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Lacson orders DAR to grant issuance of CLOAs to Leyte farmers

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MANILA- Secretary Panfilo “Ping” Lacson of the OPARR (Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery) has directed the regional office of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to expedite the appeal of farmers for the release of their certificate of land ownership awards (CLOAs). Lacson made the order during a meeting at his office with farmers coming from the towns of Alangalang, Barugo and San Miguel, all in Leyte, at his office in Makati City on October 28. Also present were DAR Regional Director Shiela Enciso and representatives from the Rights Network, a nongovernment organization that is helping the farmers obtained their CLOAS. The farmers, all survivors of supertyphoon Yolanda, are asking CLOAS from the DAR on the ground that aside as a proof of land ownership, that they could not receive housing assistance from various humanitarian groups without the said document.

Enciso, during the meeting, vowed to finish the inventory of the CLOAs stored at the regional office of the Registry of Deeds before the end of the month. The process is necessary for them to really determine who are entitled to receive the CLOAS. After the inventory, the DAR regional chief said, they would also start to determine if the areas identified involved timber lands. The identification process would be finished by next month, Enciso said. “We need deadlines to determine timelines,” Lacson said.

Close to 17,000 farmers from the three Leyte towns are projected to receive CLOAs, Rights Network said. “Rehabilitation efforts for Region VIII farmers seemed to have been blocked by the “dead” CLOAs. The survivors of the super typhoon, mostly from the farming and fishing communities, are still unable to avail of the support services and other programs from government agencies, international and local organizations working in the Region that are needed for survivors’ long term rehabilitation,” it said. Violeta Alberca said that she feel bad that close to a year now, they could not move on with the disaster as they don’t have a home to shield them from the environments. “We are also victims of Yolanda. But because we don’t have a CLOA, various humanitarian groups offering housing projects excludes us,” Alberca, 53 of Barangay Busay, Barugo. Alberca’s house was destroyed during the onslaught of Yolanda. According to her, the CLOA is a “vital document” for her to be given a house provided by various humanitarian groups because it grants them, the beneficiaries, of a house lot of at least 10×20 square meters. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

Think tank decries government rehab efforts on Yolanda areas as “very slow”

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TACLOBAN CITY— Government rehabilitation works in areas hit by supertyphoon Yolanda close to a year now is “slow,” despite of reported billions of dollars it received from various countries and organizations.
This was the assessment made by IBON Foundation, a leading think-tank group adding that the government failed to deliver in its rehabilitation efforts in areas devastated by the deadly storm. “Government efforts for the recovery of the affected areas are moving very slowly; the slow recovery efforts are on top of earlier criticisms of poor emergency response and relief work last year despite considerable resources already at hand from international, national, and local sources,” the think-tank group said. “Millions of victims who were already in very poor and vulnerable conditions even before the typhoon Yolanda continue to endure barely survival conditions,” it added. “Approaching typhoon Yolanda’s first anniversary, real community development escapes them and they face a future of being put in a ‘new normal’ of an even lower level of existence than they had before,” IBON reported.

The group, citing reports from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR), said the government “tend to show that Yolanda victims are still in the relief phase and barely starting to recover almost a year after the typhoon struck.” “The largest number of Yolanda victims remains in uncertain and unstable conditions with abnormal and uncertain livelihoods. Although 1.5 million families were affected, only 215,471 families are reported to have benefited from Cash for Building Livelihood Assets projects,” it said. The foundation also said that victims remain largely in temporary and transitional shelters. Some 1.2 million houses were damaged or destroyed, of which some 500,000 were completely destroyed. The OPARR however only reports 364 housing units completed in Tacloban and Tanauan, Leyte. It also said that only 44,870 fishermen were provided with fishing gears; another 32,081 were able to have new bancas or were just repaired and only 4,507 seaweed farmers were assisted by the government. In the agriculture sector, only 9,149 farmers were provided farm implements and another 2,482 farmers given seeds and 160 farmers helped with animal restocking. Just 27 public markets out of the target 132 have been repaired or rehabilitated and only 58 kilometers of farm-to-market roads out of the target 315 kilometers have been rehabilitated or constructed, the think-tank said.

On education, IBON, citing OPARR, said that “children are still unable to return to school buildings and classrooms.” “ Some 6.9 million textbooks, learning materials and learning kits and 517 computer packages are being distributed. Yet only 213 classrooms have been repaired out of the target 19,648 classrooms. Only 13 health facilities have been rehabilitated. Meanwhile some 18 doctors, 668 nurses and 233 midwives have been deployed in Regions VII and VIII, the report said. IBON also noted that its efforts to rebuild infrastructures “are also moving slowly.”

