BARUGO, Leyte — Rice farmers from this town and nearby municipalities are expected to gain better income opportunities and improved market access following the turnover of a P50-million Rice Processing Center (RPC) by the Department of Agriculture Regional Office 8.

The facility, located in Barangay Pikas, was formally handed over on May 15 to the Cuta Multipurpose Cooperative under the government’s National Rice Program 2023.
Agriculture officials said the project is designed to improve local rice production by modernizing drying and milling operations, reducing post-harvest losses, and lowering transportation costs for farmers in the area.

The newly established RPC is equipped with a six-ton-per-batch mechanical dryer and a rice mill capable of processing 1.8 tons of rice per hour. It also includes a building facility intended to support efficient rice handling and storage operations.

Officials said the center is expected to help farmers secure more competitive buying prices for palay while reducing dependence on traders outside the municipality.

During the turnover ceremony, Inocentes Aruta said the facility has already influenced rice trading activities in Barugo and neighboring towns, noting an increase in local palay buying prices due to improved marketing opportunities for farmers.

Meanwhile, Rodel Macapañas, DA regional executive director, emphasized the importance of cooperatives in protecting farmers from unfair trading practices and price manipulation while helping stabilize food supply in Eastern Visayas.

The turnover of the rice processing center forms part of the government’s continuing efforts to modernize the agriculture sector and strengthen the rice value chain across Eastern Visayas.

(ROCHELLE T. MORILLA, LNU Student Intern)

Authored by Leyte Rep. Romualdez

TACLOBAN CITY-A proposed measure seeking to convert waste into electricity and fuel has been approved on third and final reading in the House of Representatives, marking a major step toward addressing the country’s growing garbage problem while promoting renewable energy production.

House Bill No. 6683, or the proposed Waste Treatment Technology Act, was authored by Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez. The bill aims to establish modern waste treatment technologies that can transform garbage into usable energy sources such as electricity and fuel.

Under the proposed measure, waste materials that would otherwise end up in landfills may be processed through waste-to-energy technologies, helping reduce environmental pollution and easing pressure on existing dumpsites across the country.

The bill also promotes environmentally safe operations by requiring the use of modern monitoring systems and emission sensors to ensure that treatment facilities comply with air quality and environmental standards.

In addition, the measure seeks to provide support for local government units (LGUs) through funding assistance and incentives that would enable them to establish their own waste treatment facilities.

Supporters of the bill said the proposal would benefit both the environment and the economy by encouraging sustainable waste management while creating alternative energy sources.

Romualdez said the passage of the measure reflects Congress’ continuing efforts to craft laws that improve public services and ensure a safer and cleaner environment for Filipinos.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

For years, seeking medical help in the island towns of Eastern Visayas often meant crossing rough seas, enduring hours of travel, or simply hoping an illness would pass.

In the isolated municipalities of Maripipi in Biliran; Almagro, Daram, Sto. Niño and Tagapul-an in Samar; and Limasawa in Southern Leyte, access to doctors has long been a struggle because of geography, poverty and limited health resources.

Now, residents in these geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) are seeing renewed hope as doctors under the Department of Health’s Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) program are deployed to serve their communities.

The deployment supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s thrust of bringing government services closer to underserved Filipinos, particularly in remote and doctorless communities.
Under the administration’s healthcare agenda, the government has intensified efforts to assign doctors to far-flung areas to ensure that even isolated island municipalities have access to basic healthcare services.

For mothers, fisherfolk, and elderly residents in these island communities, the presence of a doctor means more than medical consultations. It means fewer dangerous trips by boat during emergencies, earlier treatment for illnesses, and a stronger chance of survival for patients needing immediate care.

Jelyn L. Malibago, program manager on deployment programs under the National Health Workforce Support System of the DOH, said the challenge of staffing remote municipalities remains difficult because some doctors assigned in previous years have already resigned or retired.

“Not all municipalities have doctors because there are areas where doctors have resigned or retired. There are also doctorless areas but we hope to deploy doctors in the next batch of deployment this July 2026,” Malibago said.

She emphasized that despite the gaps, the latest deployment is seen as a crucial lifeline for communities often left behind by distance and limited infrastructure.

She noted that in Limasawa, the country’s historic island municipality, residents now have easier access to consultations and basic healthcare services without having to leave the island.

In Samar’s remote coastal towns, doctors are helping strengthen local health centers that have long struggled with limited personnel.

The DTTB program has become one of the government’s key strategies in addressing unequal healthcare access in Eastern Visayas, where many communities remain separated by seas, mountains, and limited transportation networks.

For many residents, the arrival of government doctors sends a powerful message — that even communities separated by water should not be separated from healthcare.

As Eastern Visayas continues to face the challenges of poverty and isolation, the deployment of doctors to island municipalities stands as proof of the government’s continuing effort to make healthcare reach even the country’s farthest shores. (PR)