MATUGUINAO, Samar- Just like a beautiful butterfly coming out from its cocoon, this town is slowly shedding its image of poverty and haven of insurgency.
Matuguinao is considered to be one of the poorest towns in the province with its massive problem on poverty partly blamed to the presence of the outlawed New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
And this is what Mayor Aran Boller would like to change saying that he would like to see the more than 8,000 people of Matuguinao both secured and happy.
Boller said that while it appeared that politicians of the town in the past have courted the support of the rebels just to win during elections, he chose not to ask for their support.
“That is why, I always lost in previous elections. I never asked for the support from our friends in the other side of the fence. And just like in the past elections, I did not asked for their help during last elections,” he said.
According to Boller, his poll victory could be attributed to the desire of his people to see their town transformed into something where there is peace and progress.
“And we can only have change and development if our town is peaceful…free from insurgency,” he said.
The town mayor said that in previous years, every time Matuguinao is mentioned, what came into the minds of the public is its massive poverty and insurgency; in 2012, members and officials of groups affiliated with the communist group have even conducted their regional meeting in the town,he said.
Boller said that both problems on insurgency and poverty freely coexisted in the town for so many years, to the extent that it became a normal thing among its people.
“But our people are now tired. They want change and development,” Boller said.
Among the measures that he came up when he assumed his post June 30 of this year, is to address the insurgency of the town.
Boller made this by inviting members of the rebels who are from their town to surrender and join his government’s drive to transform Matuguinao into a peaceful place.
His campaign has resulted, so far, in the surrender of 15 regular rebel members. He provided them livelihood assistance, with some of them hired by the municipal government as job order workers.
“We have to assist them for them not to think of coming back to the mountains and join again the insurgents. We have now addressed our problem on insurgency. We have no report of ambush incidents like in the past. Our villagers now report to us if they see some rebels in their village unlike before,” the town mayor said.
And as part of his campaign to improve the lives of his people, where more than 800 families relies on government’s dole out and aid programs like the 4Ps(Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), Mayor Boller open up his town to outside world.
Reaching Matuguinao in the past could be struggle as one has to traverse through the sea using a motorboat which last to more than five hours of travel.
But thanks to the efforts of Office of Presidential Adviser on Peace Process-Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (OPAPP-Pamana), going to this town is now a breeze with the construction of a 21 kms concrete road starting from Gandara town leading all the way to the town center.
Slowly, this sixth-class town (income: more than P73 million), is attracting its share of tourists, even businessmen.
The town, as a tourist destination, offers 12 majestic caves and several water springs, for the delight of the tourists.
With the expected growth of the town, Mayor Boller said that he would construct needed facilities in the town.
This include constructing, for the very time, a public market and bus terminal.
He said that for the construction of the public market, to be located in Barangay Mabuligon, the local government has earmarked P5 million while about P4.5 million will be set aside for the construction of terminal, which is to be located in Brgy. Maduruto.
The young town mayor also said that he would implement zero waste management in their municipality by coming up with their own dump site.
Boller also said that he would also invest in improving the education quality of his people by constructing more school buildings and facilities and providing scholarships.
He is also giving priority on improving the health condition of his people, to include the nutrition problem of the town.
“We have now enough supply of medicine unlike before. For next year, we will be allocating P1 million for our health services from the current P500,000 budget,” Boller said.
Also in the pipeline are the construction of access roads to interior villages of the town to ensure that their delivery of goods will not be hampered and as way to end the insurgency, he said.
“I could now really say that the people of Matuguinao are happy and contended. I have discarded political colors in the town. I want to work regardless of political affiliations. Now, neighbors and families could now greet each other, no matter is their political color,” he said.
Mayor Boller said that all he want now is to see his beloved Matuguinao escaped from poverty and live under the atmosphere of peace.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA)
The road towards the transformation of Matuguinao town
Suspended mayor reclaims office while acting mayor says he will not give up post
In Samar
SAN SEBASTIAN, Samar- This impoverished town of more than 8,000 people has two mayors.
