Difference between revisions of "Southern Leyte News"

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==Women occupy more top positions in Southern Leyte – NSO SOLeyte==
==Electric coop conducts info drive in SoLeyte==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1281332214891
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1281336640775
*Tuesday 20th of March 2012
*Saturday, May 12, 2012
:by   Erna S. Gorne
:by  (LDL/ESG-PIA8 SoLeyte)
 
 
MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 12 (PIA) -- The Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (SOLECO) schedules series of information drives throughout the province as their commitment to the provincial government to increase the level of awareness of the stakeholders on the power situation of the province.
 
Professor Wally del Mundo of the University of the Philippines National Engineering Center and SOLECO officer-in-charge Arce B. Salazar will assist the information drive entitled “Power 101.”
 
Earlier the SOLECO management has committed to the provincial government to disseminate information to the general consumers and the local government sector on the developments that affect the operations and directions of electric Distribution Utilities (DUs) particularly among the electric cooperatives, Salazar said.
 
The local electric cooperative aims to increase the awareness of the electricity stakeholders especially business and government heads, barangay officials and community leaders on the power situation of the province, he said.
 
The first information campaign shall be conducted at SOLECO Multi-purpose Building in Maasin City then it will be followed at Southern Leyte State University (SLSU)- Sogod Campus in Sogod, Southern Leyte on the second day, he added.
 
He further said the speaker for the subject has the layman’s grasp on its intricacies that can be understood even by those who are new to the subject.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
==Green Southern Leyte==
*Source: http://leytesamardaily.net/2012/05/happynings-56/
*Friday, May 11, 2012
:by Vicky Arnaiz
 
 
MACROHON, Southern Leyte – “”We were surprised to find a patch of pristine forests in Mt. Nacolod, Southern Leyte. We found an amazingly impressive flora and faura. The rich forests we saw did not match the map of a denuded forest, shown to us before we explored Southern Leyte,” said Ronald Altamarino, leader of the Biodiversity Assessment Team from the Flora and Fauna, International (FFI).
 
Altamarino said during the presentation of the Biodiversity Assessment and REDD Plus/Mt. Nacolod, Southern Leyte, Pilot NewCAPP at this town last May 2 and 3. FFI along with partners the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), NewCAPP among others.
 
Turn -over of mini biodiversity exhibit (L-R) Dalton Durban of GIZ, Engr. Aileen Basilan, DENR Regional Executive Director Rogelio Trinidad, So. Leyte Vice Governor Miguel Maamo, Dr. Bernd Markus Liss of GIZ.
 
The comprehensive ground assessment has found 2 new frog species under the genus Playmantis group. The new discovery brings so much pride to the province and the country.
Southern Leyte lone district Representative Roger Mercado, who squeezed in to attend this activity in his very hectic
 
schedule, said that efforts of the local officials and its people have not gone to waste.
 
Dr. Eugenia Bautista, chief technology transfer division ecosystems research and development service-DENR asks questions during the presentation of biodiversity assessment.
 
“We have been planting trees since 1987 and encouraged our people to do the same. Our People’s Organization (PO) YESIDA is said to be the best PO in the region under the Community Forest Management Program. Not to brag, I have my own tree farm and bird sanctuary in Maasin City which you are free to visit. Southern Leyte is one of the two provinces in the country that supports the total log ban. Every weekend when I am back in the province after session in Congress,
 
I see to it that tree planting is part of my activity. We want our people to be sufficient in food through the richness of our forests and our marine resources. Indeed the hard work, solidarity, discipline displayed by Southern Leytenos is worth emulating,” said Mercado.
 
PENRO So. Leyte Ricardo Tomol
 
A very excited Mercado continued, “I will author the passage in Congress for the declaration of the Mt. Nacolod and its mountain range that spans 14,000 hectares as a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas or NIPAS. For now I will lobby that
 
President Aquino will issue an executive order declaring Mt. Nacolod as a protected area.”
Southern Leyte Vice Governor Miguel Maamo, who represented Governor Damian Mercado, said that they will pass a resolution in the sangguniang bayan for the protection of Mt. Nacolod. Indeed last May 7, in its regular session, the board members of Southern Leyte made an unprecedented mass move to declare Mt. Nacolod as a protected area.
 
DENR regional information chief Purificacion Daloos; Mary Jane Honor Du, PENRO staff, So. Leyte; Rep. Roger Mercado; Marita Cesneros, NewCAPP and Marissa Solite, DENR-PAWC ZMS


A multi-sectoral group submitted management plans for the


protection and sustainability of its forests. As one scientist said, “who knows there might still be interesting finds in Mt. Nacolod especially flora that can be used in the medical field?
Indeed, Southern Leyte is doubly-blessed- they have the rich forests and rich marine resources. Padayon Southern Leyte!
Love, Laugh and Live!


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, March 20  (PIA)  --  Seven out of 10 women in Southern Leyte are professionals and occupied top positions, the National Statistics Office in Southern Leyte revealed in a special release entitled “Women in Southern Leyte.”
Om Shanti!
“To celebrate the 2012 National Women’s Month this Special Release provides a portrait of the situation of women in Southern Leyte based on data collected in the 2007 Census of Popultion (2007 POPCEN) excluding the Institutional Population,”  Southern Leyte Provincial Statistics Officer Mae R. Almonte said.


The 2007 Census of Population (2007 POPCEN) results show that 70.14 percent of women’s usual occupation in the province were professionals compared to men with 29.86 percent.  This major occupation group includes Engineering Science Professional, Teaching Professionals, Health Professional and Legal Professionals among others, Almonte said.
==DOLE-So. Leyte disburses P 2.6M for projects of self-employed individuals==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301336620382
The sensus further reveal that more women (57.21 percent) occupied the top positions in the province like Officials of Government and Special – Interest Organizations, Corporate Executive, Managers, Managing Proprietors and Supervisors than men (42.79 percent), she added.
*Thursday, May 10, 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino
Moreover, higher proportion of women’s usual occupation were Clerks and Technicians and Associate Professionals with 63.59 percent and 60.42 percent, respectively, she said.
Larger proportion of women ( 56.23 percent)  were academic degree holders than men (43.77 percent) and 54.62 percent of those who has taken post baccalaureate courses were women while 45.38 percent were men, she said.
She added that fewer women dependents (21 dependents) compared to men (22 dependents) were observed in 2007.  However, a higher old age dependency was reported among women (4 old dependents) than among men (3 old dependents) due to the fact that women live longer than men.  On the other hand, there was a higher young age dependency among men (19 young dependents) compared to women (17 young dependents).
With the results of the 2007 POPCEN, about 2 in 10 households are headed by women.  It is obvious that men dominate in the household since 82.93 percent were regarded as head while only 17.01 percent were women, she said.




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 10 (PIA) -- The provincial field office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) here has set aside over P 2.6 million worth of livelihood projects intended for individual small-scale businesses in the so-called informal sector.


The amount was already moving in various stages of implementation as coursed through DOLE’s accredited co-partner (ACP) consisting of five municipalities and one city, involving 251 individual beneficiaries, said Fe Norma Valuis, DOLE provincial field officer.


During the cable TV program “Action Center” yesterday morning, Valuis identified DOLE’s LGU partners as the City of Maasin which garnered almost half of the total fund assistance, barangay Sta. Crus of Macrohon, and the towns of Saint Bernard, Pintuyan, Silago, and Libagon.


Valuis said she had recently talked with Mayor Roberto Loquinte of Anahawan who also wanted to avail of DOLE’s support to fund a tourism-related project in the municipality - the Mainit Spring.


All the rest of the 18 municipal local government units will eventually be reached by DOLE’s livelihood assistance where there are individual workers who are self-employed, Valuis added.


For the city of Maasin, the amount of P 642,729 will be for the livelihood formation of 63 informal sector workers, while another P612,049.00 was also due for release to 48 small scale fishing project of marginal fisherfolks, Valuis said.


These assistance, scheduled to be turned over yesterday, were not yet given since Mayor Maloney Samaco was still in Lingayen, Pangasinan, attending the Palarong Pambansa, she added.


DOLE and the barangay LGU signed yesterday a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) at Supercha Foodhauz, this city another assistance for 15 ambulant vendors of barangay Sta. Cruz, Macrohon, for their fish and food vending worth P 224,996.


==SSS offers new loan penalty condonation for individual members==
Meanwhile, some 39 displaced workers from Saint Bernard will soon become beneficiaries of entrepreneurial funds worth P334,016, and another amount of P 413,432 is now in the pipeline for 46 unemployed or underemployed sectoral workers in the town of Pintuyan.  
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301332141041
*Monday 19th of March 2012
:by  Marcelo M. Pedalino


Among the funds already given to LGU partners were those at Silago for the high-value vegetable production project of 26 individuals who are members of the Puntana Women Nature’s Club Association worth P 261,340 and another P 179,600 for 14 women from Libagon for their Negosyo sa Kariton (Nego-Kart) project.


Accredited co-partner LGUs shared 20 percent of the funds as equity not necessarily in cash but other non-cash equivalent like training, capacity-building, or equipment, while DOLE provided the needed materials and in some cases cash as capital, Valuis said.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Mar. 19 (PIA)  --  The Social Security System (SSS) has launched another program that seeks to waive the penalty arising from unpaid loans incurred by its delinquent individual members.
The assistance has always been in the nature of a grant, and the beneficiaries' sole obligation is to see to it that their businesses flourish and develop further, Valuis added. (PIA8, Southern Leyte)
Starting April 2 until September 30 this year, SSS, a government-owned-and-controlled corporation (GOCC) serving the pension and retirement needs, among others, of workers in the private sector, will be condoning penalties on loans of its members subject to four specific situations and certain conditions.
For beneficiaries of deceased members, deadline for availment of the special program will be until March 13, 2013, said Porferio Salidaga Jr., head of Accounts Management of SSS-Maasin Branch, during the cable TV program “Action Center” Thursday.
Last year, SSS also granted a loan condonation program for employers who were unable to remit the payments to the SSS, and many employers did make use of the opportunity, but this time the target recipients are the individual members themselves, Salidaga added.
Dr. Jerome Paler, Medical Specialist II of SSS-Maasin who was also guest of the cable TV program, said that under their area of coverage some P 11 million delinquent accounts were collectible, and some P 5 million of this amount will be condoned under the new program.
Paler advised those delinquent SSS borrowers to visit the SSS office beginning next month for details on this new initiative and fill-up an application form.
According to SSS Circular 2012-005 posted in its website, those who can avail under situation 1a are members whose employers deducted loan amortization from their salaries/separation pay but did not remit said loan amortization to SSS.
For situation 1b, this concerns beneficiaries of deceased members/borrowers with unpaid loans who shall file for death claim within the availment period.
In situation 2, this covers delinquent member-borrowers who have paid at least three monthly amortization since loan takeout.
Situation 3 is for delinquent member-borrowers who shall file for retirement or total disability claim during the availment period.
The circular, however, stressed that as a requirement for situation 1a and situation 2, the three monthly contributions within the last six months must have been paid prior to the month of application for the condonation program.
Salidaga also emphasized that what will be condoned are the overdue charges and penalties only, while the principal amount of the loan must still have to be repaid.   (EOPT/MMP-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)


==Synchronized extraction of harmful“crown-of-thorns” fish set on World Water Day==
==Maasin City delegates off to Palarong Pambansa in Pangasinan==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291331782618
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291336447193
*Thursday 15th of March 2012
*Wednesday, May 9, 2012
:by Rebecca S. Cadavos
:by Rebecca S. Cadavos


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 9 (PIA) -- At least 30 sports delegates from Maasin City was sent off Thursday to participate in the Palarong Pambansa 2012 held at Lingayen, Pangasinan, as part of the Eastern Visayas regional delegation.
“Maasin City in Action” program host Zaldy Olita reported via phone patch this morning from Pangasinan that Maasin City delegates include the athletes, coaches and trainers from different sports such as badminton, swimming, arnis, boxing, softball, among other games that gave Maasin City athletes medals during the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) competition held early this year hosted by Maasin City.
Olita, Maasin City Sports Council staff, who went with the delegates said that the games begun Sunday, May 6, “but the opening of the competition formally opened Monday, May 7 when President Benigno S. Aquino delivered his address to the athletes, coaches and officials including the game spectators at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center as the main venue of the Palaro, in Lingayen, Pangasinan.
He said that the opening ceremonies was preceded by the parade of athletes from the Pangasinan provincial capitol grounds to Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) that was completed in time for the opening program at 10:00 a.m.
Olita disclosed that Maasin City delegation was supported by City Mayor Maloney Samaco, who went with the delegation, some Sangguniang Panglungsod members, Department of Education Maasin City Division, among others.
With the week-long game competition, the city government is hopeful the Maasin City athletes will bring home medals. Maasin City allocated cash incentives to the medalists, it was learned. (LDL/RGC-PIA8 Southern Leyte)
==DOLE holds orientation for livelihood program recipients in Southern Leyte==
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1141336290025
*Tuesday, May 8, 2012
:by  Erna S. Gorne
MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 8 (PIA) -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Southern Leyte is holding a two-day values orientation to the recipients of the Starter Kit livelihood program for the small economic entrepreneurs in the locality on May 7 and 8.
“Before the release of the financial assistance to the 63 informal workers for the second batch of the Starter Kit livelihood program, they all need to undergo a Social Preparation Training and Entrepreneurship Appreciation (SPTEA) course with the employment agency provincial staff,” DOLE Provincial Office senior staff Mario Tictic disclosed.
He also stated the program’s objective of providing a sustainable source of income for the family is to see a fully operational entrepreneurial undertaking that would make a change in the lives of the beneficiaries.
Tictic said the livelihood assistance will be received by the recipients in form of materials needed for each of the project proposals submitted such as carpentry tools, sewing machines, food, among others, to ensure that the proceeds of the financial assistance will really be bought readily as their startup capital.
“The financial assistance varies from P10,000 to P14,000 depending on the need of each recipient in their project proposals ,” he said.
Among the project proposals include peanut butter-making, ice cream production, barbecue vending, carpentry works, manicure and pedicure, tailoring and sewing, he said.
The DOLE Provincial Office partnered with the city government of Maasin in the mentioned program to increase productivity among the small economic entrepreneurs in the locality, he added. (PIA8 SoLeyte)
==Forest exhibit, roadshow open in Southern Leyte==
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1141336290025
*Monday, May 7, 2012
:by pia.gov.ph




Southern Leyte, March 15 (PIA) -- The Coastal Fisheries and Resources Management (CFRM)Office in Southern Leyte set a synchronized extraction of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) from the waters of Southern Leyte on World Water Day, March 22.
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, May 7 (PIA) -- An exhibit and roadshow about the Philippine forests are set to open in Southern Leyte.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Forest Management Bureau, German Development Cooperation-Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, CoDe REDD Philippines and the provincial government of Southern Leyte will be opening the Color it REDD-Plus Roadshow and “The Philippine Forests: Before and What Now?” exhibits on May 8 to 9 at Maasin City Gymnasium, Southern Leyte.
CFRM Officer Eva Abad disclosed in a launching ceremony of Sogod Bay Sustainable Marine Management Alliance held at San Roque, Macrohon recently that, “the deadly COTS can’t be eliminated with us alone; every community should be involved.”
Dr. Bernd Markus Liss of GIZ said that REDD-Plus or Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation with conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks is a measure being under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that contributes in the stabilization of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere.
In the Philippines, from April 2009 to July 2010, multi-sectoral and multi-level workshops were carried out to know more about REDD and REDD-Plus in aid of drafting the Philippine National REDD-Plus Strategy (PNRPS) for 2010 to 2020.
It was learned that there is a systematic process on how to extract and eliminate these COTS, since if not properly extracted, it will result to more egg production of COTS. A large crown-of-thorns starfish measuring 40 cm., if not properly handled, can produce a million eggs and it is also dangerous for those who will be infected with its sharp thorns.
In April of 2010, the PNRPS Components were considered in the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change (NFSCC) under section 8.5 of the Key Result Areas on Mitigation. On the same month, DENR has been designated as the operational arm of REDD-Plus implementation through Executive Order 881 of the President. Given these, the PNRPS was presented to the DENR Executive Committee that approved the Strategy on August 9, 2010 and transmitted the same to the Climate Change Commission on August 27, 2010.
Liss said REDD-Plus is at its early stage in the Philippines and the exhibit offers a visual presentation of this approach. The Philippines has elaborated a National REDD-plus Strategy that was endorsed by DENR and is now a key element of the National Climate Change Action Plan approved by the Climate Change Commission chaired by the President in November 2011.
Abad said that, “we are encouraging to start extracting the starfishes before the World Water Day and thereafter, as long as they know the proper way on how to remove it from the corals.”
The Climate-relevant Modernization of Forest Policy and Piloting of REDD Project implemented by DENR and GIZ at national level, with pilot activities in Southern Leyte is the featured REDD-Plus Project in the exhibit.
It focuses on avoiding further deterioration of forests and emissions of greenhouse gases while generating benefits such as biodiversity conservation, improvement of local livelihoods and enhancement of ecosystem services through the development of improved forest policies and specific incentives for forest protection and rehabilitation.
Early this year, thousands of crown-of-thorns starfish were already extracted along the seahores of Maasin City to Padre Burgos, among other municipalities.
The newly discovered frog species in Mt. Nacolod is supported by GIZ and is part of the Biodiversity Resource Assessment done for five municipalities of the GIZ-REDD Plus sites in Southern Leyte covering the municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin, Tomas Oppus and Malitbog.
The information generated, now provides a baseline that can be used to predict impacts of habitat change on species and to design measures to protect forest biodiversity. For local government units in Southern Leyte, the findings provide the scientific basis in designing appropriate management systems and monitoring protocols useful in protecting forest ecosystems, establishing local forest and biodiversity areas as well as to steer the rehabilitation of forests towards an efficient and more ecologically sound path.
The provincial government through Gov. Damian G. Mercado and Cong. Roger G. Mercado committed to support the COTS outbreak, and allocated funds for the purpose. (EOPT/RSC- PIA 8 Southern Leyte)
For the national Government, it will spur forest protection and rehabilitation efforts under the Philippine National REDD-Plus Strategy as part of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAPP), and the National Greening Program.
On the other hand, the Forest Exhibit captures current actions of local communities in forest conservation and protection in Leyte Island, done through a competition among journalists last year. Media representatives from Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, GMA News Online and Business Mirror were among those who participated in the competition. The exhibit depicts how the country is beginning to adjust national forest policies to the necessities of climate protection and to test approaches for REDD-Plus.
The exhibit, Liss said, is an opportune time to bring together the medium of film, graphics and photography to communicate historic images of the nation’s massive forest loss and depict current initiatives to achieve sustainable forest management. This means working towards improving the environment and people’s conditions by protecting, replanting and sustainably managing the forests.
Fishbowl Discussion, Debate, and REDD-Plus Hour will be carried out to discuss forestry, highlight the role of community forestry as a central ingredient to the implementation of REDD-Plus, emphasize that tenure over the land is a must for REDD-Plus implementation, and orient participants on basic concepts in relation to REDD-Plus as well as on the PNRPS.
A cultural night will also be held on May 8 evening at Maasin City Gymnasium featuring local artists, and prominent national artists Cookie Chua, Bayang Barrios and Lolita Carbon at 8pm.
The event is a compelling visual presentation and interactive dialogue to discuss REDD-Plus and its on-going implementation in the Philippines.
REDD-Plus is an approach that embodies actions of empowered forest managers and support groups to manage forestlands in a sustainable and equitable manner while working towards improved forest policies with regard to climate change, forest protection and rehabilitation.
The DENR-GIZ REDD Project is part of the International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the German Government. The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. (PIA8 with GIZ)


==Southern Leyte enjoins full participation of LGUs in Earth Hour power switch off==
==Bureau seeks to establish Mt. Nacolod as a conservation area==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281331692555
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281336114142
*Wednesday 14th of March 2012
*Saturday, May 5, 2012
:by Erna S. Gorne
:by Erna S. Gorne




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 5 (PIA) -- The Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau/New Conservation Areas in the Philippines Project (PAWB/New CAPP) seeks to establish an inter-local government unit alliance to establish Mt. Nacolod as a conservation area.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, March 14  (PIA)  --  The provincial government of Southern Leyte will closely coordinate with the 19 local government units in the province to assure full participation in the synchronized one hour electric power switch-off.
"A study has been undertaken jointly by the PAWB/New CAPP and Forest Management Bureau/German Development Cooperation-Duetsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit, through the Fauna and Flora International in coordination with DENR Region 8 and PENRO So Leyte for one-month-long ground survey for a biodiversity assessment in key biodiversity area in Southern Leyte,” said DENR-8 Regional Executive Director Rogelio Trinidad, during the Presentation of the Results of the Biodiversity Assessment of REDD+ Pilot Area/Mt Nacolod in Southern Leyte and Management Planning Workshop, last May 2 and 3 at Kuting Reef, Macrohon, Southern Leyte.  
Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENR) senior staff Eva Abad disclosed to PIA-Maasin about the switching off of electric power from  8:30 p.m. up to 9:30 p.m. of March 13, 2012  in observance of the Earth Hour simultaneously throughout the province.
“The local chief executives were all advised formally through the issuance of a memorandum from Provincial Governor Damian Mercado’s office  relative to the energy conservation measures which shall also be observed at the same time throughout the world,”  Abad said.
The memorandum further urged the provincial and city employees to participate as they were recommended to act as models in the community in the switch off of electricity during the designated schedule in their respective homes, she added.
On the same day, the provincial government will also spearhead in the synchronized extraction of the crown of thorns starfish (COTS) throughout the province.  Other simultaneous massive collection of COTS scheduled activities will be on March 15-22 during the World Water Way observation and the Earth Day celebration on April 22, she said. (PIA8 SoLeyte)


==Leyte allocates P300K to combat crown of thorns starfish explosion==
He said that the identified key biodiversity area in Southern Leyte covers six municipalities, namely Silago, Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin City, Tomas Oppus, and Malitbog.  
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281331539444
*Tuesday 13th of March 2012
:by Erna S. Gorne


The study that spanned slightly over one month, from November to December 15, 2011, recorded a total of 229 flora species in 65 families, with 31 Philippine endemics, 10 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)-critically endangered species, which are mostly Dipterocarp species, and 20 IUCN-vulnerable species. It was also learned that terrestrial vertebrates accounted in the survey totaled to 212 species (birds: 112 species, mammals: 36 species, herpetofauna: 64 species).


