GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO,Leyte- Anti-drug elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) RO8-SPO and Catbalogan CPS arrested a drug personality during the conduct of a buy-bust operation in Barangay Maulong, Catbalogan City on March 9, 2019 at around 10:35 am.
In a report submitted to PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino, elements of PDEA RO8-SPO under Director Edgar T. Jubay together with Catbalogan CPS identified the suspect as Efren Lim,28,single, sales agent and resident of Brgy 4 of said city, and Nancy Montilla,35, married, jobless, resident of Sto. Nino Extension, Brgy 6, Tacloban City.
Purchased and confiscated during the said operation were two pieces heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu weighing more or less 0.14 grams with an estimated market value of P1,000.
The suspect will be facing charges for violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of RA 9165 and is now temporarily detained at Catbalogan CPS Lock-up Facility.(PR)
Sales agent, woman arrested in a buy-bust operation in Catbalogan City
My Dream, Your Dream, Our Dream
By: Mr. Emmanuel R. Yunting
School Head/OIC Kananga NHS-Libertad Annex
A dream is a part of the human nature. It flows in every person’s being to desire for something pleasant in life. He or she may pursue to acquire something that his heart really longs to have- be it a college education, a degree, a happy married life, etc. It is something that pushes someone to focus and achieve his goals. It is already incorporated in every individual’s unique system of life.
THE LEARNER AS A DREAMER
Every learner has a special dream. Someone once asked one of our learners: “Why do you tend to go to school?” “I want to finish my studies and to help my family when I get a stable job.” A learner’s special dream is not for himself alone but mainly for his family. He wants to help lift them out of poverty. He wants to give back in return what his parents have done for him. He wants to prove that “poverty is not hindrance” instead, it is an encouragement to strive hard and become a successful individual in the future.
What can hinder the learner’s achievement of his dreams? Some learners struggled for lack of parental moral support. It is believed that the teenage years is the most crucial period in a person’s life. During this time, a person is more sensitive. Some learners would admit that they think their parents do not love them and they don’t care about them. They feel alone in their journey of making their dreams come true. It makes them decide to stop schooling because they think they are not appreciated. Lack of financial support from their parents is a great challenge. Going to school every day needs to be assisted with money to support their baon and other expenses such as fares. It is sometimes the reason why some learners would be forced to be in and out of school from time to time because they still need to work for themselves in order to sustain their needs in going back to school. Distance from home to school is another problem. KNHS-Libertad Annex is the most accessible High School to Bagabao, Margen, Tapol, Bertulfo, and Sto. Domingo. Most of the learners are coming from these sitios and barangays. The learners need to walk an average of 7 kilometers every day in order to reach school. Health is a problem, too. In most cases, the learners are forced to drop out from school due to some illness. It is very difficult for them to go to school regularly especially when they do not feel well about their health. Child-labor is also one that challenges the learners. The learners are hooked by the influence of getting a money from working in the farm. It makes them want to rather work and earn money than go to school. But some of these learners if not most are just forced to work because of their family situations that needs help from them to work in the rice fields especially during planting and harvesting season to raise money for family’s financial shortage to support for their daily consumptions.
A TEACHER AS A DREAMER
A teacher is also a dreamer. The learner’s dreams are like seeds. These seeds are sown in the fertile ground which is the school. The cultivators are the teachers who are also the dreamers. The teachers dream to see their learners finish their education, earn a degree and become a successful individual who can face every challenges in life without fear and hesitation.
Alarmed by the high dropout rate from last school year, the KANANGA NHS-LIBERTAD ANNEX school head together with the teachers came up with a program called TASK-SARDO (Technical Assistance and Solutions for Keeping Students Against Risks of Dropping Out). Through this, the school is able to come up with certain interventions to save the learners who are under the SARDO (Students At Risk of Dropping Out). As of this school year, the school has 6 number of learners who are considered at risk of dropping out due to the same reasons already mentioned. The following are the interventions:
a. Home Visitation-In this activity, advisers of each Grade level started by identifying the learners who are at risk of dropping out. Then, the schedule to visit the child was set. During the conduct of home visits, the teachers will be able to realize and understand the child’s situation and possible can apply interventions in order to help the learner.
b. Counselling-In this activity, the advisers help the learners to realize their potentials to achieve their dreams by enhancing their confidence and self-esteem.
c. Feeding Program-This activity is done to support the health and nutritional status of the learners so that they can concentrate in their studies and soon reach their dreams.
In addition, the government’s program is also a big help to the learners. Through the 4P’s or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, their financial needs are somehow being supported. With the allowances they receive from the government, the learners are able to buy the things they need including their food which is basic needs
Dreams are worth achieving. In the process, it can be difficult due to many hindrances. But nothing or no one can stop anyone who has a powerful desire to achieve those dreams. Just like the learners who area dreamer can achieve what they conceive about themselves. The teachers will do every possible thing to help the learners achieve their dreams in life because the learner’s dream is a teacher’s dream.
Health services highlight Women’s Month in Oras town
In Eastern Samar
BORONGAN CITY- A health service caravan was held in Oras town in celebration of the 2019 National Women’s Month.
On March 6, some 500 Orasnon women from the 42 barangays trooped to the municipal gym to take part in the different activities prepared by local government.
Mayor Viviane Alvarez, in her speech, said she prioritizes the health of her women constituents.
