TACLOBAN CITY-The town of Salcedo in Eastern Samar became the first local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines that had passed a municipal resolution on climate accountability.

The resolution, which is fully supported by Mayor Ma. Rochelle Mergal, was sponsored by Councilor Joselito Esquierdo, and co-sponsored by all members of the committee on environment.

It was approved on November 6, 2023, two days before the 10th anniversary of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’, according to the climate advocacy group Greenpeace.

“Salcedo and our neighboring municipalities are coastal communities—we bear the brunt of extreme weather here. Repeated climate change impacts make it hard for our people to recover each time, and severely limits our capacity to address this crisis,” Mayor Mergal said.

“This resolution means the municipality of Salcedo stands with its people in demanding that climate polluters be held accountable for their role in worsening climate change—and we urge our fellow vulnerable communities, whether in Eastern Samar or in the rest of the Philippines, to join us in this call,” she added.

Felisa Castro, president of Kusog han Kababayen-an han Salcedo Federation (Kakakasa), also lauded the passage of the said resolution.

“If the weather wasn’t constantly changing, then our families wouldn’t be struggling. Even when our livelihood is starting to thrive, another storm comes our way and we’re back to recovery again. Our demand here is for polluters—the big oil and gas companies—to pay their destructive emissions, and for the loss and damage here in Salcedo,” she said.
“What happened today in Salcedo is a historic moment—communities will no longer take the climate crisis sitting down, and will no longer bear the burden of climate destruction while fossil fuel polluters continue to evade justice,” added Jefferson Chua, Greenpeace campaigner.

Chua also hoped that the initiative of LGU-Salcedo “can be the spark we need to bridge the gap of empathy felt by people who may not be aware of the true scope of impacts caused by climate change, for the communities that are only seeking what they deserve: to make polluters pay.”

According to the advocacy group, the resolution seeks “accountability for conduct directly contributing to climate change and its consequent impacts on the people of the municipality of Salcedo.”

It also directs the local government to “pursue any and all actions on behalf of the people of Salcedo for the losses and damages inflicted upon the communities due to the impacts of extreme weather events.”

The announcement of the resolution coincided with a community forum organized by Greenpeace to present the policy brief entitled “Enforcing accountability: holding fossil fuel companies liable for the climate crisis—unveiling loss and damage of extreme weather events, the Salcedo, Eastern Samar perspective.”

Salcedo, a fifth-class town located along the eastern seaboard of Eastern Samar and composed of 41 barangays, with 26 coastal barangays and two island barangays, was among areas that was hit by Yolanda in 2013.
(RONALD O. REYES/ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY– The regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) seeks the cooperation of the truckers and hauling service providers to adhere to their respective prescribed gross vehicle weight (GVW) limits and their axle load limit which shall not exceed 13.5 tons or 13,500 kg. pursuant to Republic Act No. 8794 or the Anti-Overloading Law.

It could be recalled that on November 3, 2023, a truck heading to Samar broke its axle while traversing the San Juanico Bridge.

Fortunately, there were no damages to the railings, and no other vehicles or motorists were injured from the said incident.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that the said truck evaded the San Juanico weighbridge weighing station, and continued traversing the said bridge without undergoing a weight check in order to determine whether or not its weight is within the allowable gross vehicle weight.

“In our commitment to public safety, DPWH RO8 humbly reminds the public in observing policies on motorized utility vehicle weight limits, and their compliance in undergoing weight checks at our designated weighbridge stations on both sides of the San Juanico Bridge,” the agency said in a statement.

“This weight checkpoint is conducted to prevent deterioration and damages to our iconic San Juanico Bridge which is one of the most vital structures, being part of the Pan-Philippine Highway connecting Leyte and Samar, bringing significant economic improvement to the entire nation,” the advisory added.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

ORMOC CITY-A newly identified drug peddler was arrested in Naval, Biliran on November 10.

Police Major Chamberline Ludevise, town police chief, identified the arrested suspect as Judy Carlobos, a.k.a. Indoy, 53, at their village in Larrazabal in the said town at about 3:38 pm.

The suspect is described by the local police as a street-level individual on their drug watch list.

Recovered from the possession of the suspect was one green plastic straw containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, procured by an operative in the amount of P1,000.

Charges of violation of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs of 2002, were filed against the suspect who is now temporarily detained at the locked-up cell of the Naval municipal police station.(ROBERT DEJON)

TACLOBAN CITY – The local government unit of Palompon and Oceana Philippines International had forged a partnership through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) intended to mutually benefit both agencies through the sharing of expertise, information, resources, and technical capabilities particularly in the mangroves restoration program among others.

Prior to the MOA signing, held on Nov. 8, officials from Oceana Philippines had made an initial visit to Palompon Mayor Ramon Oñate for the establishment of coastal greenbelt zones along the coastal municipalities in the 4th district of Leyte.

The Oceana Philippines International believes that restoring mangrove forests through the establishment of coastal greenbelt zones will effectively contribute to addressing the declining fish stocks and unabated destruction of coral reefs and other habitats, and ultimately provide food security and livelihood for the community and the Filipinos.

“The LGU Palompon recognizes the urgent need to assessing, rehabilitating, conserving and protecting the whole environment of Palompon, from mountains to forest and rivers, to the coastal and marine environments, following the environmental management principle of integrated protection and planning of these interconnected ecosystems called “Ridge-to-Reef”, Mayor Oñate said.

He added that they recognizes that partnership arrangements with competent institutions are vital, considering the extent of technical and scientific necessities to ensure environmental protection and sustainable resource management of the ecosystem’s natural resources.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)