Part of a plan to make Biliran center of trade and commerce
NAVAL, Biliran- Rep. Rogelio Espina is planning to open an access connecting his province to Samar province by putting up a Roro (roll on-roll off) port.
Espina, who is running for governor in this summer midterm elections, said that connecting the two provinces will both benefit the two areas.
For one, he said, agriculture produce of his province can be transported and sold in Samar which is suffering some insufficient supplies of such staple.
Espina also added that connecting the two provinces, which could also lead to opening an access to the nearby province of Northern Samar, will make it easy for the people of Biliran to travel to Luzon.
He added that part of his plan is to have a Roro port either in the towns of Kawayan or Culaba as both areas are nearer to Calbayog City, a fast emerging area in Samar province.
“I am mulling of having a Roro port put up either in Kawayan or in Culaba. If this plan will be realized, this will be advantageous to both our provinces,” Espina said.
“Whatever abundant supplies we have in Biliran can be sold in Samar and even its nearby province of Northern Samar which are among the most depressed provinces in the country,” the outgoing solon said.
Biliran, a small island-province, has long been lifted from the list of among the top 20 poor provinces in the country and is experiencing rice sufficiency for the past years now.
If this access will be realized, it will only take about four hours of travel, cutting by half the current time travel of eight hours if one will travel by land from this provincial capital to Tacloban City to reach Calbayog City.
Rep. Espina said that he will first meet with officials of the Department of Transportations and the Maritime Industry Authority regarding his proposal.
For one, he would like to know if his proposal is feasible, adding that he hope that his idea will get the green light from both agencies.
He said that aside from fast and comfortable transportation, the Biliran-Calbayog route could open to more investors and tourists coming to his province.
“I envision of making Biliran a hub (of trade and commerce). So for this to be realized, I need to open an access via Calbayog,” Espina said.
He said that Biliran is not often considered by either investors or tourists because of its location which is not within the Pan-Pacific Highway, also known as Maharlika Highway.
“Our province is isolated from the Pan-Pacific Highway. If you want to come to Biliran, you really need to take some effort to reach our province,” Espina said.
At present, one can reach Samar from this province by using small motorized banca which is not sufficient as a mode of transportation in terms of volume of passengers and load capacity. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
CARIGARA, Leyte – The Department of Public of Works and Highways (DPWH) reminded its employees to not engage in any political activity, as election period heats up.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar issued a memorandum dated February 15, 2019 prohibiting employees of the department from engaging in partisan political activity.
As provided in Article XI-B of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, “No officer or employee in the civil service, as well as any member of the military, shall engage, directly or indirectly, in any electioneering or partisan political activity, except to vote.”
Sec. Villar’s mother, Senator Cynthia Villar, is seeking for another term at the Senate in this year’s elections.
According to Engr. Gerald Pacanan, DPWH Leyte second district engineering office head, said that he is constantly reminding all employees regarding this memorandum and urges them to be mindful in expressing their political views and opinions.
“Whether you are a regular or job order employee, as long as you are working in the government, we must adhere to this call, so I constantly remind them about this during meetings and flag-raising ceremonies,” he said.
He added that employees who will violate this rule will be properly sanctioned. Possible penalties include imprisonment of less than one year but not more than six years, as well as dismissal from public service.
“We are civil service workers, so we should practice political neutrality,” he ended.
On March 29, 2019, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and DPWH joined forces in taking down illegal campaign materials along major thoroughfares in Leyte.
(LIZBETH ANN A.ABELLA)
TACLOBAN CITY-A nine-year old boy died after he was hit by an improvised explosive device(IED) perpetrated by alleged members of the rebel group, the New People’s Army(NPA) in a remote village in Las Navas, Northern Samar on Wednesday(April 17) morning.
The boy was identified as Armando Remolde who happened to be in the area where the soldiers belonging to the 20th Infantry Battalion were positioned.
Lt. Col. Juan Gullem, the commanding officer of the said battalion, said that the incident happened at about 9:45 am in Barangay San Miguel.
In a phone interview, Gullem said that the rebels lobbed the IEDs towards the direction of the soldiers led by Lt.Ramil Sumawang.
“Unfortunately, it was the boy who was fatally hit by the IED.One of our men trained on survival skills tried to revive him but he was already dead,”Gullem said.
None of the soldiers sustained injury due to the blast.
According to Gullem, his men could not just fire back as they were concerned that civilians in the village, 13 kms away from the town proper of Las Navas, might be hit.
