TACLOBAN CITY- Militant group Bayan-Eastern Visayas has raised alarm over the declaration of the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay to push for Public-Private Partnerships should the latter become President.

Bayan-EV’s reaction came after Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado reportedly said that the PPP will be continued by the Binay should he become president, citing  rivatization schemes in Makati when Binay was still its mayor. “A Binay presidency would not be any different from the present Aquino administration that has deliberately failed to address economic crises such as widespread poverty and joblessness if the same profit-driven economic policy will be placed,” said Rey Miranda, BAYAN-EV secretary general.

In a statement, Miranda claimed that under the PPP scheme, social services supposed to be provided to the people by the government are instead turned into “profit-making machines of the big capitalists raking in huge sums of money from the people in need of free and accessible social services such as education and health care.”
Miranda said that among the government-owned facilities that may be placed under private control is the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), the region’s biggest public hospital located in Tacloban City.

“The present Aquino regime is selling out its responsibility to provide and ensure basic social services under PPP, and particularly in the case of EVRMC, its obligation to grant affordable health care to poor Filipinos,” Miranda said. Miranda cited a local health facility in the town of Samar where there is only one doctor to attend to the health needs of the municipality’s 15,000 population. “Higher health care costs will occur under the neoliberal privatization scheme, thus further inaccessibility for poor and marginalized people. We are warning Binay and other hopefuls for the presidency that PPP or any similar schemes will be met with the furious opposition of the masses.”
(RONALD O. REYES)

MAASIN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways Southern Leyte Engineering District (DPWH-SLED) is seeking the opinion of Secretary Rogelio Singson on what actions to take against the 23 employees that were found positive of illegal drugs use. In a letter to Singson dated August 19, 2015, District Engineer Ma. Margarita C. Junia wants to know of “what is best decision” for the 23 employees. Despite putting her safety at risk, the district engineering office chief felt the dire need to do this to achieve a drug-free workplace and raise the productivity of workers. “Lately, these addicted engineers had contributed to the low performance of this Office because due to their addiction, their work performances were erratic and unreliable, thus their output were erroneous and needs to be reworked,” Junia said.

On August 17, all of the more than 200 personnel of the field office went through a surprised drug test inside the district office multi-purpose building. Staff from a private drug testing center based in Ormoc City approved by the Department of Health for the specific activity and agents from the National Bureau of Investigation came to facilitate the drug test. “We were told that those who are taking some medicines may be found positive in the drug test. The confirmatory test in Manila will tell us if all of these 23 personnel are really illegal drug users or not,” Junia explained. The district engineer pushed for the mandatory drug testing after agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) caught a DPWH-SLED employee for illegal drugs trade on March 1.

The suspect alleged that the drugs were intended for government engineers. “That claim is alarming because it brought shame to our district office. We also heard rumors that some personnel have been using illegal drugs, which calls for our immediate action since it affects productivity, decision making, and safety concerns,” Junia added.
Early this year, Junia asked some personnel to undergo drug test and submit the result, but she doubted that the findings are accurate since the method was done through urine samples only.
The mandatory drug test is part of DPWH-SLED’s drive to increase awareness on the harmful effects and dangers of drug use and abuse in the workplace. (DPWH-SLED PR)

TACLOBAN CITY-The regional office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-8) releases more livelihood assistance this August to returning overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), through the National Reintegration Center for OFWs. For August, DOLE NRCO already released livelihood assistance to fivequalified OFW beneficiaries for their business ventures: botika ng barangay, meat processing, variety store and rice trading.

Each beneficiary received P 10, 000worth of starter kits, amounting to a total of P 50, 000.00. “The program is part of the initiative of DOLE to productively reintegrate returning OFWs in the mainstream Philippine society that they may enjoy the gains of overseas employment. NRCO encourages them to obtain an entrepreneurial mindset, through awareness on the value of saving, investment, business, and local employment upon their return,” Regional Director Elias Cayanong said. Raquel Postrero, a beneficiary, thanked DOLE for giving her the opportunity to live a new life from the distressful situation she encountered as a Household Service Worker in Kuwait.

“Akala nila, madali at masarap ang buhay OFW. Pero, hindi madali ang pinagdaanan ko sa Kuwait bilang isang Household Service Worker. Nagpapasalamat ako sa DOLE na natulungan ako ng NRCO na makapagsimula ng panibagong buhay sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaroon ko ng negosyong Variety Store. [Most people thought that it easy to be employed overseas. Little did they know that I had experienced worst being a Household Service Worker in Kuwait. I am grateful to DOLE for helping me start a new life by having a business venture with variety store,” Postrero added.

In an interview, Assistant Regional Director Exequiel Ronie Guzman urged all qualified OFW returnees to avail of the livelihood assistance and other opportunities from NRCO which are intended to augment their income and in the long run, contribute to the region’s economic status. (NIA CHUA)

TACLOBAN CITY- He will announce his decision regarding next year’s presidential election. This was disclosed by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte when asked when he will formally declare his bid as a presidential hopeful. Duterte was in Leyte last week to attend the 36th annual general assembly meeting of the Leyte III Electric Cooperative in Tunga town, 46 kms away from this city. According to the controversial Davao mayor, what stops him to formally declare his intention to seek the country’s highest post was the opposition of some of the members of his family.

Thus, the need for him to meet them all “in one setting” to settle the matter, he said. “I will be meeting them next week. I have talked to some individually but I would like to gather them in one setting and discuss (the matter) as some of the members of my family are against my running, “Duterte said. According to Duterte, he needs to get the “consent” of his entire family members before he makes his decision regarding his plan in next year’s elections. He disclosed that among those who oppose his possible run for President is his daughter, Sarah, former mayor of Davao. “She does not like me to run because she says I’m old and not that strong (physically),” Duterte said.
He admitted that he might not withstand the rigor of a long-haul campaign if in case he decides to run for President. “I’m 70 years old now; may be one or two days, I’m comfortable but in the long haul, di ko talaga masabi,” he said. But Duterte said that he is not really salivating the presidency “unlike some of them,” without naming names. “I don’t have the ambition. Di naman ako serious tulad ng iba. I’ll stay in Davao. I started it there and I will end it there,” he said. His visits around the country are just part of his drive for federalism, Duterte said, and not connected to the 2016 elections. (JOEY A. GABIETA)