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)

TACLOBAN CITY– A magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit the coastal area of southeastern Dolores, Eastern Samar, at around 12:20 AM on Thursday, April 11, 2024, as reported by the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs).

The tremor struck at a depth of approximately 25 kilometers, originating from a tectonic source.

The recent earthquake was also felt in nearby areas in Samar and Leyte.

It registered an Instrumental Intensity of III in Can-Avid, Eastern Samar, highlighting the widespread impact of the earthquake.

With its epicenter in Dolores, Eastern Samar, the earthquake raises concerns about the vulnerability of communities to natural disasters.

The Phivolcs, however, said that no damage or aftershocks was monitored by their office.
(MISSY G.TUBIANOSA, LNU STUDENT INTERN)

TACLOBAN CITY– The city government here continues to campaign to take beggars off the streets.

This was disclosed by Melinda Sagdullas, focal person of the child and youth welfare program of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).

In particular, Sagdullas cited the Badjaos who are from various parts of the region who come to the city to beg for alms.

She said that most of these Badjaos are physically capable of doing some work but resort to begging for easy money.

Sagdullas lamented that some of them could be violent if they are not given alms.

“They can be aggressive in asking cents for alms. They hit your head, pull out your hair or push you. Some also steal. And some of them pretend to be mentally challenged so that they cannot be put to detention,” she said.

(QUELLA MARIE S. LADERA, LNU STUDENT INTERN)