TACLOBAN CITY– A member of the communist armed group, the New People’s Army (NPA), surrendered to the government while another rebel was arrested, both in Samar province.

‘Ka James’, 44, surrendered on Sunday (Feb.12) before the police in Basey, Samar, and turned over two Caliber 38 firearms with seven ammunitions.

The surrendered rebel was said to belong to the Regional Guerilla Unit headed by ‘Ka Adong’ under the South Samar 2 (SS2) operating in the areas of Sta. Rita, Basey, and Marabut, all in Samar; and other municipalities of Eastern Samar.

It was learned that Ka James decided to abandon the armed group due to difficulties living in the mountains and the campaign of the government persuading the rebels to surrender and enjoy the programs for those returning to the folds of the law.

Meantime, police arrested alias ‘Ka Dadang’, 34 in Barangay Pulangi, Calbiga, Samar, also on Sunday.

Dadang’s arrest was by virtue of a warrant issued by a court in 2010 for murder and attempted murder which was in relation to her being a member of the armed group of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Dadang’s group was said to solely operate in Calbiga, known then to be a communist lair.
“She did not resist when she was being arrested. Ka Dadang is now detained in our lock-up facility and had just undergone a medical check-up. She is treated here well as her husband and three children could visit her, freely,” a police officer of Calbiga, who declined to be named being unauthorized, said in a phone interview.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

Manila-The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines invites senior high school (grade 11) students to join the 2023 U.S. Embassy College Prep Program, a personalized mentorship and support initiative for young Filipinos interested in applying to colleges and universities in the United States.

The College Prep Program offers extensive advising and resources for prospective students, including an in-person summer application boot camp, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Test (ACT) training, and guidance on selecting college programs and scholarships.

Filipino senior high school students with excellent grades, active participation in extracurricular activities, leadership potential, and a family income of less than Php 1.25 million per year are eligible to apply to this 18-month virtual program. Interested participants must submit their application on or before February 10, 2023 through the following link: https://educationusaph.org/CollegePrepProgram-Application.

The U.S. Embassy College Prep Program was launched in 2022 with a cohort of 11 students. To date, two out of the 11 students have received full scholarships to their top college choice while others have been accepted to American colleges under partial scholarships. Among them is scholar Carl Audric Guia, who recently received admission and a full tuition scholarship to his top-choice school, the University of Notre Dame.

“I started to take an interest in studying in the United States when I was in the 10th grade, but as a public high school student, I did not have a lot of opportunities to become familiar with the application process,” Guia said. “The College Prep Program came at the right time—I met hands-on advisers who helped me choose best-fit colleges, prepare for standardized tests, edit essays, and much more.”

EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State network of over 430 international student advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories. The network promotes U.S. higher education to students worldwide, offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about educational opportunities at accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States. EducationUSA also provides services to the U.S. higher education community to help institutional leaders meet their recruitment and campus internationalization goals. (PR)

Poor couples exempted from the increased fees

TACLOBAN CITY– Couples who are planning to get married should put additional budget as the city council here has approved an ordinance increasing fees on marriage orientation and counseling.

Under the country’s Family Code, couples need to undergo orientation and counseling before they could be issued a marriage license.

Under the ordinance authored by Councilor Aimee Grafil passed during their regular session on Feb.2, fees for both pre-marriage orientation and counseling were increased from the previous fees.

The increased fees are embedded under the ordinance on the revised pre-marriage orientation and counseling program of the city.

Under the newly-approved ordinance, for marriage orientation and counselling, from the previous P300 fee, it is now pegged at P1,500 for both.

The rate for those who will be seeking special pre-marriage counseling and orientation is now at P2,000.

The current rate for special orientation and counseling is just at P500.

However, for those who will secure marriage and orientation but considered as indigents, they are exempted from paying the fees but are still mandated to attend both sessions which last less than six hours.

Those who will undergo the process are those from 18 years old to 25 years old.
The old ordinance did offered pre-marriage counseling.

Grafil said that it’s about time that the fees be increased considering the amount has been pegged for some time now.

She also noted that the amount collected for the orientation and seminar will be used to pay the honorarium of the members of the marriage orientation and counseling team.

The team is composed of representatives from the City Population Office which serves as the leader with members from the city offices of health and social welfare and development.

For marriage orientation, the team will receive P150 for their honorarium and P200 for marriage counseling.

The rest of the funds collected from conducting the orientation and counseling will be used to buy materials needed during the activities, Grafil said.

The ordinance will take effect 15 days after its publication in a local newspaper and upon the signing of it by Mayor Alfred Romualdez.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)