TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla encouraged officials of the province to maintain their drug-cleared status as declared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Gov.Petilla was referring to the city of Baybay abd 24 towns in the province earlier declared by PDEA as drug-cleared.
Petilla said that maintaining the status could prove to be a big challenge to these local government units.
Based on the records of the regional PDEA office, the drug-free cleared city and towns in Leyte are Baybay City, Mahaplag, San Isidro, Matag-ob, Tunga, Tabango, Capoocan, Jaro, Sta. Fe, Matalom, Hindang, Babatngon, Villaba, Inopacan, Hilongos, Javier, Barugo, San Miguel, Mayorga, Tolosa, Pastrana, Alang-alang, La Paz, Palompon and Carigara.
Tacloban City, a highly-urbanized city which is not part of the administrative control of the provincial government, has also been declared as a drug-cleared city by PDEA.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
Gov. Petilla issues challenge to LGUs declared as drug-cleared by PDEA: maintain the status
Uy-Tan says her stepping down not a sign of guilt
The suspended Catbalogan mayor maintains innocence
TACLOBAN CITY- Suspended Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan expressed her gratitude to her supporters for their continued ‘support and love’ for her.
Uy-Tan, in a message she posted on her Facebook account Monday (Jan.7), also stressed that her decision to accept the suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman should not be construed that she is guilty of the allegation imputed to her.
She said that it’s her way of showing her respect to the order of the anti-graft body as she maintains her innocence.
“I have temporarily left my position as mayor to show respect to the decision of the Ombudsman as it conducts its investigation. I am convinced that they will find out what’s the truth and right,” Uy-Tan said.
“I know that all the allegations hurled against me and other city officials were not true,” she added.
Also suspended were Vice Mayor Art Sherwin Gabon and Councilors Coefredo Uy, father of the suspended mayor; Jeffrey Uy; Maximo Pascual; Edward Uy; Christine Joy Escobar; Beethoven Bermejo; and Nanette Jasmin.
Included suspended were city accountant Peachy Daguman; city treasurer Elizabeth Lim; city budget officer Ma. Theresa Lim; and city assessor Romero Tuazon.
All were involved in the alleged irregular land deal and lease of the city’s public market.
Last Jan.3, Councilors Archie Fuentes and Kendall Luke Perez formally assumed as acting mayor and vice mayor of Catbalogan, respectively.
In her post, Uy-Tan explained that the preventive suspension order slapped against her by the Ombudsman is just part of the investigation process and not a verdict of her guilt.
“It’s part of the process. In six months, we will return to our (respective posts), she said.
The suspended mayor, who is running for councilor in this year’s elections, hit those who claimed that they have obtained ‘justice’ with their suspension.
She, however, said that she remains unfazed despite her being suspended as she expressed her gratitude to her supporters for their continued support on her.
“I will never abandon you. My love and care for you and our beloved city will continue,” she said. (JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Residents blame illegal logging as reason why their village was hit by a deadly flooding
CALBAYOG CITY- A week after the devastation caused by of tropical depression “Usman” this city, affected residents are starting to rebuild what they had lost during the disaster.
Letecia Garalza, a teacher in Barangay Cag-anahaw, a remote village in the city, blames the rampant illegal logging in their village as the cause of the floods that they have experienced.
“Illegal logging in Cag-anahaw is rampant, I don’t know what the government is doing about that,” Garalza said in an interview.
She further added that there were people coming from government offices who visit their village and just took photos of the logs that were illegally cut.
“Employees from certain government agency came to Cag-anahaw and took photos on the logs that were illegally cut but we don’t know what happened after that as illegal activity still continues,” Garalza added.
Cag-anahaw can be reached through a 3-hour walk from Tarabucan, a village which is almost an hour travel from the city proper.
Garalza shared that they did not expect that the flood spawned by Usman would reach up to the ceiling of their houses.
“This is the first time that it happened in our village. We really did not expect this,” she added.
Garalza said that a landslide occurred during the heavy downpour that resulted to flashfloods.
At least 87 houses of almost one hundred houses in the village were washed out by the flood.
