Councilor Aimee Delgado Grafil, who chairs the committee on environmental protection and waste management, led a public hearing Monday (March 20) regulating the use of plastics bags and polystyrene as packaging materials. The measure was passed by the city council on Thursday (March 23). With Councilor Grafil were market superintendent Danilo Alasajas, city agriculturist Romelo Anade, city environmental officer Jonathan Hijada, lawyer Harold Mape and Jerome Villeza of the City Legal Office
Councilor Aimee Delgado Grafil, who chairs the committee on environmental protection and waste management, led a public hearing Monday (March 20) regulating the use of plastics bags and polystyrene as packaging materials. The measure was passed by the city council on Thursday (March 23). With Councilor Grafil were market superintendent Danilo Alasajas, city agriculturist Romelo Anade, city environmental officer Jonathan Hijada, lawyer Harold Mape and Jerome Villeza of the City Legal Office
Tacloban City – Six years in the making (2017-2023), the “ Proposed Ordinance Regulating The Use Of Plastic And Utilization Of Polystyrene As Packaging Materials In The City Of Tacloban, And Prescribing Penalties For Violations Thereof” was finally passed for third and final reading during the City Council’s regular session on Thursday afternoon, March 23, 2023.
To recall, the Committee On Environmental Protection And Waste Management chaired by Councilor Aimee Delgado-Grafil had been pushing this since 2017, but was slowed down in the years due to economic hardships brought by natural calamities- the latest of which was the over 2 years of COVID-19 pandemic at its highest peak.
On March 20, 2023, the committee chair called for another public hearing at the CEO Gym attended by business owners/and or their representatives.
The City Council further agreed that the newly-passed ordinance regulating plastic usage shall take effect in January 2024 or once signed by the City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez. (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
ORMOC CITY-A member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) in Abuyog, Leyte was shot by his own father-in-law.
The incident happened after the suspect, Ricardo Condes,69, saw that his daughter was being mauled by her husband, Elpedio Padilla, Jr., 52.
Case investigator Senior Master Sergeant Brexcio Fortaliza, Jr. said that the mauling incident happened at about 9 pm last March 15 at the house of Padilla and his wife, Lyn, in Barangay Tuy-a, 22 kms. away from the center of Abuyog.
The police officer said that based on their investigation, the suspect saw his daughter Lyn, 36, being mauled by her husband.
This prompted him to shoot the victim using a homemade firearm locally known as “latong,” hitting Padilla on his left arm and chest.
The suspect was arrested a day after the incident in Brgy. Nebga where he escaped.
Fortaliza said that before the mauling incident, the couple had a heated argument.
It was learned that the victim’s wife had just returned from Malaysia and was celebrating her birthday.
Jealousy was the reason why Padilla physically hurt his wife. (ROBERT DEJON)
Globe is setting a new trend with women outnumbering their male counterparts in leadership positions. This comes at a time when most Philippine boardrooms are still dominated by men.
Some 52% of Globe’s executive roster are women, with 49 holding the top two ranks in the corporate hierarchy, compared to 45 men as of end 2022. This marks the first time in at least five years that there were more female executives in Globe’s core business.
Women ranked managers and directors have also been increasing in the last five years, rising from 958 in 2018 to 1,193 as of end 2022. Even while there are still more men in middle management, the female population is catching up.
These figures buck the trend as cited in a March 2019 study by the Makati Business Club that was supported by UN Women, the European Union and Women Empower Asia.
The study “Women in the Philippine C-Suite” found that only about three percent of C-Suite positions in business across the country are held by women.
In Globe, an increasing number of women are taking charge, among them Chief Commercial Officer Issa Guevarra-Cabreira, Chief Finance Officer Rizza Maniego-Eala, Chief Customer Experience Officer Rebecca Eclipse, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer Yoly Crisanto, and Chief Compliance Officer Marisalve Co.
