CARIGARA, Leyte—Newly-elected mayor Trinidad “Ebbie” Apostol just want to be realistic– these are trying times!
Apostol bared that the town’s fiesta celebration come July 16 will be simple yet meaningful as their series of program activities are more focused on the delivery of basic social services to their constituents rather than on expensive fanfare.
“ I don’t feel like spending people’s money on elaborate and costly festivity. Money is hard to come by these days. We have to observe austerity,” the former Leyte 2nd district representative now Carigara mayor said.
Apostol added that she even went soliciting for financial support for fiesta activities so as to save the town’s coffer.
“ Good thing my friends in congress didn’t frustrate me. We got some help from An Waray party-list representatives Bem Noel and Neil Montejo, and from Leyte Gov. Icot Petilla.”
Apostol said that the financial support they received will be used not only for the prizes but more on the health and nutrition activities they are now spearheading in line of the fiesta activity.
“ We will be having supplementary feeding to our students in seven elementary schools on July 13 to July 28, distributing vitamins, nutri-packs, and school bags to our day-care pupils aside from the job fair, the banca-thon, pedicab and bicycle race, and the simple affair on the eve of our fiesta.”
Apostol said that the feeding activities will also culminate the observance of nutrition month this July.
She was also thankful for the other fiesta activities organized by the church, private business establishments and other learning institutions in the town.
GO FOR REVENUE INCREASE
Meanwhile, Apostol said that she is contemplating for tax increase in the municipality so as to get more revenue to finance basic social services.
“ It’s not good to be dependent on Internal revenue allotment from the national government. The town must also do its share to augment its income so as to maximize its delivery of services to the people.”
Asked about projects which her administration would like to focus or continue from her daughter’s term former mayor Anlie Apostol, Apostol said she will focus on livelihood and cottage-industries in the villages in her town.
“ As we can see, paved roads are already in place, linking even our upland villages today. This is now the time for livelihood to come in. We will be giving and finding support, training, and market for our cottage-industries here.”
Apostol identified that Brgy. Piloro is now heading its tilapia culture into a bigger market because of the support it gets from the town and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the region.
She also said that Brgy. Tagak will also have their support for its hand-woven native bags called “bayong” and also the blacksmiths and other small-scale businesses in other villages.
“ Since economy is in the market, it is but common sense that improvement of its facilities should be prioritized, this to include the finishing of the wharf to ferry goods and services in the town. This is the reason why I also look forward for tax increase so as we can finance our other needs in the town, ” she added.
She said she is hopeful that the municipal council will push on this plan.
Apostol then defended the loan incurred during the term of her daughter for the construction of the new public market.
Anlie Apostol is now elected as Leyte 2nd district board-member.
“ The said public market being assailed by the critics is earning. The town can now afford to pay P 2 million annually for it. Soon it will be paid up. Yet the bottom line of this is that the new public market is self-sustaining now.”
Carigara was hailed as the first capital of Leyte province during the Spanish colonization before the title was turned to other towns in Leyte until finally to Tacloban city in 1787.
Today Carigara’s prestige and glory can still be traced on its various historical land marks, rich culture and pulsating economy.
(By Ronald O. Reyes and Eden Benusa-Reyes)
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago at 8:32 am. Add a comment
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 
June 30, 2010
TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla who ran unopposed during the last election confirmed that he is being groomed to be the next chairman of the Regional Development Council of Eastern Visayas.
Leyte governor Icot Petilla
When first asked about this in the early part of June, Governor Petilla said that he is giving it a thought but he will first inform President Aquino about it. That time, he was scheduled to meet the President elect on a Friday. He said he will inform the President about it and he will respect the decision of the President.
Governor Petilla has already talked to President Aquino about this, thus, he has decided to seek the position.
This is not the first time that the Leyte Governor is being encouraged to run as the chairman of the highest planning body for Region 8. In fact, in 2007, he was the more popular choice but he did not push through with the idea when he learned that then President Arroyo has already committed the post to Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento of Calbayog City.
Governor Petilla is respected by his colleagues because of his no nonsense development orientation. In fact, he has the support of most if not all of the governors in Eastern Visayas.
He envisions reinvigorating the tourism industry not only of Leyte but that of the entire Region which has been identified to be part of the Central Philippines Tourism center. This will open many employment opportunities to the people of Region 8.
Governor Icot who is in his third and last term as governor, also hopes to continue to invite investors to the Region particularly the ICT sector for business process outsourcing and call centers, as this will also generate jobs.
Noting that Eastern Visayas has remained to be an agricultural region, Governor Petilla is for the development of agriculture by tooling the farmers to enable them to produce more and earn more through diversifying to other agri-business.
Being the RDC chairman would enable Governor Petilla to tutor other provinces on programs which have been tested in Leyte and have been proven to be effective.
Based on Executive Order 325, the President appoints the RDC chairman and co-chairman from among the nominees submitted by the Council. The number of nominees includes at least two local chief executives and two private sector representatives.
