ALERT. Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez directed the members of the city disaster risk reduction management office to be on alert as the city was under threat due to tropical depression “Crising.” Mayor Romualdez is shown in a file photo conducting an inspection when Tacloban experienced flooding due to incessant rains.
ALERT. Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez directed the members of the city disaster risk reduction management office to be on alert as the city was under threat due to tropical depression “Crising.” Mayor Romualdez is shown in a file photo conducting an inspection when Tacloban experienced flooding due to incessant rains.
TACLOBAN CITY – Tropical depression “Crising” has not caused significant damages in the region, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) reported.
Crising made its landfall twice in the region on Black Saturday- first in Hernani, Eastern Samar and Basey, Samar.
Edgar Posadas, OCD regional director of the OCVD, said only minor flooding have been reported in some parts of the region after the weather disturbance dumped heavy rains on Saturday (April 15).
“The situation in the region was generally okay except for a few flooding incidents. No other significant events were reported,” Posadas said in a text message.
Of all affected areas, only the local government unit of Palo, Leyte sought the assistance of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council after floods inundated nine villages, displacing 500 families.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) lifted sea travel suspension on Saturday night after 24 hours of trip cancellations as state weather bureau PAGASA raise cyclone warning signal number 1 in Eastern Visayas provinces.
At least 2,965 were stranded in ports of Allen, Northern Samar; Isabel, Leyte; and Palompon, Leyte from Friday night until Saturday night. (MELVA MAE C.MENIANO)
Sugar farmers from Barangay Sumangga, Ormoc City have to wait until April 4 for them to freely harvest sugarcanes from the lots awarded to them by DAR after previous owner of the property questioned the move. (Kaisahan Photo)
Sugar farmers from Barangay Sumangga, Ormoc City have to wait until April 4 for them to freely harvest sugarcanes from the lots awarded to them by DAR after previous owner of the property questioned the move. (Kaisahan Photo)
ORMOC CITY- About 23 sugar farmers from this city were looking forward that after years of waiting, they could harvest sugarcanes this week.
However, the enthusiasm of the farmers of Barangay Sumangga turned into another nightmare as they were stopped by the previous owner of the lot.
The farmers received their CLOAs (certificate of land ownership awards) from the Department of Agrarian Reform in 1998, giving them legal rights of the 35 hectares of sugar field.
However, the Potenciano and Aniceta Larrazabal Enterprise Corporation (PALEC), the original owner of the property, questioned the distribution.
But last year, DAR was able to install the 23 farmers who formed a group, Sumangga Farmers Association (SUFA).
On Tuesday (March 28), the farmers were supposed to have their first harvest only to be frustrated anew as PALEC registered its opposition.
PALEC, as represented by its board member Geraldine Larrazabal, requested a court order from DAR and the 23 beneficiaries before the corporation allow them to proceed with the harvest.
But the DAR insisted that a court is unnecessary since the activity is part of the implementation of the Agrarian Reform Law and that the land legitimately belongs to the farmer beneficiaries.
Larrazabal insisted to postpone the harvest until April 4 so that the other PALEC board members can sit down for another dialogue with the beneficiaries and DAR to further discuss the issue.
Lawyer Rolly Peoro, legal officer of Kaisahan, a nongovernment organization assisting the farmer beneficiaries, said that the existing sugarcane already belongs to the CLOA holders since the crops were planted by PALEC in bad faith.
“The DAR rules are clear: crops that were introduced from the time of or after the former landowner’s receipt of the notice that the landholdings had already been effectively acquired by the state as evidence by certificate of deposit shall be considered as planting or sowing is done in bad faith by the former landowner,” he said.
With a heavy heart, the farmer beneficiaries signed a resolution and reluctantly agreed to wait for another week just to come up with a resolution and to avoid further conflict.
It was agreed upon that no harvesting activity shall begin before April 4, 2017, until the issue is settled between the ARBs and PALEC.
(JAZMIN BONIFACIO)
Miss PNP 2017 Arla Ray Obedencia Paciencia.
(photo courtesy)
Miss PNP 2017 Arla Ray Obedencia Paciencia. (photo courtesy)
The most beautiful policewoman in the country
TACLOBAN CITY- A policewoman from the region was named as the fairest of the entire police organization in the country whose beauty and brains got the judges swooning over her during the first ever “Ganda Pulis: Miss PNP 2017”.
PO1 Arla Ray Paciencia, 24, and from Tacloban City, bested 26 other candidates to win the crown.
The Ganda Pulis: Miss PNP 2017 is part of the police organization’s activities as the country observes Women’s Month this March.
Paciencia, who is in her fourth year in the police organization, received her crown, a plaque and a gift check worth P300,000 from PNP deputy chief for administration, Deputy Director General Ramon Apolinario and Chief Supt. Gilbert Cruz, whose office Community Relations Group, initiated the beauty and brains pageant held at the Camp Crame held on Tuesday (March 28).
She also won the best traditional costume award for wearing a lantern-shaped gown.
Completing her court were PO1 Nova Em Lago from Davao Regional Police Office, PO1 Leizel Abejero from Zamboanga Police Regional Office, PO1 Bernie Jane Dela Cruz from Central Luzon Police Regional Office and PO1 Janice Etang from the Caraga Police Regional Office.
An achiever, she is a Nursing graduate, cum laude, at the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes Foundation, Inc. in Tabon-Tabon, Leyte in 2012. She passed the Nursing Licensure Exam in the same year.
An academic excellence awardee, she hails from Barangay San Jose, the hard-hit area when the city was pummeled by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.
