TACLOBAN CITY-Thousands of faithful are expected to hear the Pontifical Concelebrated Mass at the Santo Niño Church relative to the 129th annual fiesta of the city today(June 30).
The Pontifical Concelebrated Mass will start at 9:30 in the morning with the bishop emeritus of Naval, Filomino Bactol, as the main celebrant.
And in the evening, Palo Archbishop John Du will be the main celebrant of another Pontifical Concelebrated Mass.
Prelates and priests from other dioceses of the region are expected to attend the Pontifical Concelebrated Mass.
Top officials of the city government lead by Mayor Cristina Romualdez and Leyte Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez of first district are also expected to attend the Pontifical Concelebrated Mass.
Today’s Pontifical Concelebrated Mass will serve as the highlight of the nine-day novena to the June 30 fiesta celebration of Tacloban in honor of its patron, Senior Santo Niño.
At around 2:30 pm today, a fluvial procession will be held to be followed by a land procession at 4:30 pm.
This year’s celebration, which falls on the year of the clergy and consecrated persons, has a theme “Hatag ha Diyos, Halad hin Tawo, Pagbag-0 han Bungto.”
The Santo Nino de Tacloban, as the patron is known, is different from other similar images as it is the only one who has a silver and gold vestment.
Bishop Teotimo Pacis, then the bishop of the Diocese of Palo, issued a decree in 1969 making the Sto. Nino de Tacloban as the heavenly patron and protector of Leyte.
Faithful from the city are known to have a deep devotion to the Child Jesus, calling His name during personal crisis and calamities like when Tacloban City was pummeled by super typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013.
The church itself sustained major damage. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

ORMOC CITY-A short gun battle between members of government troops and the New People’s Army (NPA) at the hinterland village of this city has resulted in the wounding of a soldier and the recovery of firearms and improvised explosive devices at the rebels’ camp.
Brig. Gen. Lope Dagoy, 802 brigade commander, said the soldiers of the 93rd Infantry Battalion based in Barangay Aguiting in Kananga town, were having foot patrol operation on Tuesday (June 26) morning at the vicinity of Brgy. Mahayahay, this city, when they came across a group of NPA combatants said to be belonging to the Front Committee Leyte.
The rebels allegedly fired at them and detonated improvised land mine which resulted in the injury of one of the soldiers.
A 30-minute fire fight also ensued between the two groups with the rebel members fleeing, Dagoy said in a press conference.
The wounded soldier, who was not identified by Dagoy, was rushed to the hospital and is now in stable condition.
A hot pursuit operation was conducted immediately for the possible arrest of the NPA members.
The operating team, led by 1Lt. Sheenan Kub-, recovered M16 rifle, several magazines loaded with bullets, IEDs, blasting caps, subversive documents, medical equipment, numerous cellular phones, communication equipment, personal belongings, and several others at the rebel camp.
Dagoy described the newly-built insurgent camp as a temporary structure that was built with movable set up and could be subjected to transfer at any time.
It has 16 bunkers, kitchen and a toilet.
Dagoy lauded the informant for providing tip on the presence of the NPA rebels at the said village which eventually hampered possible activities the left group may have arranged.
He said that the Front Committee Leyte operates in the towns of Carigara, Capoocan, Barugo, Tunga and Kananga, all in Leyte, with no less than 30 members.
Meantime, Dagoy, who once served as the commanding officer of the 19th IB who’s based is now occupied by the current 93rd IB, warned businessmen to refrain from providing revolutionary money to the rebels or face raps if evidence suffices for charges filing against them.
(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Pasaka Festival of Tanauan, Leyte was the overall champion of this year’s Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals, besting four other participating cultural festivals.
The Pasaka Festival is a first time winner of the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals, considered as the biggest cultural festival in the region.
Mayor Pelagio Tecson, Jr. received the award from Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, and Palo Mayor Remedios ‘Matin’ Petilla, chairperson of the festival held at the Leyte Sports Development Center.
Also in attendance were Senator Bam Aquino and former governor and Energy secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla.
As this year’s champion, the Pasaka Festival won P750,000 as it also won special awards for best in dance parade with the prize of P100,000, best in festival music with the prize of P150,000 and the best in festival costume with the prize of P100,000.
The first runner up was the Buraburon Festival of Burauen with the prize of P500,000 while the third runner up was Sanggutan Festival of Barugo with the prize of P250,000.
The Buraburon Festival was the festival’s grand winner last year while the Sanggutan Festival was the 2016 champion.
The three festivals are to join next year’s Aliwan Festival in Manila, said Mayor Petilla.
The Heraite Festival of Leyte town, and Solosogi Festival of Balangiga, Eastern Samar were the other entries in this year’s Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals. The two received P50,000 as consolation prizes.
Mayor Petilla said that she was thankful that the overall Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals was successful, orderly and peaceful with the security enforced by the police officers from this city, Leyte Police Provincial Office and from the Eastern Visayas Regional Police Office. (ROEL T. AMAZONA/RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

