NAT exams in Tacloban affected due to inclement weather

TACLOBAN CITY– Eastern Visayas continues to experience moderate to heavy rainfall spawned by the shear line on Monday (Jan. 30).

The bad weather resulted for several local government units to cancel classes in both public and private schools from Kindergarten up to Grade 12 levels.

Among these canceled classes were in the towns of Paranas, Motiong, Hinabangan, and Pinabacdao, all in Samar; Dolores, Llorente, Jipapad, and Taft, all in Eastern Samar; Catarman, in Northern Samar; and in the cities of Calbayog and Catbalogan, both in Samar; Ormoc, Baybay, and Tacloban, all in Leyte;

In Tacloban, its school division announced the cancellation of the holding of the national achievement test(NAT) for graduating Grade 12 students due to the bad weather and will be held instead on February 1 and 2.

In Southern Leyte, a rock fall was reported in Barangay Pinut-an, San Ricardo town at about 4 am due to the heavy rains.

Meantime, the information office of Northern Samar province denied that Governor Edwin Ongchuan has declared suspension of classes across the province.

It said that what was circulated online on the purported order of the governor was a previous cancellation order he issued on Jan. 9.

However, Mayor David Bido of Rosario town in the same province, issued suspension of classes to ensure the safety of the public.

The town has experienced heavy rainfall since weekend that resulted in flooding in several areas of the town, including those located on its center.

The regional office of the Office of Civil Defense has also issued an advisory for the public and the disaster risk reduction and management councils across the region to take appropriate actions, and monitor the weather condition.

Since last month, the region has been experiencing bad weather either due to low-pressure area and shear line that caused flooding and landslides.

The three provinces of Samar Island, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar, are under a state of calamity due to this inclement weather which resulted in the dislocation of families, damage to infrastructures, and loss of lives.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY-Two sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu were recovered from a newly-identified drug peddler during a buy-bust operation conducted by anti-drug personnel of Palompon, Leyte.

Palompon police chief Capt. Realthur Tanernero identified the suspect as Arnold Arevalo,32, single, farmer, and a resident of Barangay Mazawalo, of said municipality.

The police officer described the suspect as under their drug watch list as a street-level individual.

Recovered from the possession of the suspect were three sachets of suspected shabu with a street value of P3,000.

Charges of violations of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs of 2002, were filed at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office against the suspect who is still languishing at the locked-up cell of the Palompon police station. (ROBERT DEJON)

MAASIN CITY– The province of Southern Leyte has sustained its drug-cleared status since it was pronounced by the regional oversight committee on April 17, 2018, according to Eduardo Makabenta, provincial head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Speaking as guest during the radio program Kapihan sa PIA live over DYDM on Friday, January 13, Makabenta reported that during the assessment of the various anti-drug abuse councils last year covering the year 2021, 13 out of 19 local government units in the province garnered 100 points hence they were awarded in ceremonies organized by DILG in Manila in December last year.

These included the municipalities of Anahawan, Hinunangan, Hinundayan, Libagon, Liloan, Macrohon, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, San Francisco, San Ricardo, Silago, Sogod, and Tomas Oppus.

Makabenta expressed confidence more LGUs will be cited this year for the 2022 assessment, since all the 500 barangays in the province have maintained their drug-cleared status, and that they had undergone community-based anti-illegal drug advocacy and drug-free workplace program orientation in 252 barangays.

In addition, some 121 individuals have been trained last year for the multi-sectoral training of trainers (TOT) and they were the ones, working by team of at least 12 persons, who conducted and will continue to conduct information drive on the evils of illegal drugs down to the barangays, Makabenta shared.

He added that these TOTs were already done in eight (8) LGUs last year, in Anahawan, Hinunangan, Bontoc, Pintuyan, Sogod, Tomas Oppus, Padre Burgos, and the city of Maasin, and this year, more LGUs have signified their intention to organize TOTs in their localities.
Makabenta clarified that a drug-free status did not mean the place has been rid of illegal drugs, for it means the supply and demand of the vice was regularly checked.

In fact, since the drug-cleared declaration in 2018, PDEA and police elements had conducted a total of 260 drug-related buy-bust operations which resulted to 14 incidents of suspects being neutralized, Makabenta reported. (LDL/MMP/PIA Southern Leyte)