SAN ISIDRO, Leyte-Mayor Remedio Veloso of this town vehemently denied that he was involved in the killing of a former administrator that happened in 2019.

Veloso made the strong denial in a press conference he called on April 17, adding that he could not afford to kill a human being.

“I cannot do that!” the town mayor said, sitting beside his lawyers, one of them is his son, Rem Beryl Veloso.

Mayor Veloso, together with his brother Emmanuel, and others were charged for murder filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group(CIDG)last April 17 on the murder of Levi Mabini, a former municipal administrator of this town.

The incident took place before the local elections in 2019. Mabini served under former mayor Susan Ang, whom Veloso defeated.

Veloso said that the charges filed against them were nothing but ‘all lies’ as even family members of Mabini were not consulted and have shocked them.

In fact, the family has signed an affidavit stating that Mayor Veloso was not involved in the killing of Mabini, lawyer Jay Viagedor, a member of the legal team, said in the same press conference.

He also maintained that it was ‘politically motivated’ and intended to harass and tarnish their reputation.

Atty. Veloso also said that a similar complaint was filed against his father but was dismissed by the Assistant Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Calubian, also in Leyte.

They were also surprised that the case was filed four years after the incident happened with most of the witnesses were their relatives.

To prove that they are innocent, Mayor Veloso and his brother, Emmanuel are visible in their town, the lawyer added.
(ROBERT DEJON)

After conducting several online activities during the pandemic, the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) also known as the national association of newspapers and online publications in the country, in partnership with Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC) as its long-standing principal partner, will finally hold its back-to-back events in-person on April 24 and 25 at Citadines Bay City Manila. The highly anticipated annual National Press Forum now on its 27th edition themed “Midya at Pandemya: Taking Charge of Journalism Post-Pandemic”, and this season’s Civic Journalism Community Press Awards can also be watched via Facebook livestreaming on the 25th. Prior to these, the annual gathering of newspaper owners, publishers, journalists and media executives from its PPI-member publications nationwide will kick off said events on the 24th as they elect the Institute’s trustees and officers.

“We are going full blast with these annual events which PPI members have eagerly waited for. Now is the best time to check on each other and discuss issues and concerns that have greatly affected newspaper operations,” said PPI executive director Ariel Sebellino.

Also invited to attend are educators, students, members of the business community, members of the diplomatic corps, government officials, and representatives from local and international civil society organizations who are encouraged to participate in various discussions on innovations in journalism, sustainability and community engagements.

Keynote speaker is Duuya Baatar from Mongolia, McCain Global Leader for 2022. Joining her are TV5’s Ed Lingao, Rappler’s Inday Espina-Varona, WIN/WAN-IFRA’s Nini Cabaero, Daily Guardian’s Francis Allan Angelo, PhilStar.com’s Jonathan de Santos, and University of Santo Tomas’s Prof. Felipe Salvosa II.

The panel will discuss the need for journalists and newsrooms to sustain good journalism as they leverage on the power of digital platforms and AI technology that enhance their news production.

Aware of the current challenges faced by community newspapers in the Philippines such as declining readership brought about by disruptive technology and innovations, and a changing consumer landscape, PPI chairman Rolando Estabillo stresses “the need for journalists to recalibrate and step up in the conduct of their work”.

Adding frills to this year’s events are the competitions on the best regional booth and best exhibit of photos and stories about the pandemic.

Highlighting the two-day events is the Civic Journalism Community Press Awards that will honor outstanding work of the community press in both weekly and daily categories: migration issues photojournalism, environment, business and economy, editorial page, and editing.

The finalists are: Sun.Star Cebu, Sun.Star Davao, Daily Guardian and Sun.Star Pampanga for the daily category; and Baguio Chronicle, Mindanao Observer, Mabuhay, Metro Post, The Mindanao Cross, Luzonwide News Correspondent, Eastern Visayas Mail, and Lucena Herald for the weekly category.

The awards program, the only one of its kind by far, is being managed by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC).

This year’s events are also being supported in part by the International Labour Organization, Kusog Bikolandia, SM Investments, Unilab, San Miguel Corporation, SM Prime, and Citadines Bay City Manila. (PR)

With 419 young athletes participating

TACLOBAN CITY – The regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd) has allocated an amount of P1.5 million to augment the budget for this year’s Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) Meet.

The amount is on top of the P2 million allocation by the DepEd central office for the annual scholastic multi-sports competition that returns this year after three years of hiatus due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The competition is set to start on Monday (April 24) and is to end on April 27. It is co-hosted by the schools’ division offices of Leyte and Tacloban City.
A total of 419 athlete students from the 13 school division offices of the region are to participate in the largest regional sports event.

“Sports and physical education provide a great opportunity for children to head outside, get active, and focus on developing different skills. The benefits of sports in education are vast, and they aren’t just physical benefits,” DepEd Regional Director Evelyn Fetalvero said.

Along with the delegates from the 13 school divisions, local government officials from the six provinces and members of the House of Representatives from the region are expected to grace the opening program to be held at the Leyte Sports Development Center, this city.
Fetalvero also emphasized the importance of partnership and strong collaboration of stakeholders in ensuring the success of this big event.

“I laud the efforts of all the 13 schools division offices that despite the challenges in budget and other factors, they were able to prepare their athletes for the EVRAA. I truly understand all their concerns and rest assured that the regional office is doing its best to address those challenges,” she said.

Winners of the EVRAA will represent the region for the upcoming Palarong Pambansa which will be hosted by the local government unit of Marikina, Dep-Ed National Capital Region, and the Marikina City schools division office.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

The Marcos Jr. administration is lighting up more than a thousand communities nationwide, which is included in the National Electrification Administration (NEA)’s P1.89 billion budget for 2023.

NEA is an attached agency of the Department of Energy (DOE).

NEA’s budget, appropriated under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA), will fund the agency’s programs, including the Barangay/Sitio Electrification Project, Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency, and Installation of Solar Panels in Public Buildings.
“When we say we want to uplift the lives of the Filipino people, we mean all Filipinos, even those in the farthest barangays or sitios. And we cannot achieve socio-economic improvement in these areas if their communities remain unelectrified. Kaya siniguro po natin na may pondo ang mga programa na magpapa-ilaw lalo na sa mga malalayong lugar,” said Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secreatry Amenah F. Pangandaman.
Among the NEA programs, the Barangay/Sitio Electrification Project will have the biggest fund, P1.68 billion this year.

The project aims to provide electricity to some 1,140 sitios all over the country. Special Provision in the 2023 GAA says the Barangay/Sitio Electrification Project shall prioritize barangays/sitios where an absolute number of indigents and the incidence of poverty are high as identified in the latest official poverty statistics of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as well as those with the high probability of having electricity.

“This program of the Energy Department will also support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s goal to ensure that energy in the country is affordable, sustainable, secure, and sufficient, especially during calamities and emergencies,” Secretary Pangandaman added. (PR)