TACLOBAN CITY- Controversial Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido was a no-show during the preliminary conference on the charges filed against him by Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez at the regional office of the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) on Thursday(January 11).
With his failure to attend the preliminary hearing, the lawyers of Gomez submitted their motion citing Espenido to have waived his right to answer the complaint filed against him which was granted by the three-member ad hoc committee of the NAPOLCOM.
Espenido, who was then the police chief of Albuera, Leyte, was accused by Gomez of grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, dishonesty and conduct unbecoming of a police officer.
Gomez originally filed his complaint against Espenido and two others before the national NAPOLCOM office on November 16, 2016.
Also included in his complaint were PO3 Hydie Yutrago and Chief Inspector Leo Laraga who both appeared together with their respective lawyers.
Gomez said that he is determined to have Espenido, in particular, be held liable and remove him from the police organization for maliciously maligning his name and reputation, both as a mayor and an actor.
“We were tagged as drug capital of Eastern Visayas so when I became mayor, I worked hard to make Ormoc City as drug-cleared to show that I hate illegal drugs. And for me to be accused (of engaging in the illegal drug trade), talagang kakasuhan ko sila,” Gomez said.
The complaint filed by Gomez against Espenido, who is now the police chief of Ozamiz City, stemmed from his reported act releasing four prisoners who were held at the Ormoc City Police on October 17,2016.
The four, Marcelo Adorco, Jose Antipoesto, Jessie Ocares and Jernie Estrera were said to be henchmen of drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, himself detained at the Camp Crame custodial facility.
According to Gomez, the release of the four through the intercession of Espenido posed a threat to the security of the people of Ormoc. The whereabouts of the four remain unknown up to this time.
Gomez filed a complaint against Laraga for publicly tagging him using Espenido as his source as among those involved in the illegal drug trade during his appearance during a Senate investigation on November 10,2016 while Yutrago was allegedly responsible in forcing Max Miro, Gado Stephen Bobares, and Brian Anthony Gates Zaldivar, all said to be trusted men of Espinosa, signed a ‘ready-made affidavit’ listing down names said to be in the illegal drug trade.
Lawyer Haidee Borja, a member of the panel, said that during the preliminary hearing which lasted close to two hours, lawyers of Gomez submitted their position papers with their documentary evidences attached on them.
They are to submit their report within 15 days and will submit it to their commission en banc which will render its decision.
“Despite our due notice, respondent Chief Inspector Espenido did not appear, (so) we granted the motion of the prosecution to have waived his right to appear and file his position paper,” Borja said.
Arvin Avisado, Jr., one of Gomez’ lawyers, said that aside from the complaint they filed against Espenido at the NAPOLCOM, they are also set to file a string of criminal charges against the controversial police officer.(JOEY A. GABIETA)

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The two Daguitan-Marabong flood control projects in Barangay Caridad, Julita, Leyte, are now being assessed on the extent of damages in the aftermath of tropical storm ‘Urduja’ last December 16, 2017 and tropical storm ‘Agaton’ in January 2, 2018.
The two flood control projects amounting to P170.685 million collapsed due to heavy rains which led to scouring and riverbed degradation along the foundation of revetment.
Project Engineer Wilma Mesias of regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), based here, has coordinated with Leyte 2nd District Engineering Office to step up appropriate action for the two projects.
Thus, Engr. Gabriel Tomenio, DPWH- Leyte 2nd maintenance point person, reported that his team has already conducted on-site inspections and assessed the damages amounting to P21 million.
The field office is now preparing program of work and plans and requested funding for the repair of the flood control projects.
The Daguitan-Marabong flood control projects are located under the jurisdiction of the municipalities of Dulag and Julita, Leyte where the river basin has a catchment area of 292 sq. km.
Both projects were completed on April 25, 2016 and July 30, 2016, respectively. (PR)

ORMOC CITY- Two alleged drug suspects were arrested by the operatives of the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) of this city in a separate operation on Thursday (January 11).
First to fall was Ian Kim Sia, 35 and a resident of Barangay Dama de Noche where he was arrested during a buy-bust operation that netted in the confiscation of a sachet of suspected shabu.
Chief Insp. Joseph Joevel Young, CDEU chief, said a confidential informant arranged the transaction with Sia and a police-poseur buyer bought a small sachet of suspected shabu worth P500 along the national highway near the suspect’s residence around 3 p.m.
Incidentally, Brgy. Dama de Noche was earlier declared as a drug-cleared village.
Also arrested was Freddie Ariño, 36, single, jobless and residing in Barangay Alegria, also of this city, who Sia said where he gets his supply of the prohibited substance.
In a body search at the Police Station 1, the operatives confiscated the bust money worth P500 from Sia. The suspect admitted he owned the small sachet of suspected drug the police bought from him.
Ariño also confirmed owning the one sachet of illegal drug seized from his pocket in a procedural body search which he said worth P1,500.
He even expressed coordination with the police by revealing names of his alleged drug sources but refused to divulge the names of various personalities who delivered shabu to him.
An inquest proceeding was prepared against the two suspects for violation of Republic Act 9165 otherwise known as Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Meantime, Station Police I Supt. Reynaldo Torlao said that there is ‘big fish’ who are engaging in the illegal drugs in the city.
However, there was a resurgence of illegal drug activity when drug operations were solely assigned to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
(ELVIE ROMAN-ROA)