Likewise, there are a total of 69 species of terrestrial amphibian and reptiles recorded across the four localities, and of these 69 species, 25 species are frogs belonging to the seven families; 23 species lizards belonging to five families; 20 species of snakes and one specie of terrestrial turtle.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, March 13 (PIA)  --  The Southern Leyte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) allocated  P 300,000 for the acquisition of  spear guns that would get rid of the crown of thorns starfish (COTS) multiplying out of control throughout the province.
"The PAWB/New CAPP, with funding support from Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Development Programme, aims to expand and strengthen the terrestrial PA system in the Philippines by developing new conservation models," Trinidad disclosed.  
“The provincial government considered the overpopulation of COTS as a natural disaster that threatens the marine life in the province,“ Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) - Coastal Fisheries Resource Management Office (CFRMO) Eva Abad reported to PIA.
“These equipment are needed to inject sodium bisulfate into the COTS located  in the deep seas, to kill them,”  she said.
On the other hand, COTS found along the shallow waters can be manually extracted with the use of bamboo sticks; however, it should be done with technical guidance, Abad said.
Abad reported that COTS teem in Padre Burgos where a number of divers extracted some 60,000 COTs at one time, while along the shorelines of Barangay Mantahan, Maasin City thousands of COTS were also exterminated.
Meanwhile, the provincial government will spearheaded at least three major initiatives of COTS massive extraction: on March 15-22 in time for the World Water Day celebration, on March 31 during the Earth Hour observation,  and another synchronized COTS collection on April  22 throughout the province, Abad disclosed.
The Sogod Bay Sustainable Marine Management Alliance (SBSMMA) will work together in the combat of excessive growth of COTS to include the provision of reading materials for wider information dissemination about the problem, Abad said. (PIA8 SoLeyte)


The group aimed to capacitate their partners for effective management of the system supported by improved systemic and institutional capacities.


The study also identified threats to biodiversity, which include widespread illegal collection of wildlife, conflicting land tenurial issues improper wildlife collection (e.g. bat collection in caves in Maasin City).


"However, these threats can be addressed by having proper land use classification with strict implementation of policy and reforms that strengthens sustainable conservation initiatives through increased capacitation of stakeholders," he added. (PIA8 SoLeyte)


==Southern Leyte solon cites impt programs as economic boosters==
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1291336096874
*Friday, May 4, 2012
:by Rebecca S. Cadavos




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 4 (PIA) -- Important programs of the national government such as Tourism, Environment and Agriculture (TEA), are important components to help boost economy not only here in the province but throughout the country said Southern Leyte Lone District Congressman Roger G. Mercado.


In Southern Leyte, Mercado cited the Panan-awan airport, in Barangay Panan-awan, the Roro Port of Barangay Guadalupe and the on-going port rehabilitation, all in Maasin City as the sites that can help tourism industry in the province.


“If the airport in Panan-awan will be completed, this will hasten the incoming and outgoing of tourists and visitors coming from other places that will visit not only in Maasin City but the province as well, which can automatically improve economic activities,” the solon disclosed in a press conference held at Kinamot Sa Abgao, May 3.


==Mt. Nacolod needs protection==
The length of the runway of the Maasin airport is still lacking with only 1.2 kilometers, supposedly the needed runway is 2.0 km, the Congressman said. “An initial funding of P4.5 million had already been released for the extension of the runway, but it was not implemented yet," he added.  
*Source: http://leytesamardaily.net/2012/03/mt-nacolod-needs-protection/
*SATURDAY MARCH 10TH 2012
:by Sarwell Q. Meniano


Meanwhile, the Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) port in Barangay Guadalupe, if pushed through, can also promote economic activities and the P20 million rehabilitation of Maasin City Port which is now on-going through the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).


The other two economic boosters he mentioned were the environment and agriculture programs of the government. “We need to encourage the people to obey local ordinances and laws of the government,” Hon. Mercado said referring to the anti-smoking campaign, traffic rules, illegal activities, to include illegal logging, illegal drugs, illegal fishing, among others that can affect not only one’s health but the environment as well.


TACLOBAN CITY – Southern Leyte’s Mt. Nacolod is being pushed as one of the new conservation areas in the country and there’s a need to protect of its 14,000 hectares forested terrain, believed to be home of several endangered birds.
The solon also urged everyone with the help of the media to disseminate the problems concerning the bunchy top virus that affect the abaca industry, brontispa for the coconut industry, and the crown-of-thorns starfish that is now affecting the coral reefs around the province. Through information dissemination, everyone will be aware of the situation, the congressman noted.  


Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional chief of the protected areas and wildlife division George Guillermo revealed that there’s an ongoing assessment in the area since last year to find out the biological and physical characteristics of wildlife as well as areas in the terrain occupied by people.
“In order to achieve the targets and goals at our end, using our own resources, we need the support of everyone and the media people as one of the forefronts,” Cong. Mercado revealed at the press conference attended by the local reporters, to include Leyte Samar Daily Express correspondent Vicky Arnaiz, Maasin City Senior Citizens Federation President Willy Justimbaste, among others. (EOPT/RSC-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)


“This mountain range is critical to biodiversity conservation. This is categorized as New Conservation Areas Project in the Philippines (NewCAPP). Although it’s lower in category compared to existing protected areas, but not in terms of quality,” Guillermo told Leyte Samar Daily Express.
==Sack yields dead girl==
*Source: http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/provincial/29177-sack-yields-dead-girl
*Thursday, May 3, 2012
:by  Zaida delos Reyes-Palanca


The official said they are hoping to complete the assessment this year and it will be declared as conservation area next year. The study and consultation is being carried out by DENR, German Agency for International Cooperation and several local government units and non-government organizations.


Basic activity under the project is the biodiversity assessment, to determine the extent of plant and animal species in the area for conservation and protection. The flora and fauna survey is being done by the Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and will be completed June 2012.
AUTHORITIES have launched a manhunt for a 27-year-old man tagged in the rape and killing of a 9-year-old girl whose body was found inside a sack dumped at the back of the victims house in Pastrana, Southern, Leyte.


At 1,007 meters above sea level, Mt. Nacolod straddles the municipalities of Silago, Saint Bernard, Libagon and Hinunangan all in Southern Leyte, has been picked as one of the nine pilot sites in the country for the New CAPP.
Town police commander Insp. Romeo Abano identified the suspect as Allan Pulga, 27, neighbor of the victim Mary Joy Paboyo, of Barangay Cabauhan.


NewCAPP aims to expand and strengthen the terrestrial protected areas system in the Philippines by developing a new protected area conservation model and build capacity for effective management of the system supported by improved systematic and institutional capacities.
Abano said autopsy result showed the victim,  who was reported missing on April 29, was positively molested and her head was bashed with a hard object that caused her death.


The result of the survey, Guillermo said, can properly guide authorities in planning for appropriate conservation strategies in the area.
Police said Pulga had no records of mental illness or drug addiction. His family said he may be under the influence of liquor when he committed the crime.


According to the DENR, several threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Areas have been recorded in Southern Leyte, and are likely to occur in the remaining forests on Mt. Nacolod. These include the critically endangered Philippine Eagle Pithecophaga jefferyi, Mindanao Bleeding-heart Gallicolumba crinigera, Philippine Eagle-owl Bubo philippensis, Silvery Kingfisher Alcedo argentata, Samar hornbill Penelopides samarensis, among others.
==DSWD-8 to hire 800 young workers in Southern Leyte==
Mt. Nacolod is a municipal watershed supplying water to the surrounding towns. The two significant forests on the mountain are the Buac Watershed Forest Reserve and the Hinabian-Lawigan Watershed Reservation.  
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281335930752
The mountain range originally covered 18,688 ha of forestland. It was declared a Forest Reserve on 25 November 1966 by Proclamation No. 121.
*Wednesday, May 2, 2012
:by   Erna S. Gorne


==Crown-of-thorns starfish damages coral reefs==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/tacloban/local-news/2012/03/09/crown-thorns-starfish-damages-coral-reefs-210358
*Friday, March 9, 2012
:by sunstar.com.ph


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 2 (PIA) - - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Office 8 is set to screen today the applicants for the 832 summer job young workers coming from Southern Leyte to join the nationwide Expanded Government Internship (EGIP).


According to Edna Dator of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) EGIP team will meticulously select 112 qualified youths out of 700 young applicants in Maasin City alone; the rest of the EGIP slots will be filled by 40 selected youths from each of the 18 municipalities in the province.


THE infestation of poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish damaging corals reefs in Southern Leyte’s diving sites has raised alarm among authorities who are blaming climate change and over-collection of the pest predators as the culprit.
Right now, the said team is still screening the final list of summer job youth workers, who will participate in the internship program of government, she added.  


The regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is now making assessment report after four divers inspected the area last week to check the extent of damage wrought by “noxious” starfish.
The hired applicants will work for 52 days in the community where they come from in 4Ps, Social Pension for the Indigent Elderly, Supplemental Feeding, Cash for Work and Day Care Services earning P252 per day, she said.  


Justerie Granali, acting BFAR Eastern Visayas director, said the infestation has been noted in Maasin City, and in the towns of Padre Burgos and Macrohon.
Most of the applicants are aged 18 to 30 years old, many are in school, a number are out-of-school youths, several have degrees and technical-vocational courses, Dator added. (PIA 8, SoLeyte)


“We will provide technical assistance to affected local government units. We have been meeting with local officials to discuss ways on how to eliminate this starfish,” Granali said.
==CENRO-Maasin partners with 11 POs to protect 5,410 ha. upland areas==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281335759627
*Monday, April 30, 2012
:by  Erna S. Gorne


She said there are only two ways to stop the infestation – manual removal of the starfish and underwater injection of sodium bisulfate to the pest.


The official lamented that the growing population of crown-of-thorns has been noted when people overexploited the collection of triton trumpet, the only known predator of adult starfish.
MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 30 (PIA) -- The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) – Maasin of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Southern Leyte Provincial Office is now undertaking the development of 5,410 hectares of upland areas under the Community-Based Forest Management Program (CBFMP) in close coordination with the local peoples’ organizations.  


“The sudden change of temperature also attributed to the overpopulation of the number of crown-of-thorns starfish,” Granali said.
CENRO-Maasin, which covers eight municipalities out of the 18 municipalities and one city of Maasin in the province, reported that the CBFMP is a regular program of the environment department to carry out the reforestation in timberland areas in the mountains and mangrove areas, CENRO-Maasin Senior Staff Edil Alcarde disclosed.  


In Barangay Mantahan, Maasin City, villagers have removed in their two-day extraction at least 10,000 poisonous starfishes, barangay councilor Jani Arnaiz said.
He said, “Thru the social forestry program, the upland dwellers have become partners in the protection of the remaining forest.”


During last week’s launching ceremony of the Sogod Bay Sustainable Marine Management Alliance, Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado said the Provincial Government has allocated P600,000 for the procurement of spear guns, chemicals and finance information drive.
The following upland areas and respective people’s organizations and their area coverages includes: 1) Maasin Farmers Marketing and Credit Org. (MAFAMCO) in Ibarra, Maasin City with 181 has; 2) Young Innovator for Social & Environmental Development Association, Inc. (YISEDA) in Maasin City with 549 has; 3) Kapunongan Mag-uuma sa Sto. Nino (KAMAS) in Macrohon with 182 has; 4) Malico Farmers Resources Management and Conservation Organization (MAFARMCO) in Macrohon with 102 has; 5) Malitbog Upland Developers for Sustainable Association (MUDSA) in Malitbog with 563 has; 6) Tomas Oppus-Malitbog Farmers Association, Inc. (TOMFA) in Tomas Oppus with 71 has; 7) Tomas Oppus Forest Developers Association, Inc. (TOFDA) in Tomas Oppus with 325 has; 8) Anahao Movement for Productive Community organization (AMPCO) in Bontoc with 451 has; 9) Kahupi-an Upland Farmers Association, Inc. (KUFA) in Sogod with 2,169 has; 10) Aktibong Grupo sa Mag-uuma Alang sa Libagunong Abot (AGILA) in Libagon with 675 has; 11) Barangay Danao Farmers Association (BADAFA) in Macrohon with 244 has; 12) Bogo Women’s Association (BWA) in Maasin City with 50 has thru the Congressional Fund of Rep. Roger G. Mercado.  


“We plan to add more funding as soon as the detailed assessment is completed by BFAR. We are scheduled to launch the community removal of damaging starfish on March 23,” Mercado said.
The overall CBFMP workers availing of the said social forestry program totaled to at least 410 beneficiaries, he added.  


The governor said the infestation is a threat to the local tourism industry.
He further disclosed that before the implementation of the social forestry program, reforestation was very limited in terms of survival since laborers burned the forest so that they will be hired again.  


“Each stakeholder should show concern about the crown of thorns starfish situation,” he said.
With this program, the beneficiaries will be able to harvest the trees as if they were their own and harvest mature trees, he added. (EPT/ESG-PIA8, SoLeyte)


According to Provincial Administrator Crispin Arong Jr., the infestation has affected the tourism industry and livelihood activities of fisherfolk.
==CENRO-Maasin partners with 11 POs to protect 5,410 ha. upland areas==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281335759627
*Monday, April 30, 2012
:by  Erna S. Gorne


The Southern Leyte provincial tourism office reported that the Sogod Bay has been drawing local and foreign tourists. The bay has four existing dive shops with each shop attracting an average of 200 visitors every month mostly Europeans.


Sogod Bay covers the municipal water of Padre Burgos, Limasawa, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc, Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, San Ricardo, and Pintuyan.
MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 30 (PIA) -- The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) – Maasin of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Southern Leyte Provincial Office is now undertaking the development of 5,410 hectares of upland areas under the Community-Based Forest Management Program (CBFMP) in close coordination with the local peoples’ organizations.  


The crown-of-thorns starfishes eat the coral through sucking. A single starfish can eat five to six square meters of coral per year.
CENRO-Maasin, which covers eight municipalities out of the 18 municipalities and one city of Maasin in the province, reported that the CBFMP is a regular program of the environment department to carry out the reforestation in timberland areas in the mountains and mangrove areas, CENRO-Maasin Senior Staff Edil Alcarde disclosed.  


This starfish breeds around December to April and each female is capable of producing 60 million eggs per season. It has an average size of about 10 to 20 arms.
He said, “Thru the social forestry program, the upland dwellers have become partners in the protection of the remaining forest.”


==CSWDO–Maasin City kicks off Women’s Month celebration==
The following upland areas and respective people’s organizations and their area coverages includes: 1) Maasin Farmers Marketing and Credit Org. (MAFAMCO) in Ibarra, Maasin City with 181 has; 2) Young Innovator for Social & Environmental Development Association, Inc. (YISEDA) in Maasin City with 549 has; 3) Kapunongan Mag-uuma sa Sto. Nino (KAMAS) in Macrohon with 182 has; 4) Malico Farmers Resources Management and Conservation Organization (MAFARMCO) in Macrohon with 102 has; 5) Malitbog Upland Developers for Sustainable Association (MUDSA) in Malitbog with 563 has; 6) Tomas Oppus-Malitbog Farmers Association, Inc. (TOMFA) in Tomas Oppus with 71 has; 7) Tomas Oppus Forest Developers Association, Inc. (TOFDA) in Tomas Oppus with 325 has; 8) Anahao Movement for Productive Community organization (AMPCO) in Bontoc with 451 has; 9) Kahupi-an Upland Farmers Association, Inc. (KUFA) in Sogod with 2,169 has; 10) Aktibong Grupo sa Mag-uuma Alang sa Libagunong Abot (AGILA) in Libagon with 675 has; 11) Barangay Danao Farmers Association (BADAFA) in Macrohon with 244 has; 12) Bogo Women’s Association (BWA) in Maasin City with 50 has thru the Congressional Fund of Rep. Roger G. Mercado.  
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281331106140
*Wednesday 7th of March 2012
:by Erna S. Gorne


The overall CBFMP workers availing of the said social forestry program totaled to at least 410 beneficiaries, he added.


He further disclosed that before the implementation of the social forestry program, reforestation was very limited in terms of survival since laborers burned the forest so that they will be hired again.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, March 7 (PIA)  -- The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) – Maasin City will kickoff it’s two-day celebration with motorcade and seminar-orientations series on climate change tomorrow.
With this program, the beneficiaries will be able to harvest the trees as if they were their own and harvest mature trees, he added. (EPT/ESG-PIA8, SoLeyte)
In line with this year's Women's Month theme, “Women Weathering Climate Change:  Governance and Accountability, Everyone’s Responsibility,” CSWDO  has  prepared seminar- orientations focused on Climate Change  on the first day for some 300 women in the locality,  CSWD Officer Febe Maria Sta. Cruz said.
Sta. Cruz said on the second day , which is scheduled on March 22, they have lined up several free services for the women such as medical consultation, pedicure, manicure,  massage,  legal consultations and women showcases on successful livelihood programs.
She said different women groups coming from the 70 - barangay women councils, Day Care workers, Local Women Council officers and other women organizations are expected to join the lined up activities.
On the second scheduled day, the same group of  women will be exposed to gender sensitivity issues, Sta Cruz added. (ldl/esg/PIA-8)


==5 bridges to be constructed in two So. Leyte towns==
==Affordable health services for 700,000 Filipinos==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301330988636
*Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/columnist1/21944-affordable-health-services-for-700000-filipinos
*Tuesday 6th of March 2012
*Sunday, April 29, 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino
:by RANDOM JOTTINGS




LOW income families living in the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar in the Eastern Visayas region will soon have increased access to affordable maternal health services, thanks to the World Bank which – acting as administrator for the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid (GPOBA) – has approved a grant of US$3.6 million towards the project.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Mar. 6 (PIA)  --  Five foreign-assisted bridges, Spanish-inspired structures, will be installed in three barangays in the municipality of Silago and two barangays for San Ricardo municipality within this year.
The project will be implemented over a 4-year period by Population Services Pilipinas Incorporated (PSPI) supported by Marie Stopes International Australia (MSIA), established providers of maternal and child health care in the Philippines since 1990. About 145,000 poor families (an estimated 700,000 individuals) are expected to benefit through subsidized access to services including birth delivery and pre- and post-natal care.
In a press conference with local media recently, Engr. Carlos Veloso, head of the Department of Public Works and Highways – Southern Leyte Engineering District (DPWH-SLED), identified the locations at barangays Hibatian, Lawa-an, and Bagacay in Silago, and barangays Pinut-an, and Bil-atan in San Ricardo.
But Veloso said implementation of these foreign-funded bridge projects will be undertaken by the DPWH central office, including the bidding procedures, which he reported as already in process.
Veloso cannot say how much was the overall costs of the five bridge projects, which were funded by Spain, saying only that as far as he knew, the Philippine government has put up a counterpart fund of around P 50 million.
Meanwhile, a groundbreaking ceremony has been scheduled on March 8, Thursday, for the four bridge projects funded out of the agency’s regular funds.
Starting last week, traffic in the city’s main road was re-routed as the widening of the said bridge was already in full blast, the project officially called “replacement of Tuburan Bridge” with an appropriation of P 10 million.
Widening of another old bridge in the city, in barangay Combado, will follow, as well as the one in barangay San Roque, Macrohon, while work for the completion of the Subang Daku bridge in Sogod is underway.
Replacement of Combado arch bridge has an outlay of P 8 million, while the construction of San Roque bridge, P 18.2 million.  Subang Daku bridge in Sogod, which is expected to be finished within the year, was allotted P 48 million, and concreting on the approaches on both ends of the said bridge, P 40 million. (PIA8-Southern Leyte)


==City trains reserve Army force for quick emergency response==
The National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) has a mandate to provide universal health insurance coverage to all Filipinos and a solution is needed for the large numbers of indigent and informal sector workers that remain excluded from social health insurance coverage. A 2010 Philippine Health Sector Review found that reforms in the past decades have improved overall health outcomes; however, disparities in access to quality health services and health insurance coverage remain an issue for the poor.  
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301330908810
*Monday 5th of March 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino


The GPOBA-funded scheme explicitly targets the poor to help address some of the barriers to their access to quality health services, with a 3-part approach: accreditation of 45 service providers in the project area to ensure improved quality of care and the capacity to meet increased demand; enrolment of about 145,000 families, identified and determined as poor by the National Household Targeting System, to ensure that the project reaches those who need it most; and a subsidized voucher scheme to bridge the gap between co-payments charged by health service providers and the amount that target project beneficiaries can afford to pay for approved services.


“This output-based aid scheme supports the new government’s reform agenda to achieve universal access to health care,” said Motoo Konishi, World Bank Country Director for the Philippines. “The project also makes access to quality health services affordable through the subsidized voucher component and more inclusive by explicitly targeting the poor.”


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Mar. 5 (PIA)  --  As an integral part of its action plan for disaster preparedness, the local government unit here organized its choice personnel as Army reservists and subjected them to a 30-day para-military training starting Mar 3 and 4, and every weekend thereafter.
The project will address barriers to health service access by expanding insurance coverage of the poor and by supporting the upgrade of additional service providers in order to meet the national Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) accreditation requirements.
Selected to compose one company of 50 individuals were mostly city ordinance enforcers and those coming from the office of general services, usually the same frontline personnel on call during potential calamity situations, such as inclement weather.
They will undergo Special Basic Citizens Military Training (SBCMT) Class 01-12 every Saturday and Sunday for the equivalent of one month at the Army Reserve Command Headquarters in barangay Canturing, this city.
The opening ceremony for this batch was held at the city gym Friday,Mar 2,  which also coincided with the pinning of rank to city Mayor Maloney Samaco as Major in the Philippine Army Reserve. Samaco, speaker in the occasion, said that the organization of a ready reserve was primarily intended for easy mobilization during calamities.
The army reserve company in the city, once established, will also be utilized in the conduct of various activities on disaster preparedness, along with other socio-civic undertaking, like serving as a support group during the conduct of free medical-dental services in the city, Samaco also said.  (PIA8-Southern Leyte)


==Four island LGUs in Region 8 due for rabies-free recognition==
Consistent with the OBA approach, GPOBA will retain an independent verification agent to verify output delivery, including service provider upgrading, and that pre-agreed targets have been met by the project partners before subsidy payments are made. Independent verification makes aid more transparent by linking payment to the delivery of specific services or “outputs.”
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301330823183
*Sunday 4th of March 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino


“We are enthusiastic about using an innovative approach, as part of a joint effort with PhilHealth, to meet the needs of a population that cannot afford to pay for access to basic health services and to support the government’s commitment to reducing maternal and infant mortality,” said Virgilio Pernito, Chief Executive Officer of PSPI.