This after the elected mayor who was suspended earlier by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the vice mayor who was designated as the acting mayor both claim to be the rightful chief executive of this sixth-class town (income: P53 million).
Arnold Abalos, who won the mayoralty race during the May 13, 2019 elections but was suspended by the regional office of DILG by virtue of memorandum order issued by Interior Sec. Eduardo Año barring officials elected on that elections not to assume their posts on grounds that they have either pending criminal and administrative cases or were dismissed despite their poll victories, reassumed the post on Thursday (Oct.10).
Abalos, who was supposed to serve his first term in office after completing a nine-year terms which ended in 2016, was meted with dismissal order with an accessory penalty not to hold any public or elective post by the Office of Ombudsman in 2014 after he failed to remit over P7 million of the municipal employees contributions to GSIS (Government Service Insurance System).
On July 3 of this year, the DILG in Eastern Visayas issued an order for Abalos to step aside, paving the way for then vice mayor Eleuterio Mabao to become the acting mayor of the town. Both are not political allies.
But this decision of the DILG was questioned by Abalos as he filed a quo warranto petition with prayer of motion for preliminary injuction and temporary restraining order before a regional trial court in Catbalogan City, the provincial capital, on July 12, seeking for Mabao to cease and desist from assuming the post of municipal mayor.
On Monday(Oct.7), Judge Cicero Lampasa, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court-Branch 27, granted the temporary restraining order prayed for by Abalos which he used as the ground for him to reassume his post as mayor of the town.
But Mabao, in an interview, said that he would not stand aside unless there is an order by the DILG for him to do so.
“I am not clinging this post as acting mayor of San Sebastian as I will just revert to my post as vice mayor of the town which I was originally and duly elected. However, I will consult first the DILG for their opinion considering that it was the DILG who asked me to assume the post of municipal mayor in an acting capacity,” Mabao said.
Mabao said he would write to the DILG on this issue, adding that he would also consult his lawyers on what legal actions he would do.
He also questioned the jurisdiction of the regional trial court which granted the preliminary injuction as moved by Abalos considering that there was a decision made earlier by the Ombudsman dismissing his political rival.
But Abalos, in a separate interview, said that he is assuming his post due to an order ‘issued by a competent court.’
“So I am asking the elected vice mayor to (step down) and let’s talk to avoid any conflicts in our town,” he said.
Some supporters of Abalos camped themselves outside the municipal building as he assumed the post on Thursday (Oct.10).
Judy Batulan, provincial head of the DILG-Samar, said that he has not yet received a copy of the order of the court which was used by Abalos as his basis to retake the post.
“We have not received any order from any court regarding this matter. If there is a legal order (directing Abalos to reassume the post), we will follow it but pending such decision, (Mabao) is still the mayor (of San Sebastian),” Batulan said. (JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T.AMAZONA)
Mayor Romualdez says he made accomplishments
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Reporting his 100 days in office
TACLOBAN CITY- Mayor Alfred Romualdez of this city said that his 100 days in office could be described as ‘full of hopes’ for not only for his administration but more so, for the Taclobanons.
Romualdez said that he is proud to say that in his first 100 days in office, he had made several actions that have set the tone of his administration’s track under his three-year term in office.
“I’m happy as we’re able to jumpstart the different policies that I have brought in in the city government in order to have a more effective governance,” he said Friday(Oct.11) in a press conference.
“I can say that the 100 days in office is very hopeful. We’re going beyond boundaries that have been set (for local governance),” the chief executive added.