“This is a milestone for Globe as we mark this special month to celebrate women. The women of Globe are pillars of our business, looking after our operations, finance, communications, sustainability, marketing, customer care and governance. Their diligent, meticulous, innovative and compassionate leadership have been crucial to our success as an industry leader,” said Globe Group President and CEO Ernest Cu.
“We at Globe are proud to be home to women leaders who shape and steer our business towards industry leadership through innovative and inclusive services and a unique brand of care,” said Cabreira.
Female leadership at Globe goes beyond the core business, with women holding top positions in the Globe Group’s portfolio companies as well.
GCash, the country’s top mobile wallet, is led by President and CEO Martha Sazon. Globe’s corporate venture builder Kickstart has been supporting global startups with Minette Navarrete as President, while Rush, the loyalty and e-commerce enabler of Globe’s 917Ventures, has been making waves in e-commerce under the leadership of CEO Stephanie Kubota.
Meanwhile, IT solutions provider Yondu has been scoring wins with President and CEO Joan Peñaflorida on the saddle, and shared services provider Asticom Group of Companies has seen staggering growth with its President and CEO Mharicar Castillo-Reyes at the helm.
“Giving equal opportunity for our people to develop as leaders, regardless of gender, is part of Globe’s DNA. We are proud of our healthy corporate culture which has spawned an inclusive leadership roster, ultimately leading to a dynamic and progressive work environment,” said Cu.(PR)
Newly-assigned Hilongos, Leyte Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer (MARPO) Ruben Rebato visits the female-dominated Barangay Agutayan Farmers Association in the mountain village of Agutayan on International Women’s Day.
(DARMO-Hilongos)
HILONGOS, Leyte – On International Women’s Day, a female-dominated agrarian reform beneficiaries organization (ARBO) in a remote village in this town thanked the newly-assigned Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer (MARPO) for helping them obtain legal documents that would strengthen their claim as legitimate owners over two lots they acquired.
Newly-assigned Hilongos, Leyte Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer (MARPO) Ruben Rebato visits the female-dominated Barangay Agutayan Farmers Association in the mountain village of Agutayan on International Women’s Day. (DARMO-Hilongos)
The 272 members of the Barangay Agutayan Farmers Association (BAFA), including the 63 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), where 165 of them are women, learned that the properties they have acquired for several years now could be taken back from them because they do not have the legal documents to prove ownership. This was discovered when MARPO Ruben Rebato visited them in the mountain village of Agutayan on March 8 this year, as the whole world paid tribute to women around the globe.
Vermicast production is one of the livelihood activities of the female-dominated Barangay Agutayan Farmers Association in Hilongos, Leyte (DARMO-Hilongos)
While checking the documents, Rebato found out that although BAFA was progressing as an organization with assets now reaching P4.5-million, legal documents that would prove ownership over a lot they had purchased and another one donated to them, were missing.
BAFA lady-president, Vicenta Jaray, even hinted Rebato that the heirs of the previous owner who donated the lot where their organization’s building was constructed, are allegedly planning to take the property back from them.
Rebato, who used to be a legal officer, is now helping the BAFA officers obtain the “Extrajudicial Settlement with Deed of Sale” for the lot they had purchased and “Deed of Transfer” for the donated lot, to secure their claims of ownership over these lands.
Further, Rebato promised to guide them in preparing business contracts for the organization’s various business ventures, which include vermicast production.
Happy with the turnout of their first meeting with Rebato, Jaray said, “Sana di po muna kayo matransfer, sir.”
Lawyering (or PBD lawyering), according to Program Beneficiaries Development (PBD) Chief, Melecia Ong, is one of the assistances being extended by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to ARBs and ARBOs to make their activities and assets legitimate, among others. (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA/PR)
TACLOBAN CITY-Governor Ben Evardone has called on the national government to give the excise tax it collects from local governments that hosts mining operations like in his province of Eastern Samar.
Governor Ben Evardone
Evardone made this call as the historic island of Homonhon Island, off Guiuan town marked the 502nd anniversary of the coming of Ferdinand Magellan that led to the rediscovery of the Philippines.
