Aug 30, 2009
Newest mall in Tacloban enjoys brisk business; 100-room hotel project to start January
By Ranulfo Docdocan
ABS CBN News - Philippines
Tacloban City -- Robinsons Place Tacloban which opened in June of this year, is enjoying a brisk business, a top mall executive, informed.
Ms. Mercedes Taleon, Group Property Manager of Robinsons Land, said that the Tacloban mall is making waves and now competes in performance with the other Robinsons Malls all over the country.
The management is happy about the performance of the Robinsons Tacloban, Ms. Taleon said. The grant opening of the mall in Tacloban was one of the most successful opening of a Robinsons Mall and the management was very happy and satisfied.
More than 90 percent of the shops are already occupied, Ms. Taleon said. The other spaces have been reserved but will start operations in January of 2010, the manager added.
The Robinson's Bank is set to open next week so that businessmen and customers can deposit and withdraw as the need arises. More coffee shops and other establishments have opened to the delight of the local consumers.
In fact, the Handyman Do It Best Home Center has recorded the highest sale, outshining the 24 other such centers in Robinsons Malls around the country.
A local fruit supplier for Robinson's Place Tacloban was reported to have grossed two million peso sales, if this has anything to do with the Nutrition Month celebration advocating healthy lifestyle, this writer wonders.
The shops at the Robinsons Mall have been observed to be enjoying the patronage of many customers not only from Tacloban City but from the other parts of the Region.
Furthermore, Ms. Taleon said that the Robinson's Hotel just beside the mall will start to be constructed in January of 2010. The hotel, which will have 100 rooms, will be built near the mall and within the company's four-hectare property.
"Part of the expansion is a hotel to be constructed next to the mall. The first few floors will also be retail outlets, and probably a bridge way to connect the two phases. It's really about time. One of the develop needs that has greatest opportunities now after the shopping mall will be a hotel," the executive said.
Local economists are optimistic that the presence of a major player in the Region will serve as an engine of growth that will trigger other big players to locate in the Region.
The opening of Robinsons in Tacloban has also generated jobs. It was estimated that Robinsons Place has cause the employment of about 3,000 locals, directly or indirectly.
Aug 26, 2009
Magnitude 4.9 tremor felt in Tacloban City
By Ranulfo Docdocan
ABS CBN News - Philippines
TACLOBAN CITY -- A tremor which was reportedly tectonic in origin was felt 5:17 p.m. Wedensday in Tacloban City.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the earthquake's epicenter was located 11.30 degree north, 124.69 degree east or 32 kilometers northwest of Tacloban City.
It said it had a magnitude of 4.9.
The tremor was felt in nearby towns of Tacloban like Palo in Leyte province with Intensity 2 and also felt in Cebu City with Intensity 2.
No reported damages related to the tremor was reported.
Aug 25, 2009
New Tacloban fish port proposed
By Ilma Nayra Nacorda
Leyte Samar Daily Express
TACLOBAN CITY -- The City Government, in coordination with the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority under the Department of Agriculture (DA), has proposed a fish port project to the Sanguine Panlungsod.
Roland Hidalgo, city planning and development officer, said in an interview that they are trying to transfer the fish port located at Old road Sagkahan to a site near the supermarket at Quezon Boulevard.
"Old road Sagkahan is not a good site for a fish port because during typhoons its structure get destroyed. Then, it is at the side of the street and makes the place unsanitary," he said.
"It's good to have it transferred to the market site because the area near the market is covered by Samar Island that even strong winds during typhoons would barely affect it," he explained.
This project will be funded by Department of Agriculture and the City Government will provide the operation and manage the place.
"This will also address the unemployment problem within Tacloban because if there is a fish port there would also cold storage that will also generate economic activity," he added.
For the vendors, it was learned that there would be briefing and resettlement for them in accordance to their areas adjacent to their previous areas.
Aug 22, 2009
City gov't to put up new hospital
By Jose Rodriguez T. Señase
Leyte Samar Daily Express
TACLOBAN CITY -- The plan of the city government to put up a new hospital in this city will push through next year.
City Building Officer Danny Fuentebella, in a recent interview, said that the administration of City Mayor Alfred Romualdez is determined to put up the said facility the soonest.
"The project is already in the drawing board. It is set for implementation in the early part of 2010," he said.
The city building officer revealed that the city government will earmark more than P50 million to finance the project, which is one of the priorities of the city government for next year.
Because of the very big amount the project entails, according to Fuentebella, the implementation of the multi-million project will be phase by phase.
