CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines (PNA) — The appointment of Liberal Party (LP) members in Cebu to the national directorate is a strategy to strengthen the party in Cebu, said LP provincial chairman Hilario “Junjun” Davide III.

He said their objective is to recruit more LP members for the upcoming political exercise.

Davide said, though, that all cities and provinces are represented in the LP’s national directorate. ”Each province, each city is represented by LP leaders,” he said.

COUNCILORS HOLD REGIONAL CONGRESS

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Philippines — The Philippine Councilors' League (PCL), Eastern Visayas Chapter will hold its First Regional Congress on January 28-29, 2011 at the People's Center and Library here.

PCL Eastern Visayas President and Palo, Leyte Sangguniang Bayan member Wilson S. Uy said some 2,000 members of the League will be coming here from cities and municipalities of Region 8 to attend the two-day affair.

Uy said part of the activities of the Congress will be the awarding of the 2010 Local Legislative Awards and induction of officers of the different PCL Provincial Chapters in Region 8. (Nestor Abrematea)

R.C.B.F.P. SAVES CAPICENOS' LIVES

ROXAS CITY, Capiz, Philippines (PIA) — Some 68 Capiceños have availed of the blood donation activities of the Roxas City Bureau of Fire Protection (RCBFP).

In partnership with the Philippine Red Cross, Philippine Army and the academe, personnel of said office have helped individuals in need of blood for transfusion, RCBFP Information Officer Marlon Garbo said. He said last year, they were able to donate a total of 109 bags of blood to the PRC through a bloodletting program.

Garbo added that 20 personnel from their office were the successful blood donors in 2010 in partnership with the Philippine Army’s Reservists in Capiz and students from Hercor College.

BOHOL HOLDS UBE FESTIVAL

TAGBILARAN, Bohol, Philippines — To promote and help the growing ube (purple yam) farmers here, Bohol will stage the Ube Festival January Tuesday, January 25 to January 27 at the Bohol Cultural Center. Eleno Evangelista of the Office of the Provincial Agriculture here said it is hoped that through the Festival farmers can be aided in selling their crops.

Bohol’s ube kinampay (rootcrop) is the main ingredient of popular purple ube jam, ice-cream, candies and other home-cook food items. “Bohol’s purple yam, considered the queen of Philippine yam, has been a source of pride for Boholanos,” he said. Ube-kinampay is a specific variety of ube found mostly in Bohol. (Phoebe Jen Indino)

BACOLOD HOSPITAL STOPS COLLECTING FEES

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in Bacolod City has responded to calls by city legislators regarding alleged illegal collection of volunteers’ fees for nurses rendering free services, the first hospital in the city to do so.

Such move was cited by Councilor Caesar Z. Distrito who lauded the hospital for discontinuing the collection of any volunteer’s fee from the volunteer nurses doing volunteer/training work in the medical establishment.

Dr. Evangeline Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of said hospital has sent a letter to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) through Distrito’s office informing it that she had already issued a memorandum ordering the immediate cessation in collecting such fees. (Edith B. Colmo)