According to the city mayor, among the things that his administration accomplsihed since he assumed his post June 30 of this year include the streamlining of personnel at City Hall, to include appointing new department heads and ‘empowering’ their assistants; establishing a City Hall in the northern part of the city to cater the needs of the more the 40,000 people who were relocated by the city government after Tacloban was pummeled by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in November 8,2013;forging partnerships and agreements with different state universities and colleges which aims to help his administration come up with policies that would further address the woes of the city and its people; coming with much needed infrastructure projects like a state-of-the-art cold storage facility; and the establishment of a night market where the displaced street vendors of the city in the light of the clearing operations.
Mayor Romualdez also said that the clearing operations, as mandated by President Rodrigo Duterte through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), here in Tacloban City could be described as successful.
“In fact, even before the DILG made such a directive, we have been doing it when I was the mayor of Tacloban,” he said.
Romualdez served as mayor of the city for nine years which ended on 2016. He was temporarily replaced by his wife, Cristina, as mayor from 2016 until June of this year.
The city mayor said that while he does not like to be ‘pressured’, he assured the Taclobanons to expect more projects for the next two years of his administration.
For one, he said, at least 11 vehicles will be plying more towards the resettlement sites to ensure the convenience of the people living there.
Mayor Romualdez also said that he would ask businessmen and investors to put up their businesses in the northern portion of the city to help the people find opportunities.
The chief executive described the northern portion of Tacloban as a site for ‘growth and development.’
Mayor Romualdez also said that he would further improve the city’s public market by making its fish and meat sections air conditioned as a way to make the buyers comfortable.
Mayor Romualdez, however, said that whatever policies and programs he would like to introduce in the city would not succeed without the cooperation and discipline among Taclobanons.
“Just have a little discipline…discipline not out of fear but discipline because they love their city and want to make it a beautiful and better place to live in,” he said.
And as part of this call, Romualdez said that he would revive his campaign of ‘I Love Tacloban’ which he used as a slogan during his previous years as mayor of the city.
DPWH prompts contractors to speed up infra projects
CARIGARA, Leyte- District Engineer Gerald Pacanan of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Leyte Second District Engineering Office has asked the contractors to expedite project implementation to keep up with the monthly target accomplishments of the office.
“As we begin the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, let us all work together to reach our target accomplishments and complete project implementation for 2019,” said Pacanan.
The meeting aimed to tackle issues, concerns and updates on the commitments signed by the contractors.
“Beginning the last quarter, we already need to bid projects for 2020 implementation, so contractors must be compliant with their commitments to continue their partnership with us,” added Pacanan.
For this fiscal year, Leyte 2 is tasked to implement 87 projects worth P1.57 billion covering road and bridge improvement projects and construction of other government facilities of which 32 are already completed, 52 are ongoing, and 3 Not Yet Started (NYS). (PR)
Tacloban city gov’t conducts anti-dengue activities in the barangays
TACLOBAN CITY-To continually bring down the cases of dengue in the city, the local government of Tacloban has scheduled larval survey, fogging and search and destroy activities in five densely-populated barangays from October 1 to 10, 2019.
City Health Office (CHO) personnel first conducted a larval survey and fogging activities in Brgy. 60 Sagkahan on October 4 and 5, while fogging was conducted in Brgy. 76 Fatima on October 4.
Larval survey or mosquito surveillance is done to identify mosquito-breeding sites while fogging uses pesticides to kill mosquitoes in communities with monitored cases of dengue.
Meantime, search and destroy activities was conducted in Barangays 93 Bagacay (October 2-6), 68 Anibong (October 3-7), 67 Anibong (October 4-8), 76 Fatima (October 5 -9), and 60 Sagkahan (October 6-10).
During a community outreach program in the northern barangays, Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez announced the drop of dengue cases in the city.
He was however quick to remind the residents not to be complacent and do what’s necessary to combat dengue; like covering water containers and keeping surroundings clean.
As of this writing, no new dengue cases or deaths were reported by the CHO.
Dengue rapid test and other health interventions for dengue patients, meanwhile remain available in the seven district health centers of the local government.
(HENRY JAMES ROCA/CIO)