TACLOBAN CITY – A centenarian from Giporlos, Eastern Samar, has received a one-time cash gift of P100,000 along with a letter of felicitation from President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
Francisco Abuyen, who is from Barangay Coticot received the cash gift from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Under Republic Act 10868 or the Centenarian Act of 2016, Filipinos who reach the age of 100 receive P100,000 as additional benefits and privileges. (THERESE A. CASILLANO, EASTERN SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT INTERN)
DOLORES, Eastern Samar– National Housing Authority OIC District Manager Reggie Mañoso, together with 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino C. Libanan, led the distribution of certificates of award of residential lots to 24 informal settlers in this municipality.
The initiative aims to provide housing solutions to informal settlers, addressing the longstanding issue of housing inadequacy in the region.
Mañoso highlighted the significance of the Dolores resettlement project as a collaborative effort between the NHA and the local government unit (LGU) of Dolores.
Despite its implementation spanning several years, challenges persist, particularly in ensuring the fair distribution of housing lots among eligible beneficiaries.
With 200 lots covered under the NHA Resettlement Assistance Program in Dolores, the identification and approval of 24 beneficiaries by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) and Local Integration Action Council (LIAC) mark a significant step forward.
“The remaining lots are expected to be awarded within the year,” Mañoso added.
Mylen Pajenado expressed gratitude on behalf of the beneficiaries to the NHA and the LGU Dolores for a permanent and safe home, acknowledging its positive impact on her family.
Dolores Councilor Randy Pomida reiterated the importance of housing as a fundamental need for families and commended the NHA’s efforts in solving the housing insufficiency issue in Dolores.
Meanwhile, Mayor Rodrigo Rivera emphasized the need for unity and community cohesion among beneficiaries, urging them to cherish the opportunity and contribute to maintaining peace and stability in their new neighborhood.
The NHA resettlement area is under the Resettlement Assistance Program for Local Government Units (RAP-LGU), with a project cost of P7 million. (SDC, PIA Eastern Samar with Cyra Mae Ambil, ESSU Intern)
ORMOC CITY-Following a post-mortem examination conducted by the attending physician of the rural health unit (RHU) in Las Navas, Northern Samar, no evidence of foul play was discovered in the death of a pedicab driver, whose lifeless body was discovered at the river in Barangay Tagab-Iran on Sunday (May 12) at around 6 am.
The victim, known only by the alias “Julius,” was 58 years old, married, and worked as a pedicab driver. He resided in Brgy. Quirino Poblacion, of the said town.
Local authorities received a report of a potential drowning incident around 10:40 in the morning. Responding promptly, they arrived at the scene to find that the victim, showing no signs of life, had already been transported to the RHU by the local rescue team.
An investigation conducted by the authorities revealed that the victim had been bathing in the river when he accidentally drowned. Despite efforts from the local rescue team, the victim was pronounced dead by the attending doctor RHU.
A subsequent post-mortem examination conducted by the municipal health officer found no indications of foul play.
The cause of death was determined to be accidental drowning and submersion.
COMMENDATION. Interior Sec. Benjamin Abalos (left) lauded Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan (next to Abalos) for his efforts to end Northern Samar’s insurgency problem during a meeting on Monday (May 6). Also in photo are M/Gen. Camilo Ligayo, the commanding officer of the 8th ID, and Tacloban city administrator Lila Czarina Aquitaña, representing City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council.( THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN SAMAR)
On his anti-Red campaign
COMMENDATION. Interior Sec. Benjamin Abalos (left) lauded Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan (next to Abalos) for his efforts to end Northern Samar’s insurgency problem during a meeting on Monday (May 6). Also in photo are M/Gen. Camilo Ligayo, the commanding officer of the 8th ID, and Tacloban city administrator Lila Czarina Aquitaña, representing City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council.( THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN SAMAR)
CATARMAN, Northern Samar-Interior Sec. Benjamin Abalos commended Governor Edwin Ongchuan for his campaign to eradicate its insurgency problem.
Abalos, who was the guest of the peace and development dialogue held here on Monday (April 6), said that the interventions being made by the province under Gov. Ongchuan could eventually end the insurgency problem.
The insurgency problem of Northern Samar is often cited as why its poverty incidence remains relatively high.
