Agencies in Region 8 commended over food security

THE National Nutrition Council (NNC) lauded some government agencies and local government units for their efforts to secure food in Eastern Visayas, particularly in the nutritionally depressed province of Samar.

NNC regional program coordinator Carina Santiago said these recent development in Samar, where the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) have recently launched several projects, is a big boost to the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

The DA and BFAR have recently launched big projects in Samar such as irrigation and mussel culture and the putting up of a multi-species freshwater fish hatchery.

BFAR Regional Director Juan Albaladejo III said the multi-species freshwater fish hatchery would also supply tilapia fingerlings to farmers who would like to undertake inland fish pond projects.

"It's not only the fisherfolks who are benefited but also the farmers because they can convert a part of their land for fish culture," he said.

"We appreciate all their efforts because these will all contribute to the efforts of the NNC, especially the anti-hunger task force, to improve food security in the region," Santiago said.

She also cited the local chief executives who would be implementing the projects in their respected areas.

But she said it would be better if the local government units would implement a complementary program such as on education of mothers and care givers.

"We will appreciate the LGUs more if more nutrition programs will be implemented because we could see that one of the causes of malnutrition in the region is because the mother or care giver do not have enough knowledge on how to properly take care of their children like the giving of nutritious and proper food," she said.

According to the results of the 2010 Operation Timbang (OPT), the top two nutritionally depressed municipalities in Eastern Visayas are the municipalities of Tarangnan and Almagro, both in Samar.

Five other Samar towns are included in the top 20 nutritionally depressed municipalities in the region, according to results of the OPT 2010 in Eastern Visayas.

However, the overall results of the 2010 OPT showed that malnutrition among preschoolers that year has slightly decreased compared to the previous year.

Santiago attributed the decline to the people "now being aware that nutrition is important in development."

Source: Sun Star Tacloban

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100 Nego-karts already operating in Eastern Visayas

MAASIN CITY -- At least 100 Nego-Kart (negosyo sa kariton) are now operating in the cities of Eastern Visayas, turning ambulant vendors into cart owners, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) reported.

Dole Regional Director Forter G. Puguon said the project is now being implemented in this city, Calbayog, Ormoc, and Tacloban with about 20 to 30 nego-kart units in every city.

Each vendor-beneficiary is provided with a total of P15,000 in assistance including a vending cart and accessory livelihood tools costing P12,000, along with working capital amounting to P2,500 and training assistance worth P500.

“Those vendors don’t have to worry that authorities will drive them away since they have permits and a permanent place to locate the cart,” Puguon said.

The project is in partnership with City Governments to ensure that securing necessary permits will be facilitated before the project was launched early this year. The role of local officials is to help vendors operate legally.

“This was implemented during the transition period from the old administration to the new administration since this was identified as deliverable,” he said.

The labor department is studying the possibility of expanding the project in capital towns and other areas of the region with many ambulant vendors.

Other than raising their income, Dole expects the initiative will provide the vendors with services that will enable them to increase, upgrade and diversify their products and services, and market the same to more buyers or customers.

One of the beneficiaries is 40-year-old Nene D. Roces of Barangay Abgao, this city. She said she’s been a vendor of soft drinks and instant foods for five years but she never learned how to deal with costumers and keep record until she was listed as one of the recipients of the project.

“Since I got this kart, my daily gross sales increased from P500 to P1,000. I hope this business would continue to support us in sending our children to school,” said Roces, a mother of two, said.

For Merylou Dalida, 32, the cart draws more buyers because it is more presentable than the old table she used before. “Now, I earn more money to buy medicines for my sickly father,” she added.

Fe Norma Valuis, head of the Dole Southern Leyte field office, said recipients are paying taxes since they have necessary permits to operate cart business.

“We asked the City Government to designate a place where they can stay after roaming around during daytime,” Valuis added.

The Nego-Kart project, which has been implemented in major cities of the country, caters to ambulant vendors who trade their goods or services without the necessary market business permits in sidewalks, buses, community market places and other public places.

Source: Sun Star Tacloban

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Leyte positive in EVRAA

CALBAYOG CITY -- Department of Education (DepEd)-Leyte Division officials believe that they will once again bring home the beacon in this year's Eastern Visayas Regional Athletics Association (Evraa) here.

For four years now, the Leyte delegation has always been declared as the overall champion of Evraa.

