MAASIN CITY (PIA) — After two years of subdued, restricted celebration of the feast of Sto. Niño because of the pandemic, devotees and visitors this time can look forward to a more festive atmosphere as the Sakay-Sakay festival will be back.

According to Lorena Acasio, city information officer, the city’s much anticipated counterpart of Cebu’s Sinulog is due to return on its regular date, the third Sunday of January, or January 22 for the year 2023, the activity led by the City Tourism Office.

The festival consisted mainly of fluvial procession and street dancing competition around the main streets of the city, as well as dazzling, creative display of giant icons dancing to the rhythmic beat of Sinulog, and colorful decorations of participating pumpboats.

An added feature for the festival’s comeback will be the “stories of Sto. Niño through Music and Dance” showing the child Jesus through singing and dancing talents of Maasinhons, according to Dainty Daling, assistant city tourism officer.

Those interested to join the contest are advised to submit entries on or before the deadline on January 10, or contact the city tourism office for more details through these numbers, 09164304958 or (053) 570-8097.

Other local government units whose patron is Sr. Sto. Niño also conduct tourism-related activities to capitalize on the high-spirited euphoria associated with the fiesta in an effort to attract curious tourists and religious pilgims, the gathering expected to generate vibant economic activity.
(LDL/MMP with reports from Dahlia Orit/PIA Southern Leyte)

Affected by the NAIA ‘tech glitch’

TACLOBAN CITY-The operations at the Daniel Z. Romualdez(DZR) Airport has returned to normalcy on Monday (Jan.2) a day after thousands of passengers failed to board with their flights on Sunday(Jan.1) due to what the Civil Aviation Authorities of the Philippines(CAAP) said due to ‘computer glitch’ and power outage.

Passengers who were stranded Sunday from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport(NAIA)arrived at the DZR Airport at around 5 am Monday(Jan. 2).

One of those stranded passengers was Major Francis Agno, the former information officer of the 8th Infantry Division, who was supposed to visit his parents in Samar.

Agno, now assigned at their national headquarters, said that he was forced to cancel his visit due to the incident.

“I just asked the Cebu Pacific company for a refund. I will just visit my parents in Samar next time,” he said.

“The operations at the DZR Airport is now back to normal with the passengers were able to board according with their flight schedules,” a personnel from CAAP, who declined to be named being not authorized, said.

The CAAP personnel also said that many of the stranded passengers had their flights rebooked by the airline companies.

“Many of them chose to stay at the airport while there were others who chose to return home or stayed in a hotel for their next flights,” he said.

Accordingly, the incident on Sunday resulted in the non-arrival of 14 flights of which six flights were from Cebu Airport with the rest coming from NAIA.

Both offices of the Philippine Airline and Cebu Pacific at the DZR Airport declined to provide the number of affected passengers, saying they need clearance from their legal offices first.

But passengers from Manila uses Air Buses which could accommodate 180 passengers while 78 passengers could be accommodated for smaller planes used for Cebu- Tacloban flights.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

ORMOC CITY– A 16-year old boy has been charged for parricide and attempted parricide after he stabbed both his parents in Calbayog City on December 26.

Report from the Calbayog city police office said that the stabbing incident arise after the boy and his 42-year old father had a heated altercation inside their house in Tinambacan district.

The boy stabbed his father using a ‘sundang’ hitting him on the several parts of his body.
He later stabbed his 40-year old mother, hitting her on her right knee, city police director Lt. Col. Ericsson Del Rosario said.

The father of the suspect died on the spot while his mother was brought to the Calbayog District Hospital for medical treatment.

The suspect voluntarily surrendered himself to retired Philippine Army Leo Cuizon who turned him over to the city police. (ROBERT DEJON)

TACLOBAN CITY-The Police Regional Office 8 under the leadership of PB/Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil arrested a total of 154 individuals across the region in the course of their de Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO) on December 28, 2022.

“Despite the holiday season, we are intensifying our implementation on the campaign against criminalities and other illegal activities,” the police regional director said in a statement.

On the campaign against criminality, six most wanted persons and 65 other wanted persons were arrested, he added.

Likewise, on the implementation of special laws, a total of 83 individuals were arrested while on the campaign against illegal drugs, seven drug personalities were arrested with confiscation of 33 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets suspected to be shabu.

Also, eight persons were arrested for illegal logging activities which resulted in the seizure of lumbers and equipment amounting to P101,400; for illegal fishing, 22 persons were arrested with P682,430 worth of confiscated assorted fish and fishing paraphernalia.

About 44 individuals were also arrested in the same period for engaging in illegal numbers game with the seizure of bet money amounting to P9,279.

Meantime, the campaign against loose firearms resulted in the arrest of two persons and the confiscation of four units of homemade shotgun; one short improvised firearm; four pieces of live ammunition and one piece empty magazine for M14.

On the campaign against insurgency, a certain Ka- Betoy, from Dolores, Eastern Samar voluntarily surrendered.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The entry from Barangay Carolina was adjudged as the top winner of this year’s Christmas lantern festival in Can-avid town, Eastern Samar
With its winning the top prize, the village received P150,000 with another P150,000 for its chosen project in the village.

This is the first time that Carolina won the top prize after several tries though it has been gaining the top 10 winning circle.

The 1st place went to Brgy. Burak, winning P100,000 cash prize and P100, 000 worth of barangay project while at 2nd place was Brgy. Camantang winning P70,000 cash prize and same amount for its barangay project.

Cash prizes for the winners were donated by Gov. Ben Evardone, Rep. Maria Fe Abunda, 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan and Vice Gov. Maricar Sison-Goteesan.

The fund for the barangay project is provided by the local government unit.

Awarding of the winners lead by Mayor Vilma Germino and was held during the Christmas party of the Association of Barangay Chairman last December 30.

Can-avid’s lantern festival, dubbed as ‘Lamrag Giant Lantern Festival’, is an annual competition that brings out the talent and ingenuity of the locals by creating Christmas decors made from recyclable materials in support of the local government unit’s solid waste management program.

Twenty-eight giant Christmas lanterns each measuring 3-feet in height representing 28 villages of the municipality participated in this year’s competition.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)