The RDC 8 is composed of regional directors of various government departments, local government executives from governors to mayors of capital towns, president of mayors’ leagues, city mayors and private sector representatives.
The RDC-8, which counts 96 members, serves, among others, as a policy and recommending body related to programs and projects in the region that needs support, mostly funding, from the national government.
The RDC is expected to conduct election of PSRs in July, ready for the election of the chairman and co-chairman in August or September.
Posted 2 months ago at 1:29 am. Add a comment
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA
June 30, 2010
TACLOBAN CITY – Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival has gone a long way, all the nine participants this year are qualified to join the Aliwan Festival in December, Ms. Ellen Fullido of Manila Broadcasting Company and Aliwan Festival exclaimed after watching the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival in honor of Santo Niño, on June 27 at the Leyte Sports Development Center.
The 2010 champion Buyugan Festival
Hearing the remarks of Ms. Fullido, Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla was quick to say that only the first two winners will join the Aliwan this year. Knowing how much is spent in bringing festival contingents to Metro Manila, it is no wonder that the Governor, who runs the Provincial Government of Leyte, the way he runs his lucrative family business, had a ready reply.
Ms. Fullido is a familiar face in the Pintados-Kasadyaan annual festival because she comes every year, a ready letter in hand to invite the winners of the Festival.
This year’s festival championship trophy went once again to Abuyog, Leyte’s Buyugan Festival, one time Aliwan Festival Champion and Sinulog Festival Champion.
Coming in as the first runner up is Dulag, Leyte’s Karatong Festival which won fourth place in the Aliwan Festival 2009. The second runner up trophy was awarded to the Viajedores Festival of La Paz, Leyte.
The third runner up in this year’s festival is the Pasaka Festival of Tanauan, Leyte while the Pinilipig Festival of Sta. Fe, Leyte was awarded the fourth runner-up trophy.
Nine festivals participated in this year’s spectacular Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival which never fails to make Leytenos proud of their rich culture.
Among the seven Pintados tribes, the championship award was presented to the Tribu SPAS Tanauan which is a community youth group in Tanauan, Leyte. The second place went to Tribu Buskada while the third place was bagged by the Kasiruman.
Per the permit granted by the City of Tacloban, the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival street dancing parade started right after the 7:30 in the morning mass at the Leyte Sports Development Center.
For the first time in the Pintados Festival’s 24 years of existence and in the Kasadyaan Festival’s 15 years of existence, the city of Tacloban only allowed them to take the route only until Burgos Street for reasons that the three other main streets will be used by the City’s Sikad-sikad race.
Despite such predicament, the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival parade was just as if not more spectacular as in the past years. Only allowed to use one lane of the narrow Burgos Street, the organizers led by Mayor-elect Remedios Petilla who is the chairman of the festivities this year and the youthful Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla, lauded the spectators who provided enough space to the participants to do their street dancing.
The spectators did not complain despite the heat of the sun and the inconvenience caused by the narrow streets and spaces in the routes.
Posted 2 months ago at 1:28 am. Add a comment
By MYLES JOSEPH E. COLASITO
June 29, 2010
TACLOBAN CITY – Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) yesterday thanked his fellow officials and employees for “the four most productive years” of his career and bade them farewell as he embarks on a new life as a private citizen on June 30.
Puno, who was appointed by President Arroyo as DILG Secretary in 2006, said that whoever takes over his post under the new administration will “find that the Department is in good shape” because of the initiatives it has undertaken on his watch to strengthen local governance, better maintain peace and order and enhance public safety.
He shared his accomplishments as Secretary with the men and women of the Department, saying that the array of capacity building programs for the local government units and the groundbreaking projects to boost the capability of the Philippine National Police and the other attached agencies of the DILG would not have been possible without their cooperation, hard work and perseverance.
“Once again, thank you to all of you. Thank you for the great experience. Thank you for the four most productive years of my life,” Puno said during a thanksgiving get-together organized in his honor by the DILG’s officials and employees at the Camp Crame Multipurpose Center in Quezon City.
Puno started his career in the government service at the DILG 36 years ago as one of its youngest assistant secretaries. He also served as its Undersecretary and later, as Secretary, during the Estrada administration.
Puno is credited with having competently steered the DILG through its most difficult challenges and having inspired its men and women to work harder in serving their fellow Filipinos.
On Puno’s watch, the budget of the DILG increased by 44% from P43.6 billion in 2006 to P62.9 billion in 2009, which allowed it to implement programs and projects to strengthen local autonomy; hire more policemen and public safety officers; procure additional equipment to better maintain peace and order; and increase the salaries and pensions of its rank-and-file.
On the local government front, among a few of Puno’s most notable accomplishments were improving the capability of LGUs in addressing calamities and cutting red tape; and the implementation of the single biggest road project in the countryside under the P3.8 billion Australia-funded Provincial Road Management Facility; and the P704-million Local Government Support Program – Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) project, which helps LGUs enhance the exercise of their corporate powers. Further, training programs for new officials in 2007 and 2010 were updated and revised to be responsive to the clients’ needs.
