TACLOBAN CITY-The Regional Wildlife Rescue Center (RWRC) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-8) now serves as an educational place for the conservation of wildlife in the region.
DENR-8 Regional Director Leonardo Sibbaluca said that the RWRC located within the premises of Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Barangay Baras, Palo town serves as the rehabilitation area for confiscated, rescued, and abandoned wildlife species found within the region.
Sibbaluca said that while the wildlife species are housed at the center for proper care, it is open for educational tours and family trips.
“Everyone is invited to take the opportunity of seeing wildlife animals while they are still in captivity at the center,” Sibbaluca said.
Sibbaluca said that the confiscated animals are released into their natural habitat as soon as they are fit and healthy.
At present the center is taking care of several kinds of birds, wild cats, snakes, monkeys, and other animals.
With many kinds of wildlife being taken care of, the center looks like at the same time a mini zoo wherein anyone can see and observe.
Sibbaluca said that the RWRC has been relocated from its previous location in Babatngon, Leyte after it was totally damaged by supertyphoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

MAASIN CITY – A viaduct will soon rise within the new San Ricardo-Liloan Road, adding up to the list of tourist attractions in the southernmost tip of the province.
Instead of blasting hard rock to clear the area for road opening, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will instead build a 200-meter viaduct snaking through the rock formation.
The DPWH decided to build the viaduct after consultations with Rep. Roger Mercado and Governor Damian Mercado.
The project is in line with Southern Leyte’s local development plan.
“We all agreed to keep the natural beauty of hard rock intact by constructing a viaduct. This is in support to the provincial development plan and local tourism program,” said District Engineer Ma. Margarita Junia.
A viaduct is a long elevated roadway usually consisting of a series of short spans supported on arches, piers, or columns. This is the first structure of its kind in the province.
The structure will rise within the boundary of Barangays Kinachawa and San Ramon in San Ricardo.
The project is included in the P100 million funds next year meant to build an alternative road connecting San Ricardo to Liloan town.
Another P175 million is being proposed for 2018 to complete the circumferential road.
This year, the DPWH – Southern Leyte District Engineering Office (SLDEO) is currently implementing a P40 million opening of the alternative road.
For the 2016 allocation, the project aims to open about two kilometers of gravel road.
Other civil works include roadway excavation of hard rocks, installation of drainage system, and slope protection works. (PR)

ORMOC CITY- A drug pusher who was said to be a close associate of Kerwin Espinosa, region’s top drug lord, surrendered to police authorities saying he feared for his safety.
Nick June Canin, considered as one of the top drug pushers of the nearby town of Kananga chose to surrender to Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido.
Espenido is the chief of police of Albuera where Espinosa run his illegal drug trade.
Espinosa has been in hiding with his father, Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr., sought protective custody with the local police.
Canin,35, surrendered to Espenido shabu weighing 8.7 grams valued at P69,600 and a caliber 45 pistol loaded with live ammunitions.
The suspect claimed to be a “trusted aide” of Espinosa who supplied him shabu that he sold in Kananga, 33 kms away from Ormoc City.
In an interview, Canin said that he opted to surrender to Espenido as he could be assured of his safety.
The Albuera police chief welcomed the surrender of Canin adding that he is open for other drug personalities associated to Espinosa to give themselves up to him.
“Whoever is willing to surrender even coming from other areas, I will accept them. We are open to help. There is no problem. We only need give and take,” Espenido said.
“I am happy to know of their response on our call for them to surrender and hopefully to stop (in the illegal drug trade). My principle is that peace starts on trust, surrender and renewal. Everyone wants to start anew,” he added.
But Chief Inspector Ricky Reli, chief of police of Kananga, said that Canin was a subject of a buy-bust operation on September 22.
Canin, however, engaged his policemen to a fire fight and managed to escape only to resurface to surrender to Espenido.
Reli said that they advised Canin to turn over to them two kilos of shabu which they believed he was in possession as well as a grenade, a caliber 45 gun and a shot gun.
The Kananga police are preparing charges against Canin for violations of Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for drug selling and possession as well as illegal possession of firearm, both non-bailable offenses. (ELVIE ROMAN ROA)

