28.9 C
Tacloban City
August 06, 2026 - Thursday | 6:51 PM
Home Blog Page 1142

From conflict of hope: Philippines’ journey of amnesty and reintegration for sustainable peace

By
Web Master
-
0

Achieving lasting peace and unity in the Philippines has been a challenging journey toward granting amnesty to rebel returnees.

Armed conflicts and insurgencies have caused immense suffering for many years and hindered the nation’s progress. The government’s reintegration programs and amnesty seek to break the cycle of violence and create a pathway for individuals to reintegrate into society as productive citizens.

Although the decision to grant amnesty has its critics and challenges, proponents believe it offers an opportunity for healing, reconciliation, and second chances.

The government aims to create an environment conducive to national unity by allowing rebels to lay down their arms and embrace a peaceful life.

One inspiring success story of the reintegration efforts is the transformation of “Ka Jun”, a former member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army- National Democratic Front.

Once a member of an insurgent group, Ka Jun chose to surrender his arms and embrace the government’s reintegration offer. Through the comprehensive support provided by the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, Jun received financial and psychological aid and accessible housing.

Today, he is a successful farmer in Nueva Ecija, providing for his family and contributing to his community’s prosperity. His story serves as a powerful testament to the effectiveness of these programs in changing lives and inspiring hope for a better future.

The success of the reintegration programs can be attributed to the comprehensive and holistic approach taken by the government.

Financial assistance helps rebel returnees meet immediate needs, while livelihood support and skills training enables them to pursue sustainable sources of income. Psychosocial interventions are also critical, as they address the trauma and challenges associated with transitioning from a life of conflict to one of peace.

Moreover, the government recognizes that reintegration cannot happen in isolation. To address the root causes of conflict, the Barangay Development Program invests in the development of local communities.

The government aims to create an environment where conflict is less likely to occur by improving infrastructure, providing education and healthcare, and promoting economic opportunities. This bottom-up approach empowers communities to become stakeholders in their development and active participants in fostering lasting peace. (PR)

PH surfers to compete in Guiuan’s Calicoan Odyssey Wave leg

By
Web Master
-
0
SURFING COMPETITION. The town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar will play host to a national surfing competition next month. The said competition, to be held in Calicoan Island. (Photo Courtesy)

TACLOBAN CITY– At least 200 surfers from all over the country are expected to troop to Calicoan Island in Guiuan, Eastern Samar next month.

SURFING COMPETITION. The town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar will play host to a national surfing competition next month. The said competition, to be held in Calicoan Island. (Photo Courtesy)

These surfers will compete for the Calicoan Odyssey Wave 2023, the second leg of NextGen Pilipinas Surfing Nationals 2023 sanctioned by the United Philippine Surfing Association (UPSA), according to Kinna Kwan, Guiuan town municipal administrator.

UPSA is the national sports body for surfing in the Philippines and is recognized by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee regular member.
This event is organized by the local government unit of Guiuan, UPSA, and the local surfing organizations of Calicoan Island and Eastern Samar; ABCD Surf Calicoan Local Surfers Samrayan Surfboards, The Backyard SURF CO., and the Surfriders Club of Eastern Samar Inc.

The competition is scheduled from September 15 to 21 at the ABCD Beach, the best surfing site in Calicoan known for its left-handed and right-handed reef breaks.

Kwan said that the Calicoan Odyssey Wave 2023 will start with the orientation and beach clean-up activity on Sept.14 and will be followed by the opening of the surfing competition on the 15th and awarding ceremony on the 20th, then a beach clean-up the following day.
Kwan added that more than P600,000 cash prizes are stakes for winners of the four categories in the competition.

Winners in the male and female categories will be receiving the same cash amount.
For the men’s and women’s open shortboard categories, winners will be receiving P130,000 cash prize; in the open longboard for both male and female categories, winners will also receive P130,000 cash prize.

In the junior category, the boy’s shortboard winner will receive P43,000, the same amount will also be received by the winner in the girl category.

For the master’s division, the winner will receive P30,500 cash prize.

Prior to Calicoan, the first leg of NextGen Pilipinas Surfing Nationals 2023 is scheduled in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte from Sept 1 to 7. The other leg of the surfing competition is in Baler, Borongan City, and Cabugao, Ilocos Sur.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

2 NPA rebels, 12 militia members return to the fold of the law in Borongan City

By
Web Master
-
0

TACLOBAN CITY– At least two New People’s Army(NPA)members and 12 militia members based in Eastern Samar returned to the folds of the law, considered by military officials as a sign of the ‘weakening’ of the communist armed group in the province.