“We just built temporary houses as our shield at this time. We cannot even hold classes as our classrooms were being used by the evacuees,” Garalza said.
As of now, relief operations coming from the city government and even from private donors already reached the village.
Still, the residents of the village are still appealing for more help.
“We are asking for help to rebuild our houses. What we need right now are materials for the construction of our houses,” Garalza said.
For Garalza, the past year was something that she could not forget but she remains hopeful that the New Year will bring some good things to their village.
“We welcomed 2019 crying for what happened to us but we are positive for the good things to come this year,” Garalza said.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) reported that at least five persons from the village died while the one fatality is from Brgy. Cabatuan.
Three are still missing, all are residents of Cag-anahaw. (JENNIFER D.SUMAGANG-ALLEGADO)
New Year’s Eve celebration in EV ‘very peaceful,’ says police
TACLOBAN CITY-Police authorities here in the region declared the New Year’s Eve celebration as ‘very peaceful.’
In his report, Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, police regional director, said that there was no stray bullet incident and injuries due to firecracker blasting were comparatively lower than last year.
“Overall, the festivity was a complete success with the help of other concerned agencies…and the all-out support of the public,” Carlos said in a statement.
“Our enhanced security before and after Yuletide season have attributed a lot in the peaceful and orderly celebration of the New Year’s Eve,” the police regional director added.
For his part, Senior Inspector Ian Po, information officer of the Tacloban City Police Office (TCPO), said that they have not received or monitored any untoward incident across the city during the New Year’s celebration.
He said that there was no report of incident involving firecracker incident, much more, firing of gun as Tacloban joined the world in welcoming the New Year.
“We have a generally peaceful New Year’s celebration. To me, it’s really a benchmark as compared to previous celebrations,” Po said.
He said that hours before the New Year’s celebration, policemen roamed around the city informing the residents not to use firecrackers during the revelries.
“So we are thankful for the cooperation of our people why we have achieved a very peaceful New Year’s celebration,” he said.
At the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), based this city, no firecracker-related injury was reported on New Year’s Eve.
However, hours before the New Year’s celebration, about two patients were treated due to minor firecracker injuries.
The regional office of the Department of Health reported that 39 cases due to firecracker injuries were reported- 17 in Leyte; 13 in Eastern Samar; 4 each in Samar and Northern Samar; 1 in Southern Leyte; zero in Biliran province or a total of 28 cases, 11 percent lower compared to last year’s New Year celebration.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T.AMAZONA)
BFAR: Whale washed ashore due to ‘Usman’ dies
TACLOBAN CITY- A melon-headed whale (Peponecephala electra) died two days after it was washed ashore at the Cancabato Bay, this city.
The regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), in a statement posted on its Facebook account, said that the whale was sighted near Alimasag Fisherman area in Cancabato Bay on Dec.28 after it was washed ashore due to the rough sea condition spawned by tropical depression ‘Usman.’
The 2.5-meter-long adult marine mammal was brought to the Fishery Law Enforcement Team (FLET) of the Tacloban city government the following day (Dec.29) and was reported to BFAR Fisheries Protection and Law Enforcement Group (FPLEG).
The whale was discovered to be emaciated, has superficial skin scratches and cookie-cutter shark bites.
Still, the whale was brought back and released to the Cancabato Bay at 10 am on that day (Dec.29) as its respiration appeared to be normal and the weather has improved.
However, it re-stranded at around 11:30 a.m. near the shoreline of Leyte Park Hotel and at the old Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center, both here in the city.
The FPLEG team then responded and brought it to BFAR Coastal Resource Management Center in Barangay Diit, also this city, for temporary care.
However, the shark refused to eat and at around 10:30 pm, it was observed that the shark was having a rapid breathing until it died at around 12:30 am on December 30, 2018, BFAR reported.
The whale’s carcass was buried at the dumping site of the city in Barangay Santo Niño in the afternoon of that day.
Based on the necropsy report, starvation and parasitism were the possible cause of death of the melon-headed whale.
The IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature), an international organization that works for nature’s conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, the melon-headed whale is not included on its list of threatened or endangered species.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)