TACLOBAN CITY-The parish priest of Homonhon Island, off Guiuan town, Eastern Samar, has called on officials to include President Rodrigo Duterte to stop ‘desecrating the island.’
Fr. Christian Ofilan, parish priest of the St. John the Baptist Parish, was referring to the mining operations in Homonhon, the site of the landings of Portuguese-born Ferdinand Magellan 500 years ago which the country is commemorating.
“I would like to use my small voice to call on our government leaders, from the mayor of Guiuan to President Rodrigo Duterte, please stop desecrating our island, ”Ofilan said during his homily on Wednesday(March 17) as part of the Quincentennial celebration of the coming of Magellan and his fleet to the island.
On Thursday (March 18), President Duterte graced the event by leading in the unveiling of the quincentennial marker of the world’s first circumnavigation led by Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano on March 17,1521 located in Barangay Ngolos.
According to Fr. Ofilan, considering that Homonhon is where the first missionaries in the country has arrived 500 years ago, it is just right that its ‘blessedness and sacredness’ should be preserved and not desecrated.
“Our ancestors consider our island as sacred and blessed. But what we’ve done after 500 years? We have desecrated it.We lost its sacredness because of our irresponsibilities,” he said.
The island is rich with mineral deposits like nickel and chromite.
While at present, there is no active mining operations on the island, several mining companies have located in Homonhon.
Among these mining companies is Techiron Resources whose move to remove its ‘stockpile’ of chromite April of last year sparked protest from the villagers.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
acloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez issued an appeal to the Taclobanons to practice discipline as a way to help fur- ther spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez issued an appeal to the Taclobanons to practice discipline as a way to help fur- ther spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
TACLOBAN CITY- Amid the current threat of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) variants, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez urged the public to exercise self-discipline, as it is the key to win the battle against this pandemic.
“The bottom line is to not let our guard down, as self-discipline is the best solution to help the government in addressing this health crisis,” the local chief executive emphasized during an interview on Wednesday, March 17.
Mayor Romualdez continues to appeal to the public to strictly comply with all safety and health protocols such as wearing of face masks and face shields, and observance of social distancing, even as it streamlined and eased its COVID-19 guidelines.
To note, protocols in Tacloban City have been minimized, however mandatory isolation or quarantine of confirmed cases, close contacts, and those with flu-like symptoms are still required.
Meantime, though vaccines are now readily available, he advised residents “to not be complacent,” as he received reports that some have started to become ‘lax’ in following health protocols.
“It’s been a year and everyone was caught flat-footed. We had the chance to learn from it and now that we do, let’s use it…so that we can gradually go back to our lives before,” he said, noting that the virus is still around and can easily be transmitted.
To date, the city has 77 active cases, bringing it to a total of 2068 confirmed cases, with 1941 recoveries and 50 deaths.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
END OF THE INSURGENCY? President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday (March 18) said that he is confident that the decades-long insurgency problem of the country will soon come to its end with Eastern Visayas could be among the first areas in the country to be cleared. The President was in Tacloban City to attend the national and regional task forces to end local communist armed conflict meeting. (PNA)
Calls the rebels as mere bandits
END OF THE INSURGENCY? President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday (March 18) said that he is confident that the decades-long insurgency problem of the country will soon come to its end with Eastern Visayas could be among the first areas in the country to be cleared. The President was in Tacloban City to attend the national and regional task forces to end local communist armed conflict meeting. (PNA)
TACLOBAN CITY-President Rodrigo Duterte said that he is confident that the long -running communist insurgency problem of the country will soon come to its end or at least before he steps down next year.
The President made this assertion as he attended on Thursday (March 18) the national and regional task forces to end local communist armed conflict (ELCAC) held at the Summit Hotel, this city.
All the governors of the region, with the exception of Samar Governor Reynolds Michael Tan, were present during the event which was marked by a power failure just minutes before the President arrived at the venue.
In his presentation on the insurgency problem of the region, Social Welfare Sec. Rolando Joselito Bautista, who once served as the deputy commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City, said that since the Duterte administration implemented its ‘whole-of-nation approach’ under Executive Order Number 70 in 2018, only four out of the region’s 11 communist fronts are remaining with around 1,000 regular members or New People’s Army have surrendered.
Also, 200 villages in the region have already been declared as insurgency-free with all the six provinces, seven cities and 137 towns declaring the armed group of the Communist Party of the Philippines as ‘persona non grata.’
“I know this problem could not be solved overnight that is why I am asking for the cooperation and the solidarity of all sectors in ending this conflict once and for all,” he said.
“With your support and patriotism, I am confident that we will triumph over the challenges ahead of us. Be assured that the entire force pf the Filipino people though the hands of the government os behind you as well to secure a genuine and lasting peace for our motherland,” the President added.
