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Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
August 19, 2025
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𝐎𝐧𝐠𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝟏 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐨 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝟐

by Ma.AG Tacloban City- The first termer Congressman Edwin Ongchuan of the second district of Northern Samar, has expressed his enthusiasm for the inclusion of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road 2 (SPCR 2) in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026, which secures an initial funding allocation of 1 billion pesos. On October 7, 2024, the Government of the Philippines formalized a loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of Korea for the SPCR 2 project, amounting to USD 111.43 million (approximately PHP 6.34 billion). This big-ticket project aims to construct vital bridges that will enhance connectivity between the Pacific towns, Laoang, and the broader Samar Island. SPCR 2 will feature the construction of two significant bridges: the 800-meter Laoang Bridge 2, which will connect Talisay village to Poblacion Laoang, and the 605-meter Laoang Bridge 3, linking Calomotan to the Pangpang villages in Palapag. Originally proposed by the late former Congressman Emil L. Ong, the project received endorsement from the Regional…

Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
National
August 10, 2025
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House minority leader rejects call to scrap 4Ps, cites proven success in lifting families out of poverty

Tacloban City–House of Representatives Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan has rejected proposals to abolish the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), stressing that conditional cash transfer programs—both in the Philippines and abroad—have long been proven effective in reducing poverty and improving health and education outcomes in disadvantaged communities. “The 4Ps has consistently proven to be a powerful tool for building human capital—encouraging school attendance, promoting preventive health care, and ensuring better nutrition for children,” Libanan, a 4Ps Party-list representative, said in a statement on Sunday. “The program works. We just need to give our poorest families a stronger push so they can stand on their own permanently,” Libanan added. Libanan emphasized that the 4Ps cash grants are not handouts but incentives tied to conditions such as keeping children in school, undergoing regular health check-ups, and attending family development sessions. His remarks came after Senator Erwin Tulfo urged the government to discontinue the program and instead provide livelihood capital to beneficiaries.…

PSA Conducts 2025 National Migration Survey

by Malene Caya Tacloban City–The Philippine Statistics Authority – Regional Statistical Services Office VIII (PSA–RSSO 8) will conduct the 2025 National Migration Survey (2025 NMS) from August 4 to September 5, 2025. This nationwide survey aims to gather vital data on the mobility of the Philippine population. PSA regional director Wilma Perante said that the data on flows understanding internal Methodology: Importance:

PSA Conducts Nationwide Update of Agriculture Farm Operators and Fish Landing Centers

by Ma.Arlene Gabon Tacloban City–The Philippine Statistics Authority – Regional Statistical Services Office VIII (PSA – RSSO 8) will conduct the 2025 Updating of List of Agriculture Farm Operators and Inland Fishing Households, and the 2025 Listing of Marine Fish Landing Centers (2025 ULAFO-LMFLC) from August 11 to October 13, 2025. Objectives: Methodology: Importance: In this regard, PSA–RSSO 8 enjoins everyone to support the 2025 ULAFO-LMFLC by providing accurate information to our authorized Statistical Researchers who will be visiting sample respondents. We assure the public that all personnel involved in the 2025 ULAFO-LMFLC are bound by the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173) to keep all information obtained during the listing and enumeration in strict confidence. Individual data provided to PSA for statistical inquiries, surveys, and censuses are considered privileged communication and cannot be used as evidence in any court ofsound design, promotes economy, eliminates duplication in data collection, and minimizes respondent burden. In this regard, PSA–RSSO 8 enjoins…

Oceana Appoints Von Hernandez to Lead Campaigns in the Philippines

Tacloban City–Oceana, a global ocean conservation organization, has appointed Von Hernandez to lead its campaigns in the Philippines. Hernandez, a Goldman Prize-winning environmental leader, will focus on protecting marine biodiversity and supporting local communities. The Philippines sits at the heart of the world’s richest marine biodiversity, which feeds and sustains the livelihoods of millions of Filipinos. But artisanal fishers, who provide nearly half of the country’s fish, are under tremendous pressure from many threats. These include illegal fishing by commercial vessels, climate change, pollution, and challenges in keeping their catch fresh,” said James Simon, CEO of Oceana. “Von’s lifelong commitment to people and the environment makes him the perfect choice to help us deliver real, lasting change for local communities and oceans alike.” Over two million small-scale Filipino fishers are among the nation’s most vulnerable and food insecure. Oceana has been supporting fisherfolk in their struggle against illegal commercial fishing in municipal waters for over a decade. This includes in…

House Minority Leader Libanan delivers powerful contra-SONA: Demands action on poverty, inflation, education, health, and political reforms

