ALLEN, Northern Samar- A new ferry terminal operator has opened in this town which is expected to further boost the municipality’s reputation as the regional gateway to Luzon.
On November 30, the ferry terminal company, Archipelago Ferries Corp., officially started its Allen-Matnog, Sorsogon service.
Mayor Laureana Suan of this town has lauded the operation of a ferry service by the Archipelago Ferries Corp.
The ferry company will be operating at the Dapdap Port, this town.
The company formally opened its operation on November 30 with its chief executive officer Christopher Pastrana leading the event.
In his message, Christopher Pastrana, chief executive officer of the Archipelago Ferries Corp., thanked Mayor Suan for the support she extended to their company, particularly for the easy facilitation of the needed permits.
Pastrana also told the crowd of their ferry service operating in Salvacion, San Isidro Port that an additional 10 vessels will be available servicing the routes to Cebu, Masbate and nearby provinces and cities in the Visayas area.
He also assured Mayor Suan of their commitment to provide scholarship to needy students and their employment to their company.
Mayor Suan said that the coming in of the Archipelago Ferries Corp. of the town, now the third ferry service company to operate in Allen, has bolstered the town’s reputation as the regional gateway going to Luzon.
The town mayor said that the operation of the Archipelago Ferries Corp. will not only provide additional revenue to the municipal government but generate employment to the local people.
The vessel that will be used by the company is fully-air-conditioned with LCD television sets and individual life vests.
It can accommodate 320 passengers including persons with disabilities, 34 cars and 7 trucks or buses and is powered by four-internationally-classed and ABS-certified Yanmar engines.
Coinciding the opening was the blessing and holding of a medical mission as one of their corporate social responsibilities which benefited hundreds of needy individuals who availed of free medicines and check-up.
Also present also during the event were Sangguniang Bayan members and village officials of Dapdap, personnel from the local police and Coast Guard, and parish priest, Fr. Potenciano Dulay, among others.
(PETER D. PAREDES)
New ferry service company starts operation at Allen Port
One-year old boy decapitated in a freak accident in N. Samar
CATARMAN, Northern Samar- A scarf intended to protect a one-year old boy from the scorching sun became the source of his untimely death.
The freak accident involving ‘Prince’ took place in Barangay Rawis, Laoang town at about 1:40 pm on Sunday (December 2).
Based on police report, the boy was seated in between her mother, Lorna Stephanie Nueva, 25, and his grandmother, Rosita Tejano, 46, who was driving the motorcycle they were on board.
The passengers were on their way home to Barangay Sumoroy, Palapag town, after seeking a medical checkup for the boy who was ill at that time in Catarman.
The mother placed a scarf on the head of the child to cover him from the scorching heat of the sun.
But while they were cruising along Brgy. Rawis,45 kilometers away from this town, the draping part of the scarf got entangled at the rear wheel of the motorcycle which tightened on the child’s neck.
This resulted for the child’s head to be decapitated.
Witnesses said the incident happened too fast that the mother was not able to save her child.
The baby’s cadaver was brought to the Rural Health Unit in Laoang for post mortem examination.
PO2 Elizar Diu, case investigator of the Laoang municipal police station, the mother and grandmother of the child were in a state of shock and could not completely explain the incident.
In 2016, Lorna’s eight-year old daughter died after she was drowned in a river at their village.
(RACHEL V. ARNAIZ)
I am a VAW survivor; I am healed
CATBALOGAN CITY-Oftentimes we fear what we do not know and what is yet to come. Fear consumes us that in the end, we are left with poor choices.
For Remy, it was also fear that forced her to stay in an abusive relationship. She was afraid that she might not be able to raise her children alone.
She feared that her children might blame her for having a broken family. She was afraid to live a life without her husband.
“I never expected that there will come a time that I will be a battered wife,” she said.
“For how many years I have been patient and forgiving for the benefit of my children. I’ve hidden all the signs of emotional and psychological abuse by smiling and pretending to be happy,” Remy added.
She knew that it was wrong but she never had the courage to fight.
Then came the physical abuse. “I cannot do the same for physical abuse. I cannot hide the bruises in my body.”
It was until she had a realization that she does not need to be in a life-threatening situation to stop domestic violence. She recalled the instance she knew that something has to be done.
“I realized that it is wrong. It is wrong that you will allow yourself to be abused. We deserve to be respected and we deserve to live freely, happily and safely. What will become of my children, they too draw strength from me.”
“I did not wait for the time that my life is on 50-50 before I take action. Life is short there is no bonus life, no extension, no unlimited life. When you die, there’s no way for you to actually live life. It’s a waste when I can still be productive and touch other lives,” she recounted.
