Balangiga bells to arrive Saturday
After 117 years of waiting
BALANGIGA, Eastern Samar- This town is in a frenzy as finally the bells taken away from their Church’s fry will be repatriated back to them.
Workers are sprucing the town’s plaza where a program for the turnover of the iconic Balangiga Bells is scheduled on Saturday (December 15).
The construction of the concrete stands where these three weighty bells are to be temporarily placed inside a small garden of the St. Lawrence The Martyr Parish are now finished.
To say that the town people are excited for the return of the bells-117 after these were forcibly removed by the American soldiers- is an understatement.
For Constancia Calesterio,62, the coming of the bells is like a realization on the stories surrounding on the removal of the artifacts as told by her late father when she was a child.
“He narrated the story why the bells were taken from our church belfry before we go to sleep at night. Now that these bells are to be returned to us, we are really, really excited. No words actually could describe how we feel right now,” Calesterio, who help write the script during the reenactment of the incident every September 28, said.
Calesterio’s father, Felipe (who died in 2013) was the son of Tomasa Abanador Campanero, niece of Captain Valeriano Abanador who led the attack to an American detachment on September 28,1901.
She also said that based on the accounts of her father, the sound of the bells was so strong that these could be heard all over Balangiga and neighboring towns.
The bells were used to signal their attack which resulted to the death of 54 American soldiers and 18 others were wounded.
An outraged American Gen. Jacob Smith deployed 180 soldiers on Sept. 29, 1901 and ordered them to turn the town into a “howling wilderness” where every Filipino male, at least 11 years old and capable of carrying firearms, was killed while communities were burned down.
The three bells are scheduled to be repatriated to the Philippines Tuesday (December 11) after 117 years displayed at FE Warren Air Base in Wyoming, USA.
Then, the artifacts are to be returned to this town on Saturday (Dec. 15), the start of the ‘Misa de Gallo’ ushering the nine-day countdown before Christmas Day on Dec.25.
Fittingly, the people of Balangiga calls the return of the three bells-one is in South Korea- as their ‘greatest Christmas gift’ ever.
Fe ‘Joy’ Campanero, town’s information and tourism officer, said that they have already laid a program which will start in the morning on Dec. 15.
She said that there will be some merry-making activities like street parade and showcase of local talents.
These activities will be done to ‘set the festive mood’ on the return of the bells, Campanero said.
And in the afternoon, President Rodrigo Duterte, to be joined by Defense Sec.Delfin Lorenzana and Foreign Affairs Sec.Teodoro Locsin Jr., will turn over the bells to the St. Lawrence The Martyr Parish to be accepted by its parish priest, Serafin Tybaco, Jr. in a simple ceremony.
Flowers will be drop from helicopters and the bells, after over a century, will be ringed simultaneously together with the current bells at the Church’s belfry.
The singing of the National Anthem will be done by a chorale group to be brought by the Department of National Defense.
Fr. Tybaco said that turnover will be followed by a Mass to be presided by Bishop Crispin Varquez of the Borongan Diocese.
Bishop Varquez will be joined by his immediate predecessor, Bishop Leonardo Medroso, who in his time joined in the call for the return of the bells, and Bishop Rex Ramirez, a native of the town but is now the bishop of Naval Diocese.
Campanero said that it is not yet certain where the bells-each approximately weighing 300 kilograms- will be arriving.
She said that the bells, loaded in a government-owned plane, may be downloaded at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City or in an airport made by the Americans during the World War II in Guiuan town, also in Eastern Samar.
Tacloban City is about two hours of land travel to this town while it will take only an hour from Guiuan to reach this town.
The three historic bells are to be temporarily placed in a concrete stands at the Church’s grounds for the people to touch and in this age of ‘selfies’ to take photos.
These will eventually be placed at the belfry of St. Lawrence The Martyr Church.
For Calesterio, Campanero and the rest of the people of Balangiga, the return of the bells closes a chapter of the town whose ancestors stood up to defend and fight for their rights and the same time, will help further the ties that bind between the Philippines and the United States.
RTRMF produces three of this year’s top 10 nursing board passers
With all 25 takers passing the examination
TACLOBAN CITY- The Remedios T. Romualdez Medical Foundation (RTRMF), based this city, has produced three of this year’s top 10 of the Nursing Licensure Examination conducted November of last year.
They were Kathryn Angelie Bugho who ranked number 2 with a passing rate of 86.80; Angelae Priscilla Cahilig who placed number 7(85.40); and Arianne Grapilon who landed at number 9 with a passing rate of 85.0.
The school’s 25 takers all passed the examinations.
Bugho,21, said that she was in utter shock when she learned on the results showing her landing at number two in last year’s Nursing examination.
“I am in total shock as I did not expect it,” she said.
She said that all she wanted is to see all of them passing the examinations.
About 4,811 out of the 12,033 examinees passed the state-sponsored examination held in Tacloban City and other cities in the country on Nov.17 and 18.
The topnotcher, who was crowned last year as Miss RTRMF, said that she learned that she was ranked number two through Facebook as she received several private messages coming from her friends and classmates.