“ Only 5.8 kilometers of national roads have been repaired or rehabilitated out of a target 116 kilometers, three bridges out of a target 34 bridges, six ports out of a target 43 port facilities, 33 out of 99 flood control facilities, 25 municipal halls out of a target 153 municipal, city and provincial halls, and 21 out of 161 civic centers,” IBON said in its report published online. For the marginalized survivors in Tacloban City battered by Yolanda, they said that help from the government continue to elude them. “The urban poor in Tacloban are being exiled to distant relocation sites and forced to live in substandard housing. They are also uprooted from their means of livelihood, because many are fishermen and vendors whose sources of income are near the coastal communities,” said Joel Abaño, spokesman of urban peasant group Kadamay.
Abaño, in a statement, criticized the government’s Recovery Assistance on Yolanda (RAY) which “essentially displaced them in favor of corporate interests.” RAY is pushing such anti-poor policies like the “no build zones” and “no dwelling zones” to get rid of the urban poor in Tacloban, added Abaño. “The Aquino government hypocritically imposed the ‘no build zones’ and ‘no dwelling zones’ in the name of safety for the affected communities, while encouraging corporations to take advantage of the vacated locations to build their businesses,” Abaño said. (RONALD O. REYES)

CLEP offers employment opportunities for men who lost jobs after Yolanda

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Tacloban Comprehensive Livelihood Entrepreneurial Program otherwise known before as Cristina Learn & Earn Program founder Councilor Cristina G. Romualdez pose for posterity with one of the CLEP classes. with TESDA. The lady legislator conveyed the importance of livelihood classes to help Yolanda male survivors of Tacloban earn a living during a mini presscon held Oct. 15, 2014 at K Patisserie Tacloban. (Photos by: Billie Cinco/ Gay B. Gaspay-TISAT)

TACLOBAN CITY- After Tacloban was destroyed by supertyphoon Yolanda, part of its rehabilitation and recovery program to help the survivors, the city government through its Comprehensive Livelihood Entrepreneurial Program (CLEP) now offers classes specifically for men, Councilor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez, who is the CLEP founder. According to Councilor Cristina, the demand for jobs escalated since many establishments shut down after the city experienced the devastation with the fathers, who are considered the bread winners in a family, were left with nothing to sustain the daily needs of their respective families.

By equipping our men with skills they can easily look for in demand livelihood jobs that can sustain his family, the wife of Mayor Alfred Romualdez said. With the boom of construction projects in the city a tie-up program with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for accreditation purposes the city opted to offer more classes on masonry, electrical installation maintenance, carpentry, painting, heavy equipment and plumbing. Previously CLEP is known to most Taclobanon as the “Cristina Learn & Earn Program”, it’s a livelihood program of Mayor Romualdez. Thousands of women have already availed the CLEP’s various programs.

With the need to harness survivors of Yolanda to its needs, around 50 men graduated on its first batch of classes which started last August. On-going CLEP classes likewise also offer reflexology, cosmetology, haircutting and food processing for women. What is good about it, Councilor Romualdez added, is that CLEP graduates are accredited by TESDA which means they can work locally and abroad. Ready toolkits are given likewise by said agency. It’s a 10-day whole day class for prospected clients and usually held at the Balyuan Building. For interested applicant they can signify their intent at the Office of Councilor Romualdez located at the Legislative Building or the CLEP Classroom at Balyuan Building. In line with this livelihood classes to help Taclobanons, the city government through CLEP, the Republic of Korea (Korean Araw contingent) and TESDA partnered in this so called heavy equipment operation training.

The month-long vocational course for survivors who wished to operate heavy equipment such as pay loader, forklift, bulldozer, crane and excavator will produce graduates equipped to operate heavy facilities and equipment. Graduates of said heavy equipment courses will be given certificates and the chance to apply at the Tacloban Public Employment Service Office (PESO) for job opportunities for local and abroad. (GAY GASPAY)

19 barangays in Leyte town receive funding for anti-poverty program of government

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TANAUAN, Leyte — A government-led anti-poverty project got an allocation of P24.9 million for its third round of implementation in 19 villages of this town. Backed with funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan—Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service (KALAHI-CIDDS) kicked off its third cycle early this month. Covered villages were selected by the ranking of prioritized projects and budget considerations. The town receives a total of P24.3 million for each cycle. “Since we have excess money from the second cycle, the budget now reach up to P24.9 million,” said Luz Maderazo, area coordinator. Maderazo added that most projects are construction and concreting of access roads to these 19 villages. KALAHI- CIDDS is a community-driven development project implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Under this program are communities and local government units which are trained to choose, design and implement sub-projects that address their most pressing need. (ANNIE ORLENE B.TISMO, LNU Intern)