Tacloban City–House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan on Monday delivered a hard-hitting Contra-SONA, commending select achievements of the Marcos administration but warning that many Filipinos are still left behind. Speaking before his colleagues in the House of Representatives, Libanan stressed that statistics alone do not reflect the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens. “While we welcome the President’s appeal for unity, genuine unity must be rooted in meeting the people’s most urgent needs—not in political convenience,” Libanan said. He acknowledged the administration’s focus on economic growth, infrastructure, and social programs, but said these gains “must be felt at the grassroots, not just measured in numbers.” Citing official data, Libanan noted that while poverty incidence dropped from 18.1 percent in 2021 to 15.5 percent in 2023, nearly 17.5 million Filipinos remain poor. More striking, he pointed to a June 2025 SWS survey showing that 49 percent of Filipino families still consider themselves poor, highlighting the deep disconnect between…

AFTER RANDOM DRUG TESTS, Mayor Kerwin files raps vs municipal gov’t men, officers found drug users

by Miriam G. Desacada Albuera (Leyte) –Mayor Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa filed charges against personnel of the Albuera Municipal Government who tested positive for drug use during a random drug testing of municipal workers, upon orders of the town mayor, early this month. The Mayor’s Office stated: “This action is part of Mayor Rolan Espinosa’s firm commitment to ensuring a drug-free workplace in the Municipality of Albuera, upholding integrity and discipline in public service.” On its social media account, the Mayor’s Office declared: “Mayor Rolan E. Espinosa has officially filed a formal charge for Grave Misconduct against personnel of this municipality, following the findings of a preliminary investigation conducted by the Investigating Committee,” in connection with the results of the random drug tests. There was no mention, however, of how many underwent the drug tests, and how many of them tested positive, but among those subjected to the drug tests were municipal employees, department heads, Sangguniang Bayan (SB) members, and even…

NGCP Strengthens Grid Readiness with Annual Blackout Drills

NGCP Eastern Visayas Tacloban City–The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) recently conducted its annual Blackout Drills to improve grid response capabilities in case of large-scale power outages or system disturbances. The drills were held separately for the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao grids, with the theme “Blackout Readiness: Strengthening Response Capabilities.” Key Highlights: NGCP’s Objectives: By conducting these annual Blackout Drills, NGCP aims to ensure grid readiness and reliability, ultimately providing a stable power supply to the country. One of NGCP’s main functions as the country’s transmission operator is to constantly enhance operational efficiency of power transmission network operations, particularly that of System Operations.

𝐁𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝟖 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Tacloban City-A total of 3.8 million pieces of bangus fry with were produced in the first semester of 2025 by the Guiuan Marine Fisheries Development Center (GMFDC) in Eastern Samar and the Laoang Multi-Species Hatchery (LMSH) in Northern Samar—achieving 131% of the annual production target of 2.9 million fry ahead of schedule. The produced bangus fry have been distributed to the Jiabong Aquaculture Production Technology Center (JAPTC) in Samar and the Regional Brackishwater Aquaculture Production Center (RBAPC) in Northern Samar, which will serve as nurseries until the fry reach the 75-day fingerling stage. Once reared into quality bangus fingerlings, these will be distributed to fish cage beneficiaries of BFAR-8 under the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program, the regular livelihood projects of the Provincial Fisheries Offices (PFOs), and private sector fish cage operators availing of the Stock Now, Pay Later scheme. This breakthrough accomplishment is expected to provide a steady supply of quality bangus fingerlings to support local aquaculture,…

𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐅𝐀𝐑-𝟖 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐄𝐏𝐒𝐃𝐏 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐲𝐭𝐞

Tacloban City–Pushing forth the expansion of seaweed production areas in Eastern Visayas, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 8 (BFAR-8), through the Enhanced Philippine Seaweed Development Program (EPSDP), conducted a program orientation and site visit in Dawahon Island, Bato, Leyte on July 24-25, 2025. The session brought together Provincial Fisheries Officers (PFOs) and seaweed nursery caretakers from across the region to align strategies, strengthen technical capacities, and coordinate the rollout of seaweed production expansion initiatives in the six (6) provinces of Eastern Visayas—Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar. Participants also took part in the replanting of 15 metric tons of seaweed propagules on the island, which is expected to yield approximately 45 metric tons of seaweed, forecasted to significantly contribute to the continued growth of seaweed production in Dawahon. “As of now, our island has 300 hectares of potential areas for seaweed expansion,” shared Mr. Ruel Inoc, one of the region’s top seaweed producers.…

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