HILONGOS, Leyte- The oversight committee on transportation at the lower house of Congress met here on March 5 to revisit an alternate shipping route across the archipelago using the roll-on, roll-off (RORO) system.
Led by House Speaker and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the gathering was attended by representatives of regulatory government agencies and top players of sea transportation in the private sector, especially in the Visayas and Mindanao corridors.
Focus of intense discussion was the cost of handling goods while in transit along the lanes of the nautical highways from Davao to Manila and vice-versa, including other charges, mostly land-based, along the way.
Speaker Arroyo was joined by Rep. Manuel Zubiri of the third district of Bukidnon, Rep. Bayani Fernando of Marikina, Leyte Rep.Yedda Romualdez, the local officials of Hilongos led by Mayor Albert Villahermosa, and Southern Leyte lone district representative Roger Mercado.
Earlier, while waiting for the arrival of the House leader at the Maasin Airport in Barangay Panan-awan, Rep. Mercado shared the context of the meeting, saying the nautical highways system through RORO ports would be the main topic.
It can be recalled that during her term as president, Arroyo pushed for a function nautical highway as another channel for transporting goods and vehicles anywhere to and from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Under this concept, the western nautical highway connects the ports of Batangas to Calapan then on to Roxas, Oriental Mindoro; to Caticlan, to Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Dumaguete City, and up to Dapitan in Mindanao.
The central nautical highway jumps off from Camarines Sur to Burias Island, to Masbate, then on to Daan Bantayan and Bogo, Cebu; then Cebu City to Tubigon, Bohol; Jagna, Bohol to Camiguin, and on to Balingoan, Misamis Oriental in Mindanao.
The eastern seaboard departs from Pilar or Bulan, Sorsogon to Masbate; Cawayan, Masbate to Naval, Biliran, or Maripipi, Biliran to Naval, Biliran; land travel to San Ricardo, Southern Leyte, then off to Lipata, Surigao, in Mindanao.
At the oversight hearing, the consensus was that for now the cost for travelling perishable agricultural goods and trucking services along these routes, plus freight, stevedoring, and terminal fees, was high, details of which are to be taken up further by the technical working group to find ways and means at lowering these charges.
But a silver lining was the opening of at least seven (7) RORO missionary routes at different lateral points not indicated in the nautical highway, among them the Ubay, Bohol to Guadalupe, Maasin Port, which debuts its maiden voyage on March 8.(LDL/MMP/PIA-8, Southern Leyte)
Congressional panel reviews feasibility of nautical highways system
Court convicts mother to 15 years for selling her 10-year child through online sex predators
In Samar
TACLOBAN CITY- The regional trial court in Calbayog City sentenced a 33-year-old mother to 15 years imprisonment after offering to stream live the abuse of her young daughter on March 8.
The mother, who was arrested last year, was sentenced to an additional one month in prison after she pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
As part of a plea bargain, she was sentenced after confessing to the crime of attempted trafficking in persons before Judge Reynaldo Clemens, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court-Branch 31.
After pleading guilty to her crimes, the accused faced her victims in a reconciliatory meeting facilitated by a social worker and a local church pastor.
“I was hurt when you took pictures of me naked. I felt guilty because I got separated from you for what happened,” the 10-year old girl told her mother, in the local dialect.
She then shared to her mother a verse from the Bible about God forgiving those who ask for forgiveness from people they have wronged.
“Forgive me for what I’ve done to you,” she said to her daughter and niece, also in the local dialect.
“I am ashamed of it. I hope you can forgive me, and we can be together again,” said the mother as acknowledged the crime and expressed remorse.
Aside from the prison terms, the trafficker was also ordered to pay combined fines totaling P775,000.
She was originally charged with qualified trafficking in persons which bears the penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of not less than P2 million but not more than P5 million if the accused is convicted after a full-blown trial that can last several years, said the International Justice Mission (IJM).