“We strongly condemned this atrocity committed by the communist terrorist group. They are so desperate that they did not even considered that we are observing the Holy Week,” Gullem said.
The soldiers were in the village as part of their community support program wherein they talk with the villagers on their concerns.
But in a press statement, the NPA through its Efren Martires Command denied that they were responsible on this incident, saying they do not target civilians.
“Whenever the NPA does commit mistakes, it takes responsibility and ensures justice and indemnification for any victims and the accountability of the erring NPA members. Let us thus wait for the official report of the responsible NPA command in the province and be critical of the anti-NPA and fascist propaganda of the Duterte regime and its Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said EMC spokesperson Ka Karlos Manuel.
Despite of the attack, Gullem urged the rebels to stop their terror acts and avail the program being offered by the government for rebel returnees.
“I call on them to return to the folds of the law and enjoy the privilege that the government offers to them under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program where they can receive some financial assistance which they can use for them to live a normal life, “Gullem said.(RONALD O.REYES/(JOEY A. GABIETA)
BATANGAS CITY — The people of Batangas on Wednesday warmly received one of their own, former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, who traces his roots from the Tesoro clan of the province.
“Maraming salamat po sa napakainit na pagtanggap sa akin ng aking mga kapatid dito sa Batangas, sing init po ng panahon. Batangueno rin po ako dahil ang mga ninuno ko ay galing dito sa Batangas at nag migrate lang po sa Davao,” Go said after a motorcade around Batangas City.
“Iba po talaga pag nasa sariling bayan. Totoo ang kasabihan na there’s no place like home,” he added.
Aside from having his roots in the province, Go was also formally adopted by Batangas as its own son. In February this year, the governors of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon signed a manifesto supporting Go’s Senate bid and declaring him an adopted son of CALABARZON region.
During the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) campaign rally at Batangas Sports Coliseum here, President Duterte rallied the Batangueños to support Go, the PDP-Laban senatorial ticket and their guest candidates.
The President noted that Go has proven his integrity all through the 21 years of service to him and the people of the former SAP.
“Kung pera lang… ni piso hindi kumita yan,” Duterte said. “At saka talagang may malasakit sa kapwa.”
“Mahusay ito si Bong, ang bilis pa ng utak niyan,” the President added. In a previous engagement, the President also said Go learned a lot from him about public service.
Likewise, TV host Willie Revillame who joined the rally endorsed the candidacy of Go. It could be recalled that last February, the former SAP appeared as a guest in Revillame’s TV game show “Wowowin.”
“Totoong tao po itong si Bong Go at may isang salita. Nang makilala ko siya, nalaman ko na iisa rin lang ang aming hangarin sa buhay— ang tumulong sa kapwa Pilipino,” Revillame said as he delivered his messaged on stage and performed for the crowd.
Addressing his fellow Batangueños, Go assured them of his full support for the programs and policies of President Duterte.
“Ipagpapatuloy ko po ang mga pagbabagong nasimulan ni Pangulong Duterte. Yung kampanya laban sa corruption, kampanya laban sa kriminalidad, at kampanya laban sa iligal na droga, suportado ko po iyon,” Go said.
The former SAP said he would also help President Duterte in the remaining three years of his term to fulfil his promise of uplifting the lives of Batangueños and the entire Filipino people, particularly through the implementation of the “Build, Build, Build” program that would further speed up the development of the province.
“Patuloy nyo po akong magiging tulay kay Pangulong Duterte. Asahan nyo po, sa natitirang tatlong taon ni Pangulong Duterte, gagawin namin lahat ng aming makakaya para sa (kabutihan ng) Pilipino lalo na para sa mga kapwa kong Batangueño,” Go said.
Among others, he noted that there are current plans for various infrastructure programs in the province including road projects, construction of public markets, as well as repair of maintenance of seawall to protect lives and properties during storm surges. These projects have been submitted for funding.
He also cited the planned Mindoro-Batangas Super Bridge, a P30.883-billion construction of a bridge to link Mindoro and Batangas, boosting economic and tourism activities in both provinces. Preparations are ongoing for the terms of reference, feasibility study and the approved budget for the contract.
There is also the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, a P2.5-billion project consisting of 18.6-kilometer, 4 lane access road between Brgys. TingaItaas, TingaLabac, San Pedro, Dumantay, Sampaga, SirangLupa and San Isidro, Batangas City, meant to reduce road congestion in Batangas City.