Globally, more than 350,000 women die each year due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications. For the Philippines, this initiative is an important step towards the goal of reducing maternal mortality rates to 52 deaths per 100,000 live births, although past experience suggests that goal may be difficult to attain.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Mar. 4 (PIA)  --  Three island municipalities and an island province in Eastern Visayas are leading the race to be declared places where the virus on rabies from dogs is practically non-existent.
This program is in direct response to the Philippine government’s commitment to pilot interventions that improve the health outcomes, particularly the maternal and reproductive health status, of poor populations.
These are Limasawa island in Southern Leyte, Almagro island in Samar, Maripipi Island in Biliran, and the entire island-province of Biliran itself, said Dr. Norietta Orsua, Regional Rabies  Prevention and Control Program Manager of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional office.
Speaking at the organizational meeting of the City Rabies Control Committee (CRCC) in this city last week, Orsua said the declaration as rabies-free places can be expected as soon as the central office shall have finished its final validation on the results of their assessment anytime soon.
Orsua, who discussed the details of the law on the control and elimination of rabies, or Republic Act 9482, passed in 2007, said the four LGUs have actively complied with certain criteria for a place to be declared officially as rabies-free.
Among these were a functional rabies control committee, a sustained information drive on caring of pets and to be responsible owners of these pets, and a high incidence of immunized dogs, with a minimum requirement of 70 percent compliance rate.
For now, there is no problem on the availability of the vaccines for dogs as the Philippines was a recipient of a grant from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for supplies until the year 2013, Orsua said.
She added, however, that beyond 2013 it will be the challenge of the LGUs to maintain what was started and procure by themselves the vaccines for the dogs and for people accidentally bitten by dogs.
She said RA 9482 specifically cited a penalty of P 7,000 for owners who refuse to have their dogs registered and immunized, and a separate penalty of P 10,000.00 for owners who refused to have their dogs, which had bitten someone, submit to a 14-day observation period.
Still another penalty of P 25,000.00 will be slapped for non-complying owners for the 14-day mandatory observation period if they will refuse to shoulder expenses caused by their dog that had bitten a person, Orsua stressed. (PIA8-Southern Leyte)


==22 out-of-school youths recruited to scouting movement==
==Slow growth alarms Eastern Visayas bizmen==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281330400492
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2012/04/28/slow-growth-alarms-eastern-visayas-bizmen-218692
*Tuesday 28th of February 2012
*Saturday, April 28, 2012
:by  Erna S. Gorne
:by  (Sunnex/(Leyte Samar Daily Express))




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 28 (PIA) -- At least 22 out-of-school youths (OSYs) were recruited to the Neighborhood Scouting program of the Boy Scout of the Philippines (BSP) based in Southern Leyte.
MACROHON, Southern Leyte -- Local business chambers are concerned over the slow growth of Eastern Visayas’ gross regional development product (GRDP) and its per capita income, which is lower than its neighboring regions.
According to Maasin City Mayor Maloney Samaco these 22 OSYs from Barangay Asuncion in Maasin City were also known as “bakal boys” because they steal iron and steel and sell these at the junk shops in the locality for their livelihood.
Samaco said, however, only 16 of the OSYs passed the scouting trainings and joined provincial and national jamborees. These OSYs have already stopped their former ways and instead planted vegetable at the backyard of the BSP provincial office and earned money as well.
They were were enrolled in the Alternative Learning System of the Department of Education wherein they graduated last December 2011, he said.
“We are still hoping that some of these boys will get the Eagle Rank and become the first out-of-school youth in the whole Philippines to be advanced as Eagle Scouts.” Samaco added. (ESG-PIA SoLeyte)


Robert Castañares, president of the Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI), said they wonder why there has been a consistent decline of GRDP growth momentum between 2004 and 2009.


“The National Government is actively involved in social services and infrastructure programs but not that much in economic development. That partly explained why in 2004 to 2009 our economy has not improved and poverty incidence has gone up,” Castañares told participants of the 2nd Eastern Visayas Regional Business Conference held in Kuting Reef here this week.


Citing latest available data from the National Government agencies, the business group disclosed that from 5.2 percent GRDP growth in 2004, it went down to 1.8 percent in 2009. The growth rate recorded in 2009 is way below than the 6.3 percent target.


The region’s per capita income is only P7,400 just half of Western Visayas’ P14,500 and Central Visayas’ P15,300. The National Capital Region’s per capita is P38,600.




Line 331: Line 365:




==DPWH, DOT, DA convergence in So. Leyte underway==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301330239380
*Monday 27th of February 2012
:by (PIA8-SouthernLeyte)




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 27 (PIA) -- Three national line agencies, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Tourism (DoT), and the Department of Agriculture (DA), are pooling their technical and financial resources to push for the development of tourism and boost agri-business here in this province.
DPWH-SLED (Southern Leyte Engineering District) will work on key roads that promote tourism, especially those that directly lead to five specific tour sites in the province, while the DOT will provide the funding which, hopefully, will be available within the year, Carlos Veloso, engineer and head of SLED said.
Among the sites considered for development under the DPWH-DOT convergence are the roads leading to barangay Danao in this city, the future site of the Maasin Nature and Wildlife Park; improvement of a trail leading to Cambaro cave in Macrohon; a road leading to the planned canopy walk in Silago; a road leading to a crater in San Juan; and completion of the circumferential road in Limasawa.
All the five projects have an estimated appropriation of more than P20 million, Veloso said.
Regarding the linkage with DA, Veloso said a P 6-million fund is currently available to continue the farm-to-market road connecting Maasin and Bontoc through the mountainous terrains of the two localities, from barangay Lunas in Maasin to barangay Pacu in Bontoc.
When completed, this cross-country highway is seen as a big help in cutting travel time for passengers and motorists coming from the pacific and Panaon islands of the province who, at present, use the Bontoc-Bato,Leyte-Maasin route.
Another P 10 million release for the same project was due to be disbursed this year 2012 so the Lunas-Pacu, Bontoc road can be fully operational and opened for traffic soonest, Veloso further said.








==1st zoo in Eastern Visayas opens in Maasin City==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291335494267
*Friday, April 27, 2012
:by  Rebecca S. Cadavos




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 27 (PIA) -- Organized by the Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI) in coordination with the city government of Maasin, the Maasin City Nature and Wildlife Park or simply known as Maasin Zoo had its soft opening, April 26, Thursday, situated at Danao Forest Park, Sitio Danao, Malapoc Norte, this city.


The soft opening was conducted hours after the 2nd Eastern Visayas Business Conference was held at the Kuting Reef, in the municipality of Macrohon. Twelve (12) chambers of commerce and industry that attended the business meeting trouped to Maasin Zoo for the soft opening, the first throughout Eastern Visayas region.


The soft opening held at past three in the afternoon started with a short program, attended by different stakeholders, media practitioners, local and regional officials and visitors composed of the 12 chambers throughout Eastern Visayas coming from Palompon, Baybay, Isabel, Ormoc, Leyte, Calbayog, Samar, Catarman, Northern Samar, Guian, Burauen, and the Southern Leyte CCI headed by its President Robert Castañares. The program was hosted by Zaldy Olita from the city government.


==Padre Burgos LGU leads multi-sectoral crown of thorns massive collection==
A tour around Maasin zoo was made after the program, led by Maasin City Mayor Maloney Samaco with the Sangguniang Panglungsod members, Regional Directors from the Department of Tourism (DOT), Karina Rosa Santiago, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)Cynthia Nierras and Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Edgar Esperancilla and investors of the zoo.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301329971265
*Thursday 23rd of February 2012
:by (PIA8-Southern Leyte)


Animals that can be seen at Maasin Zoo are two camels, two miniature horses, three tigers, one small Celebes Black Ape, two red-necked ostrich, crocodiles, snakes, and different species of birds such as the silver pheasant, victoria crown, umbrella and black palm cockatoos, Philippine eagle, among other classes of birds.


PADRE BURGOS, Southern Leyte, Feb. 23 (PIA) -- The local government is leading a campaign to rid the coastal areas here of a deadly specie of starfish that poses a threat to the town’s tourism industry and also to the livelihood of marginal fisher folk, Agriculturist Juliet Crisostomo said.
A grand opening of Maasin Zoo is set next month, May, while summer break is on the wane, it was learned.  
The crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), a coral-eating underwater creature, has been blamed for destroying a partial stretch of coral reef in this dive destination. If the destruction is left unchecked, the number of divers who frequent the site is likely to diminish, affecting local tourism, he said.
Fishermen living along the coasts who depended on fishing as their main livelihood have already complained that fishes have migrated to other places as a result of the loss of coral material in the area, Crisostomo said.
 
The campaign has resulted in more than 3,000 COTS averaging 12 inches in diameter being collected before noon Wednesday and later buried across the street. Called “Dap-ag Lanay” locally, COTS are differentiated from normal starfishes, which are star-shaped, in that the former have thorny projections resembling a crown.
Their proliferation is reported to have resulted from the absence of natural predators such as oysters and some species of fish that feed on them. Overfishing and climate change have played in part in the imbalance, by reducing the population of the COTS natural enemies.
 
Divers from private dive businesses, fisher folk from the neighboring barangays, and several personnel from the Coral Cay Conservation (CCC), a non-government organization from Britain stationed at Barangay Napantao, San Francisco, helped in collecting the COTS from the sea floor, Crisostomo said.
Over the past month, seven out of 10 coastal barangays of Padre Burgos have already collected more than 50,000 pieces of COTS. Three other barangays have separate schedules of COTS collection in March, he added.


SLCCI President Castañares was grateful for the realization of one of the tourism hubs in Southern Leyte, saying that, “the local economy can benefit through building this major tourism hub in the province.” He was pleased with the visitors who came from other parts of region 8 for them to observe while the zoo is still under construction.


The 30-hectare park is located in the 500-hectare Danao Forest Reserve in the upland barangay of Malapoc Norte, 14-kilometer away from the city proper and situated 335 meters above sea level. (ldl/rgc-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)


==DENR-8 finalizes Biodiversity Assessment of REDD+ Pilot Area and Mt. Nacolod in SoLeyte==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291335336973
*Thursday, April 26, 2012
:by  Rebecca S. Cadavos






MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 26 (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has completed the Biodiversity Assessment of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) pilot area and at Mt. Nacolod in the province of Southern Leyte.


DENR 8 Regional Executive Director Rogelio T. Trinidad in a letter to PIA-Maasin said, a presentation of the assessment and a Management Planning will be conducted on May 2-3, 2012 at Kuting Reef in Macrohon, this province.


The activity, he said, is aimed to present the results of the biodiversity assessment and draft the management plan for Mt. Nacolod based on the practical knowledge and strategic species-habitat information gathered during the study.


==DPWH-SLED infra projects in full swing==
The study was jointly undertaken by Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau/New Conservation Areas in the Philippines Project (PAWB/NewCAPP) and Forest Management Bureau//German Development Cooperation-Deutsche Gesellschaft fluer Internationale Zusammenarbeit –Climate relevant modernization of forest policy and the REDD in the Philippines Project (FMB/GIZ REDD+ Project) through the Fauna and Flora International (FFI).  
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301329861200
*Wednesday 22nd of February 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino


The project study coordinated by DENR 8 and PENRO Southern Leyte was also participated by the local universities and representatives from the local government units.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 22 (PIA) -- At least eight major infrastructure projects programmed by the Department of Public Works and Highways-Southern Leyte Engineering District (DPWH-SLED) for implementation this year were bidded out and started.
“It was a long-month ground survey that started November 2011 yet,” Director Trinidad said.  
Projects with less than P20 million costs have expiry dates on or before June 30, while those with more than P20 million appropriations are targeted to be done by September 30 this year, Engr. Carlos Veloso, head of the provincial engineering district, said.
In a press conference at the DPWH function hall yesterday, Veloso identified five of the infrastructure projects with a combined budget of P124 million from the DPWH regular funds that were bidded out on Feb. 9, and as of press time winning contractors began preliminary works prior to actual start.
Among these were the final phase for the completion of the Subang Daku bridge along Daang Maharlika in Barangay San Miguel, Sogod and the accompanying construction/improvement of the same road up to the junction at Buac road.
The other three that were also bidded out Feb. 9 involved replacement or construction of old bridges, such as the one at Barangay San Roque, Macrohon, Tuburan Bridge at Barangay Abgao, Maasin, and another at Barangay Combado Arch Bridge, also in Maasin.
The two bridges at the city proper usually caused a bottleneck in the traffic for pedestrians and moving vehicles especially during rush hour of the day, and their widening is seen as a big relief for commuters, said Engr. Manolo Rojas, assistant district engineer.
Other projects that were already bidded out and were started last month included the widening and installation of drainage system along the new national highway Tomas Oppus street in Barangays Mantahan and Mambajao, Maasin City, and improvements in the San Ricardo-Bilatan road, and preventive maintenance along Daang Maharlika highway. (BP-PIA 8 Southern Leyte)


The two-day activity is expected to be attended by key stakeholders of the province including the mayors of municipalities within the Mt. Nacolod and chairperson of Sanggunian for Environment at the provincial and municipal levels, representatives from the academe, natural environment protectors and managers, provincial and municipal planning office, among others concerned. (ldl/rgc/PIA 8-Southern Leyte)


==East Visayas business leaders gather for trade conference==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301335314428
*Wednesday 25th of April 2012
:by  Marcelo M. Pedalino




KUTING BEACH, Macrohon, Southern Leyte, April 25 (PIA) -- Leading personalities in the business sector from six provinces and eight cities in Region 8 will converge for two days - today and tomorrow - in this resort to discuss issues and concerns about tourism and trade opportunities.


The gathering, officially called Second Eastern Visayas Business Conference, is hosted by the Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI), and some 200 participants all over the region are expected to attend, said Sandra Alcober, information officer of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provincial office.


Aside from known business figures, mostly heads and members of various chambers of commerce in the region, political leaders and regional directors of government agencies involved in promoting tourism and investments are also expected to come, Alcober added.


Governor Damian Mercado will be the keynote speaker, said Alcober.


She said the two-day affair will also highlight a trade fair and exhibit and actual visits to the province’s prime tourist destination at the Agas-Agas zipline at Sogod.


==CENRO-Maasin City targets 300 hectares for greening program this year==
The group will also witness the soft opening of the “ZooLeyte” or the Maasin Nature and Wildlife Park at Danao Forest Park in Maasin City scheduled tomorrow afternoon, April 26.  
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281329813796
*Tuesday 21st of February 2012
:by Erna S. Gorne


The conference carries the theme, “One Region. One Team: Economic Development thru Public-Private Sector Initiative.” The first-ever Eastern Visayas business meeting was held in March last year, hosted by Leyte province, Alcober further said.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb 21 (PIA)  --  The Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) Maasin City of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) aim to cover 300 hectares of open spaces with forest trees on its second year of implementing the National Greening Program this year.
Engr. Robert Castanares, SLCCI President, in his letter of invitation to fellow members to display their products and services, said the objective of the conference is to promote regional trade and investment cooperation in the region.  
According to CENRO officer Pepe Mandras,  the CENRO Maasin City,  which covers the municipalities from Maasin City  down to Libagon municipality will continue to be planted with forest trees.
The DENR in the province have two CENR offices, which are based in Maasin City and San Juan municipality.  The CENRO – San Juan also covers the municipalities located  from Sogod down to the Pacific towns and Pana-on areas, Mandras said.
Mandras  said  last year, CENRO Maasin City  was  able  to plant  successfully  to  700 hectares of forest lands under the national tree planting program  of  President  Benigno S. Aquino III.
He also revealed that  50 out of the 700 hectares were endorsed  by Congressman Roger G. Mercado particularly  located  at  the  Barangay Bogo  in Maasin City.  That the said  forest plantation is managed by the Bogo Women’s  Assocation, he added.
Mandras further revealed that their office has designated the bald mountain ranges in Barangay Laboon, which is about 10 kilometers away from the main districts of Maasin City, for the convenience of  those organizations who wish to join the national tree planting program. (PIA8- Southern Leyte)


“Among the highlights of the conference is the presentation by each chamber of its respective province or city development strategy, dominant industry or products, and trade and investment opportunities,” Castanares said.


He also said that the individual output of the different chambers will be consolidated into a Regional Development Framework which will be presented to the Regional Development Council. (LDL/MMP-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)


==DSWD-8 announces schedule of orientation and interview of its internship program==
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1211335175364
*Tuesday 24th of April 2012
:by Tuesday 24th of April 2012




TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, April 24 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 8 through its regional director Leticia T. Diokno issued last Monday the schedule of provincial orientation and deliberation for its applicants of the Expanded Government Internship Program (EGIP).


For Leyte, the schedule of interview and orientation will be on April 24 and 25 in Tacloban City while in Ormoc City, it will be conducted at the Pantawid Pamilya Operations Office on April 30.


For Southern Leyte, interview and orientation will be on April 25 at the provincial Social Welfare and Development Office in Maasin.


For Samar, interview and orientation will be on April 26 at the Pantawid Pamilya Provincial Operations Office in Catbalogan City.


For Eastern Samar, interview and orientation will be on April 27 at the Operations Office of the Pantawid Pamilya located near the Metrobank building in Borongan City.


==P300-M Jackpot Winners Still No-Show==
For Biliran, interview and orientation will be done also on April 27 at the Provincial Capitol building in Naval, and for Northern Samar, interview and orientation will be on April 30 at the Cluster Office of the Pantawid Pamilya in Catarman.  
*Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/352042/p300m-jackpot-winners-still-noshow
*February 20, 2012, 8:43pm
:by EDD K. USMAN


DSWD-8 is hiring 7,634 workers regionwide, specifically in-school youth/students, out-of-school youth, college graduates/vocational course graduates who are unemployed, aged 18 to 30 years old.


MANILA, Philippines — The two winners of the P300-million jackpot of the February 15 draw of Grand Lotto 6/55, who placed their bets in Taytay, Rizal, and Hinunangan, Southern Leyte, have not yet claimed their winnings.
Those who will qualify will have a hands-on experience in working with the DSWD, either in centers, institutions, field offices, or at the communities where they come from to assist in the implementation of the agency’s programs and projects such as Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens, Supplemental Feeding, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Cash For Work, and Day Care Service.  


A check with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in Pasay City at noon Monday showed that so far only the winners of P150,000 each for getting five numbers correctly have started to claim their money.
Application forms are now available at the DSWD-8 office website, at the regional office at Tacloban City, and at the Pantawid Pamilya provincial/city/municipal operations office. (ldl/PIA-8/DSWD-8)


Lawyer Lauro A. Patiag, manager of the Internal Audit Department (PCSO-IAD), told the Manila Bulletin that the two lucky lotto players have not yet shown up.
==Brontispa infestation gradually decreasing in SoLeyte==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281335155799
*Monday 23rd of April 2012
:by y Erna S. Gorne


“We are waiting for them so they can get without hassle their prize money. It is totally tax-free, the PCSO pays the tax for jackpot prizes,” he said.


Five-number winners of 6/55 in the same February 15 draw are now claiming their money, he said. “It could mean even the two winners of the P300 million may still have not realized their lucky streak,” said Patiag.
MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 23 (PIA) -– Coconut farmers from municipalities affected by the brontispa have reported positive results in the treatment of this infestation.  


According to Carmelita Maturan, coconut development officer of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Provincial Office, the remedy they have employed may have proven to be effective since latest accounts of farmers suggest that the dessicated coconut leaves affected by the insect are progressively being replaced by regular green and healthy leaves.


However, treatment is not a hundred percent.


“The fight against Brontispa will always be existent. Hence, continued upkeep and maintenance of the coconuts should be exercised,” Maturan said.


Some of the control measures that PCA recommends are the mechanical control which involves cutting and burning, spraying insecticides, and utilizing biologically controlled parasitoids.


Currently, there are nine municipalities in Southern Leyte that are threatened by Brontispa: Maasin, Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc, Sogod, Liloan, and Hinunangan.


The Department of Agriculture is leading the Brontispa fight and is constantly supplying chemicals and fertilizers to local farmers. The PCA are also closely monitoring the condition of our province’s coconut farms to ensure substantial recovery from the insect attacks. (ldl/esg/Yevgeny Duarte, Student Intern/PIA8 SoLeyte)






==DoT to build 32 feet sculpture depicting First Mass in Limasawa, Southern Leyte==
*Source: http://leytesamardaily.net/2012/02/dot-to-build-32-feet-sculpture-depicting-first-mass-in-limasawa-southern-leyte/
* 18 February 2012
:by ROEL AMAZONA




TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Tourism (DoT) will implement this year the project to build a sculpture depicting the First Mass in Limasawa, Southern Leyte by commissioning the service of well-known architect Nemesio “Nemi” Miranda who was creator of the famous People Power monument at Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Manila.


Miranda was tasked by the DoT to make an image of the First Mass with a height of 32 feet at the public plaza located in Barangay Magallanes.
The perspective of the project was finished sometime last year.


The DoT set aside a budget of P7 million for this project which is expected to draw tourists who visit the historic island, especially every March 31.


Based on historical account, the First Mass in the Orient was held in March 31, 1521 when Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan under Spanish flag landed in the island celebrated he mass at Barangay Magallanes and planted a cross.


Based on the DoT tourist arrival records last year, the National Shrine in Limasawa was among the most visited tourism sites in the region last year.


Aside from the project to be implemented by the DoT, the provincial government of Southern Leyte, which included Limasawa under its tourism master plan, is also set to construct a 100-meter high cross in the island, equipped with elevator to reach the top portion where businesses like a coffee shop are to be put up.
==S. Leyte urged to conserve forests and biodiversity==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281334825444
*Friday 20th of April 2012
:by (ldl/Ms.Y Duarte, student OJT/PIA8-Southern Leyte)


The provincial government estimated that the project will cost about P80 million.


During last year’s 490th First Mass celebration, Bishop Precioso Cantillas of the diocese of Maasin launched the “Decade of Evangelization”
SOUTHERN LEYTE, April 20 (PIA) -- With the discovery of the new species of frogs in Southern Leyte, Gordon Ignacio, senior adviser of the biodiversity assessment project, urges Governor Damian Mercado and local government units to conserve the forest and the biodiversity of the province.  
that will culminate on March 31, 2021, the 500th year anniversary of the historic event.


According to Ignacio, the rich and unique bio-diversity wildlife is “Southern Leyte’s pride,” for this reason, it must be well-preserved and protected.


The joint project of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a German government organization, Southern Leyte provincial government, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) yielded numerous significant results.


Aside from the new amphibians, the Mount Nacolod assessment also recorded 229 flora species, 31 of which are found only in the Philippines. The survey team recorded 212 vertebrates. These included 112 birds, 36 mammals, and 64 amphibians and reptiles. Flora and Fauna International, a British-based group, said most of these animals are endangered.


Dr. Bernd-Markus Liss, principal advisor for GIZ's forest policy, said the revelation of new species in Southern Leyte underscored the need to protect the forests of the Philippines, a key biodiversity center in the global map. At present, about 80% of the country's forests are degraded.


“By destroying forests, we are also destroying habitats. Who knows what's out there?” he said.


Liss also noted that new species could benefit the community greatly. To start, these species may help in developing new substances, medicines, and materials.


As stated by GIZ’s press release, “support from the government and greater involvement of LGUs are expected to ensure the success of protection and rehabilitation of natural forests and conservation of biodiversity.”


The said institution, together with DENR, plan to continue its field sampling in Mt. Nacolod, a mountain peak near Silago, as well as other areas of the province including the municipalities Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin, Tomas Oppus, and Malitbog.


==City, Province entice investors in the BPO industry==
==Frog species, size of a thumb, found in Southern Leyte forest==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301329436920
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1301334736913
*Friday 17th of February 2012
*Thursday 19th of April 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 17 (PIA) -- Mayor Maloney Samaco said Tuesday the government is willing to share the cost of training call center agents needed by call-center businesses investing in his locality.
SOUTHERN LEYTE, April 19 (PIA) -- This province has carved a new impression as a haven for a rich bio-diversity wildlife in the wake of reports broadcast on nationwide television and online news outlets that two new species of frogs were discovered in the forests off the pacific area.  
In a press conference, Samaco said that investors in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry were willing to locate in the region if there was trained manpower capable of handling the job demands.