TESDA chief assured employment for “Araw” graduates of heavy equipment operation

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Colonel Chulwon Lee, commander of Araw Force, a military humanitarian contingent from South Korea helping in the recovery and rehabilitation effort in areas affected by typhoon Yolanda in the region briefed TESDA Secretary General Emmanuel Joel Villanueva (center)of their accomplishments on the repair of public infrastructures since they arrived in Leyte last December,2013.
Colonel Chulwon Lee, commander of Araw Force, a military humanitarian contingent from South Korea helping in the recovery and rehabilitation effort in areas affected by typhoon Yolanda in the region briefed TESDA Secretary General Emmanuel Joel Villanueva (center)of their accomplishments on the repair of public infrastructures since they arrived in Leyte last December,2013.
Colonel Chulwon Lee, commander of Araw Force, a military humanitarian contingent from South Korea helping in the recovery and rehabilitation effort in areas affected by typhoon Yolanda in the region briefed TESDA Secretary General Emmanuel Joel Villanueva (center)of their accomplishments on the repair of public infrastructures since they arrived in Leyte last December,2013.

PALO, Leyte- The 54 graduates of a heavy equipment operation course offered by the humanitarian group from South Korean government were assured of employment by no less than the secretary general of the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Joel Villanueva.

Villanueva said that he would link the graduates, all survivors of supertyphoon Yolanda, to different agencies to ensure that they could be employed. The graduates were from Tanauan, one of the worst-hit areas during the onslaught of Yolanda. “There are government works which we link them with the Department of Labor and Employment. But what is important is for them to have sustainable income,” said Villanueva.
“If you look to the website of Philippine Overseas Employment Authority, you will see a great number of demands for TESDA graduates like the heavy equipment training to look for but we are not saying that they should work outside the country,” he added.

The graduation ceremony was held last October 18 held at the “Araw” Vocational Training Center at the Government Center in Barangay Candahug, this town. The course on heavy equipment operations is being offered by the South Korean contingent as part of its humanitarian activities to areas hit by Yolanda. The training center was opened last April and has produced over a hundred graduates and aimed to help people from typhoon Yolanda devastated areas of Palo, Tolosa, Tanauan and the city of Tacloban to acquire skills in heavy equipment operation that could help them find employment for job opportunity not only in the country but also overseas. The batch from Tanauan has a total of 54 newly graduates and they will be replaced by 48 trainees from the city of Tacloban.

During the ceremony that was also attended by Tanauan Municipal Mayor Pelago Tecson Jr, Tacloban City Administrator Jenny Lyn Polistico-Manibay and Colonel Chulwon Lee, commander of Araw Force, Villanueva expressed his gratitude to the Araw Force and to the local government unit that supported the program. Villanueva added that the establishment of the heavy equipment operation training center is in line with TESDA’s aim with their own trainees which is to transform them into a better person aside from helping them find jobs. TESDA Regional Director Cleta Omega said that she will ask contractors and local government officials to inform them on the availability of manpower on heavy equipment operations in Leyte. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Taft marked its 111th founding anniversary

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Mayor Marian June E. Libanan gives her message during the 111th founding anniversary of Taft, Eastern Samar on October 23, 2014. (Photo by Gilbert F. Arteche)

TAFT, Eastern Samar – Series of activities marked the 111th year founding anniversary of this town, considered one of the trade centers of the province. The founding anniversary, celebrated last October 23, was described by its young mayor, Marian June Libanan, as a phase for the town to “move forward.” The town, named after US President William Howard Taft, has a population of more than 18,000 spread on its 24 villages and is growing fast as one of the trading centers of Eastern Samar. To mark its 111th founding anniversary, series of activities were lined up to enliven the celebration.

Among the activities conducted include the holding of a tree planting and the Tubignon Festival with the search of Miss Taft 2014 as a highlight. Sports competition involving various agencies in the local government was also conducted as well as the People’s Day wherein different services were availed by the people. Construction of a new public market and a farm-to-market road were also inaugurated.

Former town mayors Aniceto Cebreros, Lope Ty and Francisco Adalim were also given honor during the celebration. Also recognized during this year’s founding anniversary was former congressman Marcelino Libanan, father of the sitting mayor. Also held were “Alay Lakad,” photo contest, literacy and musical night, agri fair, training involving the members of the municipal peace and order council and parade held on the day of the founding anniversary wherein 111 pieces of balloons were released. On the day of the celebration, a Thanksgiving Mass was held officiated by Father Lope Robredillo, parish priest. The Philippine Commission, under the Government of the United State of America, passed the Commission Act 960 which created the town of Taft on October 23, 1903. (GILBERT ARTECHE)

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