TACLOBAN CITY- Local government units should learn to harness human capability for job generation with the help of the private sector.
Thus said Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Guiling Mamondiong adding that the private sector could provide more employment opportunities for their people.
“Without the help of the private sector, our country’s economy will not improve because they are the biggest job generator. So we need the support of the private sector,” Mamondiong said in his speech during a regional consultation at the Eastern Visayas State University attended by various government agencies and private sector.
The government, he said, does not have the capability to generate thousands of jobs but could only provide incentives to private sectors who will invest at their respective locality.
“Every time there is an issue of unemployment, it is always the President who is blamed for this problem. He is accused for not making a solution to this problem. But if only the LGUs will exercise their power, they can create thousands of jobs,” Mamondiong said.
LGUs may also create jobs by organizing small groups to create an organization but for greater job generation they should promote public-private partnership, he said.
“Job generators are the private sector but I also want the LGUs to create jobs in their respective jurisdiction and stop thinking for the national government to create jobs,” Mamondiong added.
But for a person to have a job, they need to have formal education which the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education provides or by skills training which they can acquire through training at TESDA.
Sec Mamondiong also called for the national government line agencies to do their share in creating jobs, citing the Department of Tourism as an example by creating tourist destinations in every local government units in the region, in particular, which resulted to job opportunities. (ROEL T.AMAZONA)

MOTIONG, Samar- Residents of a remote barangay of this town are now enjoying projects initiated by the national government.
Funded under the Kalahi-CIDSS (Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Brgy. New Minarong has now its own day care center, flood control project, water system and a rice mill.
New Minarong, a village farm which has a population of 377 people, is 2.3 kilometers away from the town proper and with poor road condition reason why services and even projects are hard to come by to the village.
Elizabeth Paculaba, president of the New Minarong Rice Mill Association, said that the rice mill project is not only benefitting their own farmers but even those coming from other barangays of the town.
“The rice mill helps us a lot. It did not only ease our burden from transporting our palay to the town proper and reducing the wastage of palay but also provides additional income to us. That is why we are thankful to Kalahi-CIDSS for granting us this project,” Paculaba said.
Kalahi-CIDSS is a community-driven development project of the government wherein communities and their local government units (LGUs) are trained to choose, design and implement sub-projects that aim to address problem on poverty.
Paculaba said that since they started to operate their rice mill in 2014, they have generated an income of P100,000.
The group has also resorted to lending money among its members with a five percent interest. This lending scheme has earned them P80,000 which they kept in a bank.
Meantime, the water system put up by the Kalahi-CIDSS is considered by resident Anita Paculaba to have the biggest impact to the community.
The water system provides the community a safe drinking water.
Before the tap stand water system was constructed, residents of the village have to travel for about 15 minutes to get potable water.
Town Mayor Renato Cabael said that he is thankful for the projects put up under the Kalahi-CIDSS in his town.
Cabael, who is serving on his first term, said that all the 30 barangays of the town benefited projects under the Kalahi-CIDSS.
He, however, said that they still need more assistance from the government especially for road constructions leading to remote villages of the town. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regional office here reiterated its call to private establishments in Eastern Visayas to put an end to labor contractualization.
Teams have been tasked to visit different establishments urging employers to completely stop contractualization by the end of next year.
For the remaining three months of 2016, the labor department wanted to see 50 percent of workers in the private sector getting regular positions.
“The DOLE is committed to strictly implement the law on the security of tenure and help them enjoy the benefit due for regular workers. Don’t wait for the DOLE to exercise its visitorial power for them to implement the law,” said DOLE regional information officer Virgilio Doroja, Jr.
In response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for businesses to end their engagement with “endo” – short for end of contract, some firms have already expressed their intention to comply the law on security of tenure.
The labor department is primarily focusing on malls, hotels, restaurants, security agencies and department stores where end-of-contract scheme is prevalent.
A big hardware store in this city became the first company in the region to heed the DOLE’s directive to end contractualization.
The Tacloban Ultrasteel Corporation issued on October 5 appointment papers to their 54 workers, enforcing the workers’ right to security of tenure.
Before Pres.Duterte’s pronouncement to end illegitimate contractualization or “endo”, the firm has already regularized its 50 employees.
“This is part of showing our support to the President’s policies. On the part of workers, they will have ownership. They feel that they are part of the business and partners in our growth,” said Maria Teresa Cua, Tacloban Ultrasteel Corp. chief operating officer.
The company, which started operation in 1996, has been considered as one of the largest provider of homebuilding and construction materials, and the first do-it-yourself shop in this city. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