To entice these investors, “the city and province will share in the cost of training prospective and potential personnel as call center agents,” he said.
According to reports, the newly-found frogs species were a mottled brown frog with red eyes and a broad yellow stripe running down its back, and a yellow green frog the size not much bigger than a man’s thumb.  


The demand for offshore call-centers has paced the private outsourcing agency’s promotion of foreign direct investments in the country.
The finds were announced by personnel of the British-based Fauna and Flora International in a forum held at the National Museum, it was learned.  


Meanwhile, Samaco said a Cebu-based business consortium is being contracted to expand an existing reclamation area in the city with landfill from nearby hills.
Reports said the new species, which have been labeled as endangered and on the brink of extinction and were yet to be named, were found at the Nacolod mountain range in the pacific area of Southern Leyte province.  
Talks with the consortium started last year under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement. The consortium would then convert the landfill area into a memorial park. (MMP/PIA8)


This area has been part of a conservation-oriented undertaking initiated by the central office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in addition to an initiative of a German government organization GIZ, the Reducing Emission on Degradation and Deforestation Plus (REDD Plus) project.


The brown frog specimens measured 1.7 -- 2.2 inches, while the yellow-green ones were 0.8 -- 1.1 inches, an online report said.


The Philippines has been listed by US-based Conservation International as one among 17 countries that hold most of Earth’s plant and animals, but at the same time a bio-diversity hotspot due to massive kaingin and illegal logging operations on what was once heavily-forested areas.


The DENR, through its wildlife protection department, reported that aside from the frogs, 36 new plants and animal species were discovered in the country over the past ten years. (ldl/mmp-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)


==2 new frog species discovered in Leyte ==
*Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=798078&publicationSubCategoryId=68
*April 18, 2012 12:00 AM
:by  Rhodina Villanueva




MANILA, Philippines - Two new species of frogs and 229 recorded flora species were discovered in Southern Leyte late last year.


Mundita Lim, head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB), said the frogs belong to the genus Platymantis.


==SoLeyte bares prevalence of malnutrition in East Visayas==
“These species inhabit the montane and mossy forests of the Nacolod Mountain Range in Southern Leyte province,” she said. “Both species differ markedly from other known species of Philippine Platymantis frogs by their body size, coloration patterns, and advertisement calls. The two species are allied to two different species groups, the Platymantis guentheri group and Platymantis hazelae group.”
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291329360983
*Thursday 16th of February 2012
:by Rebecca S. Cadavos


Lim said this is the first time that a Platymantis species belonging to the hazelae group has been discovered in Mindanao faunal region, to which the island of Leyte belongs.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 16 (PIA) -- The Provincial Nutrition Council in a meeting held Tuesday bared how the region fares regarding the prevalence of malnutrition by municipality throughout Eastern Visayas Region.
“Herpetologists from the Philippines and the United States are now working on the formal taxonomic description of the species,” she said.
Provincial nutritionist Nilda Rich disclosed in a meeting with the PNC-Technical Working Group that the municipality of Pintuyan, in Southern Leyte was at top 25, having 20.97 percent underweight from 68.1 percent total preschoolchildren (Operation Timbang coverage).  Number 1 went to San Jorge from the province of Samar, with 30.50 percent underweight from the 64.74 percent conducted OPT.
While  Silvino Lobos, Northern Samar have 29.72 percent from the weighted 43.50 percent and San Jose de Buan from Samar with 29.66 percent over the weighed pre-schoolers of 64.53 percent, second and third ranks respectively.
Rich reported that the municipality of Limasawa ranked the least at 137th place from the total municipalities throughout Eastern Visayas, with only 4.19 percent underweight pre-schoolers. Limasawa already won the Galing Pook Award for the implementation of nutrition program, it was learned.
Rich informed that all muncipalities from the provinces of Eastern Visayas region were ranked according to the number of malnourished pre-schoolers from the OPT coverage. “Leyte’s first municipality was at top 12 with Jaro having 25.75 percent from 84.99 percent OPT coverage; Biliran at 64th with Caibiran town having 16.48 percent out of 83.41 percent OPT coverage; and Eastern Samar with Gen,. McArthur as the first municipality that ranked 43rd with 18.69 percent out of 82.27 covered OPT,” she added.
The presentation was made by Rich as a feedback from the District Nutrition Provincial Coordinators’ meeting held from January 31-February 1, 2012 at Tacloban City hosted by the National Nutrition Council through Regional Nutrition Program coordinator Carina Z. Santiago.
On the other hand, Rich also expounded on the implementing rules and regulation of Republic Act No. 10028, or the promotion of breastfeeding and  the establishment of rooming-in and breastfeeding practices, where any establishment, whether public or privately-run are encouraged to put-up a breastfeeding room for working  mothers who breastfeed their babies
The meeting was attended by members of PNC-Technical Working Group such as the National Food Authority (NFA), Department of Interior and Local government (DILG),  Philippine Information Agency (PIA),  Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), among other member-provincial offices. (PIA 8-Southern Leyte)


Lim said the month-long ground surveys in Southern Leyte – covering the municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin, Tomas Oppus and Malitbog – also recorded a total of 229 floral species (31 of which are unique to the Philippines) and 212 terrestrial vertebrates species comprising 112 species of birds (41 species are unique to Philippines; 11 of which are threatened to extinction), 36 species of mammals (17 species are unique to the Philippines) and 64 species of amphibians and reptiles (more than half of which are found only in the Philippines).


“It is anticipated that a significant number of species will be recorded from Southern Leyte with continued field sampling, especially if the surveys are conducted during the drier months of the year and if a wide range of habitat and elevation zones, from lowland Dipterocarp to mossy forests, are sampled in detail,” she said.


Lim said the assessment indicated the general preference of Southern Leyte’s fauna to forest and riverine environments.


“The information generated now provides a baseline that can be used to predict impacts of habitat change on species and to design measures to protect forest biodiversity. For local government units in Southern Leyte, the findings provide the scientific basis in designing appropriate management systems and monitoring protocols useful in protecting forest ecosystems, establishing local forest and


biodiversity areas as well as to steer the rehabilitation of forests towards an efficient and more ecologically sound path,” she said.


Lim said the assessment will spur forest protection and rehabilitation efforts under the Philippine National Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)-Plus Strategy as part of the National Climate Change Action Plan, and the National Greening Program.


Lim said the discovery of the new species on the fragmented forests of Mt. Nacolod intensifies the potential of REDD-Plus for effective protection and rehabilitation of natural forests and conservation of biodiversity, while benefiting local communities.


==OCD enhances knowledge of disaster-risk barangays in SoLeyte==
Greater involvement of LGUs in conserving the biodiversity of Nacolod is expected, she added.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291329273026
*Wednesday 15th of February 2012
:by Rebecca S. Cadavos


The study was aimed at generating species inventories and practical information on key species-habitat associations as sound bases for forest and biodiversity management planning, Lim said.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte,  Feb. 15 (PIA) -- The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) conducted a hazard mapping orientation in 14 barangays in the municipality of Libagon to enhance knowledge on disaster-risk and vulnerabilities in their areas.
Joining the PAWB in conducting the biodiversity assessments last November 2011 were the Fauna & Flora International, the National Museum of the Philippines, and DENR Eastern Visayas.
“At least 14 barangay chairmen from the 14 municipalities of Libagon attended the one-day hazard mapping orientation,” Civil Defense officer Marichu Tan disclosed to PIA-Maasin.  It was also participated by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (MDRRMC) members headed by Libagon Mayor Oliver Ranque, she added.
The activity taught the barangay  officials  how to conduct hazard mapping, especially those barangay residents at risk in times of disaster, before, during and after any calamity, Tan said.
The hazard mapping orientation also aims to strengthen the disaster risk reduction council at the local level, especially the barangay DRRMC, since they will be the first to act in times of disaster,” Tan said. (PIA 8-Southern Leyte)




Line 572: Line 584:




==PNP – Maasin City initially plants 750 mangrove trees==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281329199185
*Tuesday 14th of February 2012
:by Erna S. Gorne


==Reef restoration set in Southern Leyte==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/tacloban/local-news/2012/04/17/reef-restoration-set-southern-leyte-216718
*Tuesday, April 17, 2012
:by  (Leyte Samar Daily Express)


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb 14 (PIA) --- The police here  has already  started planting at least 750 mangrove seedlings  to strongly support the nationwide tree planting campaign, in compliance with the President's National Greening Program. 
Superintendent Hector Enage disclosed that each of the 52 organic police officers and staff  in the police station  are required to plant at least six  trees  every month for a year.
Enage said earlier this month they were able to plant 500 mangrove trees in Barangay Pasay mangrove in Maasin City in close coordination with the barangay  officials, who also contributed their share of mangrove seedlings to the tree planting.
On February 11, Saturday, the Maasin City PNP conducted the second tree planting in Barangay  Manhilo  mangrove area  and planted another 250  seedlings, Enage added.
Enage said the will further coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and  barangay councils in the city  for the rest  of  the tree planting activities particularly in their need for tree planting materials and planting areas.
The tree planting activity of Maasin City Police Station is in consonance with the campaign of Police Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to plant 10 million trees for the same period and to PNoy's call to plant a billion trees to mitigate climate change.(PIA8- Southern Leyte)


PALO, Leyte – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) will push through a one-year pilot technology demonstration on coral reef restoration in Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte.


The coastal area situated within the Sogod Bay will get a P5-million budget out of the recently approved P35.35 million funding for nine coral reef rehabilitation projects nationwide.


DOST Regional Director Edgardo Esperancilla said they signed an agreement with SLSU based in Sogod town, which will be their partner in undertaking pilot technology demonstration.


“We prioritize the one hectare in Padre Burgos because it is where depleted coral reefs can be found. There are also nearby resort owners who are willing to sustain the project. The undertaking is to show how the private sector can implement coral reef reforestation,” Esperancilla said.


The project aims to promote science-based coral reef management practices through public-private sector partnership, establish technology pilot demonstration sites for coral nurseries to produce 30,000 coral nubbins, and establish one hectare of reef in Padre Burgos.


The science department is eyeing to complete the project on March 14, 2013.


“To make sure that corals will grow, we need the help of the private sector to maintain this, especially that damaging starfish are infesting the area,” he said.


==Solon offers scholarship to students taking up Agriculture course==
Population outbreak of damaging crown-of-thorns starfish was spotted in 74 hectares of coral reefs in Southern Leyte with a population density of up to 420 pieces per square meter, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1301329107286
*Monday 13th of February 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino


Of the 74 hectares infested, 60 hectares are in the municipality of Padre Burgos, nine hectares in Maasin City and five hectares in Macrohon town.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 13 (PIA)  -- Graduating high school students here and anywhere in the province who belong to the top five of the graduating class were challenged by the province's representative to avail of his scholarship program for the coming school year, 2012-2013.
Crown-of-thorns starfish climbs over the corals, releases digestive enzymes to break down its food, and then absorbs the coral polyp, leaving only coral skeleton.
But one pre-requisite condition should be met, and that is, that the student take up an agriculture course at a government school here in the province, referring to the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) or the Maasin City College (MCC).
According to Aida Morsen Moralde of Cong. Roger Mercado’s district office, there were students in the past who availed of the lawmaker’s initiative, as agriculture was one of the courses listed under the Congressman’s scholarship program.
So far, however, someone has yet to graduate from this course, as the tendency was to shift to other courses, it was learned.
In a recent meeting with heads of national line agencies, Mercado announced his desire to help graduating students continue college schooling, even as he singled Agriculture as the preferred course to be taken up.
He appealed on the students to spread the word to those interested to pursue an agriculture degree, especially if he or she belongs to the upper level of the graduating class.
Last month, Mercado rallied concerned stakeholders in his vision of a Southern Leyte province that will become a producer, no longer a consumer, of agriculture products, to reverse the trend nowadays that virtually anything agricultural sold in the market either came from Cebu or Mindanao.
The province should be producing these staples so that it can be self-reliant and can even sell to other places of the country, Mercado said.
During the Agriculture-Tourism summit last month, Mercado had linked up with the regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the people’s organizations, and the Mayors of the different local government units in the province to start mapping a roadmap or blueprint for the province’s full-speed agricultural development.  (PIA8-Southern Leyte)


Other than the toxic starfish, the DOST believed that coral reefs in Southern Leyte are damaged by a variety of human activities such as household sewage, industrial wastage and agricultural chemicals from land that are washed off to the sea.


Dangerous fishing methods such as blast and dynamite fishing also contributed to coral reef destruction.


Coral reef reforestation will also be implemented in provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Zambales, Batangas, Masbate, Aklan, Bohol, and Tawi-Tawi.




Line 617: Line 621:




==TESDA-So. Leyte is now ISO certified==
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1301329008903
*Sunday 12th of February 2012
:by  Marcelo M. Pedalino




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 12 (PIA)  --  The Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) provincial office here has undergone the necessary processes required by an audit-qualifying body for it to pass the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
In previous interviews with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), TESDA Provincial Director Rolando Juanillo has intimated that his office was subjected to a rigorous scrutiny assessing its quality services, along with provincial offices of Samar and Leyte.
Aside from the TESDA Central Office, Region 8 was part of the three regions initially selected to undergo the ISO certification, the two others were Regions 3 and the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), Juanillo had revealed.
On February 10, Friday, the mentioned areas were scheduled to receive the ISO 9001-2008 certification for having complied the requirements on quality procedures among others, Juanillo told PIA over the phone Wednesday.
An agency granted with the ISO mark usually enhances its reputation as a globally competitive office recognized to deliver quality product and services to its clientele, in an atmosphere of improved efficiency and at least cost, it was learned.
Juanillo said that as of now all other TESDA provincial offices in the region will also be undergoing a similar process.(PIA8-Southern Leyte)






==Environmental office bares municipalities with highest collection of deadly starfish==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291334544532
*Monday 16th of April 2012
:by  Rebecca S. Cadavos




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Apr 16 (PIA) -- The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) has been continuously extracting the crown-of-thorns starfish throughout Southern Leyte since it reportedly increased in number, particularly in the waters of Sogod Bay and in Maasin City.


In a mitigation report by Coastal Fisheries Resources and Management Office Provincial Head Eva Abad the municipality with the highest COTS extracted was Padre Burgos with 80,145, followed by Maasin City that extracted around 34,000 and in Limasawa with 25,461 by the end of March 2012.


Abad added that other municipalities which conducted COTS extraction include Macrohon with 3,000 deadly starfish collected; Tomas Oppus – 2,192; Malitbog – 23,565; Lilioan – 1,056; San Francisco – 1,143; Pintuyan – 1,054; Hinundayan – 356; Hinunangan – 863; Bontoc – 18; Libagon – 10; and Sogod with only one reported.


==31 sitios in So. Leyte awaits NEA lighting project==
Crown-of-thorns starfish are locally known of dap-marine invertebrates that feed on corals which are marine sanctuaries and kills corals.  
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1301328835923
*Friday 10th of February 2012
:by  Marcelo M. Pedalino


In the mitigation report, Abad informed that there were municipalities in the province not included in the COTS outbreak such as San Ricardo, St. Bernard, San Juan, and Anahawan.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 10 (PIA)  -- Residents in 31 remote sitios all over this province can expect to avail the services of the local power firm Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (SOLECO) anytime this year because of the rural electricity program of the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
The total crown-of-thorns starfish extracted as of April 2012 numbered 170,165 pieces, initiated by the provincial government with the assistance of volunteers throughout the province, Abad disclosed. “This does not include the different Dive Shop Divers collection,” she said.  
Benson Mindajao, Member Development Officer of SOLECO, told Philippine Information Agency (PIA) yesterday that the list was already submitted to NEA before Christmas last year for implementation which he hoped to be undertaken sooner.
Last year, also before Christmas, two sitios were energized, Sitio Mangmang and Bagong Silang, all of Macrohon town, with a total cost of P 1.2 million mostly subsidized by the electrification agency, benefiting more than the minimum limit of 30 household connections, Mindajao said.
For this year 2012, the total cost for energizing the 31 sitios or Puroks amounted to P 12,165,382.80 with SOLECO shouldering the labor component, among others, while the materials costing more than P 9 million was handled by NEA, Mindajao disclosed.
This will be under its Subsidiary Electric Program or the Barangay Line Enhancement Program that was pushed aggressively for lighting all far-flung sitios nationwide as one of the pet priorities of President Benigno Aquino III, he added.
Mindajao also said that four out of the 31 sitios were located in Maasin City, the rest distributed in the 18 other towns of the province.  These were Sitio Gawad Kalinga in barangay Combado, Sitio Alpha in San Rafael, Purok Anahawan in barangay Libhu, and Sitio Upper Kandiis, also of Libhu.
In December, City Tourism Officer Royeno Segovia informed PIA  that all farthest sitios were already reached by an electrification program initiated by the city government.
When told about this, Mindajao said new sitios kept propping up every year which needed extension of their existing lines.
In fact, for this year, aside from the 31 awaiting NEA’s go-signal, about 40 potential sitios are longing for power connectivity, and resolutions from barangays on this matter kept coming, Mindajao further said. (Marcelino Pedalino - PIA8 Southern Leyte)


The local government units concerned has been coordinating with different agencies including non-government organizations to assist in the COTS outbreak and how to mitigate its existence, such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI), the GIZ, Provincial and Maasin City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, among other concerned agencies.


“We are proposing the production of IEC materials such as pamphlets and posters for public awareness which is now designed by PENRMO staff,” Abad said while other activities are properly coordinated with the other agencies. (ldl/rgc-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)


==11 Eastern Visayas LGUs yet to comply with policy on disclosure==
*Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/177299/11-eastern-visayas-lgus-yet-to-comply-with-policy-on-disclosure
*10:08 pm | Sunday, April 15th, 2012
:by  Joey Gabieta
Inquirer Visayas




TACLOBAN CITY—Only 11 of the over 140 local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Visayas have yet to comply with the national government’s policy on full disclosure of financial transactions, according to a Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) official.
Pedro Noval Jr., DILG Eastern Visayas director, said the 11 LGUs were only missing one or two documents mandated to be posted under the full disclosure policy being implemented by the department.
These LGUs were Pintuyan in Southern Leyte; Lapinig in Northern Samar; and the towns of Almagro, Gandara, Hinabangan, Jiabong, Matuginao, Motiong, Tagapul-an, Tarangnan and Zumarraga, all in Samar province.
Eastern Visayas has about 149 LGUs constituting provinces, cities and municipalities. This means that 138 LGUs across the region have fully complied with the policy.
The full disclosure policy program requires LGUs to post several documents, including their budgets and finances, and bids and public offerings in government websites, newspapers of general circulation and in other conspicuous and appropriate places.
Full disclosure
Based on the provisions of Republic Act No. 10147, or the General Appropriations Act of 2011, adherence to the full disclosure policy is now compulsory.
Local governments without a website should also post the required information on the website of the DILG regional office concerned on www.dilg.gov.ph, the website of the DILG central office.
Noval cited the document on items to bid as the most common instrument that the 11 LGUs have not yet posted so they could not be considered as having complied with the full disclosure policy.
He said that based on their explanations, the LGUs said they lacked the time to prepare the said document.
“But I expect within this month that all the 11 LGUs will be able to fully comply with the full disclosure policy,” said Noval who has been monitoring the LGUs’ compliance.
He added that the failure of the LGUs to observe the full disclosure policy could mean the filing of administrative charges.
“(Officials) should be held accountable and responsible with their actions to the people they serve,” Noval said.
Earlier this year, DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo ordered the DILG field offices to send “show cause” orders to the executives of the LGUs concerned to explain or face sanctions for noncompliance with the provisions of the 2011 General Appropriations Act.
The full disclosure of financial transactions aims to minimize, if not totally, eradicate corruption and misuse of public funds.


==Military vows to keep Visayas insurgent-free==
*Source: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=Military-vows-to-keep-Visayas-insurgent-free&id=49937
*April 13, 2012 07:25:50 PM
:by Sarwell Q. Meniano




==National Greening Program gaining headway==
LIMASAWA, SOUTHERN LEYTE -- A military official vowed to block rebels’ efforts to retake insurgent-free Visayas provinces as they shift their thrust to implementation of development projects from counter-insurgency efforts.
*Source: http://www.tempo.com.ph/2012/national-greening-program-gaining-headway/#.TzPmiU6PXJc
Col. John S. Bonafos, commander of 802nd brigade of the Philippine Army based in Camp Downes, Ormoc City, said they are stepping up efforts to coordinate with local government units and other government agencies in undertaking development projects. "We will continue our support operations particularly in the development aspects needed by people. After we have attained peace, we will move to development phase like construction of classrooms, road repair and road widening," Mr. Bonafos told BusinessWorld.
*Feb 9th, 2012
:by www.tempo.com.ph


The brigade covers the insurgent-free provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Biliran. It is the only Philippine Army headquarters in the entire country with all covered areas officially declared as rebel-cleared.


Manila, Philippines – Eastern Visayas (Region  was selected as pilot site for the 2012 national Greening Program (NGP), to highlight the region’s record of exceeding its targeted number of hectares with tree seedlings planted since the program was launched on May 2011. Eastern Visayas, consisting of six provinces – Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar and Southern Leyte – exceeded its 2011 NGP target. It produced 4,052,500 seedlings and planted 8,105 hectares with indigenous tree species and fruit-bearing trees. Eastern Visayas has been given a higher target of 12,365 hectares to be planted with trees this year.
Among the five provinces, Biliran was the first to gain the insurgent-free status as jointly declared by the army and local government unit in December 2008. Cebu and Bohol were declared free of rebel activities in March 2010 while Southern Leyte and Leyte attained the same status in September 2011 and December 2011, respectively.
The Bicol Region (Region 5) also surpassed its 2011 target by 12 percent with 6,303 hectares of open and denuded forestland planted with close to 4 million tree seedlings. When the NGP was launched in Bicol in May last year, stakeholders in the region planted 3.9 million tree seedlings in 6,303 hectares of open and denunded forestland. Camarines Sur led with 2,102,578 tree seedlings planted in 3,005 hectares.
The Department of National Defense (DND) allocated 12,000 hectares for the establishment of tree nursery sites in military reservations nationwide, including Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Kibaritan Military Reservation in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur, Camp Peralta in Capiz, and Villaviciosa Military Reservation in Abra. In coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of Agriculture (DA), the DND is also propagating bamboo plantations.
The NGP targets the planting of 1.5 billion tree seedlings in 1.5 million hectares nationwide from 2011 to 2016. priority areas include mangrove and protected areas, ancestral domain, civil and military areas, and urban areas under the LGU greening plan. For 2012, the target is 200,000 hectares. The goal is a survival rate of 80 percent by tapping sound upland practices and confining identified planting sites to areas where there are communities that can maintain and ensure growth of the seedlings into mature trees.
The overall objectives of the National Greening Program are poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity conservation, and environment mitigation.


"The situation of these Visayas provinces exemplifies that we can attain the insurgent-free status through multi-stakeholders participation," Mr. Bonafos said.


For insurgent-free areas, the military turned over the lead role in maintaining the internal security to its local executives and police.


