(L-R) Lance Gokongwei, president and chief operating officer of JGSHI; Tacloban City Councilor Cristina Romualdez; former Tacloban City Mayor Alfredo “Bejo” Romualdez; Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez; and Frederick Go of Robinsons lead in the cutting of the ceremonial ribbon during the formal opening yesterday of Go Hotels Tacloban. LITO ABALA BAGUNAS

Based on records of the regional office of the Department of Education, the region need about 207 new kindergarten teachers to fill up vacancies across the region.

And out of its six provinces, Leyte has the highest needs at 56 new teachers for kindergarten with the island province of Biliran has the lowest need at three slots, Rebecca Ragrag,officer-in-charge of the policy, planning and research division of the regional office of the Department of Education, said.

Ragrag said that the 207 teacher’s need of the region for the kindergarten level was already given funding through the Department of Budget and Management.

“The DBM has already issued notice of salary and compensation appropriations for these items. We are now ready for the implementation (of the K to 12 program),” Ragrag said.

Ragrag, however, could not say the amount allocated by the DBM for the 207 slots. But it was learned that the national government has allotted over P2.4 billion for kinder beginning this school year.   

Under the K to 12 program, all five year old children are mandated to take the kindergarten before they would be allowed to enter Grade 1, integrating it as part of the basic education program in the elementary.

Ragrag said that for Samar, 46 new kindergarten teachers are needed; 43 for Northern Samar; 25 for Eastern Samar and 15 for Southern Leyte.

And among the old four cities of the region, Calbayog City in Samar has the highest need for new kindergarten teachers at 10 followed by Ormoc with 6; Tacloban 5 and one for Maasin.

The new cities of the region, namely Catbalogan in Samar; Borongan in Eastern Samar and Baybay in Leyte are still within the jurisdiction of their respective provincial schools divisions.

It was learned from Ragrag that based on their early registration conducted by the department last January, there will be 82,455 children aged five years old who would enter the kindergarten across the region.

And among the six provinces, Leyte has the highest kindergarten enrollment at 26,984 followed by Northern Samar, 13,706.
Other provinces have the following kindergarten enrollment- Samar (12,750) Eastern Samar (10,466); Biliran (3,020); and Southern Leyte (5,634).

And among the cities, Calbayog has the highest with 3,684 followed by Ormoc with 2,914; Tacloban (1,866) and Maasin (1,431).

By Joey A. Gabieta
Staff Writer

The 98-room hotel will be carrying over the same pricing concept together with the same hotel and room feature, which was formally opened yesterday along with the expansion wing of Robinsons Place Tacloban.

Frederick Go, RLC president and chief operating officer, said the business friendly environment of the city has motivated them to expand their business in the city.

“The inspired leadership of the city government has inspired us well to do business in Tacloban. We hope that the gohotel in Tacloban will do well just like our other hotels in provinces,” Go said.

Mayor Alfred Romualdez thanked RLC for their confidence of Tacloban market, which indicates the Bangko Sentral report that the region is also in the top rank in terms of money circulations.

Arlene Magtibay, RLC commercial center division general manager, said that Robinson Place Tacloban owes its success to its strategic location as well as its interesting tenant mix, which has served the needs of locals and transient shoppers.

In addition, gohotels is expected to benefit from their locations in the second floor of expansion the new wing of Robinsons Place.

The mall will make it more convenient for hotel guests who will be looking for dining, shopping and entertainment options.

Operating like its affiliate company low cost carrier Cebu Pacific, gohotels.ph rewards early bookers – the earlier you book your room, the lower your room rate. It’s the budget airline pricing concept applied to the hotel industry.

The price at which you’ll get your room depends on time and demand, so one can easily get the same room for a lower rate just by finalizing his or her reservation considerably in advance.

Its first branch opened in Cybergate Plaza, Mandaluyong City. Following its success, gohotels.ph expanded to Puerto Princesa, Dumaguete, Bacolod and now in Tacloban.

