PEACE AND QUIET. About 60 visual artists from the region joined the ‘peace and quiet’ event that aims to draw the youths away from being recruited by the New People’s Army and call for its end. The event, held at the Robinsons North Abucay, Tacloban City, is to end on Sunday(June 11). (PHOTO COURTESY)
PEACE AND QUIET. About 60 visual artists from the region joined the ‘peace and quiet’ event that aims to draw the youths away from being recruited by the New People’s Army and call for its end. The event, held at the Robinsons North Abucay, Tacloban City, is to end on Sunday(June 11). (PHOTO COURTESY)
TACLOBAN CITY – The organizers of the ‘Peace and Quiet’ event are hoping that this will be replicated in other provinces in the region to encourage more youth particularly artists to join the program that aims to promote peace thru the use of various forms of art.
Peace and Quiet is considered to be the biggest event of local artists in Eastern Visayas which serve as an avenue among artists showing their support to the government in attaining peace.
“This will take about a year of preparation because we need to make a coordination with other groups from the national level,” Balais said.
Mark Balais, Pitad Kultura Waraynon chairperson, said that they have already sent invitations to other artist groups in the region and even from other provinces in the country for them to have the same activity.
Eastern Visayas is the only region in the country that is holding an event involving youth artists which aim to promote peace and condemn the atrocities being committed by the New People’s Army.
The June 5 to 11 event, held at Robinsons North Abucay, is now on its third installment in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
About 60 local artists are participating the event at the Robinsons North Abucay that is to end on June 11.
Aside from DENR, the Peace and Quiet III is also in partnership with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Robinsons North Tacloban, and supported by the Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Hands Off Our Children, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Istolo Poetry, Otaku Tacloban Cosplay Hosting Organization, Waray Rap Pilipinas, ISLAW Production, Hycal, and Youth for Human Rights International-Eastern Visayas. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
ORMOC CITY-A pedicab driver who lost his left leg was declared dead on arrival at the hospital after a collision with a vehicle at the bypass road in sitio Caloogan, Barangay San Jose, Palo.
Police identified the casualty as Eufemio Ortega, 55, and a resident of Brgy. Cavite West, Palo while the driver of the vehicle was Rodney Yamas, 42, and a resident of Apale Isabel, Leyte.
Based on the report of the local police, at about 6:30 am on June 6, both vehicles were traveling in the same direction from Sitio Caloogan heading to Brgy. Arado Junction and upon reaching the place of the accident, the vehicle driven by Yamas overtook the pedicab that was ahead of him.
However, while in the process of overtaking, the pedicab suddenly was on the course of traversing towards the opposite lane which caught Yamas by surprise, hitting the pedicab.
As a result, Ortega was thrown out from his pedicab and sustained severe injuries on the different parts of his body and was brought to the rural health unit but was declared dead on arrival his attending physician. (ROBERT DEJON)
ORMOC CITY-Residents of an upland barangay in Las Navas, Northern Samar were stunned following the death of a farmer with a bullet shot on his head.
The victim was identified as Rammel Toling, 52 of Barangay Victory in the said town.
Based on the report of the local police, Toling was last seen on May 31 by his wife, Egly, who told her that he will gather some bamboos at their farm in sitio Malapoy.
But on the following day (June 1)at about 8:45 am, the villagers discovered the dead body of Toling with a gunshot wound to his head, the report added.
The local police have yet to determine who was behind the killing of Toling.
The energization of a 100 Megavolt Ampere (MVA) power transformer in NGCP’s Toril Substation marks the first milestone in the second phase of NGCP’s efforts to upgrade substations in Mindanao. The Toril substation serves the franchise area of Davao Light and Power Company, which provides the electricity needs of Davao City.
The 100MVA power transformer is the first energization under NGCP’s Mindanao Substation Upgrading Project 2 (MSUP2). Under the project, ten (10) substations in Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Agusan del Norte, Davao del Sur, North Cotabato, and South Cotabato will be equipped with new power transformers to ensure continuous operations in the case of outages.