A province is categorized as insurgency-free when the threat posed by the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) is successfully downgraded into a mere law and order problem.


==PRC-8 inks MOA with SoLeyte==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291334126830
*Thursday 12th of April 2012
:by Rebecca S. Cadavos




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 12 (PIA) -- The Office of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)-8 through its Regional Director German Palayab signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Southern Leyte Governor Damian G. Mercado to bring their services closer to Southern Leyteños.


The MOA signing was held at the governor’s office here this morning, April 11.


==TESDA-So. Leyte offers three voc-tech courses scholarship training==
“Both parties need to gain strength and joint benefits from its creative cooperation and collaboration towards extending frontline services such as 'one-stop shop' to be set up by the local government unit in order to serve the public more efficiently," the MOA stated.  
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301328685584
*Wednesday 8th of February 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino


Director Palayab disclosed that the office will open as soon as the assigned staff from the local government will be trained. “An office staff will be trained for two days,” the director said, referring to one of the counterparts of the provincial government, an office staff in addition to the office space, among other supports to PRC.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 8 (PIA)  --  Interested and qualified youths in this city can avail of a scholarship training program for three vocational-technical courses at a private learning school here in partnership with the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
PRC’s service commitment to the said agreement would bring services closer to the constituents of Southern Leyte by extending its window services at the provincial capitol, and conducting “PRC on wheels” whenever requested in order to renew PRC professional IDs, issuance of certifications, authentications, and accept applications for PRC licensure examinations.  
In a phone interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) this morning, TESDA provincial director Rolando Juanillo said the three voch-tech courses due to open at the Saint Joseph College (SJC) Vocational Training Center include Metal Arc Welding, Plumbing, and Electrical Wiring.
Juanillo said he already communicated this opportunity to the 70 barangays all over this city which is the priority area for this TESDA-initiated training, and many have already responded.
Still, TESDA will not start until all slots are covered.  For metal arc welding, 43 slots were made available, and five slots are yet unfilled;  so also with electrical wiring, where 41 slots were granted.Plumbing, which also has 43 slots, were just a little over half filled-up, Juanillo said.
The total of 127 slots for the three mentioned voc-tech courses scholarship training was part of a P 1 million fund set aside by TESDA Secretary Emmanuel Joel Villanueva as the city’s share for this particular project, Juanillo said.
On Saturday during a meeting with heads or representatives of national line agencies called by Rep. Roger Mercado, Josefina Corollo of the provincial TESDA office announced that the Congressman’s request for training was already approved as part of the current scholarship program.
uanillo said the three vocational-technical courses do not discriminate acceptance on whether the applicant is a male or female, as long as he or she is 18 years old and above, and a high school graduate at least.
Welding requires 304 hours or an equivalent of 38 days, plumbing 162 hours or 20 days, while electrical wiring 402 hours or 50 days.  Students who take these courses  will assessed for a National Certificate (NC) 2 level, Juanillos further said. (PIA8-Southern Leyte)


The source added that PRC will also conduct briefings on PRC services and Licensure Examinations upon request from the provincial government, manage the day-to-day operations of the PRC Service Kiosk at the local level, among other service commitments.


On the other hand, the provincial government likewise will extend assistance to PRC, such as to cooperate with the PRC desk officer to ensure that only qualified and licensed professionals are employed at positions in the municipalities that require such qualifications, cooperate with the PRC for the protection of the public by raising awareness among professionals in government service.


The MOA signing was witnessed by Vice Governor Mike Maamo, Sangguniang Panlalwigan Member Romeo Gomez, Provincial Administrator Crispin Arong, Jr., College of Maasin President Miguel Udtohan, and media personnel from Southern Leyte Balita and PIA-Maasin. (LDL/RGC-PIA 8 Southern Leyte)


==Fathers help in breastfeeding babies==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/tacloban/local-news/2012/04/11/fathers-help-breastfeeding-babies-215741
*Wednesday, April 11, 2012
:by (Leyte Samar Daily Express)




LIMASAWA, Southern Leyte – Mothers in this island town are not left alone in ensuring that children are well-nourished with fathers equipped with knowledge on good nutrition and proper breastfeeding.


The “Tatay Ko, Kaagapay sa Kalusogan Ko” campaign was launched three years ago by the local government, which regularly gathers all fathers in the island and orients them on their role to improve or maintain the nutritional status of children.


==DOH conducts exit conference for RN-HEALS project in Southern Leyte==
Jesrel Tiongco, a community health team member, said while men in other places usually make jokes on breastfeeding-related topics, fathers here are taking the support role seriously.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291328579731
*Tuesday 7th of February 2012
:by  Erna S. Gorne


“We gather in barangay health center every quarter and discuss how fathers can support lactating women. We ensure exclusive breastfeeding during first six months of life. We also learn the proper position of breastfeeding so that we can help our wives,” said Tiongco, a father of a three-year-old child.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 7 (PIA) -- The Department of Health (DOH) based in Southern Leyte conducted an exit conference for the Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement And Local Service (RN-HEALS) project  through presentation of accomplishments  at the Salvacion Oppus Yñiguez Memorial Provincial Hospital (SOYMPH) conference hall, February 7.
Remegilda Salomon, municipal nutrition action officer, said during a gathering with fathers, local nutrition workers gave updates on good nutrition and responsible parenthood aside from breastfeeding promotion.
DOH Representative to the province, Dr. Feliciano John Matibag disclosed that Southern Leyte was allotted at least 77 registered nurses for the nationwide project, from February 2011 up to February of 2012.  “DOH required them to present their accomplishment for evaluation since their contract will end on February 14, 2012,” he said, adding that another batch of nurses will be hired for the next RN-HEALS project.
The conference was done in two batches, Matibag said. The first batch was held  February 6 for Maasin City to Malitbog areas and February 7 for Sogod Bay to Panaon  areas,  discussing RN-HEALS accomplishment reports and the issues and concerns within their areas of jurisdiction.
Matibag informed PIA-Maasin this morning that there will be another RN-HEALS project,  allotting Southern Leyte for at least 105 registered nurses to be distributed at the local government units such as Macrohon, Limasawa, Padre Burgos, Malitbog, Liloan, San Francisco, San Ricardo, Saint Bernard, Hinunangan, Silago and in Maasin City.
A minimum of 7 nurses will be assigned in each area with an allowance of P8,000 a month coming from the DOH funds and a counterpart from the assigned LGU, depending on the LGUs availability of funds for at least P2,000 per month. Likewise, the LGU will supervise the nurses assigned  and ensure their safety and security, Matibag added.
He said that qualifying examination was already conducted for the applicants for the next batch of RN-HEALS last December 2011. “Though, those nurses with outstanding rating will be considered, but DOH will try to accommodate new but deserving nurses for the next set of RN-HEALS project,” he added.
It was learned that RN HEALS is expected to address the shortage of skilled and experienced nurses in 1,221 rural and unserved or underserved communities for at least one year will prioritize those newly graduate nurses with license and who have no fixed income yet. (PIA 8-Southern Leyte)


“As practiced in Limasawa, the mother and the father jointly monitor the nutritional status of their children,” Salomon said.


In 2010, almost all the men in the municipality together with all municipal and barangay officials had undergone the training on Infant and Young Child Feeding and the Pabasa sa Nutrisyon.


In most areas in the region, these advocacies are centered on health and nutrition workers and mothers.


In this town, stores don’t sell infant formula since all mothers are exclusively feeding their babies with breast milk from birth to six months and provide nutritious complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding up to two years.


Limasawa’s performance in terms of breastfeeding is remarkable compared to the national figure, Salomon said.


The 7th National Nutrition Survey revealed that among infants 0-5 months old, only 36 out of every 100 were exclusively breastfed; only 37 of every 100 were breastfed at the same time given a complementary food and as many as 27 out of every 100 infants were given other milk and other foods.


==SoLeyte dad grateful as 3,198 Southern Leytenos benefit from medical and dental mission==
Breastfeeding during the first six months of a child’s life is deemed crucial since it cuts the risk of chronic diseases and leads to overall better development.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281328501915
*Monday 6th of February 2012
:by  Erna S. Gorne


==P90-M Leyte-Mindanao power link unveiled==
*Source: http://www.tribuneonline.org/business/20120410bus8.html
*04/10/2012
:by tribuneonline.org


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb 6 (PIA)  --  Provincial Governor Damian G. Mercado extolled public and private partnership as he  expressed deep gratitude to the Philippine Nurses Association in Metropolitan, D.C., USA (PNAMD) mission  benefiting at least 3,198  Southern Leytenos with medical problems.
“If left alone on the shoulders of the provincial government, it cannot affort the expenses to have all sick people healed,"  Governor Mercado disclosed during the closing ceremony  honoring the  71-member  mission team  that conducted the weeklong medical, surgical, and dental mission in Maasin City last January  23- 27.
Governor Mercado said that the voluntary acts of the private sector like the PNA from Metropolitan DC in USA, is a good example of government and private sector partnering for development and service delivery.
According to PNAMD president Alice N. Andam, the dominantly  Filipino volunteers composing the mission- team  came all the way from United States of America were mostly medical practitioners such as surgeons, anestheologists, pediatricians, ob-gyn, operating room nurses, pharmacists, nurses, dentists, and some volunteers.
Andam  reported that  2,135 out-patients got medical treatment, 708 had their teeth extracted while,  90 patients underwent  major operations, and 157, minor operations. All the patients also enjoyed free medicines.
The 100 barangay tanods who assisted in securing peace and orderly crowd in three different venues for the medical, surgical, and dental locations  were all given multivitamins, Andam said.
The surgical team conducted operations on gall bladder stone extractions, myoma, cysts, breast mass, hernia, goiter, broken bones, cleft, eye cataract operations, among others, she  reported.
The mission team was also bolstered with three  eye specialists coming from the local “Sagip sa Mata Foundation” based in Tacloban City and logistics from the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) headed by Dr. Paula Sydiongco, she said.
According to Andam, this is the 10th medical, surgical, and dental mission they have conducted in the Philippines. (PIA8 –Southern Leyte)




The government will be conducting the Leyte-Mindanao interconnection project study that would establish an integrated grid and allow reserve electricity generation capacity to be shared by the three regional grids — Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.


The study, which is estimated to cost P90 million, will be undertaken by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) for a period of one year and another year for assessment.


Energy Undersecretary Josephine Patricia Asirit said for the first time, the Aquino administration will implement the Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao interconnection grid to assure power stability in the country.


At present, Asirit said only the Luzon and Visayas — through the Leyte grid — have interconnectivity. It will only be in this administration that the entire Philippine grid would be interconnected.


She cited the current power situation in some parts of Mindanao where it experienced regular brownouts.


With the Leyte-Mindanao interconnection in place, Asirit said, the Luzon grid which has 200 MW excess and the Visayas which can also export another 200 MW, power shortage in Mindanao can easily be resolved.


The Leyte-Mindanao interconnection project was aimed at addressing the power shortage not only in Mindanao but the entire country as well.


==Leyte delegation bags overall EVRAA 2012 championship crown==
It includes the installation of about 455-kilometer overhead line and 23-km submarine cable with a maximum depth of around 1,000 meters below sea level.
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1301328317808
*Saturday 4th of February 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino


The interconnection project was originally designed for 250-kilovolt high-voltage density cable bipolar link with a total transfer capacity of 500 MW to 800 MW.


It will start from the existing Ormoc Converter Station in Leyte and terminates at Kirahon Converter station in Northcentral Mindanao via Southern Leyte and Northeastern Mindanao.


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 4 (PIA) -- Athletes from Leyte province hauled most of the gold medals in the 17) sporting events during the week-long conduct of the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) meet held here last week, making it the overall champion of the regional sportsfest.
The Leyte-Mindanao interconnection is part of the long-term solution to resolve power shortage in the region.
Out of 10 competing teams, Leyte garnered a total of 730.5 points -- 369 points from the elementary level, 361.5 points from the secondary level -- to grab the glory of being awarded the EVRAA 2012 champion in the closing ceremonies at the Southern Leyte Sports Complex yesterday afternoon.
Landing at second place in overall tally was Eastern Samar for a total of 487 points -- 255 points from the elementary, and 232 points from high school.
The host city, Maasin, got 206.5 points in the elementary level for third place, while the third placer for high school level went to Ormoc City with 203.17 points. Maasin landed fourth place in the secondary level, along with Tacloban City, for a tie at 161.5 points.
Maasin City Mayor Maloney Samaco had expressed satisfaction on the efforts exerted by the home players, saying that even if the city failed to come out champion its performance showing improved over last year’s Calbayog EVRAA, where it finished fourth in elementary and number 8 in secondary.
As for the hosting, it was learned that Regional Sports Coordinator Cesar Verunque rated the city “Excellent.”
For special awards, Southern Leyte division was chosen the Cleanest and Most disciplined delegation, while best in athletic uniform was Leyte province.
In yesterday’s closing rites, which was attended by Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and wife Cristina, City Councilor, Samaco rallied the winning players “to improve Eastern Visayas’ finish in the Palarong Pambansa slated at Lingayen, Pangasinan” this May.
DepEd Regional Director Luisa Bautista Yu, who formally closed the EVRAA 2012 five days after she declared it open, expressed a similar hope with Samaco over the upcoming national meet.
“May we have a higher rank in the Palarong Pambansa,” Director Yu said.
More than 6,000 players, officials, and school personnel from the Department of Education (DepEd) family participated in the week-long EVRAA games games January 29-February 3, consisting of seven provinces and three cities around Region 8 clashing it out in a friendly sports competition. (PIA8-Southern Leyte)


==DA-EU Program Benefits 40,000 Households==
*Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/356600/daeu-program-benefits-40000-households
*April 9, 2012, 4:39pm
:by PHOEBE JEN INDINO






SILAGO, Southern Leyte– A food security program sponsored by the European Union, Germany-based Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) has benefited over 40,000 poor households in Eastern Visayas.


The program, named Enhancement of Food Security in the Visayas (EFOS), which was implemented by the Deutsche Gessellschaft fur Internationale Zummenarbeit (GIZ), and which ended early this year, was designed to sustainably increase food security, and agricultural, fisheries and forestry productivity in the region, with special focus on Eastern Visayas.


GIZ operates in more than 130 countries worldwide with most of its work commissioned by the BMZ


EFOS was comprised of four project components, namely, natural resources governance, infrastructure through cash-for-work, productivity and production enhancement, and crop insurance.


EFOS Senior Adviser Alex Tabada said the program’s cash-for-work covered over 12,000 households in 24 towns, earning some P35 million in wages.


==Southern Leyte equips its constituents with skills trainings==
That particular program component paved way for the creation of 62-kilometers of farm-to-market roads and 40 kilometers of upland foot trails including 11.4 kilometers of communal irrigation canals supporting some 933 hectares of ricelands.
*Source: Southern Leyte equips its constituents with skills trainings
*Friday 3rd of February 2012
:by  Erna S. Gorne


==Communities extract 170,000 Crown Of Thorns Starfish in Limasawa, Padre Burgos and Maasin City==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281333674402
*Friday 6th of April 2012
:by Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte,  Feb  3  (PIA)  -- The provincial government of Southern Leyte is equipping  its constituents with skills through trainings; these trainings would eventually prod them towards self employment.
According to Cristina Aguelo of the  Provincial Social Welfare and Development  Office  (PSWDO),  their office already conducted the first skills training on haircutting to 30 residents at Hinunangan Municipal Covered Court on January 16-22. This will be followed by manicure and pedicure training in Silago before February ends;  massage therapy  is scheduled  for  March while facial make-up training  in Barangay Asuncion, Maasin City will be on April.
Last year, the Barangay Asuncion  in Maasin City provided skills trainings in partnership with the provincial government where manicure, pedicure, haircutting, and massage therapy skills trainings were held at the barangay hall,  Aguelo  said.
Also last year, the provincial government  was able to gainfully equip  about  689  local constituents with varied skills such as massage theraphy, haircutting, manicure and pedicure, facial make-up, motorcyle repair and maintenance, food processing, among others, she added. (PIA8 / SoLeyte)




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 6 (PIA) -- The bane of corals are finally being decimated. At least 170,000 Crown Of Thorns Starfish (COTS), locally known of dap-marine invertebrates that feed on corals which are marine sanctuaries, and also kill corals, were extracted particularly in Limasawa, Padre Burgos, and Maasin City, all of Southern Leyte in less than 10 days.


“We have found extreme population of COTS particularly in the municipalities of Limasawa and Padre Burgos and the city of Maasin where we estimated the presence of over a thousand COTS in one hectare compared to 12 COTS in normal condition, “ according to Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) – Coastal Fisheries Resource Management Office (CFRMO) Chief Eva Abad.


She said that in less than 10 days of synchronized extraction of COTS in the mentioned three different areas, an estimated 170,000 of COTS were partially gathered by the communities including the owners of foreign-operated dive shops in the locality particularly in Padre Burgos.


Abad said the initial estimates of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Provincial Office reported last March 22 that in one 500 square-meter area of corals alone, there were an estimated of over a thousand COTS.


However, BFAR Provincial Office is now undertaking an actual underwater assessment of the presence of COTS to 500 square meters of corals and to determine the extent of the damaged coral areas had done in the province, she said.


She added that there will be more joint lined up activities by the local government units and by the GIZ, a German organization in order to prevent this impending coastal disaster in the province.


In Maasin City alone, the local government unit–initiated extraction got a total of 23,000 COTS collected March 27, 2012, she added.


She noted that extraction of COTS most of the times were stalled due to the lack of funds in order to mobilize the community to join in the extraction along their barangays. (ldl/esg/PIA8 SoLeyte)


==DENR chooses greening sites in Southern Leyte as national model==
==Over a thousand slots await “summer jobbers” in So. Leyte==
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1301327983528
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301333436103
*Wednesday 1st of February 2012
*Wednesday 4th of April 2012
:by  Marcelo M. Pedalino
:by  Marcelo M. Pedalino




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 1 (PIA) -- The central office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was so impressed with the panoramic view of two tree-planting sites here under the National Greening Program (NGP) that these were declared model NGP areas
 
.
MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Apr. 4 (PIA) -- The Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) project of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) provincial office here just got even more special this summer time, as more qualified youths will be gainfully employed.
According to Provincial Environment and Natural Resources officer (PENRO) Ricardo Tomol, the NGP sites at barangays Bogo and Laboon, and another at barangay Lunas, caught the attention of the agency’s higher-ups, thus its selection as model sites.
 
In a list of 2012 SPES pledged by DOLE, some 1,031 posts are up for grabs, mainly through the labor agency’s partner institutions that include local government units (LGUs), a public school, and one national government office - the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Tomol said the one at barangay Bogo is supported by Cong. Roger Mercado; the one at Laboon, an accredited NGP site is managed by CENRO-Maasin, while the Lunas site is managed by a people’s organization (PO), in which their areas were enrolled as NGP sites as well.
 
Mario Tictic of DOLE-So. Leyte said that for this year, their office was given an allocation of 1,500 students for SPES placement, also popularly known as summer job, so there are still some 400 more slots to be filled, this time in cooperation with private schools which already signified their intention to join.
Young Innovators for Sustainable Environment Development Association (YISEDA), the accredited PO based at Lunas, has been active in projects relating to environment conservation and preservation, and they have maintained their site, Tomol added.
 
DOLE and their respective listed partners are presently finalizing the papers of students who had applied for this summer’s SPES, which will start on May 7 for a 20-day employment period, while educational institutions in the private sector like Saint Joseph College (SJC) and the College of Maasin (CM) will start in June, Tictic said.
Tomol also said that CENRO-San Juan emerged as number one in NGP implementation for the year 2011 in Region 8, having planted its target of 400 hectares from the congressional initiative and another 930 hectares from regular NGP.
 
The provincial government tops the list with 338 students up for hiring, followed by the city government at 150, and Malitbog LGU with 110, then Sogod LGU at 100. Malitbog has the distinction of hiring similar students for years in a row, even as it accepts new SPES applicants, 80 students for this summer.  
For areas under CENRO-Maasin, Tomol said the targets of 930 hectares regular NGP plus 100 hectares from Cong. Mercado were also finished well ahead of time.
 
The public school which participated in this program is the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU)-Bontoc Campus.
The DENR field coverage in Southern Leyte was divided in two, the CENRO-Maasin which covers Maasin city up to Sogod, and CENRO-San Juan, which covers Libagon, the four towns of Panaon island, and the six towns in the pacific area.
 
Other LGUs with SPES placements this year are Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Tomas Oppus, Libagon, Saint Bernard, Anahawan, Hinundayan, Silago, and Liloan.
For the 2012 NGP targets, Tomol said he has yet to attend a national conference on the subject next month, even as he already had the proposed figures, definitely an increase from 2011 goals.
 
Most summer jobbers have a daily rate of P 150 per day, except for SLSU-Bontoc at P 133 per day, Maasin City at P 180 per day, and DPWH at P 250 per day. Salaries, however, will be shared between DOLE and the sponsoring LGU/agency, with DOLE paying 40 percent of the rate, and the LGUs, 60 percent.  
The NGP is a nationwide massive tree-planting activity spearheaded early last year by President Benigno Aquino III, involving government employees in all levels, including school children, where each individual is given a quota of 10 trees planted per year until 2016.
 
Based on the list, DOLE had set aside a budget of P 1,338,662.40 for 1,031 SPES, while the combined counterpart of all the LGUs was P 2,007,993.60.
Overall, the NGP aspires to plant close to two million trees in millions of hectares of timberland areas around the Philippines to mitigate the ill effects of climate change. (PIA8-Southern Leyte)
 
Last year, there were only a little over 400 SPES slots reserved by DOLE for Southern Leyte.
 
The Special Program for Employment of Students is mandated under Republic Act No. 9547 which aims to help poor but deserving students pursue their education by providing income or augment their income through encouraging their employment during summer and/or Christmas vacations. The SPES is open to all qualified high school, college or vocational students or drop-outs and interested employers. (GTT/MMP-PIA8, Southern Leyte)
 
==2 OWWA scholars garner Cum Laude recognitions==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1281333375130
*Tuesday 3rd of April 2012
:by   Erna S. Gorne
 
 
 
MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 3 (PIA) -- Together with 44 other honor students, two Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) scholars graduated Cum Laude during the Commencement Exercises of the Leyte Normal University on March 26 in Tacloban City.
 
“We take pride in the achievements of our scholars. This makes evident that the financial assistance extended to them as qualified beneficiaries of our OFW (overseas Filipino workers) clients is not put to waste,” says OWWA- RWO8 OIC-Director II Ma. Evangelina V. Filamor in a press release.  
 
Filamor said after four years of struggle for academic excellence was worth the long wait for Ritzee Operio and Mark Geraldo when they graduated Cum Laude among 1,059 graduates.
 
The graduates are OWWA scholars under the OFW Dependents Scholarship Program (OFW-DSP) whereby an eligible dependent of an active OFW with a basic monthly salary of $400 and below receives financial assistance of P10,000 per semester, she said.
 
She further said Geraldo, with a grade of 1.55, and Operio, with 1.65, outstandingly earned a double degree in Bachelor of Science in Secondary and Elementary Education major in English. While in search for a private school to practice their profession, they plan to review for the September Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).
 