The firm promotes the budget hotel chain for having online booking, cotton sheets, LCD television monitors, wireless Internet access, and security through magnetic keycards and a closed-circuit television system. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)

Police Senior Inspector Romulo Alvarina, the town’s police chief, said they are still conducting further investigation to give them leads as to the real motive of the suspects and their arrest.

The victims were identified as Alfredo Cagyat, 77 years old, and Sonny Pelonio, 40, both residents of Brgy. Panda of said town who were shot to death in two different incidents by an undetermined number and still unidentified persons recently.

According to police accounts, Mercedes Cagyat, 66, wife of the first victim, said that they were asleep when they noticed the presence of the suspects at their backyard which prompted the victim to go outside.

But she said her husband was suddenly shot several times which caused his death.

Alvarina informed that the gunmen immediately went to the nipa house of the second victim and shot Pelonio in the head.

He said the suspects immediately fled but 15 empty shells of an M16 Armalite rifle were recovered in the backyard of Cagyat while two empty shells of the same firearm were recovered from Pelonio’s house.

“We are taking all angles of the crime. We cannot say yet if the crime was prompted by robbery or theft of a carabao or if these came only from personal grudges but we have already coordinated to police stations of our nearby towns,” he said. (ALVIN P. CARDINES)

 Justerie Granali, BFAR acting regional director, said that poisonous starfish has been reported in many coral reefs in Southern Leyte covered by underwater assessments in Padre Burgos, Macrohon, Maasin City, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc, Libagon and Limasawa.

 “Two underwater assessments were conducted by our office covering all areas where there are reported COTS infestations. Our activity is now focused on extraction of the pest,” Granali told Leyte Samar Daily Express.

Of the 217 hectares infested by COTS, 65 hectares are in Tomas Oppus, 60 hectares in Padre Burgos, 52 hectares in Limasawa, 16 hectares in Malitbog, nine hectares in Maasin City, five hectares in Macrohon,  two hectares in Bontoc, and two hectares in Libagon, The study conducted in March concentrating in over 100 hectares of coral area.

 “Limasawa Island was observed to have the widest in all of the survey sites in Southern Leyte. The COTS population density is three times higher than what was reported in Padre Burgos town. Removal is focused in that island since it was noted that 90% of starfish there are sexually mature,” Granali added.

 Granali said that recent COTS outbreak has been noted in many coral reefs in the country since 2007. In August 2011, same infestation was experienced in Hilapad Reef in Tolosa, leaving the coral cover depleted.

 In March 2012, COTS occurrence was reported in Brgy. San Juan, Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte.  Various groups has extracted 16,270 pieces of damaging starfish in a one-day collection in Padre Burgos.

 The BFAR official urges local government units to take the lead in the extraction of the crown- of- thorns starfish in affected areas.

 “The outbreak has serious implications on the province’s fish production. According to marine scientists, coral reef yield range from 25 to 30 metric tons per hectare for every square kilometers of healthy coral reefs,” Granali explained.

 The COTS has 16 to 18 arms and are covered all over with thousands of long venomous spines. The spines are extremely sharp and are known to have toxic reaction to humans. Known as the second largest starfish in the world, COTS can grow up to 80 centimeters in diameter.

 The starfish lives up to eight years and a single crown- of- thorns consumes six square meters of healthy reef in a year, according to BFAR.

 For 2013, the BFAR regional office is seeking a P2 million budget to manually remove the starfish. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)

Lapuz was the founding member of PCPR, coordinator of the Eastern Visayas convenors of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Visayas Jurisdiction, and the conference minister of the North Eastern Leyte Conference when he was killed in San Isidro, Leyte on May 12, 2005 shortly after attending the burial of his father-in-law.

According to PCPR-EV spokesperson Irma Mepico-Balaba, Lapuz’s advocacy earned the indignation of people who wanted to crush the voices of legitimate dissent. 

“Like others before him, Rev. Lapuz joins the list of Christian martyrs who have been killed because of their dedication to defend the powerless.” 

“With this, the Promotion of Church People’s Response-Eastern Visayas calls for justice not only for the church people who have been killed but for all the victims of human rights violations.  To the perpetrators, you do not have the final say. You may have killed their bodies but their spirits remain in us as we continue the advocacy that they have
started,” Balaba declared in a press statement.