PASTRANA, Leyte- About 85 farmers from this town have suffered a massive decline in their income due to insect infestation on their farms.
Records from the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) disclosed that the palay infestation was caused by stem borer, an insect larva that bores into plant stems, affecting 102.2 hectares in 12 barangays.
Melanie Marilla who has a three-hectare of palay farm in Barangay Jones, said that the infestation has resulted in the loss of their income.
“We really feel bad on this infestation as this resulted in the decline of our income. Before the infestation, we could harvest 264 sacks of palay but now during our November harvest, our yield only reached to 32 sacks,” the mother of two children said.
A sack of palay could be sold at P600 which this means, Marilla lost close to P140,000, a huge amount for small farmers.
Melinda Barillo, agricultural technologist of Pastrana, said that the infestation which was noted last year, has affected 12 barangays.
These are the villages of Dumarag, Cankaraja, Colawen, Yapad, Aringit, Arabunog, Maricum, Lima, Sapsap, Calsadahay, Jones, and Socsocon which sustained the heaviest damage with 21 farmers covering 22.7 hectares.
Barillo said that they have already reported this infestation at the regional office of the Department of Agriculture for a possible assistance to the affected farmers.
It was learned from her that there were farmers who received financial assistance from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) as they were able to file their insurance claims with the said office.
(ALMA L. ELASE/JOHN REY N. CABILTE, EVSU Students Intern)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Department of Agriculture in Eastern Visayas will be working on a smaller budget in 2018 primarily due to funding cuts for livestock and high-value crops programs.
From P1.48 billion allotment last year, the department’s outlay slightly dropped to P1.37 billion, said Elvira Torres, DA assistant regional director for research and development.
“There is a 58 percent decrease on livestock program and 24 percent on high-value crops. Overall, our regular budget is 7.57 percent lower than in 2017,” Torres said on Friday.
In 2017, the central government allotted P130.5 million to develop the region’s livestock industry and P156.65 million to hike high-value crops output.
This year, the budget for livestock dropped to P54.43 while the outlay for high-value crops went down to P118.13 million.
Torres, however, said farmers will still enjoy the benefits of these two major programs this year since not all of the budget was spent in 2017.
As of Nov. 30, 2017, only 29 percent of funds for livestock had been used. The high-value crops development program posted a lower utilization rate at 27 percent with just a month left before the end of the year.
Aside from the two major programs, it also reported budget cuts for farm-to-market roads (P377 million to P373.38 million) and locally funded projects (P198.49 million to P126.67 million).
In contrast, the rice program will have a higher budget this year from P373.15 million to P384 million and corn program from P93.61 million to P103.6 million.
The DA has been criticized by private sector representatives in the Regional Development Council for the very low utilization rate of the 2017 budget despite the need to develop the predominantly agricultural region.
Torres said that mechanisms are in place to improve spending this year through planning and intensified monitoring.
“We have complied to the request of the RDC to ensure that spending activities in the future should contribute with the attainment of target 3.6 percent to 3.8 percent growth for the farming sector,” she added.
Eastern Visayas is an agricultural area where 45 percent or 976,415 hectares of total land are devoted to agriculture.
Of its agricultural lands, 70 percent is planted to coconut and 20 percent is planted to rice and corn. The rest is planted to other crops, used to raise livestock and poultry, or produce inland fishery products.
Leyte has the biggest farmlands at 332,018 hectares, followed by Northern Samar (200,563 hectares), Samar (170,995 hectares), Southern Leyte (90,673 hectares), and Biliran (27,230 hectares). (SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)

Incoming Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Eduardo M. Año vows to be the “conductor who will lead towards a clear vision” while relentlessly waging a war against illegal drugs, corruption, communist insurgency, and violent extremism in the turnover ceremony held on Tuesday afternoon.
Facing the officials and employees of DILG, OIC Año laid the blueprint of his leadership focusing on illegal drugs citing that “with the collective efforts of the employees and DILG-attached agencies, greater tasks will be accomplished in the service of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s administration”.
“Under my watch, the DILG will relentlessly and resolutely wage a campaign to rid the country of illegal drugs, criminality, and corruption. The threats of communism and violent extremism will also be met head-on,” says Año.
“I will strongly uphold our primary mandate to ‘promote peace and order, ensure public safety and further strengthen local government capability aimed towards the effective delivery of basic services to the citizenry’” he adds.
To realize the said endeavor, Año says that existing local institutions that deal with peace and order and public safety such as the Peace and Order Councils (POCs), Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (ADAC), and People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) shall be strengthened.
He also says that the engagement of the citizens and other sectors of society in this effort or a whole-of-nation approach is essential to this crusade.
The DILG OIC declares as well that under his leadership, ranks of local and police officials shall be “cleansed” to “separate the bad eggs from within the ranks”.
“As for local and police officials, and all engaged in crime groups, you will be held accountable and will be dealt with uncompromisingly for violating our laws,” says Año. (PR)