Rogelia Urbino, of the Leyte DepEd Division, said athletes from their division are prepared for the competition.

Around 500 athletes from various elementary and secondary schools in the province of Leyte compete for the Evraa, to include around 100 coaches, officiating members and DepEd officials from their division and staff.

Urbino, who is also the regional physical education supervisor, said that among the expected athletes to produce medals for the Leyte delegation are the scholars of the Leyte Sports Academy, a priority program of the Provincial Government of Leyte through Governor Jericho Petilla that helps enhance the ability of every student athletes in their respective field of sports.

"We are thankful for the support that the governor had provided to all our athletes from the start of our training until this very day of competition," she said.

She added trainings provided to the athletes in the academy ensure an exemplary performance for an athlete, thus they are hoping to top once again this year's regional sporting event.

Among the sports they are expecting to win gold medals are boxing, taekwondo, athletics, baseball, softball, swimming, chess, table tennis, sipa, sepak takraw and tennis.

Meanwhile, Calbayog City Mayor Reynaldo Uy said he is not hoping for their athletes to top the medal standings in the competition.

The City Government of Calbayog had allocated P5.9 million for the staging of this year's Evraa competition, while Samar first district Representative Mel Senen Sarmiento provided P500,000 as support to the City Government.

"We are hosting the competition right now and we are not expecting to be on top of the medal standing but what we can only assures is we will provide a good fight in every field of sports were our athletes are to compete," Uy said. 

Source; Leyte Samar Daily Express, Sun Star Tacloban

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Calbayog City Mayor supports charter change

CALBAYOG City Mayor Reynaldo Uy said he supports the move to amend the Constitution through Charter change (Cha-cha).

Uy, who is a former representative of Samar first district, said there are some provisions in the present Constitution that should be amended, like its economic provisions and the term of office of all elected officials.

Uy said extending the term of office of all elective officials would ensure that they could provide better service to their constituents.

He also said the number of economic provision of the Constitution hampers the country's economic development.

"Yes to Cha-cha because for a good elected government official, three years is not enough. We need to have more time," Uy said.

The present term of elected officials, according to him, is too short for them to carry out all their intended programs and projects intended to their constituents.

Uy also said the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution should be amended as the strict restrictions of foreign business and property ownership in the country had put us at the tail end among our neighboring Asian countries.

"We have to re-think and re-visit the ownership of lands and properties in the Philippines by foreigners if we are to embark on the massive invitation of foreign investors to put investment in the country," Uy explained.

At present, the 1987 Constitution only allows Filipino citizens to own properties and businesses in the country.

"If want more flow of capital in our country, I think this provision in the Constitution should be amended to invite more foreign business investors to come," Uy added.

The talks on Charter change was ignited anew when Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone proposed that any move to tinker the Constitution should now be started.

The first attempt to change the Constitution was during the presidency of former President Fidel V. Ramos who sought to change the present system of government into a parliamentary form of government and lift the term limits of public officials.

Under former President Joseph Estrada, a similar attempt was also proposed with a process called Concord or Constitutional Correction and Development proposing for amending the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution that is seen as impeding to the entry of more foreign investors in the country.

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also sought for Cha-cha only to met strong resistance from various sectors.

Source: Leyte Samar Daily Express

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Eastern Visayas exported $55.05 million in 2010

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Eastern Visayas reported that export sales from small medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region have reached $55.055 million in 2010.

Cynthia Nierras, DTI regional director, said the increased direct export generation was a result of the government's Export Pathway Program (EPP) aimed at penetrating the international market.

Greet your friends and families this Sinulog season. Sun.Star covers Sinulog 2011 live!

Nierras said majority of the income generated from export was contributed by SC Global Coco Products Inc., one of the EPP-enrolled SMEs that the DTI assisted in developing plans of expanding its export market.

"Through our referrals, SC Global realized around 419 percent increase on volume sales order from its market in Europe, the United States, Taiwan and China," Nierras said.

For 2011, the DTI has targeted at least 10 percent increase in export sales as a result of the agency's initiated and facilitated events from One-Stop Documentation Center (OSEDC), international trade fairs, market matching and trade centers.

At least 219 SMEs in the region have been assisted by DTI for the EPP program in 2010.

Meanwhile, the DTI reported the region earned some P212.052 million from domestic investments in 2010.

The top contributors were financing facilitation, P80.821 million; National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center (Nerbac), P51.97 million; and investment facilitation, P45.949 million.

