PALO, Leyte- Seventeen new patrol cars were distributed to the six provincial headquarters and city police stations by the regional Philippine National Police. The vehicles are to be used as staff cars or for administrative functions, Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, acting police regional director, said. “This is more as a service vehicles for our staff and will not be used in police operations,”Beltejar. Beltejar led the distribution of the equipment on Monday (July 25) at the regional police headquarters at Camp Ruperto Kangleon, this town. Each vehicle cost around P878,000 and is different from the patrol cars used by the police personnel during their operations. The police cars are among the 398 service utility vehicle that was acquired by the PNP in 2015 worth P394.4 million. In 2015, the PNP distributed 1,490 patrol jeeps to municipal police stations— 669 in Luzon, 369 in Visayas, and 422 in Mindanao. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Priest says Church is “helpless” on spate of killings involving drug users, pushers
TACLOBAN CITY—Fr. Virgilio Cañete of Palo Archdiocese has admitted that the Catholic Church is “helpless” in solving the spate of drug-related killings in the country. Cañete’s remarks came after three suspected drug personalities in Tacloban city were killed last July 29 at the vicinity of the Daniel Z. Romualdez(DZR) Airport where Pope Francis held Mass on January 17, 2015 for survivors of supertyphoon “Yolanda” that killed over 6,000 people. The victims, two of them were women, bore multiple gunshot wounds. A paper marked with crude writings “I am a pusher, Lord I am sorry” was also found along with the dead bodies.
A witness said that at least 10 gunshots were heard and men speeding on their motorcycles were seen in the area before the bodies were discovered early morning. “Only the police and the President can stop it by declaring moratorium. The respite might show whether it’s the drug syndicates who do the killings, but remember it can work both ways for them,” Cañete said in an interview. “The Church cannot do anything now. It had already warned of the consequences. Those who started these bloodbaths have the will to stop them,” he added. Cañete, however, noted that there is a growing affirmation from the public on the series of extra-judicial killings of suspected criminal and drug personalities in the country after Pres. Rodrigo Duterte was elected into office last May. Mr. Duterte earlier declared that his anti-drug campaign will be a bloody one.
Citing a news report, the priest said that there is a majority view on agreeing to the extra-judicial killing. “Though there are no surveys to back it up, more based on ventilated sentiments in social media and the pulse of the streets feeling frustration of the proliferation of drugs and the crimes it effects,” he said. Asked whether the Church is now powerless in its moral and spiritual teachings to its flock, Cañete said that the public “rather listen to those ranters who follow blindly every word of their idol.” “We hope the President calls it off. The drug war can still be fought but not this way. Leave the police to exercise the best of their expertise. This manner of conducting the war is easy,” he said. In Eastern Visayas alone, over 6, 000 drug users and pushers have reportedly surrendered to the authorities voluntarily after the government intensified its nationwide anti-illegal drugs campaign dubbed as “Oplan Tokhang.”
(RONALD O. REYES)
Gov’t to double production of abaca planting materials; provides P100 million fund
TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) in the region is aiming to double the production of abaca planting materials with the commitment of the new administration to embark on massive rehabilitation of abaca farms infested by diseases. PhilFIDA Regional Director Wilardo Sinahon said they are mapping out plans on how to maximize the production of disease-free planting materials from two existing tissue culture laboratories in the region. These are located in a Department of Agriculture compound in Abuyog, Leyte and National Abaca Research Center at the Visayas State University (VSU), Baybay City. “Despite high demands, both laboratories currently produce half of their maximum capacity due to lack of manpower and limited budget,” Sinahon said. The Abuyog and VSU facilities are capable of producing 10,000 and 20,000 plantlets monthly, respectively.
“The concern now is the source of clean planting materials. The plan is to get from other provinces, but we have to check for the sources to ensure that planting materials are disease-free,” Sinahon added. Description: https://scontent.fceb1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-1/c5.0.32.32/p32x32/34990_10151329792611447_357988730_n.jpg?oh=d743f14cfa97ae11c1154212e9c65374&oe=585D94BB Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol recently announced a P100 million funding for the revival of abaca industry this year in Sogod, Southern Leyte alone.
Part of the funds will be for the enhanced production of plantlets in existing tissue culture laboratories and make the similar facility inside the Southern Leyte State University operational. Out of the P100 million, P50 million is allotted for the immediate procurement of planting materials, which will cover about 1,500 hectares. The plan is to immediately assist the farmers by buying planting materials from them using the local abaca variety, which is thriving well in the area. In addition to free planting materials, the national government will also provide organic fertilizers to recipient farmers in Sogod. Sinahon is very optimistic that with the P100 million budget, Sogod will be able to restore its production in the next few years. “The fresh funding support for this town is 14 times more than the current P7 million abaca disease eradication budget for the region’s six provinces,” he added. Sogod is the top abaca producing town in Southern Leyte with about 6,000 hectares devoted to abaca cultivation. About 2,000 of 6,000 abaca farmers in the province are based in Sogod.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)
Mayor Romualdez: Digong promises to put up first regional rehab center in Tacloban
TACLOBAN CITY- The first regional rehabilitation center for drug dependents as promised by President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte will be put up here in Tacloban City. This was disclosed by Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez who met with the President on Wednesday (July 27). Romualdez said that during her brief meeting with the President, he informed him that Tacloban will be the site of the first regional rehabilitation center he promised during his first State of the Nation Address (Sona).
