TACLOBAN CITY– The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has announced that all previous local red tide advisories issued for Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City, coastal waters of Guiuan in Eastern Samar, and Irong-irong Bay in Catbalogan City are now lifted based on the latest red tide advisory released on Wednesday(Feb.14).
All types of shellfish and Acetes sp., locally known as “alamang” or “hipon” from these areas are now safe for human consumption, the BFAR said on its advisory.
However, shellfish collected and tested from San Pedro Bay in Basey, Samar, and Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar, particularly in General MacArthur, Quinapondan, Hernani, and Salcedo, remain positive for paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) or toxic red tide beyond the regulatory limit, BFAR said on its advisory.
All types of shellfish and Acetes sp. or alamang gathered from these areas are not safe for human consumption, it said.
In addition, seawater samples collected from the coastal waters of Biliran Island remain positive for Pyrodinium bahamense, a toxic microorganism that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Hence, a local red tide warning is still in place to safeguard human lives in the said bay.
The public is also advised to refrain from gathering, selling, and eating all types of shellfish and alamang or hipon from this area.
Fish, squids, shrimps, and crabs from the above-mentioned bays and coastal waters are safe for human consumption, provided that they are fresh, thoroughly washed, and have had their internal organs, such as gills and intestines, removed before cooking. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
ORMOC CITY –The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte 4th District Engineering Office (DEO) OIC – District Engineer Rosita A. Tinawin, along with OIC – Construction Section Chief Victor S. Suplico III, led a delegation of officials from DPWH – Region 8, headed by OIC – Assistant Regional Director Ma. Margarita C. Junia, in visiting the construction site of the Naungan Bridge along San Juan-Lao-Naungan Diversion Road in Ormoc City.
The Naungan Bridge, a 120-linear meter, 2-lane infrastructure project, comes with a total budget of P 209,115,500 funded under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2023. The project is on track for completion by December 2024.
This crucial initiative aims to enhance connectivity in the district, reflecting the DPWH’s commitment to sustainable infrastructure development. The visit allowed officials to assess the progress and adherence to project timelines. (PR)
Former congressman Vicente ‘Ching’ Veloso threatens to run against Rep. Richard Gomez in Leyte’s fourth congressional district unless he makes peace with three of the district’s town mayors. Veloso is a third-termer congressman of Leyte’s third congressional district. (ROBERT DEJON)
Despite daughters plea
Former congressman Vicente ‘Ching’ Veloso threatens to run against Rep. Richard Gomez in Leyte’s fourth congressional district unless he makes peace with three of the district’s town mayors. Veloso is a third-termer congressman of Leyte’s third congressional district. (ROBERT DEJON)
MATAG-OB, Leyte– Former Leyte congressman Vicente ‘Ching’ Veloso disclosed that his children are against to any move for him to run as a congressman in the fourth district of the province.
Veloso, a former associate justice of the Court of Appeals, made this disclosure during his visit to this town as he attended a mass wedding program on Wednesday, (Feb.14), Valentine’s Day, organized by the local government of Matag-ob.
According to the former lawmaker, his children, Rep. Anna Veloso Tuazon and board member Kathryn Veloso Kabigting, are against to any plan for him to run as a congressman in the fourth district of Leyte.
At present, the post is being held by Rep. Richard Gomez who is openly at odds with some mayors of the district, notably Ramon Oñate of Palompon, Edgardo Cordaño of Isabel, Sixto de la Victoria of Albuera, and Bernie Tacoy of this town.
According to Veloso, his children asked him instead to help settle whatever problems between Rep. Gomez and the mayors.
He, however, said that while he would heed the call of his children, it would be a different matter if Gomez would not agree.
Veloso, a former congressman of Leyte’s third district, said that among those who appealed for him to run as a congressman for fourth district was Mayor Tacoy.
Rep. Gomez is also openly at odds with Mayor Oñate who accused him of violating environment laws by burying toxic substances and materials inside his property.
Oñate, who owns one of the biggest poultry farms in the Visayas, denied of any wrongdoing. (ROBERT DEJON)
Catholic religious groups in Cebu City launched a weeklong promotional activity from February 5-10, 2024 to step up the vocation initiatives of the church amid the dwindling number of people who enter the seminaries.
(Contributed photo)
TACLOBAN CITY– Catholic religious organizations have initiated a weeklong promotional campaign aimed at encouraging more individuals to join seminaries and convents, coinciding with this year’s vocation month celebration.
Catholic religious groups in Cebu City launched a weeklong promotional activity from February 5-10, 2024 to step up the vocation initiatives of the church amid the dwindling number of people who enter the seminaries. (Contributed photo)
“We bring the presence of the Church to the marketplace as we find Jesus in the hearts of ordinary people there,” Fr. Ferderiz Cantiller, president of the Directors of Vocations in the Philippines (DVP) Cebu City chapter, said.
“All are invited to be Jesus’ friends. Let us pray for more vocations!” he added.
From February 5 to 10, 2024, various religious congregations and individuals congregated at the Carbon Public Market Freedom Park in Cebu, immersing themselves with everyday people in the street alleys to discuss the vocation needs of the Archdiocese of Cebu.
Cantiller, formerly assigned at the Redemptorist Church in Tacloban City, described the event as successful, stating, “it has achieved its goal in terms of promotion and information dissemination, raising awareness across a wider segment of society.”
“It may not have directly resulted in increased recruits joining the seminaries and convents. However, collectively, the DVP Cebu Chapter has sown seeds that would allow people’s hearts to open up to support the Catholic Church’s efforts in inviting young individuals to consider a religious calling,” Cantiller explained to Leyte Samar Daily Express.