“Akon igin-kakabakyang an tanan nga nakakabulig hit panlawas hit aton mga nanay (I see to it that I seek those who can help make our mothers healthier),” she said.
The lady mayor also said she is constantly coordinating with government agencies concerned with the health and welfare of women.
She informed them that she is pursuing projects in agriculture, livelihood, health and social welfare to ensure the welfare of the people.
Shown in the venue were tarpaulins showing the health achievements of the villages. The barangay chairmen gave a two-minute presentation adding issues and concerns like malnutrition, refusal of mothers to immunize their kids, absence of sanitary toilets and poor access to potable water.
The mayor vowed to try to address the different health issues with her department heads.
“This is how we celebrate Women’s Day by making sure that the health needs of the women in Oras, are addressed,” the mayor told this reporter.
Barangays Tiguib, Minap-os and Alang-alang were awarded as Best Performing Barangay for Health for their initiatives to address the different health issues.
Further, women entrepreneurs displayed their products, mostly food.
In another corner of the gym, the rural health staff had consultation and immunization among children.
Municipal Nutrition Action Office- designate Liezel Balaca also had a mini-lecture on how caregivers can sustain well-nourished children through the new program ‘Idol ko si Nanay’.
Meanwhile, local women leaders from Oras and from some non-government organization were present during the affair. (NBQ/PIA 8-E. Samar)
Student arrested in a buy-bust operation; in possession of shabu valued at P1,000
GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The anti-drug elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-8) together with the Tacloban City Police-Station 1 and its special drug enforcement unit (SDEU) arrested a student during a buy-bust operation at Brgy. 62-B in Tacloban City on March 12, 2019 at around 9:15 pm.
In a report submitted to PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino, elements of PDEA RO8-TCO under Director Edgar T. Jubay together with TCPO PS1-SDEU, identified the suspect as Sam Arnold Delos Angeles, 19, single, student and resident of Brgy. 62-B.
Purchased and confiscated during the said operation were two pieces heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu weighing more or less 0.14 grams with an estimated market value of P1,000.
The suspect will be facing charges for violation of section 5 (sale of dangerous drugs) and section 11 (possession of dangerous drugs), Article II of RA 9165 and is now temporarily detained at Tacloban City Police Station lock-up facility. (PR)
DPWH in Eastern Samar conducts inspection on infra projects after series of earthquakes hit the province
BORONGAN CITY- The Department of Public Works and Highways-Eastern Samar District Engineering Office (DPWH-ESDEO) has conducted inspections on infrastructure projects after a series of earthquakes were felt in this province.
Manolo Rojas, district engineer of the ESDEO, said in an interview that he directed all project engineers to conduct post disaster damage assessment on all on-going infrastructure projects due to recent earthquakes that hit the province.
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit the town of Hernani on January 27, 2019 and another magnitude 4.8 jolt struck the same town on January 30.
The recent earthquake, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that jolted Surigao del Norte last Friday night, March 8, reported by Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) was felt at intensity 3 in Borongan City, the provincial capital.
Rojas said that DPWH’s disaster response team is automatically activated when there is calamity.
“Our maintenance crew and heavy equipment are on standby and ready for possible quick response to any eventualities,” added Rojas.
Rojas disclosed that no infrastructures were affected by the earthquakes based on the report of the project engineers.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
Gonzales fights suspension order as new Guiuan mayor assumes post
GUIUAN, Eastern Samar – The suspended mayor of this town continue to question the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman removing him from office for six months.
On Wednesday (March 13), Vice Mayor Susana Lourdes Gaylon formally assumed the mayoralty post after the regional office of the Department of Interior and Local Government formally served the notice to suspended mayor, Christopher Sheen Gonzales.
The anti-graft issued a preventive suspension order against Gonzales on February 12 for corruption related to alleged misuse of funds intended for the rehabilitation of public markets and barangay halls destroyed when the town was hit by super typhoon ‘Yolanda.’
This complaint was contested by Gonzales, who is serving on his second term as mayor of the town, calling it ‘political harassment.’
He also disputed the complaint saying it’s baseless as he insisted that the rehabilitation of these facilities were done above board.
Gonzales’ lawyer, Christopher Coles, said that there was a grave abuse of discretion committed by the anti-graft court when it handed down the suspension order as it was released during the election period.
“There was a grave abuse of discretion on the part of the Ombudsman to issue a suspension order against Mayor Gonzales because they issue the suspension order during the prohibited period,” Coles said.
“(The) suspension order is not a penalty but since they are enforcing it during election period, there is still a grave abuse of discretion because of its timing,” the lawyer added.
Gonzales, in his letter to Interior Sec.Eduardo Año on March 8, he cited that under Section 261 (x) of the Omnibus Election Code, suspension of an elective provincial, city, municipal or barangay official during the election period requires prior approval from the Commission on Elections unless the suspension will be for the purpose of applying the anti-graft and corrupt practices act.
Coles stressed that the complaint filed against his client is administrative in nature and not criminal.
Prior to the serving of the order, thousands of Gonzales’ supporters went into a vigil to show their support to him.
In his message to his supporters, Gonzales cried political harassment with the complaint instigated by his rivals.
Gonzales is running for the lone congressional district of Eastern Samar against Borongan City Mayor Ma. Fe Abunda and Vice Mayor Conrado Nicart III of San Policarpio in this year’s May 13 elections.(ROEL T. AMAZONA)