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Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
January 18, 2026
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DOF Chief Gets Green Light for AFP Modernization Loan Deals

by Miriam G.Desacada Tacloban City–The 2026 General Appropriations Act lets the Finance Secretary secure extra funding, including loans, to support AFP modernization. “Congress added a special provision allowing loan contracts for military upgrades,” says Minority Leader Nonoy Libanan said on Sunday. “Congress introduced a new special provision in the 2026 budget law that allows the Secretary of Finance to enter into loan contracts or similar financing arrangements to help fund the military’s modernization projects,” Libanan added. Citing the exact language of the special provision: “In addition to the annual appropriations for the AFP Modernization Act Trust Fund, the Secretary of Finance, in consultation with the Department of National Defense, is authorized to negotiate, contract, and enter into foreign and domestic financing arrangements, including but not limited to loans, grants, credit facilities, and blended financing mechanisms, for the implementation of AFP modernization projects, subject to the approval of the President of the Republic of the Philippines with the prior concurrence of…

Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
January 18, 2026
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Tulong Dunong Program Gets ₱2.7B Boost for Needy College Students

The ₱2.7 billion Tulong Dunong Program will aid financially struggling college students from low-income backgrounds this year . The budget’s ₱700 million increase from 2025 shows Congress’ focus on easing higher education costs, says Rep. Sheen Gonzales . from low-income backgrounds are set to receive cash assistance this year under the national government’s Tulong Dunong Program (TDP), following the allocation of ₱2.7 billion for the program in the 2026 General Appropriations Law, House Assistant Minority Leader and Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales said Sunday. The allocation marks a ₱700-million increase from the program’s ₱2-billion budget in 2025, underscoring Congress’ renewed focus on helping students overcome financial barriers to higher education, according to Gonzales. “The increased funding reflects Congress’ firm resolve to ease the cost of higher education, especially for students from economically disadvantaged families,” Gonzales said. “We are counting on the cash assistance to help reduce the number of students who are forced to drop out of…

Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
January 12, 2026
22 views

Libanan urges swift approval of next AFP modernization program

evmwbph Tacloban City–Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan urges Congress to pass a new AFP modernization program as the 2012 law expires in 2027. “Early action ensures the AFP stays capable, credible, and responsive,” Libanan say. The lawmaker calls for timely passage of successor AFP modernization program Saying that the 15-year Revised AFP Modernization Program, enacted in 2012, is set to expire in 2027, and early legislative action would ensure a smooth transition to the next phase of the military’s modernization. “Congress should enact a successor modernization framework ahead of the current program’s expiration. By acting early, we can ensure that the AFP remains capable, credible, and responsive while maintaining a stable and coherent modernization strategy,” Libanan added. The AFP modernization program is all about boosting the military’s capabilities with advanced equipment, tech, and defense systems . 2025 was a big year with the arrival of 2 new frigates (BRP Miguel Malvar and BRP Diego Silang) + 5 Black Hawk helicopters…

Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
January 9, 2026
147 views

AFTER FIVE ATTEMPTS From jail tower to the Bar: A Jail guard now a lawyer

by Miriam Garcia Desacada Tacloban City– While jail towers are associated with vigilance and stern discipline, one BJMP jail guard, specifically of the Tacloban City Jail, turned that narrow post into a place of purpose, persistence, and ultimately, triumph: He is now a lawyer. He is Jail Officer 2 (JO2) Rayenric Virgil Philip Jay Borer Elecho, a native of Barangay Cavite in Alang-Alang, Leyte who is now a resident of Palo, Leyte with his wife and son. Setting aside his lengthy first name, he is known to his family, friends, and colleagues as Rayen. Rayen took political science from Leyte Colleges before he enrolled in law, five years ago, at the Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation (DVOREF) College of Law. Becoming a lawyer was not only his own dream—it was his father’s for him. His father wanted to be a lawyer himself but did not have the time and opportunity, so he encouraged his children to pursue it. When…

Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
January 9, 2026
108 views

DVOREF in Tacloban is now among PHL’s top 5 Law schools

by Miriam Garcia Desacada The Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation (DVOREF) College of Law has placed among the country’s Top 5 law schools with the highest passing percentage in the 2025 Bar Examinations, based on official data released by the Supreme Court (SC). According to the SC’s “Performance of Law Schools” report released on January 7, DVOREF posted an 80.19 percent passing rate among first-time examinees from schools with more than 100 candidates. The result ranked the school 4th nationwide, placing it ahead of San Beda College of Law–Alabang and alongside leading institutions such as Ateneo de Manila University, the University of the Philippines, and the University of Santo Tomas. Out of 106 examinees from DVOREF, 85 passed the Bar. This made DVOREF the only law school from a province to enter the national Top 5 in its category. The achievement is being regarded as a major milestone for the legal education in Eastern Visayas region. The DVOREF College…

