TACLOBAN CITY –The Department of Tourism (DOT) has forged partnership with four colleges in this storm-ravaged city to clean up parks wrecked by supertyphoon Yolanda last year.
About 100 students taking up tourism-related studies at the Asian Development Foundation College, Eastern Visayas State University, Leyte Normal University, and ABE College were listed as beneficiaries in the implementation of the DOT’s cash-for-work program dubbed as tourism students’ welfare program.
DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said the program will run until the end of semester, covering major parks in the city damaged by the supertyphoon.
“We tap students to clean up parks in the city to increase their appreciation of our local tourism destinations. This will also augment the income of their families whose livelihood were affected by the supertyphoon,” Tiopes said.
Participating students receive P260 daily stipend and P80 meal allowance for a total of P340. The students work every Saturday and Sunday, the day they receive their pay.
Rica Mae Davin, 17, a 2nd year Hotel and Restaurant Technology student of EVSU said the program would help ensure that she will be able to continue her study this school year.
“Aside from earning, we are also helping the city restore the sense of normalcy by clearing storm debris scattered in parks,” said Davin, whose father’s income from self-employment was reduced after the storm.
The 100 students were divided into two groups to render a park clean-up work during Saturdays and Sundays. The two teams will work on alternative weekends starting February 22 until the ends of the academic year on May 2014.
Maria Cristina Caintic, dean of EVSU’s College of Technology said only students from poor families along Yolanda’s path were listed as program beneficiaries.
The initiative kicked on February 22 at the Madonna of Japan along the city’s Magsaysay Boulevard. The park fronting the Cancabato Bay is a former encampment site of Japanese soldiers in World War II.
Identified as priority sites for clean up are Family Park and the Balyuan Park, both located along Magsaysay Boulevard.
The DOT asked the Leyte provincial government under Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla to provide heavy equipment for the removal of uprooted trees and other debris. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) has asked coconut farmers to clear their respective areas to hasten the replanting activity of their agency and at same time, avoid possible spread of beetle infestations.
PCA Regional Manager Edilberto Nierva said that if the debris which was due to the toppled coconut trees would remain uncollected, it would hamper their planting and replanting program which is part of the rehabilitation plan to the industry hard hit by supertyphoon Yolanda.
“There are farmers who cannot start planting coconut seedling due to the fact that there is still coconut debris stock in the plantation,” Nierva told Leyte Samar Daily Express in an interview.
More than three months after the devastation of supertyphoon Yolanda, the PCA still receives reports regarding coconut debris which remain uncollected.
The PCA donated chain saws to different local government units to help the coconut farmers clear their areas and at the same time, made to good use the toppled coconut trees.
The PCA regional manager said that they want to hasten collection of coconut debris in order to avoid any diseases which may affect other trees especially to those newly planted coconut.
On the other hand, the PCA warned the farmer that debris of cut or sliced coconut lumber, especially the crown, has to be thrown immediately otherwise it will cause beetle infestation.
“There may be diseases and other pests that may arise once this coconut debris will not be collected. This is the reason why we are on the process of fast tracking the collection of coconut debris,” Nierva emphasized.
In the region, the PCA reported that some 33 million of the 72 million coconut trees have been damaged by the typhoon.

By: RYAN GABRIEL ARCENAS

TACLOBAN CITY– Homegrown Dettie Panis Salon and Spa opened its new branch on February 26 in front of Robinsons Place, offering youthful skin care as the new service.
Salon owner Demeter “Dettie” Panis said along with the new branch is the youth plus skin and laser center under the watch of her daughter Yohanne Kae S. Panis, a diplomate of Philippine Dermatological Society.
“We believe that beauty is a need. There’s no such thing as recession in beauty and I’ve proven than even in the aftermath of supertyphoon (Yolanda). A lot of people have been coming to our salon when we opened our Burgos branch 10 days after the disaster,” Panis said.
Among the guests were couple Engr. Eman Casal and Dr. Elvira Casal,former Ormoc City mayor Eric Codilla and wife, Julida; Rotary Club of Tacloban District governor Peter Rodriguez and Rotary Club of Kandaya president Caroline Lee.
The newest branch is specifically located at the ground floor of JGC Building in Marasbaras, fronting Robinsons Place.
The salon has been known for investing human resources by sending staffs to trainings in Manila and abroad. Before Yolanda, there were six Dettie Panis Salon and Spa branches in Tacloban and in Ormoc City. More than three months after the typhoon struck, five branches are now operational.
Two of salon’s smaller branches were heavily damaged by storm surges and subsequent looting incidents.

