President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has extended more than PhP1 million in financial assistance to the families of students who were killed and injured in the shooting incident at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City.

In a press briefing in Malacañang, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Marcos was deeply saddened by the tragedy, especially since young students were the victims of violence.
“Nakakadurog ng puso, iyan ang naramdaman ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. sa pangyayari sa Tacloban kung saan may mga kabataan na nagbuwis ng buhay para masagip ang ibang kamag-aral. Mga kabataan ang nabibiktima at mga kabataan din ang nambibiktima,” said Castro.

According to Castro, President Marcos also paid tribute to the heroism of the students who sacrificed their lives to save their fellow classmates.

She said, according to the Office of the President, the family of each of the three students who died will receive PhP150,000 while each of the 18 students injured in the incident will receive Php50,000.

“Iba pa ito sa naunang tulong na ipinaabot ng iba’t ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan, kagaya ng Department of Social Welfare and Development sa pangunguna ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian at ng Department of Education sa pamumuno ni Secretary Sonny Angara,” Castro added.

Following the incident, she said the DepEd has strengthened the implementation of school safety measures, including installing metal detectors and CCTV cameras, as well as enhancing coordination with parents and barangay officials.

The President also acknowledged the appeal of the families of the victims that the minor suspects should not merely remain under the custody of the DSWD.

Castro added that the Marcos Administration assured the victims’ families that justice would be served.

“Ang intervention na ito ang ipinatutupad na batas para sa children in conflict with the law. Pero sisiguruhin ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. na makakamit ninyo ang hustisya,” Castro added. (PCO-PND)

ORMOC CITY — Police are investigating the discovery of an unidentified body found inside a sack along the provincial highway in Barangay Liberty, Palompon, Leyte, on Wednesday afternoon, July 1, in what authorities suspect may be a case of homicide.

Palompon Officer-in-Charge of Police, Cpt. Rushty Alvarado, said the body was discovered at around 12:50 p.m. by village councilor Eden Rodrigo while she and several companions were conducting a routine inspection of the village’s waterline.

According to Alvarado, village chairman Gilbert Toledo reported the incident to the Palompon Municipal Police Station at around 1:15 p.m., prompting responding officers to proceed to the area to verify the report and secure the scene.

Police found the decomposing body inside a white rice sack bearing the handwritten markings, “BOO: F7, HUWAG TULARAN, DU30.”

Personnel from the Ormoc Forensic Unit processed the crime scene and estimated that the victim had been dead for about three to five days based on the advanced stage of decomposition and the presence of maggots.

Authorities said the victim was wearing a T-shirt and jersey shorts and had a tribal tattoo on the chest. No visible stab or gunshot wounds were found during the initial examination.
Crime scene investigators also recovered a small transparent plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu from the right pocket of the victim’s jersey shorts.

Police have requested the Municipal Health Officer of the Palompon Rural Health Unit to conduct a post-mortem examination to determine the victim’s exact cause of death.
Authorities are continuing efforts to identify the victim and determine the circumstances surrounding the killing. The case remains under investigation.

(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY — A 48-year-old tuba gatherer was declared dead after he reportedly fell from a coconut tree while collecting coconut sap in Sitio Bukid, Barangay Calingcaguing, Barugo, Leyte, on Sunday afternoon, June 28.

Police identified the victim only by the alias “Nico,” a resident of said town, Barugo.
According to the Barugo Municipal Police Station, officers responded at around 3 p.m. after receiving a report from a concerned citizen about a lifeless body found on the private property of Praxidio Bagares Llosa in Sitio Bukid.

Upon arriving at the scene, responding officers confirmed the report and found the victim lying lifeless at the foot of a coconut tree.

Initial investigation revealed that the victim accidentally fell while gathering tuba after the dried coconut frond he was holding reportedly broke off, causing him to lose his grip and plunge to the ground. His body was later found leaning against the trunk of the tree.
The victim was transported by rescue personnel to the Barugo Municipal Infirmary, where the attending physician declared him dead on arrival.

Police said further investigation showed that the victim had left home at around 6 a.m. to gather tuba before planning to buy groceries at the market in Carigara, Leyte. When he failed to return home as expected, his live-in partner went to the area where he regularly harvested coconut sap and discovered him already lifeless.

The landowner told investigators that the victim was the only person authorized to gather tuba on the property and that no other individuals had entered the area that day.
Authorities said no signs of foul play were observed at the scene. The victim’s remains were later released to his family.

(ROBERT DEJON)