TACLOBAN CITY- It could be the start of their quest for justice.
That’s how Kristine Clemencio summed up the decision of the Ombudsman to charge former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino over the killing of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) members of the Philippine National Police.
Clemencio’s husband, PO1 Mark Lory Clemencio from Carigara, Leyte, was among those SAF members killed in what is known as Mamasapano massacre.
“I am happy with this development. Hope this will be the first step for us to achieve justice that we have been seeking for all this time,” Clemencio, reached on her mobile phone, said.
She, however, remain apprehensive that considering that Aquino was a former president and remain influential, the case filed against him may not end as they want it.
“He is a (former) president. The case might just be white washed. I am only pinning my hope to President Duterte who personally gave his assurance to us that justice will be served to us and our loved ones(who died due to the encounter),” Clemencio said.
Aquino was charged by the Ombudsman not for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and physical injuries but only for usurpation of authority and graft over the controversial incident.
Aside from Clemencio, SAF members who were from the region who were killed during the botched operations were PO3 John Lloyd Sumbilla from Sulat, Eastern Samar; PO2 Glenn Bedua from Dulag, Leyte; PO2 Noel Balaca from Oras, Eastern Samar;PO2 Rodel Ramacula from Rosario, Northern Samar and PO1 Joseph Sagonoy from Silvino Lubos, Northern Samar. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

NGCP continues its Visayas restoration efforts for facilities affected by the July 6 earthquake.
As of July 17, 3 out of 6 transformers (two 138/69kV and one 230/138kV transformers) are now energized, with Transformer 4 online at 849AM today. The remaining three 230/138kV transformers are still under observation.
In light of information from test results of Ormoc transformer 6 and additional need for testing and corrective repair, technical experts do not recommend energization on July 19. The new target is set to July 23, still subject to satisfactory test results.
The islands of Leyte, Samar, Bohol, and Biliran will still continue to experience rotating power interruptions, particularly during peak hours, due to Ormoc Substation transformer limitations.
NGCP’s Ormoc-Tongonan 138kV line has been ready since July 8 to transmit as much as 112MW from Greencore. Greencore committed to supply 40MW out of its 70MW pre-earthquake capacity by July 19.
Power situation in Cebu, Negros, and Panay will also improve with the synchronization of KSPC after its scheduled maintenance and the increasing generation output of EDC geothermal plants.
All other parallel strategies, particularly the hauling of transformers from Cebu and reconfiguration of 230kV to 138kV lines, are ongoing and ready for implementation, respectively.

TACLOBAN CITY- National Housing Authority (NHA) is dismissing claims that houses located at the resettlement sites here sustained damages after the city was hit by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake.
Rizalde Mediavillo, NHA regional manager, said that they have inspected these houses right after the quake and based on their inspection, they did not notice any damage to these houses.
This assertion of the NHA official is in contrary to the claims of city engineer Dionisio de Paz.
de Paz said that several housing units located in Ridge View in Barangay Cabalawan and Guadalupe Heights in Brgy. Suhi were seen to have developed cracks after the jolt.
With the damaged sustain by these housing units, the city official alleged that the building of these units could be substandard, a claim that has been previously made.
“On the inspection that we conducted after the earthquake, there were no reported housing units that were damaged,” Mediavillo said.
“What was observed was the fiber cement board that was used was not integrated with the concrete cement. If it is not integrated, there is a tendency that it will not stick with the cement because it is only a form work. But that doesn’t mean that it is substandard because if you say that it is substandard, the materials you use is not within the standard,” the NHA official added.
Ridge View and Guadalupe Heights are among the 11 resettlement sites constructed by the NHA for families who totally lost their houses after Tacloban was pummeled by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.
NHA is tasked to construct more than 14,400 housing units but has only so far built more than 8,000 units.
Cracks on walls or what they call hairline cracks are natural to appear in any concrete structure and are not dangerous, added Mediavillo.
“All housing projects are safe because before it is implemented by the NHA, it must be approved first by the Department of Public Works and Highways for resiliency approval,” Mediavillo stressed.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

MATUGUINAO, Samar- This interior town has only 43 individuals, four of them were women, who voluntarily surrendered for using methamphetamine hydrochloride or popularly known as shabu.
And almost all of them are ‘habal-habal’ drivers who have access to the illegal drugs, town Mayor Melissa de la Cruz said in an interview.
Habal-Habal is a motorcycle modified to accommodate more than two passengers and is considered as the most common public transport in provinces as it can stand the rough, steep terrain and narrow roads, such as the mountains.
“The drivers have the access to illegal drug traders that is why they are the most vulnerable to that vice,” the town mayor said.
It was learned from de la Cruz that the existence of shabu on the town’s interior barangays are not heard of as drug users are mostly living at the town center.
Of the 20 barangays of the town (population: 7,288), only two are located at its center, Maduroto and Mabuligon.
Senior Inspector Anthony Angcay, town police chief, said that interior barangays are not affected by the illegal drug trade because members of communist group New People’s Army will hunt illegal drug users.
“The town is now drug-free because the one whom illegal drug users buy the illegal drugs was already arrested by the police,” he said.
Mayor de la Cruz said that she is thankful that President Rodrigo Duterte launched this anti-illegal drug campaign.
She added that with the elimination of shabu in her town, commission of crimes related to the illegal drugs could be avoided.
The mayor added that her administration is working closely with the local police to help the drug surrenderees recover from the illegal drug abuse and turn them again as productive residents of the town. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)