TACLOBAN CITY – The Army in the region is committed to support sports development among youths, especially those coming from villages once infiltrated by the members of the communist terrorist group, the New People’s Army (NPA).

Thu said Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo, the commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Division, after the division-backed football teams won a competition in Cebu City.

The Stormkickers and the Palapag Football Club won the 17th Thirsty Cup held last Feb.12 in Cebu City.

“I assure you my full support to sports, especially these football teams. I believe that they will achieve more in the future; we just need to support, help and train them,” Ligayo said.
The football teams were earlier organized by Ligayo when he was the commanding officer of the 801st Brigade based in Hinabangan, Samar.

The members of the football team are children from remote barangays that were then under the influence of the NPA.

“It is better to immerse our children or youths in sports to give them opportunities which are way better than engaging in activities organized by left-leaning groups,” Gen. Ligayo said.

During the three-day football competition where more than 200 teams from all over the Philippines, the Stormkickers, composed of 10 girls and 15 boys participated in the Ladies Open and Under 19 (U19) Boys Categories, respectively.

On the other hand, the Palapag FC has 10 players that participated in the Under 13 (U13) Boys Category.

Under the Ladies Open, the team garnered three wins and made it up to the quarter finals, and in the U13 category, the Palapag FC recorded two wins.

The teams were coached by two soldiers of 8ID, Private Rueben Ranille and Corporal Edelyn Panaguiton, and another soldier who also played during the said competition under the Women’s Category, Private Angelie Pagpaguitan.

Even though the team didn’t advance to the championship finals, Pvt Ranille, was appreciative of the chance given to these eager football neophytes.
He also expressed his gratitude to MGen Ligayo for the new milestone achieved by the team. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY– As it marks its 54th founding anniversary, the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) in the region is strengthing its partnerships with local government units (LGU) in the region to advance its goals and objectives of the Philippine Population and Development Program (PPDP).

PPDP remains a key and important strategy in facilitating sustainable and inclusive development at all levels.

The critical role and importance of the PPDP is likewise underscored within the context of strengthening the devolution policy resulting from the increased share of the local government from the national tax revenue in light of the Supreme Court’s Mandanas ruling which provides, among others, further devolution of services and increases the share of the local government units of tax from the national government.

Meantime, the mayors, in particular, recognizes the importance of population development interventions at the local level as they vowed to create a population office to ensure the integration of population development principles in the delivery of basic services to their respective constituents.

In the region,19 LGUs were provided with financial grants by Popcom to jumpstart and sustain population and development programs in their areas.

While more than 50 technical assistance were provided by the office to facilitate and capacitate the LGUs in the transition of the POPDEV programs from the national government to the LGUs.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

The government’s decades-long effort to achieve lasting peace and security has come to fruition.

By adopting the whole-of-nation approach under Executive Order 70 that created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF- ELCAC), the Philippines has relished an almost insurgency-free country, and it can continue pursuing programs to attain an inclusive and sustainable peace and development all over the country.

This is what a democratically-elected government has yearned for, which the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army-– National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) has been trying to violently overthrow and replace it with an autocratic and tyrannical communist regime.

On its part, the security and defense sector has remained comprehensive in its extensive campaign to defeat the communist insurgency.

Along with this campaign are the efforts, in cooperation with other government agencies, intended to inform and educate vulnerable sectors of the communities about the government’s development interventions and, at the same time, provide them with sustainable livelihood programs by bringing together their entrepreneurial and technical skills. Through this approach, the public’s cynical mindset has changed. Filipinos have learned to trust and support the government’s intervention efforts and the holistic and inclusive process involved.

On the other hand, military efforts do not just focus on coordinated actions for combat operations on the ground. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY— The City Civil Registrar’s Office (CCRO) here conducted a free birth registration on Friday (Feb.17) for those who were delayed beyond the previous reglementary period.

Documents such as birth certificates from the hospital, baptismal certificates, school records, marriage certificates of parents, barangay certification, and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) negative certificate will be offered during this one-day activity to be held at the City Engineering’s gymnasium.

Imelda Roa, the city registrar, said that there will be no limited number of registrants for the service which will start at 8 am until 3 pm.

She also said that any person of all ages is qualified to register.

With regards to needed requirements, they have to present their updated PSA negative certificate to prove that they were indeed delayed, or do not have previous records of birth registrations.

“This is because there are people who have registered already but just have errors on their documents or those who intend to change their family names, we do not accept them here. This activity shall only be for those who are delayed, and we will need proof for that,” Roa said.

Those who are orphans, they need to present with them an affidavit of guardianship while those whose parents are not married, they need to bring with them an affidavit of parentage.

And those who have no baptismal certificate, they can bring with them any legal documents such as school records, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) documents, among others.
(JASMINE KATE AGOSTO, LNU Student Intern)