TACLOBAN CITY- This city glimmers with Christmas spirit during the launching of the Christmas on Wheels Competition 2020 in partnership with TNT / PLDT/Smart Telecommunications, Inc.
Eighteen lighted jeepneys paraded the metro during the pre-judging in the hope of winning the coveted prizes.
Councilor Aimee Grafil, representing Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, in her speech, marveled at the resilience of Taclobanons who have been shaped by the challenges that they have faced and storms that they have weathered.
She said that she hopes that this activity will inspire and give hope to everyone in spite of the ‘darkness’ of the pandemic as she thanked the sponsors, partners, and organizers for their participation in this Yuletide activity.
Roy Nebrija of TNT explained that the activity will bring the spirit of the Christmas season to people’s barangays/homes without Taclobanons gathering in certain places if only to feel the spirit of the holidays.
He also expressed his thanks to the city government for the success of the first-ever Christmas on Wheels.
Driver Joey Oreno said in an interview, that he was encouraged by the jeepney’s operator to participate in this trailblazer event to boost every Taclobanons’ spirit despite having a tough year.
He excitedly shared that if he wins the prize, his family is in for a treat this Christmas and New Year’s.
Event sponsors are TNT, Uni-soft, Beybiko, Freeda, Cellcom, Panasonic, and RL Appliance in cooperation with Tingog Party-list, Rep. Martin Romualdez and his wife,  Rep. Yedda Romualdez, Land Transportation and Franchising and Regulatory Board, Land Transportation Office, City Tourism Operations Office, Traffic Operations Management, Enforcement and Control Office, Highway Patrol Group, Tacloban City Police Office, Leyte II Electric Company, Sangyaw Foundation, Love Radio, and BLS.
The contest will run through December, and winners will be announced on the 20th, at 6:30 pm at the CEO Gym. Criteria for judging are as follows:  Layout and design of the vehicle – 40%, and Visual lights effects – 60 %.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

TACLOBAN CITY- Close to 200 individuals donated their precious blood that were donated to the blood bank of the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), this city.
The bloodletting activity was spearheaded by the Tacloban Eagles District (TED) which aims to help address the lack of blood supply at the EVRMC’ blood bank.
Ahlyx Belleza, TED’s district governor, said that their bloodletting activity, held last November 21 at the covered court of the Santo Niño Speed Center, is very timely considering the pandemic caused by coronavirus disease(COVID-19).
“The bloodletting activity is very relevant nowadays considering that there is a need of blood supply during this time of pandemic and there are not enough blood supply at our blood bank at present,” Belleza said.
It was learned that the bloodletting activity undertaken by the TED is one of the requirements for one to become a member of the organization as it continue to expand.
For a member to become a regular member, he or she should have bring at least two blood donors.
For this particular bloodletting activity, the group was able to collect around 80 bags of blood from the donors.
The newly-established eagle branches are the Central Tacloban Eagle’s Club; the Central Balyuan Eagle’s Club; the Central Kanhuraw Lady Eagles Club; and Palo Eagles Club.
According to Belleza, this bloodletting activity will now become a regular activity of their organization in consonance of it being a ‘community service organization.’
The annual bloodletting activity will be known as ‘Dugo ng Agila.’
“We are happy that there are people who willingly donate their blood and (in the process) help other’s lives,” Belleza said.
The group has earlier conducted a gift-giving to 500 school children from different public elementary schools in the northern part of Tacloban under its adopt-a-school program. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

[From the present 24 kms, five km more to be constructed next year]

Senator Cynthia Villar, the proponent of the Las Piñas Zapote River Drive project, is confident that its completion is preventing flooding and solving the traffic problem in Las Piñas City.
So far, 24 kilometers have been completed for the last 9 years starting in 2012 until 2020 and five (5) kms more is slated to be built in the next two years (2021 & 2022).
“The project is being completed in phases and we have seen the improvements so far in terms of flood prevention and traffic flow in the river drive areas. So, we will continue to extend the coverage of the project to 29 kilometers in next two years,” (2021-2022) said Villar.
For next two years (2021-2022), the Molino Riverdrive phase will be built, stretching a total of 5kms, from Daanghari road to the river along Barangay Molino III & Molino VI until it connects to Zapote River.
The very first phase of the Riverdrive Project was the 18-km Zapote Riverdrive along Zapote River aimed at preventing flooding in the city and solve the traffic congestion along Zapote-Alabang Road because it serves as alternate road.
The Riverdrive Project started at the end of C-5 Extension Road in Barangay Pulanglupa I to Alido Bridge and continuing to an underpass in Zapote Bridge in Barangay Zapote on to Barangays Pamplona I, Pamplona II, Talon II, Moonwalk, Talon I, Almanza II then to Daang Hari Road connected to the MCX Expressway.
The second phase was the 6-km Las Piñas Riverdrive which started at C-5 Extension Road in Barangay Pulanglupa I then to Barangay Pulanglupa II, Pamplona III up to CAA Road.
In 2021-2022, the 5-km Molino Riverdrive from Daanghari to Barangay Molino III and Molino VI in Bacoor, Cavite will be constructed. It will connect to Zapote Riverdrive to Manila Bay area.
The Zapote and Las Pinas Riverdrive as well as the Molino Riverdrive, according to Villar, do not only ease flooding and traffic woes.
“With the river drive, we also closely maintain the cleanliness of the river, which can be considered as the ‘artery’ of the city and nearby areas too. The people living along the river cannot throw their wastes anymore into the rivers because there is a road and the houses are fenced,” Villar cited.
Villar has spent decades since 2001 ensuring the cleaning, maintenance and rehabilitation of the Las Piñas Zapote River, which used to be clogged with garbage impeding the flow of water that cause massive flooding. She put up livelihood projects that now use wastes such as water hyacinths, waste coconut husks and plastic wastes (that used to pollute the river) as raw materials.
Her Sagip-Ilog project won for her the United Nations “Best Practices Award” in 2011, which recognized the project for protecting water resources and providing livelihood to Filipinos. (PR)