"The facility is projected to be fully-operational two years from now," the building officer said.
Fuentebella disclosed that the planned medical facility will be put up somewhere in the Abucay District.
"We are looking into acquiring a lot near the New Abucay Bus Terminal where the new hospital building will be constructed," he said.
Based on the project plan, the planned hospital will be two-storey structure with a 100-bed capacity and equipped with modern medical equipment.
The prospect of having another city government-run medical facility to complement the existing public hospitals in the City of Tacloban was welcomed by City Health Officer Jaime Opinion.
There are currently two public hospitals in the city, the city government-run Tacloban City Hospital in Marasbaras, and the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), which is managed by the national government.
"That would be good news for everyone. That will help us provide more and better medical services to the more than 200,000 residents of the city, especially indigents," Opinion pointed out in an earlier interview.
Aug 21, 2009
366 stray dogs euthanized recently
By Fred Padernos
Leyte Samar Daily Express
TACLOBAN CITY -- A total of 366 stray dogs were euthanized recently after their owners failed to claim them within the allowable period.
Dr. Eunice Alcantara, city veterinary officer, told Leyte Samar Daily Express that from January to June this year they caught 369 stray dogs on their continuing operations. Of the number, two were redeemed, one was adopted and the rest were laid to rest.
According to Alcantara, the primary purpose of this campaign is to save lives from the killer rabbies of animals such as the stray dogs. Rabbies vaccine is very expensive, it is not only injected once to a dog bite victim but several times- a poor victim will not be able to afford one- and as result any victim might just die, she said.
Aside from the rabbies, these animals are also posing danger to the people as they are source of different diseases being exposed to many unsanitary environment- and these are the things that are being prevented by Mayor Alfred Romualdez reason why city veterinary office is very active on the campaign of catching stray dogs and vaccinating those that are being taking cared of by their owners.
On the other hand, Dr. Johdel Ty, division chief of the animal control and dog pound operation, said that the city veterinary office also encourages voluntary surrender of dogs whose owners could not afford anymore to take care of them, or for any other reason such as those that has an uncontrollable behavior harmful to anyone.
Anybody who is willing to surrender a dog may call the city veterinary office at telephone number 325 1830 and a team will attend to the matter depending on the urgency of the situation, said Dr. Ty.
In this campaign, the barangay officials as well as the residents are the best persons to tell where and whose dog is astray so that the office could immediately and appropriately act. But the City veterinary officer noticed that there is a low participation on this campaign in the barangay level- but she is still hoping that the barangay officials would take the lead in their respective areas in full support of this campaign.
Aug 21, 2009
Barbecue stall holders occupying Balyuan lot fear of losing their livelihood
By Fred Padernos
Leyte Samar Daily Express
TACLOBAN CITY -- Barbecue stall holders occupying the half wing of the Balyuan lot near the amphitheater are now in quandary where to go to continue their livelihood once the area is taken back by the province of Leyte anytime this month, as the provincial government had been claiming lately that the area is their property.
But the city government is unfazed of the announcement being made by the provincial government and perceived to only create confusion and panic among the people of Tacloban. Thus, the barbecue stall holders should not stay and not be worried.
Land ownership
This week, in an interview with Mayor Alfred Romualdez, he said, there is no land title showing that the lot belongs to the provincial government "therefore their claim has no basis at all."
In an interview by ABS-CBN Tacloban this week Mayor Romualdez said, the provincial government has only a tax declaration, "pero bakit ang titulo nila ay issued by the US government. As such, a US government issued title is automatically transferred to the national government- and for the national government to transfer the land ownership to the local government unit it would need a Presidential Declaration."
The city mayor said the city government will challenge the tax declaration of the provincial government claiming over Balyuan, saying that what they are showing now to the courts is a spanish title.
He said there are two Republic Acts and one Presidential Declaration that cancels Spanish titles. "Now, is there a presidential declaration saying that they own the property?- Alamin natin ang batas. eh ang nangyayari laging haka-haka," he said.
This battle over the Balyuan property will still go up to the high courts which is the proper body to determine as to who has the right over the property, said Romualdez.
As it is now, even at the height of the talks that the land is in the possession of the provincial government, the city government did not stop developing the area. The place that is occupied nightly by barbecue stalls is now fully asphalted giving more convenience to the vendors and customers at night-and to joggers at day time.
The other wing (near DYVL) ground is at least 90 percent cemented as the development works is on going- this is also where the new Balyuan Convention Center (BCC) stands catering to government and private agencies activities.
Spanish Title can no longer be used as evidence of land ownership.
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