TACLOBAN CITY – A groundbreaking ceremony for the more than P400-million water supply system project seen to solve the water supply woes of the north resettlement sites was held on Friday, January 18, 2019, in Barangay Cabalawan, this city.
Present were former Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, and his son Raymund Romualdez, former Leyte 1st district Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Local Water Utilities (LWUA) Administrator Jeci Lapus, and Presidential Assistant for Special Concerns Undersecretary Wendel Avisado.
Also present were the members of the Leyte Metropolitan Water District Board led by Roberto Muñoz and Barangay Chairman Lito Balangbang.
Lapus assured that the LWUA will earnestly follow up on the immediate completion of the project on orders of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The project is expected to be completed by December 2, 2020, but contractor Mactan Rock and TGV Builders Incorporated assured that by March this year potable water will be made available in initial areas of Tacloban North.
Meantime, in his message following the ceremony, Romualdez acknowledged President Rodrigo Duterte’s support for the project which is a realization of a “dream “to supply potable water to the Yolanda Housing Projects.
“Nagpapasalamat kami kay President Duterte sa proyektong ito at naging katotohanan ang lahat ng ito” the former chief executive said.
A three-term mayor of Tacloban, Romualdez lobbied for the project during his term but the move was unsuccessful because of some underlying issues.
The water system project was given priority when the management of the LMWD was transferred to the city government in 2018.
(HENRY ROCA/CIO)
LMWD, LWUA breakground for water supply system project in north resettlement sites
Classes suspended in EV due to ‘Amang’
Preemptive evacuations carried out by LGUs
TACLOBAN CITY- Classes across the region were suspended amid threat of tropical depression ‘Amang’ on Monday (Jan.21) as preemptive evacuations were carried out by several local government units to ensure safety of their residents.
Here in Tacloban City, Mayor Cristina Romualdez issued Executive Order 2019-01-001 suspending classes in all levels due to the threat of Amang, the first weather disturbance to hit the city and the rest of the region for this year.
The city governments of Ormoc and Baybay, both in Leyte; Maasin in Southern Leyte; Calbayog and Catbalogan, both in Samar; and Borongan in Eastern Samar.
The provincial governments of Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Northern Samar have also declared a one-day suspension of classes due to Amang.
Likewise, several towns in Biliran, Samar, and Eastern Samar provinces also suspended their classes.
In Northern Samar, which was severely affected by last month’s tropical depression ‘Usman,’ Rei Josiah Echano, its provincial disaster risk reduction management officer, said that about 62 families, consisting of 238 individuals, were evacuated due to threat of possible flooding and landslide incident.
The families were from the towns of Catarman (2 families or 10 persons); Palapag (39 families consisting of 149 individuals); Mapanas (14 families involving 58 persons) and Lope de Vega, 7 families comprising 21 individuals.
The town of Lope de Vega is still recovering from the onslaught of Usman which affected practically its more than 14,000 people and killed five others.
About 1,083 passengers were stranded in the ports of Bhalwarteco and Dapdap, and Santa Clara Jubasan, all in Allen town; and in San Isidro, all in Northern Samar.
The Coast Guard, on its report to the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council(RDRRMC), said that about 2,083 passengers were stranded in the ports in Ormoc City, Isabel, Bato, Hilongos, all in Leyte; San Ricardo, Liloan, both in Southern Leyte; Calbayog City; and in Bhalwarteco, San Isidro, and Jubasan, all in Northern Samar.
The RDRRMC also reported that 162 families comprising 607 individuals from the towns of Maydolong, Eastern Samar; Catarman, Palapag, Lope de Vega, all in Northern Samar; Tomas Oppus in Southern Leyte; and Kawayan, Biliran, were preemptively evacuated due to possible threat of flooding or landslide.
In San Francisco town, Southern Leyte, a nine year old boy, Santino Alfreda who was reported to have been drowned in a river at their village in Bongbong Sunday afternoon, was found and rescued on Monday morning.
There was no details provided by the San Francisco municipal police station on how the boy was rescued.
Boxer Manny’s career teaches us a lesson
I want to prove something, this being my first fight since I turned 40”.
This is a statement boxer Manny Pacquiao reveald lately relative to his coming boxing bout against American Adrein Broner at the MGM Grand at Las Vegas, on Saturday (Sunday morning of Jan. 20, Manila time).