“OWWA is part of our success and we are very much thankful for the assistance they have extended to us,” says Geraldo in an interview, Filamor quoted.  
 
Another OWWA scholar grabbed first honor award in the Commencement Exercises of the Sto. Nino SPED Center, Tacloban City on March 31 - Danna Mheliza Mae D. Budano garnered 93.8 percent, topping the entire second grade level of the said school, Filamor further reported.  
 
The achiever is an OWWA scholar under the education component of Education and Livelihood Assistance Program whereby an eligible dependent of deceased OFW who was an active OWWA member at the time of death receives financial scholarship grant until completion of a tertiary degree, Filamor said. (LDL/ESG-PIA 8, SoLeyte)
 
==NSO to Visayans: Pls cooperate in the Consumer Expectations Survey in Region 8==
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1141333335999
*Monday 2nd of April 2012
:by  Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu
 
 
 
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, April 2 (PIA) -- The National Statistics Office in Eastern Visayas under the leadership of Director Raul Dones called on the public to cooperate in the conduct of the April 2012 Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) in selected provinces in Eastern Visayas namely, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, and Eastern Samar.
 
Director Dones enjoined all sample household to actively support and cooperate in the said activity which will start on April 2 to 16. Likewise, the support and assistance of the local government units are solicited in order to ensure the success of this undertaking, the NSO Director said.
 
Dones said that just like any other surveys undertaken by NSO, the data that will be gathered shall be held strictly confidential and shall not be divulged to any person except to authorize NSO personnel. The data will not be used for taxation, investigation, or enforcement purposes.
 
Dones said that the Consumer Expectations Survey is actually conducted in selected provinces nationwide except except in Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
 
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) contracted the NSO to conduct CES in order to collect comprehensive information on the business conditions of the country in the household sector, Director Dones informed.  
 
The NSO’s responsibility is to undertake the data collection and encoding of the questionnaires while BSP’s responsibility is the generation of tables and analysis of the results, the NSO Director added.
 
The CES is a household-based survey on the consumers’ assessment of their financial situation, the economic condition of the country and the overall performance of the government. This is a complementary survey to BSP’s Business Expectations Survey (BES).  
 
The survey is administered on a sample basis at the household level drawn through a stratified multi-stage random sampling. The survey has a total sample of about 5,000 households nationwide. The total sample in Region VIII is 308 households.
 
The conduct of CES aims to provide a quick and regular assessment of the financial condition of consumers and economic condition of the country at present and in the near future, from the consumers’ own viewpoints; to generate forecasts in the direction of the country’s economic activity based on consumers’ outlook in the next 12 months; and to provide quick and regular assessment of consumers’ outlook in terms of their income and expenditures. (EOPT - PIA 8)
 
==DSWD 8 releases cash grant to 2,550 "Pantawid Pamilya" beneficiaries in Maasin City==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1281333165771
*Sunday 1st of April 2012
:by Erna S. Gorne
 
 
 
MAASIN City, Southern Leyte, Apr. 1 (PIA) -- A total of 2,550 household beneficiaries here received their conditional cash grant under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
 
Together with the two bank tellers from the Land Bank of the Philippines – Maasin Branch and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Office, the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries on Friday started to claim their conditional cash grants for the months of November 2011 – February 2012 at the maximum of P 1,400 per month for every beneficiary.
 
Instead of only two months, Maasin City beneficiaries are entitled to receive four – months worth of cash grant as decided by the DSWD Central Office, to fully utilize the previous year's Pantawid Pamilya funds throughout the region.  
 
DSWD Region 8 Director Letecia T. Diokno admonished the beneficiaries to handle the financial assistance properly and reminded them that the money is not for the parents but for the education and health care of the children and the expectant mothers.
 
She cautioned them to comply with the conditions set by the program since if they lack in fulfilling the requirements they will be cut off in receiving the said monthly cash grant.
 
She further urged the parents to work hard instead of waiting for the monthly conditional cash grant as this serves only to supplement their needs for their children to pursue education and health of the children and pregnant mothers.
 
Diokno challenged the beneficiaries that as a 4Ps family, they should become model of a peaceful family with children going to school, healthy children and mothers, among other being socially developed family with the additional income of P15,000 every year for five years from now. (EOPT/ESG, PIA8 SoLeyte)




==[[Southern Leyte Archived News]]==
==[[Southern Leyte Archived News]]==
The older news reports are kept [[Southern Leyte Archived News|here]]
The older news reports are kept [[Southern Leyte Archived News|here]]

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Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

Electric coop conducts info drive in SoLeyte

by (LDL/ESG-PIA8 SoLeyte)


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 12 (PIA) -- The Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (SOLECO) schedules series of information drives throughout the province as their commitment to the provincial government to increase the level of awareness of the stakeholders on the power situation of the province.

Professor Wally del Mundo of the University of the Philippines National Engineering Center and SOLECO officer-in-charge Arce B. Salazar will assist the information drive entitled “Power 101.”

Earlier the SOLECO management has committed to the provincial government to disseminate information to the general consumers and the local government sector on the developments that affect the operations and directions of electric Distribution Utilities (DUs) particularly among the electric cooperatives, Salazar said.

The local electric cooperative aims to increase the awareness of the electricity stakeholders especially business and government heads, barangay officials and community leaders on the power situation of the province, he said.

The first information campaign shall be conducted at SOLECO Multi-purpose Building in Maasin City then it will be followed at Southern Leyte State University (SLSU)- Sogod Campus in Sogod, Southern Leyte on the second day, he added.

He further said the speaker for the subject has the layman’s grasp on its intricacies that can be understood even by those who are new to the subject.






Green Southern Leyte

by Vicky Arnaiz


MACROHON, Southern Leyte – “”We were surprised to find a patch of pristine forests in Mt. Nacolod, Southern Leyte. We found an amazingly impressive flora and faura. The rich forests we saw did not match the map of a denuded forest, shown to us before we explored Southern Leyte,” said Ronald Altamarino, leader of the Biodiversity Assessment Team from the Flora and Fauna, International (FFI).

Altamarino said during the presentation of the Biodiversity Assessment and REDD Plus/Mt. Nacolod, Southern Leyte, Pilot NewCAPP at this town last May 2 and 3. FFI along with partners the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), NewCAPP among others.

Turn -over of mini biodiversity exhibit (L-R) Dalton Durban of GIZ, Engr. Aileen Basilan, DENR Regional Executive Director Rogelio Trinidad, So. Leyte Vice Governor Miguel Maamo, Dr. Bernd Markus Liss of GIZ.

The comprehensive ground assessment has found 2 new frog species under the genus Playmantis group. The new discovery brings so much pride to the province and the country. Southern Leyte lone district Representative Roger Mercado, who squeezed in to attend this activity in his very hectic

schedule, said that efforts of the local officials and its people have not gone to waste.

Dr. Eugenia Bautista, chief technology transfer division ecosystems research and development service-DENR asks questions during the presentation of biodiversity assessment.

“We have been planting trees since 1987 and encouraged our people to do the same. Our People’s Organization (PO) YESIDA is said to be the best PO in the region under the Community Forest Management Program. Not to brag, I have my own tree farm and bird sanctuary in Maasin City which you are free to visit. Southern Leyte is one of the two provinces in the country that supports the total log ban. Every weekend when I am back in the province after session in Congress,

I see to it that tree planting is part of my activity. We want our people to be sufficient in food through the richness of our forests and our marine resources. Indeed the hard work, solidarity, discipline displayed by Southern Leytenos is worth emulating,” said Mercado.

PENRO So. Leyte Ricardo Tomol

A very excited Mercado continued, “I will author the passage in Congress for the declaration of the Mt. Nacolod and its mountain range that spans 14,000 hectares as a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas or NIPAS. For now I will lobby that

President Aquino will issue an executive order declaring Mt. Nacolod as a protected area.” Southern Leyte Vice Governor Miguel Maamo, who represented Governor Damian Mercado, said that they will pass a resolution in the sangguniang bayan for the protection of Mt. Nacolod. Indeed last May 7, in its regular session, the board members of Southern Leyte made an unprecedented mass move to declare Mt. Nacolod as a protected area.

DENR regional information chief Purificacion Daloos; Mary Jane Honor Du, PENRO staff, So. Leyte; Rep. Roger Mercado; Marita Cesneros, NewCAPP and Marissa Solite, DENR-PAWC ZMS

A multi-sectoral group submitted management plans for the

protection and sustainability of its forests. As one scientist said, “who knows there might still be interesting finds in Mt. Nacolod especially flora that can be used in the medical field? Indeed, Southern Leyte is doubly-blessed- they have the rich forests and rich marine resources. Padayon Southern Leyte! Love, Laugh and Live!

Om Shanti!

DOLE-So. Leyte disburses P 2.6M for projects of self-employed individuals

by Marcelo M. Pedalino


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 10 (PIA) -- The provincial field office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) here has set aside over P 2.6 million worth of livelihood projects intended for individual small-scale businesses in the so-called informal sector.

The amount was already moving in various stages of implementation as coursed through DOLE’s accredited co-partner (ACP) consisting of five municipalities and one city, involving 251 individual beneficiaries, said Fe Norma Valuis, DOLE provincial field officer.

During the cable TV program “Action Center” yesterday morning, Valuis identified DOLE’s LGU partners as the City of Maasin which garnered almost half of the total fund assistance, barangay Sta. Crus of Macrohon, and the towns of Saint Bernard, Pintuyan, Silago, and Libagon.

Valuis said she had recently talked with Mayor Roberto Loquinte of Anahawan who also wanted to avail of DOLE’s support to fund a tourism-related project in the municipality - the Mainit Spring.

All the rest of the 18 municipal local government units will eventually be reached by DOLE’s livelihood assistance where there are individual workers who are self-employed, Valuis added.

For the city of Maasin, the amount of P 642,729 will be for the livelihood formation of 63 informal sector workers, while another P612,049.00 was also due for release to 48 small scale fishing project of marginal fisherfolks, Valuis said.

These assistance, scheduled to be turned over yesterday, were not yet given since Mayor Maloney Samaco was still in Lingayen, Pangasinan, attending the Palarong Pambansa, she added.

DOLE and the barangay LGU signed yesterday a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) at Supercha Foodhauz, this city another assistance for 15 ambulant vendors of barangay Sta. Cruz, Macrohon, for their fish and food vending worth P 224,996.

Meanwhile, some 39 displaced workers from Saint Bernard will soon become beneficiaries of entrepreneurial funds worth P334,016, and another amount of P 413,432 is now in the pipeline for 46 unemployed or underemployed sectoral workers in the town of Pintuyan.

Among the funds already given to LGU partners were those at Silago for the high-value vegetable production project of 26 individuals who are members of the Puntana Women Nature’s Club Association worth P 261,340 and another P 179,600 for 14 women from Libagon for their Negosyo sa Kariton (Nego-Kart) project.

Accredited co-partner LGUs shared 20 percent of the funds as equity not necessarily in cash but other non-cash equivalent like training, capacity-building, or equipment, while DOLE provided the needed materials and in some cases cash as capital, Valuis said.

The assistance has always been in the nature of a grant, and the beneficiaries' sole obligation is to see to it that their businesses flourish and develop further, Valuis added. (PIA8, Southern Leyte)

Maasin City delegates off to Palarong Pambansa in Pangasinan

by Rebecca S. Cadavos


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 9 (PIA) -- At least 30 sports delegates from Maasin City was sent off Thursday to participate in the Palarong Pambansa 2012 held at Lingayen, Pangasinan, as part of the Eastern Visayas regional delegation.

“Maasin City in Action” program host Zaldy Olita reported via phone patch this morning from Pangasinan that Maasin City delegates include the athletes, coaches and trainers from different sports such as badminton, swimming, arnis, boxing, softball, among other games that gave Maasin City athletes medals during the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) competition held early this year hosted by Maasin City.

Olita, Maasin City Sports Council staff, who went with the delegates said that the games begun Sunday, May 6, “but the opening of the competition formally opened Monday, May 7 when President Benigno S. Aquino delivered his address to the athletes, coaches and officials including the game spectators at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center as the main venue of the Palaro, in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

He said that the opening ceremonies was preceded by the parade of athletes from the Pangasinan provincial capitol grounds to Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) that was completed in time for the opening program at 10:00 a.m.

Olita disclosed that Maasin City delegation was supported by City Mayor Maloney Samaco, who went with the delegation, some Sangguniang Panglungsod members, Department of Education Maasin City Division, among others.

With the week-long game competition, the city government is hopeful the Maasin City athletes will bring home medals. Maasin City allocated cash incentives to the medalists, it was learned. (LDL/RGC-PIA8 Southern Leyte)

DOLE holds orientation for livelihood program recipients in Southern Leyte

by Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 8 (PIA) -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Southern Leyte is holding a two-day values orientation to the recipients of the Starter Kit livelihood program for the small economic entrepreneurs in the locality on May 7 and 8.

“Before the release of the financial assistance to the 63 informal workers for the second batch of the Starter Kit livelihood program, they all need to undergo a Social Preparation Training and Entrepreneurship Appreciation (SPTEA) course with the employment agency provincial staff,” DOLE Provincial Office senior staff Mario Tictic disclosed.

He also stated the program’s objective of providing a sustainable source of income for the family is to see a fully operational entrepreneurial undertaking that would make a change in the lives of the beneficiaries.

Tictic said the livelihood assistance will be received by the recipients in form of materials needed for each of the project proposals submitted such as carpentry tools, sewing machines, food, among others, to ensure that the proceeds of the financial assistance will really be bought readily as their startup capital.

“The financial assistance varies from P10,000 to P14,000 depending on the need of each recipient in their project proposals ,” he said.

Among the project proposals include peanut butter-making, ice cream production, barbecue vending, carpentry works, manicure and pedicure, tailoring and sewing, he said.

The DOLE Provincial Office partnered with the city government of Maasin in the mentioned program to increase productivity among the small economic entrepreneurs in the locality, he added. (PIA8 SoLeyte)

Forest exhibit, roadshow open in Southern Leyte

by pia.gov.ph


TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, May 7 (PIA) -- An exhibit and roadshow about the Philippine forests are set to open in Southern Leyte. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Forest Management Bureau, German Development Cooperation-Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, CoDe REDD Philippines and the provincial government of Southern Leyte will be opening the Color it REDD-Plus Roadshow and “The Philippine Forests: Before and What Now?” exhibits on May 8 to 9 at Maasin City Gymnasium, Southern Leyte. Dr. Bernd Markus Liss of GIZ said that REDD-Plus or Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation with conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks is a measure being under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that contributes in the stabilization of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. In the Philippines, from April 2009 to July 2010, multi-sectoral and multi-level workshops were carried out to know more about REDD and REDD-Plus in aid of drafting the Philippine National REDD-Plus Strategy (PNRPS) for 2010 to 2020. In April of 2010, the PNRPS Components were considered in the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change (NFSCC) under section 8.5 of the Key Result Areas on Mitigation. On the same month, DENR has been designated as the operational arm of REDD-Plus implementation through Executive Order 881 of the President. Given these, the PNRPS was presented to the DENR Executive Committee that approved the Strategy on August 9, 2010 and transmitted the same to the Climate Change Commission on August 27, 2010. Liss said REDD-Plus is at its early stage in the Philippines and the exhibit offers a visual presentation of this approach. The Philippines has elaborated a National REDD-plus Strategy that was endorsed by DENR and is now a key element of the National Climate Change Action Plan approved by the Climate Change Commission chaired by the President in November 2011. The Climate-relevant Modernization of Forest Policy and Piloting of REDD Project implemented by DENR and GIZ at national level, with pilot activities in Southern Leyte is the featured REDD-Plus Project in the exhibit. It focuses on avoiding further deterioration of forests and emissions of greenhouse gases while generating benefits such as biodiversity conservation, improvement of local livelihoods and enhancement of ecosystem services through the development of improved forest policies and specific incentives for forest protection and rehabilitation. The newly discovered frog species in Mt. Nacolod is supported by GIZ and is part of the Biodiversity Resource Assessment done for five municipalities of the GIZ-REDD Plus sites in Southern Leyte covering the municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin, Tomas Oppus and Malitbog. The information generated, now provides a baseline that can be used to predict impacts of habitat change on species and to design measures to protect forest biodiversity. For local government units in Southern Leyte, the findings provide the scientific basis in designing appropriate management systems and monitoring protocols useful in protecting forest ecosystems, establishing local forest and biodiversity areas as well as to steer the rehabilitation of forests towards an efficient and more ecologically sound path. For the national Government, it will spur forest protection and rehabilitation efforts under the Philippine National REDD-Plus Strategy as part of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAPP), and the National Greening Program. On the other hand, the Forest Exhibit captures current actions of local communities in forest conservation and protection in Leyte Island, done through a competition among journalists last year. Media representatives from Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, GMA News Online and Business Mirror were among those who participated in the competition. The exhibit depicts how the country is beginning to adjust national forest policies to the necessities of climate protection and to test approaches for REDD-Plus. The exhibit, Liss said, is an opportune time to bring together the medium of film, graphics and photography to communicate historic images of the nation’s massive forest loss and depict current initiatives to achieve sustainable forest management. This means working towards improving the environment and people’s conditions by protecting, replanting and sustainably managing the forests. Fishbowl Discussion, Debate, and REDD-Plus Hour will be carried out to discuss forestry, highlight the role of community forestry as a central ingredient to the implementation of REDD-Plus, emphasize that tenure over the land is a must for REDD-Plus implementation, and orient participants on basic concepts in relation to REDD-Plus as well as on the PNRPS. A cultural night will also be held on May 8 evening at Maasin City Gymnasium featuring local artists, and prominent national artists Cookie Chua, Bayang Barrios and Lolita Carbon at 8pm. The event is a compelling visual presentation and interactive dialogue to discuss REDD-Plus and its on-going implementation in the Philippines. REDD-Plus is an approach that embodies actions of empowered forest managers and support groups to manage forestlands in a sustainable and equitable manner while working towards improved forest policies with regard to climate change, forest protection and rehabilitation. The DENR-GIZ REDD Project is part of the International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the German Government. The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. (PIA8 with GIZ)

Bureau seeks to establish Mt. Nacolod as a conservation area

by Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 5 (PIA) -- The Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau/New Conservation Areas in the Philippines Project (PAWB/New CAPP) seeks to establish an inter-local government unit alliance to establish Mt. Nacolod as a conservation area.

"A study has been undertaken jointly by the PAWB/New CAPP and Forest Management Bureau/German Development Cooperation-Duetsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit, through the Fauna and Flora International in coordination with DENR Region 8 and PENRO So Leyte for one-month-long ground survey for a biodiversity assessment in key biodiversity area in Southern Leyte,” said DENR-8 Regional Executive Director Rogelio Trinidad, during the Presentation of the Results of the Biodiversity Assessment of REDD+ Pilot Area/Mt Nacolod in Southern Leyte and Management Planning Workshop, last May 2 and 3 at Kuting Reef, Macrohon, Southern Leyte.

He said that the identified key biodiversity area in Southern Leyte covers six municipalities, namely Silago, Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin City, Tomas Oppus, and Malitbog.

The study that spanned slightly over one month, from November to December 15, 2011, recorded a total of 229 flora species in 65 families, with 31 Philippine endemics, 10 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)-critically endangered species, which are mostly Dipterocarp species, and 20 IUCN-vulnerable species. It was also learned that terrestrial vertebrates accounted in the survey totaled to 212 species (birds: 112 species, mammals: 36 species, herpetofauna: 64 species).

Likewise, there are a total of 69 species of terrestrial amphibian and reptiles recorded across the four localities, and of these 69 species, 25 species are frogs belonging to the seven families; 23 species lizards belonging to five families; 20 species of snakes and one specie of terrestrial turtle.

"The PAWB/New CAPP, with funding support from Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Development Programme, aims to expand and strengthen the terrestrial PA system in the Philippines by developing new conservation models," Trinidad disclosed.

The group aimed to capacitate their partners for effective management of the system supported by improved systemic and institutional capacities.

The study also identified threats to biodiversity, which include widespread illegal collection of wildlife, conflicting land tenurial issues improper wildlife collection (e.g. bat collection in caves in Maasin City).

"However, these threats can be addressed by having proper land use classification with strict implementation of policy and reforms that strengthens sustainable conservation initiatives through increased capacitation of stakeholders," he added. (PIA8 SoLeyte)

Southern Leyte solon cites impt programs as economic boosters

by Rebecca S. Cadavos


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 4 (PIA) -- Important programs of the national government such as Tourism, Environment and Agriculture (TEA), are important components to help boost economy not only here in the province but throughout the country said Southern Leyte Lone District Congressman Roger G. Mercado.

In Southern Leyte, Mercado cited the Panan-awan airport, in Barangay Panan-awan, the Roro Port of Barangay Guadalupe and the on-going port rehabilitation, all in Maasin City as the sites that can help tourism industry in the province.

“If the airport in Panan-awan will be completed, this will hasten the incoming and outgoing of tourists and visitors coming from other places that will visit not only in Maasin City but the province as well, which can automatically improve economic activities,” the solon disclosed in a press conference held at Kinamot Sa Abgao, May 3.

The length of the runway of the Maasin airport is still lacking with only 1.2 kilometers, supposedly the needed runway is 2.0 km, the Congressman said. “An initial funding of P4.5 million had already been released for the extension of the runway, but it was not implemented yet," he added.

Meanwhile, the Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) port in Barangay Guadalupe, if pushed through, can also promote economic activities and the P20 million rehabilitation of Maasin City Port which is now on-going through the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

The other two economic boosters he mentioned were the environment and agriculture programs of the government. “We need to encourage the people to obey local ordinances and laws of the government,” Hon. Mercado said referring to the anti-smoking campaign, traffic rules, illegal activities, to include illegal logging, illegal drugs, illegal fishing, among others that can affect not only one’s health but the environment as well.

The solon also urged everyone with the help of the media to disseminate the problems concerning the bunchy top virus that affect the abaca industry, brontispa for the coconut industry, and the crown-of-thorns starfish that is now affecting the coral reefs around the province. Through information dissemination, everyone will be aware of the situation, the congressman noted.

“In order to achieve the targets and goals at our end, using our own resources, we need the support of everyone and the media people as one of the forefronts,” Cong. Mercado revealed at the press conference attended by the local reporters, to include Leyte Samar Daily Express correspondent Vicky Arnaiz, Maasin City Senior Citizens Federation President Willy Justimbaste, among others. (EOPT/RSC-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)

Sack yields dead girl

by Zaida delos Reyes-Palanca


AUTHORITIES have launched a manhunt for a 27-year-old man tagged in the rape and killing of a 9-year-old girl whose body was found inside a sack dumped at the back of the victims house in Pastrana, Southern, Leyte.

Town police commander Insp. Romeo Abano identified the suspect as Allan Pulga, 27, neighbor of the victim Mary Joy Paboyo, of Barangay Cabauhan.

Abano said autopsy result showed the victim, who was reported missing on April 29, was positively molested and her head was bashed with a hard object that caused her death.

