PALO, Leyte– the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has officially opened its extension office in Eastern Visayas with the inauguration of its office on Thursday (May 11).
The SEC office is located inside the regional office of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) at the Government Center, this town.

SEC Chairman Emilio Aquino said that the putting of SEC-Tacloban extension office was upon the recommendation of House Speaker Martin Romualdez aside from a resolution endorsed by the Regional Development Council in 2021.

But it was learned that as early as 1983, there was already a move to have an SEC office in Eastern Visayas but for some reason did not materialize.

Aquino also said that it is timely for their office to have an extension office considering of the improving economic condition of Eastern Visayas.

“Today, we are not only celebrating the inauguration of the SEC Tacloban extension office but also ushering in an even more conducive and more robust environment for business and investment in Eastern Visayas,” he said in his speech.

“(The office) will serve as a gateway to doing business in Eastern Visayas,” he added.
Based on their record, there are about 10,456 corporations from the region that are registered at their office.

With the establishment of their extension office, there is now no need for those who want to avail their services to go to Manila or Cebu, Aquino said.

The SEC-Tacloban office is the 10th extension office of SEC and fourth in the Visayas.
Meantime, Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla expressed his gratitude to the SEC for putting up their own regional extension office.

“SEC is most welcome here,” he said.

NEDA Regional Director Meylene Rosales said that it was timely for SEC to open its extension office in Eastern Visayas considering that its economy is doing well.

She disclosed that the economy of the region grew by 6.8%, higher by .8 percent compared to the previous year.

’That means we are bouncing back(from the pandemic),” Rosales said.

The SEC-Tacloban extension office is headed by lawyer Desiree Cuenco.

Also present during the inauguration were all four commissioners of the office.

(JOEY A. GABIETA/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

In Salcedo, Eastern Samar

TACLOBAN CITY– A student died while 11 others were injured after they were hit by a vehicle in Salcedo, Eastern Samar on Wednesday (May 10) at about 11:55 am.

The local police on Thursday filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and multiple serious physical injuries against the driver of the vehicle, Manuel Waniwan, 61, at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Guiuan town, also in Eastern Samar.

The students involved in the vehicular accident as identified by the management of the Salcedo Vocational High School were Nora-ain Soledad,17; Niña Mae Sevilla,17; Micaella Raagas, 17; Marianita Cadizal, 18; Bea Amor Macapanas, 17; Mariell Cabugawan; 18; Lady Ann Eded, 18; Daisyree Labutap, 18; Riby Garcia, 19; Roxanne Fabillar, 17; Mary Rose Caballegan, 17; and Aprel Macajeto, 18 who died while being brought to a hospital.

The students were standing just outside the school premises waiting for vehicles as they were to go home when the vehicle driven by Waniwan, reported to be running in high speed, ran them over, resulting in the injuries of the students and the death of one of them.

All were brought to the Salcedo Doctors Hospital for treatment. But two of them, who were not identified, were later brought to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban City for further treatment.

Town police chief, Police Capt. Julio Quilbio said that the suspect was on his way to Barangay Malbog, Salcedo from Guiuan town when the gruesome accident happened.

“According to him, he was falling asleep while he was driving reason he hit the students. This is really a very unfortunate incident,” Quilbio said in a phone interview.

The driver, who is from Guiuan town, is now detained at the local police lock-up facility.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY– The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) regional office will conduct a probe regarding a viral video of red species seen floating in Ormoc Bay.

In a statement,BFAR said that its Provincial Fishery Office (PFO) in Leyte has coordinated with the fisheries office of the local government unit of Abuera to verify the species seen on the viral video.

It further said that the said species sample to be collected will be forwarded to the National Stock Assessment Program (NSAP) team of the National Fisheries Research Development Institute (NFRDI) for possible identification.

In the post uploaded in the page ‘GO, Leyte,’ the uploader from Barangay Antipolo, Albuera, Leyte said that people were puzzled by the video showing red species floating in Ormoc Bay.

Reactors were asking if these were worms or ‘aliens.’

The video has almost 7,000 views, 98 shares, and more than 300 reactions.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)