TACLOBAN CITY— Aspiring seafarers in Eastern Samar will soon have the opportunity to pursue maritime education closer to home following the inauguration of the Phase 1 Maritime Building at the Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) Guiuan Campus, Guiuan town, on Aug. 14.

Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales led the inauguration and turnover of the facility, which is envisioned to support the establishment of maritime programs at ESSU Guiuan.

Gonzales said the new facility would help prevent aspiring seafarers from having to leave the province just to take maritime-related courses.

He said Nautical Studies and Marine Engineering are among the programs that many Eastern Samar students have had to pursue outside the province.

“This will give our young people the opportunity to study maritime courses here in Eastern Samar instead of leaving the province,” Gonzales said.

The initiative is particularly significant for Eastern Visayas, which has a strong maritime tradition and is home to the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) in Tacloban City, one of the country’s major maritime training and research institutions.

Gonzales said the idea for the facility emerged after he and Rep. Marcelino Libanan of the 4Ps party-list group and House minority floor leader, examined the courses commonly pursued by Eastern Samar students and identified programs that often require them to study outside the province.

While education remains among the most commonly pursued fields by students in the province, Gonzales said maritime courses were also in demand but were not readily available locally.

This led to efforts to establish a maritime program in Eastern Samar, including the construction of the Maritime Building and the filing of House Bill No. 7693, with Libanan as principal author and Gonzales as co-author.

The proposed measure seeks to establish the province’s first state-run College of Maritime Studies, offering a Bachelor of Science in Maritime Transportation aligned with International Maritime Organization standards and the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

Gonzales also stressed the importance of cooperation among provincial leaders in advancing education and infrastructure projects.

“We now have many good infrastructure projects and many good programs. Many positive things are happening in our province because our leaders are united. You can see the progress of education in our province. Eastern Samar is not a rich province, so we need to support education. That is why this is one of the things we are focusing on,” he said.
ESSU President Andres Pagatpatan Jr. said putting up a competitive maritime program would require more than a building.

“Establishing a competitive maritime program requires more than a building. We need modern, industry-relevant equipment, qualified and competent faculty members, facilities, and advanced technologies such as navigational simulators and other maritime training equipment,” Pagatpatan said.

Libanan, meanwhile, pledged continued support for education initiatives benefiting Eastern Samar youth, saying investments in knowledge and skills would contribute to the province’s future development.

He also emphasized the importance of bringing higher education closer to students so they can pursue their chosen professions without imposing additional expenses on their families for schooling outside the province.

The Phase 1 Maritime Building has an allocation of P50 million, while P60 million has been allocated for Phase 2 and another P50 million for Phase 3. Construction of Phases 2 and 3 is ongoing.

Once completed and fully equipped, the facility is expected to expand ESSU Guiuan’s academic offerings and provide maritime education and training opportunities to students from Guiuan and other parts of Eastern Samar.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY — Health officials here are urging parents to reject misinformation about vaccines as the city struggles to reach eligible children in its measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaign, with only 18 percent of the target vaccinated as of Aug. 18.

The City Health Office (CHO) reported that 3,484 children had received the MR vaccine out of the city’s target of 19,225 children, prompting health workers to intensify efforts to convince parents and guardians to have their children vaccinated.

Rowena Bracamonte Faller, city program coordinator for the National Immunization Program, said health workers have encountered parents who became hesitant or resistant to vaccination because of misinformation circulating online and in communities.

In some instances, health workers conducting the campaign have also encountered hostility from parents and guardians.

“Unta diri tumuod sa fake news kay kairo man san aton kabataan,” Faller said in an interview posted online, appealing to parents not to believe false claims about vaccines.
City Health Officer Dr. Sylvia de Guzman earlier said the CHO was “exhausting all means and opportunities to intervene” to improve the city’s Fully Immunized Child coverage.
The CHO is targeting more than 80 percent vaccination coverage to help build community protection against measles and rubella and reduce the risk of outbreaks.

Mayor Raymund Uy has likewise urged parents and guardians of children aged 6 to 59 months to take advantage of the vaccination campaign.

“An bakuna usa nga love language — usa nga paagi san pagpakita san aton gugma, pag-ataman, ngan pagprotekta san aton kabataan,” Uy said in a social media post.

Health officials emphasized that measles and rubella are viral diseases that can be prevented through vaccination. Measles is highly contagious and may lead to serious complications, particularly among young children, while rubella is usually milder but can cause severe birth defects if a woman becomes infected during pregnancy.