Police said Pulga had no records of mental illness or drug addiction. His family said he may be under the influence of liquor when he committed the crime.

DSWD-8 to hire 800 young workers in Southern Leyte

by Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 2 (PIA) - - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Office 8 is set to screen today the applicants for the 832 summer job young workers coming from Southern Leyte to join the nationwide Expanded Government Internship (EGIP).

According to Edna Dator of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) EGIP team will meticulously select 112 qualified youths out of 700 young applicants in Maasin City alone; the rest of the EGIP slots will be filled by 40 selected youths from each of the 18 municipalities in the province.

Right now, the said team is still screening the final list of summer job youth workers, who will participate in the internship program of government, she added.

The hired applicants will work for 52 days in the community where they come from in 4Ps, Social Pension for the Indigent Elderly, Supplemental Feeding, Cash for Work and Day Care Services earning P252 per day, she said.

Most of the applicants are aged 18 to 30 years old, many are in school, a number are out-of-school youths, several have degrees and technical-vocational courses, Dator added. (PIA 8, SoLeyte)

CENRO-Maasin partners with 11 POs to protect 5,410 ha. upland areas

by Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 30 (PIA) -- The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) – Maasin of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Southern Leyte Provincial Office is now undertaking the development of 5,410 hectares of upland areas under the Community-Based Forest Management Program (CBFMP) in close coordination with the local peoples’ organizations.

CENRO-Maasin, which covers eight municipalities out of the 18 municipalities and one city of Maasin in the province, reported that the CBFMP is a regular program of the environment department to carry out the reforestation in timberland areas in the mountains and mangrove areas, CENRO-Maasin Senior Staff Edil Alcarde disclosed.

He said, “Thru the social forestry program, the upland dwellers have become partners in the protection of the remaining forest.”

The following upland areas and respective people’s organizations and their area coverages includes: 1) Maasin Farmers Marketing and Credit Org. (MAFAMCO) in Ibarra, Maasin City with 181 has; 2) Young Innovator for Social & Environmental Development Association, Inc. (YISEDA) in Maasin City with 549 has; 3) Kapunongan Mag-uuma sa Sto. Nino (KAMAS) in Macrohon with 182 has; 4) Malico Farmers Resources Management and Conservation Organization (MAFARMCO) in Macrohon with 102 has; 5) Malitbog Upland Developers for Sustainable Association (MUDSA) in Malitbog with 563 has; 6) Tomas Oppus-Malitbog Farmers Association, Inc. (TOMFA) in Tomas Oppus with 71 has; 7) Tomas Oppus Forest Developers Association, Inc. (TOFDA) in Tomas Oppus with 325 has; 8) Anahao Movement for Productive Community organization (AMPCO) in Bontoc with 451 has; 9) Kahupi-an Upland Farmers Association, Inc. (KUFA) in Sogod with 2,169 has; 10) Aktibong Grupo sa Mag-uuma Alang sa Libagunong Abot (AGILA) in Libagon with 675 has; 11) Barangay Danao Farmers Association (BADAFA) in Macrohon with 244 has; 12) Bogo Women’s Association (BWA) in Maasin City with 50 has thru the Congressional Fund of Rep. Roger G. Mercado.

The overall CBFMP workers availing of the said social forestry program totaled to at least 410 beneficiaries, he added.

He further disclosed that before the implementation of the social forestry program, reforestation was very limited in terms of survival since laborers burned the forest so that they will be hired again.

With this program, the beneficiaries will be able to harvest the trees as if they were their own and harvest mature trees, he added. (EPT/ESG-PIA8, SoLeyte)

CENRO-Maasin partners with 11 POs to protect 5,410 ha. upland areas

by Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 30 (PIA) -- The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) – Maasin of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Southern Leyte Provincial Office is now undertaking the development of 5,410 hectares of upland areas under the Community-Based Forest Management Program (CBFMP) in close coordination with the local peoples’ organizations.

CENRO-Maasin, which covers eight municipalities out of the 18 municipalities and one city of Maasin in the province, reported that the CBFMP is a regular program of the environment department to carry out the reforestation in timberland areas in the mountains and mangrove areas, CENRO-Maasin Senior Staff Edil Alcarde disclosed.

He said, “Thru the social forestry program, the upland dwellers have become partners in the protection of the remaining forest.”

The following upland areas and respective people’s organizations and their area coverages includes: 1) Maasin Farmers Marketing and Credit Org. (MAFAMCO) in Ibarra, Maasin City with 181 has; 2) Young Innovator for Social & Environmental Development Association, Inc. (YISEDA) in Maasin City with 549 has; 3) Kapunongan Mag-uuma sa Sto. Nino (KAMAS) in Macrohon with 182 has; 4) Malico Farmers Resources Management and Conservation Organization (MAFARMCO) in Macrohon with 102 has; 5) Malitbog Upland Developers for Sustainable Association (MUDSA) in Malitbog with 563 has; 6) Tomas Oppus-Malitbog Farmers Association, Inc. (TOMFA) in Tomas Oppus with 71 has; 7) Tomas Oppus Forest Developers Association, Inc. (TOFDA) in Tomas Oppus with 325 has; 8) Anahao Movement for Productive Community organization (AMPCO) in Bontoc with 451 has; 9) Kahupi-an Upland Farmers Association, Inc. (KUFA) in Sogod with 2,169 has; 10) Aktibong Grupo sa Mag-uuma Alang sa Libagunong Abot (AGILA) in Libagon with 675 has; 11) Barangay Danao Farmers Association (BADAFA) in Macrohon with 244 has; 12) Bogo Women’s Association (BWA) in Maasin City with 50 has thru the Congressional Fund of Rep. Roger G. Mercado.

The overall CBFMP workers availing of the said social forestry program totaled to at least 410 beneficiaries, he added.

He further disclosed that before the implementation of the social forestry program, reforestation was very limited in terms of survival since laborers burned the forest so that they will be hired again.

With this program, the beneficiaries will be able to harvest the trees as if they were their own and harvest mature trees, he added. (EPT/ESG-PIA8, SoLeyte)

Affordable health services for 700,000 Filipinos

by RANDOM JOTTINGS


LOW income families living in the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar in the Eastern Visayas region will soon have increased access to affordable maternal health services, thanks to the World Bank which – acting as administrator for the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid (GPOBA) – has approved a grant of US$3.6 million towards the project.

The project will be implemented over a 4-year period by Population Services Pilipinas Incorporated (PSPI) supported by Marie Stopes International Australia (MSIA), established providers of maternal and child health care in the Philippines since 1990. About 145,000 poor families (an estimated 700,000 individuals) are expected to benefit through subsidized access to services including birth delivery and pre- and post-natal care.

The National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) has a mandate to provide universal health insurance coverage to all Filipinos and a solution is needed for the large numbers of indigent and informal sector workers that remain excluded from social health insurance coverage. A 2010 Philippine Health Sector Review found that reforms in the past decades have improved overall health outcomes; however, disparities in access to quality health services and health insurance coverage remain an issue for the poor.

The GPOBA-funded scheme explicitly targets the poor to help address some of the barriers to their access to quality health services, with a 3-part approach: accreditation of 45 service providers in the project area to ensure improved quality of care and the capacity to meet increased demand; enrolment of about 145,000 families, identified and determined as poor by the National Household Targeting System, to ensure that the project reaches those who need it most; and a subsidized voucher scheme to bridge the gap between co-payments charged by health service providers and the amount that target project beneficiaries can afford to pay for approved services.

“This output-based aid scheme supports the new government’s reform agenda to achieve universal access to health care,” said Motoo Konishi, World Bank Country Director for the Philippines. “The project also makes access to quality health services affordable through the subsidized voucher component and more inclusive by explicitly targeting the poor.”

The project will address barriers to health service access by expanding insurance coverage of the poor and by supporting the upgrade of additional service providers in order to meet the national Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) accreditation requirements.

Consistent with the OBA approach, GPOBA will retain an independent verification agent to verify output delivery, including service provider upgrading, and that pre-agreed targets have been met by the project partners before subsidy payments are made. Independent verification makes aid more transparent by linking payment to the delivery of specific services or “outputs.”

“We are enthusiastic about using an innovative approach, as part of a joint effort with PhilHealth, to meet the needs of a population that cannot afford to pay for access to basic health services and to support the government’s commitment to reducing maternal and infant mortality,” said Virgilio Pernito, Chief Executive Officer of PSPI.

Globally, more than 350,000 women die each year due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications. For the Philippines, this initiative is an important step towards the goal of reducing maternal mortality rates to 52 deaths per 100,000 live births, although past experience suggests that goal may be difficult to attain.

This program is in direct response to the Philippine government’s commitment to pilot interventions that improve the health outcomes, particularly the maternal and reproductive health status, of poor populations.

Slow growth alarms Eastern Visayas bizmen

by (Sunnex/(Leyte Samar Daily Express))


MACROHON, Southern Leyte -- Local business chambers are concerned over the slow growth of Eastern Visayas’ gross regional development product (GRDP) and its per capita income, which is lower than its neighboring regions.

Robert Castañares, president of the Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI), said they wonder why there has been a consistent decline of GRDP growth momentum between 2004 and 2009.

“The National Government is actively involved in social services and infrastructure programs but not that much in economic development. That partly explained why in 2004 to 2009 our economy has not improved and poverty incidence has gone up,” Castañares told participants of the 2nd Eastern Visayas Regional Business Conference held in Kuting Reef here this week.

Citing latest available data from the National Government agencies, the business group disclosed that from 5.2 percent GRDP growth in 2004, it went down to 1.8 percent in 2009. The growth rate recorded in 2009 is way below than the 6.3 percent target.

The region’s per capita income is only P7,400 just half of Western Visayas’ P14,500 and Central Visayas’ P15,300. The National Capital Region’s per capita is P38,600.






1st zoo in Eastern Visayas opens in Maasin City

by Rebecca S. Cadavos


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 27 (PIA) -- Organized by the Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI) in coordination with the city government of Maasin, the Maasin City Nature and Wildlife Park or simply known as Maasin Zoo had its soft opening, April 26, Thursday, situated at Danao Forest Park, Sitio Danao, Malapoc Norte, this city.

The soft opening was conducted hours after the 2nd Eastern Visayas Business Conference was held at the Kuting Reef, in the municipality of Macrohon. Twelve (12) chambers of commerce and industry that attended the business meeting trouped to Maasin Zoo for the soft opening, the first throughout Eastern Visayas region.

The soft opening held at past three in the afternoon started with a short program, attended by different stakeholders, media practitioners, local and regional officials and visitors composed of the 12 chambers throughout Eastern Visayas coming from Palompon, Baybay, Isabel, Ormoc, Leyte, Calbayog, Samar, Catarman, Northern Samar, Guian, Burauen, and the Southern Leyte CCI headed by its President Robert Castañares. The program was hosted by Zaldy Olita from the city government.

A tour around Maasin zoo was made after the program, led by Maasin City Mayor Maloney Samaco with the Sangguniang Panglungsod members, Regional Directors from the Department of Tourism (DOT), Karina Rosa Santiago, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)Cynthia Nierras and Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Edgar Esperancilla and investors of the zoo.

Animals that can be seen at Maasin Zoo are two camels, two miniature horses, three tigers, one small Celebes Black Ape, two red-necked ostrich, crocodiles, snakes, and different species of birds such as the silver pheasant, victoria crown, umbrella and black palm cockatoos, Philippine eagle, among other classes of birds.

A grand opening of Maasin Zoo is set next month, May, while summer break is on the wane, it was learned.

SLCCI President Castañares was grateful for the realization of one of the tourism hubs in Southern Leyte, saying that, “the local economy can benefit through building this major tourism hub in the province.” He was pleased with the visitors who came from other parts of region 8 for them to observe while the zoo is still under construction.

The 30-hectare park is located in the 500-hectare Danao Forest Reserve in the upland barangay of Malapoc Norte, 14-kilometer away from the city proper and situated 335 meters above sea level. (ldl/rgc-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)

DENR-8 finalizes Biodiversity Assessment of REDD+ Pilot Area and Mt. Nacolod in SoLeyte

by Rebecca S. Cadavos


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 26 (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has completed the Biodiversity Assessment of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) pilot area and at Mt. Nacolod in the province of Southern Leyte.

DENR 8 Regional Executive Director Rogelio T. Trinidad in a letter to PIA-Maasin said, a presentation of the assessment and a Management Planning will be conducted on May 2-3, 2012 at Kuting Reef in Macrohon, this province.

The activity, he said, is aimed to present the results of the biodiversity assessment and draft the management plan for Mt. Nacolod based on the practical knowledge and strategic species-habitat information gathered during the study.

The study was jointly undertaken by Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau/New Conservation Areas in the Philippines Project (PAWB/NewCAPP) and Forest Management Bureau//German Development Cooperation-Deutsche Gesellschaft fluer Internationale Zusammenarbeit –Climate relevant modernization of forest policy and the REDD in the Philippines Project (FMB/GIZ REDD+ Project) through the Fauna and Flora International (FFI).

The project study coordinated by DENR 8 and PENRO Southern Leyte was also participated by the local universities and representatives from the local government units.

“It was a long-month ground survey that started November 2011 yet,” Director Trinidad said.

The two-day activity is expected to be attended by key stakeholders of the province including the mayors of municipalities within the Mt. Nacolod and chairperson of Sanggunian for Environment at the provincial and municipal levels, representatives from the academe, natural environment protectors and managers, provincial and municipal planning office, among others concerned. (ldl/rgc/PIA 8-Southern Leyte)

East Visayas business leaders gather for trade conference

by Marcelo M. Pedalino


KUTING BEACH, Macrohon, Southern Leyte, April 25 (PIA) -- Leading personalities in the business sector from six provinces and eight cities in Region 8 will converge for two days - today and tomorrow - in this resort to discuss issues and concerns about tourism and trade opportunities.

The gathering, officially called Second Eastern Visayas Business Conference, is hosted by the Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI), and some 200 participants all over the region are expected to attend, said Sandra Alcober, information officer of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provincial office.

Aside from known business figures, mostly heads and members of various chambers of commerce in the region, political leaders and regional directors of government agencies involved in promoting tourism and investments are also expected to come, Alcober added.

Governor Damian Mercado will be the keynote speaker, said Alcober.

She said the two-day affair will also highlight a trade fair and exhibit and actual visits to the province’s prime tourist destination at the Agas-Agas zipline at Sogod.

The group will also witness the soft opening of the “ZooLeyte” or the Maasin Nature and Wildlife Park at Danao Forest Park in Maasin City scheduled tomorrow afternoon, April 26.

The conference carries the theme, “One Region. One Team: Economic Development thru Public-Private Sector Initiative.” The first-ever Eastern Visayas business meeting was held in March last year, hosted by Leyte province, Alcober further said.

Engr. Robert Castanares, SLCCI President, in his letter of invitation to fellow members to display their products and services, said the objective of the conference is to promote regional trade and investment cooperation in the region.

“Among the highlights of the conference is the presentation by each chamber of its respective province or city development strategy, dominant industry or products, and trade and investment opportunities,” Castanares said.

He also said that the individual output of the different chambers will be consolidated into a Regional Development Framework which will be presented to the Regional Development Council. (LDL/MMP-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)

DSWD-8 announces schedule of orientation and interview of its internship program

by Tuesday 24th of April 2012


TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, April 24 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 8 through its regional director Leticia T. Diokno issued last Monday the schedule of provincial orientation and deliberation for its applicants of the Expanded Government Internship Program (EGIP).

For Leyte, the schedule of interview and orientation will be on April 24 and 25 in Tacloban City while in Ormoc City, it will be conducted at the Pantawid Pamilya Operations Office on April 30.

For Southern Leyte, interview and orientation will be on April 25 at the provincial Social Welfare and Development Office in Maasin.

For Samar, interview and orientation will be on April 26 at the Pantawid Pamilya Provincial Operations Office in Catbalogan City.

For Eastern Samar, interview and orientation will be on April 27 at the Operations Office of the Pantawid Pamilya located near the Metrobank building in Borongan City.

For Biliran, interview and orientation will be done also on April 27 at the Provincial Capitol building in Naval, and for Northern Samar, interview and orientation will be on April 30 at the Cluster Office of the Pantawid Pamilya in Catarman.

DSWD-8 is hiring 7,634 workers regionwide, specifically in-school youth/students, out-of-school youth, college graduates/vocational course graduates who are unemployed, aged 18 to 30 years old.

Those who will qualify will have a hands-on experience in working with the DSWD, either in centers, institutions, field offices, or at the communities where they come from to assist in the implementation of the agency’s programs and projects such as Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens, Supplemental Feeding, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Cash For Work, and Day Care Service.

Application forms are now available at the DSWD-8 office website, at the regional office at Tacloban City, and at the Pantawid Pamilya provincial/city/municipal operations office. (ldl/PIA-8/DSWD-8)

Brontispa infestation gradually decreasing in SoLeyte

by y Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 23 (PIA) -– Coconut farmers from municipalities affected by the brontispa have reported positive results in the treatment of this infestation.

According to Carmelita Maturan, coconut development officer of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Provincial Office, the remedy they have employed may have proven to be effective since latest accounts of farmers suggest that the dessicated coconut leaves affected by the insect are progressively being replaced by regular green and healthy leaves.

However, treatment is not a hundred percent.

“The fight against Brontispa will always be existent. Hence, continued upkeep and maintenance of the coconuts should be exercised,” Maturan said.

Some of the control measures that PCA recommends are the mechanical control which involves cutting and burning, spraying insecticides, and utilizing biologically controlled parasitoids.

Currently, there are nine municipalities in Southern Leyte that are threatened by Brontispa: Maasin, Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc, Sogod, Liloan, and Hinunangan.

The Department of Agriculture is leading the Brontispa fight and is constantly supplying chemicals and fertilizers to local farmers. The PCA are also closely monitoring the condition of our province’s coconut farms to ensure substantial recovery from the insect attacks. (ldl/esg/Yevgeny Duarte, Student Intern/PIA8 SoLeyte)






S. Leyte urged to conserve forests and biodiversity

by (ldl/Ms.Y Duarte, student OJT/PIA8-Southern Leyte)


SOUTHERN LEYTE, April 20 (PIA) -- With the discovery of the new species of frogs in Southern Leyte, Gordon Ignacio, senior adviser of the biodiversity assessment project, urges Governor Damian Mercado and local government units to conserve the forest and the biodiversity of the province.

According to Ignacio, the rich and unique bio-diversity wildlife is “Southern Leyte’s pride,” for this reason, it must be well-preserved and protected.

The joint project of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a German government organization, Southern Leyte provincial government, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) yielded numerous significant results.

Aside from the new amphibians, the Mount Nacolod assessment also recorded 229 flora species, 31 of which are found only in the Philippines. The survey team recorded 212 vertebrates. These included 112 birds, 36 mammals, and 64 amphibians and reptiles. Flora and Fauna International, a British-based group, said most of these animals are endangered.

Dr. Bernd-Markus Liss, principal advisor for GIZ's forest policy, said the revelation of new species in Southern Leyte underscored the need to protect the forests of the Philippines, a key biodiversity center in the global map. At present, about 80% of the country's forests are degraded.

“By destroying forests, we are also destroying habitats. Who knows what's out there?” he said.

Liss also noted that new species could benefit the community greatly. To start, these species may help in developing new substances, medicines, and materials.

As stated by GIZ’s press release, “support from the government and greater involvement of LGUs are expected to ensure the success of protection and rehabilitation of natural forests and conservation of biodiversity.”

The said institution, together with DENR, plan to continue its field sampling in Mt. Nacolod, a mountain peak near Silago, as well as other areas of the province including the municipalities Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin, Tomas Oppus, and Malitbog.

Frog species, size of a thumb, found in Southern Leyte forest

by Marcelo M. Pedalino


SOUTHERN LEYTE, April 19 (PIA) -- This province has carved a new impression as a haven for a rich bio-diversity wildlife in the wake of reports broadcast on nationwide television and online news outlets that two new species of frogs were discovered in the forests off the pacific area.

According to reports, the newly-found frogs species were a mottled brown frog with red eyes and a broad yellow stripe running down its back, and a yellow green frog the size not much bigger than a man’s thumb.

The finds were announced by personnel of the British-based Fauna and Flora International in a forum held at the National Museum, it was learned.

Reports said the new species, which have been labeled as endangered and on the brink of extinction and were yet to be named, were found at the Nacolod mountain range in the pacific area of Southern Leyte province.

This area has been part of a conservation-oriented undertaking initiated by the central office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in addition to an initiative of a German government organization GIZ, the Reducing Emission on Degradation and Deforestation Plus (REDD Plus) project.

The brown frog specimens measured 1.7 -- 2.2 inches, while the yellow-green ones were 0.8 -- 1.1 inches, an online report said.

The Philippines has been listed by US-based Conservation International as one among 17 countries that hold most of Earth’s plant and animals, but at the same time a bio-diversity hotspot due to massive kaingin and illegal logging operations on what was once heavily-forested areas.

The DENR, through its wildlife protection department, reported that aside from the frogs, 36 new plants and animal species were discovered in the country over the past ten years. (ldl/mmp-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)

2 new frog species discovered in Leyte

by Rhodina Villanueva


MANILA, Philippines - Two new species of frogs and 229 recorded flora species were discovered in Southern Leyte late last year.

Mundita Lim, head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB), said the frogs belong to the genus Platymantis.

“These species inhabit the montane and mossy forests of the Nacolod Mountain Range in Southern Leyte province,” she said. “Both species differ markedly from other known species of Philippine Platymantis frogs by their body size, coloration patterns, and advertisement calls. The two species are allied to two different species groups, the Platymantis guentheri group and Platymantis hazelae group.”

Lim said this is the first time that a Platymantis species belonging to the hazelae group has been discovered in Mindanao faunal region, to which the island of Leyte belongs.

“Herpetologists from the Philippines and the United States are now working on the formal taxonomic description of the species,” she said.

Lim said the month-long ground surveys in Southern Leyte – covering the municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin, Tomas Oppus and Malitbog – also recorded a total of 229 floral species (31 of which are unique to the Philippines) and 212 terrestrial vertebrates species comprising 112 species of birds (41 species are unique to Philippines; 11 of which are threatened to extinction), 36 species of mammals (17 species are unique to the Philippines) and 64 species of amphibians and reptiles (more than half of which are found only in the Philippines).

“It is anticipated that a significant number of species will be recorded from Southern Leyte with continued field sampling, especially if the surveys are conducted during the drier months of the year and if a wide range of habitat and elevation zones, from lowland Dipterocarp to mossy forests, are sampled in detail,” she said.

Lim said the assessment indicated the general preference of Southern Leyte’s fauna to forest and riverine environments.

“The information generated now provides a baseline that can be used to predict impacts of habitat change on species and to design measures to protect forest biodiversity. For local government units in Southern Leyte, the findings provide the scientific basis in designing appropriate management systems and monitoring protocols useful in protecting forest ecosystems, establishing local forest and

biodiversity areas as well as to steer the rehabilitation of forests towards an efficient and more ecologically sound path,” she said.

Lim said the assessment will spur forest protection and rehabilitation efforts under the Philippine National Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)-Plus Strategy as part of the National Climate Change Action Plan, and the National Greening Program.