She sought the help of City Social Welfare and Development Office and other organizations. Eventually, she had psychotherapy.
“I am thankful that there are people and institutions that influenced me and made me realized that it is not right to be always forgiving. Forgiving is good but not to the point that you are being abused,”she shared.
Remy is a master teacher at an elementary school in Catbalogan City. She was married to her husband for 24 years and for the most part of the first 15 years, she endured the physical, emotional and psychological abuse. Now she is legally separated for nine years and has been living a VAW (violence against women) -free life.
“I am very thankful that I have already moved on. I declare that I am a VAW survivor. I am healed,” she said.
During the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women, Remy shared her experience and encouraged other women not to tolerate abuse.
Finally, she said, “I am very thankful that I have already moved on. I declare that I am a VAW survivor, I am healed.”
(NBQ/GMT/PIA8-Samar)
Espenido’s return to E. Visayas aborted
Pres. Duterte ordered for his return to Ozamiz City
TACLOBAN CITY- Controversial police officer Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido’s return to the region was aborted after his reassignment was recalled by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte.
This was confirmed by Espenido who said that as a good soldier, he would follow the directive of the President and return to Ozamiz City.
“There is an order for me to return. So, I will follow the order. You know me, I just follow the order (from higher ups),” Espenido, in a phone interview, said.
Espenido was earlier reported to return to Eastern Visayas, two years after he was relieved as chief of police in Albuera, Leyte, considered the bastion of alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.
In his stint as chief of police of Albuera from July 18, 2016 until December 8 of the same year, Espenido conducted a crackdown on the group of Espinosa which led to the arrest of his father, Rolando Espinosa, the then mayor of the town.
The elder Espinosa was later jailed at the Leyte subprovincial jail in Baybay City but was killed on November 5,2016 reportedly in a shootout with members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
According to Espenido, he has been at the Samar Police Provincial headquarters since Tuesday in preparation of his supposed assignment in Calbayog City.
Calbayog City, which is in Samar, was among the areas declared by Pres.Duterte where ‘lawless violence’ reportedly exists reason why he asked for more soldiers and policemen to be deployed there.
But with the order from his Commander-in-Chief, Espenido said that he would return to Ozamiz City on Monday to report, first at the regional Philippine National Headquarter in Cagayan de Oro, before he formally reassume the post.
Asked on the order of the President to ‘wipe off’ those who are engaged in the illegal drugs, particularly the Parojinogs, Espenido said that he has already done it.
“They have been neutralized only that there still remain their hit men who continue (of their illegal drug activities),” he said.
When he was the chief of police of Ozamiz City, Espenido also conducted an anti-drug operations in which during their July 30, 2017 operation, led to the death of Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, among others.
By: Joey A. Gabieta
Palay worth over P44M destroyed due to ‘Samuel’
Covering 3 provinces
TACLOBAN CITY- More than P44 millions of palay were destroyed due to the onslaught of tropical depression ‘Samuel’ that hit the region last week.
Based on the consolidated report of the regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA), based this city, out of its six provinces, three of them reported palay damages due to Samuel.
These are the provinces of Biliran, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar with damage to their palay production placed at P44.17 million affecting 4,059 farmers with 7,263.15 hectares submerged due to flooding spawned by Samuel.
Of the three provinces, Northern Samar reported the huge damage with P31.81 million involving 1,673 farmers.
About 4,383.77 hectares of palay field went underwater in the province due to Samuel.
The towns of Catubig, Laoang, and Las Navas were the municipalities in Northern Samar that sustained damaged to their palay outputs.
Biliran reported that P4.02 million worth of its palay planted on 275.63 hectares were submerged due to the flooding.
About 285 farmers from the provincial capital Naval were affected.
Eastern Samar, meanwhile, reported of P8.33 million worth of damage to its palay displacing 2,101 farmers and involving 2,603.75 hectares.
Nine of its towns, namely, Arteche, Can-avid, Dolores, Maslog, Oras, San Julian, San Policarpo, Sulat, and Jipapad sustained damages to their agriculture.
On Nov.26, Agriculture Sec. Manny Piñol personally visited the town of Jipapad which was rendered isolated after it was hit by a landslide incident at its access road going to the rest of the province of Eastern Samar.
During his visit, Piñol provided assistance to its 1,746 farmers by giving P5,000 cash; 641 bags of rice seeds and 1,285 bags of fertilizers; two units of irrigation pumps and two units of farm tractors.
About P22.11 million other agricultural crops like vegetables, root crops, and bananas were also damaged due to Samuel. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
