May 31, 2009

Tacloban City police station upgrades to police office

Philippine Information Agency

Tacloban City -- The Tacloban City Police Station has been upgraded into a Police Office, Police Senior Superintendent Manuel Cubillo informed.

The upgrading ceremony will be conducted on June 1, 2009 at ten o'clock in the morning at the Tacloban City Police Grounds, the Information Officer of PNP 8 said.

The upgrading is connected with the conversion of Tacloban City into a Highly Urbanized City.

This is also pursuant to General Order No. DPL-09-02 from the Philippine National Police National Headquarters, Camp Crame Quezon City dated March 27, 2009.

Police Regional Office 8 Director Mario San Diego and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, are expected to grace the historic event.

The upgrading into a Police Office means that Tacloban City Police will no longer be under the Leyte Provincial Police Office. A city police office director is equal in position to a police provincial director. He will be reporting directly to the police regional director.

Once upgraded into a city police office, it is expected that there would be a tremendous increase in funds like the monthly operational expenses budget from Camp Crame and other benefits. The Tacloban City Police Office would also have additional personnel to get the ideal 1:500 police to population ratio.

With the upgrading, the young Col. Romulo Cleve Taboso will be the last City Chief of Police and the first Director of the Tacloban City Police Office.

May 31, 2009

Robinsons Tacloban
opens June 11

By Tim Failon

San Juanico Bulletin, Philippines

Tacloban City -- Robinsons Malls, the second largest shopping mall and retail operator in the Philippines, is soon to open its newest store in the country- the Robinsons Place Tacloban on June 11, 2009.

Robinsons Tacloban is located within the city's expanding commercial district at Marasbaras Disrtict. It is a kilometer away from the airport and 4 kilometers away from Tacloban's highly populated district downtown.

Construction of the mall started the third quarter of the year 2008. Its floor area is 31,000 sqm for the mall and 5,000 sqm for the BPO building. The BPO building is available for rent for the BPO companies. TeleTech Tacloban is soon to open its newest site in the country in this building.

Robinsons Place tacloban is located within the commercial and industrial district of Marasbaras, Tacloban City. The mall has a 31,000 sqm store floor area and a separate 5,000 sqm BPO building for call centers.

Boasting its complete in-store facilities, Robins Tacloban has a department store, appliance center, food court, supermarket, amusement center, and the state-of-the-art Movieworld Cinema. All these will be open to the public shoppers on June 11.

Currently, there are four malls in the city. The Gaisano South Group has already opened two stores- the Gaisano Capital and Gaisano Central Mall. The Dynasty Square is another mall downtown. Then, the Robinsons Place which is to open very soon. SM Prime Holdings, Inc. will also open SM City Tacloban in the future.

Located within the city's exapanding commercial district, Robinsons Tacloban will attract shoppers from all walks of life making it a good and profitable business. This will also generate more jobs in Tacloban.

Robinsons Place Tacloban is the 25th store of the growing chain of malls owned by the Gokongwei Group's Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC).

May 29, 2009

'No sharing' policy in EV schools to avoid H1N1

By Sharon Evite

ABS CBN News - Philippines

With the rising number of confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) virus cases in the country, the city health office of Tacloban City on Friday started an intensified campaign to combat the dreaded virus.

The city health office started the campaign by meeting public and private school teachers and educated them on how to prevent the spread of the virus, which has infected 10 people in the country.

The health office said teachers should strictly impose the "no sharing" policy, which means students should be prohibited from borrowing pencils, crayons, ballpens and other school equipment from their classmates.

Teachers were also reminded to regularly clean doorknobs, table tops, chairs before and after classes.

Schools were advised to designate an isolation room for children who will be exhibiting flu-like symptoms during class.

The Department of Health (DOH) announced Thursday that the country already has 10 confirmed cases of the dreaded virus. Six of the patients attended a wedding last May 17 in Zambales province, which was also attended by a visiting Taiwanese mother and her daughter, who were later found positive for the virus in Taiwan.

The DOH also announced that it still has 13 cases under observation. Since May 1, the DOH has monitored 184 suspected cases.

Globally, the World Health Organization has reported a total of 13, 398 cases with 95 deaths in 48 countries as of May 27.

May 26, 2009

Loren lauds Cristina

By Fred Padernos

Leyte Samar Daily Express

TACLOBAN CITY -- Sen. Loren Legarda lauded the initiative of the Councilor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez in providing non-working mothers and single women with livelihood training courses under the Cristina's Learn and Earn Program (CLEP).

