TACLOBAN CITY-All 24 jail facilities under the supervision of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) here in the region were declared as drug-free and drug-cleared jails, attaining its 100% target on January 4.
“This affirms the jail bureaus efforts in attaining a drug-free workplace and its intense fight against illegal drugs,” said Jail Senior Superintendent Felixberto Jagorin Jr., BJMP regional director.
Declared as drug-free BJMP jail facilities are Naval District Jail in Naval, Biliran; Tacloban City Jail-Female Dorm in Tacloban City; Borongan City Jail in Borongan City; San Juan District Jail in Southern Leyte; Dolores District Jail in Dolores, Eastern Samar; Sogod District Jail in Sogod, Southern Leyte; Guiuan District Jail in Guiuan, Eastern Samar; Catarman District Jail in Catarman, Northern Samar; Balangiga District Jail in Balangiga, Eastern Samar; Calbayog City District Jail in Calbayog City; Burauen District Jail in Burauen, Leyte; Catbalogan City District Jail in Catbalogan City; Carigara District Jail in Carigara, Leyte; Maasin City Jail in Maasin City; Isabel District Jail in Isabel, Leyte; Alangalang Municipal Jail in Alangalang, Leyte; Baybay City Jail in Baybay City; Palompon Municipal Jail in Palompon, Leyte; Ormoc City Jail-Male Dorm and Female Dorm, both in Ormoc City; Basey Municipal Jail in Basey, Samar and Laoang Municipal Jail in Laoang, Northern Samar.
The drug-cleared BJMP jail facilities are Tacloban City Jail-Male Dorm in Tacloban City and Palo Municipal Jail in PALO, Leyte.
Edgar Jubay, the regional director of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) led in the certification of the said jail facilities.
The declaration was witnessed by Artemio Caneja, the regional director OIC of the Department of Interior and Local Government; Dr. Ma. Sol Villones, the head of the Non-Communicable Disease Unit of the Department of Health in the region, and other personnel.
(RONALD O. REYES)
BJMP declares ‘drug-free, drug-cleared’ all 24 facilities under its management in EV
Catbalogan City acting mayor vows transparency and accountability in his six-months in office
CATBALOGAN CITY – The acting mayor of this city vows that he would make into good use his stay in the office, which is six months.
This was disclosed by Councilor Archie Fuentes who formally took his post as acting mayor of the city on January 3.
Fuentes took the top post of the city government after Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan was suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman due to alleged irregular land deal and lease of the city’s public market.
Aside from Uy-Tan, also suspended for six months without pay by the anti-graft court were Vice Mayor Art Sherwin Gabon; Councilors Coefredo Uy, father of the Stephany Uy-Tan; Jeffrey Uy; Maximo Pascual; Edward Uy; Christine Joy Escobar; Beethoven Bermejo; and Nanette Jasmin.
Included suspended were city accountant Peachy Daguman; city treasurer Elizabeth Lim; city budget officer Ma. Theresa Lim; and city assessor Romero Tuazon.
Fuentes and Councilor Kendall Luke Perez, the acting vice mayor, took their oath before Judge Sibanah Usman, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court-Branch 28.
In a press conference after he took his oath as acting mayor, Fuentes said that he will focus on transparency, accountability, participatory form of government while serving as city mayor.
“There will be consultation on important policies and programs that the city government will implement,” Fuentes, reading a prepared statement, said.
“Under my term, I will continue to implement the good programs of the suspended mayor and we will scrutinize and make sure that these projects will not only benefit the few,” the acting mayor added.
Fuentes said that since the last day of his term as acting mayor will coincide with the start of the first day of a new mayor, he assures of a smooth transition.
For his part, acting Vice Mayor Perez said that as the head of the city council, he cannot discharge functions as they could not convene due to lack of quorum.
At present, only Siegfried Uy and Michael Ian Tuazon, city president of the Association of Barangay Chairmen, and Sangguniang Kabataan city federation president, respectively, are the active members of the council.
“I will be waiting for the legal advice from the Department of Interior and Local Government,” Perez said. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Gov. Petilla issues challenge to LGUs declared as drug-cleared by PDEA: maintain the status
TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla encouraged officials of the province to maintain their drug-cleared status as declared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Gov.Petilla was referring to the city of Baybay abd 24 towns in the province earlier declared by PDEA as drug-cleared.
Petilla said that maintaining the status could prove to be a big challenge to these local government units.
