Piña Festival among the highlights

ORMOC CITY- Mayor Richard Gomez said that the second year edition of ‘Piña’ Festival will be bigger and better compare to last year.
This was declared by Gomez during the launching of the festivities held on Wednesday (May 23) at the newly-opened Robinsons Ormoc.
The actor-turned-city mayor said that for this year, the city government has allocated P20 million for the staging of the festival which highlights one of the city’s most known products which is the ‘queen pineapple, ‘said to be one of the sweetest in the world.
“It will be a bigger and better festival compare to last year,” Gomez said during the press launching of the festivities.
The city fiesta, which is held every June 29 in honor of Sts. Peter and Paul, will be made colorful by various activities which will start on June 16 through a ‘Parade of Lights,’ labeled by the organizers as ‘nighttime spectacle’ which will feature luminescent vehicular floats and lighted costumes.
The Piña Festival will be held on June 24, five days before the annual city fiesta.
And for this year, about 20 contingents from different schools and organizations are to participate the festival.
Mayor Gomez said that aside from promoting the city’s pineapples, the holding of the Piña Festival also aim to draw more tourists to Ormoc.
While Gomez could not provide data as to how many tourists attended last year’s Piña Festival, the city mayor said that they got a big crowd that saw the festival.
As they project a bigger crowd this year, the competition will be held at the city’s quadrangle located just in front of the city park.
And aside from the city police, they would also ask for additional men from the regional police headquarters to help secure the people who will witness the festival, Gomez said.
Meantime, Gomez said that visitors have hotels and lodging inns where they could stay during their visit to Ormoc during the week-long activities.
“Although we don’t have the luxury of having the big hotels for now we try to accommodate the visitors with what we have,” Gomez said.
He also said that aside from visiting Ormoc’s tourist spots, visitors could also visit nearby towns like Palompon, known for its white sand Kalangaman Island. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA/JOEY A. GABIETA)

In Eastern Visayas

PALO, Leyte – The recently-held barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections held last May 14 was the region’s ‘most peaceful’ in decades.
This was declared by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Philippine National Police which pulled out its deployed personnel just two days after the conduct of the barangay and youth elections.
“Thank you to the PNP (Philippine National Police) and AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines).Their presence was deterrent to people who were planning to disturb the election process,” Comelec Regional Director Jose Nick Mendros said.
“We have not experienced any violent incident and all precincts functioned,” he added.
But the elections in Barangay Diet de Turag in Silvino Lubos, Northern Samar were held a day late due as the members of elections tellers were stopped by a group of individuals while they were on their way to the village on May 14.
Winners in the said village, which has more than 300 voters, were proclaimed Tuesday (May 15) afternoon.
About 2,700 police and soldiers were deployed in almost all areas in the region to ensure that the barangay and SK elections here would turn out to be peaceful and orderly.
Earlier, the PNP and the Comelec had identified 284 barangays in the region as concerned areas or where election-related violence could happen.
On Thursday (May 17), the 990 policemen and women who were given poll duties were pulled out from their respective assignments, a strong indication that the conduct of the balloting was peaceful and orderly.
“This happened because you were on the ground. You were with the people to secure them. As officials, our job is to supervise, give guidance and direction but all the hard work is with you. So we are thankful for the sacrifices and on what you did to ensure that the election is peaceful and secure,” Chief Supt. Gilberto Cruz, police regional director, said.
Cruz added that the presence of police and military also resulted for more voters to cast their votes at their respective polling precincts.
The Comelec projects that the turnout of votes in the region could be more than 85 percent.
During the 2013 barangay elections, several villages in the region experienced failure of balloting with election-related violence recorded at more than 100.

