TACLOBAN CITY- The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration – Regional Welfare Office VIII held its annual Migrant Workers Day on June 7, 2014 at the People’s Center, this city wherein over 500 guests and participants came and actively joined the lined up activities. This year’s Migrant Workers’ Day is celebrated with the theme “Megranteng Pilipino…Magkasangga Tayo sa Kapakanan, Kabuhayan, at Kalusugan Mo.” The celebration started with a zumba dance workout, followed by a Eucharistic Celebration. OWWA was more than thankful for the support of DOLE RO 8, TESDA, POEA, NLRC, and other attached agencies. The message OWWA–OIC Josefino I. Torres was delivered by the OWWA RWO 8 Regional Director Norma C. Del Rosario; while Atty. Roy Buenafe on behalf of the DOLE RO 8 Regional Director Exequiel R. Saucarga, delivered the message of the DOLE Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldos. POEA Rose Jervoso prepared and aired a video presentation “Maging Matalino, Huwag Magpaloko”. A forum “Moving On” was conducted by the head of the Protective Services Unit of DSWD RO 8 Nilda Oliva who encouraged everyone to strive hard after having been devastated by the typhoon Yolanda. According to her, “Challenges are normal. Never give up, just keep going, just keep trying and everything will be alright.”  OWWA commended the PESO managers/OFW help desk officers of various municipalities for supporting the cash-for- work program. ALOBO or the Alang-Alang, Leyte OFW and Beneficiaries Organization was also recognized for being chosen as the “adopted town” of the OWWA Caraga Regional Coordinating Council, the award was received by the PESO manager and the president. EDSP (Education for Development Scholarship Program) and ODSP (OFW Dependent Scholarship Program) are two of the successful scholarship programs, and during the event two of the OWWA Scholars were given honor after graduating Cum Laude.  They are Jelly Ane Diamante who graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at the St. Joseph College; and Barbara H. Dalimoos who graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology at the Southern Leyte State University. Both received a Certificate and Cash Gifts from OWWA Central Office. The participants went home with packs of groceries, and shirts given-away by OWWA. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The United States government is eyeing a $142.5 million budget to rebuild communities pounded by super typhoon Yolanda last year, concentrating on improving education, health services and livelihood. US Agency for International Development (USAID) Acting Assistant Administrator for Asia Denise Rollins said the US government is renewing its commitment to help central Philippines build back better, after the devastating typhoon. “Our government is committed to help restore normalcy in the lives of the affected families. We will continue our work with our local partners to help provinces build back better, to be more resilient to future disasters, and ultimately work towards a more stable, prosperous nation that can achieve broad-based and inclusive growth,” Rollins said in her visit here last week. For the education sector, USAID will build 165 climate-resilient classrooms and provide teaching kits in the Visayas. At least 10 health facilities will be reconstructed, including the provision of equipment and supplies. Among the sites are Tacloban City, Tabon-tabon and Burauen towns, all in Leyte. The US government is also introducing climate-adaptive technologies to farmers and fisherfolks by training 3,000 farmers on short term food production, crop diversification study, provide tools to 5,000 fishermen on high value marine products production. “We will construct 30 critical infrastructures supporting agriculture and fishing activities. This includes public markets, boat landings, trading centers, warehouses and grain dryers,” Rollins said. Approximately 1,000 sari-sari stores will be constructed and rehabilitated by the USAID and American multinational giants, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble. The partnership will provide inventory and train store owners on basic store management. This initiative is expected to help restore livelihoods and help stabilize the supply and prices of basic consumer goods in typhoon-devastated communities, Rollins said. Asked when all these rebuilding projects will be completed, Rollins said: “It’s gonna take time because construction firms that cannot work on too many at one time. It’s a long-term effort, but we’re here to stay.” The US government will also provide technical assistance to the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR) in the coordination of recovery efforts. As of April, US has already provided $90.86 million grant for post-Yolanda response. Of the amount, $35 million was from USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), $34.5 million from US Department of Defense, $20.15 million from USAID Office of Food for Peace, and $1.20 million from USAID Philippines. In a USAID report, of the $90.86 million provided by the US government since the typhoon battered the region, 31% have been used for logistics and relief commodities; 28% for shelter and settlements; 23% for water, sanitation and hygiene; 10% for economic recovery and market system, 6% for protection; 1% for risk management policy and practice, and 1% for humanitarian coordination and information management. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY-A training program called “Connecting Communities through the Creative Arts” was held at Leyte Normal University (LNU) by Spark Philippines with the Apl.de.ap Foundation on June 17-19, 2014. The training is an approach for trauma healing and community reconciliation through the use of different forms of arts in the affected areas of the supertyphoon Yolanda. The training was participated by educators, barangay health workers and people who are dealing with children (facilitators) for them to learn and gain knowledge on how to use arts for recovering from the trauma that Yolanda caused. The entire training program for the facilitators covered different procedures such as the creative arts, theatre of the living, hands-on activities, individual/group discussion, sharing, and presentation; teaching moments, personal/group reflections, storytelling, case studies, scenario-building, simulations, and documentary snippets. The Spark Philippines and the Apl.de.ap Foundation organized the gathering for children to learn and enjoy something, in the same way that facilitators will be able to use different procedures in dealing with children. “We are one nation; whatever happens in one place also happens in the whole country. So, we want to tell them that we are doing everything that we can to help them in the best way that we can,” Kate Alyzon Ramil, Sparks Philippines project coordinator, said. After the three3-day training program, a practicum well be held at the New Kawayan for children with the facilitators. The pilot training was in Tacloban and they will also visit the other places who are hit by disasters such as Cebu, Bacolod and Bohol. (KAYE ANNE ORALLER LNU-Intern)

CALBAYOG CITY – Foreign investments of up to P1 billion per year for the next three years pour in to the Philippines as we now reach number 4 among the 27 high-burden countries in terms of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) with an estimated 13,000 cases as of 2012. This after two international funding organizations, The Global Fund and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), granted funds on March this year through the PBSP (Philippine Business for Social Progress) worth USD$70M (from The Global Fund) and a separate USD$28 million (from USAID) for the implementation of projects to support the goals of the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) in the Philippines. PBSP, a corporate-led, non-profit social development foundation in the Philippines, will extend support to anti-TB programs of local government units (LGUs), and one of those identified to receive such support is the city government of Calbayog. Kurt Baltero of the PBSP organization, during his visit to the city recently, said that they are set to put up PMDT (Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis) Treatment Facility in the city which will be a DOTS (Directly Observed Therapy-Short Course) facility as well. Activities in the facility, he added, will start from case detection, treatment, surveillance, and monitoring of patients suffering from MDR-TB. MDR-TB is tuberculosis that is resistant to at least isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RMP), the two most powerful first-line treatment anti-TB drugs. Treatment for those diagnosed as MDR cases will take minimum of two years, according to Baltero. Aside from the facility, other PBSP’s support that Baltero mentioned are manpower augmentation, staff trainings, equipment to start up operations, diagnostic services, financial assistance to patients, and facility budget for operational expenses. Baltero likewise stressed that the “would-be” counterpart of the LGU for this project is only an infrastructure support in place that can cater 10-20 patients, and one HR support that will ensure security and upkeep of all project-provided equipment and supplies in the facility. Other partners of PBSP in their fight against MDR-TB are the WHO (World Health Organization), MSH (Management Sciences for Health) and IMPACT (Innovations and Multisectoral Partnerships to Achieve Control of Tuberculosis). (AIMEE CATALAN/PR)