Go said that top in his legislative agenda is his crusade to improve the delivery of health services in the country, not only through the upgrading of facilities of public health institutions but also through the establishment of Malasakit Center.
A project of the Duterte administration based on Go’s idea, the Malasakit Center makes it easier and faster for poor patients to avail of medical and financial assistance from the government by bringing together in one room all concerned agencies such as the DOH, DSWD, PCSO, and Philhealth.
“Gusto ko pong isabatas ito pagdating ng panahon para tuloy-tuloy ang programa kahit hindi na Pangulo si Pangulong Duterte at palawakin, dagdagan pa natin ang mga Malasakit Centers,” Go said.
Go also vowed before his fellow Batangueños that he would serve them and the Filipino people the way he served President Duterte for over two decades.
“Sa loob po ng 21 taon, almusal, pananghalian at hapunan ko na ang pagse-serbisyo. Ang bisyo ko po magserbisyo. Naniniwala po ako na ang serbisyo sa tao, serbisyo sa Diyos,” Go said.
“Minsan lamang po tayo daraan sa mundong ito. Kaya kung anuman ang mabuting pwede nating gawin sa ating kapwa gawin na natin ngayon dahil hindi na po tayo daraan muli sa mundong ito,” he added.
Other priority concerns Go has identified to be part of his legislative agenda include programs for agriculture, housing for the poor, education, long-term sports development, fire protection and prevention, localized peace talks, barangay welfare, creation of a Department of OFW and improved benefits for senior citizens.
CATARMAN, Northern Samar — The technical education center, built with the financial support of Hyundai Steel Korea and the Community Chest of Korea, was officially turned over to Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on April 11, 2019.
With a brief ceremony packed with colorful festivities and performances, TESDA Regional Director Cleta Omega and Provincial Director Zosimo de Asis received the four-classroom facility and equipment meant for technical-vocational studies of young women and men of Northern Samar. Witnesses to this event were local government officials, led by Catarman Vice Mayor Boots Bonsol, and representatives of the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Trade and Industry.
“On this training center, young people from marginalized communities – regardless of gender and physical limitations – can enroll in the most employable skills-based courses,” said Ryan Lander, Plan International Philippines’ Deputy Country Director for Program.
Courses that will be offered soon will include masonry, carpentry, tile setting, with additional course on shielded metal arc welding.
The Hyundai Steel Technical Education Center was built through a project that seeks to improve youth access, especially those who are out of school, to decent employment and livelihood opportunities.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), about 50% of the country’s population is composed of individuals below the age of 21, 50.3% of which is male and 49.7% is female.
This great share of young people already comprised 52% of unemployed Filipinos.
A National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) report shows that Northern Samar ranks as the third poorest province in the country.
The youth’s unemployment is particularly attributed to the demands of the market which do not yield a specific match to their skills.
In addition to this facility, the project is forging partnerships with government institutions and private companies to develop clustered skills training courses on hospitality and construction, with sound apprenticeship programs and assistance on job placements after graduation. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA/PR)
This ‘matrix’ provided to The Manila Times over the weekend by a source shows what appears to be a coordinated media campaign to discredit the President.
This ‘matrix’ provided to The Manila Times over the weekend by a source shows what appears to be a coordinated media campaign to discredit the President.
“There is a plot to discredit the President and destabilize his government,” a highly placed source in the Office of the President said.
“There’s an obvious pattern of close coordination among some media organizations for the timely publication of anti-Duterte stories,” the source told this writer.
The playbook is all too familiar: Utilize the media, plant fake news, distribute them to the friendly media outlets, whet the people’s appetite, arouse their anger, manipulate public emotion, touch base with the Leftist organization, enlist the support of the police and the military, then go for the “kill.”
This ‘matrix’ provided to The Manila Times over the weekend by a source shows what appears to be a coordinated media campaign to discredit the President.
That’s how coups are staged.
Except that in this instance, there is no discernible support from the police and the military, much less the people.
For a coup to succeed, it is critical to have the support of the people. Unfortunately for coup plotters in this country, the people have grown tired and weary of coups. More importantly, various polls have shown that President Rodrigo Duterte still enjoys the overwhelming support of the masses. His ratings have remained in the stratospheric levels for the past three years despite the incessant attacks by the opposition.
The Matrix
A document provided to The Manila Times over the weekend by the same source shows what appears to be a coordinated media campaign to discredit the President.