“He told me to continue our program to help rehabilitate drug dependents. He really inspires this. He will extend assistance to us. He told me that he will put up the first regional rehabilitation center here in Tacloban City,” she said. “He said that so I will rely on his word. I pray that this will happen,” the mayor added. Tacloban just like other local government units in the country does not have its own drug rehabilitation center putting those who voluntarily surrendered on where to go. A private drug rehabilitation center in the city is operating though it is expensive with each “client” has to pay P25,000 every month. The rehabilitation process lasts for nine months.
Since the start of the “Oplan Tokhang,” more than a thousand drug users and pushers in the city have surrendered. As part of the program of the city government, spiritual renewal and promise of a livelihood assistance are offered to those who surrender. Mayor Romualdez, however, was quick to say that trained personnel from the city government will “assess” those who have surrendered if they are qualified for assistance and if they are completely rehabilitated from the illegal drugs. “We have to help them otherwise they will just return to the streets and commit crimes again,” the city mayor said. “So we really need to address this to ensure our peace and order will not be affected,” she added. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
Four people found dead in Tacloban City
TACLOBAN CITY- Four people, two of them were women, were found dead in this city, believed to be drug-related. However, as of press time, only one of the four fatalities has been identified whose body was found at the proposed tarmac of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, where Pope Francis held his historic Mass during his February 17, 2015 visit to Tacloban. Jason Boclatan was found dead inside his vehicle, a black Toyota sedan, together with his two female companions. The three bore multiple shots to their bodies that have caused their instant deaths, police authorities said. The killing incident was reported to the police station in San Jose district by a resident of sitio Alimansag, Brgy. 88. The incident was believed to have occurred between 3 am and 4 am on Friday (July 29) based on the accounts of the res dents of the village. A white cardboard with writings “pusher ako. Lord patawad” was seen at the crime scene. On Thursday night, another victim of extra-judicial killing happened at Brgy.92, Apitong district. The perpetrators of these summary killings have yet to be known, said Chief Inspector Restituto Reglos, station commander of the San Jose Police Station I. He added that they are still conducting their investigation to determine the reason for the separate killing incidents and the perpetrators. The remains of the four fatalities are at the Loreta Funeral Homes located in Brgy. 87, Manlurip district. Meantime, Christine Jackson denied that her husband, Boclatan, was engaged in the illegal drug trade. “What I knew is he was an asset of the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) and he was involved in an operation that resulted to the arrest of a top drug pusher in Ormoc,” the 31 year old said. The last time she saw her common-law husband alive was Thursday (July 28) night who told her that he would visit a friend who owed him some money. She called on the police authorities to solve the murder of his husband. (JOEY A. GABIETA/LITO A. BAGUNAS)
NEDA: EV is the country’s fastest growing region
By: Sarwell Q. Meniano
TACLOBAN CITY – After the devastation the region has suffered when it was pummeled by supertyphoon “Yolanda,” its economy appears towards recovery. This was disclosed by the regional director of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Bonifacio Uy, who announced that the region’s economy grew by 3.9 percent in 2015. The increase of the region’s economy from previous 2.4 percent makes it the “fastest growing region in the country,” Uy boasted. Uy added that the economic growth of the region was even “higher” compare to other regions which did not suffer from the devastations of Yolanda, considered the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland.
Yolanda battered the region, particularly Leyte considered the economic center of the region, in 2013 which resulted for its economy to suffer. Based on the report of the Philippine Statistics Authority, as presented by its director Wilma Perante, the region’s economy accelerated by 6.3 percent between 2014 to 2015, gaining P152.21 billion in the process. The services sector posted a 6.8 percent growth, a significant rebound from four percent decline the previous year fueled by strong performance in the transport, storage and communication subsector. NEDA tagged the sector as the strongest driver of the regional economy. The sector has generated thousands of jobs, absorbing 45 percent of the region’s working population first semester of 2015.
“We also observed gradual growth in the value-added share of most components of the services sector, primarily accounted for by the resurgence of businesses. For instance, in Tacloban City, the region’s capital, we see newly-established hotels and food establishments, which is evident of a vibrant service-oriented economy,” Uy said.
Industry sector, which accounts 41.4 percent of the regional economy, recovered from the 3.3 percent decrease in 2014 to 4.4 percent growth last year. Subsectors such as mining and quarrying; construction; and electricity, gas and water supply have shown double-digit growth last year.
“While the manufacturing subsector contributed the largest share to the region’s industry, it contracted by three percent, although better than the 16 percent slump in 2014,” he explained. The NEDA regional chief reported that weak global demand for copper must have affected the supply of metallic inputs in the production of cathodes at the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refinery Corp., one of the heavy industries situated in Isabel, Leyte. Agriculture, the sector which has the majority of the region’s workforce, continued to decline, but at a slower rate from 12.7 percent in 2014 to 3.5 percent in 2015. Farming and forestry recovered from negative 3.6 percent. Fishing also managed to improve from negative 18.2 percent to negative 3.2 percent, according to the PSA. “Broad-based growth was not realized given the setback in the agriculture and fisheries sector – a challenge that consistently hounds the region. Natural threats such as the effects of El Nino and the impact of typhoon Nona have aggravated the already fragile agricultural production of the region after super typhoon Yolanda,” Uy pointed out. Despite economic growth in 2015, poverty incidence in the region has worsened between 2012 to 2015, placing the region as the country’s second poorest, based on the latest Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) result.