gets tourism road upgrade By Rebecca Cadavos The national government is build- ing high standard circumferential roads in the island of Limasawa for the con- venience of tourists going to historical sites, among other natural wonders found in the said island municipality. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Southern District Engineering Office chief Ma. Margarita C. Junia in a press release stated that they are (to page 2) April 16-30, 2016 Media Center, 2nd Flr., Capitol Bldg. Vol. III, No. 20 DA gives farm implements to farmers, fishers By Rebecca Cadavos The Department of Agriculture (DA) turned-over farm implements Sec. Alcala interacts to the different farmer/fisherfolks -or with farmers, fishers ganizations throughout the province By Bong Pedalino of in a turn-over cer- Department of Agriculture (DA) emony graced by DA Secretary Pro- Secretary Proceso Alcala played ceso Alcala. Santa Claus to farmers and fish- The day activity held April 5, 2016 ermen from different places of the at City gymnasium was par- province Tuesday, April 5, at the ticipated by different stakeholders city gym, hearing their stories, giv- spearheaded by DA Regional Office 8 through Regional Director Leo Cañe- ing direct answers, and assuring of concrete actions. IT”S YOURS: DA Secretary Proseso Alcala leads the distribution of farm tools to Southern da and DA 8 personnel. The farm implements distribut- The gathering of more than a Leyteno farmers and fishermen at the entrance of the city gym. With him are Gov. Roger thousand farmers and fisherfolks felt Mercado and City Mayor Maloney Samaco, among other officials.. (above and below photos) ed during the Technical Consulta- tions with Agri-Pinoy Stakeholders in it was Christmas in April, their re- Eastern were as follows: farm quests either granted on the spot, or tractor, cassava grater, corn mill, hand noted as a top priority on Alcala’s to- tractor, cassava granulator, rice thresh- do list. er, corn shelter, floating tiller, among The occasion was dubbed Tech- others. nical Consultation with Agri-Pinoy The undertaking also presented Stakeholders in , in commitments of agricultural inter- which selected farmers shared tes- ventions such as the rehabilitation timonies on successful agricultural and improvement of Mahayag-Mana- ventures, and voiced issues and con- log Farm to Market Roads, Expanded (to page 2) Agri-business Activities like banana plantation, rehabilita- tion and vegetable production, MWD Board okays animal re-stocking and infu- sion project, rehab/concreting Maasin City offer of Suba-Kamagkaan-San Vi- The Board of Directors of Maasin Water cente-San Juan Farm to Mar- District (MWD) had approved the P 50-Million ket Roads, the construction of assistance extended by the city local govern- FMR with footbridge compo- ment to boost water supply and cover more nent concreting at La Purisima areas that needed service connections. (to page 2) And even with this LGU loan the minimum charge for ten cubic meters will remain the same at P 160.00, the second lowest in Region 8, as- PSA empowers brgy. secretaries sured Nestor Geraldo, MWD General Manager, unless more compelling reasons warrant a review By Bong Pedalino of existing water rates. scribes all over the barangay captains, two barangay gay secretaries’ convention, During a press conference at the MWD Office province are a bit well-versed on kagawads, and five local Civil Regis- some 16 City/Municipal Friday, April 1, Geraldo said the planned infusion matters of civil registration due in trar staffs. Registrars were present, and of funds from the city government got stalled be- large part to the constant mento- Barangay secretaries who are al- the guests from the regional cause of the election ban period, but he expressed ring of the provincial Philippine ways attending PSA-organized ac- office included OIC Region- hope this will push through after this year’s polls. Statistics Authority (PSA) office. tivities possess enough learning with al Director Wilma Peran- City Mayor Maloney Samaco earlier informed Jimmy , Statistician II, regards to issues affecting civil reg- te and Supervisor Felimon local media that the city would foot the bill for ex- pansion of MWD’s services to reach barangay in an interview at the Action Center istration, so that he or she is already Garcia Jr. Panan-awan, the location of the airport, and ba- Kapihan sa PIA cable TV program capable of giving advice to the con- Invited resource speak- rangay Guadalupe, site of the alternate port. last week reported that last February stituents in a barangay who are long- ers from different agencies MWD will repay the amount at P 1 Million a 16-18, 2016, the PSA initiated anoth- ing for services of the civil registrar, were Misael Paigan, Phil- year without interest for fifty years, Samaco had er convention of barangay secretaries Dagupan said. health- Branch head; said, adding that the city’s loan with DBP for this of Southern Leyte, the fourth such For instance, they can guide those Roselyn Pilapil, EO II of purpose is now on process. kind of event in a row. with wrong spelling or wrong gender SSS-Ormoc; Dr. Archilles Geraldo confirmed the statements of Mayor The activity, which was held at in their birth records to see the mu- Silva, Ormoc City Civil Reg- Samaco, even as he emphasized the need for Sabin Resort Hotel in Ormoc City, nicipal or civil registrar in order to istrar; and Dr. Edmund Vil- MWD to develop more water sources. Water concessionaires now stood at 4,700 drew 431 participants -- a huge correct these errors, Dagupan added. la, Provincial Health Officer most of them, about 80% residential, and many crowd that was divided in two batch- Also during the 3-day baran- II of IPHO-Southern Leyte. (to page 2) es, the attendees also including 25 Vol. III, No.20 Limasawa gets tourism...