The project will also address the N-1 compliance for the Mindanao grid. A requirement of the Philippine Grid Code, an N-1 contingency is the ability of the grid to withstand a major system disturbance with minimal or no impact to the system.
For the first stage of the Mindanao Substation Upgrading Project, power transformers with a 100MVA rating were energized in NGCP’s Agus 6, Pitogo, Placer, NagaMin, and General Santos Substations. Power transformers with a 75MVA rating were also energized in Polanco, Opol, and Maramag Substations, and 50MVA power transformers in San Francisco, Bislig, and Kidapawan Substations. Capacitor banks were also installed in NGCP’s Butuan, Tacurong, Pitogo, General Santos, San Francisco, and Placer Substations.
“The energization of the transformer in Toril, as well as the energization of high voltage equipment and facilities all over Mindanao, will boost the grid’s overall reliability,” NGCP said. “These upgrading efforts are ultimately geared towards readying the grid for the influx of businesses, industries, and investments in the region,” added NGCP.
The second phase of the MSUP was filed with a cost of PhP5.56 Billion. The first phase of MSUP has an ERC-approved project cost of PhP5 Billion. “The MSUP2 is again testament to our commitment to expand and improve the country’s transmission grid, and to provide better services at a lower cost to the consumer,” the company said. (PR)
REO Brothers of Tacloban in a photo op availed by this writer and her hubby Yul bought after the concert.
Sacramento, CA – Resounding applause, phone cams recording, and young and young-once spectators coming to the front of the centerstage to altogether dance to the fast beat music rendered by the so-called “The Beatles of Tacloban”, the sensational REO Brothers.
Such could be the simplest way to describe a night of performance of this phenomenal 5-sibling male rock band, which took a leap to fame in the live gig industry following the onslaught of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ that pummeled Eastern Visayas on November 8, 2013.
REO Brothers of Tacloban in a photo op availed by this writer and her hubby Yul bought after the concert.
REO, which stands for the initials of their first names, their middle name Evasco and last name Otic, has etched a mark of world-class performance on stage in the Philippines and abroad. Their first names, Reno, Ronjoseph, Raymart, Ralph, and Roy Mark.
The audience couldn’t help dancing to the upbeat rhythm of the hit 70’s songs played by the REO Brothers.
More on the Beatles billboard top hits, the REO Brothers are also covering songs of the Bee Gees, the Beach Boys, and Earth, Wind & Fire, among other rock stars.
At the concert on June 4th in this Central Valley town Elk Grove, the REO Brothers did a medley of hit songs of the Beatles, Bee Gees, Queen, and Beach Boys with “My Sharona” hit in the finale.
Front Act
Karoline Ongjoco wowed the spectators with her remarkable performance onstage.
But before they did their non-stop medley from soft rock to pop rock to disco songs, artists who are either Filipinos residing now in the US or of Filipino descent, set the mood.
One last to do an opening act was the 10-year old Karoline Ongjoco, born to Fil-Am parents from Luzon. Prior to introducing the REO Brothers, she captured the admiration of the spectators with her songs, among them ‘Both Sides Now’ and ‘Paraiso.’
Theater performer Karoline Ongjoco with her family.
Her remarkable performance and impressive stage presence wowed all of those in the concert hall of Consumnes Oaks High School Performing Arts Center.
Karoline’s grandfather, Johnnie Cayanan, informed that the young theater star had performed in a concert in New York as well.
She starred in a musical play in Guys and Dolls Junior of the Musical Mayhem Production based in Elk Grove, California.
Delighted spectators
Karoline’s rendition has effectively set the mood for a night of total satisfaction in music.
Hmong-American Nick Yang, an 18-year old sophomore student at California State University – Sacramento, did not hesitate to watch the REO Brothers concert out of curiosity. He said eventually, though, that he enjoyed the show.