“It was a battle to win people’s hearts to empathize with the concern about the current vocation crisis. We cannot achieve our goal in isolation; we can only do so together as a Church with the support of the people of God. Gathering people to pray for more vocations in the Church is already a noble achievement of the ‘Taboan sa Bokasyon (Market of Vocations),’” the priest added.
During the concluding mass on February 10, Monsignor Rogelio Fuentes, one of the vicars general of the Archdiocese of Cebu, stressed that the secret of vocation, as St. Paul said, is to “be imitators of me as I am of Christ.”
“Anyone who imitates Christ can also be attractive,” Monsignor Fuentes emphasized in his homily.
Father Christian James Mayol, the vocation director at the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos of the Archdiocese of Cebu, previously acknowledged a “crisis” in the declining number of Catholics attending seminary schools in Cebu.
Supporting Father Mayol’s assertion, Father Cantiller stated that in 1995, the Redemptorist Order had between 40 to 60 college seminarians, which dwindled to only six in 2013.
Last year, four young boys were set to join as freshmen, but two withdrew, Cantiller lamented.
He attributed family pressure, socio-economic factors, and political issues as reasons why young people are not entering the seminary.
According to Cantiller, innovative approaches are needed to attract young Catholics to priesthood.
“The vocation is declining, but with active missionary presence, there will be vocations. I would like to believe, like the first disciples, they first got interested in Jesus’ works and deeds, and so they followed him,” said Father Cantiller, who recently traveled to the Samar Island provinces to engage in vocation work. (RONALD O. REYES)
NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, N. Samar – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Northern Samar Second District Engineering Office (NSSDEO) has completed two new multipurpose building in Las Navas Agro-Industrial School located in Las Navas, Northern Samar.
These multi-purpose building projects are the construction of 20m x 12m under contract with S20 Civil Engineering Construction and has a Contract ID No. 23II0042 with a budget appropriation of P8 million, and Contract ID No. 23II0052 with an allocated amount of P7 million intended for the construction of 20m x 10m under contract with J Square Builders & Construction Supply. The said facilities were under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2023 with a total allocated amount of P15 million and it was completed last December 2023.
Both projects have the scope of works of reinforced concrete works, finishing works which includes masonry, plastering, floor finishing, roofing works, carpentry and joinery works, complete with electrical and plumbing works.
Furthermore, these vertical projects have reached 100% completion through the work implementation of DPWH-NSSDEO spearheaded by District Engineer Charlito S. Carlobos and Assistant District Engineer Atty. Arthur Eric L. Sabong with direct monitoring and consistent supervision of Project Engineer Arturo C. Corocoto, Jr.
Multipurpose building projects have great significance to the end-users as it will provide additional facilities to the school, enhance the educational environment for students, and cater during various events.
Yolanda A. Pajenado, MAME, a Vocational School Administrator II of Las Navas Agro-Industrial School, expressed the significant impact of the project to their learners.
“The institution, the Las Navas Agro-Industrial School, caters the 2nd District of Northern Samar. So, we have many learners and beneficiaries. We cater all of them in our humble institution. With the many learners, our school has only three buildings and we lack workshops before, but now with these two workshops granted and constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways, we will be able to cater many learners as we can.” (RONEL L. GALUPO, PIO STAFF/PR)
YES TO ELCAC. Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez said that he opposes any move to scrap the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), saying the counter-insurgency task force of the government has contributed to the weakening of the insurgency problem of the country. Photo shows Romualdez(right) receiving a token from Police Regional Director, Brigadier General Reynaldo Pawid, during the 33rd founding anniversary of the PNP on Monday (Feb. 12). (PRO-8)
In the wake of UN rep call
YES TO ELCAC. Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez said that he opposes any move to scrap the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), saying the counter-insurgency task force of the government has contributed to the weakening of the insurgency problem of the country. Photo shows Romualdez(right) receiving a token from Police Regional Director, Brigadier General Reynaldo Pawid, during the 33rd founding anniversary of the PNP on Monday (Feb. 12). (PRO-8)
TACLOBAN CITY– The mayor of this city, Alfred Romualdez, who also acts as the chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council for Eastern Visayas, is not in favor of a call of a United Nations representative to abolish a counter-insurgency task force of the government.
Romualdez said that since the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which has its local counterparts, the problem of insurgency in the country, including Eastern Visayas, has been considerably weakened.
Earlier, during her visit to the country, UN rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan called for the abolition of the ELCAC saying it is already ‘outdated’ as it was created during the previous administration of Rodrigo Duterte.
“That has to be studied but initially, let us look at the accomplishments of the ELCAC. Nakita naman natin na malaki naman ang nabawas sa insurgency,” he said Monday (Feb.12) in an interview during the 33rd foundation anniversary program of the Philippine National Police held at the Camp Ruperto Kangleon,Palo,Leyte where he was the guest of honor.
The city mayor, however, suggested that instead of seeking its abolition, NTF-ELCAC could be improved by further strengthening and involving other government institutions like the Office of Ombudsman.
“Maybe we can make some changes but not to totally abolish it. I don’t think that would be wise. I suggest, maybe even the Office of the Ombudsman should be involved because it is also a guidance principle for good governance,” Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos, Jr., said.
He said that the implementation of ELCAC in Eastern Visayas contributed a lot to why its insurgency problem has considerably weakened.
“I think, it is working in the region. Malaki ang nabawas ng insurgency ng region,” Romualdez said.
The ELCAC is considered to be a banner program of the government, initiated during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, in its fight against insurgency and is being enforced by the current Marcos administration.
Army officials in the region earlier said that apart from the cooperation of the locals and the surrender of members of the New People’s Army, the implementation of ELCAC contributed to the reduction of the insurgency problem in Eastern Visayas.
The ELCAC, involving multiple government agencies created under Executive Order 70, offers projects in villages considered to be under the influence of the communist group, thereby, losing their mass base and supporters.
