TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is stepping up the promotion of the region’s sweet variety of jackfruit citing its unique taste and market potential.
Dubbed as Eastern Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (EVIARC) sweet variety, the fruit has its special features such as natural sweetness, thickness of the fruitlet and yellow in color, aromatic, ellipsoid in shape and contains moderate latex, said Department of Agriculture field operations division chief Francisco Dayap.
“Eastern Visayas is one of the jackfruit producing regions in the Philippines. Aside from the region’s climatic condition, which is favorable for the growth and development of jackfruit, the EVIARC in Abuyog, Leyte has even boosted the region’s reputation with the development of its sweet variety,” Dayap said.
As of last year, the region has more than 1,258 hectares planted with this variety. The target is to expand the cultivated areas to 4,409 hectares by 2022.
The agriculture official is optimistic of hitting the target considering the support of the national government in the past three years to develop the commodity.
Among the opportunities cited by Dayap are the presence of technical experts provided by DA and Visayas State University; strong partnership between farmers and government agencies; and the great demand which is greater than production.
“The development of EVIARC sweet reflects the region’s goal of being the lead producer of high quality fresh and processed jackfruit in the Philippines, which captures both local and domestic markets by 2022,” Dayap added.
DA has been training farmers who are affiliated to an association to help them expand the market and to increase its production. The agency has been distributing planting materials and machineries to recipients. (MELVA MAE C. MENIANO)

MAASIN CITY – Easier access to tourism destinations in Southern Leyte province for nature-loving tourists is expected with the near completion of P137 million road project.
DPWH Southern Leyte district engineering office chief Ma. Margarita Junia said they are speeding up the construction of the eight access roads, up for completion this quarter.
“Our reports show that six of the access roads are now almost complete while the two other roads are showing quick progress in the implementation. Hopefully, if problems do not arise, we will be able to finish this in due time,” Junia said.
Reports show that access road linking Buenavista Dive Site in Padre Burgos town and Calag-itan Fish Sanctuary in Hinunangan town posted highest accomplishment rate at 97 percent followed by Mainit Hot Spring access road in Anahawan town at 95 percent.
Other ongoing projects (with respective completion rate) road connecting Bitoon Beach in Liloan town and Doña Marta and Casa Isabel in Hinunagan town (89 percent), road leading to Hindag-an Falls in St. Bernard town (83 percent), road to Monte Cueva and Danao Camp Tree Park in Maasin (61 percent), and access road to Crater Lake in San Juan town (21 percent).
The infrastructure agency has earmarked P137 million to upgrade access roads to identified tourism destinations in the province.
“Through our coordination with Department of Tourism, we managed to identify sites that have the potential to draw more tourists in the province which would hopefully spur development for the communities near these sites,” Junia said.
The construction of tourism access roads is part of the 0+10-point economic agenda of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte aimed at promoting rural and value chain development toward increasing agricultural and rural enterprise productivity and rural tourism.
Southern Leyte province is known for its world-class dive sites, caves, extreme adventure sites, waterfalls, safari, river trekking crater lake trekking, fish feeding, rain forest tramping, scuba diving and whale shark interaction, island escapades, beach fun, and religious journeys. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- The regional Commission on Population (Popcom) joined in the marking of the World Population Day last week as it issued alarm on the rising number of unwanted pregnancies.
To date, it is estimated that about 30% of the world population growth is due to unwanted or accidental pregnancies.
And in actual numbers, it is about 28 million accidental or unwanted births per year, Elnora Pulma, regional director of Popcom-8, said.
Pulma said that lack of basic sexual reproduction information, adequate family planning, access to birth control, or a combination of the three things were the cited as reasons why unwanted pregnancies continue to occur.
The Popcom director said that the big challenge for the commission is to ensure that policies and programs embrace the well-established benefits of enabling women to choose whether and when to become pregnant- actions and values that are integral to human rights.
Family planning is now considered as a human right as it is central to gender equality and women’s empowerment and a key factor in reducing poverty.
World Population Day, held annually every July 11, seeks to draw attention to this problem as the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is keen on attaining and sustaining unmet need and the urgency of other population issues- mainly, the effects of overpopulation on the world and the current rate of population growth will not be able to be sustained into the future.
In the Philippines, from 105.53 million in 2017, the country’s population will rise to 107.19 million by the end of 2018, citing projections by the Philippine Statistics Authority based on the latest census in 2015.