He also claimed that the communist party here in the Philippines have lost its ideology and what they are doing is plain banditry.
“The communist has not achieved anything at all, I have not seen any progress in their movement). Rather, it has become a group of bandits solely,” the President said.
During the meeting, the President reiterated his order to the military to kill armed rebels and said that not in the million years of fighting that the communist group will succeed in their fight against the government.
Duterte said his administration did its best to have a peace agreement with the Communist Party of the Philippines, but its founding chairperson, Jose Maria Sison, lacked sincerity.
“I cannot fathom the brain of Sison however you prick it, it’s gone. He has, I don’t know, if dementia or something. He keeps on transferring from one topic to another that finally I thought that peace through negotiation with them is impossible. So I gave up although I tried everything,” he added.
Duterte also expressed his sadness that communist rebels continue to stay in the mountains to fight the government troops.
Despite the continuing insurgency in the country, Duterte is happy that the government, through the NTF and RTF ELCAC, made big achievement in fighting the communists.
Duterte also promised that the government will continue to support the former rebels.
Eastern Visayas is one of the country’s poorest regions with the existence of armed insurgency cited as among its reasons.
During his more than one-hour speech, Duterte teased both Sen. Christopher ‘Bong’ Go and Labor Sec.Silvestre Bello III.
On Go, his long-time confidant, the President addressed as him ‘President’ while Bello as ‘senator.’
Go, in a separate interview here, insisted that he is not entertaining about the 2022 presidential elections saying that his visits around the country should not be misinterpreted that he is seeking the presidency.
“Pagkatapos ng proklamasyon ko bilang senador, pinuntahan ko ang ating mga kababayan na nasunugan, nabahaan, nalindol, naputukan ng bulkan. Hindi ko po matiis na maupo sa opisina at magpalamig lang doon. (Pinupunthan ko) an ating mga kababayaan na nangangailangan ng tulong,” he said, parrying the question.
BORONGAN CITY-The Commission on Election (Comelec) Maydolong gave hair ties as freebies to all-female registrants on the Special Registration for Women and Young Girls as a token to mark women’s month.
A discount card from a popular beauty care center was also given as a special prize to the first registrant of the said event.
According to Remmie Vivian Accion, Comelec officer of Maydolong, the giving of tokens was an initiative of their office to urge people to register especially women who are qualified to vote in this coming national elections.
Accion said that the special registration was done for three days, from March 9 until March 11.
“Our office will also conduct a satellite registration to barangays to ensure that every qualified voter can register and the registration will last until September 30, 2021,” Accion added.
Accion stated that their office will only conduct registration on Tuesdays until Saturdays.
Every Monday is the disinfection day of their office to ensure the safety of their clients and employees.
Those who will register for the first time, they will need a birth or baptismal certificate.
Those who have already voted on the SK Election will not need to register anymore.
Their office also accepts clients who need a transfer of registration, change of status, and verification of the registration status if active or inactive.
The town of Maydolong has more than ten thousand voters.
(nbq/rdt / PIA E.SAMAR)
MAASIN CITY- Six out of seven clients of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) tested negative of COVID-19 while one was rejected after undergoing the first saliva RT PCR test in Southern Leyte.
According to Southern Leyte Chapter Administrator Jonas Maco, the seven clients submitted themselves for the saliva RT PCR test at PRC – Abgao Gym in Maasin City in the afternoon of March 10, 2021.
All the saliva samples collected were shipped out safely to Cebu via Hilongos on board Gabisan Roble ship in the evening. Upon arrival in Cebu at 4 o’clock early morning, it was immediately received at the PRC Molecular laboratory for further processing.
At 11 p.m. on March 11, the results were forwarded to concerned individuals and/or offices, Maco explained.
Six out of seven results turned out negative while one sample was rejected due to the presence of phlegm inside the container and was endorsed to concerned Red Cross Chapter for repeat testing.
For the first batch of clients, who were bound to travel to places like Cebu, Bohol and Aklan, all sought the saliva test at the local Philippine Red Cross testing center.
The provincial government in Bohol widely honored the PRC saliva test, as gleaned from the Bohol Island News shared by Chapter Administrator Maco.
Each test costs P2,000, he added.
PRC local chapter recently launched in the province earlier this month the first Saliva test for COVID-19 across Eastern Visayas region. It was formally held last March 3, 2021 in Maasin City.
He further said that a minimum of 50 collected samples will be transported to PRC Cebu Molecular lab once a week.
The validity of the result is 72 hours or three days from the date of the certification, he said.
For more inquiry, PRC Southern Leyte can be reached through CP number 09171244718, he said.
(ldl/esg/PIA8 SoLeyte)