Paciencia was fully supported by the PNP-8 led by Regional Director Chief Supt Elmer Beltejar and the whole police force of the region.
The new beauty queen paid a courtesy call to PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa.
She was first assigned at Samar Provincial Police Office based in Catbalogan City and later transferred to the Eastern Visayas Police Regional Office, (PRO-8) in Palo, Leyte.
This is not the first time she joined a beauty pageant.
Before joining the police force, she sashayed on stage and won first runner-up in the Miss Pintados 2012 pageant.
In life, she said that it’s not how many times you fall, but how you rise up to fight again another day.
The week-long search for confidently beautiful policewomen is in support of the Women’s Month celebration, through the Police Community Relations Group (PCRG).
Paciencia, who returned to the city on Friday, will continue to advocate the PNP programs and serve as ambassadress of goodwill of the police force. (VICKY C. ARNAIZ)
TACLOBAN CITY- For drawing salaries while he was not actually reporting for work, an elementary school principal based in Eastern Samar was suspended by the regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Arnaldo Caspe, school principal of the Sulat Central School (SCS) in Sulat, Eastern Samar, was “preventively suspended” by DepEd Regional Director Ramir Uytico effective March 2, this year.
The suspension of Caspe was based on a complaint filed by Marlo Nival, a teacher of the said school, who accused Caspe of dishonesty for filing up his daily time record (DTR) though he was not reporting for work as principal of the school.
Nival claimed that for the months of April, May, June, July, August, September and October, all in 2013, Caspe continued to receive his monthly salary of about P40,000.
On that year, Caspe took the Bar examination which he failed to pass.
Nival was named as officer-in-charge of the SCS when Caspe went to Manila to take a review for the Bar examination.
“While I was performing the function of my designated office, I later found out that respondent did not file an official leave of absence.(And) despite his absence without official leave, Mr. Caspe still filed his Form 48(daily time record) falsely indicating therein the fact of his alleged reporting for work…” Nival said in his complaint he filed before the regional DepEd office.
It was learned that Caspe was reassigned as school principal of Can-avid Central School in Can-avid town, also in Eastern Samar on November 2, 2016.
Aside from filing an administrative complaint against Caspe, Nival also filed a criminal complaint against Caspe before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Borongan City, Eastern Samar for violation of Republic Act 3019(Anti-Graft and Practices Act) and violation of Articles 171 and 172 of the Revised Penal Code for falsification of documents which has yet to be resolved.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
TACLOBAN CITY- The lawyer of murdered Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr. said that talking of a possible presidential pardon on those who killed her client is still a long shot at this time.
Lawyer Leilani Villarino said that knowing how slow the judicial system grinds in the country, the decision of the court handling the murder case of Espinosa may outlast the term of President Duterte.
“We’ll see what will be the verdict of the court and if Mr. Duterte is still the President. How can he pardon them if he is no longer the President at that time?” Villarino, reached on her mobile phone, said.
The President, who is waging a controversial and brutal war on illegal drugs, is to step down in 2022.
An impeachment complaint has been filed against him before the House of Representatives using his campaign against illegal drugs as among the grounds.
On Wednesday, Mr. Duterte vowed to grant a presidential pardon to police officers who were convicted in the performance of their duties.
His statement came in the wake of the arrest and detention of members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in the region for the murder of Espinosa, father of the region’s drug lord, Kerwin.
A warrant was issued against the group by Judge Carlos Arguelles of Regional Trial Court-Branch 14 in Baybay City.
Accused of murder were former CIDG-8 director Supt. Marvin Marcos and 18 others. All professed innocence saying they were just performing their sworn duties.
Marcos and his coaccused are currently detained at the CIDG-8 regional office in this city. Media are barred from entering the said office.
Villarino, however, said that they could not question if ever Marcos and his coaccused would be given presidential pardon.
“The process of pardon is granted to our President under our Constitution. But there should be a parameter before he could issue such. For one, there should be a conviction,” she said.
“How could they be pardon by the President if there is no conviction from the court of competent jurisdiction?” Villarino said.
Villarino said that when Mr. Duterte issued the controversial statement, he could be talking as a lawyer.
“Utak abogado ang pinairal niya. He was just rational. But in fairness to the President, wala siyang ginawa that could prejudice the case. Under niya DOJ (Department of Justice), but wala naman siyang ginawa,” she said.
However, the family of Espinosa is sad considering that they are demanding justice “just like any family whose loved one was murdered,” Villarino said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
TACLOBAN CITY- Two men from this city were arrested in a buy-bust operation on Wednesday (March 29) that resulted to the seizure of methamphetamine or shabu valued at P25,000.
Senior Supt. Rolando Bade, city police director, in a press statement, identified the arrested drug personalities as Rexter Arbiertas, 41, a carpenter and Jomel Avestrus, 38 and a pedicab driver.
The two were arrested during a buy-bust operation in Barangay 96, Calanipawan area, at about 2:15 am.
The arrest of Arbiertas, who is listed of the city police’s drug watch, and Avestrus, is part of the continued campaign of the police organization, particularly in Tacloban City, against proliferation of illegal drugs now dubbed as “Project Double Barrel Reloaded,” S/Supt. Bade said.
A confidential informant of the police led to the arrest of the suspects.
Bought from them was one piece heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing white crystalline suspected as shabu worth P300.
Recovered from the suspects were six pieces heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected as shabu with an estimated market value of P25,000.
The suspects are now detained at the Tacloban City Police Office headquarters while cases for violation of Sections 5 and 11, Section 2 of RA 9165 or otherwise known as the “Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002” are being prepared against them before for subsequent filing before the Prosecutor’s Office.(PR)a
