TACLOBAN CITY – United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan expressed her ‘satisfaction’ with her visit here in the city where she met detained personalities tagged by the by the military to be connected with the communist armed movement.

Khan met Frenchie Mae Castro Cumpio, Mariel Alvez Domequil and Alexander Philip Dizon Abinguna whose been detained at the Tacloban City Jail since 2020.

They are facing charges with illegal possession of firearms and explosives by the military as a result of a raid they conducted in what the government forces claimed to be the ‘safe house’ of the accused.

The group of Cumpio, said to be the secretary-general of the regional white area committee of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee, has denied the allegation.

“Khan and her party arrived at the Tacloban airport past 12 noon on Saturday to personally check on the condition of Frenchie Mae Castro Cumpio, Mariel Alvez Domequil and Alexander Philip Dizon Abinguna. The three are members of the so-called ‘Tacloban-5’ who were arrested last February 7, 2020, by law enforcement agents armed with search warrants issued by the Tacloban Regional Trial Court,” the Presidential Task Force on Media Security(PTFoMS) said in a statement.

Khan was joined by Usec. Paul Gutierrez, PTFoMS executive director.

The group was welcomed by Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Regional Director JCSupt. Delvic Oreiro and female dormitory warden Jail Inspector Fe Reynalda Chan.

In her visit to the jail facility, the BJMP official also showed to the UN official the quarters of Cumpio and Domequil who are detained at the female dorm.

The PTFoMS statement added that the UN official was impressed with the Tacloban City Jail facility as it was “well ventilated and is not smelling of human sweat” despite of the power outage during her visit.

She was also briefed on BJMP’s program for inmates which includes Bible studies and a livelihood program.

Khan was also informed that all detainees have access to regular visits from their families and that they can also avail of the “E-dalaw Program” wherein they utilize video calls to talk with their loved ones.

Usec. Gutierrez, in a press conference called after the visit of Khan at the BJMP, said that meeting with Cumpio and her companions 5 was her main agenda in visiting the region.
Gutierrez stressed that the government is firm on its stand that they are not red-tagging the detained personalities as it was their former colleague who identified them as members of the communist group.

He added that the prosecution had finished in presenting its evidence in November last year and it is now time for the defense of Cumpio to present their side but her counsel had asked the court to defer the schedule of her hearing to March 2024.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Two cargo shipping lines have opened a new route connecting Eastern Visayas to the Luzon and Mindanao regions.

Last Sunday(Jan.28), Ormoc-based cargo shipping line ALD Sea Transport launched its Calbayog-Matnog route providing daily trip servicing carriage freight and rolling cargo crossing Eastern Visayas to Luzon and vice versa.

The launching was attended by Calbayog City officials led by Mayor Raymund Uy, officials from the Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, together with ALD Sea Transport General Manager Antero L. Doyon.

Mayor Uy said that the opening of the Calbayog-Matnog route through Maguino-o Port is beneficial to all cargo trucks as they will no longer need to wait for longer time, sometimes days especially those at the Matnog Port as they have other options in crossing the sea to Eastern Visayas.

Cargo vessels carrying trucks and other cargo crossing to Eastern Visayas either dock at the ports in Allen or San Isidro town, both in Northern Samar, which is more than two hours travel from Calbayog City.

Travel time from Matnog to Maguino-o Port is more than three hours depending on the sea conditions.

“Trucking business from the city will benefit from this because they no longer need to travel to Allen or San Isidro. We will try to request if possible the port authority can provide a priority lane for Calbayog trucking business operators to have priority lane,” Mayor Uy said.

Doyon, for his part, said that their vessel MV Poseidon 49 can accommodate up to 35 trucks per trip.

On February 1, RLS Shipping Lines also started its cargo shipping operation from Maasin City to Lipata port in Surigao del Norte in Mindanao.

Mayor Nacional Mercado said that this operation is a piece of good news particularly for cargo truck operators as they already have more options to reach their destination in Luzon and Mindanao even with the ongoing rehabilitation of several ports in Southern Leyte province.

“For the longest time, Lipata to Southern Leyte has been existing through San Ricardo and Liloan, and there is also a new route to Padre Burgos. So this is another option and opportunity of opening Maasin-Lipata port for our travelers, especially cargo truck operators,” Mayor Mercado said.

Travel time from Maasin City to Lipata will last for more than five hours during fair weather.
The cargo vessel of LCT Josie Fe 01 can carry 20 wing vans, six SUVs, and 10 to 15 motorcycles.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in this region turned over to the city government of Catbalogan cash assistance worth P500,00 for the digitalization program of the city government services.

The assistance was received by City Mayor Dexter Uy from DOST-8 OIC Regional Director Marilyn Radam and OIC-Assistant Regional Director Ramil Uy.

“This grant serves as the initial funding for the commencement of the Smart City Project, spearheaded by the Catbalogan City Information, Communication, and Technology Office (CITCO),” according to Mayor Uy during the turnover of the cash assistance on Friday(Jan.26).

Smart City Project is a program of the DOST that facilitates the integration of various technologies and to improve local government services for the benefit of the communities.
In June 2023, Mayor Uy asked the Sangguniang Panlungsod to support the Catbalogan City’s information, and communication technology innovations projects which they approved and endorsed to the DOST regional office.

“The collaboration between DOST and Catbalogan City marks the beginning of an innovative journey with the potential for long-term technological advancements and the establishment of crucial infrastructure for the benefit of the community,” the city mayor said.

In her message, Radam underscores the significance of e-governance and its role in meeting the needs and expectations of the city residents.

Catbalogan is one of the major areas in Eastern Visayas the DOST is assisting for the implementation of its Smart City Project.

Aside from Catbalogan, other areas in the region that have the same program include Calbayog City in Samar; Catarman in Northern Samar; Borongan City in Eastern Samar; Naval in Biliran; and the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc in Leyte, and Maasin City in Southern Leyte.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)