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Works for the development of Calbayog City Airport to start soon

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Worth P700 million

CALBAYOG CITY- The redevelopment of the Calbayog City Airport is expected to start within next few weeks.
This after a notice of award was issued by the Department of Transportation(DoTr) to the winning bidder of the project that is worth P445 million.
Deorico Ellima, officer-in-charge of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP)-Calbayog, disclosed that the notice of award was already issued to the Unimasters Conglomeration, Inc. last January, paving the way for the project to commence.
It was learned from Ellima that the government was able to save about P70 million as the winning contractor claimed that the project could be done within the cost of P386.55 million
“Representatives from Unimasters Conglomeration, Inc. already visited our airport and said that they are targeting to start the construction this month of February,” Ellima said.
“In fact at least two heavy equipment of the construction firm is already at the airport vicinity which only proves that the project implementation will about to start,” the CAAP official added.
The works improvement of the Calbayog City Airport will involve construction of new terminal building, apron, taxiway, drainage system and site development.
Ellima also said that a notice to proceed order dated February 13 was issued by DoTr to RSP & Co. Inc. – BM Marketing for the project implementation of the widening of runway including shoulder grade correction and runway asphalt overlay.
Said project has an approved budget of about P255.8 million.
The Calbayog City Airport, which has a twice a day flights for Manila and Cebu, being serving considered as a possible alternate airport to the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City, considered the region’s premier airport, in case of emergency.
“We are hoping that said projects will commence and ends on time as stipulated in the contract,” Ellima said.
The Calbayog City Airport development project was approved and funded under the General Appropriations Act during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III but was only bid out under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Meanwhile, Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento (1st dist) said that the improvement of the airport will be a big development not only for Calbayog but to the rest of the province.
“The development of our airport will have a great impact not only to the city of Calbayog but to the entire province of Samar, and neighboring provinces as well,” Sarmiento said.
“This will further boost our economy and tourism industry as this will encourage more investors to do business in our city and in our province, and attract more tourists to visit here,” he added.
(JENNIFER SUMAGANG-ALLEGADO)

Mother of an ex-mayoralty bet in Samar shot dead

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TACLOBAN CITY- The 63- year old mother of a former mayoralty candidate in San Jorge, Samar was shot to death Sunday (February 19), just minutes after attending a Mass.
The victim, Luz Bisnar, was hit at her head and died while being brought to the Gandara District Hospital at the nearby town of Gandara, also in Samar, for treatment.
Bisnar, 63, has just attended the Sunday mass when still unknown assailants shot her at about 9:15 am while she was walking along Mancol Street of said town, just 50 meters away from the Church.
Local police, as of press time, have yet to identify the suspects and their reason for shooting and killing the old woman.
The victim was the mother of Lester Bisnar who ran for mayor but was defeated by Mayor Joseph Grey during the May 2016 elections.
Bisnar himself figured in an ambush try last January 28.
Four days later, bombs were lobbed at the three houses of Mayor Grey while his wife, Vice Mayor Nancy Grey, was also ambushed but survived the attempt on Feb.6.
San Jorge has long been identified as one of Samar’s “hot areas” during elections.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

Mayor Gomez to lobby high-ticket projects for Ormoc before council

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Vows to support Mayor Romualdez as new RDC head

ORMOC CITY- Mayor Richard Gomez said that he will be lobbying several high-ticket projects for his city before the Regional Development Council (RDC) as he extended his congratulation to the newly-named chair of the said council, Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez.
Gomez, a movie actor, said that he has several projects that he would like for the RDC to endorse and support which are all aim to help improve Ormoc.
Among the projects that he would seek support from the RDC are infrastructure projects like access roads, bridges and reclamation projects.
The Ormoc city mayor will also ask for the RDC support to invite investors who are into sugar milling to help support the sugarcane industry not only in Ormoc but the nearby town of Kananga.
“We will also ask from the RDC to help us in providing housing projects for residents in the city who are living along coastal areas,” Gomez added.
Meantime, Gomez extended his congratulation to Mayor Romualdez with her appointment as the new RDC chair.
Romualdez, who is serving on her first term like her co-actor Gomez, was officially named to the post by President Rodrigo Duterte on February 9.
She vowed to help implement projects not only for Tacloban but for the rest of the region, particularly in the three provinces of Samar which are among the most depressed provinces in the country.
“She’s the choice of the President. Who am I to oppose it? We have to respect that. What we can do now as mayors and leaders is to support the new RDC chair on her plans for the region,” Gomez said.
Gomez was among the four nominated by the 60-member council to head the highest policy-making body of the region.
Also nominated were Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan and Leyte Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, the outgoing RDC chair. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Care for your kasambahays, register them in barangays – Sueno