"Total investments generated for the last period in review is 21 percent higher than the accomplishment in 2009," Nierras said.

For this year, Nierras said the agency projects an increase in domestic investments at least 15 percent through trade fairs, market matching, SMEs displays and financing facilitation.

Meanwhile, Nierras said that in an effort to increase income from SMEs, the DTI will continue its capability development program by training them on export awareness, export readiness, market readiness, and market entry and export sustainability.

According to Nierras, literacy training will also be conducted to SMEs for them to become globally competitive by increasing its capability in assessing market through the Internet.

A total of 55 SMEs have been trained last year and they were introduced to different portals and acquired working knowledge in surfing the Internet, skills in uploading and updating marketing information, skills in transacting safe and business, and working knowledge in using Google applications for documents, talk and e-mail.

Source: Leyte Samar Daily News

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5 Leyte towns possible tourism hotspots

FIVE towns in Leyte province are currently targeted for a “selling mission” for tourism investment to be undertaken by the Provincial Government together with the Department of Tourism (DOT).

The towns were identified as Matalom, Baybay and Inopacan in the fifth district and Palompon and Tabango in the third district.

All of the five towns have identified local tourism attractions as well as potentials that could be developed.

Leyte Governor Jericho Petilla said in the “selling mission”, tourism is being viewed as the prime mover for local economic development in the identified areas.

The governor added there have been many efforts towards tourism development in the province but tourism still has yet to go on full-swing for the province.

The governor recently called a meeting together with local municipal officials, tourism officers, and district representatives for the identification of tourism-investment potential and consolidates efforts and programs for tourism.

Among those who attended were Representatives Lucy Torres-Gomez and Carlos Cari of the fourth and fifth districts of the province.

Island beach getaways, diving and eco-tourism spots, spa and wellness attractions, as well as cultural destinations are to be identified, validated and consolidated along the named towns, which will become the province’s main offerings to travel trade players in trade exhibitions, which the province targets to participate on March this year and on a later date in various areas such as Macau, Hongkong and China.

The governor explained that the purpose in joining “selling missions” is to attract investors to the area.

“Admittedly, the government is not a good investor. We cannot do this on our own, we rather need investors to invest on us,” Petilla said.

However, above all, the selling mission to be undertaken would largely convince investors to build hotels in the province.

Each of the identified towns in Leyte’s western side has their tourism destinations to boost: Matalom has the Canigao Island; Palompon has Kalanggaman Island and the Tabuk Marine Park and Bird Sanctuary; Inopacan has Digyo Island; Tabango has the Seven Island Destination; while Baybay is considered as a prime area for hotel investment.

The governor believes that it is very important to assess the destination first before it is included in a tour package to encourage investors.

The validation will also include the readiness of the place and community preparedness in accepting the visitors.

Source: Leyte Samar Daily Express

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Relief operations, Mayor Alfred said

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Tacloban City – As the Chief Executive of Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez leads the city government in conducting a series of relief operations in aiding flood stricken barangays of the city.

Mayor Alfred together with his wife Councilor Cristina Romualdez went on a series of relief operation to affected families in different barangays of Tacloban City which started the day the city was declared under State of Calamity.

Mang Raul, 70 years old of Palanog went home smiling with a bagful of relief goods thanked Mayor Alfred personally for the aid they got from him.

A pregnant mother of five, Mana Adela was happy to get her share for according to her will save them from hunger for days. The three kilos of rice can go along way for her kids, she can make a variation of rice porridge at their table for their meals.

Lola Kikay on the other hand, could hardly walk asked her granddaughter to accompany her in order to avail of the relief operation, was so happy to see among the goods inside a blue bag was a blanket which according to her will kept her warm on cold nights.

The 70 year old man, the pregnant mother of five and a lola who could hardly walk benefited the relief goods given by the City government in several barangays of Tacloban City affected by flood.

Relief goods were distributed in Barangay Alimasag, Costa Brava, San jose, Barangay Cogon, Barangay Diit, Palanog GE, Palanog proper, Barangay 95 & 96 Calanipawan and other barangays.

Mayor Alfred has assured his constituents through his constant presence in every calamity the city is undergoing that he will just be around to help them 24/7 together with the City Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Team.

Tacloban City is right now under a State of Calamity for experiencing a unusual phenomenon of having concentrated heavy downpour of rain attributed to it cold tail front flooding 25% of its total barangay.