Legarda was guest speaker during the CLEP recognition rites with 250 new completers, which coincided with the birthday of the program proponent, Cristina Romualdez, on May 23, Saturday, held at the Tacloban City Convention Center.

According to the senator, she and Cristina have the same programs in empowering and providing livelihood to women which could be of great help to every family. She urged Cristina and Mayor Alfred Romualdez to continue the very good program which already have produced at least 27 batches or a total of nearly 900 completers since CLEP started in 2007.

The lady Romualdez who spent her birthday with all the beneficiaries of her livelihood program at the Astrodome, told Sen. Legarda that at present not only women are benefiting from her programs but also men. And she expressed her willingness to create and provide more livelihood programs.

Legarda who was personally invited by the lady councilor to speak during the CLEP recognition rites, spent her lunch with the Romualdez couple, but did not anymore attend the birthday party held the following night at Balauarte Beach Resort as she flew back to Manila late afternoon on the same day for other equally important appointments.

At the dinner party while eating the sumptuous foods, guests and friends were surprised when a bunch of showbiz personalities appeared and serenaded the honorable celebrator with beautiful love songs. They were Pilita Corales, Randy Santigao, Raymund Lauchengco, Gino Padilla and Louie Heredia.

May 22, 2009

Rep. Martin Romualdez says DZR rehab to boost EV's economy

By Joey A. Gabieta

Leyte Samar Daily Express

TACLOBAN CITY -- Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that the eventual rehabilitation of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport would help boost the region's economic take off.

Romualdez said that with no less than President Macapagal-Arroyo giving her go signal for the rehabilitation of the premier airport of the region, the project would be finished in due time.

The President during her April 28 visit led in the inauguration in the construction of a new and bigger airport terminal building which is projected to cost more than P155 million.

Romualdez, interviewed yesterday at the VIP Lounge of the airport, said that while the construction of the terminal building may take some time, the improvement of the runway of the airport is projected to be over by August this year.

"The (rehabilitation of the DZR) airport is now underway. I am very proud that the (project) is moving fast with the airport's runway to be finished in the third quarter of the year, most probably by August," the solon said.

He said that with a bigger and modern DZR Airport, the region's economy would finally take off.

The region's tourism industry, Romualdez added, would be among the beneficiaries with the project.

"Most definitely, it will help our economy and our tourism (industry)," Romualdez said.

His cousin, Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez, had also voiced out his optimism on the good effect of a better DZR Airport.

"I am very excited on this development. It will help boosts not only our economy but even the region," the mayor said.

Rep. Romualdez said that the rehabilitation of the DZR Airport, named after his grandfather, is among his priority projects as solon representing Leyte's first district.

He, however, acknowledged the support extended by other congressmen in the region and other leaders to include both Mayor Romualdez and Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla.

Without their support, the long-delayed project may have remained a dream among the people of the region, Romualdez said.

The rehabilitation of the DZR Airport has been in the pipeline for more than a decade. The project originally was to be financed by the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) which was worth more than P3 billion.

But for some reasons, the project did not push through.

Local officials are now positive that with President Arroyo pushing for its rehabilitation, the DZR Airport project may just soon be realized. At present, the airport is now servicing about a dozen daily flights with Cebu and Manila as main destinations.

May 22, 2009

Hundreds benefited from 'healing touch' of Councilor Cristina Romualdez

By Jose Rodriguez T. Señase

Leyte Samar Daily Express

TACLOBAN CITY -- More than a thousand residents of this city and other parts of the region benefited from the "Healing Touch" community outreach project initiated by City Councilor Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez.

Lily Cagara, the project coordinator, said that more than 1,600 individuals availed of free massage under the project from May 11-16.

"Most of them were from this city, but some came as far as Southern Leyte and Calbiga in Samar. Many of them were customers of the drugstores where we implemented the project, but some were just passersby who decided to drop by for a free massage," Cagara disclosed.

Under the project, Reflexology class students of the Cristina's Learn and Earn program rendered free hand and body massage services for six days at four drugstores in the city.

These drugstores were NAQ, Everwell, Capongcol and GMA.

"We put up a station in each drugstore where five to six Reflexology students of the learn and earn program rendered free massage services to everyone who wanted them," Cagara said.

"That was sort of on-the-job-training for the Reflexology students, at the same time an opportunity for them to serve the general public. We were very happy because we were able to serve many people," she added.