On the other hand, DILG-8 Regional Director Francisco C. Jose echoed Secretary Puno’s hopes that the DILG would continue to be supported by the incoming administration “as one of the important pillars of peace, growth and stability.”
Under Secretary Puno’s leadership, the Department adopted for nationwide implementation the Local Legislative Awards, which started in Eastern Visayas in 2001. Several local government units in the region also won recognition in various award-giving bodies in the same period. Likewise, a new DILG regional office was completed in 2007 with the help of Secretary Puno in place of the one that was razed by a fire in December 2004.
Speaking during the program “[in] my last speech, I think, as a public servant,” Puno quoted the late Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy of America in describing the experiences he had shared with his DILG family during his four-year stint at the Department. “Let me say a few words to all those who have supported me….To quote Sen. Ted Kennedy: ‘There were hard hours on our journey and often we sailed against the wind. But always we kept our rudder true, and there were many of you who stayed the course and shared our hope. You gave your help, but even more, you gave your hearts,’ ” Puno said.
On behalf of the employees of the DILG and its attached agencies, Undersecretaries Marius Corpus and Austere Panadero; National Police Commission vice chairman Ed Escueta and PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa each thanked Puno for the programs he has initiated to improve the DILG’s capability in carrying out its mission of maintaining peace and order and building on the gains of local autonomy. (with a report from DILG-Office of Public Affairs)
Posted 2 months ago at 1:27 am. Add a comment
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA
June 28, 2010
TACLOBAN CITY – Ms. Maybelle Holanda of Palo, Leyte and a college student at the University of the Philippines Tacloban Campus was crowned as Ms Pintados 2010 before midnight of June 25 at the LNHS Gym, in a well organized pageant hosted by young heartthrob Jurus Gamboa and the reigning Ms. Pintados.
Miss Pintados 2010 was crowned by Former Governor, former congresswoman and Mayor-elect of Palo, Leyte, Hon. Remedios L. Petilla and Pintados Founding President, Tanauan Mayor Roque Tiu.
Miss Gianell Marie Carian of Pastrana, Leyte, was proclaimed as the first runner up. Her awards were presented to her by PIA 8 Director Olive Tiu and Mr. Erwin Alcala.
Dagami, Leyte’s Miss Aira del Pilar was chosen as the 2nd runner up. This pretty student of De La Salle’s St. Benilde who was among the favorite of the crowd was awarded by PIA 8 Director Olive Tiu and the Operations Manager of APAC. Ms. Del Pilar was also chosen as Best in Swimsuit, among others.
Chosen as the 3rd runner up is another crowd favorite, Miss Trishia Dawn B. Daffon from Palo, Leyte whose awards were presented by former Ms Pintados Lourdes Golong. Miss Daffon was also awarded as the Most Popular Candidate among others.
Fourth runner up was Barugo’s Monique Ayes while Ormoc’s Darling Lelibeth Lourine Pelicario was chosen as the Most Photogenic.
Among the distinguished board of judges were Don Pedro Rodriguez of Spain who is the Director of the Instituto Cervantes in Manila, former Ms. Aliwan and former Ms. Pintados Trisha Veloso, former Ms. Pintados Lourdes Golong, this year’s Sto. Niño Fiesta Hermana Mayor Mrs. Agaton and the operations manager of APAC Leyte.
Now on its 24th year, what makes the Search for the Miss Pintados different from the usual beauty tilts is its being a beauty and talent Search with a cause, that of making the candidates appreciate the qualities and values of a true Filipina, realize the spirit of volunteerism and their social responsibility particularly for the well-being of the street children of the Region.
Caring for disadvantaged fellowmen and working for them without waiting anything in return is most fulfilling. Watching the street children and the candidates playing parlor games together, eating the same food together, this writer wonders who was enjoying who more. To the writer, the players are all the same youthful children playing and sharing fun together, no barriers, no rich or poor, no one beautiful and ugly.
There is a wonderful law of nature which states that the three things man crave most in life – happiness, freedom and peace of mind – are always attained by giving them to someone else.
The Ms. Pintados candidates do not discover and enhance their God-endowed talents, they also find their heart and happiness in sharing their time and charm in bringing happiness to the street children.
This is the secret why the Search for the Miss Pintados continuous to attract contestants every year for the last twenty years, it is a search with a difference. This is the reason why most of the Miss Pintados candidates become volunteers to the various Pintados Foundation undertakings long after the Search. This is the secret to the success and more beautiful aura of the candidates after the Search.
Indeed, there is no beautifier of complexion or form or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain to the people who need people. It is good to share a meal with disadvantaged, and bring joy to those who have almost forgotten what smile and joy is all about.
For as long as the Search for Miss Pintados of the Pintados Foundation is able to mobilize people into action, building real people and future leaders in the process, able to build real people, and for as long as the people will continue to accept and support the cause of the street children, the Search for Miss Pintados is here to stay.
Posted 2 months ago at 1:26 am. 1 comment