(from page 1) converting a gravel road into a highway, comparable to a major thoroughfare in Leyte prov- ESTORYAHI! ince. “The road width is 6.1 meters, just like Palo--Ormoc roads prior to widening, Willie Justimbaste with thickness of nine inches as thick as Daang Maharlika,” Junia told. This refers to the main road that links the two major trading centers in Eastern Visayas – City and Ormoc City. MORE REASONS TO UNITE THAN DIVIDE She added that even if Limasawa is an Island, the DPWH will have to follow the stan- dards set by the DPWH and the Department of Tourism. From Facebook . . . Congrats to the new president and others-elect! The DPWH is now implementing the P43.17 million road project, which aims to pave People in government come and go. The Filipino people stay. . . To bring 1.6-kilometer bumpy road which started on March 20, this year. “This is the third phase of about real change, let’s always do our part for the country we love! Con- the 3.9-kilometer portion of the Limasawa Circumferential Road,” Junia said. gratulations to the other winners. May you be humble and magnanimous The concreting project had started in 2013 yet with an outlay of P36 million for 1.23 in victory, gracious and graceful in defeat. Our people have spoken kilometers, while for 2014, the project got a P32 million funding for 1.1 kilometer, she added. and we must respect their collective decision. Time to move on for a new The road links the six villages of the island town – San Agustin, San Bernardo, Triana future . . . change is coming, for the better not otherwise. We hope and 1, Triana 2, Magallanes and Lugsongan. The town’s provincial road has a total length of pray for the new centurions, even angels were no match to the angles six kilometers,but some portions were paved by the local government before the central of mind spinners, PR strategists and political tacticians who had earlier government invested on tourism access road, Junia stated further. jump shipped to the DU30 shadow cabinet, all presidents’ men. Expect It was learned that the road tourism projects included local roads under the jurisdiction horse trading and inner bickering for the booties and spoils of war by the of the local governments in which many of these local roads that serve as entry and exit points of tourist destinations are being paved and upgraded to national road standard sta- dogs-of-war. tus. Congratulations also to all the proclaimed local winners, time to pre- It was learned further that the completion of the concreting is part of the preparation for pare credible statements of expenditures especially donations and for your the 500th commemoration of the First Mass on March 31, 2021. bright boys and girls to come up with action-programs to fulfill election promises. Not plans revealed during the campaign but action blueprints DA gives farm implements...(from page 1) for implementation upon assumption to office to hit the ground running. Legacy of continuity will no longer be the order of the day for the na- Concepcion to Zone V in Sogod town ture sector is very important in every tional government after” matuwid na daan” got derailed on its tracks. The and organic fertilizer production, to one’s life, saying “kung maganda ang new Malacaῆang clique of traditional pols from unlamented past lead- name a few. ani, maganda ang buhay,,,,,at maganda erships will see to it for novel priorities at least by nomenclature would Secretary Alcala in his inspiration- ang buhay, kung maganda ang ani.” A come into play. Of course, these would just be basically old problems win- al message responded to the call of the farmer or a fisherman should not be dow dressed for the occasion. farmers’ testimonies who urged the ag- left alone, we should support them in At least some of our political leaders have matured and mellowed riculture department to help the agri all their efforts which can be benefitted that should be emulated by supporters even victors. The early conceding sector particularly the farmers to help by all. and appeal for unity after conflict by some election losers demonstrate them learn on how to use the organic At lunch time, a raffle draw was political maturity that should inseminate their followers from Aparri to agriculture, an additional abaca seeds conducted based on the registration Jolo and mend broken fences instead of basking