According to Cagara, "Healing Touch" was a big hit among the people.

"When I was at Everwell, during the first day, I counted more than a hundred people lining up to avail of the free services. The same thing occurred during our earlier introduction of the project at a church in Brgy. Basper," she recounted.

Last April 29, more than a hundred parishioners of the Blessed Sacrament church in said village availed of similar services rendered by the same Reflexology students.

May 20, 2009

Leyte hospitals now earning

BusinessWorld Online, Philippines

TACLOBAN CITY -- State-run hospitals in Leyte have started earning and are now able to sustain operations without subsidy from the provincial government.

Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla said the 14 district hospitals in the province contributed a total of P60 million to the local coffers last year.

Instead of returning control over the district hospitals to the Department of Health, the provincial government helped these hospitals embark on income-generating activities.

Mr. Petilla said the Baybay District Hospital, which was one of the most dilapidated health care facilities in the province, served as pilot area and started collecting fees for its services.

May 19, 2009

Singapore firm to invest
P300M on Leyte resort

By Sarwell Q. Meniano

BusinessWorld Online, Philippines

TACLOBAN -- The Singaporean-backed LKY Property Holdings, Inc. will invest P300 million to upgrade the MacArthur Park Beach Resort Hotel in Palo, Leyte.

LKY President Wilbert Lee signed a 25-year contract last week with the Leyte provincial government for the takeover and rehabilitation of the 43-room resort, previously run by the local government.

Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla, who signed the contract with LKY, said the signing of the contract was moved to last week because the resort had to honor bookings made until the second week of May.

Mr. Lee said the existing structure would be demolished. A new five-star hotel will rise on the site, expected to open toward the end of the second quarter of next year.

"We would need that much time because we will be building a hotel with international standards," Mr. Lee said in an interview aired over the weekly radio program of the provincial government.

Previously, LKY acquired the Mayon Imperial Hotel in Legaspi City, Albay.

The Leyte provincial government has been aggressively trying to attract hotel investments to keep up with the increasing demand for accommodations in Leyte. Large groups had been discouraged from holding their conferences in Leyte because of the lack of hotels and other tourist facilities, Mr. Petilla said.

The governor added that it would be best for the private sector to build and operate hotels. "It has been tried and tested that if it is the government that runs a facility, more often, it loses [money]," he said.

The provincial government, which took over the management of MacArthur resort in January from the Philippine Tourism Authority, had been subsidizing the resort's operational expenses at P400,000 a month.

An executive order issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in October last year transferred the hotel to the provincial government.

The resort is just a few meters away from the MacArthur Landing Memorial in historic Red Beach, site of one of the greatest naval battles in history. It was built by former first lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos and sequestered by the government after the Edsa Revolution in 1986.

May 18, 2009

Completion of P86-M modern PPA building delayed

By Sarwell Q. Meniano

Leyte Samar Daily Express

TACLOBAN CITY -- Completion of the P86 million international standard Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) office was moved to later this year due to changes of building plans in anticipation to boom of shipping operation in the city.

PPA Tacloban port manager Winfred Elizalde said that the fund requirement was raised from P80 million to P86 million as they implement further strengthening of the three-storey structure.

"We elevated the floor if in case there will be rising of seas due to climate change," Elizalde told Leyte Samar Daily Express.

Under the plan, the building housed in a 1,575 square meter lot of the port area was supposed to open March 2009. The area used to be the old passenger terminal.

"We need to upgrade the port operation office as we see that more businessmen invest in Tacloban and shipping remains the main mode of bringing products here," Elizalde said.

The Tacloban seaport, however, was not included in the list of 10 priority ports in the country that will be converted as world class by 2010.

"The port here might not meet the international standard by that time but we're looking forward more progress over the next years," he added.

The construction started February 2007 by the J.V. Loreto Construction and Development Corporation. It has floor area of 712 square meters.

The old port operation office will be remodeled into a terminal building once passenger ships will restore their operation in Tacloban.

After the sea mishap of M/V Princess of the Stars last June 2008, the Sulpicio Lines-owned M/V Cebu Princess stopped their operation. The vessel was the only passenger ship that transport people from Tacloban to Cebu and Metro Manila.

Starting 1998, Tacloban seaport, noted a decline in volume of passengers. This was due to lack of passenger vessels for this route.

"There are fewer ships that arrived this year but those are large barges that brought materials in support to the city's boom in construction," Elizalde said.