The rebels and the militia members also turned over several firearms consisting of two M-16 rifles, one Cal.30 Ml carbine, two Cal.45 pistols, one Ca.38 revolver, and two anti-personnel mines to the 78th Infantry Battalion based in Borongan City on Friday (August 19).

Joining them in their decision to return to the folds of the law were 61 of their civilian sympathizers, all from Barangay San Andres, Borongan City.

As a sign of their decision to leave the communist armed group, they took an oath of allegiance to the government in the presence of top Army officials led by B/Major Noel Vestuir, the commanding officer of the 802nd Infantry Brigade and Col. Allan Tria, the commanding officer of the 78th IB.

Borongan City Mayor Jose Dayan Ivan Agda was also present during the event.
It was learned that the rebel members and their sympathizers decided to stop their engagements with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA due to the campaign of the government under its End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).

B/Gen. Vestuir said that the ‘mass surrender’ of these former rebels and their sympathizers will result in more surrender and in the process, help end the insurgency problem in Eastern Samar and parts of Samar, areas under the control of his brigade.

He then urged the other remaining active NPA rebels to yield their arms and return to the folds of the law.

“Your withdrawal of support and oath of allegiance to the government were not just a mere talk neither a piece, written on paper. We should be truthful in ending our support to the communist terrorist group, we should cut the connection of the barangay to the CPP-NPA-NDF. Let us make our community inhospitable to the CPP-NPA-NDF,” Vestuir said during the ceremony.

“Your violent communist ideology is no longer welcomed by the people in the communities since they are already with us in our efforts to end this 54-year local communist armed conflict. They are now giving us the information on your whereabouts, the locations of your arms cache and even the foods that you hide and prepositioned in the area,” he added.

Mayor Agda also expressed his gratefulness to the former rebels and their sympathizers.
“I am thankful that you have finally decided to return your trust and support to the government. Expect that the city government has programs intended for you,” the city mayor said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

325 cops sent to 2 Northern Samar towns for peace and development mission

By
Web Master
-
0
Police Regional Director B/Gen. Vincent Calanoga personally led in the sendoff of 325 police officers deployed in Northern Samar on August 18 for peace and development mission. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – At least 325 police personnel were deployed on Thursday (August 18) to the towns of Mapanas and Palapag, both in Northern Samar as part of the peace and development campaign of the government.

Police Regional Director B/Gen. Vincent Calanoga personally led in the sendoff of 325 police officers deployed in Northern Samar on August 18 for peace and development mission. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

No less than Police Regional Director B/Gen. Vincent Calanoga led the send-off of these police personnel on Thursday together with Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council.

The deployment of these police personnel is part of the implementation of Revitalized-Pulis sa Barangay Program (RPSB).

These policemen are to be deployed in the villages of Naparasan and Quezon, all in Mapanas; and Osmeña, Bagacay, Capacujan, Sangay, and Cabatuan, all in Palapag.

Their deployment in the villages aims to enhance the community engagement, counter the propaganda of the communist rebel, assist the delivery of government services, and secure the ongoing implementation of barangay development projects.

They will also establish an inclusive and sustainable approach in bringing services closer to isolated and disadvantaged areas, and in turn, encourage the communities to totally abandon armed conflict and embrace a duly established democratic government.

“This is a sensitive operation because it involves confidence building between the government and the people. That we wanted to address the problem without people risking and offering their lives,” Calanoga said.

“We need to establish a convincing success story and replicate the same to the other barangays. The goal is to have a rhythmic effort in all Samar Island where communities totally abandon armed conflict and communist ideology and embrace a duly-established democratic government”, he added.

For his part, RPOC chairman Romualdez stressed to the deployed police personnel to protect the organization’s credibility, establish a genuine intention with their dealings with the communities, and learn to properly communicate for them to gain their trust and confidence.

PM/Gen Edgar Allan Okubo, director of PNP Directorate for police community relations, said that the RPSB is to sustain the community support program (CSP) of the Philippine Army in villages that are already declared as cleared from communist influence.

“We will ensure that this will not be recovered by the communist group,” he said.

“We will also insulate those areas that are not yet affected by ensuring that government services will reach the communities to make sure the residents will not be victims of communist recruitment,” Okubo added.

The troops will stay in the seven villages for a maximum of six months and will be replaced by another team after six months if necessary.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA/ROBER DEJON)

Up and down

By
Web Master
-
0

It has become a trend that when oil prices increase, all the rest follow suit like a domino effect, leaving the buying public in shock, hardly able to cope with the soaring cost of living.

