ORMOC CITY- Media practitioners attended a seminar on disaster risk emergency preparedness spearheaded by the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) which aims to better equip them when a disaster strikes in their areas and not just a mere “story tellers.”

Ted Esguerra of the EDC who was also a member of the first Mt. Everest Philippine Team, said that the seminar is intended for the media practitioners not only to have awareness but more specially be prepared on what should be done before and after a disaster happened on their respective areas.

The seminar, held on June 26, was attended by members of the media from Tacloban and Ormoc cities. When super typhoon Yolanda hit on November 8, 2013, almost all media practitioners from these cities failed for a time to work being victims of the disaster themselves.

Esguerra also added that media men should have this knowledge, since they are always the first in line to come during a disaster. He also emphasized that media should not only take stories but at the same time should also be a rescuer.

“When you try to value life, you value everything, you value the culture, you value the environment and you value humanity, so it’s not only how to do CPR, try to educate, and try to fire your gun but it has something to do with honouring the environment,” he said in an interview.

The seminar was also attended by the EDC’s vice president for corporate affairs, John Arnaldo who stated that they have started the seminar for local media who have experienced the super typhoon Yolanda and still in recovery so that they would now be better prepared for a possible next disaster.

EDC will also conduct seminars to the local government units and partner communities in the province for the coming months on the same topic. (KAYE ANNE ORALLER, LNU Intern)

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) donated two units of saw mills to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) here in the region.

The sawmills donated by the UNDP will be a great help to their effort to rehabilitate and recover the coconut industry, said PCA’s officer-in-charge Joel Pilapil. The simple turn-over rites was held on June 10 at the PCA-8 office here witnessed by top officials of both agencies. Present were UNDP senior recovery coordinator, Dennis Curry, Eden Garde, Yolanda response project manager, Dario Cubelo, northwestern Leyte hub coordinator and senior technical adviser Adam Marlatt.

Long-time PCA-8 regional manager, Edilberto Nierva and other personnel of the said government agency, witnessed the turn-over of the two sawmill units. Pilapil, in his welcome message, narrated how the PCA and the UNDP started their collaboration. According to him, he was still the provincial coconut manager for western Leyte when he met Cubelo just a month after Yolanda hit Leyte.

Their meeting led to their effort to conduct clearing operations in the area of debris with the UNDP providing the needed funds. The PCA provided the chainsaws while a non-government organization, AFFIRE, assumed the logistical and personnel requirements. The success of this initial collaboration for the UNDP to donate sawmills to the PCA.

Curry expressed his hope that their donation of the sawmills will help hasten the campaign of the PCA to rehabilitate and recover the coconut industry which was among the most seriously affected sectors due to Yolanda.(JAM CASTANEDA/PR)

CALBAYOG CITY-The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Samar Provincial Office held a one-day Financing Forum and Entrepreneurial Development Training on June 11 at the Calbayog City Convention Center, this city. The training was part of what the agency is currently implementing which is the “SME (Small and Medium Entrepreneurs) Roving Academy” – a training program for “would-be entrepreneurs”, SME owners, and managers of micro-SMEs which aim to provide a continuous learning program for entrepreneurs to help them better set up and step up their operations, and improve their competitiveness, thereby facilitate easier access to domestic and international markets. Engr. Meilo Macabare, DTI provincial director, headed the pool of trainers who gave lecture about the recommended topics for the city intended to assist its enrolled SMEs for them to become aware of the salient features of the different financing programs, the procedure on how to avail them as well as know the government’s regulatory requirements that will guide them in their business operations.

Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino, a businessman himself, was one of the speakers who shared not only practical and impressive techniques in marketing, but also urged participants of the training to initiate innovations in marketing. He mentioned “mobile market” for meat and vegetables as one of these innovations instead of putting up a “sari-sari” store that, further he said, now exists anywhere. Moreover, Mayor Aquino lauded the kind of efforts and strategies of the DTI Samar Provincial Office which contributes to the growth of the SMEs. This, he believes, will definitely strengthen the city’s economy. He also expressed high hopes that with the activity, these SMEs will be able to help in stabilizing the city’s economy, and likewise push it to greater heights of economic development.

Other subjects discussed in the training were “The Preparation of BIR Reportorial Requirement” by Assistant Revenue District Officer Atty. James Balagapo Jr.;“How to secure Food and Drugs Administration Certificate” by Food Regulations Officer II Eugenia Castillote, and “The SME Rehabilitation Financing Program of DBP” by Roy Valuis of the SME Center.(AIMEE CATALAN/PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- The regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-8) has reported that more than 32,000 board feet of illegally cut lumber were confiscated by their office for the past six months of this year. Leonardo Sibbaluca, executive director of the DENR-8, said that the confiscation of the illegally cut lumber and round timber was a result of their “intensified” campaign against illegal cutting in some parts of the region. From January up to May of this year, DENR personnel have confiscated 32,426 board feet of lumber and round timber with total commercial value of more than P3.5 million.

Sibbaluca said that cases for violation of Presidential Decree 705, otherwise known as the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines, was filed against four suspects which he did not identified. He also said four cargo trucks and four chain saws used in the illegal cutting of the forest products were also seized. Sibbaluca said that as part of their intensified campaign on illegal logging, checkpoints were put up in strategic areas in the region in coordination with the police, Army and other law enforcement agencies.
“We are maintaining and operating these checkpoints to deter those people who are into the illegal cutting of forest products,” he said. He added: “Most of the confiscations made by our men in the field were made possible with the cooperation and information by the people in the communities.” (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is strengthening its campaign against climate change as it urges local leaders and people living in the communities to do their share in protecting the already fragile condition of Mother Earth. Climate change was blamed for the series of weather changes that causes destruction of properties and deaths. The occurrence of Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), the world’s strongest typhoon on record to ever make landfall, was blamed to climate change. DENR Executive Regional Director Leonardo Sibbaluca said that climate change is now a reality that poses threats to mankind. Climate change, according to him, started with the discovery by the scientists that the hardened snow coming from the Antarctica and Greenland are now melting. Thus, it resulted to sea-level rise and the Philippines, as an archipelago, is one of the countries that was directly affected with the melting snows. “The best way to avoid these threats is to lessen the emissions of greenhouse gases and we are encouraging the local government units to enforce these down to their barangays,” Sibbaluca said. The DENR spearheaded a press conference on June 24 highlighting the effects of climate change. This year’s theme is “Nagbabago na ang Panahon. Panahon Na para Magbago.” Also present during the press conference was the officer-in-charge of the regional office of the Philippine Information Agency, Virgilio Galvez, who is also the deputy director general of said agency and other officials of the DENR. (DESSA MAE CASTRO, LNU Intern)