ORMOC CITY-The local police here remain in a blank wall over the killing of two siblings and the wounding of another sister.
This was admitted by Lt. Joseph Inay, officer-in-charge of this city’s police station 1.
Redford Judilla, 31 and her younger sister, Rizalina Cañete,29, were shot several times last Saturday (Nov.21) night while they were preparing their dinner in front of their nipa hut in sitio Lanyog of Barangay Mabini by still unidentified suspect or suspects.
“At the moment, we do interviews to the family and relatives. All of them said the victims have no enemies”, said Inay.
The police has yet to determine also what could be the motive behind the incident.
Cañete died on the spot while her brother Judilla, a security guard, was declared dead on arrival at the hospital where he was brought by the city’s rescue unit.
Their elder sister, Ma Teresa J. Teves, 37, was wounded and brought to the hospital for treatment. Cañete’s daughter was unharmed.
All of them were at the front yard of their small hut preparing for dinner when fired by still unidentified suspect or suspects at around 7:40 in the evening.
Recovered at the crime scene were around used cartridges of still unidentified caliber.
(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)

MARABUT, Samar- Two years ago, Virgil and his wife Estreng were ordered by members of the New People’s Army (NPAs) to leave their village in Guirang, Basey town after they were suspected to be military assets.
Leaving no choice and afraid of their security, the elderly couple packed up their belongings and hastily sold their properties to their neighbors and moved to the nearby town of Marabut.
Virgil,70 and his wife 60-year old wife were punished by the NPAs of ‘destierro’ or by vanishing them out of Guirang on suspicion that they were military informants which they strongly denied.
The couple could still recalled the scenario at that time: several men, armed with heavy firearms, arrived on their village and surrounded their house, directing them to leave their house immediately.
“They arrived at night and told us to leave the village. We’re not military informants. We don’t know why they did it to us,” Estreng said.
Estreng revealed that she used to collect rice and other foods including cash from their neighbors and gave them to rebels.
While they did this act for almost 40 years, it was out of fear and for their own safety, she said.
She also recalled that when super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ hit their town, the food aids that they received from the government and private groups were given to the rebels.
Looking back, the couple said that they have no regret of leaving Guirang as they now feel safe and secure with their new home in Marabut.
The couple, aside from having a variety store, tend to planting root crops, pineapples, and bananas, as their source of income.
The Philippine National Police is also assisting the couple to receive assistance from the national government through the enhanced comprehensive local integration program (E-CLIP).
Incidentally, Brgy. Guirang has been identified as one of the 16 villages as a site for the PNP lead retooled community support program (RCSP).
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY-A market vendor from Guiuan town in Eastern Samar could now claim to be among the country’s multi-millionaires.
This after he won the P20.39 million 6/42 draw of the Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO) held last Saturday (Nov. 21).
His winning number combination was 13, 42, 03, 31, 02 and 22. He bought his winning ticket at P20.
A source from the PCSO-Tacloban told Leyte Samar Daily Express that the man, who was said to be on his 40s’ and married, came to the lotto outlet where he bought his ticket last Sunday to verify his winning ticket.
PCSO does not disclose lotto winners for their own security and safety. The lotto outlet where winners bought their tickets also get some financial rewards.
Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan, reached on her mobile phone, said that she hopes that the ‘very lucky man’ would spend his money wisely.
“He is a very lucky man and I hope he will spend his money wisely. This is a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity,” she said.
The town mayor added that she is willing to advise the man on what to do on his winning.
Gonzales Kwan owns a rural bank in Guiuan town.
The town mayor, however, admitted that he does not know personally that one of her town mates won the country’s biggest lottery.
According to her, she only learned about the matter through social media.
Last November one, lucky better from Ormoc City also won the 6/42 regular lotto draw with a prize of P48.7 million.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

CALBAYOG CITY-Farm-to-market roads (FMRs) constructed from the fund allotted by the Department of Agriculture paved the way for the concreting of FMR in Barangays Imelda through Bana-o to Avelino located in the municipality of Sta. Margarita, Samar with a total allocation of P50 million.
