Taga Ormoc Daily

PALO, Leyte --The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) in Eastern Visayas is asking government agencies and local governments to promote the consumption of buko (young coconut) juice to raise the income of farmers affected by the steadily declining copra price. PCA Regional Manager Jeffrey delos Reyes said that if half of the region’s more than four million population will drink buko juice daily, the region’s coconut farmers will earn an additional PHP20 million every day. Young coconut is bought at PHP10 per piece in farms and marketed by vendors at PHP20 to PHP25 per piece. “Our call to government officials is to serve coconut water in all our activities instead of soda drinks to support our local coconut industry. Let us be ambassadors of the coconut sector,” delos Reyes told reporters. PCA pushed for the promotion of young coconut as copra farm gate price plunged to PHP11 per kilogram this week from PHP21 in the same period last year. The government has no control on the ...

As an initial step, a series of Information Caravan will be led by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) Region 8 as told to media by  Regional Vice President (RVP) Dr. Leo Douglas Cardona, Jr.  on March 11 According to RVP Cardona, they are set to hold Information Education Campaign (IEC) in  rural health units and government hospitals in the region, starting off with Samar island’s health facilities  down to the Leyte provinces. “However, UHC  will not be limited to government hospitals only. This is precisely the main focus of PhilHealth-8, in particular, to innovate that private hospitals may soon support or cooperate, after all, it is a law,” Cardona said.  “When President Rodrigo Duterte signed the law, it was his main agendum to provide quality, accessible and affordable health care to all Filipino citizens, thus, invitation is  being made to private hospitals,” he added. UHC grants every citizen  eligibility wi...

The Philippine National Police (PNP) have launched a manhunt for two inmates who bolted from the lock-up cell of the municipal police station in Calbiga, Samar on Monday night. The police on Tuesday stated that the two brothers, charged with carnapping and robbery, escaped by cutting through the bars of their cell. The police asked the public to be vigilant since the two are considered “armed and dangerous”. “The fugitive grabbed a motorcycle parked outside the police station, which served as their getaway vehicle and took a hostage, who subsequently managed to escape from her captors while on their route of escape,” the PNP said in a statement. The two suspects are Roel Mabahin, 22, single, jobless, accused of carnapping; and Rodel Mabahin, 19, single, jobless and accused of robbery. Both are residents of Minata village in Calbiga town. PNP Eastern Visayas Regional Director, Brigadier General Dionardo Carlos ordered all police stations to be more...

 The PDP-Laban is lining up at least eight names as possible candidates when it moves to regain control of the House speakership for the 18th Congress, re-electionist Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said yesterday. As president of PDP-Laban, Pimentel said the party has come up with a shortlist of possible contenders to the speakership to succeed Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is on her last term as representative of the second district of Pampanga. “We have shortlisted eight PDP-Laban members who we will back up for the House speakership,” Pimentel told ANC. Those in the shortlist are Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, who was ousted as speaker last July; Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez; Cavite Rep. Alex Advincula; Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales; South Cotabato Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez; Cavite Rep. Abraham Tolentino; Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco and San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora. He said the PDP-Laban leadership would try to further shorten the list after the May 13 ele...

The total fish production in the region went up to 30,461 metric tons (MT) during the 4th quarter of 2018 from 29,306 MT in the same quarter of 2017. Eastern Visayas accounted for 2.5 percent of the country’s total fishery production during the 4th quarter of 2018. It ranked sixth among the regions with low fishery production in the country. Among provinces, Leyte produced the highest volume of fisheries at 9,585 MT, comprising 31.5 percent of the total fishery production in the region. Samar ranked second at 7,650 MT, accounting for 25.1 percent of the region’s total fishery production. Biliran, meanwhile, registered 1,227 MT, the lowest volume of production which shared 4 percent only. Volume of production in commercial fishing went up by 6.4 percent, from 2,672 MT in the 4th quarter of 2017 to 2,844 MT in the same quarter of 2018. All provinces registered increases in commercial fishing, except Southern Leyte, which recorded a decline of 51.6 percent. Leyte r...

#EarthquakePH #EarthquakeSurigaoDelNorte Earthquake Information No.1 Date and Time: 08 Mar 2019 - 11:06 PM Magnitude = 6.4 Depth = 016 kilometers Location = 10.39N, 126.09E - 041 km N 03° E of Burgos (Surigao Del Norte) http://earthquake.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/2019_Earthquake_Information/March/2019_0308_1506_B1.html

"We hope to release it next week. We are vetting it right now. We are making sure of the list," Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) spokesperson, Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, said in a phone interview Wednesday. While several senators have opposed the disclosure of the names on the list, Malaya said the public has the right to be informed regarding this matter. "To us, since the election is coming and we want to eradicate drugs, the people should be aware of the protectors, the coddlers of drug syndicates. We have a different opinion with the senators," he added. Malaya said through this move, senators will know who are on the list because they do not have access to intelligence information from the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. "We want the people to be informed so they can decide what they want...

The release of the so-called narco-list ahead of the elections is the “call” of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Commission on Elections said on Monday, March 4. “If someone wants to release the narco list, then that is their call entirely. Wala po kaming.. hindi po kami involved diyan,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said. Comelec chair Sheriff Abbas said the release of the list would actually be a good guide for voters. In a radio interview on Sunday, March 3, Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon said, however, that releasing the list was a form of “negative campaigning,” and was “unfair.” “Huwag niyong iboto ‘to ng mga taong kasi mga drug pusher ito.’ E di negative campaigning iyan. Unfair naman ‘yun,” Guanzon had said. But Abas noted a candidate’s inclusion in the narco-list was not a grounds for disqualification from the 2019 election race anyway. He said if the candidate...

University of the Visayas Baby Lancer star Joshua Yerro has been selected to take part in the 2019 National Basketball Training Center National All-Star Game after he ended up in 14th place in the final rankings of this year’s Chooks-to-Go NBTC 24 high school basketball rankings. For the first time ever, the best high school players from the UAAP, NCAA, and CESAFI were ranked all-year long, with the top players in the country, including those from MMBL, rightfully earning their spots in the yearly showpiece. Yerro, the pride of Ormoc, was the top player in the Chooks to Go/NBTC Cesafi 24 rankings after tallying averages of 18 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three steals per game. Curiously, Yerro was not even included in the Cesafi Mythical Five. But NBTC Special Projects head, Anton Altamirano, had high praise for the 6-foot-2 high flyer. “Definitely someone who we expected to be in there. In my opinion, college ready. Has a big upside on his game. Very athletic, stron...

The first Human Milk Bank for the Visayas was installed at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC). Costing an approximate P9-million, the equipment that  preserves the human milk is a lone donation of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in its aim to help the people in the region promote exclusive breastfeeding and prevent disease and mortality among babies and infants. The Human Milk Bank is capable of storing the human milk in a week's  time. (Photos: DOH-CHD/PIA)