ORMOC CITY-A man who was earlier diagnosed with tuberculosis was found dead with a cut on his wrist at about 5 pm on Tuesday (July 18) in Sitio Pitoguhan, Barangay Jamorawon, Almeria, Biliran.

Based on the investigation conducted by the responding police officer disclosed that the victim, Reneboy Berja, was discovered by his cousin, Carolina Oppus, as she was to give food to him at his house.

Oppus said that she was shocked to see her lying on his belly with his right arm downward with blood flowing from his right wrist into the basin beneath it and a knife with blood above a mono-black chair near him.

Further, the police learned that the victim was previously diagnosed with tuberculosis which made him decide to live alone in the said house.
(ROBERT DEJON)

TACLOBAN CITY-The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will hold a series of fora and mini photo exhibits in all regions ahead of the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

In Tacloban City, the activity will be at the gymnatorium of Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) on August 2, 2023.

The commission encourages all potential aspirants to participate in this information drive. One of its main goals is to educate them on how to become responsible candidates.

Series of lectures will be conducted relaying important information as to the qualifications of the candidates, the process of filing of the Certificates of Candidacy and the candidates’ compliance on the filing of their SOCEs.

Prohibitions and regulations during the campaign period will also be discussed during the forum wherein the participants will have the chance to ask questions and clarifications from the panels present.

The activity is part of the COMELEC’s commitment to inform the public and produce an active Filipino electorate.

The election period for the village polls will start on Aug. 28, the start also of the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) which will end on Sept. 2. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY-Implying that Tacloban City has a vibrant climate for Cooperatives, the Tacloban City Cooperative Development and Livelihood Assistance Office (CCDLAO) has reported that as of the second quarter of this year, there are already 72 cooperatives in the city.

With a combined asset of almost 3 Billion pesos as of 2021, the number includes 3 Large Category cooperatives, 20 multimillion peso coops, 14 transport cooperatives, and the rest are microcoops.

CCDLAO Chief Ruena Mate said that this is good for the local economy, as they not only help their members but also “stimulate” the local economy through their various ventures.
As a specialized office providing support services to cooperatives, the CCDLAO has already conducted 20 Basic Cooperative Courses (BCC) for officers of local cooperatives for the first half of this year so far.

The BCC is a mandated training program of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) for local cooperatives to develop their human resource capabilities. It is likewise part of the three-point agenda of the CDA on Human Resource Management.

CCDLAO also spearheads a number of livelihood initiatives involving the vulnerable sector of the City.

For the second quarter of this year, the office has already conducted nine Livelihood trainings in the northern Barangays and will soon be fully operating a shared service facility for carpentry and welding at Brgy. Sto. Niño.

For microenterprises and cooperatives engaged in manufacturing souvenirs, novelty goods, and food items, among others, the office has spearheaded four marketing activities to promote and sell their products during the past six months.

Meanwhile, the CCDLAO also provides micro-loans via its F4 Fund program. Individuals with approved proposals can borrow from P5,000 to P30,000 at 6 percent per annum, based on diminishing balance.

For groups that want to organize themselves into a cooperative or those interested in availing of entrepreneurial assistance, the CCDLAO is open for walk-ins at their temporary office on the second floor of the DMCC Building in Kanhuraw Hill, a few steps away from City Hall.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

TACLOBAN CITY – Senator Imee Marcos denied rumors that she will be running for a local position this 2025 mid-term elections.

Marcos, who is serving her first term as a senator, said that she still has many things to do in the Senate reason she prefers to seek for a reelection.

Rumors have swirled that the senator, elder sister of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr., is interested to run for mayor of Manila, a post currently held by Mayor Maria Sheilah “Honey” Lacuna who is on her first term.

“May mga Marites na ako daw ay tatakbo sa Manila. Napaka-busy ko pa.Sa kabila ng pagmamahal namin sa Maynila, I will be running for re-election for 2025,” she said in a media conference held at the City Hall here on Wednesday (July 19).

Marcos also dismissed rumors that her son, Borgy Manotoc, will run for an elective position in Makati against Mayor Abigail Binay.

She added that there is also no truth to speculations that the two sons of Pres. Marcos will run in the 2025 elections.

Currently, the President’s eldest son, Sandro, is the congressional representative of Ilocos Norte’s first district.

“Pero sa palagay ko Marites pa lang ito kasi hindi pa naman napag-uusapan ng pamilya. At sa palagay ko hindi naman angkop na sasakupin naming ang buong Pilipinas, labis-labis na nga ang trabaho ni Bongbong sa pagka pangulo,” the senator said.

Marcos visited Leyte province this week to lead the distribution of assistance to people in crisis situations and rice farmers.

About 1,181 rice farmers from seven local government units from Leyte and Samar received cash assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the distribution held in this city.

The cash assistance distribution was part of the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance of the DA.

Each rice farmer received P5,000 cash assistance as compensation for the projected reduction or loss of farm income arising from the tarrification of the quantitative import restrictions on rice.

The beneficiaries were from the city of Tacloban and the municipalities of Tanauan, Palo, Sta. Fe, and Babatngon, all in Leyte; and Basey and Sta. Rita, both in Samar.

Aside from the distribution of cash assistance to rice farmers, the regional office of the DA also turnover various agricultural interventions like the distribution of assorted vegetable seeds, hybrid and certified rice seeds, and fertilizer discount vouchers in support to the productivity enhancement program worth more than P99 million.

Prior to the distribution of assistance to rice farmers in Tacloban, Sen. Marcos also led the distribution of assistance to individuals in crisis situations in the municipalities of Isabel and Villaba, both in Leyte.

Each of the 1,000 recipients from the two areas received cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development amounting to P3,000.(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

ORMOC CITY-A village official was among the three fatalities in a vehicular accident in Lope de Vega, Northern Samar on Tuesday (July 18) at about 9:30 am.

Killed were Amelia Arnio, 51, village councilor of Getigo of the said town; Rosa Galvan, 60, and Dennis Cailo, 60, and Dennis Cailo, 38, the driver of the ‘chariot-type’ vehicle that was involved in a collision with a service vehicle owned by the provincial health office of Northern Samar.

Meantime, Liza Saludario, 38; Norwen Arnio, 18; and Jeriel Dela Cruz, 19, all residents of Brgy. Getigo are said to be in critical condition and confined at the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital in Catarman town.

The deadly incident took place in a curved portion of Brgy. Bayho, also in Lope de Vega, after the government-owned vehicle overshoot to the lane where the ‘chariot-type vehicle was running, Capt. Ariel Calcita, town police chief said in an interview.

This resulted in a head collision. Arnio, Galvan, and Cailo died on the spot due to the severe injuries that they have sustained, the police officer added.

The driver of the government-owned vehicle, Joel Lutaon,44 and who is from Binan, Laguna, did not sustain any injury and is now detained at the Lope de Vega lock-up facility.
(ROBERT DEJON)