SISTERHOOD AGREEMENT. The cities of Catbalogan in Samar and Xi’an of China will enter a sisterhood agreement following the signing of a letter intent to such effect. The agreement was made by the cities respective mayors: Dexter Uy(Catbalogan) and Li Mingyuan(Xi’an) Photo: Rene Castino
SISTERHOOD AGREEMENT. The cities of Catbalogan in Samar and Xi’an of China will enter a sisterhood agreement following the signing of a letter intent to such effect. The agreement was made by the cities respective mayors: Dexter Uy(Catbalogan) and Li Mingyuan(Xi’an) Photo: Rene Castino
CATBALOGAN CITY – The local chief executive of this city signed an intention of forging a sisterhood agreement with Xi’an City, China Saturday (September 7).
The Letter Intent of Friendly Exchange City was signed between Mayor Dexter Uy and Mayor Li Mingyuan and witnessed by officials from both cities at M Grand Royal, this city.
Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi province and it is one of the oldest cities in China, and part of the so-called ‘Four Great Ancient Capitals’ having held the position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history.
The city, since the 1990s, had become part of the economic revival of China especially for its central and northwest regions, emerging as an important cultural, industrial and educational center of the central-northwest region, with facilities for research and development, national security and space exploration.
Meanwhile, Catbalogan, the provincial capital of Samar province and is the main commercial, trading, educational, financial and political center of the province.
The signing between Catbalogan and Xi’an was described by Mayor Uy as ‘special’ and ‘historical’ that will “start building a bridge of friendship between two cultures and two governments.”
“This event will signal the building of a bridge for a possible transformation and development of our respective cities. A transformation from our old promising past to our developed future,” Mayor Uy said in his message during the signing.
Mayor Uy shares that he had several reservations before the signing because Catbalogan is incomparable to Xi’an, in terms of economy, infrastructure, industry, tourism, education, history and many other aspects.
“It was a valid apprehension because I was thinking then that to have a sisterhood partnership with other cities is just limited to exchanging and sharing of resources and expertise,” Mayor Uy said.
“But then I realized this is not a competition; this is rather cooperation. The city has so much to offer when it comes to natural tourism and resources, the skills of our people, our culture and education; and our experience of resiliency which will provide rich understanding on scientific approaches in addressing disaster and calamities,” he added.
Uy added that partnering with Xi’an will become a “learning opportunity, an avenue to comprehend the strategies, systems, interventions and lessons that Xi’an have experienced in their years of existence and apply the same in our locality.”
“With this, therefore, Catbalogan would become a younger sister city of Xi’an, hence, I appeal for your understanding and guidance. If our sister-city partnership will be realized, for sure our success will also be Xi’an’s success,” he said. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
PRIVATE PARTNER PARTNERSHIP. Effective this month of September, the Leyte Metropolitan Water District will now be managed by the Villar-owned Prime Water Infrastructure Corp.This was formally announced in a press conference Monday by officials of the two entities. Photo shows from left, LMWD vice chairman of the board, Bernardita ‘Bering’ Valenzuela, LMWD board of director Aldrin Quebec, LMWD general manager Pastor Homeres, Judge Dominador Isidoro of the Government Corporate Council,Engr. Roberto Muñoz,LMWD chairman of the board of directors,Atty. Carlos Villanueva and Angelo Alain Flores, legal department and business development officer of Prime Water, respectively. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
PRIVATE PARTNER PARTNERSHIP. Effective this month of September, the Leyte Metropolitan Water District will now be managed by the Villar-owned Prime Water Infrastructure Corp.This was formally announced in a press conference Monday by officials of the two entities. Photo shows from left, LMWD vice chairman of the board, Bernardita ‘Bering’ Valenzuela, LMWD board of director Aldrin Quebec, LMWD general manager Pastor Homeres, Judge Dominador Isidoro of the Government Corporate Council,Engr. Roberto Muñoz,LMWD chairman of the board of directors,Atty. Carlos Villanueva and Angelo Alain Flores, legal department and business development officer of Prime Water, respectively. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Officials allay fear of rate increase
BY: JOEY A. GABIET & ROEL T. AMAZONA
TACLOBAN CITY- After more than 40 years of operations as a full government-owned and controlled corporation, the Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD) will now be partly managed by a private company.