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The spirit of love is still up in the air this February as Secretary Ismael ‘Mike’ D. Sueno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government hovers the welfare of domestic workers or kasambahays in the country.
In a directive to local chief executives, Sueno urges them to ensure the implementation of Republic Act (RA) No. 10361 or Batas Kasambahay which requires every employer to register all domestic workers under their employment in the Registry of Domestic Workers in the barangay also called as Barangay Registration of Kasambahays.
“Kasambahays have a big role in keeping socioeconomic activities running. They take care of households and look after their employers’ children in order for their bosses to go to work or attend to their enterprise,” he said.
“Their wellbeing ought to be taken cared of just like workers in the formal public and private sectors,” he added.
The DILG Secretary also called on all punong barangays through a directive to enact local ordinances in support of the Batas Kasambahay and to implement the Barangay Registration of Kasambahays in their area of jurisdiction.
“Registering kasambahays is both beneficial to kasambahays and their employers,” he emphasized.
“I also encourage barangay officials to discuss your implementation of the Batas Kasambahay during the coming law-mandated conduct of Barangay Assembly Day this first semester of the year, which will be on March 25,” he said.
Under Batas Kasambahay, a domestic worker or kasambahay is any person engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship such as, but not limited to: general househelp, nursemaid or “yaya”, cook, gardener, or laundry person, but shall exclude any person who performs domestic work only occasionally or sporadically and not on an occupational basis. (PR)

Ex-Catbalogan councilor nabbed for extortion

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CATBALOGAN CITY- A former councilor of this city was arrested by agents of the National Bureau Investigation (NBI) after he allegedly tried to extort money to former mayor and now councilor, Coefredo “Tekwa” Uy.
Rodrigo Perez III, a three-termer councilor, was arrested by the NBI agents last Feb.17 and was arraigned before the City Prosecutor’s Office on Monday (Feb.20).
Perez is facing charges for two consummated robbery and one frustrated robbery based on the complaint of Councilor Uy, father of the incumbent City Mayor Stephany Uy.
It was learned that Perez has demanded for P20 million to Councilor Uy in exchange for the dropping of an alleged plunder case filed against the former city mayor and other city officials, to include her daughter, Mayor Uy.
The amount was later reduced to P10 million.
On Feb.8, Uy gave P50,000 to Perez and P25,000 two days later which was accepted by Renate Aquino, alleged to be cohort of the former councilor.
On Feb.16, Perez demanded from Councilor Uy of P1 million wherein he instructed Uy to give the money to Aquino at his store the following day.
Unknown to the suspects, an entrapment operation was planned by the NBI agents based in Catbalogan City.
Perez tried to run when he sensed that there were NBI agents in the area but was arrested.
The alleged plunder charge against Uy and other city officials before the Office of Ombudsman by one Bernard Jake Ramos stemmed to an alleged anomalous transaction involving land acquisition.(VICKY C. ARNAIZ)

Mayor Romualdez bares dev’t plans for Tacloban City (Part I)

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Mayor Cristina Romualdez
Mayor Cristina Romualdez
Mayor Cristina Romualdez

By Alvin Gz Arpon

There is no doubt that the city chief executive Cristina G. Romualdez has sincerely and effectively performed her role as city mayor of the highly urbanized city of Tacloban in such a short time since her assumption to the post for only about eight months ago.
One of the impressive on-going projects –activities in the city is the improvement of the problematic drainage system.
Flooding in Tacloban has been a perennial problem Taclobanons experience, especially during typhoons when heavy rains fall. Going around Tacloban now, especially along the road from V&G subdivision to Robinsons Place-Tacloban shopping mall, a team of workers are busy digging canals much deeper than what it used to be.
Livelihood projects have been zealously pursued benefitting the poor residents of Tacloban. Cristina’s Learn and Earn Program (CLEP) has given joy to jobless people who learn technical skills to go into livelihood endeavors.
Joey Gabieta, one of Tacloban’s top journalists, says that aside from the CLEP, he is impressed by the mayor’s attention in the improvement of public places like the Rizal Park and the surroundings of the Tacloban astrodome. And a lot more!!
Tacloban constituents, however, are aware of what Mayor Romualdez have been doing and have done. But they have no idea what else more are in store for them in the next quarters.
So we sought an audience with City Administrator Irene Chui. Being the city administrator and an alter ego of the mayor, she certainly knows where Tacloban is heading.
Atty. Irene Chui is not only tailored-fit to the position of city administrator. She has in her hands information on all programs, targets and plans for Tacloban’s cross-section development.
But more than that we likewise discovered of her pleasing personality, a humble lady who possesses that spectacular open-mindedness and her very impressive accommodating nature and a pretty one at that, that OSCA Head and Leyte Samar Daily Express Publisher Dalmacio “Massey” Grafil, who was with me were highly pleased.
In March this year of 2017, the city government will implement a “fixing the market” concerns focus.
Additional structures will be constructed. More stalls for vendors will be added because of the growing number of small-time businessmen in the city. A good number of them are beneficiaries of the CLEP program of Mayor “Kring-kring” (her nickname).
To provide adequate spaces for these stalls intended for these small-time vendors, the city government has earmarked P10 million for the construction of two new buildings.
(For more info/ updates at City Hall Part II comes out Saturday march 4.)

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