Now on its 121st year

BALANGIGA, Eastern Samar- A very low-key event marked the 121st year commemorative program of the Balangiga Encounter was held on Wednesday (Sept. 28) with town Mayor Dana Flynch de Lira leading the historic occasion.

The town mayor said that they are planning some ways to market the town, especially among tourists, with the return now of the ‘Balangiga Bells.’

“We are already known for our bells. It’s just a matter of marketing, kasi what’s happening right is the bells are not that much appreciated, we are reaping the benefit out of it. So if we can only make a little improvement siguro to help recover economically and financially,” Mayor de Lira said during the simple anniversary.

She added that she will be talking with tourism officials in the region to help them prepare tourism plans and programs to market not only the bells of Balangiga but also other tourist destinations of the municipality that are waiting to be developed and promoted.
To recall, after many campaigns by the national government, Church, and some private sector, the bells were returned by the United States on December 11, 2018.

The three historic bells were eventually installed at the Saint Lawrence the Martyr Church on Dec.15, 2018 with former President Rodrigo Duterte witnessing the event.
Vice Governor Maricar Goteesan, representing Gov. Ben Evardone, said just like 121 years ago, the people of Balangiga continue to fight and this time it includes poverty, social injustice, and insurgency.

“But we are no longer using bolo or offering our lives instead what we need to do is to keep our beloved Eastern Samar as a zone of peace. Let us bravely face the trials of today because it is us who can save ourselves from adversity,” Goteesan said, reading the message of Gov. Evardone.

For her part, Tourism Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina Frasco urged the people of Balangiga to make the Sept.28,1901 as an inspiration as the country is slowly recovering from the pandemic caused by coronavirus disease(COVID-19) which also affected the tourism industry.

“Our goal in the industry is still in the early stage of planning and implementation, yet we are confident that we can achieve this with the support of people like you here in Balangiga who are more than willing to work hand-in-hand to improve the country’s economy,” Frasco said in her message read by DOT-8 tourism operations officer Rina Apostol.

The Balangiga Encounter happened on Sept. 28, 1901, when the town residents led by Valeriano Abanador initiated an attack against US soldiers who are part of the Company C of the 9th US Infantry Regiment.

Dubbed as the biggest defeat of foreign troops during the Philippine-American war, villagers who were armed with bolos defeated the American soldiers who are armed with a much sophisticated guns.

The incident however resulted to the death of around 2,500 Filipino men, women, including children when the Americans’ launched a retaliatory attack as ordered by Gen. Jacob Smith transforming Samar into a “howling wilderness.”

The Americans then took the three Balangiga Bells as war booty that resulted for a more than a century call for the US government to return them back to the country.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY-As part of the observance of World Rabies Day, the city government through the City Veterinary Office (CVO) made available its services to the public on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at the CEO gymnasium.

Pet owners in Tacloban City were able to free neuter, anti-rabies vaccination, and deworming services for their pet dogs and cats.

According to CVO Head Dr. Eunice Alcantara, pet owners 50 slots for the free neuter service have earlier registered through their official Facebook page, while they accepted walk-in clients for their other services such as anti-rabies vaccination and deworming.

On the other hand, spay services were not available during the day-long activity because of the influx of pet owners who want to avail of the free veterinary services. The office will have a separate schedule for the said service.

In the meantime, Alcantara said that the primary purpose of the activity was to eliminate cases of rabies and advocate for responsible pet ownership.

She emphasized that the CVO enforces the Animal Code of Tacloban City (City Ordinance No. 2006-09-264) as a counterpart measure to R.A. 9482, or the Anti-rabies Act of 2007, which penalizes irresponsible pets and mandates against stray dogs.

As a result of the campaign against rabies, the CVO also maintains an impounding facility for stray dogs.

Under R.A. 9482, irresponsible pet owners can be penalized from P500 to P25,000 depending on the violation.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

The school also post 100% passing rate

TACLOBAN CITY-For the first time since its inception as a degree course 27 years ago, the Leyte Normal University (LNU), based this city, has not only produced 67 new social workers but eight of them made to the top 10 board passers.

Two of them were Eduard Canares and Pamela Jane Pido, who landed seventh and ninth respectively.

Both admitted that all they have wished for was just to pass the board examination which took place last September 19 to 21 last year.

Canares, 22, the batch’ magna cum laude, said that he was overwhelmed when he learned that he garnered 87%, enough for him to place 7th among the 2,955 passers of the social worker licensure examination.

“I learned about the result from my uncle. All I prayed for was to pass the examination but God was so good that I made it as number seven,” the Carigara, Leyte native said in a phone interview.

He said that at that time, he was asleep and could not immediately process the good news. “But my family were happy me acing the examination,” Canares said.

He is the second among the brood of five whose mother, Lydia, 46, is a simple housewife and father, Edmundo, 47, works as a farmer.

Canares said that what made him ‘proud’ was all of them who took the examination passed. ‘We are all fresh graduates,” he said.

Of their batch, Fionna Yvanne Murillo, got the highest placing at third with a rating of 87.80%

Like Canares, Pido, 25, who is from Alangalang town, also in Leyte, also did not expect that she would land at number nine with a rating of 86.40%

“I was browsing the internet on the result of the examination at our neighbor’s house for we have no internet connection of our own. I was shocked when I saw my name among the top 10,” she said.

Pido said she immediately went home to convey to her mother the good news. “We all cried profusely,” she said.

It was learned from her that her mother, Amalia, had just took a leave from her work as a saleslady in a business establishment in Cavite.

“Now, my promise to help my family will now be realized. I promised to my mother that she will stop working and I will help send our youngest sister, who is on her Grade 11, to school,” she said.

Pido, who failed to finish her education course in 2013 due to financial problems, said that part of her honorarium as a Sangguniang Kabataan at their village of Astorga helped her through her studies aside from the money being sent by her widowed mother.

Lilibeth Fallorina, the department head for social workers of the 102-year university, said that she was overwhelmed on the result of this year’s board.

“I was speechless considering that we are still in the pandemic,” she said.
The department has produced placers in the past but it is only now that eight of the 100% passers made it to the top 10.

The unprecedented performance of the school was attributed by Fallorina to their rigid training and review conducted before the actual examination.

“I want to congratulate them for a very commendable performance. I witnessed how they worked so hard to achieve their goals. They all deserve it. However, passing the board, topping the examination is just the beginning. What is really important is when they are already working, they must have the dedication to help specifically unprivileged clients,” she said.

And this call of Fallorina may not fall to deaf ears as both Canares and Pido vowed to serve the ‘helpless and the poor’ as social workers.

Other top 10 passers of the school were Geralene Terceno who ranked sixth with a rating of 87.20%; Mary Guen Sablayan, Christelle Toring, and Erika Setosta, who landed eight with a rating of 86.60%; and Nicu Bernard Baylon who got a 86.20% who finished at number 10. All of them graduated with Latin honors as cum laude.The school promised to give them cash incentives for making it to the top 10.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)