TACLOBAN CITY-There is a trace of bitterness in the words of Jet Cananes, 40, a public school teacher in Palo, Leyte as he continues to wonder why until now he, along with his colleagues, has yet to receive the full amount of the promised housing fund for education employees who were hit by supertyphoon “Yolanda” in November 2013.
“It may be quite inconvenient to admit but honestly speaking, my house is not yet completely fixed two years after Yolanda. Considering our economic condition, we still need more money for our housing needs. I hope that the housing fund promised to us will be completely given the soonest time,” said Cananes, whose town was one of the hard-hit areas due to Yolanda’s wrath.

In January 2014, the national government through Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Secretary Julia Andrea Abad, daughter of Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, issued a guideline for the release of the housing reimbursement assistance taken from President’s Social Fund which ranges from P100,000 in cash for the repair of totally or heavily damaged houses and P30,000 for partially damaged.

The fund is said to cover employees of the Department of Education (DepEd) who suffered devastation due to earthquake in Bohol and supertyphoon Yolanda. Cananes recalled that they, under the first batch, only received the first tranche of the financial assistance sometime in September 2015 after complying many requirements, while others who are not yet included in the first batch are also waiting for their first release. Efleda Bautista, convenor of the People Surge, an organization of Yolanda survivors in the region, lambasted the government for the delay in the release of this financial assistance to teachers.

“It is disheartening to note that the teachers were not spared of the criminal neglect of this government. It can be recalled that the only ‘relief’ that they received two weeks after Yolanda were beauty kits – lipstick and make up” – not a single centavo nor a single grain was received by the devastated teachers from this government,’’ said Efleda Bautista, retired educator and convenor of People Surge, the alliance of storm victims in Eastern Visayas. Bautista noted that in availing the fund, one has to present requirements, they had to sign waivers if there were more than one government employees in the family and worse there were also complaints of ‘dagdag-bawas.’

“Many teachers were excluded from the list of beneficiaries. Worst of all, the disbursement followed the procedure of ordinary selling – ‘two gives.’ While the first ‘give’ happened after all the hardships the second ‘give’ is still hanging,” she added. As the campaign period is about to start, Bautista feared that “this second ‘give’ may not happen at all.” “Let us not forget, we are teachers, not beggars. Let us unite and stand for our rights,” she said.  Meanwhile, Jasmin Calzita, DepEd regional information officer, said that the delay could be traced before the PMS saying they have submitted the documents consisting the names of the intended beneficiaries.

“The list was from the PMS. On our end, we did our best to request for reconsideration for those who were not included in the first batch of first tranche,” Calzita said.
Asked who could be held liable for the delay of the fund release, Calzita could not give a clear answer. “We cannot tell if it is the national because they also have timeline and protocol of processing the documents. Remember, it’s not only Region 8, there are other regions which were also affected and the fund is not only for Yolanda but for the earthquake in Bohol and Cebu,”Calzita said. She also appealed for patience and understanding for the said delay. (RONALD O. REYES)

CALBAYOG CITY – “Kusog han Kumunidad,” a song composed by Herminigildo Sanchez, a known poet from Catbalogan City was adjudged as the winner of “Kamurayaw Song Festival” held in this city.

The composition tells the story of people’s dark experiences and mending the tale of the past. The song also emphasizes the importance of the family and creating its strength by providing resilient coping capacity, said Kalahi- CIDSS regional program coordinator Natividad Sequito who served as one of the judges of the singing competition held last February 1. “Kamurayaw Song Festival” is a project of the Kalahi-CIDSS (Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan– Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services) poverty alleviation program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in partnership with the Pamana (PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn) of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

The competition aims to highlight the milestones and benefits of the program’s Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach in peace, people and community empowerment and development, its achievement in poverty reduction and in improving local governance implemented in six provinces in the region, now considered the poorest in the country after it was hit by supertyphoon “Yolanda. The music festival was supposed to be done in December 2015 but was moved due to typhoon “Nona” that hit Northern Samar. Emilda Calagos-Bonifacio, Pamana -Samar area manager described the event as commendable after it tapped composers and singers to share their craft in advocating peace.

Pamana is a partner of Kalahi-CIDSS since 2012 by providing peace and development fund for every villages where the anti-poverty program is implemented and where there is a problem on peace and security. Other winners were “Gising na Pinoy” composed by 18-year old Glynis Gozo who also performed her composition that bagged 2nd place; “Kalahi” by Rufina Mullon from Biliran province, 3rd place while “Damhin Mo” by Alex Tero, fourth place. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

“City Prosecutor Oñate has already made a request to Malacañang before but up to now, the request has yet to be given action,” Aparis said.

