TACLOBAN CITY– A woman was mauled by her live-in partner in Mahaplag, Leyte Sunday (Dec.18).
Police said the victim, Liezel Dancil, legal age and a resident of Barangay Palanogan, and his common-law husband, Roseller “Yoyong” Oro, had a heated argument moments after the victim went to his house to visit her son and daughter.
The victim was supposed to depart for Manila on Monday, December 19.
According to the police, the suspect smashed the victim’s head to the wall until she lost consciousness.
Personnel of Mahaplag Municipal Police Station are conducting a hot pursuit operation for the possible arrest of the suspect.
Jealousy was believed to have been the cause of the mauling incident, according to the police. (RONALD O. REYES)
TACLOBAN CITY– Two persons were killed while four others were injured when a 12-wheeler truck rammed them in Catbalogan City, Samar on Saturday (Dec.17) at about 10 am.
Dead on the spot were Trinidad Felices,58, and Chardtine May Abalos,7 while the injured were Lorraine Pagliawan,8; Michelle Pallones,18; Jesuah Curiano,11; and Brandy Romana,14.
All were residents of P-1, Barangay Socorro of the said city.
Two others were unhurt, Lit Orquin,36 of Matuguinao, Samar whose vehicle was hit by the 12-wheeler truck; and Romalyn Berdaje,39, also of Brgy. Socorro.
Lt.Col. Jonathan Cuntapay, city police director of Catbalogan City, said that the 12-wheeler truck loaded with 350 sacks of rice and driven by Reagan Canete,36 of Babatngon, Leyte, hit the victims who were on the street at that time.
“The driver noticed that the brakes of his vehicle were not working and park it to check. Unfortunately, the stone that he used as a stopper cracked resulting for the vehicle to slide down, hitting the bystanders in the process,” he said in a phone interview.
All victims were brought to the Samar Provincial Hospital where they were treated with one said to be in serious condition, the city police director said.
The driver of the rampaging vehicle, which was bound for Tacloban City, voluntarily surrendered to them, Cuntapay said.
Still, he said, the suspect will be charged for reckless imprudence resulting to homicide and multiple injuries and damage to properties before the City Prosecutors Office. (JOEY A. GABIETA/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Tourism (DOT) in the region is mulling of adopting the ‘Suroy Suroy sa Sugbo’ tourism program of the provincial government of Cebu.
Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said that as part of the plan, they are thinking of conducting an immersion in Cebu to exactly know what is being done and offered during the tour.
After doing the emersion, they will be talking with tourism officers in the region to discuss how this will be implemented, especially in areas where this program are first to be piloted, she added.
“It is just a matter of identifying what one municipality has and will complement it with the other town. We do not want to offer something that LGU A and LGU B will be offering to the same tourists. So when we do the cluster, when we do the caravan, we will make sure that there will be no duplication,” Tiopes added.
Tiopes also said that instead of Suroy Suroy, the region’s version will be called ‘Suroy Sudoy’ to give consideration to the bilingual nature of Eastern Visayas residents.
“We are rich in history and culture and arts, hindi lang masyadong na- highlight. When we say heritage, it is manifested to structures, it is also manifested in our traditions, our culture is manifested in our food, performances, and arts and so many various ways,” Tiopes said.
Among the historical events that happened in the region include the coming of Ferdinand Magellan in Homonhon, Guiuan, Eastern Samar; the holding of the First Mass in Limasawa, Southern Leyte; the return of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Palo, Leyte; and the Balangiga Encounter in Balangiga, Eastern Samar, among others.
Popular local delicacies of the region includes the ‘binagol’ and chocolate moron from Dagami, Leyte; and heirloom dishes in Samar. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
END OF THE COMMUNIST ERA? With the death of the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), Army execs expect the end of the insurgency in the Philippines, including in Eastern Visayas where the rebels attacked soldiers just two days after his Dec. 16 passing. (Jose Maria Sison Facebook)
TACLOBAN CITY-The death of the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), Jose Maria Sison, could signal the end of the insurgency problem in the region and the rest of the country.
Thus said the spokesperson of the 8th Infantry Division, whose base is in Catbalogan City, and the primary organ of the government fighting against members of the armed wing of the CPP in the region.
Capt. Jefferson Mariano said that they expect, at least in the region, that the remaining members of the New People’s Army (NPA) will surrender and stop their fights against the government.
“They have lost their leader whose ideology they have been following. Joma Sison died without succeeding in his ideology, fighting against the government. So how much more, these rebels (succeeding),” he said in a phone interview.
“Definitely, his death is a big setback to them and will demoralize them. It’s about time for them to realize that their ideology does not work and for them to come down to join the mainstream society instead and help us in nation-building,” Mariano added.