She also enjoined fellow religious groups to “denounce the unabated human rights violations in the country and to resist military rule over civilian authority in the strongest possible terms.”

“We also urge the perpetrators to stop vilifying and slaying church workers who are actively and sincerely doing Christ’s mission of establishing His kingdom here on earth where justice and peace reign.”

Balaba added there were already 18 UCCP members who were victims of extra-judicial killings whose families until now haven’t received justice.

On June 2011, emboldened by the initiative of her church (UCCP), Emma, the wife of Lapuz, decided to join with the relatives of other UCCP members who were also victims of extrajudicial killings in filing a damage suit against former President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo. (RONALD REYES)

Raquel Capio, senior coordinator of Private Sector Promotion Program of German Development Cooperation (GIZ), said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Eastern Visayas has confirmed through LRED, the local government units were able increase jobs, investments, exports and the competitiveness of MSMEs.

“In the final phase of the program, a substantial increase by at least 10% in new investments is aimed to achieve in LRED cities and municipalities that would generate more jobs and income for local residents and increased revenues for the local government unit,” Capio told Leyte Samar Daily Express.

Since 2004, LRED has been implemented in 16 Leyte towns and cities; 14 in Southern Leyte; 18 in Samar; and one each in Eastern Samar, Biliran and Northern Samar.

“Without GIZ and DTI assistance, LRED has been replicated in 84 local government units all over the Visayas and has also been successfully scaled up in five Luzon and 11 Mindanao cities and municipalities,” Capio said.

LRED is a participatory analysis, planning and implementation process wherein public and private stakeholders in a locality work together to improve conditions for economic growth and employment generation.

“It’s about mobilizing people and making them work to effect change. It focuses on the provision of capacity development, advice and support for national government agencies, local government units and private sector organizations on how to achieve local and regional economic competitiveness,” Capio said.

“In Leyte, the cities of Ormoc and Baybay and the municipalities of Carigara and Palompon were supported towards a more participatory economic development. The local government units were able to bring public and private sectors together to work for economic development,” Capio added.

Ormoc City and the municipalities of Carigara and Palompon promoted and implemented reducing the cost of doing business through streamlining of Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS), while Baybay City developed and implemented a five-year tourism and investment plan.

Capio said LRED local government units in Samar have cited the active participation of the local chambers in their respective areas and the increased number of public private partnership arrangements in their localities. (REYAN L. ARINTO)

INOPACAN, LEYTE - With the recent fiesta celebration of Inopacan, Leyte, House assistant minority leader and Leyte (1st Dist) Rep.Ferdinand Martin "FM" Romualdez (3rd right) visited good friends in this municipality. Photo shows Rep. Romualdez with friends former Mayor Al Lloren (right) and wife Dra.Janice Lloren. Also in photo are from left Hindang Leyte Councilor Roy Jumao-as, Former Mayor Pepe Lloren and Cordova, Cebu Mayor Adelino Sitoy. (Photo by Ver S. Noveno)

“It is much better if we rehabilitate the entire building rather than only some parts of it, that is why I provided additional fund,” Noel said.

At present, the contractor under the supervision of the Department of Public Works and Highways regional office had already started their work in rehabilitating the dilapidated legislative building..

It was learned from Antoni that priority as of the moment by the contractor is to fix the ceiling, walls and the comfort rooms of the building.

The contractor will use the initial P2 million fund that Rep. Noel turned over last year to the city council.

“After which the contractor will go to the respective offices of the city council members,” Antoni said.

He added that the implementation of the repair was on the right timing as the city council is on recess for two weeks.

“When we resume our session this month of June, members of the city council will now see the difference in the session hall that used to being flooded during rainy days,” Antoni said.

Aside from the additional fund that Noel had provided to the city council, it was learned that the city government is also planning to provide additional rehabilitation fund for the legislative building which they also did last year after Noel handed over the SARO to Antoni.

