MAASIN CITY– Gerlie Roa, a resident of Barangay Laboon in Southern Leyte, is a testament to the positive impact of the Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (PPG), a program under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The 37-year-old, who runs a small convenience store in her upland community, expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the grant she received through the program.

“This grant has been a huge help,” Roa shared. “Now, we have a more well-stocked store and can ensure we have enough food for our family.”

Roa’s experience highlights the program’s success in empowering small businesses and providing vital support to communities in Southern Leyte.

The PPG program provides livelihood kits and training to help entrepreneurs establish and grow their businesses, contributing to economic development and improving the lives of individuals like Roa.

“Yes, sir, this is a big help. At least we are assured of having food, the viands from the sales of the store,” Roa said in a vernacular.

In a phone interview with the Philippine Information Agency, Roa recalled that she has been operating her sari-sari store for about two years now.

Initially, customers would just pass by without noticing her business, but after receiving the PPG livelihood starter kits, her store transformed with a variety of products displayed.

“I am new to selling, and I have the requirements—registration and BIR. Before Typhoon Odette, or after Odette, I started selling, but it was small, just a few items, buyers just pass by, but now it has improved,” she said.

The improvement did not occur overnight; it all began with a seminar organized by DTI in collaboration with the barangay local government unit, in which Roa was one of those invited to join.

On September 13, 2024, coinciding with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s birthday, Roa received a livelihood kit at the provincial gym. The kit, valued at P10,000, included grocery items and basic consumer goods under the DTI’s PPG program.

The event was part of a nationwide initiative titled ‘Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat,’ in which the provincial DTI office joined along with several national agencies.

Roa was one of 35 local entrepreneurs from Maasin City and the neighboring town, Macrohon, selected as beneficiaries after meeting the required qualifications.

In addition to sari-sari store owners, various other livelihood kits were distributed, including fish retailing kits, bakeshop kits, boarding house/homestay kits, and eatery kits.
Before September concluded, 180 more business kits were distributed to other local government units across the province, as reported by the DTI’s provincial office on its social media page.

“The ‘Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat’ aims to bring government services closer to the people by introducing essential programs, offering assistance to kickstart livelihoods, and supporting Filipinos in their needs, especially in disaster-prone areas,” the DTI further said.

For Roa, a mother of three children, with her eldest child now 10 years old and the youngest, one year old, and whose husband works in Manila to support the family, that message really makes sense.

(MMP, PIA Southern Leyte, with reports from Wencel Marie Laroa, DTI Southern Leyte)

TACLOBAN CITY – Two more towns in Southern Leyte have been formally declared as completely free from the threats of the New People’s Army (NPA), the Philippine Army said on Monday.

Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade, said the declaration led by the town mayors of San Ricardo and Pintuyan marked a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to maintain peace and stability.

“With no sightings of armed rebels for several years now, these towns have achieved insurgency-free status and officially, stable internal peace and security conditions (SIPSC),” Vestuir said in a phone interview.

A town earns SIPSC status if there has been no NPA activity in the area for several years, and no resident is identified as an active armed rebel, according to Vestuir.

Ceremonies were held on Oct. 11 to highlight the declarations, which included the signing of memoranda of agreements and pledges of commitment, along with the simultaneous release of white doves, symbolizing peace and new beginnings.

Earlier this year, officials held the same declaration in 39 towns in Leyte Island, Biliran province, and some parts of Samar and Eastern Samar provinces under the operational area of the 802nd Infantry Brigade.

In Southern Leyte province, the rebel-free status has been declared earlier in the towns of Padre Burgos, Bontoc, and Macrohon.

Vestuir said these municipalities were cleared of communist terrorist group influence for years and have since achieved conflict-manageable status.

The military said several areas in the region have long been peaceful; hence, the declaration of the SIPS condition is just a formal and official manifestation of the commitment of local leaders and people to sustain the peace, and never allow any threat groups to gain a foothold in their communities.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)

Part of renewable energy campaign

TACLOBAN CITY – The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) has formalized partnerships with two local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Visayas to install rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on their municipal buildings, marking a significant step towards promoting renewable energy in the region.

The beneficiary municipalities, Guiuan in Eastern Samar and Paranas in Samar, will each receive solar PV systems valued at P6.7 million.

The agreements were signed on October 11 by ICSC Executive Director Angelo Kairos dela Cruz, alongside Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan and Paranas Mayor Eunice Babalcon.

The installation of these rooftop solar PV systems is part of ICSC’s initiative to encourage the adoption of renewable energy (RE) at the local level, driving solar uptake in municipal, commercial, industrial, and residential buildings.

Once completed, these projects will bolster the energy independence of the LGUs, reducing reliance on unstable grid power and frequent blackouts that plague Samar Island.

Additionally, the solarization efforts are expected to lower long-term energy costs, allowing savings to be redirected to other municipal investments, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel dependency.

The Solarize Guiuan project will feature the installation of 100 bifacial solar panels, each with a capacity of 600 watts, for a total peak capacity of 60 kilowatts.

Meanwhile, the Solarize Paranas initiative will install 88 bifacial panels with a capacity of 555 watts each, totaling 48.84 kilowatts.

Mayor Kwan emphasized that Guiuan’s reliance on costly and unreliable grid electricity has hampered the municipality’s economic growth.

“Our town has suffered from high energy costs and persistent power outages, discouraging investors and hindering the productivity of our fisheries sector,” said Kwan. “We cannot progress; we remain poor because of power issues.”

Kwan expressed hope that the solarization of the municipal building would encourage private enterprises and other government offices in Guiuan to adopt renewable energy, mitigating the impact of frequent power interruptions on their operations.

Paranas Mayor Babalcon, who initiated the municipality’s solarization efforts in 2019 with the installation of PV systems for the municipal evacuation center and materials recovery facility, said this latest initiative will further strengthen Paranas’ commitment to climate action.

“The Solarize Paranas project fortifies our existing solarization efforts and enhances our focus on climate mitigation and adaptation,” Babalcon noted. “This step contributes to our broader goal of reducing the impacts of climate change.”

She also highlighted the importance of renewable energy during disasters, when grid power is often unavailable. “Solar power ensures that during typhoons, we can keep lights on in evacuation centers and maintain communication, which is critical in emergency situations,” Babalcon said.

Under the agreement, the LGUs will manage and maintain the hybrid photovoltaic systems donated and installed by ICSC.

The agreement also requires the LGUs to apply for net metering with their respective distribution utilities—Samar Electric Cooperative II (Samelco II) for Paranas and Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (Esamelco) for Guiuan.

This will allow the LGUs to sell surplus electricity generated on weekends when municipal buildings typically have lower power consumption.

If Guiuan’s net metering application is approved, it will become the first member-consumer of Esamelco to benefit from the net metering law.

Additionally, the LGUs are tasked with developing a rooftop-mounted Solar Power Station Roadmap, identifying the solar potential of public buildings in their municipalities, and passing a Municipal Renewable Energy Ordinance to institutionalize rooftop solar adoption. ICSC will provide technical assistance to support these efforts.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)