TACLOBAN CITY- For close to three years now, the prosecutor’s office in Ormoc City is being run by only by one man. And this dearth of city prosecutors has resulted for thousands of cases to be pending in various courts in Ormoc, an independent component city in Leyte with more than 200,000 people. With at daily 10 cases, at the average, being received by their office, they need at least four lawyers assisting City Prosecutor Marcelo Oñate and his deputy, Erwin James Fabriga, says Thelma Aparis, assistant administrative officer of the City Prosecutor’s Office, in phone interview. Fabriga has been designated at the City Prosecutor’s Office by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office two years ago and not on a permanent assignment. Also designated at the Ormoc City Prosecutor’s Office was Melissa Macapugas.

“City Prosecutor Oñate has already made a request to Malacañang before but up to now, the request has yet to be given action,” Aparis said. There are two applicants for needed posts, she added. In contrast, Tacloban, the regional capital of Eastern Visayas, there are 13 lawyers assisting City Prosecutor Ruperto Golong. With only Oñate, who was named to his post in 2012, the disposition of cases handled by the office is affected. In fact, there are more than 1,200 pending cases before the two regional trial courts in Ormoc and another over 500 cases pending before the city court that need the attention of city prosecutors.

Aparis herself sought an appeal to Malacañang to appoint new city prosecutors for Ormoc. She added that she hopes that the appointments should come within this month to avoid ban on appointments next month due to the forthcoming elections. Otherwise, they would wait until a new President to appoint lawyers for Ormoc City Prosecutor’s Office. “With an average of about 10 cases received by our office, our (two) lawyers could not totally handle them. This situation results for our cases to be pending,” she said. Many of these cases, Aparis said, involving inmates at the City Jail and at the Leyte sub-provincial jail. Aparis said that this odd situation very well sums up of the old-age maxim “justice delayed, justice denied.” “They have to wait for the disposition of their cases until additional lawyers will be appointed. Meantime, all their cases are pending because of the slow disposition of the cases,” she added.

Aparis said that she pities Oñate’s situation adding that with so many cases to be handled by him, the prosecutor most of the time stays at his office to work with the cases instead of appearing before the courts. “It might affect his health,” Aparis, who has been with the City Prosecutor’s Office for 38 years now, said.  According to her, this is the first time that the office has experienced lack of prosecutors. Two of Oñate’s assistants, Gorgonia Encina and Jun Romero, were named as municipal trial court judges in 2012. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Close to three years after this city was devastated by supertyphoon “Yolanda,” its economy appears on the upswing with big-ticket investments coming in.

The latest to invest in this city of more than 220,000 people is the Cebu-based shopping mall, the Metro Gaisano. The opening of the Metro Gaisano in this city would not only benefit to the city government in terms of taxes it would pay but more so, generate employment and livelihood opportunities to the people, said Marilou Tabao, chief of staff of Mayor Alfred Romualdez. The proposed Metro Gaisano will be located along Real Street at a twohectare lot owned by the United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP). The Metro Gaisano, owned by Frank Gaisano, will lease the lot for 25 years, Tabao said.

Tabao said that if plan will push through the construction of the two-storey mall will start next month and is expected to be finished within the year or early next year.
Last January 27, Romualdez met with the representatives of the said shopping mall informing him on their decision to invest in Tacloban, considered the ground zero of the world’s strongest typhoon to hit landfall on November 8, 2013. “The operation of the Metro Gaisano in Tacloban will not only help the city government in terms of taxes but will also create more job opportunities and generate livelihood as well,” Tabao said.

The city official said that about a thousand of people, coming from the city and other parts of the region, could find employment when the Metro Gaisano opens. Tabao, however, could not say on how much the Metro Gaisano will be pouring in in Tacloban as it opens a branch in the city. She said with the opening of the Metro Gaisano, even local producers could sell their products there. She added that the city government under Mayor Romualdez will extend all possible assistance to the owners of the Metro Gaisano to ensure that their planned opening in Tacloban will be smooth.

The Gaisano shopping mall was the first to set foot in Tacloban back in 1988. At present, there are two Gaisano-owned shopping malls operating in the city- the Gaisano Capital and the Gaisano Central. Aside from the Gaisano shopping malls, another Cebu-based shopping mall is operating in Tacloban, the Robinsons Mall as well as the hyper market of the SM Group of Companies, SaveMore.