TACLOBAN CITY-Some eight schools accredited by the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) 8 as its partner learning institutions slugged it out in a two-day skills tourney.

“You are not competing against each other, but you are competing against standards,” Engr. Gamaliel B. Vicente Jr., TESDA-8 regional director, shared these words to the competitors as he officially opened on Thursday, August 3, the two-day 2023 Leyte Provincial Skills Competition at JE Mondejar Computer College, Naga-Naga, this city.

This means that one has to achieve the scores set by the standards of the World Skills International in order to win in the competition.

The eight competitors will display their skills in the 10 trade areas.

Among the competitors are: Shine Ragonot of JE Mondejar Computer College Inc. and Kaizz Henley P. Respecio of the Western Leyte College of Ormoc City for Baking; Justine Kate Lino of ACLC College of Tacloban and Alyana Marie A. Guiron of Northridge Institute of Business and Technology Inc. for Graphic Design Technology;

Paulo Palanas of ACLC College of Tacloban and Nixon Marc Enerez of ACLC College of Ormoc for IT Network Systems Administration; Aldem Aldrick G. Almaden of STEFTI Technical Vocational Center and Johnrey A. Marilao for SDMF Skills Development for Maintenance and Fabrication for Plumbing and Heating;

Nathan Ganniel Laure, Robert John B. Migallos, and Christian T. Pulminar of the Regional Training Center Tacloban for Automotive Technology; James Lourd Dean G. Otic of JE Mondejar Computer College Inc. and Anthon John C. Hidalgo of Western Leyte College of Ormoc Inc. for Restaurant Services;

Antonie Liezel L. Pacantara of JE Mondejar Computer College Inc. and Joshua Benedict P. Bisnar of Western Leyte College of Ormoc for Cooking; Josh Fretzen Ragas of ACLC College of Ormoc and Lemuel Diaz of ACLC College of Tacloban and Jhoe Alfe Mario S. Bagtong of Northridge Institute of Business and Technology Inc. for Web Technologies;

And Luciano Floren N. Bacarisas of the Regional Training Center Tacloban for Welding and Cristhan Dave Galanza Espiritu of ACLC College of Tacloban for IT Software Solutions for Business.

Director Vicente said those who will win in this competition will compete at the regional level next month, September, for the 2023 Regional Skills Competition.
The winners in the regional competition will compete in the national level and eventually in the ASEAN competition to represent the country.

The conduct of the skills competition aims to promote and develop skills among the participants to prepare them in the international skills competition.
(MMP/CBA/PIA-8)

Leading digital solutions platform Globe continues its vigorous campaign against scam and spam SMS through its #StopSpam portal, deactivating and blacklisting 58,234 SIMs linked to fraud and malicious texts.

This figure represents a striking 226.22% increase from 17,851 during the equivalent period last year.

Over these six months, Globe has blacklisted 53,533 SIMs and deactivated an additional 4,701, demonstrating a robust commitment to protecting its customers and maintaining a secure network.

The figures were the result of Globe’s #StopSpam initiative, which facilitates the reporting of mobile numbers linked to spam and scam messages and calls. Through the StopSpam
#StopSPAM – Report Scams or Spam Messages – Globe.

We invite you to join us in our fight to stop spam by reporting SMS spams or scams, fake websites, and fake social portal, customers can simply upload screenshots of unwarranted text messages, and fill in necessary details such as the sender’s number or caller ID, the recipient’s number, and any suspicious links received.

“As we stride forward into the digital age, our foremost commitment at Globe remains to ensure the safety and security of our valued customers. We have taken a strong stance against online fraud, as demonstrated by our stringent measures in deactivating and blacklisting SIMs, including providing a reporting mechanism for our customers through the #StopSpam portal. These actions are crucial steps towards building a safer, more trustworthy network and preserving the integrity of our communication channels,” said Anton Bonifacio, Globe Chief Information Security Officer.

In addition to blacklisting and deactivating SIMs, Globe also successfully intercepted a staggering 2.19 billion scam and spam messages just in the first half of 2023. This represents an increase of approximately 360%, compared to the 615.01 million messages blocked during the same period the previous year.

These efforts underscore Globe’s commitment to supporting the government’s fight against scammers and fraudsters, in line with the SIM Registration Act. The law mandates individuals to register and present valid identification to telecom entities to keep their mobile and broadband services active.

In its persistent fight against spam and scam messages, Globe has made substantial investments in detection and blocking systems. The company invested $20 million in its Security Operations Center, which operates 24/7 to screen out undesired messages from both international and domestic sources. (PR)

ORMOC CITY-Twelve sachets containing white crystalline substances suspected to be shabu were recovered from an employee of the city government in Catbalogan during a buy-bust operation on Thursday (August 9).

Arrested during the sting operation was Jeffrey Igana,35, an employee of the city government assigned as a traffic enforcer in Barangay 7 at about 5:55 pm.

Recovered from the possession of Igana, listed as a high-value target watch list of the police, were 12 sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated market value of P8,000.

Charges of violations of sections 5 (selling) and 11 (possession of illegal drugs) of Article II of R.A. 9165 the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs of 2002 were filed against the suspect.
(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY-A passenger of a habal-habal motorcycle was declared dead by an attending physician at a local hospital while the driver died on the spot when the vehicle they were boarding was accidentally hit by a truck at about 12: 45 pm Sunday (August 6) along the National Highway in Brgy. Concepcion, this city.

Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU) of the Ormoc City Police Office Chief Police Lt. Col Gregorio Tedura identified the fatalities as Ponciano Janito, 59, and the driver of the vehicle and his passenger, Norma Lamberte, 55.

While the driver of the truck was identified as Jason Opiniano, 27, and a resident of Brgy. Aguiting, Kananga, Leyte.

Case investigator Police Corporal Jason Abe in a telephone interview disclosed that both vehicles were traversing on the same lane going north side of the city with the motorcycle ahead and the truck behind running at a fast pace.

He said that while the two vehicles were traversing, the habal-habal motorcycle suddenly turned left as the passenger who boarded in Brgy. Juaton was on her way to Brgy. Nasunogan.

He added that the truck driver applied his brake but because his vehicle was running at fast speed he still hit the motorcycle and dragged several meters away from the impact site.
The driver sustained severe multiple wounds in different parts of his body that resulted in his instantaneous death with his passenger declared dead while being treated in a hospital.(ROBERT DEJON)