TACLOBAN CITY- Police Director General Oscar Albayalde said that he had issued an order to temporarily suspend the anti-insurgency operations of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the wake of an incident in Samar province which killed six policemen and wounded nine others.
Albayalde disclosed this in an interview at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), this city, Tuesday night after he personally pinned the ‘Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting’ to the wounded policemen, all members of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB).
The police director general, however, was quick to say that the anti-insurgency operations of the PNP will resume once whatever the ‘flaws’ committed during the June 25 incident have been corrected.
“Ang inaano natin, we’ll just correct kung anong nangyari na di tama. That’s why suspended sandali lamang.After that suspension, pagnakita na natin, we correct on this flaw or yung pagkukulang, then we will operate again,” Albayalde said.
About 33 members of the RMFB engaged in a firefight with the 16 soldiers belonging to the 87th Infantry Battalion in sitio Layug, Barangay San Roque in Sta. Rita, Samar at about 9:20 am Monday(June 25).
Both government forces where in the area as part of their insurgency operations. Pocket of Samar province remains to have insurgency problem.
The misencounter resulted in the death of six policemen and wounded nine others. No casualty or injury was reported among the soldiers headed by 1st Lt. Orlando Casipit, Jr.
All involved soldiers were placed under restriction at their headquarters in Calbiga, Samar as investigation is being conducted to determine the real circumstance of the incidence.
Albayalde had formed a board of inquiry tasked to conduct a probe on this incident. The regional PNP as well as the 8th Infantry Division, headed by Major General Raul Farnacio, have also created their respective investigating teams.
He also assured that the incident would not affect the relationship between the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines saying both sides would not like to see this thing to happen.
“Of course not. It will not kaya nga mayroon tayong board of inquiry para makita kung ano ba ang pagkukulang namin or probably pati ng Armed force of the Philippines para di na maulit ang pag-patay na ito,” he said.
Albayalde said that he want to have results of the investigation as soon as possible to ensure that justice would be given, especially those who died due to the incident.
Killed during the incident were PO1 Wyndell Noromor, PO1 Edwin Ebrado, PO1 Phil Rey Mendigo, PO1 Julius Suarez, PO1 Rowell Reyes and PO1 Julie Escalo.
Wounded were PO1 Elmer Pan, PO1 Cris Angelo Pialago, PO1 Romulo Cordero, PO1 Joenel Gonzaga, PO1 Rey Barbosa, PO1 Roden Goden, PO1 Jaime Galoy, PO1 Rommel Bagunas and PO1 Jomark Adones.
Families of the slain policemen received financial assistance from Albayalde while the wounded ones received medical assistance, among others.
He also ordered that the national flag be hoisted half-mast in the PNP stations to show their mourning.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T.AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Officials of both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) promised to dig deeper into the misencounter between policemen and soldiers in a remote village of Sta.Rita, Samar on June 25.
Facing with members of the media, both AFP Chief Carlito Galvez, Jr. and Police Director General Oscar Albayalde promised that justice will be served to the slain policemen as their respective forces have now conducted separate investigation on the incident that shocked the nation.
On Wednesday (June 27), Galvez and Albayalde visited the wake of slain policemen lie in state at the gymnasium located inside the regional headquarters of the PNP in Palo.
Galvez said that the soldiers involved in the misencounter have already been disarmed and restricted at their camp in Calbiga, also in Samar as the investigation is now underway.
The AFP chief has maintained that what happened was an incident and could not be considered as an ambush.
“We cannot say that it is (an ambush).We really don’t know what happened. We really have to wait for the result of the investigation,” Galvez said.
Albayalde also vowed that justice would be given to the families of the slain policemen, all holding PO1 rank, as he asked the public to wait for the result of the team he formed that is tasked to conduct the investigation over the incident.
“We will find out after the board of inquiry release the findings of their investigation,” he said.
Both Galvez and Albayalde said that they want to know up to what level the supposed coordination made by both parties was reached.
The alleged lack of coordination was cited as possible reason why the incident happened.
“We don’t want to point fingers, to find faults. What we want to find out is what went wrong so that it will not happen again,” he said.
“If it is with coordination, then we probably might be able to improve the coordination between the police and the Army especially so with our operating units,” the PNP director general added.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

PALO, Leyte- Village officials were urged to become partners for change and create development programs that will help improve the economic conditions of their constituents.
This appeal was made by Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla during a mass oath-taking ceremony for the newly-elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials of this town.
Petilla said that barangay officials should take advantage of the economic boom now being enjoyed by Palo saying whatever economic gains the town is experiencing should also be felt in the communities.
According to the governor, barangay people, through their leaders, should be ready for any needs like additional work force.
“Many investors are now coming in to Palo and we need to sustain this. Palo has become an attractive investment destination not only for small businesses but even for multi-national firms,” Petilla said.
“As government officials, as local government and barangay officials, we need to prepare our constituents for this change. The investments coming in means more jobs that we need to fill in with applicants who will pass the job interviews,” the governor added.
Petilla also give this challenge to the newly-elected youth officials of the town.
“As youth leaders, you need to create and push programs that will provide and create better education to the youth,” he said.
In the same occasion, former Leyte governor Carlos Jericho Petilla also gave some advice to the barangay officials.
“Learn to know who your partners are,” the former officials said.
“Your budget is not enough to fund projects that you wanted to implement. Learn to seek help from other offices like the provincial government and the municipal government because these are your partners in governing your villages,” Petilla said.
Almost 600 newly-elected village and youth officials from Palo attended the mass-oath taking ceremony held at the Oriental Hotel de Leyte.
Also present were Vice Governor Carlo Loreto, Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla, Board Member Gina Merilo, Vice Mayor Ronan Christian Reposar, and Javier Mayor Leonardo Javier.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)