TACLOBAN CITY– Police in Southern Leyte have launched the revitalized crime-prevention strategy dubbed “Kasimbayanan,” which stands for “Kapulisan, Simbahan, at Pamayanan,” to ensure peace and order in the province.
“I sincerely commend you all for your diligence, support, contribution, and participation. This activity will never be successful without each one of you,” said Colonel Hector Enage, director of the Southern Leyte Police Provincial Office (SLPPO).
“Besides, unity is achieved when a community of diverse beliefs finds a common ground to work together for a greater vision,” added the police official.
Under the revitalized strategy, authorities have involved the local government unit (LGU) officials, village tanods and officials, faith-based leaders and volunteers, and the entire community.
During the launching ceremony last Monday(October 10), Enage also lauded the “timely and relevant messages of support” from different LGU and non-government organization officials, along with faith leaders.
The participants also pledged commitment and support to the police in its crime-prevention activities.(RONALD O.REYES)
With Pres. Marcos and VP Duterte expected to grace
HISTORIC EVENT. No less than President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte are expected to lead in the switch-on ceremony of the aesthetic lights and sounds project at the iconic San Juanico Bridge on October 19. With its new attraction, the bridge, which connects Leyte and Samar Islands, is projected to draw ‘night tourists.’
TACLOBAN CITY- The formal switch-on of the aesthetic lighting at the iconic San Juanico Bridge is scheduled on October 19 with both President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte expected to attend.
This was announced by Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan and Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes on Thursday (Oct. 13) night during a coordination meeting.
The two officials confirmed the attendance of Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia-Frasco and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid at the event.
TIEZA set aside P80 million for the aesthetic light and sound project at the San Juanico Bridge.
“Our purpose here is to attract our national figures to visit us – Samar and Leyte – as far as tourism is concerned and of course so that we can encourage more tourists to come and eventually will paved the way for additional livelihood particularly in the province of Samar where we are more focus and prioritizing the people’s organizations and community-based tourism,” Gov. Tan said.
Tan added that this has long been waited by the province to finally open the aesthetic light show to the public.
The project was supposed to be finished in 2019 but was rescheduled due to rehabilitation work at the bridge.
In 2020, works were suspended for several months due to restriction imposed by the government due to pandemic.
During the official switch-on ceremony, a 21-minute light show will take place with members of the Buraburon Festival of Burauen town will perform at the Leyte side of the San Juanico Bridge while the Manaragat Festival of Catbalogan will also perform at the Samar side of the bridge.
Traffic at San Juanico Bridge will be controlled and no vehicles will be allowed to cross the bridge during the program.
The San Juanico Bridge Aesthetic Lighting Project is a first of its kind in the country.
The colors can be customized depending on the occasion. Last month, purple color was used to light the bridge for about an hour to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
During the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day, the colors of the country’s flag were used to illuminate the bridge and for the light show.
Last August, the Embassy of India also requested to illuminate the bridge with color green as part of their 75th-year founding anniversary.
Although the entire bridge was installed with LED lights, these are installed at the outer part of the bridge to avoid distracting the traffic flow.
The San Juanico Bridge is the longest bridge along the Pan-American Highway that connects Luzon to Mindanao.
Built in August 1969 and completed in 1972, with a span of 2.162 kilometers and connecting Samar and Leyte, the bridge had stood many challenges.
The most recent of which was when Tacloban was hit by Super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ last November 8, 2013.
The bridge is one of the tourist attractions of the region, particularly attracting day time tourists but with the lighting project, visitors may now also visit the bridge even at night.
The project is expected to usher economic development in the southern part of Samar province, particularly in the towns of Sta. Rita and Basey. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Starting on November 25, the airport in Borongan City, Eastern Samar will start accepting twice a week flights from Manila. The operation of the said airport is expected to contribute in the increase of tourist arrivals and even investors, says Mayor Jose Ivan Agda.
TACLOBAN CITY-After a long wait, the commercial airport of Borongan City in Eastern Samar is now ready to accept flights mainly from Manila.
This was announced by Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda on Tuesday (Oct.11) in a press conference who added that the opening of the city’s airport will complement with the arrival of the five buses earlier procured by the city government as this will serve as free transport for tourists who will visit the Eastern Samar provincial capital and its nearby municipalities.
Agda said that the city government will formally sign an agreement with the Philippine Airlines (PAL) on October 25 which will pave the way for the country’s flag carrier to use the Borongan Airport located in Barangay Punta Maria, about 12 kms away from the city proper.
The city mayor said that the maiden flight of PAL to Borongan will take place on November 25.
Initially, the Manila-Borongan flight will take place twice a week or every Monday and Friday with the PAL providing an 86- seat plane.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), it was learned, will provide the X-ray machine and generator set at the airport’s terminal building.
“Let’s patronize, support, and encouraged our people to use our Borongan airport. Let us not squander this opportunity,” Mayor Agda.
Agda said that the operations of the Borongan Airport will open economic opportunities to the city.
At present, clients from Borongan and the rest of Eastern Samar have to endure a five-hour land travel to Tacloban City for their air travel. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
TACLOBAN CITY-Mayor Alfred Romualdez of this city is among the contenders for the chairmanship of the Regional Development Council (RDC) for Eastern Visayas.
This was confirmed by Romualdez himself who admitted that his name was included among the list of contenders upon the encouragement of his cousin, Leyte congressman and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“They told me that they will endorse my name so I said okay. Wala naman akong ambisyon pumunta sa mga posisyon. Si Speaker Martin ang nagsabi na gawin ko yan,” the city mayor said.