Advertisements
Under the heading, “Association Matrix Between BIKOY and ELLEN TORDESILLAS,” (all caps supplied), the matrix illustrates the flow of news from the source to a nexus or distributor and finally to the individual journalists for publication. It also names the journalists and organizations involved in the alleged plot to blacken the image of the President.
Image shows an analysis of the email footprint of the distribution of the so-called ‘Bikoy’ video.
“A group sympathetic to the President and deeply involved in the IT business had tracked the flow of information from its source to its various media assets and decided to provide the information to the President out of concern,” the source said.
Media participants in the Oust-Duterte move
“Bikoy,” obviously a pseudonym, was the source of the black propaganda, the matrix shows. From Bikoy, the stories go to Ellen Tordesillas, president of Vera Files, who acts as the nexus and distributor of the materials to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Rappler and the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL). These organizations, in turn, distribute the false narratives to their respective members. (Please refer to the matrix.)
Tordesillas also currently serves as a fact-checker for Facebook. The matrix, however, did not disclose the real identity of Bikoy.
Save for the NUPL, a leftist group, the rest of the people from Rappler, Vera Files and the PCIJ named in the matrix are members of the media. It would now appear that these journalists are collaborating with the Left in their effort to destabilize the government, the matrix shows.
“Wala namangtaonaganoon (referring to Bikoy),” the source said. The series of invented stories against the President was part of the black propaganda campaign by the Yellows, the source added. The opposition couldn’t accept that the ratings of the President remain stratospheric.
“Mataasang credibility niPresidente.” They could not believe that despite the series of black propaganda campaign against the President, his popularity and trust ratings remain unaffected.
Vera Files, the PCIJ and Rappler received largesse from various foreign sources, the source said, without specifying a figure.
Plotters desperate
Two other independent sources confirmed that there is an active plot to oust the President. It was obvious, they said. For one thing, it is not the duty of the press or the media to be at the forefront of an active campaign to unseat a duly elected President. The role of the press is to inform the public and expose the shenanigans, venalities and corruption in government; but certainly not to participate in any manner or form in any campaign to destabilize the government. The media is supposed to be the purveyors of truth, not an instrument to plot against a sitting President, they added.
They said it became particularly vicious when Bikoy in his second video episode of the “AngTotoongNarcolist” series, accused the President’s 14-year old daughter, Veronica and his partner, Honeylet, of receiving “payoffs from the illegal drug trade and depositing such transactions in banks in Hong Kong.”
“Paano nangyari na ‘yung batang edad 14, may gatas pa sa labi, ay tumatanggap na ng suhol sa mga drug lords? Pati ‘yung kanyang ina na nananahimik sa Davao, isinangkot? Laking kabulastugan n’yan,” one of them said, to which the other agreed.
Another tall tale was when Bikoy accused erstwhile presidential assistant Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go of receiving kickbacks from the drug lords; that his takes were deposited in four local banks; and that his foreign bank transactions had reached P3.7 billion from 2010 to 2018. The accuser did not offer any shadow of proof to back up his accusations.
Bikoy also accused Go of having a dragon tattoo on his back that embedded a code name for alleged drug transactions.
Bikoy and his partners in crime went silent after Go bared his back to the public that showed no dragon tattoo. “Angkinis ng likodni Bong Go,” an amused observer said.
Paid hacks in media
Another media practitioner sees malice and ill intent on the part of Ellen Tordesillas when she acted as distributor of the anti-Dutertestories, as the matrix shows. “Normally, a journalist would not share her story with other journalists or media outlets, especially if it is an enterprise or exclusive story. He or she would naturally want to have a scoop.”
If it is true that Ellen participated in the distribution of the story — whether that is legitimate or otherwise — at the very least, she will be guilty of unethical practice. And if she was paid for doing so, then she would be nothing more than a paid hack, a cheap propagandist, and therefore, fair game for the administration, he said.
The same is true in the case of Vera Files, Rappler and the PCIJ. They appear to have received massive foreign funding, which is against our Constitution, and, therefore, these media outfits cannot claim objectivity. Their critical Duterte stories become suspect.
To this date, they have not refuted allegations of foreign funding by our eminent writer, former ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao, in amounts that he said have ranged from $106,000 to $278,000.
Tordesillas has been asked to comment on the allegations against her before publication of this article, but the Times has not received a reply by deadline on Sunday. (PR)