It was learned from the governor that the island hosts at least four mining companies which could have generated income not only for the provincial government but even to the municipal government and the barangays.
“This share of the local government units would be a big help for the development of these localities like construction of roads, water system, (the) building of schools, among others,” he said.
Evardone disclosed that the local government units hosting mining activities in the province have yet to receive their share of the excise tax collected by the national government from mining companies operating in Homonhon.
The four mining companies operating on the island were identified as Techiron Resources Inc., Emir Mineral Resources Corp., King Resources Mining Corp., and Global Min-met Resources Inc.
The four mining companies operating in Homonhon, which is rich in nickel and chromite, have a combined income of P9.3 billion, covering the years 2020 to 2022.
Gov. Evardone pointed out that under the revised Revenue Code of the Philippines, mining companies are taxed with four percent of the actual market value of their gross output.
He added that the collected tax will be divided among LGUs hosting the mining operations, 40% of which is for the barangay, 30% for the municipality and 30% for the province.
In sum, the national government was able to collect at least P55 million in excise tax from these four mining companies, with the provincial government supposed to collect P16 million.
Meantime, the governor said that while he does not like totally oppose mining operations on the island, he urged the mining operators to ‘strictly comply with existing and relevant environmental laws’ in order not to destroy the island and its environment.
“I am not totally against mining. I am for responsible mining operations. I don’t want that the bad practice of mining will engulf and eclipse the island’s rich history,” Evardone said.
Mining operations on the island started back in the early 1980s with its local people expressing their opposition saying it resulted in the destruction of their area like the contamination of the river. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
SHORE PROTECTION. A P55.45 million worth of shore protection project is now underway near the Tacloban City Convention Center or astrodome. The 200-meter shore protection project along the Cancabato Bay will not only serve as protection against a possible storm surge or rising of seawater level but is also eyed as an esplanade conducive to physical activities such as biking and walking.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
SHORE PROTECTION. A P55.45 million worth of shore protection project is now underway near the Tacloban City Convention Center or astrodome. The 200-meter shore protection project along the Cancabato Bay will not only serve as protection against a possible storm surge or rising of seawater level but is also eyed as an esplanade conducive to physical activities such as biking and walking. (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
The shooting incident took place in 2019
TACLOBAN CITY– The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has filed a murder complaint against a Leyte mayor and three others in connection to a killing incident that happened in 2019.
Charged for murder were San Isidro Mayor Remedio Veloso, Emmanuel, Veloso, and Cayetano Dagandan III and Manuelito Sidaya before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Calubian town, Leyte on Tuesday (March 21).
Two John Does were also included in the charge sheet.
All respondents were reportedly linked to the killing of Levi Mabini, then a municipal administrative officer of San Isidro when he was gunned down on May 8, 2019 in Barangay Capiñahan, also in the same town.
The CIDG, in its complaint, claimed that based on the result of their investigation gathered from witnesses, the respondents were said to be behind on the killing of Mabini.
“According to them, the respondents conspiring/planning together, confederating with, and mutually helping one another, did then and there, willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously with intent to kill with evident premeditation, treachery, and taking advantage of superior strength with aid of armed men fire and shot upon the person of Mabini, with the use of long firearms hitting him on the different parts of his body…” it said.
Mayor Veloso could not be reached for his comment but a close ally dismissed the complaint as ‘politically motivated.’
“Its just politics. But he will answer the complaint filed against him,” the ally, who declined to be identified, said in a phone interview.
December 21 of last year, the sister of Mayor Veloso, Juanito, died after the vehicle she was on board was peppered with gunfire by still unidentified suspects.
The wife of the mayor, Leleena, and the driver, Edmil Bacay, who were also on board, were unhurt.
Mayor Veloso said that he was the target of the gunmen who thought that he was the one on board of the vehicle which served as one of his service vehicles.
He blamed politics as the reason for the incident.