BY: Roel T. Amazona

TACLOBAN CITY- Luck finally smiled to a candidate for chairman here in the city on his third try and to add more drama, via drawing of lots.
Judy Trinidad, a retired policeman, finally became the chairman of Barangay 52 in Magallanes District as he was proclaimed as the winner on Wednesday (May 16) noon by the three-member board of canvassers at San Fernando Central School.
Trinidad and the incumbent chairman, Noel Martinez both garnered the same votes of 328, thus the need to break the tie.
Martinez, the long-time serving chairman of Brgy.52, has defeated Trinidad the past barangay elections.
During the 2013 barangay elections, Martinez won over Trinidad by just a mere seven votes.
“I am really overwhelmed. I cannot contain my emotions that finally I am now the chairman of our barangay,” the 61-year old Trinidad said, holding back his tears.
Martinez tried to control his emotions as he said that he accepted the result of the draw.
“I lost,” he said after opening the folded white paper he picked. “I respect the outcome. No hard feelings,” Martinez said.
The folded paper states “winner” which Trinidad was able to pick.
The drawing of the lots was witnessed by the two contenders’ families and supporters and elections officials led by Comelec Regional Director Jose Nick Mendros.
Both Trinidad and Martinez embraced each other after they drew the lots.
Both called their respective supporters to respect the decision and worked for the betterment of their village.
But while Martinez lost the chairmanship, five of his candidates for council seats won while only two and the Sangguniang Kabataan chair won from the camp of Trinidad.
Trinidad was the last barangay chairman in the city who won the May 14 elections to be proclaimed.
Records from the Barangay Affairs Office disclosed that Tacloban has 57 new barangay chairmen while 81 others won on their re-election bids.
Hermilo Naputo, Jr., head of the said office, said that all the barangay officials who received fresh mandates from their respective constituents are to take their oaths on June 30, coinciding the city’s annual fiesta.
“Mayor (Cristina) Romualdez will administer their oath of office to be held at the astrodome,” he said.
They are to assume their posts on July 1 and to end their terms by 2020.
It was learned from Naputo that a barangay chairman in the city receives a monthly honorarium ranging from over P4,000 up to P21,000.
While the councilors receives from P3,000 up to P15, 000.
A Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman as well as the treasurer and secretary receives a monthly honorarium equivalent to that of a barangay councilor.
The monthly honorarium of the barangay officials depends on their local income.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

Massive vote-buying marked the brgy, SK polls

CALBAYOG CITY- Vote-buying during election times has become a ‘hallmark’ of sort in the country to the extent that voters no longer mind what candidates would do if they win but rather how much they would shell out just to get elected.
And the recently-concluded barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections was not an exception as massive vote-buying was reported in this city and the rest of Samar province as voters were eager to ensure that they were included in the ‘budget lists’ by the candidates.
‘Baby,’ a voter of an island-town and asked not to be named, said that she recieved P4,000 during the elections from various candidates in their village.
“I vote (d) for barangay and SK so the budget for me was double,” the 21-year old said.
Those who are 18 years old up to 30 years of age casted both for the regular barangay and youth elections.
Baby said that in their town, a voter received a minimum of P2,000 to vote for a punong barangay, at least P1,500 for a SK chairman and a minimum of P100 each for barangay and SK councilor.
According to her, she received P1,000 as an initial ‘payment’ with the remaining P3,000 after she casted her votes.
“Our family no longer believe on their promises because these will not come true and will just remain as promises,” she said reason why they prefer money than listening to the candidates’ plans if they get elected.
In fact, it’s how much that they could receive during elections and not the platforms of the candidates that dominate their conversations, she said.
In 2016, the first time she voted, Baby earned more than P5,000, a big amount for those who have no steady source of income.
“Whoever is the highest bidder I will vote because election is all about money,” she said.
Baby admitted that for the past years even before she voted, her understanding about elections is giving of money.
Another voter, “Sarah” from this city who also declined to give her name, hoped for peace and more development for their village though she was willing to sale her vote.
“I made sure that my name and the other members of our family were included in the list asked by the candidates,” she said.
With the massive vote-buying that marked the conduct of the May 14 elections in the region, amounting as high as P5, 000 per voter, the appeal issued by the Commission on Elections and the Catholic Church obviously fell to deaf ears. (JENNIFER SUMAGANG-ALLEGADO)