Garbage, Neglect, and the Cost of Silence

by Rowel Montes Tacloban City–The images from Barangay 100, San Roque, Tacloban City tell a story the city government has long tried to downplay: a growing garbage crisis that reflects not just poor waste management, but a deeper failure in the delivery of basic public services. Piled sacks of mixed waste line the roadside. Makeshift shelters are hemmed in by trash. Plastic, food waste, and recyclables are left to rot under rain clouds, threatening nearby waterways and communities. This is not an isolated scene. It is a lived reality for residents who endure the consequences of neglect long after taxes have been paid and promises have been made. A concerned citizen, Dom Cinco, sent these photos to raise awareness—not to shame neighbors, but to call attention to a systemic problem. The question is no longer who dumped the garbage, but why it was allowed to accumulate in the first place. Tacloban City prides itself on efficiency in tax collection. Business permits, real…

Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
December 29, 2025
87 views

Flooded Livelihoods: When Tacloban’s Public Market becomes a perennial problem

by Rowel Montes The images circulating on social media are difficult to ignore: vendors of the Tacloban City Public Market standing ankle-deep in murky floodwater, vegetables displayed beside puddles, customers hesitating to enter, livelihoods hanging in the balance. This is not an isolated incident. Nor is it merely an inconvenience brought by a single night of heavy rain. What the viral Facebook post documents is a perennial problem—one that resurfaces year after year, rain after rain—revealing long-standing weaknesses in the city’s drainage, sanitation, and everyday infrastructure. For market vendors, flooding is not just about wet floors. It is about lost income, health risks, and dignity. They endure floodwater because they have no alternative. They sell because families depend on daily earnings. Customers, understandably, stay away—afraid of contamination and waterborne disease risks. The result is a cruel paradox: vendors must brave the flood to survive, while buyers are pushed away by the same flood. Public health experts have long warned that…

Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
December 29, 2025
89 views

Luzon-Visayas Undersea Tunnel Eyes JICA, ADB Funding

by Miriam G.Desacada Borongan City- The Luzon-Visayas fixed link project (bridge or undersea tunnel) will likely proceed as a foreign-assisted project (FAP) to curb corruption and political meddling, says House Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan. “We’re counting on JICA and ADB to finance and oversee this – insulate it from politics,”_ Libanan said, citing models like the Metro Manila Subway and Cebu’s Marcelo Fernan Bridge. The project is envisioned to follow the FAP model. This will ensure discipline, transparency, and foreign donor scrutiny from day one,” Libanan added. The recent crippling congestion at Sorsogon’s Port of Matnog during the Christmas-New Year rush underscores the critical need for a Luzon-Visayas fixed link, says Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan. “The Matnog bottleneck is a structural weakness. Holidays expose our transport failings, hurting mobility, trade, and emergency response,”_ Libanan stressed. RORO ferries were swamped, leaving passengers and vehicles stuck in endless queues. Is it time to fast-track the Luzon-Visayas bridge . The 2026 …

Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
December 13, 2025
114 views

Government Prepares for a Future-Ready Civil Service with New Qualification Standards

The government is set to implement new qualification standards to ready the civil service for future challenges. A landmark collaboration between the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman formally commenced today, initiating the development of new Qualification Standards (QS) that will modernize how government agencies will recruit, select, and develop talent. The initiative signals a decisive move toward building a more agile, professional, and future-ready Philippine bureaucracy capable of meeting the evolving demands of governance. Chairperson Marilyn B. Yap and UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II led the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement, joined by CSC Assistant Commissioner for Human Resource Governance Hiro V. Masuda, UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG) Dean Kristoffer B. Berse, and Professorial Lecturer Ma. Oliva Domingo, along with other officials from both institutions. “This initiative is a critical step in aligning the QS with the present and future demands of governance,” Chairperson…

Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
December 9, 2025
122 views

Northern Samar Boosts Food Innovation with MOU signing

by Miriam G.Desacada Tacloban City–The Provincial Government of Northern Samar, through its Provincial Economic Development and Investment Promotion Office (PEDIPO), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Eastern Visayas Food Innovation Center (EVFIC), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region VIII, and Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) on December 9, 2025. The signing took place during the 2025 EVFIC Business Forum at the Summit Hotel in Tacloban City, themed “Building Bridges: The EVFIC’s 10-year Collaborative Approach for Food Innovation and Regional Development.” This MOU formalizes the adoption and promotion of the Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Retortable Champorado Technology, a locally developed product aimed at enhancing food safety, extending shelf life, and boosting market competitiveness. Notably, this is Northern Samar’s first disaster-response food product, designed to provide nutritious, shelf-stable nourishment during emergencies The agreement builds on a previous Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Northern Samar and DOST Region VIII for the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) Project, which supports technology…

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