This after the current LMWD officials, headed by its general manager Engr. Pastor Homeres, signed an agreement with the Villar-owned Prime Water Infrastructure Corporation or Prime Water on July 2 of this year.
The agreement takes effect this month of September.
The water agency, created in 1975 which covers seven towns and this city involving more than 37,000 member-consumers, will now be known as Prime Water Leyte Metro.
In a press conference Monday (Sept.9), officials of both LMWD and Prime Water insisted that their partnership is a joint agreement and not privatization.
Homeres said that under the 25-year agreement, the LMWD will keep the ‘supervisory and regulatory’ functions while the Prime Water was assigned to do the daily operations of the facility.
“The LMWD board will monitor and (ask for an) update (on the Prime Water operations. We will keep the regulatory and control powers,” Homeres said during the press conference.
The Prime Water, meanwhile, said that for the next 25 years, the company owned by the family of former Senate president Manny Villar, will infused P6.6 billion aim to improve LMWD’s services to its member-consumers.
Angelo Alain Flores, business development officer of the Prime Water, this early, dismissed speculations that the private-public partnership will result to an immediate increase of the current rate of P148 per cubic meter.
He said that under the agreement, any rate increase will come on the third year of operations.
By then, Flores said, some improvements that they intend to do would have been accomplished like improvement of the water treatment facilities, and increase of water supply, the most common problem among consumers to include in several parts of Tacloban where the main bulk of the agency’s 37,233 consumers are located.
“We are to support LMWD.We are here to commit and work for you,” Flores said, appealing to the consumers of the agency who could have been averse on the joint venture agreement.
Homeres said that the board has agreed that they would oppose any rate increase if they deem it not commensurate to the performance of the Prime Water which handles the daily operations of the water agency.
“It is anticipated because we are partnering with a private entity because they want to recoup their investment. But the board will oppose to any proposed tariff increase. It will go into process because we are still under LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration),” the general manager said.
LWUA is a government agency which supervises and administers all water agencies in the country.
Judge Dominador Isidoro, Jr., assistant government corporate council, said that the consumers of the LMWD could be assured that the agreement would not place them at the disadvantage.
He said that his office reviewed the contract carefully and did not saw any items in the agreement that are disadvantageous to the consumers.
High cost that would entail further improvements of LMWD services was the main reason why they entered into a agreement with Prime Water, board member vice chairman Bernardita ‘Bering’ Valenzuela said.
She also said that the LMWD did not sold any properties to the Prime Water.
She even said that water agency will be making P70 million annually out of the leasing of some of their properties like its water treatment facilities.
Valenzuela also said that employees of the utility, to include the job order and casual workers would not be affected by the new management.
Those who availed of early retirement were paid handsomely, she said.
“Those who opted for early retirement were paid equivalent to one month salary per year of service,” Valenzuela said.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has already ordered Bureau of Corrections Chief Nicanor Faeldon, to step down from his post. This fate of Faeldon is in connections with his exercise of sole power to relieve big time criminals from prison and set them free on what he justifies on good conduct of inmates while in prison. A good conduct behavior in prison is not enough to grant them freedom. Those who committed heinous crimes were not allowed yet they were included in the almost 2,000 inmates freed. This was therefore an abuse of authority.
Faeldon a retired Navy officer – a PMA graduate was first appointed by President Duterte as Chief of the Bureau of Customs. Sometime during his stay at BOC a P6.4 billion worth of shabu entered the Customs bureau, untouched neither apprehended. He said he did not know about the illegal drug entry. The President immediately dismissed him from BOC and assigned to the Office of Civil Defense then to the Bureau of Corrections.
The President is being highly praised for this move against a loyal but abusive follower.
TACLOBAN CITY- The Philippine Army has vowed to work double-time to neutralize the remaining 15 armed fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) still running and hiding in the mountains of Leyte Island.
Brig. Gen. Lope Dagoy, commander of the Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade said on Wednesday their goal is to completely wipe out insurgency in Leyte before he retires in March next year.