ALLEN, Northern Samar – A jobless man was arrested by local police here during a buy-bust operation.
Arrested was Romeo Magdaraog,36 and a resident of Brgy. Lagundi, this town, at around 10:45 pm last September 23 during a buy-bust operation.
Magdaraog was arrested after he handed a sachet of shabu to a police officer who acted as a buyer for P1,000.
Seized from the suspect were four sachets of shabu; a mobile phone and the marked money of two P500 bills.
The seized illegal items were brought to the Crime Laboratory of the regional police headquarters in Palo, Leyte.
The suspect, now detained at the municipal police station, was charged for selling the illegal drug under RA 9165, said Senior Inspector Rommel Quinio, officer-in-charge of the Allen police station.
S/Supt. Daniel Mayoni, acting police provincial director, lauded the accomplishment of the Allen police station as he urged the community members to continue their support on this campaign against proliferation of the illegal drugs. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY-The anti-drug operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-8), together with Guiuan Municipal Police Station and Eastern Samar Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) scored anew with the arrest of a drug personality in Guiuan, Eastern Samar during a buy-bust operation.
In a report submitted to PDEA Director General Isidro S. Lapeña, elements of PDEA Regional Office 8 under Director Edgar T. Jubay, arrested Ericson Pestanio during a buy-bust operation on Tuesday (September 27) at about 11:45 pm in Barangay Sulangan of said town.
Seized from Pestanio, 38, single, jobless and a resident of 167 Real St. of Brgy.50 in Tacloban City, was one piece heat-sealed transparent sachet containing what is believed to be shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride with a weight of 0.9625 grams and two pieces sachet containing marijuana.
Pestanio, who is detained at the Guiuan municipal jail, was charge for violations of section 5(sale of dangerous drugs) and section 11(possession of dangerous drugs) of article 2 of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002. (PR)

MAKATI CITY- Nine local government units from the region have joined the roster of Municipal Leadership and Governance Program (MLGP) completers, overcoming the six building blocks of the country’s health system.
On Thursday (Sept.29) afternoon, the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila-School of Health Sciences in partnership with Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) and the Department of Health (DOH) held a colloquium at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center in Makati City.
The colloquium is a final requirement to complete their MLGP. During the event, mayors shared how their personal and leadership transformations paved the way for much needed reforms in their local health systems to help their poor constituents.
MLGP graduates were former mayors Loreto Yu of Alangalang, Leyte; Alden Avestruz of Barugo, Leyte; Fe Renomeron of Burauen, Leyte; Manuel Sia-Que of Dulag, Leyte; Mayors Kathleen Prudenciado of Almagro, Samar; Gemma Zosa of Sta. Margarita, Samar; Marilou Latorre of Villareal, Samar; Mark Biong of Giporlos, Eastern Samar; and Mario Madera of Mondragon, Northern Samar.
The local leaders were accompanied by their respective municipal health officers who also graduated from the MLGP.
“It is our duty to implement health plans and programs, allocate the maximum resources available, and support health workers and staff to ensure the well-being of our constituents,” said Salvador Isidro Destura, dean of the UP-Manila-School of Health Sciences.
The health department emphasized the value of building the capacities of local government units considering that they are frontline service providers after the devolution of health programs.
“Our graduates this afternoon can now be truly called bridging leaders. We also look forward that through them, we will be able to sustain all health initiatives,” said Exuperia Sabalbarino, DOH-8 local health system development system section chief.
ZFF vice president Arlene Gelia noted that the program enables transformation of mayors and local health leaders.
“You have true commitment to improve health in your communities by greening your score cards,” she said.
Score cards are tools used by the program to measure the local government’s performance before and after joining the program.
Indicators with green colors show good performance while red signifies poor performance.
The program has training and leadership coaching on local health system development, with focus on the World Health Organization’s 6 building blocks of health system.
These are good governance in the health sector, health service delivery, health workforce, health information, access to essential medicines, and healthcare financing.
The benefits of the program include personal development in health leadership and governance, improvement of municipal health outcomes, translate health outcomes into political gains, academic units leading to a master’s degree, networking and partnerships (building social capital), opportunity for health program grants and infrastructure development, and opportunity for Seal of Health Governance recognition.
In Eastern Visayas, there are already 49 mayors who completed the program, according to DOH.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)