TACLOBAN CITY– The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the region conducted its first regional mass graduation and distribution of scholarship toolkits and allowances last April 18.
TESDA deputy director general for operations, Ancieto Bertiz III, and Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho ‘Icot’ Petilla led the celebration with a representative of Rep. Yedda Romualdez of Tingog party-list group, Alexis Uy, also in attendance.
Over 2,000 scholars of TESDA attended the ceremony held at the People’s Center, this city.
A total of 1, 262 scholars in different qualifications received their certificates during the ceremony while 758 scholars from various qualifications in Leyte and Southern Leyte received their starter scholarships toolkits and allowances.
Bertiz III, in his message, commended the graduates for their dedication and perseverance emphasizing the vital role they play in driving economic growth and development in the region.
“We are proud to witness that we have numerous graduates in the region and eight out of 10 of these graduates will be able to find jobs especially with the help of our private sectors and industry partnership, wherein they have engaged their industry immersion. They can look forward for employment from this companies,” he said.
TESDA, headed here in the region Gamaliel Vicente Jr., will be celebrating its 30th anniversary on August 2024.
(NICOLE FANOGA, EASTERN SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT INTERN)
TACLOBAN CITY– The spokesperson of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said that they will make sure that only qualified senior citizens will be given the social pension.
Lawyer Jonalyndie Chua, DSWD regional information officer, made this statement as the government has set aside P2.5 billion intended for the country’s elderlies.
Chua said that qualified to receive the social pension are those indigent senior citizens who are 60 years old and above with no monthly pension either from the public or private institution.
They are to receive a P1,000 monthly social pension from the government through the DSWD.
The social pension program is an additional augmentation for indigent senior citizens to be used on administrative expenses.
The local government unit will identify the indigent senior citizens with the DSWD validating the eligibility of the individuals on the list provided by the former.
Interviews and assessments will be made using the social pension validation form. (MARY ANN M.OLAYA, LEYTE NORMAL UNIVERSITY STUDENT INTERN)
TACLOBAN CITY– Governor Edwin Ongchuan of Northern Samar said that his administration is making its commitment to improve its agriculture sector.
The governor, in a statement, said that this can be achieved through training assistance and increased crop production.
The provincial government has recently rehabilitated its provincial agriculture and fisheries extension office into Provincial Research and Extension Center intended for agricultural research and development.
The facility is located in Barangay Galutan at the provincial capital of Catarman.
It functions as a nursery, propagation center, and agricultural development hub in the province, and helps in enhancing the production efforts in rice, livestock, and vegetables.
It is also equipped with a dormitory to facilitate in-house training sessions as it is envisioned as a hub for learning and innovation, and additionally operates as a technological demonstration farm, providing trainees with practical experience in diverse agricultural practices.
Additionally, it also functions as a location for implementing a biosecurity program known as “earwig” or “sipit-sipit,” providing an efficient alternative for pest control.
(MAVEL ANGELA J. GOMBA, LEYTE NORMAL UNIVERSITY STUDEN INTERN)
MISS EARTH PHILIPPINES CANDIDATES. The city of Borongan is now set to the swimwear competition for this year’s Miss Earth Philippines slated on Thursday(April 25). Photo shows the 29 candidates readying for their flight to the Eastern Samar provincial capital on Monday(April 22).( BORONGAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
MISS EARTH PHILIPPINES CANDIDATES. The city of Borongan is now set to the swimwear competition for this year’s Miss Earth Philippines slated on Thursday(April 25). Photo shows the 29 candidates readying for their flight to the Eastern Samar provincial capital on Monday(April 22).( BORONGAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
TACLOBAN CITY – All is set for the hosting of Borongan City for the beachwear competition of the Miss Philippines Earth 2024.
The 29 candidates representing various local government units in the country and representatives from the Filipino community in the United States of America and Italy arrived on Monday (April 22).
They are staying in Borongan for about a week also doing community engagement, an innovation to Miss Philippines Earth activities.
“Part of these innovations are environmental awareness and heritage appreciation drives for 29 Miss Philippines Earth hopefuls,” the Borongan City Information Office said in a statement.
The candidates will immerse themselves in the warm hospitality and natural wonders of Borongan, known as the City of Golden Sunrise.
Their itinerary includes surfing, diving, island hopping, and beach sports, alongside visits to remote barangays where local communities actively protect the environment.
‘We’re taking our guests to our remote barangays to provide them with a unique insight into Borongan City,” Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda expressed.
“It’s the first time we’re bringing this national event closer to our people in these areas, underscoring the importance of environmental conservation and heritage preservation. We want our communities in these barangays to also experience this event, ensuring they are top of mind when there are opportunities for experiences like these,” the city mayor added.
Highlighting the visit of the candidates in Borongan is the beachwear competition, which will take place at Baybay Beach on April 25 at 3 pm.
The city government also takes this opportunity to promote local products by encouraging entrepreneurs to put up booths as concessionaires at Baybay Boulevard during the event.
The city government also encourages participating entrepreneurs to make use of environment-friendly materials for their products. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
ORMOC CITY-The Net Zero Carbon Alliance (NZCA), the country’s largest private sector consortium eyeing for net-zero emissions, held its inaugural Net Zero 101 media training for journalists and corporate communicators on April 16 at its headquarters in Ortigas Center.
