Procurement Service Sub-Depot opens in Calbayog City

Mayor Mel Sarmiento leading the ribbon-cutting ceremomy. Also in photo are (l-r) Maj General Arthur Tabaquero, Councilor Regina Rabuya, DBM-8 RD Imelda Laceras and Procurement Service Director Estanislao Granados.

The Procurement Service Sub-Depot at the Calbayog City Sports Center

The opening of the Procurement Service Sub-Depot in Calbayog was among the last official functions of Mayor Mel Sarmiento. Let me give you a report by my friend Ninfa B Quirante of the PIA.

Procurement Service subdepot opens in Calbayog City

Catbalogan City (25 June) -- The Procurement Service Regional Office 8 under the supervision of the Department of Budget 8 opens its third sub-depot in Calbayog City on June 24, 2010.

Located in the new Calbayog City Sports Complex, the depot will sell 300 most common office supplies.

Fr July Gaddi blessed the government procurement service depot with scores of government workers and media in attendance.

"I am thankful to DBM for believing in Calbayog, " Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento said in his welcome remarks.

He stressed that he wanted to purchase quality office supplies without necessarily going to the tedious work of checking the quality, exact number and the prices.

With the sub-depot in their midst, the government agencies are then assured of quality and reasonably priced office supplies.

"The Calbayog sub-depot is strategically located and can serve, Catbalogan, Catarman and other LGUs, " stressed Sarmiento.

Mr Estanislao Granados, Procurement Service Director in the Region graced the launching along with Ms Imelda Laceras, DBM 8 Regional Director.

Director Granados surprised everyone when he addressed the crowd in fluent Waray, claiming later that he is from Leyte.

The director also revealed that since he is retiring, his attendance in the Calbayog event is his last public appearance.

Calbayog Sub-depot is the 10th provincial depot while there are 12 regional depots, accross the country, according to Director Laceras.

Both Laceras and Granados emphasized that Government offices are mandated by law to purchase office supplies in the depot which is now more accessible.

Atty. Isagani Togonon was assigned to lead the sub-depot along with some six Calbayog City employees deployed by the city government.

Laceras said that Procurement Service in the Region's biggest customer is the army as Samar island houses the 8th Infantry Division (8th ID)and three or four battalions.

The 8th ID commanding general, Maj General Arthur Tabaquero was present along with 20th Infantry Battalion Commander Jose Narciso. (PIA-Samar)

Mayor Sarmiento presides over his last RDC meeting

RDC-8 Chair and Mayor Mel Sarmiento being greeted by DBM RO-8 RD Imelda Laceras, NEDA-8 RD Buenaventura Gosoco, Presidential Assistant Cynthia Nierras, DOLE RO-8 RD Atty. Forter Puguon and other RDC members.

As announced, the Regional Development Council (RDC) of Eastern Visayas met yesterday at the NEDA 8 Conference Room. Among the things it tackled was the 2011-2016 Regional Development Plan Framework. For Mayor Mel Sarmiento, it was his last meeting as RDC-8 Chair. (Photos by Henry Puyat)

Calbayog honors CPA Board topnothcer

Among the highlights of today's Independence Day celebration in Calbayog was the awarding of the SP Resolution commending Mr. Reynaldo Prudenciado, Jr. an accounting graduate from Christ the King College who placed 6th in the recent CPA Board Exam.

Photo above shows Councilor Julius Mancol handing over the copy of the resolution to Mr. Prudente. The awarding ceremony was held at the Nijaga Park stage. The evening's affair was also highlighted by the maiden performance of CACO's "Serapio: the Musicale" (Photo by Jinjin Aguilar-Cinco)

Sarmiento wants Calbayog cops returned to old posts

(This item appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

Tacloban City - The outgoing mayor of Calbayog City, Mel Senen Sarmiento, has asked for the immediate return of the 52 policemen from the city who were removed from their assignments during the recently-held elections.

Sarmiento, in a talk with the employees of the city government after the flag-raising ceremonies at the City Hall grounds yesterday, admitted that he was hurt and felt insulted when the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police pulled out practically the entire city police force.

Worse, the checkpoints were established in the area where he lives, Sarmiento, who won as a congressman representing Samar's first congressional district, said in his extemporaneous speech, a voice copy of which was provided to Leyte Samar Daily Express.

"I could not understand what the professionalism of the Philippine National Police is all about? I'm somewhat lost . . a level of respect to the leadership of the PNP (here in the region)," Sarmiento said.

The city mayor said that if indeed the regional leadership of the PNP was true to its mandate of ensuring peaceful elections in Calbayog, "They should have leveled the playing fields."

Sarmiento could be alluding to the perceptions that the PNP in the region were favoring other candidates to the disadvantage of other candidates like himself.