The increase would be boosted by some 1.8 million babies expected to be born this year, representing a growth rate of 1.69 percent.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY-A 27-year old student in one of the government-run universities in the city was arrested in possession of suspected ‘shabu’ valued at P17,000 on Friday (July 13)noon.
Arrested by the members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was Francis Jay Ritchie Quitorio who resides in Barangay 62, BLISS, Sagkahan district, this city.
Also arrested was Quitorio’s companion, Joven Dale Jumao-as and a resident of V&G subdivision also in the city.
The two were arrested in a sting operation in Barangay 31, Real Street at about 12:30 noon.
Seized from the two suspects were five sachets of suspected shabu weighing 10.5 grams with a street value of P17,000.
“We have been consistent in our appeal to them to stop engaging in the illegal drugs. While it is easy money, they should also realize that we continue in our campaign against illegal drugs,” Rogelette Urgel, PDEA-8 information officer, said.
She said that she feel bad that even students like Quitorio are being arrested due to illegal drugs activity.
The school where Quitorio is enrolled was not divulged by Urgel.
And in a separate sting operation, one Renato Laviña,43 and a public utility vehicle driver, was arrested by PDEA operatives on Friday at about 4:30 pm at their village in Brgy. 86, San Jose district.
Seized from the suspect were 25 sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P170,000.
All three are now detained at the Tacloban city lock-up facilities and charged for illegal possession and selling of prohibited drugs.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY –The region has the most number of learning sites and school for practical agriculture (SPA) which serves as venues for demonstration and promotion of sustainable ecotourism through organic farming.
These schools are located in the provinces of Southern Leyte, Leyte, Biliran, and Samar, and in the cities of Ormoc and Tacloban, Director Vilma Patindol of the Agricultural Training Institute Regional Training Center 8 (ATI-RTC 8), said.
They serves as school for hands-on training and the farmer-owner acts as the teacher and community extension worker serves as farmers to further enhance their farming knowledge and skills as well as for those who would want to venture in farming.
Among these farm schools are Canaan Hills Farm in Caibiran, Biliran;Bendicar Farm Agri-Eco Tourism in Sogod, Southern Leyte; Villa Conzoilo Community Association in Jaro,Leyte; Uncle Job’s Farm in Mahaplag, Leyte; Juanito Eco Farm School for Practical Agriculture (JEFSPA) in Kananga, also in Leyte; Bendicar’s Farm & Food Products, La Caridad Farm both in Sogod; RGV Farm in Macrohon and the Mercedes Upland Farmers Development Association (MUFDA) in Silago, both in Southern Leyte; McKinley Integrated Diversified Organic Farming System Farmer’s Association (MIDOFSFA) in Catarman, Northern Samar; Mila and Maning’s Farm in Borongan City, Aragon’s Nature Farm in Ormoc City and La Granja here in Tacloban City.
Senator Cynthia Villar, who chairs the committee on agriculture and food, has been urging farmers’ organizations and farm owners to convert their farm lands into SPAs to help in the food security and in teaching other farmers on the new technology of farming to increase their production and income.
“Farmers are important part of our country that is why I want to help in improving and uplifting the condition by improving their income. Farmers might stop cultivating their farms if their income will not increase which may result to food security problem,” Villar said in a statement.
The senator is the main authored of Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) here in the region presented the awards to winners of its sponsored poster-making contest Saturday (July 14).
Lyka Mae Piangco of Wright National High School of Samar Division in Paranas town was adjudged as first place winner, winning P10,000 cash prize.
Pianco’s poster focused on the role of PhilHealth among Filipinos coming from all walks of life, and how the agency help a number of patients through the years.
The two other winners, Christian Holares of the Leyte National High School of the Tacloban City Division as the second placer, who received P3,000, and Desiree Dioneza of Wright National High School also of Samar Division who she received P2,000.
All winners also received certifications together with their coaches.
As the regional winner, Piangco’s work will be included for the 2019 PhilHealth calendar.
The PhilHealth poster-making contest has a theme, “Ang PhilHealth sa aking mga Mata”.
The said contest was open to all grade 10 junior high schools students in all public secondary school. Participating schools were allowed to submit one poster entry made by their Grade 10 student/group of students to the Youth Formation Unit of the School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD).
Asisclo Militante Jr., regional vice president of PhilHealth-8, said that the poster-making contest became an avenue for the students to showcase their talents in arts and express through their own eyes their gained knowledge, awareness, and understanding about PhilHealth.
Renato Limsiaco Jr., the newly-promoted senior vice president for fund management sector of PhilHealth, and Militante handed the award to the winners. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)