TACLOBAN CITY— Northern Samar’s second district representative, Edwin Ongchuan, has highlighted measures he filed in Congress and programs he helped facilitate for his district during his first year in office.

In a report released Monday, July 27, Ongchuan said he filed several priority bills on his first day as a member of the 20th Congress, focusing on local economic development, infrastructure, social protection, healthcare, agriculture and education.

Among the measures he filed are bills seeking to establish a Green Lane for Micro Business Enterprises, institutionalize Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion Offices (LEDIPOs), upgrade the Simora-Palapag Road into a national road and provide livelihood assistance to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

He also filed measures seeking to expand Philippine Health Insurance Corp. benefits for barangay health workers, improve farmers’ access to agricultural technologies, establish a Bachelor of Science in Social Work program at the University of Eastern Philippines, create a proposed Samar Island Region and pursue the proposed Allen-Matnog Tunnel or Bridge project.

Ongchuan also authored resolutions calling for government action on rising fuel prices affecting Small Power Utilities Group areas and an investigation into electricity line rental charges in Eastern Visayas.

As vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, he also contributed to the passage of several national measures, including Republic Act No. 12316, or the Suspension of Excise Taxes on Petroleum Products Act, and Republic Act No. 12314, or the General Appropriations Act of 2025.

He was also among the principal authors of House Bill No. 4745, the House counterpart of Republic Act No. 12321, or the Last Mile and Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas Schools Act.

Beyond legislation, Ongchuan said his office coordinated with national government agencies, local governments and development partners to bring assistance to Northern Samar.

These included patient transport vehicles through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, quality seeds from the Bureau of Plant Industry, and assistance from the Departments of Social Welfare and Development, Health, Human Settlements and Urban Development, and Agriculture.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY — A fisheries student from Southern Leyte made history as the first summa cum laude graduate of the Visayas State University (VSU) Tolosa Campus, earning a P50,000 cash incentive from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Eastern Visayas (BFAR-8).

Jomari Tubigan of Silago, Southern Leyte, completed his Bachelor of Science in Fisheries degree with a General Weighted Average of 1.149. He was a scholar under BFAR’s Fisheries Scholarship Program (FSP) Fisherfolk Children’s Educational Grant (FCEG).

BFAR-8 awarded Tubigan P50,000, while 10 other FSP scholars who graduated cum laude in 2026 received P20,000 each in recognition of their academic achievements.

“I am honored to have graduated from the BS Fisheries program as an FSP scholar. Earning this degree would not have been possible without BFAR-8’s support, and for that, I am deeply grateful,” Tubigan said.

The other cum laude graduates were Princess Nover Comeo of VSU Tolosa Campus; Mekayla Lumata of Southern Leyte State University-Bontoc Campus; Danica Pecayo, Ashley Andrea Capate, Simfroso Lucero Jr. and Jhon Mark Tonizol of the University of Eastern Philippines-Catarman Campus; and Ma. Hyacinth May Bergado, Sailyn Ablay, Rosary Mae Gagaboan and Zyra Obina of Eastern Samar State University-Borongan Campus.

A total of 23 BFAR-8 scholars graduated this year from five state universities and colleges in Eastern Visayas, including Biliran Province State University-Biliran Campus.

BFAR-8 currently supports 44 scholars pursuing Bachelor of Science in Fisheries degrees through three scholarship components: the Fisheries Industry Leader Grant, Fisherfolk Children’s Educational Grant, and the Fisheries Scholarship Program for Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples.

The BFAR scholarship program provides educational support to help develop future fisheries professionals, particularly those from fisherfolk families and Indigenous communities. The agency said its goal is to produce graduates who can help strengthen the fisheries sector, improve the welfare of fishing communities and promote the sustainable management of the country’s aquatic resources.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY — The Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) here has expanded its capacity to treat severe neurological conditions after successfully performing two therapeutic plasma exchange procedures on patients with Myasthenia Gravis (MG).
The procedures were conducted using the hospital’s newly acquired Terumo Spectra Optia Apheresis machine, obtained in January 2026. EVMC said both patients showed gradual improvement following the treatments.

Also known as plasmapheresis, therapeutic plasma exchange removes plasma containing harmful antibodies that interfere with communication between the nerves and muscles and replaces it with donor plasma or a plasma substitute.

The treatment is commonly used for patients experiencing myasthenic crises or severe symptoms requiring rapid clinical improvement.

Myasthenia Gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness, which typically worsens with activity and improves with rest. Although there is no known cure, medications, immunotherapy, surgery and plasmapheresis can help manage the condition and reduce serious complications.

The availability of the procedure at EVMC is expected to reduce the need for patients from Eastern Visayas to travel to major medical centers in Metro Manila or Cebu for specialized treatment. It could also help reduce travel expenses and allow critically ill patients to receive care closer to home.

As the region’s largest government referral hospital, EVMC has continued to expand its specialized medical services through investments in modern equipment and advanced treatment capabilities.

Hospital officials said the introduction of therapeutic plasma exchange strengthens EVMC’s commitment to providing accessible, high-quality and patient-centered healthcare for residents of Eastern Visayas, particularly those with complex neurological conditions.

(LIZBETH ANN A.ABELLA)