Reminded soldiers to follow Pres.Duterte orders, anti-drug war

CATBALOGAN CITY- The 8th Infantry Division, the mother unit of the Philippine Army in the region, has a new commanding officer in Brig. Gen. Raul Farnacio who was once a brigade commander in the region.
Farnacio replaces Maj. Gen. Jet Velarmino, who retired from the military service after serving the military for 34 years and served as the commanding officer of the 8th ID for three years.
He served the 8th ID from September 2013 until his retirement on his birthday October 6.
Farnacio, prior to his new assignment, was the former chief of the Army Internal Auditor.
Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año, commanding general of the Philippine Army, presided the change of command held at the grounds of the 8th ID headquarters on Thursday (Oct.6).
Prior to this assignment, Farnacio also commanded the 901st Brigade of the 9th ID based in Bicol Region and he also served the 8ID as executive officer of the 43rd Infantry Battalion and the 801st Brigade, and later as commanding officer of the 20th Infantry Battalion and 43rd Infantry Battalion.
He was also the assistant chief of Staff for Intelligence, G2, 7th Infantry Division; and Chief of the Unified Command Staff of the central command.
Just like predecessor, Farnacio is also not new to disasters.
When he was the commanding officer of the 43rd Infantry Brigade based then in Sogod, Southern Leyte when the massive landslide hit Barangay Guinsaugon in Saint Bernard.
During his message Farnacio emphasized the need for the members of the military in the region to have more ascendancy and support the programs of their commander-in-chief.
“If we expect to achieve in our mission to bring peace and progress we need to make ourselves worthy implementers, therefore I enjoined the brigade, battalion and even company commanders to be on the forefront of moral ascendancy in your respective units,” Farnacio said.
The new 8th ID commander also calls for government troops in the region to support the programs of President Rodrigo Duterte in extending peace to the communist group as well as the problem brought about by criminality, illegal drugs and terrorism.
“Let us support law enforcement agency in their efforts to combat criminality and illegal drug trade since this problem is deeply rooted in the region,” he added.
He then reminded the soldiers not to use illegal drugs or even engage in drug related activities.
Among the guests during the turnover ceremony were Northern Samar Governor Jun Ong, former DILG Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento who heads the Philippine Army Multi-Sectoral Advisory Board, Guiuan Mayor Christopher Sheen Gonzalez and Police Regional Director Elmer Beltejar, among others.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

40 out of 100 considered poor

PSA exec urged officials to help fight EV’s poverty incidence

TACLOBAN CITY-With poverty incidence of the region remaining among the country’s highest, an official of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) urged local officials to find ways to improve their respective economic conditions.
Based on the report of the PSA-8, as of the first semester of 2015, the poverty incidence of the region reached 39.3 percent or almost 40 families are considered poor out of 100 families.
The poverty incidence of Eastern Visayas is slightly better than ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) which has poverty incidence of 59 percent.
“The use of the statistics is a signal for our policy makers like our governors, mayors and congressmen… to plan properly (to address) poverty,” Wilma Perante, PSA regional head said during a press conference at the Philippine Information Agency on Thursday.
“We need to sustain (the growth of our) economy. If we cannot sustain the economy, we cannot solve poverty,” she added.
Of the six provinces of the region, Northern Samar posted the highest poverty incidence at 52.4 percent followed by Samar at 41.8 percent and Eastern Samar at 40.1 percent.
Leyte, meantime, registered its poverty incidence at 39.1 percent which was higher compared to the 31.9 percent in the 2012 survey. Leyte is considered the hardest-hit province due to Yolanda.
Meantime, Southern Leyte posted a 30.4 percent poverty incidence while Biliran, the smallest province of the region, had the lowest poverty incidence at 15.2 percent.
The PSA put the poverty threshold of the region at P11, 102 per capita.
Poverty threshold or poverty line is the minimum level of income required for a family to meet the basic and non-basic needs.
Perante said that the current P260 daily minimum wage of the region is only enough to feed three people in a family.
“If you are receiving the minimum wage and you have more than three in a family, that means you belong to the poor,” she said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)