Lone boxer from region to win gold

TACLOBAN CITY- A student-scholar from the Leyte Sports Academy (LSA), based in this city, and a promising boxer, has won a gold medal in the recently concluded Palarong Pambansa 2018 in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur and contributed to the gold medal harvest of the academy that saved the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) from landing last among the country’s regional delegations.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla told Leyte Samar Daily Express that LSA scholar Caasi Salvador, 16, was one of the ten boxer-athletes of the EVRAA delegation which participated in the recently-concluded Palarong Pambansa.
Salvador, who is from Naval, Biliran, fought against Eduardo Jimenez from Central Visayas under light flyweight category of 46-48.kg. and turned out to be the 2018 Palarong Pambansa light flyweight category boxing champion.
He was the only EVRAA boxer who won a medal in the Palaro.
The other boxers from the EVRAA were from Leyte division (2); Ormoc City division (6), and one from Calbayog City division.
Petilla said that Salvador is a promising boxer and may become one of the best boxers in the future reason why the LSA is giving him more training to harness further his boxing potentials.
With 9 gold, 10 silver, and 9 bronze medals harvested by the regional athletes, Eastern Visayas ranked 12 in this year’s Palarong Pambansa.
And out of the EVRAA medals won, LSA athletes won the 8 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze medals. If not with the gold medals from LSA, EVRAA would have landed in the 17th place which is the lowest rank. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

Sign of improving economies

TACLOBAN CITY – The provincial government of Leyte recognized the treasurers across the province for their efforts on increasing their tax collections.
The awarding, held at the Leyte SMED-Center, this city, was graced by Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and Department of Interior and Local Government Regional Director Maribel Sacendoncillo.
Leading the 40 municipalities in local tax collection was the town of Kananga with P82.23 million collection.
Joining Kananga as top collectors on locally sourced revenues were the municipalities of Palompon, P58.55 million; Isabel, P33.34 million; Palo, 33.01 million; and Abuyog, P30.10 million.
Meanwhile for local government units with highest efficiency collection in all locally source revenues, Albuera got the highest rating at 80.97 percent increase or a collection of P24.94 million from its previous collection of P13.78 million.
Albuera municipal treasurer Elvira Perez said that their close monitoring on revenue collection was the main reason why they were able to surpass their last year’s collection.
Perez added that they also religiously sent notices to their delinquent tax payers and have an efficient collection on sand and gravel operations.
Other towns with highest efficiency on local tax collection were the following: Tabango with 37.02 percent increase or P6.63 million for this year compare to last year’s P4.84 million; Palo with 37.60 percent increase or collection of P33 million from P23.99 million in 2017; Inopacan with 38.26 percent increase or P11.6 million from P8.39 million; Calubian with 39.61 percent increase or a collection of P6.40 million from the 2017 collection of P4.58 million.
Gov. Petilla said that the recognition given to the treasurers in the province is a manifestation that the conditions of their areas are improving due to robust business activities.
“The increase of collection in the municipalities shows how our economy is moving because there are businesses going. This is also a proof that our economy is getting stronger,” Petilla said.
“As our economy grows, more investment are coming, the value of our properties changes. You need to step up so that we can generate more local income,” he added.
Sacendoncillo, meantime, reminded the treasurers to always do the right thing and should not allow the mayors to make decision on their behalf.
“Make the right decision because at the end of the day, you are accountable for the decision you made. You work for more than half of your life in the government but because of a wrong decision, you are dismissed from service. Everything you have work for are taken away from you for a simple and single mistake,” she said.
“I know it is difficult to deal with politicians but be guided by the principles that you are accountable for you own actions and decisions so do what is right and you will continue to be safe,” Sacendoncillo added.
The DILG official added that municipal treasurers should start expanding the horizon of their responsibilities by looking at their work not just as a job but as part of a mission.
“As part of the government, we are given opportunities to do great things not for us but for the future,” Sacendoncillo ended.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)