Among those supplies were for construction of Gaisano Central Mall and Robinsons Place Tacloban.

May 15, 2009

Leyte goes ahead with Pintados-Kasadyaan Fest

By Jack Gadaingan

Manila Bulletin

TACLOBAN CITY -- The provincial government of Leyte promises a bigger and more exciting Pintados Kasadyaan Festival celebration here this June.

Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla said the province of Leyte will continue to stage the traditional fiesta event of Tacloban City, although the city government has earlier said it may not allow the province-initiated festivities to hold street dancing.

The governor said the Kasadyaan Festival committee has already sent invitations to various local government units in the province to take part in the festival.

Petilla said the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival is a showcase of what Leytenos can achieve as artistic and innovative people, thus it is needed to continue yearly the Pintados Festival.

Last year, the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival, promoted by the provincial government and the Pintados Foundation, created a gap between the province and the city governments especially after Tacloban City, which had no official role in the festivities, staged its own Sangyaw Festival.

All festivals and activities being conducted in June are supposed to be in honor of the Senor Sto. Niño, patron saint of Tacloban City, whose feast day falls on June 30.

Pagcor Vice President for Social Fund Remedios Petilla, who heads the Kasadyaan Festival Executive Committee, said they are expecting more participants this year.

She said the Pintados-Kasadyaan is an event worth continuing since the champions it has produced are already garnering honors in the national scene, among them are the Abuyog's Buyogan Festival and Dulag's Karatong Festivals that bagged top places during the Sinulog Festival of Cebu and in the Aliwan Fiesta of Manila this year.

This June, a cash prize of half a million pesos is up for grabs for the grand winner of the Pintados-Kasadyaan festival. The top two winners will also earn the chance to represent the province and their town in other national festival competitions.

Last year's grand champion, the Buyogan Festival, will aim for a third straight Grand Slam win this year.

May 15, 2009

2 shipping companies plan to operate Tacloban to Manila, to Cebu routes

By Sarwell Q. Meniano

Leyte Samar Daily Express

TACLOBAN CITY -- The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) revealed that two known shipping companies in the country have expressed their interest to restore the Tacloban-Cebu and Tacloban-Manila routes after over a decade of passenger decline and repeated travel suspensions.

PPA-Tacloban Port Manager Winfred Elizalde said that officials from two big shipping lines in the country have personally talked to him early this week for possible reopening of the routes.

"I cannot yet mention what are these shipping firms since the plan is not yet final. They are very upbeat to resume the sea travel to Tacloban because of the good market," Elizalde said.

He claimed that the recent conversion of Tacloban into a highly urbanized city is one factor considered by the two shipping lines in serving the route.

"They see a great potential in the region that's why they are connecting with us," the port manager told Leyte Samar Daily Express.

After the sea mishap of M/V Princess of the Stars last June 2008, the Sulpicio Lines-owned M/V Cebu Princess stopped sailing into the city. The vessel was the only passenger ship that time that transported people from Tacloban to Cebu and Metro Manila.

But prior to the Sulpicio Lines operation, there was one passenger ship docking the city port - M/V Samar Star - which carried travelers to Cebu City . With the lack of ships in Tacloban, most of the passengers take the Ormoc City to Cebu route.

Starting 1998, Tacloban seaport has suffered a decline in passenger traffic due to lack of vessels.

However, in 2007 the passenger traffic regained a remarkable increase of 106% from a year before, with a total of 31,573 incoming and outgoing passengers, the highest figure since 1996. The figure declined last year following sea mishaps. Currently, only cargo vessels dock at the Tacloban seaport.

PPA has made a plan to convert their existing 720-square meter office building into a passenger terminal after the completion of their new P80-million office building this year.

"Before starting the renovation, we have to convince our main office that the proposed terminal will be filled with passengers or else they won't release the fund for remodeling of the building," Elizalde said.

It can be recalled that passenger ship business in the city sustained a significant downturn after the M/V Doña Paz collided with an oil tanker between Mindoro and Tablas Islands in December 1987 which claimed over 4,000 lives mostly residents from the city.

The incident was followed by the tragic sinking in October 1988 of M/V Doña Marilyn, killing 250 persons from Eastern Visayas.

May 15, 2009

Twaño denies allegation he's extorting contractors in EV

By Allan Y. Amistoso

Leyte Samar Daily Express

GOV'T CENTER, Palo, Leyte -- A high ranking official of the Department of Public Works and Highways here has denied reports that he is extorting money from contractors in the region.