Based on the records of the regional PDEA office, the drug-free cleared city and towns in Leyte are Baybay City, Mahaplag, San Isidro, Matag-ob, Tunga, Tabango, Capoocan, Jaro, Sta. Fe, Matalom, Hindang, Babatngon, Villaba, Inopacan, Hilongos, Javier, Barugo, San Miguel, Mayorga, Tolosa, Pastrana, Alang-alang, La Paz, Palompon and Carigara.
Tacloban City, a highly-urbanized city which is not part of the administrative control of the provincial government, has also been declared as a drug-cleared city by PDEA.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
Uy-Tan says her stepping down not a sign of guilt
The suspended Catbalogan mayor maintains innocence
TACLOBAN CITY- Suspended Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan expressed her gratitude to her supporters for their continued ‘support and love’ for her.
Uy-Tan, in a message she posted on her Facebook account Monday (Jan.7), also stressed that her decision to accept the suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman should not be construed that she is guilty of the allegation imputed to her.
She said that it’s her way of showing her respect to the order of the anti-graft body as she maintains her innocence.
“I have temporarily left my position as mayor to show respect to the decision of the Ombudsman as it conducts its investigation. I am convinced that they will find out what’s the truth and right,” Uy-Tan said.
“I know that all the allegations hurled against me and other city officials were not true,” she added.
Also suspended were Vice Mayor Art Sherwin Gabon and Councilors Coefredo Uy, father of the suspended mayor; Jeffrey Uy; Maximo Pascual; Edward Uy; Christine Joy Escobar; Beethoven Bermejo; and Nanette Jasmin.
Included suspended were city accountant Peachy Daguman; city treasurer Elizabeth Lim; city budget officer Ma. Theresa Lim; and city assessor Romero Tuazon.
All were involved in the alleged irregular land deal and lease of the city’s public market.
Last Jan.3, Councilors Archie Fuentes and Kendall Luke Perez formally assumed as acting mayor and vice mayor of Catbalogan, respectively.
In her post, Uy-Tan explained that the preventive suspension order slapped against her by the Ombudsman is just part of the investigation process and not a verdict of her guilt.
“It’s part of the process. In six months, we will return to our (respective posts), she said.
The suspended mayor, who is running for councilor in this year’s elections, hit those who claimed that they have obtained ‘justice’ with their suspension.
She, however, said that she remains unfazed despite her being suspended as she expressed her gratitude to her supporters for their continued support on her.
“I will never abandon you. My love and care for you and our beloved city will continue,” she said. (JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Residents blame illegal logging as reason why their village was hit by a deadly flooding
CALBAYOG CITY- A week after the devastation caused by of tropical depression “Usman” this city, affected residents are starting to rebuild what they had lost during the disaster.
Letecia Garalza, a teacher in Barangay Cag-anahaw, a remote village in the city, blames the rampant illegal logging in their village as the cause of the floods that they have experienced.
“Illegal logging in Cag-anahaw is rampant, I don’t know what the government is doing about that,” Garalza said in an interview.
She further added that there were people coming from government offices who visit their village and just took photos of the logs that were illegally cut.
“Employees from certain government agency came to Cag-anahaw and took photos on the logs that were illegally cut but we don’t know what happened after that as illegal activity still continues,” Garalza added.
Cag-anahaw can be reached through a 3-hour walk from Tarabucan, a village which is almost an hour travel from the city proper.
Garalza shared that they did not expect that the flood spawned by Usman would reach up to the ceiling of their houses.
“This is the first time that it happened in our village. We really did not expect this,” she added.
Garalza said that a landslide occurred during the heavy downpour that resulted to flashfloods.
At least 87 houses of almost one hundred houses in the village were washed out by the flood.
“We just built temporary houses as our shield at this time. We cannot even hold classes as our classrooms were being used by the evacuees,” Garalza said.
As of now, relief operations coming from the city government and even from private donors already reached the village.
Still, the residents of the village are still appealing for more help.
“We are asking for help to rebuild our houses. What we need right now are materials for the construction of our houses,” Garalza said.
For Garalza, the past year was something that she could not forget but she remains hopeful that the New Year will bring some good things to their village.
“We welcomed 2019 crying for what happened to us but we are positive for the good things to come this year,” Garalza said.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) reported that at least five persons from the village died while the one fatality is from Brgy. Cabatuan.
Three are still missing, all are residents of Cag-anahaw. (JENNIFER D.SUMAGANG-ALLEGADO)