The city has been earlier identified by the PNP as one of the "areas of concern" during the elections.

Sarmiento, who is also the incumbent chair of the Regional Development Council, said that he would sit down with the officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the immediate return of the city policemen.

Sarmiento said that 52 policemen from Calbayog city police station were relieved from their respective posts, led by then city police chief, Superintendent Lito Bigoy, days before the conduct if the May 10 elections.

these policemen were reassigned to the regional PNP headquarters for their alleged political partisanship. They have yet to return to their old posts in Cabayog City.

Sarmiento also said that the alleged partisanship among the policemen of Calbayog City, which was used as the basis for their transfer, has to be proven first by the PNP regional; headquarters before they were sacked from their posts.

He said that being natives of the city, the possibility that these sacked policemen could have relatives or friends seeking elective posts during the May 10 elections was not remote.

"We're all from Calbayog. We're all friends. Just because they are form here, they were removed even without authority from the Commission on Elections," Sarmiento said.

He also said that as the chief executive of the city, he should have been provided with a list of who would be Calbayog's chief of police.

Sarmiento also said that since he became a mayor, all the requests of the police organization were granted by him, including paper and gasoline supplies. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

Mayor Sarmiento meets with PDEA officials

Mayor Mel Sarmiento today met with some officials of PDEA-Region 8. Part of the meeting was the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on PDEA's use of the office space at the Calbayog City Sports Center which was provided by the City Government of Calbayog. In the same meeting, PDEA-8 Assistant Regional Director Levi Ortiz handed over to Mayor Sarmiento a plaque commending the City Mayor for his active support to the programs of PDEA.

Tricycle driver wins national award on poetry

Let me give you a report which I received courtesy of PIA-8 and Eleen Lim of DYOG Radyo ng Bayan.


Tricycle driver wins national award on poetry
By Neil D. Lopido

Nemesio “Totoy” Baldesco, a tricycle “padyak” driver from Calbayog City, won the Jimmy Y. Balacuit Special Award on Poetry in the just concluded 17^th Iligan National Writers Workshop held at the Mindanao State University, Iligan City on May 23-28, 2010.

Baldesco was given with such meritorious award by the panel of critics from big universities in the country for his craftsmanship in his poem “Sikad” which talks about the life of a tricycle driver who takes pain in earning money just to feed his family and send his children to school.

The panel of critics who granted the said award were: Antonio Enriquez (Ateneo de Zamboanga), Leoncio P. Deriada (UP Iloilo), Merlie M. Alunan (UP Tacloban), Victor N. Sugbo (UP Tacloban), German V. Gervacio (MSU-IIT), Steven P.C. Fernandez (MSU-IIT), this year’s keynote lecturer, Lawrence Ypil (Ateneo de Manila University), and workshop director, Christine Godinez-Ortega (MSU-IIT).

Baldesco was the only fellow from Eastern Visayas. Along with him were: Bernardo Miguel from Calabanga, Camarines Sur; Paul A. Castillo from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila; Roberto Klemente R. Timonera from MSU-IIT, Iligan City; Gratian Paul R. Tidor, MSU-IIT, Dipolog City; Herminigildo M. Dico, MSU-IIT, Dumingog, Zamboanga del Sur; Jona B. Bering from the University of San Carlos, Cebu City; Jayson E. Parba, Capitol University, Cagayan de Oro City; Kyra Camille C. Ballesteros, Ateneo de Manila University, Taytay, Rizal; Romulo P. Pena, UP Diliman, Quezon City; Reynaldo A. Villaruz, Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion, Roxas City; and Anili F. Butcon, Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro City.

The said writer has already received numerous awards from various award-giving bodies. In Eastern Visayas for example, the Ibabao Arts Council of Calbayog bestowed unto him the Poet Laureate Award of Calbayog in 2008 during the Siday sa Kahanginan Poetry and the Provincial Government of Samar proclaimed him Champion in the Oral Siday Competition held in 2004 during the Samar Day Celebration. While at the national scene, Baldesco received a Gantimpalang Ani Award for Poetry in 1994 from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and in 2007 the Gawad Komisyon Karangalang Banggit for Poetry by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF).

As a traditional writer in Waray, Baldesco updated himself in contemporary writing through his active involvement in the annual Lamiraw Regional Creative Writing Workshop held in Northwest Samar State University ( NwSSU). His attendance in the Iligan workshop this year is a big leap in broadening his knowledge in poetry and literary criticism, especially in honing his craftsmanship.

Baldesco, 55, lives in Brgy. Matobato in Calbayog City, together with his writer-wife Ana and his children who are also artists in their respective fields. (PIA-8/Lamiraw)

Environment Month in Calbayog