A concreted road which spans 900 meters is constructed on most part of Brgy. Imelda. The rest is an opening with a length of 1.780 kilometers. With a width of 5.3 meters, a riprap was also infused in the project to avoid collapse of structure and protect soil from erosion since the structure is located in the mountains.
Copra, rice, banana, corn and other root crops such as taro, cassava and sweet potato are products that are usually being delivered to the local markets in Calbayog City from the said barangays.
Residents and farmers alike, who are living in Brgys. Imelda, Bana-o and Avelino would have to walk for 3-4 hours on foot on a footpath to reach Brgy. Napuro and from there, they will need to ride a motor vehicle to reach the city proper for another 30 minutes.
Income is strenuous for farmers since they need to bribe someone depending on the product that they are selling aside from the fare that they pay for the motor vehicle from Napuro to the city proper.
A resident and farmer of Brgy. Bana-ao, DayDay Tolibat have these to say:“Amon la ginkakarga amon produkto pareho san saging o kopra sa amon kalugaringon na lawas tapos mano-mano la ngadto sa dalan tapos pag abot namon sa Napuro, ginsasakay na namon ngadto sa Calbayog. Tikang sa Bana-o maglalakat kami sa Napuro tapos sa Napuro karga na namon tikadto sa Calbayog na. Naglalakat kami danay upat ka oras, naabot lima, danay tulo liwat depende la san imo kalakat ngadto. Wara pa dida an tikang sa Napuro tikadto sa Calbayog. (We carry our own products in our backs like bananas or copra and trudge the footpath to Barangay Napuro, then we load it on a motor vehicle that passes the said barangay to the city proper. We walk for four hours, sometimes five or three depending on our pace, excluding the time-travel from Barangay Napuro to the city proper.)
A resident and barangay chairman of Imelda attested saying, “mahirap talaga noon na hindi pa kalsada ang aming barangay dahil sa mga produkto na lang na aming dinadala papunta sa car line dahil upland itong aming lugar, mahirap talaga. Kung mayroon kaming produktong copra na dinadala namin sa Napuro, galing dito, ang pagdala, binubuhat lang ng tao at yan ay kada sako binigbyan ng suhol ng seven pesos kada kilo o five pesos depende sa presyo ng kopra. Kaya sobrang hirap na wala pang kalsada noon”. (When the road is non-existent, it is so hard for us to deliver our goods to where motor vehicles are available because we come from an upland. If we have products to send to the market, we need to go walk on foot and load it on a make-shift basket carried at the back to Barangay Napuro and bribe them with seven or five pesos per kilo depending on the price of copra. That is why it is hard when there is no road.)
With the completion of this farm-to-market road, farmers’ income is much better since travel of their goods are directly delivered to the public markets. Travel time was reduced from 15-10 minutes to Barangay Napuro where they can get hold of vehicles to Calbayog City.
Farmers won’t have to bribe just to get their products to the local markets since public transportations can now reach their barangays because of the completed roads.
Furthermore, health issues such as problems in carrying their sick or those who are pregnant, can now be transported to the nearest hospitals immediately unlike before that that they have to carry them and travel on foot for hours.
“Pag-abot naman san mga may sakit amon la iton ginkakarga ngadto kay wara man natukad ngadi sa amon nga ma check-up. Tapos kun may mga burod, nanganganak, amon iton gnbababa liwat, lakat na liwat. Pag abot sa Napuro mao na masakay ngadto sa Calbayog.Pero yana madali na kay didi na la masakay deretso na an byahe kay may ada na man sarakyan”, said Mr Tolibat. (when it comes to those who are sick and pregnant, we carry them in our backs since no one can come here for check-ups. But now, it is easier since any vehicle can now reach our place.)
In the communities where the primary source of livelihood is farming, the concrete road is a welcome respite from the inconvenience of travelling to the Poblacion and back, and able to get their produce to the market cheaper and faster.
Farmers have better opportunities ahead of them now. Basic infrastructure paves the way for a future that holds an abundance of promise, heightened productivity and accessibility.(GISSELLE G. PARUNGAO,PIO-Designate)