Reacting to this report, Antoni said that until this time he had not seen any contractor or personnel from the City Engineer’s Office who implemented the previously promised fund for the rehabilitation that the city mayor had promised.
“It is only Rep. Noel who had fulfilld the promise therefore it is him who should I thank for,” Antoni said. (Roel Amazona)

It was alleged that Garcia’s presence at the LNU House might result for giving favor to the university having the CHEd as mandated government agency to supervise all collegiate and universities in the country.

Pablo Amascual, administrative officer III of the LNU, said that Garcia’s stay at the LNU House is not free of charge.

“She is paying for her stay at the LNU.But I am not sure how much she is paying as there might have an agreement between her and the president of the university,” said Amascual.

Based on the complaint, it alleged that from an amount of around P10,000 a month, the regional director is only paying P3, 000 per month.

However, it was learned from another employee of LNU, who asked to withhold her identity, that presidents of state colleges and universities to include other government agency directors who want to stay at LNU House are automatically given 50% discount and addition discount as per discretion of the LNU president.

The employee also stated that the president of LNU allows Garcia to stay at LNU House for humanitarian reason, as she was not from the region and at present the building for the CHEd regional office located at the campus of the Eastern Visayas State University is still under construction.

“If the CHEd office is already done, she’ll transfer there,” the employee said.

Amascual added that it is impossible for the CHEd regional director to give favor to them, as they have board of regent who approve any regulations that they made but still subject to the approval of CHEd.

However, he stressed that it is the CHEd commissioner who has the full authority on them and not the regional director.

“They (CHEd regional office), however, validate us, if we are complaint to the enforcement of all memorandum order that the central office of CHEd issues to all tertiary schools in the country,” Amascual added. (ROEL AMAZONA)

After making courtesy call with the office of District Engineer David P. Adongay Jr., Fire Officer 3 Apolinar D. Juego and Fire Officer 2 Cesar P. Arnio made thorough inspections of the electrical outlets, connections, extension wires and other similar electrical paraphernalia’s inside the three NSSDEO buildings to ensure that they are all in accordance with the Fire Safety Code. No less than DE Adongay and ADE Ferdinand Briones accompanied the BFP personnel in examining the whole structures to determine the actual level of safety of the district office in terms of its electrical connections. True enough, after the inspection a number of recommendations has been pointed by the two BFP personnel finding a lot of inappropriate connections especially widespread use of substandard extension wires. Accordingly, they explained that said faulty connections are not only potential source of hazards that may result to fire disasters but causes of high energy consumptions which, in turn results to huge payment of electric bills. DE Adongay told the fire personnel that henceforth he will give instructions to all his employees to follow the BFP advice and recommendations to avoid the occurrence of possible disasters. (PR)

Barangay chairman Nacional “Nikko” Mercado said that the Barangay Nutrition Committee (BNC) doesn’t hesitate to ask parents why their children are malnourished.

“In the past, we always ask parents of underweight children how we can help to arrest the problem. We make sure that parents know what to do,” said Mercado, provincial federation president of the Association of Barangay Chairman in Southern Leyte.

Abgao, one of the highly populated villages in this city, is setting aside a minimum of P50,000 budget for programs designed directly to arrest malnutrition, according to Mercado.

“We’re getting more support for nutrition from the national government and provincial government,” he added.

Aside from its health center, the barangay also established nutrition post, which serves as venue for mothers to exchange nutrition-related information. The center is equipped with education materials and weighing scale.

“With the help of barangay health workers and barangay nutrition scholar (BNS), we regularly monitor the weight status of children and health situation of pregnant women,” the official said.

The zero malnutrition rate achievement was gained by Abgao since the third year of Mercado’s first term as village chief.  He now serves his second term in office.

“Malnutrition has been our top priority because we do not want children to be vulnerable to diseases.”

The functionality of the BNC is vital as it is responsible for formulating, managing, monitoring and evaluating the barangay nutrition action plan, generate and/or mobilize resources for the implementation of the projects under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN); coordinate and integrate nutrition-related projects and activities of government and NGOs; and organize and mobilize the community to participate in nutrition projects. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)