Sison, 83, died on Friday (Dec.16) night in a hospital in the Netherlands where he went into exile, as confirmed by his party.
Still, he said, they are not letting their guards down especially since the CPP will be marking the anniversary of the NPA founding on Dec. 26.
“Definitely, we will continue our security operations in the region, especially in Northern Samar,” Mariano said.
Northern Samar province has been tagged by the military where four of the five guerilla fronts are still in operation.
Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo, the commanding general of the 8th ID, has earlier said that they see the end of the insurgency in the region in the first quarter of next year.
On Dec.11, a battalion of Scout Rangers arrived in the region where they were deployed to Northern Samar to fight against the rebels.
Meantime, just two days after the death of their founding leader, NPA rebels staged an ambush involving soldiers in Las Navas town, Northern Samar.
The attack, marked with the use of the anti-personnel mines, resulted in the injury of six soldiers, the 8th ID said in a statement.
The soldiers, belonging to the mobile community support and sustainable program team of the 20th Infantry Battalion, were attacked by the rebels in Barangay Quirino in the said town at about 5 am.
The government troops were in the village to provide security on the ongoing water system project funded under the barangay development program.
Lt. Col. Joemar Buban, the commanding officer of the 20th IB, said that the rebels used anti-personnel mine in their attack on his soldiers which resulted in their injuries.
He called on the Commission of Human Rights to investigate on the continuous use and violation of the rebels in the use of anti-personnel mines which is in violation of the international humanitarian law.
PALO, Leyte– The kakanin’ or local delicacies are given importance in this year’s Christmas celebration in this town.
The local government unit had organized the “kakanin festival” showcasing the trademark native delicacies of the municipality like the “suman,” a delicacy made from glutinous rice cooked in sweetened coconut milk.
Mayor Remedios ‘Matin’ Petilla said that aside from showcasing suman, they also allow other native delicacy makers to display and sell their products in food stalls they provided inside the compound of the Palo Cathedral.
More than 20 food stalls sell different types of suman and other native delicacies like puto bumbong, palitaw, among others, beginning on Friday (Dec.26), the start of the nine-day Simbang Gabi.
Selling of the native delicacies is until January 3. Winners of the best kakanin will also be announced on that day.
Mayor Petilla said that kakanin industry particularly suman is popular in her municipality.
Some makers had made some innovations to the suman product to give variations from its traditional taste.
Some of these suman had ube flavor, meat, turmeric, among other flavors.
Mayor Petilla added that she already asked help from the Department of Science and Technology to assist native delicacy producers in extending the shelf life of their products through the use of food technology like retorting.
“Instead of just three to four days, it should last for at least even less than a year if it is package properly so we can market it not only here in the province but even in national and international market,” Petilla said.
“Packaging is very important including on how we market it,” she added.
Palo opens its annual Christmas festival dubbed as’ Duaw ha Palo, Lamrag han Palo’ where major areas of the town are decorated with dazzling lights and colorful decorations that will amaze local visitors.
Also lighted with the bamboo Christmas tree are the municipal building, the tunnel of lights, Purisima Bridge, Bernard Reed Bridge, and the town public market.
Governor Carlo Jericho Petilla together with board members Wilson Uy, Raissa Villasin, and Carlo Loreto, graced the opening program held on Dec 14 at the Palo public plaza. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
TACLOBAN CITY – Nine days before Christmas and in time with the start of the nine early dawn mass also known as “Simbang Gabi,” the local government unit of Arteche in Eastern Samar opened its annual Christmas Festival.
Highlighting this year’s Christmas Festival in the municipality is the “Karan’on Bazaar” and the “Panarit Pastores” ha Belen.”
Karan’on is a Waray term for ‘kakanin’ or local delicacies. The Karan-on ha Pasko Bazaar aims to provide income opportunities and putting to spotlight the local bakers called “paragkaran’on” or kakanin makers and their creations during the Christmas season.
Only 10 participants are given the opportunity to sell their kakanin at the bazaar located outside the town parish with one will be selected as the best karan’on this Dec. 22.
Mayor Roland Boie Evardone said that holding the bazaar does not only provide an opportunity to native delicacy makers but even to the sellers of root crops, coconut, glutinous rice, and other raw materials needed to cook the karan’on.
“This will provide economic activity to Arteche residents because tourism is not only about picture taking but also about giving economic opportunity to the locals,” Mayor Evardone said.
Meanwhile, the Panarit, from the word “sarit” or ask permission— is a song written and sung in Waray that tells about the birth of Jesus and the journey of Joseph and Mary asking permission to seek shelter from houses in Bethlehem until the birth of Jesus.
Pastores ha Belen is a group of locals singing the Panarit at night in every household during the Christmas Season which starts on December 16 until the 22nd of December. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
