TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Airlines (PAL) is adding new flights at the Catarman and Calbayog airports.

PAL Calbayog and Catarman Station Manager Gregory Paul Yulo, in an advisory, announced that two flights are added for Calbayog and one flight for Catarman.

Currently, PAL is servicing Calbayog with four flights a week (Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday), and Catarman with also four flights a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday).

The additional flights for Calbayog Airport are Tuesday and Wednesday starting September 5 while the new flights for Catarman is Thursday, beginning on September 7.
“This expansion will allow us to experience the beauty of Northern Samar and Samar and its surroundings more frequently,” Yulo said in the statement.

“This milestone wouldn’t also have been possible without your continued trust and patronage. Thus, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for flying with Philippine Airlines. Your support has been instrumental in driving us to create more opportunities for you to explore and discover the beauty of Samar,” the PAL official added.

This announcement from PAL was welcomed by Department of Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes saying that the Calbayog and Catarman are ‘viable routes.’
Tiopes added that she hopes airlines will also open more routes connecting the region to the rest of the country.

“I hope that we will have new routes, like the one we have before with Clark International Airport,” she said.
Currently, airline companies operating in the region offer flights to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Prior to the announcement of additional flights for airports in Calbayog and Catarman, the city government of Borongan has also announced that two additional flights will be offered to their city airport this September.

These additional flights however are only for Sept. 6 (Wednesday) and 13 (Wednesday), to accommodate Borongan residents who wanted to return and visit the city for this upcoming fiesta this Sept 8.

Borongan City Airport is offering a Borongan-Cebu-Manila flight every Monday and Friday.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

ORMOC CITY-Two persons were killed while two others were wounded after unidentified gunmen opened fire at the motorboat they were on board in Gandara, Samar on Thursday (August 17)about 3:00 in the afternoon on Thursday, August 17, within the vicinity of Brgy. Caugbusan, Gandara, Samar about 20 kilometers from the Gandara Población.

Gandara OIC Police Major Troy Proven Castro identified the fatalities as Sammy Jumadiao, 37, single, farmer, and Rolando Casaljay, 35, single, motorboat operator, while the wounded were identified as Marvin Taduyo, 29, and Teresito Picson, 58.All are residents of Barangay Caugbusan, Gandara town.

Based on the information by the local police, the victims while on board on separate motorboats cruising the Gandara River were peppered with bullets by the still unidentified suspects.

This resulted for the death of Jumadiao and Casaljay and the injury of Taduyo and Picson, who is said to be running as chairman of their village.

The suspects immediately fled after the shooting incident.
The police has yet to determine, as of press time, the identities of the suspects and their motive.
(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY– A carpenter was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Tacloban City who was in possession of suspected shabu with a street value of P272,000.

Arrested during the sting operation was Rafael Agner, 45, in Barangay 108 at about 1:32 pm on Wednesday (August 16).

Police here identified Agner as a high-value target in the drug watch list.
Seized from the suspect were 40 grams of suspected shabu with a street value of P272,000.

Charges of violations of Secs. 5 (selling) and 11 (possession of illegal drugs) of Art. II of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs, were filed against the suspect who is now detained at the locked-up cell of the city police office.
(ROBERT DEJON)