As of last year, the poverty incidence of the province stood at 23.1 percent as of the first quarter of the year.
“I would like to commend the good governor for his efforts (to address the insurgency in his province),” Abalos said during a brief media interview.
He assured Ongchuan of the continued support of the national government as he addressed the insurgency problem of his province.
“Tuloy-tuloy ang pag sustain ng mga projects dito. Ang ganda ng tulungan ng gobyerno natin at ng provincial government, tinatapatan nila,” Abalos said.
Among the interventions being made by the provincial government include hiring former rebels as farm workers.
At present, there are over 50 rehabilitated members of the New People’s Army who were hired by the provincial government as farm workers, receiving a daily wage of P350.
They work at a four-hectare lot located in Barangay Cablangan, some 10 kms away from the town proper of Mondragon.
It is also in this village where the provincial government put up a housing project intended for the former rebels.
The provincial government is also into opening of roads in interior villages as a means to address the insurgency problem.
During his meeting with Abalos, Gov.Ongchuan asked for help for roads to be opened in villages located on the shared borders of Northern Samar and the provinces of Eastern Samar and (western) Samar, two other provinces which are also stalked by the insurgency.
Major General Camilo Ligayo, the commanding general of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City, said that they are on the right target to quell the insurgency problem of the region.
“The trend is irreversible. We can end the communist terrorist movement by the end of the year,” he said.
According to Ligayo, what remains of the present armed group operating in Northern Samar, were just regular “armed bandits.”
Northern Samar has been considered to be the last bastion of the insurgency problem in Eastern Visayas.
TACLOBAN CITY – The representative of the second district in Southern Leyte province is optimistic about the approval of the proposed bill for the creation of a Department of Health (DOH) supervised hospital in his area.
House Bill 2715 aims to convert the Sogod District Hospital in Sogod town into a Level II General Hospital to be named Sogod General Hospital. The bill also proposes increasing its bed capacity from 25 to 150 within a five-year period after its enactment into law.
Congressman Christopherson Yap, who authored the bill alongside House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Tingog Partylist Representatives Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre, shared that it was filed on July 28, 2022, and was finally approved by the Committee on Health on May 17, 2023.
“We are very appreciative to them for their assistance in filing this bill. Their support is crucial for the passage of this proposed law,” Yap expressed.
Yap elaborated that having a DOH-administered hospital in their district would benefit not only the people in the second district but also residents in the southern part of Leyte province, including the towns of Mahaplag, Abuyog, and even Baybay City.
Southern Leyte’s second district comprises municipalities such as Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, Saint Bernard, Anahawan, San Juan, Hinunangan, Hinundayan, and Silago.
These towns are located two to three hours away from the Eastern Visayas Medical Center, the region’s end-referral hospital located in Tacloban City.
“Having a DOH-supervised hospital will enable us to access medicines and health services that are typically provided by government-run medical facilities,” Yap added.
Established in 1972, Sogod District Hospital is situated along the national highway at Osmeña Street, Brgy. Zone I, Sogod town, covering patients from nearby towns of Malitbog and Tomas Oppus, Libagon, and other areas surrounding Sogod Bay.(ROEL T.AMAZONA)
Regional Development Council (RDC) chairman for Eastern Visayas Lucy Marie Torres-Gomez
Regional Development Council (RDC) chairman for Eastern Visayas Lucy Marie Torres-Gomez
TACLOBAN CITY– The Regional Development Council (RDC) chairman for Eastern Visayas Lucy Marie Torres-Gomez presented the top three priority programs and projects (PAPs) of the region to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a meeting with all RDC chairs of the country.
In a statement released by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional office, said that the top PAPs from the region are the tuna development program, basic education facilities, and the completion of the road heightening and tide embankment project in Leyte.
Although still subject to a feasibility study and targeted to start in 2026, the RDC VIII chairperson also presented the Eastern Visayas Railway System as one of the region’s priorities.
Also discussed during the April 30 meeting were proposed amendments to Executive Order 325, aimed at strengthening the roles of the RDCs in shaping the development directions of the regions.
The meeting was part of a series of activities on the President’s instructions for concerned national agencies and the Department of Budget and Management to include the RDCs’ priority PAPs in the FY 2025 or 2026 budget. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