The denial came after a national tabloid published a news story yesterday alleging that DPWH Regional Director Angelito Twaño was collecting 3 to 5 percent of the project amount from the contractor of region alleged 7 billion project using the name of presidential son, Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo.

On the same article it was also alleged that field engineers of the department were also obliged by Twaño to remit monthly allowances equivalent to 5 percent of total cost of the project presently undertaken by each district.

Twaño said that this report is a big fabricated lies and was written for the purpose of destroying his credibility.

The obviously irritated director said that immediately after he read the said article, he called up the publisher of the said tabloid and asked if he could possible talk to the writer which he succeeded.

"I told the writer na ilabas niya ‘yong sinasabi niyang source pero ang sinabi lang niya ay from insider daw," Twaño said. "That is very much unfair, ang sinisira niya ay isang high ranking official tapos hindi niya ma-identify kung sino ang source niya," he added.

Director Twaño said that he is man enough to face the allegation even in court.

"Kaya ko siyang harapin kahit saan, kasi it's not true, I don't extort money from any body and I don't use my position to earn money," he stressed.

Director Twaño emphasized that his primary purpose of staying in the region as head of the department is purely work related and not for any other reasons.

The director also defended the integrity of Congressman Arroyo for dragging the name of the presidential son on the controversy.

"There is no such thing as giving money to the son of the president. I have to admit that he is my friend dahil doon talaga kami umuuwi sa distrito where he is a congressman but he is not involved whatsoever in any project in Region 8," Twaño said.

He stressed that it is impossible that Congressman Arroyo will be involved in projects here in the region because Lubao, Pampanga where he is the congressman is very far from the region and that we have our own congressmen who are actively involved in the implementation of projects in their respective districts.

On the news article, it was alleged that the huge amount of money that were collected by Twaño were allegedly given to Arroyo as a debt of gratitude for being the instrument of having the position as the region's DPWH head.

"I dared the writer to come up into open with more concrete evidences to prove his allegation and I'm willing to face him even in court" Twaño said.

It was also learned from Director Twaño that aside from giving his side in the national media he is contemplating of filling a case against the editor and the writer of the concerned newspaper.

May 14, 2009

Singaporean Hotel Group seen to invest P300 M

By Ahlette C. Reyes with a report from Reyan Arinto

Leyte Samar Daily Express

TACLOBAN CITY -- Leyte Gov. Carlos Jericho "Icot" Petilla and LKY Property Holdings Inc. president Wilbert Lee signed a contract that formally gives a Singaporean hotel conglomerate the right to proceed with its renovation of the province-run MacArthur Park Beach Resort Hotel.

The 25-year contract to develop and take-over the management of the state-owned hotel was signed Monday at the Edsa Shangri-la Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

Gov. Petilla yesterday said in a radio interview here that the signing was delayed due to the busy schedule of the province when it hosted the Palarong Pambansa last month.

"The signing just happened now because we had to settle the accommodation of the guests who have already been booked until April of this year," Gov. Petilla said.

Bookings in the hotel, it was learned, run until the second week of May.

The Singaporean conglomerate is reportedly going to invest at least P300 million for the full renovation of the hotel that would include demolition of the present structure and building a new five-star hotel structure.

Lee said they are expecting to start full operations towards the end of the second quarter of next year.

"We have a management contract with an international hotel company based in Singapore and we are targeting to launch by the first quarter of 2010," Lee said in the same interview aired over the weekly radio program of Leyte province Hingyap han Leyteño.

He disclosed that the province through Gov. Petilla has been aggressive in inviting investors to come in and develop the hotel and make it more competitive in the hotel services area.

Gov. Petilla has long disclosed despite the turn over of the management of the hotel to the province last January, the province really intends the private sector to come in and develop it.

"It has been tried and tested that if it is the government that runs a facility, more often, it loses," Gov. Petilla said.

The provincial government has been subsidizing the hotel to the tune of P400,000 a month since its formal take-over last January.

It can be recalled that the provincial government initiated the turnover of the hotel some years back before the PTA could declare it not to be earning enough revenue to continue operation.

The improvement of the MacArthur Park Beach Resort Hotel is seen to pave the way for the development of the remaining vacant areas of the Government Center . A long-term plan is to turn the province-owned lot into an economic and leisure hub complete with a five-star hotel, a leisure park, an IT facility which is the Leyte ICT Park that is already in place and operational, government offices, commercial areas and public transport terminal.




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