By: SARWELL Q.MENIANO

TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte provincial administrator Vincent Emnas is pinning high hopes that student-athletes from the Leyte Sports Academy (LSA) would figure prominently in this year’s Palarong Pambansa.
This after the LSA-honed athletes made strong showing during the recently-held Batang Pinoy 2014 staged in Bacolod City.
Among the LSA-trained athletes that reaped honors was Karen Janario, 14, who won several gold medals in athletics.
Janario is among the 40 athletes from the sports academy who would be compete for the Palarong Pambansa to be held in Laguna this summer.
And as parts of the preparation, the athletes would undergo rigorous trainings to ensure that they would win medals during the national games, Emnas said.
He said that student-athletes who would compete in swimming would train in Manila considering that the swimming pool at the LSA was damaged just like the other facilities during supertyphoon Yolanda.
They are to leave first week of March for the extensive training.
Emnas said that they are proud with the LSA-trained athletes considering the fact that despite of what they have experienced due to the supertyphoon, they still able to deliver during the Batang Pinoy competitions, citing particularly Janario who was named as one of the most valuable players during the competition.
The administrator said that the performances of the LSA-trained athletes only proves that they are getting the proper training, enough for them to compete not only in the regional level but even in the national or international levels.
The provincial government brought the students to Manila days after the supertyphoon hit Tacloban not only to debrief them but for further trainings.

By: LIZBETH ANN ABELLA

TACLOBAN CITY- Prisoners at the Tacloban City Jail are now facing scarcity of their daily rations, particularly on rice.
This was revealed by Chief Inspector Rill Sono, warden of the said prison facility who said that he is thankful that the Department of Social Welfare and Development has provided them with sacks of rice to meet their demands.
According to him, with more than 500 prisoners presently detained at the Tacloban City Jail, they need at least seven sacks of rice a day.
Rice supply in Tacloban has become scarce after the city was devastated by supertyphoon Yolanda with majority of its residents relies on their rice needs to the DSWD.
He added that the National Food Authority could not give them the needed supplies of rice as he added that they tried to resort other means like getting their rice needs in Baybay City.
However, procuring their rice needs in Baybay City would entail additional cost to them, Sono said during the February 18,2014 meeting of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council held at the Leyte Sports Complex(Grandstand), this city.
Sono said that after the massive typhoon, their rice supply was depleted and it was the DSWD that provided them 200 sacks of rice.

By: LIZBETH ANN ABELLA

TACLOBAN CITY – The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) committed to assist the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in helping out agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in heavily-damaged agrarian reform communities (ARCs) in Eastern Visayas rise from being shattered by super-typhoon “Yolanda”.
About eight ARCs in Leyte and Eastern Samar provinces covering nine pilot barangays, according to DAR Regional Director Eliasem Castillo, have already been validated by the CRS and included in their list which will benefit more than 4,000 farmers.
These areas, he added, are in Barangay San Jose in Palo; Barangay Lapay in Tanauan; and Barangays Malbog and Capangihan in Tolosa, all in Leyte province.
In the province of Eastern Samar the areas are in Barangay Coticot in Giporlos; Barangay Bulusao in Lawa-an; Barangay Sta. Rosa in Balangiga; Barangay Labtic in Quinapondan; and Barangay Siguinon in Salcedo.
Castillo said that this non-government organization (NGO) readily responded to their call to include ARCs in their assistance operation in the process of DAR’s preparation of the restoration and rehabilitation plan for these areas.
However, it was emphasized by CRS operations manager Terry Tuazon, that they will only be assisting farmers in coconut areas to avoid duplication of similar aid extended by other organizations to rice farmers.
Tuazon explained that in order for these farmers to be able to start rehabilitating their lots, CRS will provide financial assistance in clearing out debris brought by the typhoon.
The farmers are required to form into groups with 15 members and help one another clear (and plant if seeds/seedlings are available) 15 lots in 15 days.
Each farmer will be paid P3,900 for the 15-day work at P260 per day.
In addition, Tuazon said, each farmer will also get a P1,000 worth of voucher that could be used in procuring farm tools, seeds/seedlings and fertilizers at accredited stores.
Earlier, Castillo said, PCA has committed coconut seedlings and camote cuttings for the rehabilitation of typhoon-ravaged areas.
But Tuazon said that farmers could also plant vegetables as intercrops to coconuts for additional income.
Meanwhile, DAR’s Bureau of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development (BARBD) Assistant Director Ma. Elena Cabañes introduced to the ARB organizations in these ARCs the vermiculture as additional livelihood for them where they can recycle the debris as feeds for the worms thru a shredding machine.
If the farmers would be interested, DAR will provide 30 kilos of worms for every ARC and facilitate the sourcing out of the shredding machine from an international organization. (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)