“Kung saan tayo makakatulong, tutulong ako,” Romualdez added.
The two are cousins of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. who has the last say who will be named as RDC chairman.
Romualdez is serving his first term as mayor of Tacloban. He had earlier served as mayor of the city for nine years which ended in 2013.
Aside from the Tacloban city mayor, also nominated by the RDC-8 council to Malacañang were Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla and Mayors Lucy Torres Gomez of Ormoc City; Naccional Mercado of Maasin City and Carlos Cari of Baybay City.
Incidentally, all contenders backed the presidential bid of President Marcos during the May 9 elections.
And of all the contenders, only Petilla had served as RDC chairman.
He was named as RDC chairman in 2011 but was cut short after he was appointed as energy secretary in 2012.
The RDC is the highest policy-making body of a region wherein its major programs and projects are endorsed to concerned departments mostly for funding purposes.
It is not yet known when Malacañang will announce who will be the RDC chairman for Eastern Visayas vacated by former Leyte governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla.
Twenty young and beautiful women from different barangays of Ormoc City are vying for the Miss Ormoc contest slated on October 15. The beauty and brain search is part of the 75th Charter Day celebration of the city on Oct. 20. (ORMOC CITY GOVERNMENT)
ORMOC CITY– About 20 young and beautiful ladies are vying for the title of Miss Ormoc for this year.
The candidates were formally introduced to the public last October 2 during a program held at the city’s main public plaza.
Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez joined television host Mr. Fu in introducing the candidates who are to vie the crown on October 15 , one of the highlights of the city’s 75th Charter founding anniversary on Oct. 20.
This year’s contestants are Abiah Dicdican (Brgy. Camp Downes), Dianne Espinosa (Brgy. Manlilinao), Jorochelle Euliza Swartz Grafilon (Brgy. San Isidro), Crissa Althea Colon (Brgy. Naungan), Francheska Terese Matiga (Brgy. Ipil), Ma. Kim Bocao (Brgy. Concepcion), Desiree Solejon (Brgy. Luna), Angel Mae Duallo (Brgy. Cogon), Donna Ramada (Brgy. Quezon Jr.), Alexandra Juanillo (Brgy. Can-untog), Liezle N. Jones (Brgy. Macabug), Hannah Grace Yuson (Brgy. Ipil), Zeljemer Castro (Brgy. DFL), Quintine Saligue (Brgy. Macabug), Jessajane Belic (Brgy. Punta), Lerrish Francess Belarmino (Brgy. Ipil), Erine Beatrice Tan (San Pablo Simangan), Charybel Faith Dizon (District 25), Mitzi Lucaban (Brgy. Valencia), and Marie Carmen Songalia (Brgy. Nasunogan).
The current Miss Ormoc is Aura Shaznay.
“This is a very special Charter Day celebration. We want everybody to be part of this grand event,” said Mayor Torres-Gomez.
According to the city government, this year’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration is like no other in Ormoc, the Events Capital of Eastern Visayas.
“This is the most spectacular celebration of the city. Ormoc is different now. We are one of the safest cities in the entire country. We are one of the progressive cities in Eastern Visayas. This is because of the cooperation of everyone. Thank you for making this happen,” added Leyte 4th District Representative Richard Gomez of their month-long Charter Day activities. (RONALD O. REYES)
IN the gospel, there is a part where Christ lamented about the lack of faith of the people. “This generation is an evil generation,” he said. “It seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” (Lk 11,29)
We need to understand that faith is the original and ultimate source of truth about everything—about God, about ourselves, about the world and the whole of creation. We need to understand that faith is a gift from God the Creator who wishes to share his knowledge of everything with us who have been created to be like him, his image and likeness, sharers of his divine life and nature.
Faith gives us the over-all picture of things. While it has to be learned, and the learning process obviously requires certain stages, not to mention tremendous effort also, we need to understand that the pursuit to have the fullness of faith should be of prime importance to us. We need to do everything to acquire that faith in its fullness.
We have to be wary of our tendency to set aside faith or at least to have recourse to it only from time to time, because we may feel that with our human knowledge brought about by our sciences, technologies, philosophies and ideologies, etc., we can already be on our own and declare some independence from God and from the faith that he gives us.
Part of the problem we have in this regard is that belief that by resorting to faith, we would be undermining our human powers, our capacity to know, our reason, etc. Nothing can be father from the truth. Faith, in fact, requires the full use of our human faculties. It does not do away with them, nor treat them as unimportant. Faith would not be faith if it ignores our reason.
We just have to realize that our reason alone cannot cope with all the reality and the truths that are relevant to us. These are truths that are spiritual and supernatural in character, and therefore are beyond what our human powers can handle.
But despite the limitations of our human powers, we have the capacity to live by faith if only we are humble enough to accept the truths of our faith since they are given to us not just by a human authority but by God himself who reveals himself in Christ who in turns makes himself present and actively intervening in our lives, through the Church and the many instrumentalities in the Church.
For this, we really need to have a living contact with Christ who is the fullness of God’s revelation to us. He is the substance, the content and the spirit of our faith. So, the first thing that we have to do is to look for him always in whatever thing we are thinking, saying or doing.
We need to check our attitudes and dispositions. Do we really look for him, in the manner spelled out by Christ himself, that is, with constancy and determination? Christ said: “Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Mt 7,7)
What obviously would help is the habit of reading and meditating on the gospel, at least for a few minutes everyday. In that way, we get to know Christ better, and to familiarize ourselves with his words, deeds and reactions to the different situations he encountered. Let’s remember that since he is “the way, the truth and the life,” everything in him will always be a guide to us.
