TACLOBAN CITY- More than 400 job order (JO) workers assigned at the different departments and offices of the City Hall, this city, were retrenched with lack of budget cited as reason. Teofila Brosas, head of the human resources department, said that while it was “difficult” on the part of Mayor Cristina Romualdez to dismiss these workers, she had to do it for the greater interest of the city government and ensure that needed basic services intended for the residents will not be affected. “It was a very difficult part for Mayor Romualdez (to dismiss them) considering that they have their respective families to support and we’re still in the recovery period (due to supertyphoon Yolanda) but she has to do it nevertheless,” she said.

Tacloban, considered the ground zero of Yolanda, world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland, has resulted for it to suffer financial losses due to closure of business establishments. Thousands of workers lost their jobs in the process.  It was learned from Brosas that considering that the salaries of these JO workers were only taken from its savings, the city government has to do this drastic move. She said that for the months of July to December this year, P34 million is the projected savings of the city government. The amount is just enough to pay 605 job order workers, Brosas added.  JO workers are those hired by the city government for short working period, three months at the maximum though their work contract could be renewed, receives P260 a day, the current daily minimum pay in the region. Brosas, however, said that while they have to retrench these workers, they could still expect to return to work once the local income of the city would improve. “They will be the first priority. The mayor does not like to see them working but without any salary. That would not be fair to them,” she said. Brosas added that some department heads could still continue the services of the JO workers assigned at their respective offices as long as they could fully justify their presence. The retrenchment started this month just after the Mayor Cristina Romualdez assumed, succeeding her husband, Alfred, who finished his nine years in office.

TACLOBAN CITY- One of this city’s top illegal drug pushers was arrested in a buy bust operation by the city police on Monday (July 18). Arrested by the members of the City Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Group (CAIDSOTG) of the Tacloban City police and the members of the Police Station 2 was Almer Nacario. Nacario, 31, was arrested by the joint elements in a buy bust operation in Barangay 37, this city at 2:20 pm. Seized from him were two plastic sachets containing suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu and three pieces P100 bills used as marked money during the operation. The buy bust operation against Nacario, said to be the number 2 among the city’s notorious drug peddlers, was headed by Chief Inspector Steve Castillote, chief of the CAIDSOTG and Chief Inspector Rudy Conejo, head of the Police Station 2.
The buy bust operation targeting Nacario was made possible on the information relayed by an asset that the notorious drug pusher was in the area. The joint police elements immediately conducted their operation against Nacario. It was learned that the suspect did not heed “Operation Tokhang” of the police authorities for suspected drug users and pushers to voluntarily surrender. Nacario, a resident of Brgy.37 was operating his illegal drug trade at their village and nearby barangays, was immediately brought to the Tacloban city detention center as he was charged for selling illegal drugs. Under “Operation Tokhang,” which started on July 1, 485 drug users and pushers across Tacloban has voluntarily surrendered to the authorities, City Police Director S/Supt.Rolando Bade said.  “Operation Tokhang” is part of the campaign of the national government, carried out primarily by the Philippine National Police, seeking drug users and pushers to voluntarily surrender with the end aim of ending the country’s problem on illegal drugs. (LITO A. BAGUNAS)

TACLOBAN CITY – The regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development(DSWD) has reported that about 4,470 projects were completed under its flagship anti-poverty program Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS).  In a press conference Tuesday (July 19), DSWD 8 shared a recent regional update on the Kalahi-CIDSS program in the region which has already disbursed a total of P 3.2 billion in funds under a P 3.7 billion total fund allocation for the region. As of June 2016, the DSWD has already provided the program the financial requirements of P 1.5 billion for Leyte; P 785 million for Samar; P 658 million for Northern Samar; P 402 million for Eastern Samar; P 218 million for Southern Leyte; and P 122 million for Biliran. These funds went into the construction of 1,018 school buildings and day care centers, 265 health stations, 73.65 kilometers of drainage canals, 2,668.8 linear meters of seawalls, 749 water systems, 1,284 electric lamp posts and 1,245.76 kilometers of roads, access trails and bridges all over the region. Capability trainings were also conducted for recipient barangays.
About 827 of these projects are on-going while 183 are in the procurement stage. DSWD-8 Regional Director Restituto Macuto said their office will continue to involve the communities through its Community-Driven Development (CDD) strategy. The CDD involves the engagement of the residents in the communities in the local development wherein they themselves determine what projects that should be implemented that could uplift them from poverty. Community projects under the program are being completed through the various modalities which include Kalahi-CIDSS Additional Financing, which expanded the first phase of Kalahi-CIDSS; Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Project, Australian Grant project from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Japan Social Development Fund-Livelihood for Vulnerable Urban Communities (JSDF-LVUC) Project, Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), Kalahi-CIDSS-Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan, and the Kalahi-CIDSS Bottom-up Planning and Budgeting. In the region, Kalahi-CIDSS is being implemented in all of its six provinces covering 138 municipalities and 3,785 barangays.
The DSWD-8 lists a total of 738,548 households in the region. (AHLETTE C. REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY – Political allies here in the region of former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo expressed their delight over her release from detention. Arroyo, president of the country from 2001 up to 2010, was acquitted by the Supreme Court on the plunder charge filed against her by the Office of the Ombudsman over alleged misuse of the intelligence fund worth P366 million of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office(PCSO) on Tuesday(July 19)voting 11-4. Victor Domingo, who held various government posts during the Arroyo administration, the last being secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways(DPWH), said he is happy that after almost five years, “justice prevailed” in favor of the former Chief Executive.  “From the beginning, I believe there was no basis of those charges against her since she did not seat as member of the PCSO board. She just trusted the judgment of the board and did not personally use the money,” said Domingo, who was also a PCSO director during the early years of the Arroyo presidency. He also said that the former president should have been released earlier considering her weak condition. “They should have considered Arroyo’s health. It was not prosecution, but persecution as she was not able to leave the country to get the best treatment For former congressmen Sergio Apostol of Leyte and Emil Ong of Northern Samar, the release of Arroyo was only an indication that the plunder charge filed against her was weak from the very beginning. “Arroyo did not embezzle the intelligence funds of the PCSO. She was just involved because of the marginal note(she made),” Apostol said.
Ong, meantime, said that his only disappointment is that Arroyo was released only this time as she is suffering from a debilitating ailment. “It’s too harsh. Why did they delay the decision of the case if the respondent is innocent,” Ong said.  (SARWELL Q. MENIANO/RYAN GABRIEL ARCENAS)