in the free ambience of for plantation, among other short, me- numbers of the participants with priz- unbridled license and abuse of social media to heal not open wounds of dium and long term farm inputs and es prepared such as fiber glass paddle- partisanship. As US presumptive Democratic nominee for President Hil- projects. boats, assorted seedlings, corn seeds lary Clinton would say” There are more reasons to unite than divide us!” We PROMDI’s, really appeal to the Duterte presidency to give fair The secretary also announced that and fish nets. share for rural development in genuine not lip service not like before there are 15 slots available for scholar- The whole day activity was attend- where countryside and grassroots economy were widely abused and ships in agriculture courses, with free ed by Cong. Damian G. Mercado, Gov. much maligned terminology. Marginalized farmers, fishermen and small school tuition fees, book allowance Roger G. Mercado in behalf of the livelihoods were merely relegated as human props during state of the na- and a monthly stipend. He did not provincial government, Maasin City tion speeches by whoever the top honcho happened to be. To be fair to the elaborate the details. Mayor Maloney Samaco, among other Aquino leadership, multi-sectoral achievements and headways had been He further said that the agricul- guests and visitors. made that PNoy’s critics and detractors choked on. But these were all documented domestically, recognized and con- Sec. Alcala interACTS...(from page 1) firmed internationally. World-wide anti-corruption agencies not only cerns affecting them during the brief open forum. praised but also awarded these efforts, adeptly obscured by selective bi- ased mainstream and social media hacks. The comparative growth of the Also attending the event were provincial officials led by Gov. Roger Merca- nation’s economy is a fait accompli complete with statistics, data and tes- do, Cong. Damian Mercado, city officials led by Mayor Maloney Samaco, and timony but has been given less space and prominence so as not to trickle DA as well as Bureau of Fisheries regional officials. down to somebody’s credit. Instead, the negative intervening factors kept In his short talk, Alcala announced the upcoming big-ticket farm-to-market repeating ad infinitum to hurt the chances of the anointed one. The con- road project in Liloan worth more than P 200 Million under the Philippine Road ditional cash transfer like 4P’s, social pension funds and other poverty al- Development Program (PRDP). leviation mechanisms did not go to Mar but to Dinky. So did honest reha- He then vowed that all the remaining provincial roads will have to be con- bilitation efforts politically exploited by opportunists to sow propaganda creted as a legacy to future generations. damage. But not with 4P’s and CCT or there would be a revolution by the He pledged to deliver 10,000 new, disease-free abaca seedlings to revive people-recipients from impoverished communities. And, most hurting of the abaca industry in the province, and that his agency will shoulder expenses all, the legacy of continuity for good governance by the late DILG Sec. of 15 young farmers in the province for a scholarship training. went to the credit of widow VP contender Leni Robredo. Alcala affirmed the request of a seed grower from , Santiago So, Bongbong Marcos need not be surprised who’s had the good and bad Dagcutan, Jr., who requested subsidy for in-breed rice seeds and fertilizers, memory of their legacy that people remember. as well as a cold storage facility to stock unsold certified seeds. Southern Leyte is doubly fortunate, literally and figuratively, not only because President Digong traces his roots here in Laboon Maasin unless Farm implements, boats, fish gears were earlier handed over by the Sec- he renounces them. But, most of all, our local leaders are known to be co- retary to the provincial government for distribution to different farmers and operative and easy to get along for the good of So. Leyteῆos. The people’s fishermen’s organizations. well-being is always in their minds and hearts. So, to everyone, let’s move on over the roadblocks of threat, hate and recrimination together with MWD Board okays...(from page 1) our chosen leaders. The people have spoken. are clamoring to have their homes installed with water lines but because of the prevail- ing El Nino or long drought MWD stopped accepting new connections. Customers living in elevated and far areas of the city can have their faucets flow only during the night, so Geraldo advised them to bear this condition for the moment “The best preparation due to the long dry spell for he will not impose a water rationing schedule unlike in the for tomorrow is doing past. However, two new groundwater sources at barangay Ma. Clara are now being your best today.” tapped to pump water into the system so that water service can be had 24/7 despite El -- H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Nino, Geraldo also reported. Page 2 April 16-30, 2016 Vol. III, No.20 DA Secretary “invades” Southern Leyte