“There are only 15 of them and it is more challenging to chase them. Now that I am in charge of two battalions, they have nowhere to go in Leyte Island,” Dagoy, a former commander of the Presidential Security Group, told reporters in an interview.
The remaining fighters have been hiding in the upland areas of the 5th district of Leyte following intensified combat operations in central Leyte and northwestern side of the island, the Army general said.
Leaders of the terrorist communist group abandoned their lairs in the third congressional district of Leyte after 1,200 of their members and mass supporters surrendered to the military April this year.
“These active 15 fighters are mostly leaders since they don’t have recruits. Communities and local governments in Leyte have been rejecting them. In fact, all mayors in Leyte, Biliran, and Southern Leyte province have expressed support to our anti-insurgency drive,” Dagoy said.
Inopacan, Leyte Mayor Azucena Mirambel, in a press conference on Monday, said they have been stepping up the implementation of livelihood programs and delivery of basic services to far-flung communities to reduce their vulnerability to NPA recruitment.
“The practical way to fight rebellion is to provide the basic needs of people, build roads, and schools,” the neophyte mayor said.
Baybay City Mayor Jose Carlos Cari, the former 5th district representative, in the same press conference, said he has been strongly lobbying for the construction of a new road connecting the remote communities of Mahaplag, Inopacan, Hindang, and Hilongos towns since these areas have been considered as vulnerable to insurgency.
“The project has already started. We need to build roads for easier delivery of services. We have to conduct regular consultations with people in the community to address their concerns,” Cari said.
It was in San Antonio village in Hilongos town where a village chief was brutally killed by NPA members two weeks ago. Building a road network in the area will drive away the remaining rebels, according to the military.
The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO/PNA)
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez led in the opening of the Tacloban North Market located in Barangay 106 which will serve as the trading post among farmers located in the northern part of the city. Joining the city mayor were Councilors Aimee Grafil, Leo Bahin, and Dalisay Erpe, city agriculture officer Alfredo Camposano, and market superintendent Joel Bugho. (CIO)
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez led in the opening of the Tacloban North Market located in Barangay 106 which will serve as the trading post among farmers located in the northern part of the city. Joining the city mayor were Councilors Aimee Grafil, Leo Bahin, and Dalisay Erpe, city agriculture officer Alfredo Camposano, and market superintendent Joel Bugho. (CIO)
TACLOBAN CITY-City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez together with Committee Chairperson on Market Councilor Dalisay Erpe led the formal opening of Tacloban North Market held at the City Hall North Extension grounds in Brgy.106 Sto. Niño on August 31, Saturday.
In his speech, Mayor Romualdez shared that the launching of the market is part of his vision for the Northern barangays. Also, he revealed that the programs and services that the city government is providing for northern part of the city are all for the convenience of the resettled communities.
Apart from the launching, the distribution of farm hand tractors to the nine farmer associations and awarding of market stalls at Supermarket for the 12 farmer associations and vendors were also highlighted.
“Taboan ha Norte Tacloban,” will serve as ‘bagsakan’ or trading center for farmers in the north and will have its “Market Day” every Saturday of the week from 4:00 to 6:00 in the morning.
Present during the opening were Councilors Aimee Grafil and Leo Bahin, City Agriculture Office Head Alfredo Camposano, OIC Market Superintendent Joel Bugho and other department heads. (CIO)
Members of Tanauan Leyte Assumption Society during the fellowship that immediately the Feast Holy Mass in honor of Our Lady of Assumption they held on August 24, 2019.
(Photo by Angelo Boks/TLAS)
Members of Tanauan Leyte Assumption Society during the fellowship that immediately the Feast Holy Mass in honor of Our Lady of Assumption they held on August 24, 2019. (Photo by Angelo Boks/TLAS)Fr. Jeremy Santos accentuated the value of life as he talked on the dogma of Mary’s Assumption into Heaven. (Photo by Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros)
BY: EILEEN NAZARENO-BALLESTEROS
VALLEJO, California-In spite of hectic day-to-day grind, devotees of Our Lady of Assumption and their family members from across Northern California and have roots from Tanauan, Leyte recently gathered to celebrate the feast of their Philippine hometown’s patron saint.
