TACLOBAN CITY-An estimated 5,000 people were rendered isolated from the city proper of Calbayog after a road collapsed due to heavy rains on Sunday(August 13).

The heavy rains resulted in the destruction of a road connecting the villages of Navarro, Bontay, Acidillo, Kilikili, and Gadgaran to the city proper, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) said.

“The heavy rains started at about 3 am until 9 am which resulted for the road connecting these barangays to the city proper to collapse,” personnel from the CDRRMO said in a phone interview.

According to the CDRRMO, about 10 meters of the road was damaged due to the heavy rains which were brought due by a low pressure area.

The CDRRMO, however, said that no houses or residents from these villages were affected or harmed due to the heavy rains.

It was learned that the city government has scheduled to repair the damaged road.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY-More than P38,000 worth of illegally cut lumber was recovered by the local police during an anti-illegal logging operation in Can-avid, Eastern Samar on Sunday (August 13).

Seized from the suspect, Erwin Garcia, 30, were 324 board feet of illegally sawn lumber in Barangay Can-ilay in the said town.

The local police learned about the illegal logging activity of Garcia after receiving information about it, town police chief Capt. Allan Calceta said.

Calceta said that the suspect was caught in the act of dragging and pulling the illegally sawn lumber of a Naga species from his possession and control.

He added that the confiscated pieces of good wood flitches were composed of 4 pcs 2 x 8 x 7, 6 pcs 2 x10 x 7, and 10 pcs 1 x 4 x 7, for a total of 324 board feet and estimated market value amounting P38,880.

Capt. Calceta said that the suspect was to bring the hot lumber to Brgy. Malogo passing through the Can-avid River.

The arrested person together with the confiscated lumbers were brought to the Can-avid police station as he was charged for violation of PD 705 or the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines.
(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY– An alleged drug den maintainer and two others were arrested during an anti-drug operation in Hilongos, Leyte on Saturday (August 12) at about 4 am.

Arrested were Jimmy Sambayon and his cohorts, Nicolas Diez and Apolinario Fortaleza during a raid conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in District 1, sitio North Felominian, Barangay Central Poblacion in the said town.

PDEA Regional Director Gil Pabilona said seized from the suspects were alleged shabu with a commercial value of P136,000 weighing 20 grams and several drug paraphernalias.
The three, who are detained at the Hilongos lock-up facility, were charged for selling and possession of illegal drugs under RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs.
(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY-More than P38,000 worth of illegally cut lumber was recovered by the local police during an anti-illegal logging operation in Can-avid, Eastern Samar on Sunday (August 13).

Seized from the suspect, Erwin Garcia, 30, were 324 board feet of illegally sawn lumber in Barangay Can-ilay in the said town.

The local police learned about the illegal logging activity of Garcia after receiving information about it, town police chief Capt. Allan Calceta said.

Calceta said that the suspect was caught in the act of dragging and pulling the illegally sawn lumber of a Naga species from his possession and control.

He added that the confiscated pieces of good wood flitches were composed of 4 pcs 2 x 8 x 7, 6 pcs 2 x10 x 7, and 10 pcs 1 x 4 x 7, for a total of 324 board feet and estimated market value amounting P38,880.

Capt. Calceta said that the suspect was to bring the hot lumber to Brgy. Malogo passing through the Can-avid River.

The arrested person together with the confiscated lumbers were brought to the Can-avid police station as he was charged for violation of PD 705 or the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines.
(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY-A live-in couple said to be engaged in the illegal drug trade were shot dead in Hilongos, Leyte on August 10.

Police identified the fatalities as Marciano Villas III and his common-law wife Jennifer Umlang, both residents of Poblacion, Hindang, also in Leyte.

Based on the police investigation, the couple was on board a motorcycle traversing along Barangay Santa Cruz, Hilongos at about 8:50 pm.

Town police chief, Major Ambrosio Demain disclosed that Villas III was arrested in a buy-bust operation on August 18, 2018, while Umlang in a separate sting operation on January 14,2019.

The two were released last year.

SOCO personnel that processed the crime scene recovered about five pieces of empty shells of .9mm caliber and eight pieces of .45 caliber pistol empty shells and one .38 revolver in the possession of Villas III.

A thorough investigation is being conducted by the local police about the motive and identity of the suspects in the killing. (ROBERT DEJON)