Lim said the discovery of the new species on the fragmented forests of Mt. Nacolod intensifies the potential of REDD-Plus for effective protection and rehabilitation of natural forests and conservation of biodiversity, while benefiting local communities.

Greater involvement of LGUs in conserving the biodiversity of Nacolod is expected, she added.

The study was aimed at generating species inventories and practical information on key species-habitat associations as sound bases for forest and biodiversity management planning, Lim said.

Joining the PAWB in conducting the biodiversity assessments last November 2011 were the Fauna & Flora International, the National Museum of the Philippines, and DENR Eastern Visayas.






Reef restoration set in Southern Leyte

by (Leyte Samar Daily Express)


PALO, Leyte – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) will push through a one-year pilot technology demonstration on coral reef restoration in Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte.

The coastal area situated within the Sogod Bay will get a P5-million budget out of the recently approved P35.35 million funding for nine coral reef rehabilitation projects nationwide.

DOST Regional Director Edgardo Esperancilla said they signed an agreement with SLSU based in Sogod town, which will be their partner in undertaking pilot technology demonstration.

“We prioritize the one hectare in Padre Burgos because it is where depleted coral reefs can be found. There are also nearby resort owners who are willing to sustain the project. The undertaking is to show how the private sector can implement coral reef reforestation,” Esperancilla said.

The project aims to promote science-based coral reef management practices through public-private sector partnership, establish technology pilot demonstration sites for coral nurseries to produce 30,000 coral nubbins, and establish one hectare of reef in Padre Burgos.

The science department is eyeing to complete the project on March 14, 2013.

“To make sure that corals will grow, we need the help of the private sector to maintain this, especially that damaging starfish are infesting the area,” he said.

Population outbreak of damaging crown-of-thorns starfish was spotted in 74 hectares of coral reefs in Southern Leyte with a population density of up to 420 pieces per square meter, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Of the 74 hectares infested, 60 hectares are in the municipality of Padre Burgos, nine hectares in Maasin City and five hectares in Macrohon town.

Crown-of-thorns starfish climbs over the corals, releases digestive enzymes to break down its food, and then absorbs the coral polyp, leaving only coral skeleton.

Other than the toxic starfish, the DOST believed that coral reefs in Southern Leyte are damaged by a variety of human activities such as household sewage, industrial wastage and agricultural chemicals from land that are washed off to the sea.

Dangerous fishing methods such as blast and dynamite fishing also contributed to coral reef destruction.

Coral reef reforestation will also be implemented in provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Zambales, Batangas, Masbate, Aklan, Bohol, and Tawi-Tawi.






Environmental office bares municipalities with highest collection of deadly starfish

by Rebecca S. Cadavos


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Apr 16 (PIA) -- The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) has been continuously extracting the crown-of-thorns starfish throughout Southern Leyte since it reportedly increased in number, particularly in the waters of Sogod Bay and in Maasin City.

In a mitigation report by Coastal Fisheries Resources and Management Office Provincial Head Eva Abad the municipality with the highest COTS extracted was Padre Burgos with 80,145, followed by Maasin City that extracted around 34,000 and in Limasawa with 25,461 by the end of March 2012.

Abad added that other municipalities which conducted COTS extraction include Macrohon with 3,000 deadly starfish collected; Tomas Oppus – 2,192; Malitbog – 23,565; Lilioan – 1,056; San Francisco – 1,143; Pintuyan – 1,054; Hinundayan – 356; Hinunangan – 863; Bontoc – 18; Libagon – 10; and Sogod with only one reported.

Crown-of-thorns starfish are locally known of dap-marine invertebrates that feed on corals which are marine sanctuaries and kills corals.

In the mitigation report, Abad informed that there were municipalities in the province not included in the COTS outbreak such as San Ricardo, St. Bernard, San Juan, and Anahawan.

The total crown-of-thorns starfish extracted as of April 2012 numbered 170,165 pieces, initiated by the provincial government with the assistance of volunteers throughout the province, Abad disclosed. “This does not include the different Dive Shop Divers collection,” she said.

The local government units concerned has been coordinating with different agencies including non-government organizations to assist in the COTS outbreak and how to mitigate its existence, such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI), the GIZ, Provincial and Maasin City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, among other concerned agencies.

“We are proposing the production of IEC materials such as pamphlets and posters for public awareness which is now designed by PENRMO staff,” Abad said while other activities are properly coordinated with the other agencies. (ldl/rgc-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)

11 Eastern Visayas LGUs yet to comply with policy on disclosure

by Joey Gabieta

Inquirer Visayas


TACLOBAN CITY—Only 11 of the over 140 local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Visayas have yet to comply with the national government’s policy on full disclosure of financial transactions, according to a Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) official. Pedro Noval Jr., DILG Eastern Visayas director, said the 11 LGUs were only missing one or two documents mandated to be posted under the full disclosure policy being implemented by the department. These LGUs were Pintuyan in Southern Leyte; Lapinig in Northern Samar; and the towns of Almagro, Gandara, Hinabangan, Jiabong, Matuginao, Motiong, Tagapul-an, Tarangnan and Zumarraga, all in Samar province. Eastern Visayas has about 149 LGUs constituting provinces, cities and municipalities. This means that 138 LGUs across the region have fully complied with the policy. The full disclosure policy program requires LGUs to post several documents, including their budgets and finances, and bids and public offerings in government websites, newspapers of general circulation and in other conspicuous and appropriate places. Full disclosure Based on the provisions of Republic Act No. 10147, or the General Appropriations Act of 2011, adherence to the full disclosure policy is now compulsory. Local governments without a website should also post the required information on the website of the DILG regional office concerned on www.dilg.gov.ph, the website of the DILG central office. Noval cited the document on items to bid as the most common instrument that the 11 LGUs have not yet posted so they could not be considered as having complied with the full disclosure policy. He said that based on their explanations, the LGUs said they lacked the time to prepare the said document. “But I expect within this month that all the 11 LGUs will be able to fully comply with the full disclosure policy,” said Noval who has been monitoring the LGUs’ compliance. He added that the failure of the LGUs to observe the full disclosure policy could mean the filing of administrative charges. “(Officials) should be held accountable and responsible with their actions to the people they serve,” Noval said. Earlier this year, DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo ordered the DILG field offices to send “show cause” orders to the executives of the LGUs concerned to explain or face sanctions for noncompliance with the provisions of the 2011 General Appropriations Act. The full disclosure of financial transactions aims to minimize, if not totally, eradicate corruption and misuse of public funds.

Military vows to keep Visayas insurgent-free

by Sarwell Q. Meniano


LIMASAWA, SOUTHERN LEYTE -- A military official vowed to block rebels’ efforts to retake insurgent-free Visayas provinces as they shift their thrust to implementation of development projects from counter-insurgency efforts. Col. John S. Bonafos, commander of 802nd brigade of the Philippine Army based in Camp Downes, Ormoc City, said they are stepping up efforts to coordinate with local government units and other government agencies in undertaking development projects. "We will continue our support operations particularly in the development aspects needed by people. After we have attained peace, we will move to development phase like construction of classrooms, road repair and road widening," Mr. Bonafos told BusinessWorld.

The brigade covers the insurgent-free provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Biliran. It is the only Philippine Army headquarters in the entire country with all covered areas officially declared as rebel-cleared.

Among the five provinces, Biliran was the first to gain the insurgent-free status as jointly declared by the army and local government unit in December 2008. Cebu and Bohol were declared free of rebel activities in March 2010 while Southern Leyte and Leyte attained the same status in September 2011 and December 2011, respectively.

"The situation of these Visayas provinces exemplifies that we can attain the insurgent-free status through multi-stakeholders participation," Mr. Bonafos said.

For insurgent-free areas, the military turned over the lead role in maintaining the internal security to its local executives and police.

A province is categorized as insurgency-free when the threat posed by the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) is successfully downgraded into a mere law and order problem.

PRC-8 inks MOA with SoLeyte

by Rebecca S. Cadavos


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 12 (PIA) -- The Office of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)-8 through its Regional Director German Palayab signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Southern Leyte Governor Damian G. Mercado to bring their services closer to Southern Leyteños.

The MOA signing was held at the governor’s office here this morning, April 11.

“Both parties need to gain strength and joint benefits from its creative cooperation and collaboration towards extending frontline services such as 'one-stop shop' to be set up by the local government unit in order to serve the public more efficiently," the MOA stated.

Director Palayab disclosed that the office will open as soon as the assigned staff from the local government will be trained. “An office staff will be trained for two days,” the director said, referring to one of the counterparts of the provincial government, an office staff in addition to the office space, among other supports to PRC.

PRC’s service commitment to the said agreement would bring services closer to the constituents of Southern Leyte by extending its window services at the provincial capitol, and conducting “PRC on wheels” whenever requested in order to renew PRC professional IDs, issuance of certifications, authentications, and accept applications for PRC licensure examinations.

The source added that PRC will also conduct briefings on PRC services and Licensure Examinations upon request from the provincial government, manage the day-to-day operations of the PRC Service Kiosk at the local level, among other service commitments.

On the other hand, the provincial government likewise will extend assistance to PRC, such as to cooperate with the PRC desk officer to ensure that only qualified and licensed professionals are employed at positions in the municipalities that require such qualifications, cooperate with the PRC for the protection of the public by raising awareness among professionals in government service.

The MOA signing was witnessed by Vice Governor Mike Maamo, Sangguniang Panlalwigan Member Romeo Gomez, Provincial Administrator Crispin Arong, Jr., College of Maasin President Miguel Udtohan, and media personnel from Southern Leyte Balita and PIA-Maasin. (LDL/RGC-PIA 8 Southern Leyte)

Fathers help in breastfeeding babies

by (Leyte Samar Daily Express)


LIMASAWA, Southern Leyte – Mothers in this island town are not left alone in ensuring that children are well-nourished with fathers equipped with knowledge on good nutrition and proper breastfeeding.

The “Tatay Ko, Kaagapay sa Kalusogan Ko” campaign was launched three years ago by the local government, which regularly gathers all fathers in the island and orients them on their role to improve or maintain the nutritional status of children.

Jesrel Tiongco, a community health team member, said while men in other places usually make jokes on breastfeeding-related topics, fathers here are taking the support role seriously.

“We gather in barangay health center every quarter and discuss how fathers can support lactating women. We ensure exclusive breastfeeding during first six months of life. We also learn the proper position of breastfeeding so that we can help our wives,” said Tiongco, a father of a three-year-old child.

Remegilda Salomon, municipal nutrition action officer, said during a gathering with fathers, local nutrition workers gave updates on good nutrition and responsible parenthood aside from breastfeeding promotion.

“As practiced in Limasawa, the mother and the father jointly monitor the nutritional status of their children,” Salomon said.

In 2010, almost all the men in the municipality together with all municipal and barangay officials had undergone the training on Infant and Young Child Feeding and the Pabasa sa Nutrisyon.

In most areas in the region, these advocacies are centered on health and nutrition workers and mothers.

In this town, stores don’t sell infant formula since all mothers are exclusively feeding their babies with breast milk from birth to six months and provide nutritious complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding up to two years.

Limasawa’s performance in terms of breastfeeding is remarkable compared to the national figure, Salomon said.

The 7th National Nutrition Survey revealed that among infants 0-5 months old, only 36 out of every 100 were exclusively breastfed; only 37 of every 100 were breastfed at the same time given a complementary food and as many as 27 out of every 100 infants were given other milk and other foods.

Breastfeeding during the first six months of a child’s life is deemed crucial since it cuts the risk of chronic diseases and leads to overall better development.

P90-M Leyte-Mindanao power link unveiled

by tribuneonline.org


The government will be conducting the Leyte-Mindanao interconnection project study that would establish an integrated grid and allow reserve electricity generation capacity to be shared by the three regional grids — Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The study, which is estimated to cost P90 million, will be undertaken by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) for a period of one year and another year for assessment.

Energy Undersecretary Josephine Patricia Asirit said for the first time, the Aquino administration will implement the Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao interconnection grid to assure power stability in the country.

At present, Asirit said only the Luzon and Visayas — through the Leyte grid — have interconnectivity. It will only be in this administration that the entire Philippine grid would be interconnected.

She cited the current power situation in some parts of Mindanao where it experienced regular brownouts.

With the Leyte-Mindanao interconnection in place, Asirit said, the Luzon grid which has 200 MW excess and the Visayas which can also export another 200 MW, power shortage in Mindanao can easily be resolved.

The Leyte-Mindanao interconnection project was aimed at addressing the power shortage not only in Mindanao but the entire country as well.

It includes the installation of about 455-kilometer overhead line and 23-km submarine cable with a maximum depth of around 1,000 meters below sea level.

The interconnection project was originally designed for 250-kilovolt high-voltage density cable bipolar link with a total transfer capacity of 500 MW to 800 MW.

It will start from the existing Ormoc Converter Station in Leyte and terminates at Kirahon Converter station in Northcentral Mindanao via Southern Leyte and Northeastern Mindanao.

The Leyte-Mindanao interconnection is part of the long-term solution to resolve power shortage in the region.

DA-EU Program Benefits 40,000 Households

by PHOEBE JEN INDINO


SILAGO, Southern Leyte– A food security program sponsored by the European Union, Germany-based Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) has benefited over 40,000 poor households in Eastern Visayas.

The program, named Enhancement of Food Security in the Visayas (EFOS), which was implemented by the Deutsche Gessellschaft fur Internationale Zummenarbeit (GIZ), and which ended early this year, was designed to sustainably increase food security, and agricultural, fisheries and forestry productivity in the region, with special focus on Eastern Visayas.

GIZ operates in more than 130 countries worldwide with most of its work commissioned by the BMZ

EFOS was comprised of four project components, namely, natural resources governance, infrastructure through cash-for-work, productivity and production enhancement, and crop insurance.

EFOS Senior Adviser Alex Tabada said the program’s cash-for-work covered over 12,000 households in 24 towns, earning some P35 million in wages.

That particular program component paved way for the creation of 62-kilometers of farm-to-market roads and 40 kilometers of upland foot trails including 11.4 kilometers of communal irrigation canals supporting some 933 hectares of ricelands.

Communities extract 170,000 Crown Of Thorns Starfish in Limasawa, Padre Burgos and Maasin City

by Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 6 (PIA) -- The bane of corals are finally being decimated. At least 170,000 Crown Of Thorns Starfish (COTS), locally known of dap-marine invertebrates that feed on corals which are marine sanctuaries, and also kill corals, were extracted particularly in Limasawa, Padre Burgos, and Maasin City, all of Southern Leyte in less than 10 days.

“We have found extreme population of COTS particularly in the municipalities of Limasawa and Padre Burgos and the city of Maasin where we estimated the presence of over a thousand COTS in one hectare compared to 12 COTS in normal condition, “ according to Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) – Coastal Fisheries Resource Management Office (CFRMO) Chief Eva Abad.

She said that in less than 10 days of synchronized extraction of COTS in the mentioned three different areas, an estimated 170,000 of COTS were partially gathered by the communities including the owners of foreign-operated dive shops in the locality particularly in Padre Burgos.

Abad said the initial estimates of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Provincial Office reported last March 22 that in one 500 square-meter area of corals alone, there were an estimated of over a thousand COTS.

However, BFAR Provincial Office is now undertaking an actual underwater assessment of the presence of COTS to 500 square meters of corals and to determine the extent of the damaged coral areas had done in the province, she said.

She added that there will be more joint lined up activities by the local government units and by the GIZ, a German organization in order to prevent this impending coastal disaster in the province.

In Maasin City alone, the local government unit–initiated extraction got a total of 23,000 COTS collected March 27, 2012, she added.

She noted that extraction of COTS most of the times were stalled due to the lack of funds in order to mobilize the community to join in the extraction along their barangays. (ldl/esg/PIA8 SoLeyte)

Over a thousand slots await “summer jobbers” in So. Leyte

by Marcelo M. Pedalino


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Apr. 4 (PIA) -- The Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) project of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) provincial office here just got even more special this summer time, as more qualified youths will be gainfully employed.

In a list of 2012 SPES pledged by DOLE, some 1,031 posts are up for grabs, mainly through the labor agency’s partner institutions that include local government units (LGUs), a public school, and one national government office - the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Mario Tictic of DOLE-So. Leyte said that for this year, their office was given an allocation of 1,500 students for SPES placement, also popularly known as summer job, so there are still some 400 more slots to be filled, this time in cooperation with private schools which already signified their intention to join.

DOLE and their respective listed partners are presently finalizing the papers of students who had applied for this summer’s SPES, which will start on May 7 for a 20-day employment period, while educational institutions in the private sector like Saint Joseph College (SJC) and the College of Maasin (CM) will start in June, Tictic said.

The provincial government tops the list with 338 students up for hiring, followed by the city government at 150, and Malitbog LGU with 110, then Sogod LGU at 100. Malitbog has the distinction of hiring similar students for years in a row, even as it accepts new SPES applicants, 80 students for this summer.

The public school which participated in this program is the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU)-Bontoc Campus.

Other LGUs with SPES placements this year are Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Tomas Oppus, Libagon, Saint Bernard, Anahawan, Hinundayan, Silago, and Liloan.

Most summer jobbers have a daily rate of P 150 per day, except for SLSU-Bontoc at P 133 per day, Maasin City at P 180 per day, and DPWH at P 250 per day. Salaries, however, will be shared between DOLE and the sponsoring LGU/agency, with DOLE paying 40 percent of the rate, and the LGUs, 60 percent.

Based on the list, DOLE had set aside a budget of P 1,338,662.40 for 1,031 SPES, while the combined counterpart of all the LGUs was P 2,007,993.60.

Last year, there were only a little over 400 SPES slots reserved by DOLE for Southern Leyte.

The Special Program for Employment of Students is mandated under Republic Act No. 9547 which aims to help poor but deserving students pursue their education by providing income or augment their income through encouraging their employment during summer and/or Christmas vacations. The SPES is open to all qualified high school, college or vocational students or drop-outs and interested employers. (GTT/MMP-PIA8, Southern Leyte)

2 OWWA scholars garner Cum Laude recognitions

by Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, April 3 (PIA) -- Together with 44 other honor students, two Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) scholars graduated Cum Laude during the Commencement Exercises of the Leyte Normal University on March 26 in Tacloban City.

“We take pride in the achievements of our scholars. This makes evident that the financial assistance extended to them as qualified beneficiaries of our OFW (overseas Filipino workers) clients is not put to waste,” says OWWA- RWO8 OIC-Director II Ma. Evangelina V. Filamor in a press release.

Filamor said after four years of struggle for academic excellence was worth the long wait for Ritzee Operio and Mark Geraldo when they graduated Cum Laude among 1,059 graduates.

The graduates are OWWA scholars under the OFW Dependents Scholarship Program (OFW-DSP) whereby an eligible dependent of an active OFW with a basic monthly salary of $400 and below receives financial assistance of P10,000 per semester, she said.

She further said Geraldo, with a grade of 1.55, and Operio, with 1.65, outstandingly earned a double degree in Bachelor of Science in Secondary and Elementary Education major in English. While in search for a private school to practice their profession, they plan to review for the September Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).

“OWWA is part of our success and we are very much thankful for the assistance they have extended to us,” says Geraldo in an interview, Filamor quoted.

Another OWWA scholar grabbed first honor award in the Commencement Exercises of the Sto. Nino SPED Center, Tacloban City on March 31 - Danna Mheliza Mae D. Budano garnered 93.8 percent, topping the entire second grade level of the said school, Filamor further reported.

The achiever is an OWWA scholar under the education component of Education and Livelihood Assistance Program whereby an eligible dependent of deceased OFW who was an active OWWA member at the time of death receives financial scholarship grant until completion of a tertiary degree, Filamor said. (LDL/ESG-PIA 8, SoLeyte)

NSO to Visayans: Pls cooperate in the Consumer Expectations Survey in Region 8

by Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu


TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, April 2 (PIA) -- The National Statistics Office in Eastern Visayas under the leadership of Director Raul Dones called on the public to cooperate in the conduct of the April 2012 Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) in selected provinces in Eastern Visayas namely, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, and Eastern Samar.

Director Dones enjoined all sample household to actively support and cooperate in the said activity which will start on April 2 to 16. Likewise, the support and assistance of the local government units are solicited in order to ensure the success of this undertaking, the NSO Director said.

Dones said that just like any other surveys undertaken by NSO, the data that will be gathered shall be held strictly confidential and shall not be divulged to any person except to authorize NSO personnel. The data will not be used for taxation, investigation, or enforcement purposes.

Dones said that the Consumer Expectations Survey is actually conducted in selected provinces nationwide except except in Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) contracted the NSO to conduct CES in order to collect comprehensive information on the business conditions of the country in the household sector, Director Dones informed.

The NSO’s responsibility is to undertake the data collection and encoding of the questionnaires while BSP’s responsibility is the generation of tables and analysis of the results, the NSO Director added.

The CES is a household-based survey on the consumers’ assessment of their financial situation, the economic condition of the country and the overall performance of the government. This is a complementary survey to BSP’s Business Expectations Survey (BES).

The survey is administered on a sample basis at the household level drawn through a stratified multi-stage random sampling. The survey has a total sample of about 5,000 households nationwide. The total sample in Region VIII is 308 households.

The conduct of CES aims to provide a quick and regular assessment of the financial condition of consumers and economic condition of the country at present and in the near future, from the consumers’ own viewpoints; to generate forecasts in the direction of the country’s economic activity based on consumers’ outlook in the next 12 months; and to provide quick and regular assessment of consumers’ outlook in terms of their income and expenditures. (EOPT - PIA 8)

DSWD 8 releases cash grant to 2,550 "Pantawid Pamilya" beneficiaries in Maasin City

by Erna S. Gorne


MAASIN City, Southern Leyte, Apr. 1 (PIA) -- A total of 2,550 household beneficiaries here received their conditional cash grant under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Together with the two bank tellers from the Land Bank of the Philippines – Maasin Branch and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Office, the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries on Friday started to claim their conditional cash grants for the months of November 2011 – February 2012 at the maximum of P 1,400 per month for every beneficiary.

Instead of only two months, Maasin City beneficiaries are entitled to receive four – months worth of cash grant as decided by the DSWD Central Office, to fully utilize the previous year's Pantawid Pamilya funds throughout the region.

DSWD Region 8 Director Letecia T. Diokno admonished the beneficiaries to handle the financial assistance properly and reminded them that the money is not for the parents but for the education and health care of the children and the expectant mothers.

She cautioned them to comply with the conditions set by the program since if they lack in fulfilling the requirements they will be cut off in receiving the said monthly cash grant.

She further urged the parents to work hard instead of waiting for the monthly conditional cash grant as this serves only to supplement their needs for their children to pursue education and health of the children and pregnant mothers.

Diokno challenged the beneficiaries that as a 4Ps family, they should become model of a peaceful family with children going to school, healthy children and mothers, among other being socially developed family with the additional income of P15,000 every year for five years from now. (EOPT/ESG, PIA8 SoLeyte)


Southern Leyte Archived News

The older news reports are kept here

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