The gathering, hosted by First Gen-owned renewable energy leader and NZCA lead convenor Energy Development Corporation (EDC), recognizes the roles of the media in educating the community and stakeholders in fighting against the effects of climate change.
It was aimed to orient and capacitate the 26 media practitioners and 11 corporate communicators in amplifying the necessary information and eventually achieve the NZCA’s ambitious goal of Net-Zero Carbon by 2050.
“Media practitioners play a vital role in our net-zero mission by sustaining and strengthening awareness on global climate issues,” lawyer Allan V. Barcena, EDC assistant vice president and head of corporate support functions, and NZCA executive director, said.
“This training helps guide them in their duty to produce truthful and compelling content in an increasingly volatile media environment, and to develop more creative and impactful storytelling, especially on ESG considerations in today’s rapidly evolving business and policy landscape,” he added.
Frances Ariola, EDC’s head of the corporate communications department, discussed how companies can join the NSCA and contribute to its goal as the country’s largest organization of businesses advancing for the net zero transition.
She also said that the Philippines at present does not have a hard net zero target making its plans for the environment problem solutions very challenging.
Aside from that, it was noted that among the contributory causes of high carbon emissions are human activities. Therefore it is very imperative to target also in this program the people and foster a sustainable future.
The objective of NZCA is to establish strategic partnerships and inspire companies to pledge and swiftly implement measures to achieve carbon neutrality, ultimately progressing towards a net-zero carbon footprint.
Rooted in EDC’s mission, NZCA is dedicated to fostering cooperative alliances aimed at realizing a decarbonized and regenerative future. (ELVIE ROMAN ROA)
READY FOR BIG-TICKET INVESTMENTS. Thus said Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan (center) in a media conference on Wednesday (April 17) as his province pioneers the implementation of the green lane for strategic investments, referring to multi-billions worth of investments. Beside the governor are Board of Investments Director Ernesto Delos Reyes (left) and Lubin De Vera, Jr.
(THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN SAMAR)
First LGU in PH to do so
READY FOR BIG-TICKET INVESTMENTS. Thus said Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan (center) in a media conference on Wednesday (April 17) as his province pioneers the implementation of the green lane for strategic investments, referring to multi-billions worth of investments. Beside the governor are Board of Investments Director Ernesto Delos Reyes (left) and Lubin De Vera, Jr. (THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN SAMAR)
TACLOBAN CITY– The provincial government of Northern Samar was commended by the Board of Investments (BOI) for coming up with its own ‘green lane’ intended for big-ticket investments, a move expected to spur economic development in the province.
BOI Director Ernesto Delos Reyes, Jr., in charge of the office’s investments assistance service, said that Northern Samar is the first local government unit in the country to establish a green lane for strategic investment.
He said that the establishment of the green lane may prove to be a game-changer for Northern Samar, one of the poorest provinces in the country with around 26 percent poverty incidence.
“We are glad that the province has established its own green lane for strategic investments, becoming the first local government unit in the country to do so,” Delos Reyes said during an interview on Wednesday (April 17).
He added the provincial government of Northern Samar should take advantage of its strategic location being the gateway of Eastern Visayas to the rest of the country adding that it has abundant natural resources with a skilled and hardworking workforce.
The creation of green lanes for strategic investment is mandated under Executive Order 18 issued by Pres. Marcos on February 23, 2023, which aims to attract strategic investments in the country.
Strategic investments refer to those that are aligned with the Philippine Development Plan or any similar national development plan and can be characterized by significant capital or consequential economic impact.
Governor Edwin Ongchuan issued Executive Order Number 24 last Jan. 12, 2024 for the establishment of their own green lane with the provincial economic development and investment promotions office, headed by Jan Allen Berbon, as the lead agency.
The center, together with the BOI, will help fast-track the process of securing all the needed permits and documents by the potential investors, thus avoiding the red tape common in the country’s bureaucracy.
It was learned that for simple transactions, actions could be finished within 3 working days; seven working days for complex transactions; and 20 working days for those involving highly technical transactions.
Delos Reyes said that their office will monitor if these mandated days of transactions would not be violated, saying a complaint could be filed at the ARTA or the Anti-Red Tape Authority which is under the Office of the President.
And if this would work successfully in Northern Samar, Delos Reyes said that he would request the Department of Interior and Local Government to direct all LGUs to have their own green lane for strategic investments.
Meantime, Gov. Ongchuan said that he is optimistic that the creation of their own green lane would lead to the coming in of big investors to the province which is actually happening now.
In particular, Ongchuan cited the ongoing development work of an on-shore wind project by Aboitiz Renewables, Inc. and Vena Energy at San Isidro town which has employed about 300 locals.
Another big-ticket investment coming to the province is the off-shore wind power project by the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) with an initial investment of P108 billion.
In addition, a tidal power facility is to be built in the town of Capul by Energies PH, Inc.
“The advantage here is, of course, this could help generate employment among the locals,” he said.
For his part, Berbon said that more than the incentives being offered by the Philippine government to foreign investors, they are more interested in having an easy and transparent business climate.
“They just want to fast track in securing the (needed) permit which we can provide through this green lane or one-stop shop,” he said.
