TACLOBAN CITY- The efforts of the government’s Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) in Eastern Visayas are showing gains as more members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) voluntarily surrendered to police authorities in the region.

This developed following the voluntary surrender of a ranking officer of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) and four (4) other CTG members in Lope De Vega, Northern Samar on July 18.

The surrenderee was identified as alias Jun, 37, single, allegedly the finance and medical officer under FC2, SRC Emporium, who turned over a shotgun with two live ammunitions.
The second former rebel who decided to leave the armed struggle in the mountains was alias Toto, 39, and an NPSR-listed YM member under FC2, SRC Emporium.

Other surrendeees were alias Alvin, 44; alias Ben/Menor, 54; and alias Marilen, 51.All were residents of Lope De Vega, Northern Samar.

Police Colonel Ma. Bella D. Rentuaya, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 8, said that personnel of the 1st Northern Samar Police Mobile Force Company (NSPMFC) led by Police Major Norman S. Kiat-Ong Jr. with the support of the personnel of the Army’s 43rd Infantry Batallion led by Technical Sergeant Willie O. Macatimpag facilitated the successful surrender of the five (5) former rebels.

Other units who facilitated the negotiation were the personnel of Lope de Vega Municipal Police Station led by Police Captain Ariel Baldoza and the 804th Regional Mobile Force Battalion 8 through Police Captain Tyrone Mark Cartalla.

Prior to this, a 32-year-old farmer identified as alias Edmar from Maslog town in Eastern Samar also voluntarily surrendered to the 801st Mobile Company, Regional Mobile Force Battalion 8, in Brgy. Garden, Arteche, Eastern Samar.

He also personally handed over to the authorities a homemade shotgun with two magazines and four live ammunitions.

Edmar is allegedly a former member of Yunit Militia in Maslog who was reportedly recruited by alias Dado, platoon leader of F3, SRC-ARCTIC, EVRPC under the command of Carlito Guadiana alias Carding/Bong.

The successful negotiation was made through the efforts of the personnel of the 801st Mobile Company, together with the personnel of the Eastern Samar Provincial Police Office, Police Intelligence Unit, 1st Eastern Samar Police Mobile Force Company, and the 42nd Infantry Battalion, 9ID, Philippine Army.

Police Brig. General Vincent S. Calanoga, regional director of the Police Regional Office 8, said the increasing number of CTG members who voluntarily surrendered to police authorities was the result of the intensified campaign of the government against insurgency.

“Ito ay bunga na rin ng maigting at sanib-pwersang pagpapatupad ng mga programa laban sa insurhensiya. Ang pagsugpo sa isyu ng local communist armed conflict ay patuloy na binibigyan din ng pamahalaan upang makamtan ang adhikain na kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Dahil kailanman, hindi magigin solusyon ang armas at dahas para sa magandang bukas,” Calanoga said in a press statement.

He also encouraged all rebels who are still fighting against the government to lay down their arms, give peace a chance, and start building a brighter future for their families. (MMP/CBA with reports from PRO-8)

TACLOBAN CITY– The City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) here expressed confidence that it would be able to surpass its over P1.7 billion collection goal this year.
Jennifer S. Guy, the acting city treasurer, alluded to this in an interview with the City Information Office.

Guy stated that the city government’s goal income collection for this year of P1,759,990,076 has already been exceeded by more than half, or 57.30 percent, in the first and second quarters.

The majority of the collected revenue in the last two quarters came from “local sources,” such as real property and business taxes, and economic enterprise, which includes the market, slaughterhouse, and terminal collections, which amounted to more than P412 million as of June 2023.

This is nearly P59 million more than the same period last year, which posted a P 353,352,705.67 collection.

The CTO sees this as an indication that local businesses and enterprises are gradually recovering from the effects of the pandemic and as a result of the innovations introduced by the city government for revenue collection efficiency, such as the streamlining of business processes and the digitalization of tax payment and collections.

Recently, the CTO, in coordination with the City Management Information Systems Office, implemented a cashless system of rental payments at the Tacloban City Supermarket to avoid pilferage and enhance its collection system.
(H.J. ROCA/TCIO)

ORMOC CITY-A fetus was found by a local fisherman near a fish cage in a coastal village of Naungan, this city, on Saturday (July 29) at about 5 pm.

The gender of the fetus could no longer be determined as it was already in the state of decomposition and severely mutilated with its lower part already detached.

Case investigator Police Staff Sergeant Jemelito Ignacio disclosed that the decomposing human fetus was found by a certain Emmar Dajab, 46, and a resident of said place.

According to Dajab, he just came from his fish cage when he saw the decomposing fetus upon docking his boat at the Naungan shoreline at around 5 pm and immediately reported what he found to their local officials who called the local police.

It was believed that the fetus came from another area and was possibly washed out in the seawaters of Brgy. Naungan.
(ROBERT DEJON)