But when said oil prices go down, prices of commodities that had gone up with it never return to their original amount anymore.

It can be recalled that in the past weeks and months, oil prices in the country soared high that in some remote gasoline stations, per liter selling of diesel and gasoline almost reached a hundred pesos.

In urban centers like Tacloban, prices reached almost P90 per liter in that same period. That’s relatively high compared to the original, usual prices that ranged from P48 and P52 per liter.

As these developed, prices of almost all commodities including fares likewise increased while the salaries and wages remained the same.

How are the people to cope with these changes financially? When all the prices of basic needs and wants have gotten up, and the salaries remain the same, how can the salary-earning population manage their finances? There is only one solution supposedly—get the oil prices back to normal.

But is this the real key to resolving the problem? Ideally and technically, yes.

Since the oil price increases had prompted the rise of other items’ prices as well, the lowering of the former should also bring down the prices of other commodities. But you see, this doesn’t happen even if the fuel prices are brought low.

Two obstacles hinder this thing from happening. First, oil prices in the country are dictated by the price of crude oil from oil-producing countries, and our government has no control over it. Second, even if the prices of oil are brought low, the prices of commodities that had gone up never go down anymore.

Take for example the fares in passenger vehicles, and the costs of fish and other marine products in the markets.

This is what the government should monitor and regulate, with necessary penalties for violators.

What public servants?

By
Web Master
-
0
DOMS PAGLIAWAN

Some supposedly “public servants” running some government agencies are not at all “servants” but act as lords that must be given due respect and worshipful regard. You dare not disturb them in their comfort zone or provoke them to anger or else they will lose their temper and flare up in frantic rage.

They might not say it, but some of them would show it in their actions—they demand much respect, obedience, and reverence, almost to the point of having them worshipped like they are some kind of gods. You can’t request them, beg them, or ask for humanitarian considerations because they don’t grant these. Those who transact with them must follow what they say, period. Otherwise, they must clear out.

These people do not care if their clients find them too inconsiderate. They just hold their heads high, accepting no reasons, justifications, or appeals. They take no pity on people despite the latter’s pathetic situations. They just cite rules and claim to impose these strictly, but in reality, they are just being inconsiderate for they can exercise discretion in making decisions.

Take for example the taking of Transcript of Records from a Registrar’s Office. Let’s say the owner of the document who applied for the same cannot claim it personally during its release due to certain responsibilities to attend to. So he sends his sibling to travel from their far-away place all the way to Tacloban, bearing only his notarized letter of authorization.

But upon reaching the office, the document is withheld as the owner’s valid ID is still required. The sibling contacts his brother via his cellphone, so the document owner sends the picture of his valid ID through the messenger. But still, the office employees do not release the document. The half-day travel (one way) and all the expenses incurred are wasted just because these public servants must be obeyed, their arrogant policies followed.
What’s despicable is that the more that the clients suffer, the stricter they become. They take pleasure in people’s agonies. They are heartless, inconsiderate, and numb to other people’s misfortunes. What they deem important is the respect and esteem that people give them, which elevate them to high levels.

No, they are far from being servants of the people. Instead, they are bosses and superiors, if not gods and goddesses. How high-minded they are, acting with much superiority, abusive, and arrogant. They think great of themselves while looking down on others. Even if they can already give what’s being asked of them, they keep delaying it so people would keep chasing them, hence their importance. They are hard to get, so to speak. You have to bow down before them before you can avail of their services.

Is that the kind of public servant we deserve to have? Is that how they should behave and deal with people? Are they the people to whose salaries our taxes go? Are they really public servants, or servants of the devil?

1...1,1411,1421,143...2,174Page 1,142 of 2,174

Recent Posts

DALMACIO C. GRAFIL
PUBLISHER

ALMA GRAFIL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ROMEO CEBREROS
OFFICE IN-CHARGE

OFFICE
BRGY. SONGCO, BORONGAN CITY

CONTACT NUMBERS
(055) 261 – 3319 | 0955 251 1533 | 0917 771 0320 | 0915 897 7439 | 0921 511 0010

DALMACIO C. GRAFIL
PUBLISHER

RICKY J. BAUTISTA
EDITOR

ALMA GRAFIL
BUS. MANAGER

OFFICE
RIZAL AVENUE, CATBALOGAN
(INFRONT OF FIRE DEPARTMENT, NEAR CITY HALL)

CONTACT NUMBERS
0917 771 0320 | 0915 897 7439 | 0921 511 0010

EMAIL
lsdaily2@yahoo.com

WEBSITE
www.issuu.com/samarweeklyexpress