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The proposed tide embankment along coastlines of this city and the towns of Palo and Tanauan will proceed as scheduled. However, unlike in the Palo-Tanauan area, the Tacloban side is encountering some problems reason why the construction on this side is hampered, said Edgar Tabacon, regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), said. In fact, because of the problems involving the Tacloban side, the work of the tide embankment project connecting it to the Palo side is also affected, he added. “But the project will continue. It will proceed as scheduled. In fact, there is already a budget allocated to pay families that will be affected by this project,” Tabacon said. The DPWH has allocated around P10 million to pay the families to be hit by the project.
The amount is part of the P9.7 billion total budget of the project covering the towns of Palo and Tanauan and Tacloban city spanning 27.3 kilometers in all. The three areas are considered among the hard-hit when supertyphoon “Yolanda” pummeled Leyte on November 8, 2013.  Tabacon said that the refusal of some house owners and the lack of relocation site for the families located along Barangay 90, San Jose district that will be affected hinder the project to start. “Of course, we cannot just remove these houses without the (owners) being relocated. This is also the request of City Mayor (Cristina) Romualdez; that we’ll not start the project without these families relocated to their new resettlement,” the DPWH regional director said. Around 49 houses, to include a beach resort, are to be affected in Brgy. 90 for this project. The tide embankment is a project of the national government design as a deterrent against storm surges. Its time table covers 2016 up to 2020. Yolanda generated storm surges that rendered houses and other structures located along shoreline to be totally destroyed. The storm surges were also blamed for the death of thousands of people during Yolanda’s onslaught. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- An anti-mining group is calling for the resignation of officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) here in the region. Sought for their ouster are Leonardo Sibbaluca and Nonita Caguioa, executive director of the DENR and regional director of the MGB, respectively. The two officials appear not to heed the order of Environment Sec. Gina Lopez to stop the transport of nickel ore in Manicani Island, off Guiuan town, Eastern Samar, said officials of the Protect Manicani Society (Promisi), citing their reason why they are seeking for their resignation. Promisi is a group that opposes mining activity in Manicani, an island of more than 2,000 inhabitants.

The Hinatuan Mining Corp. (HMC), which has a mining permit on the island, is on the process of hauling their nickel ore stockpile which is being opposed by the Promisi.
“We are seeking for the two to resign from their posts as they are not serving our interests but that of HMC. There is already an order from Sec. Lopez to stop the transport and yet Sibbaluca and Caguioa appear not to heed the order,” Marcial Somooc, Promisi president said in a press conference on Friday(July 22). Somooc said that the presence of the HMC in the island is not only causing environmental danger to them but even their personal relationships are affected. He said that while there are group opposing for the stoppage of the mining activity in the island, there are also people who favor the HMC’s presence.  The group is also seeking for the ouster of MGB national director Leo Jasareno who earlier allowed the HMC, through its mother company Nickel Asia Corp., to dispose the stockpile.

Sec. Lopez had issued an order on July 19 directing HMC to stop in the transport of nickel ore in Manicani to prevent environment damage caused by excessive soil extraction.” About 50,000 metric tons of nickel ore are said to be transported by the HMC under an ore transport permit granted to it by the MGB. HMC had started its mining operation in Manicani Island in 1992 but due to low price of nickel in the world market, temporarily ceased its operations in 1993. In 2002, then DENR Sec. Heherson Alvarez suspended HMC operations in the island due to its alleged human rights and environmental violations. Last year, HMC was given the permit by the MGB-8 to transport its stockpile. The mineral is being transported to China. Larry Pascua, regional coordinator of Sanlakas which supports the Promisi on this campaign, said that he find it “ironic” that the mineral deposits are to be transported to China where the Philippines are having territorial dispute.

“They are helping enrich China to the expense of our poor people in Manicani,” Pascua said, referring to DENR and MGB officials. Leyte Samar Daily Express contacted Sibbaluca and Caguioa through their respective staff but there was no response from their end. But earlier, Coquioa said that the stockpile were not only of “low quality” but wastes reason why her office allowed it to be transported away from the island. She had also vehemently denied that they are serving the interests of the mining company. (JOEY A. GABIETA)