution occurred in Metro Manila, covering all its 33 legislative districts, with each having 10,000 beneficiaries for a total of 330,000 residents, and in Biñan City and Sta. Rosa in Laguna, as reported by the Office of the House Speaker.
(RONALD O. REYES)

ORMOC CITY-A drinking session has turned messy after a fish vendor stabbed his drinking buddy during a heated argument at about 7:20 pm Monday (April 8) in Barangay Langgao, Cabucgayan, Biliran.

Police identified the victim as Ador, 44, while the suspect was identified as Mark, 33.
Investigation conducted by the local police disclosed that the victim and the suspect, together with their friends, were in a drinking session when a heated argument between the two ensued.

The police said that the suspect got mad and drew a bladed weapon, and stabbed the victim, hitting his body.

The victim was immediately brought to Cabucgayan Rural Health Unit for medical treatment but was referred to Biliran Provincial Hospital, Naval, Biliran, for further medication.

The suspect voluntarily surrendered to village chairman John Andy Ticoy and was subsequently turned over to Cabucgayan police with the bladed weapon used for proper disposition. (ROBERT DEJON)

DAGAMI, Leyte – The Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH), Leyte 2nd District Engineering Office (L2DEO) has completed a farm-to-market road project in convergence with the CY 2023 Department of Agriculture (DA) program, local farmers from barangay Panda Dagami, Leyte, are now benefiting and experiencing a safer and faster route for more efficient transportation and delivery of their agricultural goods to nearby towns.

District Engineer Leo Edward Oppura mentioned that the newly constructed road provides local farmers with better access to transport their goods to market efficiently, and farmers can now transport their produce such as rice grains and root crops promptly, reducing post-harvest losses and increasing their income opportunities with the enhanced rural roads.
“These roads not only facilitate the smooth transportation of agricultural goods but also open doors to new opportunities for local farmers,” added Oppura.

Moreover, villagers in the area are now experiencing smoother and easier access to and delivery of basic government and healthcare services, while students will have a better opportunity to seek a better education system in the town proper.

The FMR project in Dagami, Leyte involves the construction of 1,305.8 linear meters of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP) and stone masonry.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

GCash wins Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award

MANILA-GCash, the Philippines’ top finance app and largest cashless ecosystem, recently received the recognition of Company of the Year Award for the Philippines’ Financial Technology Industry from leading global analysis and growth strategy consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

The award recognizes GCash’s pioneering use of digital solutions and innovative financial services and its strong overall achievements in the financial technology space—highlighting its “deployment of best practices and strategic analytics across a value chain.”

The practices and strategies identified by Frost & Sullivan, include:GCash’s promotion of financial inclusion through a streamlined banking application process, which entails a digital onboarding system that simply requires consumers to provide personal information such as their mobile number, address, and email address (as opposed to conventional banks’

Process requiring documents such as proof of billing or income statements);the company’s investment in next-generation technology to deliver improved customer service experience, through its electronic know-your-customer (eKYC) service that makes use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for face matching and fake identification detection; and GCash’s Credit service, which has a streamlined application process with minimal requirements, lets consumers get a credit line of up to P50,000 instantly, and make credit payments at over 100,000 stores and billers.

To date, over 94 million Filipinos have used GCash, making it the leader in the Philippines’ fintech industry. Across the country, digital transactions today account for close to half of total retail payments—whereas 10 years ago, that number was only at 1%.

Frost & Sullivan analysts independently evaluate candidates for the Company of the Year Award based on two main criteria: Visionary Innovation and Performance (Addressing Unmet Needs; Visionary Scenarios Through Megatrends; Leadership Focus; Best Practices Implementation; Financial Performance), and Customer Impact (Price/Performance Value; Customer Purchase Experience; Customer Ownership Experience; Customer Service Experience; Brand Equity).

“The country’s fintech industry has seen tremendous growth in over a decade. Amid the uptake of digital payments, we have been cognizant of the reality that the underbanked population remains high,” said Martha Sazon, President and CEO of GCash. “This recognition, to us, is a validation of our work in continually identifying growth opportunities, innovating solutions, and meeting ever-evolving customer needs. It motivates us even more as we continue working towards our vision of Finance for All and our purpose of Making Filipinos’ Everyday Lives Better.” (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Department of Health (DOH) reported that there are currently 39 cases of pertussis in the region of which one was a confirmed case.

The confirmed pertussis case, based on laboratory tests, involved a three-month-old baby from Pastrana, Leyte, who has already recovered and been discharged from the hospital.
Pertussis is an infectious and life-threatening virus that can cause severe complications among children aged five and below. It is transmitted through respiratory droplets exchanged between individuals from sneezing or coughing.

Based on the record from the DOH-8, as of Friday (April 12), the region has 39 pertussis cases with one confirmed.

Leyte has 25 cases which include the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc; six in Eastern Samar; four in Northern Samar; three in Southern Leyte; and one in Samar province.
Dr. Jean Marie Egargo, DOH assistant regional director, said that the majority of suspected patients were unvaccinated.

“Most of the suspected cases, or 26 of them, are not vaccinated against pertussis. Vaccination is safe and effective against the infection,” she said.

It was learned that 10 of the cases were immunized while one was said to have been partially immunized.

The majority of the cases were below one year old or 26 cases.

Seventeen of these cases have been declared to have recovered from the ailment while the remaining 22 others are said to have ongoing treatment.

As part of their campaign, the DOH in the region is conducting online sessions involving healthcare workers, local and barangay officials, and schools.

Symptoms of the pertussis infection start with cold-like symptoms and progresses to severe, paroxysmal coughing fits.
(MARY ANN M. OLAYA, LNU STUDENT INTERN)

TACLOBAN CITY– The region’s biggest secondary public school, Leyte National High School, based here, has temporarily suspended its face-to-face classes due to intense heat.
The said school, with more than 9,000 students’ population, has implemented a modified class schedule.

This decision was made to ensure the safety and well-being of students amidst the rising heat index, the school’s information officer Bernie Jude Lamoglar, said in a media interview.
Lamoglar explained that the half-day classes and early dismissal times are designed to keep students out of school when the heat is too intense, ensuring their comfort and focus on their studies.

The region and the rest of the country have been experiencing intense heat for several weeks now, forcing schools to change their mode of classes.

In the region, over 200 schools have adapted to alternative delivery modes.

State universities like the Eastern Visayas State University and the Leyte Normal University in Tacloban City and the University of Eastern Philippines(UEP) have also adopted their mode of classes, including the non-wearing of uniforms.

(MAVEL ANGELA GOMBA, STUDENT INTERN, LEYE NORMAL UNIVERSITY)