CATARMAN, Northern Samar — Bishop Emmanuel Trance of the Diocese of Catarman said the role of the Church is focused on peace. Trance spoke during the 25th Northern Samar Peace and Development Forum (NSPDF) held at the Northern Samar Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) function hall said “the Church is the bulwark of peace and when a community is peaceful, it can find development.” Trance also said he will check on Catarman’s homeless street children and vowed help for them to be extended by the Basic Ecclesiastical Community (BEC). In the same forum, engineer Ferdinand Briones, acting district engineer of the DPWH’s 2nd engineering district in Northern Samar informed that the completion of various road projects and bridges in the Pacific towns of the province, that is, Palapag, Mapanas, Gamay to Lapinig, is being rushed. (Nestor L. Abrematea)
MODEL FAMILIES
CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar — The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently awarded five model families from Sta. Rita, Gandara, San Jose de Buan, Basey and San Sebastian towns, this province for religiously complying with their co-responsibilities in the program and adopting Filipino values and strong family ties. Said awarded families were endorsed by parent-leaders, barangay captains and local government units and were verified by a compliance verification system. (Restituto A. Cayubit)
SMS CONTACT
PALO, Leyte (PIA) — Citizens, civil society organizations, and other entities here can now convey their complaints and concerns through government’s central helpline, dubbed Contact Center ng Bayan (CCB), by sending a text message to 090-888-16565. Civil Service Commission-Region 8 Director Marilyn Taldo said SMS use began last Dec. 3 and is aimed at making it easier and more convenient for the public to complain about inefficiency, discourtesy, and corruption in government offices.
POSTER MAKER
ILOILO CITY, Iloilo (PIA) — Angelene Arangco, a Grade 5 pupil of Bacolod City’s Rizal Elementary School who represented Western Visayas in the recently concluded National Road Safety Poster Making Contest emerged champion in the elementary category. Department of Education 6 Resource Mobilization Special Programs and Project’s Division Chief and Information Officer Dr. Eden D. Deriada said Arangco bested other participants from 17 other regions in the country who participated in the competition.
SAMAR ROADS
BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar (PIA) — Department of Public Works and Highways in Eastern Samar chief, engineer Domcilio Natividad recently belied rumors that the DPWH is remiss in fixing potholes existing in national highways in the province, telling local media that there are times when the weather is so bad that it is “impossible to do maintenance job.” Still, he said, “the critical portion along Taft (junction) to Binaloan is finished, while the Hernani-McArthur road stretch is on-going maintenance work and would be completed soon.”