Bugho, who is the eldest with two younger brothers and whose family hails from Burauen, Leyte, said that it’s been her ambition to become a nurse.
Asked what’s her immediate plan now after passing the licensure with flying colors, Bugho just giggled saying her high ranking has yet to sink in.
She, however, insisted that she want to work as a professional nurse as it has been her ambition to become a nurse.
Dean Socorro Salvacion Gasco said that she was extremely overwhelmed with the performance of her students.
She said that she was really rooting for Bugho to really take the number one slot.
“I really believed in her. I prayed for her that she would land as number one,” she said.
Bugho finished at the top of her class as she received an excellence academic award.
Gasco said that the school management has yet to decide how much Bugho will be receiving as an incentive for landing number two in the examination.
Those who passed the nursing examination from the school and land at number receive P100,000.
In 2015, the school produced that year’s number one for Nursing licensure exam in Alssya Claire Almo.
Gasco and the eight teachers of the Nursing school of the RTRMF are sure to travel as part of the school’s incentive.
(RONALD O. REYES, JOEY A. GABIETA)
DOH bestows LGUs, gov’t offices for implementing anti-smoking policy
PALO, Leyte – The Department of Health (DOH) here in the region extended recognition to government offices, provinces and local governments during the recently concluded regional awarding of health achievers.
The program, held on December 7, was highlighted with the awarding of Red and Pink Orchid Awards.
Red Orchid is the highest award conferred to those who responded positively, installed necessary policies, and implemented direct action of achieving 100 percent smoke-free community.
It is followed by the second highest award, The Pink Orchid, and the third tier, the White Orchid.
Nineteen government offices including the health insurance offices of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.in the cities of Ormoc, Naval, Maasin, Borongan, Catbalogan, and Calbayog and Catarman were given the Red Orchid Award while three government hospitals namely: Allen District Hospital, Northern Samar Provincial Hospital and Tacloban City Hospital also received the same award.
The local government units who received the Red Orchid Award were the towns of Limasawa, Padre Burgos, San Antonio, San Francisco and Silago, all in Southern Leyte; Arteche, Eastern Samar and Ormoc City.
The regional offices of the PhilHealth and Civil Service Commission 8 were recognized as hall of famers for government offices. The Northern Samar Provincial Capitol was conferred with a Pink Orchid Award.
Arteche Mayor Roland Evardone was grateful that they were the first and only municipality in Eastern Samar that was recognized by the DOH as a 100-percent implementer of the anti-smoking ordinance.
“It’s a collaborative effort that will not happen if not for the support of our community. It took us over a year to educate the people by making them feel the urgency and letting your vision be the vision of the whole community,” Evardone shared.
He added that selling of tobacco products in their town is also prohibited. They also do not have smoking areas and smoking is totally prohibited except inside their houses.
“This is for the future of our children and the generations to come. It’s been my vision that the culture of cigarette smoking in our town will end in five to ten years,” he noted.
DOH 8 Regional Director Minerva Molon urged other local governments to support them in making Eastern Visayas the home of the healthiest people.
“Let this serve as an inspiration and reminder to all who are here to continue working for the betterment of the community and its members. Our health indicators in Region 8 are still way below the national target. There are still unmet targets which affect the scenario of every community,” she said.
By: LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA
Groups call MO 32 part of the continued militarization in the country by the Duterte gov’t
International Human Rights Day
TACLOBAN CITY- About 200 people representing from different progressive groups from this city joined on Monday (December 10) in the observance of the International Human Rights Day as they decried what they call the militarization under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The protesters burned a copy of Memorandum Order(MO) 32 issued by Malacañang on November 22 which was used as the legal basis for the deployment of additional soldiers and policemen to Samar and three other areas in the country.
The order states that these areas are affected with ‘lawless violence’ committed by members of armed groups.
Joshua Sagdullas, spokesperson of Bayan Muna-Sinirangan Bisayas, said that while they do not contest on the existence of lawless violence in Samar, in particular, these were committed by state enforcers.
“We agree that there is a state of lawlessness (violence) in Eastern Visayas, especially in Samar. But on our end, we know that the military and the police are the main perpetrators of this,” he said.
Based on their monitoring, about 62 human rights abuses have been committed in the region involving state enforcers committed under the Duterte administration.
The Armed Forces in the region has consistently denies that they have committed any human rights abuses maintaining that they respect the rights of the civilians.
Meantime, Captain Francis Agno, spokesperson of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City, Samar, dismissed claims that the controversial order issued by Malacañang is already a de facto declaration of martial law.
‘The writ of privilege was not suspended under the MO 32? So why they claim that it’s a declaration of martial law?” he said.
Agno said that under section 4 of said order, it was stated that the constitutional rights of every individual shall be respected and given due regards both by the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police.
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines in the region has compared the issuance of MO 32 to a declaration of martial law as troops would be deployed in areas identified under the order which could result to rights abuses and crackdown of those who opposes the Duterte administration.
“Duterte’s MO 32 shows his intention to impose nationwide martial law other than Mindanao alone. It’s a declaration of de facto martial law in Eastern Visayas and an intensified crackdown against all opposition – armed or not,” the group said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA, JOEY A. GABIETA)