Coming together in their common ground called Tanauan Leyte Assumption Society (TLAS), the members make it a point to annually celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Assumption in August, commemorated by the Catholic Church largely worldwide on August 15.
This year, albeit a week late, the officers and members of TLAS and its spin-off humanitarian outreach group Tanauan Leyte Assumption Foundation (TLAF) carried out the tradition at the St. Basil Catholic Church, this city.
Rev. Fr. Jeremy Santos, SBCC parochial vicar under the Diocese of Sacramento, presided the Mass.
In his homily, Fr. Santos gave emphasis on the dogma of Mary, Mother of Jesus, assumed by God to heaven body and soul and on her being one with Christ Jesus and God even while in her life on Earth.
He underscored the value of life, as can be gleaned on Mary’s humanity.
Mary’s closeness to God
“While she lives on this Earth, Mary shares in the closeness of God. She is close to each one of us, she can hear our prayer. She is given to us as our Mother whom we can call every time we are in need,” he said.
He spoke as well on the importance of commemorating Our Lady’s Assumption to Heaven, which dogma in the Catholic Church teaching states that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”.
Dogma defined
The dogma was defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus, exercising his papal infallibility.
An article on Catholic News Agency, read, “According to St. John of Damascus, the Roman emperor Marcian requested the body of Mary, Mother of God at the Council of Chalcedon, in 451.
CNA added, “St. Juvenal, who was Bishop of Jerusalem told the emperor “that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven,’ the saint recorded.”
Further CNA informed, “By the 8th century, around the time of Pope Adrian, the Church began to change its terminology, renaming the feast day of the Memorial of Mary to the Assumption of Mary,” quoting theologian and EWTN senior contributor Matthew Bunson in an account to CNA.
Value of life
Fr. Santos, in his homily stressed, “In the midst of suffering in the 1950’s, Pope Pius XVI wanted to remind all humankind the value of human life in fulfilling the will of the Heavenly Father.”
“Materialism is destroying the value of body and soul. Our Lady’s Assumption into Heaven brings importance to man’s body.”
Tradition and devotion
As in each year of feast day celebration, a key sponsor headed the celebration. This year it Patricio Lauzon and Maddy Salvaña.
The celebration commenced, as done each year, with a Holy Mass followed by a banquet and partying.
Faith mixed with traditional social bonding
Elizabeth Buban-Ortiz, a native of Tanauan in Philippines’ Leyte province but has long been a US citizen, recalled how she got involved into the annual devotion and traditional get-together.
She remembered that since she arrived in US in January 1976, her mother Josefa would bring her to gathering almost every Saturday where there were partying and prayers.
Among those which she could fondly recall was the Santa Cruzan (May flower devotion) where among the participants was the TLAS.
When August came, they had the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Assumption, the patron saint of Tanauan, her mother’s hometown in the Philippines.
She said that the nine months prior to the August 15 Feast of Our Lady of Assumption there were monthly Novena prayers in her honor.
Having to drive for her mother Josefa, now deceased, she became actively involved and developed the devotion to Our Lady of Assumption.
Monthly Novena prior to feast day
In the local tradition, which they follow here in Northern California, an image of Our Lady of Assumption goes to the house of the ‘hermana’ (main sponsor of the annual fiesta) where the monthly prayer devotion is said.
Elizabeth recalled that when her family, along with few relatives, were the main sponsors, they said the novena prayer in Waray, the dialect spoken by natives of Tanauan.
Reading in the dialect was even harder than in English, according to her.
“Every time the image of Our Lady of Assumption was in the house, I feel the love, joy and happiness and feel so specially blessed,” she remarked.
Petitions granted
“Every time I asked for help my petition was always granted. Every time there were obstacles in my life, I asked the Lady in Blue and her eyes will look at me as if she is talking back to me,” she stated.
She added that the traditional gesture of getting blessings from her by her sons before going to work and upon arrival back home was all from her devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and praying hard to her.
Faith and outreach
The TLAS and TLAF members who are devotees of Our Lady of Assumption do not confine their fervor in church-related events.
The officers and members and families get involved as well in humanitarian outreach activities like donating goods to the needy in Tanauan and sending indigent but deserving students to school.