The MR vaccine provides protection against both diseases, making high vaccination coverage important in preventing transmission and protecting children and other vulnerable members of the community.

The low turnout in Calbayog highlights the continuing challenge faced by local health authorities in countering vaccine misinformation and rebuilding confidence in routine and supplemental immunization programs.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY— Construction of the Tacloban-Palo diversion road has reached 42.30 percent overall progress, with the remaining 1.221 kilometers of the 3.232-kilometer project awaiting about P2.113 billion in funding from 2027 onward.

The project, which includes a drainage system, is intended to provide an alternative route between Tacloban City and its neighboring town of Palo and help reduce traffic congestion and flooding in communities along the alignment.

As of July 2026, 756 meters of the road have been completed, while another 1.256 kilometers are under construction.

The diversion road has an estimated total cost of P4.445 billion. About P2.332 billion has been released under the 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025 General Appropriations Acts, covering completed portions and sections currently being built.

The remaining 1.221 kilometers, estimated to cost P2.113 billion, have been listed for funding under the 2027 fiscal year and succeeding years. Construction will continue on sections covered by existing appropriations, while work on the unfunded portion will depend on the release of future appropriations.

Once completed, the road is expected to provide motorists with an alternative to existing routes and ease congestion.

The project also includes flood-control and drainage facilities intended to reduce flooding in affected areas of Tacloban and Palo.

Improved drainage and road access are also expected to make currently idle and swampy areas more suitable for future development.

The 3.232-kilometer road begins at the Tide Embankment Project in Barangay San Jose, Tacloban City, and ends at Barangay Campetic along the Daang Maharlika in Palo.

When completed, the project will be a four-lane concrete road with 3.35-meter-wide lanes, bike lanes, sidewalks, a service road, solar-powered streetlights and road safety devices.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY — Eastern Samar Gov. Ralph Vincent Evardone has ordered a province-wide assessment of school security amid a sharp rise in reported bullying cases and recent shooting incidents involving students in Zamboanga City and Tacloban City.

Evardone convened an inter-agency meeting with education officials, police and other concerned agencies to assess security risks in schools and identify measures to prevent similar incidents in Eastern Samar.

“We want these figures because we want an approach based on what we have, and ayaw nating manghula,” Evardone said, stressing the need for data-driven planning in strengthening school safety.

He directed the Department of Education (DepEd) provincial and city schools divisions to submit within 30 days a comprehensive directory classifying schools according to their security conditions and level of risk.

The assessment will consider several factors, including student population, reported bullying incidents, accessibility, nearby houses and other structures, perimeter fencing, the availability and functionality of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and other potential security concerns.

Schools classified as high-risk will be prioritized for additional security interventions.
The meeting also highlighted a significant increase in reported bullying cases in Borongan City. Data presented by the Borongan City Schools Division showed that reported incidents have steadily risen since 2022, with cases more than tripling during the period.
Evardone said one school in Borongan accounted for 120 of the 176 reported bullying incidents, describing the figure as “very alarming.”

He cautioned, however, that the data represent only reported cases, noting that some students may hesitate to report bullying because of fear or other concerns.

To encourage students to speak up, officials agreed to establish an anonymous reporting mechanism that would allow incidents to be reported without requiring students to disclose their identities.

“We need to know what incident happened, when and where, even without the names of those reporting, so we are aware of the situation and can look into it,” Evardone said.
The province is also considering a test of its 911 emergency response system to assess its readiness to respond to school-related emergencies.

The Eastern Samar Police Provincial Office (ESPPO) presented measures aimed at increasing police visibility around schools, including the establishment of Police Assistance Desks, foot patrols during student arrival and dismissal, closer coordination with school officials and intensified anti-bullying campaigns.

Police will also strengthen efforts to prevent unauthorized access to firearms through Oplan Katok, including visits to registered firearm owners to remind them to properly secure their guns and keep them inaccessible to children and other unauthorized persons.

Evardone stressed that firearm safety is not solely a government responsibility, saying private firearm owners also have an obligation to ensure that children cannot gain access to guns.

The governor also committed to allocating funds this year and next year for additional school security measures, including CCTV cameras, metal detectors and perimeter fencing.
The initiatives come as schools across the country face renewed scrutiny over campus safety following recent incidents of violence involving students, underscoring the need for preventive measures, early reporting of threats and stronger coordination among schools, law enforcement agencies and local governments.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)