TACLOBAN CITY– A 4.6 magnitude quake was felt in the different parts of Leyte and Samar provinces at about 9:57 am Monday (Oct. 17).
Based on the report from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the tectonic-originated quake was traced to have the town of Giporlos, Eastern Samar as its epicenter.
The Phivolcs said that the tremor was felt at Javier, Alangalang, and Dulag, all in Leyte at Intensity I; it was Intensity II at Catbalogan City, Samar, and Abuyog in Leyte.
The quake was felt at Intensity III in Borongan City, Eastern Samar.
The Phivolcs, however, said that it does not expect any aftershocks or damages in the wake of the quake which has a depth of 097 kms. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
PALO, Leyte– The faithful of the Catholic Church should always be courageous in defending their faith and the truth.
This was the message of a church leader during a Holy Mass last Saturday (Oct.15) at the visit of the sacred relic of St. Titus Brandsma in Palo town.
St Titus Brandsma is a Dutch Carmelite Catholic priest who died executed by the Nazis in a concentration camp thru lethal injection in 1942. Aside from being a priest, the saint was also a media practitioner when he was still alive and campaigning during World War 2 for the government and the people not to believe in the Nazis propaganda.
St Titus Brandsma was beatified in November 3, 1985 and was canonized last May 15, 2022 by Pope Francis.
He is considered as the patron saint of journalists.
“It is time for us to stand for the truth, kay walang makabulig sa bakak kundi ang kamatuuran lamang. St Titus will help us to be strong no matter what we continue to stand for the truth,” Fr. Joeizl Fern Pinon said.
The priest added that St. Titus Brandsma is relevant nowadays because of the proliferation of gossiping and historical revisionism that is rampant in social media and in the community.
The visit to Palo of the relic of St. Titus Brandsma I part of its pilgrimage in the different parts of the country that started last July 2022 and will end on July of next year. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
TACLOBAN CITY-About 243 Tulong Panghanapbuhay SA ating Displaced/Disadvantaged (TUPAD) beneficiaries in Tacloban City attended an orientation on Occupation Safety and Health (OSH) on Friday, October 14 at the CEO Gym, as part of the activities of the emergency employment program jointly implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the City Government.
Present during the activity were Acting Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Manager Celica Quebec and DOLE Senior Labor Employment Officer Marites Dy, while City Councilor Christopher Esperas was sent by the Mayor’s Office to speak during the activity.
During the half-day orientation, a DOLE representative imparted health and safety reminders to the workers who will work in various programs of city government offices, such as declogging, clearing, and cleaning activities, as well as community gardening for 10 days until October 24, for which they will be paid 350 pesos daily.
Among the beneficiaries of the emergency employment program are twenty PWDs and twenty senior citizens.
A total of P949,158 worth of wages was allocated by the labor department for the workers who qualified for the TUPAD. (HJ ROCA/TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
TACLOBAN CITY– The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Northern Samar have called on owners of business establishments to install closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs).
Board member Albert Lucero, during their recent session, maintained that CCTVs are useful “to protect the safety and security of the management and clients from unanticipated incidents.”
In the information released by the Northern Samar Provincial Information Office, Lucero also manifested to codify this ordinance across the 24 towns of the province in order to fast track the monitoring and implementation.
“He [Lucero] recalled that an ordinance requiring establishments to install CCTVs has already been passed but has not been fully implemented,” it said.
Citing Ordinance No. 06, the Provincial Information Office said that all business establishments like banks, gasoline stations, malls, pawnshops, and large scale establishments with an investment of at least P1 million in the province are required to install CCTV inside and outside their respective premises.
This move of the provincial board came following a robbery incident at LBC Catarman on October 6, 2022. (RONALD O. REYES)
MAHAPLAG, Leyte-A Grade 2 pupil died after he was bumped by a passenger van about at 5:35 pm on Friday(Oct. 14) at Sitio San Roque of Barangay Hilusig, here.
Major Neil Fernando Cerdeña, town police chief, identified the victim as Charles Villardar, 7, and a resident of the said place.
The suspect was identified as Jabar Aribado, 33, and a resident of Brgy. Monteverde Baybay, City.
Initial investigation conducted by the responding police disclosed that the vehicle, driven by Aribado, was travelling from Tacloban City bound for Baybay City while the victim was playing beside the road.
However, when the vehicle reached Sitio San Roque, the victim suddenly crossed the road and was hit by the said vehicle.
Witnesses told police that the driver tried to evade the victim to avoid hitting the young boy but failed in the process, resulting in severe injuries in different parts of his body.
The rescue group from the local Bureau of Fire Protection brought the boy him to the rural health unit.
He was later brought to the Abuyog District Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician. (ROBERT DEJON)
TACLOBAN CITY – Samar Rep. Stephen James Tan of the first district refiled a bill at the House of Representatives to institutionalize the Samar Day celebration.
At present, the holding of the Samar Day needs a presidential proclamation which is observed every August 11 to mark the separation of the province from Leyte.
Rep. Tan said that he had met the members of the local government committee at the Senate chaired by Sen. JV Ejercito together with resource person from the Department of Interior and Local Government, National Commission on Culture and the Arts, and the Department of Budget and Management.
“The special role I had in the meeting is to push for the passage of House Bill 3974 or the Samar Day Bill which I authored,” the lawmaker said.
“The bill, if approved into law, will institutionalize the observance of Samar Day every August 11 of every year as a special non-working holiday to commemorate the foundation of Samar province without the need of a presidential action,” Tan explained.
Tan added that the bill was first filed in the previous Congress by her sister, now Governor Sharee Ann Tan but for some reason it did not made to the Senate.
“With the current support of the chairperson and members of the Senate committee on local government, I am looking forward for this bill to finally become into a law,” he said.
The celebration of Samar Day usually last for about two weeks with various activities prepared by the provincial government.
Date of Samar Day celebration had been change for several times, from November 10 which commemorates the election of the first officials of the province, to August 23 during martial law era, then to August 11 in the late 1970’s. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