“This conviction through plea bargaining affirms that in holding Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) perpetrators accountable, child protection should always be prioritized,” IJM said in a statement.
Members of PNP’s Women and Children Protection Center –Visayas Field Unit (WCPC-VFU) arrested the trafficker during an entrapment operation on July 28, 2018 at her residence in Sta. Margarita.
She had offered to stream live sexually explicit acts involving her 10-year-old daughter in exchange for money from an online predator.
Police and social workers from the Samar Provincial Social Welfare and Development
Office rescued the girl and the trafficker’s 13-year-old niece and 8-year-old nephew.
Atty. John Tanagho, IJM Cebu Field Office Director said that government, through Prosecutor Jennylyn Sumagang-Durmiendo, obtained swift justice for the victims.
“(The State) also protected the children from the rigors of having to testify in court against their own mother and aunt,” added Tanagho in a statement.
Sta. Margarita Mayor Gemma Zosa also welcomed the conviction, saying “child trafficking is a crime that exploits girls and boys for numerous purposes including forced labor and sex.”
“As the local chief executive of the municipality of Sta. Margarita, it is our aim to protect children from being abused, and to rehabilitate survivors, and help them in rebuilding their lives,” she said, expressing her gratitude to authorities and non-government organizations that help rescued the child.
Regional Prosecutor Irwin Maraya, head of the Regional Anti-Trafficking Task Force – 8, said the plea-bargained conviction “is a product of the joint effort of government and private stakeholders.”
“This ‘one team’ approach is key to combating these depredations on the young and innocent,” he added.
WCPC-VFU Chief Romeo Perigo hailed the successful plea bargaining.
“Today’s conviction is a win for the government in its campaign against OSEC. The reduced [prison] sentence gives [the perpetrator] an opportunity for reforms – to reintegrate to the community after serving her sentence and take care of her family once she’s released from prison.”
Based on IJM-supported cases, 57 persons have been convicted in the Philippines for perpetrating OSEC since 2011.
The organization has supported Philippine law enforcement agencies in the arrest of 193 OSEC perpetrators and the rescue of 454 victims and children at-risk across the country.
(ROLAND O. REYES)
NHCP suspends plan of a school to demolish a centuries-old structure
In Maasin City
TACLOBAN CITY-The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has issued a cease and desist order, suspending all activities affecting the 243-year-old watchtower within the campus of a private Catholic school in Maasin City.
“It has come to our attention that the proposed construction of buildings within the compound of Saint Joseph College will affect a Spanish-period watchtower,” said Dr. Rene Escalante, the NHCP chairman.
The letter, dated on February 27, was addressed to Bishop Precioso Cantillas of the Diocese of Maasin.
Escalante explained that since the watchtower is over 50 years old, it is considered to be an ‘important cultural property’ which is protected under Republic Act 10066 otherwise known as the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.
The watchtower was built in 1776 by the Augustinian priests.
NHCP also requested from the diocese development plans and site map, with respect to the said watchtower.
It also informed Bishop Cantillas on their next move after they received their requested documents.
The NHCP also furnished the same letter to Maasin City Mayor Nacional Mercado.
Mercado, who furnished Leyte Samar Daily Express a copy of the letter, said he is happy about NHCP’s action.
“Many Maasinhons are also opposing moves to demolish the said structure or plans to demolish to make way for a commercial building,” said the mayor.
Earlier, Mercado disclosed they received the diocese’s letter dated October 22, 2018, requesting permission to remove the structure to give way for the construction of the additional building to accommodate the school’s “growing population.”
While he is not in the authority to approve the plan, Mercado advised the diocese to write to NHCP.
He also asked his constituents to allow NHCP decide on the matter as it’s not within their jurisdiction.
Residents of this city have expressed their strong resentment on this plan of the management of Saint Joseph College calling for the preservation of the structure instead of demolishing it.
The school management want to build a school building where the structure is located.