“Overall, it was very nice. At the beginning, because I didn’t know the REO Brothers, I didn’t really find interest in the concert. Most of the songs they played I didn’t know until near the middle-ish,” he said.
He added, “Even though I didn’t know most of it, it was nice to see the audience go up and dance because the community seemed really united.”
Rise from the ravages of ST Yolanda.
Raymart, in vocals and guitar and third among the REO siblings, said in a brief talk with this writer, admitted that having arisen from the travails their family went through when Yolanda struck Tacloban City and the rest of the Eastern Visayas region 10 years ago.
With the help from persons who have connections with venues they can play their genre of 50’s to 70’s music, the REO Brothers started getting encore in their performances in Metro Manila.
Later they were featured in talk shows and ABS CBN’s Christmas special entitled “Kwento ng Pasko – Pag-asa at Pagbangon” (Story of Christmas – Hope and Resurrection) on December 10, 2013 at Araneta Coliseum, but which was aired on December 14–15 and the Pamilyang May K Ok of TV Maria.
Raymart added that they are happy seeing the audience enjoy their performances on stage.
From their Sacramento County appearance, the REO Brothers will fly to other states and to Canada for their next shows, according to the producer of the US-Canada Tour of Tacloban Beatles.
CAUSEWAY PROJECT IN DISARRY? The Department of Public Works and Highways in the region is ready to meet and discuss with the members of the Tacloban city council after they approved a resolution calling to defer the causeway project, saying it could harm the Cancabato Bay where it will treverse.
(PHOTO COURTESY DPWH-8)
“Project held in abeyance”
CAUSEWAY PROJECT IN DISARRY? The Department of Public Works and Highways in the region is ready to meet and discuss with the members of the Tacloban city council after they approved a resolution calling to defer the causeway project, saying it could harm the Cancabato Bay where it will treverse. (PHOTO COURTESY DPWH-8)
TACLOBAN CITY– The P3.46 billion causeway project in this city is in danger of being cancelled.
This after the city council approved a resolution calling the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPHW) to ‘hold in abeyance’ the said project unless all issues surrounding it would be cleared and threshed out.
The proposed 2.566-kilometer causeway project is envisioned to serve as an alternative route going to the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, located in San Jose district, from the city proper.
To recall, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, in a resolution authored mainly by Councilor Aurora Aimee Grafil, directed the DPWH in the region to address first several issues before they could be allowed to proceed the project.
Based on Resolution 15-88 issued on May 25 this year, the council members said that they have learned that the DPWH has failed to include an environmental study on the Cancabato Bay, where the proposed causeway will traverse.
It said that Cancabato Bay was declared as a marine protected area in Ordinance No.2003-8-138 which prohibits against industrial wastes and pollutants.
It also said that under its zoning ordinance, Cancabato Bay was identified as a ‘not a stand-alone bay.’
“Moreover the causeway project would greatly affect the environment, impacting the fisherfolks in Tacloban City,” the resolution added.
But despite of the opposition of the city council, the DPWH region headed by Engr. Edgar Tabacon said that he is willing to meet and discuss with the council members and come up with a ‘win-win solution.’
Tabacon said that the project is not only huge in terms of budget allocation but its purpose which is to cut the travel time going to the DZR Airport.
“This is for us. This is for Tacloban. It will help our people going to the airport. We have also secured an ECC (environmental clearance certificate) from DENR as early as 2019,” he said on Friday.
It was learned from Tabacon that the causeway project has been in the pipeline since 2018.
Tabacon also explained that the causeway project will not hinder the flow of water flow at the Cancabato that may cause the death of marine life there.
“The causeway project is not just the ordinary causeway as it also includes a bridge and box of culverts…which will not block the water and even affect the marine life there,” he said.
According to him, the causeway will just measure 300 meters each from the city proper and the airport sides. Its bridge has an elevation of five meters from the sea level.
Tabacon said that under the plan, the causeway project should be completed within the year. Otherwise, the fund will be reverted back to the national coffers.