Manny Pacquiao is an elected senator of the Republic of the Philippines. We just wonder why the senator is out of the country these days when the Senate is in session: He is handsomely paid by our taxes to include allowances as a legislator. We believe that he gets paid as an elected senator even when absent in the session hall and will earn thousands of dollars, win or lose in this boxing bout at Las Vegas.
His earnings as a boxer is his own income to include his personal achievements and fame a personal pride.
There has to be a law on this. Elected officials should work in the office he/she was elected to. Come election time voters should already be smart enough to vote only for candidates who will sincerely work for the office he has ran for.
Manny Pacquiao is, of course, a square peg in a round hole. He cannot participate inteligently in Senate deliberation for his lack of educational foundation. Let this Pacquiao public servant status be a good lesson when we vote in the midterm elections in May 2019.
City Treasurer Office optimistic it will achieve collection target for 2019
TACLOBAN CITY – The City Treasurer’s Office expressed optimism that they would be able to achieve their collection target of more than P1 billion pesos this year.
City Treasurer Zosima Cordaño made the statement during the last week of the ongoing business renewal and Real Property Tax (RPT) in this City.
In an interview over Radio Program “Sumat Tacloban,” Cordaño disclosed that the city government targets to collect P1.4 billion for 2019; the majority of the targeted revenue will come from local sources such as real property and business taxes, and economic enterprise which includes the market, slaughterhouse, and terminal collections.
“The revenue target for this year is higher than last year’s P1.2 billion, but we are nevertheless hopeful that we will be able to hit the target with the cooperation of our taxpayers,” she said.
As part of the revenue generation initiatives of Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez, the Kanhuraw Business Center (KBC) came up with innovations that would give taxpayers more ease in paying their taxes such that assessment and payment of real property taxes can now be had in one location, while business renewal have been streamlined into three steps.
The online payment system of the local government dubbed Electronic Payment Portal (EPP) also went full blast this year allowing taxpayers to pay their taxes right at the comfort of their home or business establishment.
According to the city treasurer, local business operators will have until January 20, 2019 to renew their business permits and licenses per City Revenue Ordinance 99-58 or be penalized with a 25 percent surcharge and a 2 percent interest per month.
Since the last day of business renewal falls on a Sunday, the KBC has extended its business hours until 7 pm, which started last January 14 to 18.
However, cash transactions will only be accepted until 6 pm. On Saturday, January 19, the KBC will be open to serve clients starting 8 am until 5 p.m.
On the other hand, real property taxpayers will have until January 31 to avail of the 20 percent maximum discount on real property taxes.
Meantime, the city government expects more than 8,000 regular business permits to be processed this year. – (HENRY JAMES G. ROCA/CIO)
Pursuing troops discover enemy encampment in Samar
CAMP GENERAL VICENTE LUKBAN, CATBALOGAN CITY –Troops from 63rd Infantry (Innovator) Battalion discovered an abandoned enemy encampment at Brgy. Bay-ang, San Jorge, Samar last January 14, 2019 at 5 pm.
Said operation resulted to the discovery of the following: four bulwagans (multi-purpose hall), one big mess hall, one classroom with medical facilities, one training ground, four caves with one supply room, one comfort room (ladies’ CR), five kitchens, six comfort rooms, 13 posts, laminated sacks, one C type claymore mine, oil container with gas, 122 bunkers, two generators (Honda), two M16 magazines (long), one .45 cal. magazine, assorted wires (300 meters), 10 pcs. water containers, one command switch for IED, eight assorted light bulbs and subversive documents.
Maj. Gen. Raul M. Farnacio, commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Division, lauded the residents of Brgy. Bay-ang for cooperating with the military troops in tracking down the enemies encamped in their locality.
Likewise, M/Gen. Farnacio urges the communist terrorist CPP-NPA communist terrorists to lay down their arms, live a normal and peaceful life with their families and avail the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) offered by the government.
In his message, the 8ID Commander said that “this captured enemy encampment is a big blow to the CNTs and on their plan to conduct atrocities in the region. It bespeaks of 8ID’s relentless efforts in internal security operations and in safeguarding the remote communities that are often abused and exploited by the CNTs.”(PR)