“I hope that the diocese won’t pursue this. I hope they won’t request further. But rather, save it, take good care of it, and use it to teach this generation more about Maasin, its history and culture,” said Amelia Fe Mancera, a cultural worker from the city.
“My suggestion for the last watchtower in Maasin City is to make it a memorabilia building in the significance of its historical heritage,” posted Armando Gaviola on Facebook.
On February 13, a concerned citizen Adel Macaldo also wrote to the NHCP, asking the commission “to have an exhaustive investigation on the alleged demolition” of the tower.
(RONALD O. REYES)
PNP in heightened alert after Samar ambush
Incident killed 1 cop, wounded other and a civilian
TACLOBAN CITY- The entire police force in the region is now in heightened alert after members of the rebel group, the New People’s Army(NPA), staged an ambush in Motiong, Samar Monday (March 11).
And hours after the ambush incident that killed a police officer took place, the NPA admitted that they were behind this latest incident targeting government law enforcers.
Speaking through his spokesperson Supt. Ma. Bella Rentuaya, police regional director Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos said that he strongly condemns this atrocity committed by the rebels against the policemen.
“We condemn such act of violence,” Carlos said, as he asked the public to be on the lookout for any ‘unusual movements’ on their areas that could be involving members of the rebel group.
The ambush incident in Barangay 1A which is located along Maharlika Highway, Motiong resulted to the death of PO3 Glenn Meniano and injured PO1 Jane Abejar and a civilian, Silvestre Igdalino.
The police officers were on board of their vehicle when they were ambushed by the rebels at about 7:15 am with series of gun shots and loud explosions heard.
They were returning to their police station after getting water from the nearby police station in Paranas.
Motiong has been identified where insurgency remains to be relatively active.
PO1 Abejar, who was hit at her right thigh, was able to report the incident to her superior, Inspector Alfredo Aquitana, Jr.
She was then brought to the nearest hospital for medical attention.
Carlos proceeded to Motiong to personally look into the incident. He also promised to provide assistance to the family of PO3 Meniano.
And in statement, Roy Santos, information officer of the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas, admitted that it was the members of Efren Martires Command who were behind of the attack who used command-detonated explosive.
BY: JOEY A. GABIETA with Lizbeth Ann A. Abella
DPWH So. Leyte new office building nears completion
MAASIN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Southern Leyte is eyeing to complete the construction and improvement of its new office building before the end of March.
DPWH Southern Leyte chief Ma. Margarita Junia said they are expediting works on the new district engineering office building and aims to transfer early of May this year.
“Our first plan was to transfer to our new office last year but since there were still some major improvement that needs to be done, I decided to reschedule our target. I wanted to complete the construction of our new office building first before opening it to the public,” Junia said.
The district office will be slowly transferring files and furniture to the new building starting April.
The two-storey building with floor area of 525 square meters is within 10,000 square meter Area Equipment Service compound in Ibarra village, this city.
The construction of the two-storey building is in compliance to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 and Department Order No. 81 issued on October 29, 2012, prescribing the location of offices, office space requirements, exterior design features and color scheme.
A total of P72 million budget was spent for the construction of the new office building, including improvement of area complex and the existing structures that are in need of repairs and beautification.
“As of now, there is an ongoing construction of covered path walk and wash rack as well as rehabilitation of the quality assurance building, motor pool, quarters, perimeter fence and electrical facilities,” Junia said.
She added the beautification and landscaping of the entire compound also continues.
The existing crowded office building of the DPWH-Southern Leyte District engineering office near the provincial capitol in Barangay Asuncion will not be demolished to maintain the DPWH’s presence near the provincial seat.
Junia pushed for the relocation of their office to increase the working area and ensure the safety of the workers since the province is vulnerable to ground shaking.
Based on the evaluation made by Bureau of Design, the existing district engineering office was found out to have a very low comprehensive strength and the core test results showed that the said building did not meet the minimum requirement for earthquake resistant structures. (PR)