FOR FARMERS, FISHERS: The speeches during the Agri-Pinoy Technical Consultation pay tribute to those who toil the soil and the sea, without which there will be no food on the table. From left, DA Secretary Proseso Alcala, Gov. Roger Mercado, and Mark Lapid, a surprise guest.

MESSAGE IN TARP: Officials hold a tarpaulin containing the list of items the DA distributed in the province.

PITCHING FOR MAR: Korina Sanchez Roxas appears during the event to campaign for her hubby, LP standard bearer .

CAPTIVE CROWD: Farmers and fisherfolks from all over the province listen intently as DA Secretary Alcala delivers his talk.

MWD PRESSCON: General Manager Nestor Geraldo (left photo, center; right photo, extreme right) discusses the plans and existing projects of Maasin Water District (MWD) in a meeting with local media at his office in barangay Nasaug.

April 16-30, 2016 Page 3 Vol. III, No.20 WOMEN’S MONTH EVENTS DPWH Southern Leyte joins mobalik ra... Women’s Month celebration By Rebecca Cadavos The Department of Public Works and Highways Southern Leyte District MGA TAMDANAN Engineering Office (DPWH-SLDEO) joined the 2016 National Women’s Month PANAHON Celebration, this March, advocating women’s rights in support to the govern- ment’s Gender and Development (GAD) programs. SA The kick-off activity held Monday was a motorcade around the city proper fol- lowed by the gathering of all women employees of the district office at the multi-pur- KATALAGMAN pose hall. The event supports this year’s theme of “Kapakanan ni Juana, Isama sa Agenda!” (Hinikay sa “The theme resonates the call for gender-balance in leadership and decision Provincial Disaster Risk making positions and inclusion of women’s concerns in leadership platforms and the Reduction and government’s development agenda,” said DPWH-SLDEO chief Engr. Ma. Margarita Management C. Junia, quoted in a press release sent to PIA. Council) The activity’s guest speaker, Noreen Silot-Buhat, GAD focal person of Saint Jo- seph College in Maasin City discussed about gender equality, women’s rights, gen- der-related issues and existing GAD programs. She also expounded on how the Philippine government achieve gender-respon- sive governance through legislation. Among this is the Magna Carta of Women which mandates non-discriminatory and pro-gender equality and equity measures to enable women’s participation in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of policies, plans, and programs for national, regional, and local development. Junia, the only woman district engineer among the 13 key field officials in East- ern Visayas said that the SLDEO acknowledges the role of women in infrastructure development, hiring 71 women out of the more than 200 workers. Three of the six sections of the DPWH Southern Leyte office are headed by women - Letecia Olarte (construction), Datesy Mahusay (financial management), and Lilia Mulaan (administrative). “Women are superior. Whatever you give to a woman, she will make it greater. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her,” Junia explained. Hundred-plus Juanas join Women’s Month Culmination Program By Rebecca Cadavos Around 128 women in Maasin City participated the Women’s Month Culmination Program held March 16, 2016 at the city’s gymnasium. The event was spearheaded by the city's Social Welfare Services Office. A parade around the city proper participated by the PNP, BFP-Maasin Fire Station women fire officers, the social Welfare office staff and personnel, kicked off the day activity followed by a celebration of a Holy Mass before the short program proper. The women’s Month celebration for this year carries the theme, “Kapa- kanan ni Juana, Isama sa Agenda." One of the highlights of the month's long celebration was the booth display competition of different products produced in the province. The participating women, clustered in 4 teams displayed their products for the booth display competition featuring food products like bocarillo, salvaro, sortidos, banana/java chips, ensalada, home-made peanut butter, to name a few; farm products such as sweet potatos, banana, kamoteng kahoy, and the like; and souvenir items such as headbands, baskets, rosary beads, candle hold- er, among others. The products display competition was based on the criteria as follows: Phys- ical Appearance – 30%; Number of Products displayed – 30%;and 40% for the number of women-participants for each of the team. The judges of the compe- tition were Children/Women’s Desk Officer Jennifer Pagula of the PNP-Maa- sin Police Station, BFP Fire Officer III Ma. Elena Galeon and Department of Social Welfare and Development -8 Planning Officer Gilbert Villamor, who delivered the inspiration message. The CSWDO led by Ma. Febe Sta Cruz also prepared prizes for the booth display winners such as P2,000 for the 1st prize, P1,500 for the 2nd and P1,000 for the 3rd prize winner and a P500 consolation prize for the 4th winner, CSW- DO Women Focal Person Jhade Maturan informed. Villamor, in his inspirational message said that the have plen- ty of laws concerning women. He asked the crowd to identify their concerns “kung ano-ano ang mga kapakanan ninyo (referring to the women-partici- pants) na pwedeng isama sa Philippine Agenda.” He added that every woman should learn how to develop her potentials in order to help other women, particularly those who are in need.

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