TACLOBAN CITY- At exactly 7 pm tonight, officials of Tacloban and Palo and invited guests are to light a giant lantern which will serve as among the highlights of the 50th year anniversary of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
Here in the city, close to 7,000 people are expected to join the city government-sponsored activity that will start with a street parade and will end with the lighting of the ASEAN landmark lantern at the grounds of the City Hall.
Mayor Cristina Romualdez issued Executive Order 2017-08-066 suspending classes in all levels today.
“We are honored that Tacloban was chosen as among the sites for the lighting of the ASEAN lanterns. And we are showing our support to the ASEAN by having this activity…which will show unity among ASEAN nations,” Romualdez said.
As ASEAN turns 50 years since its creation August 8, 1967, lanterns will be lighted up in 50 chosen sites across the country with the main event to take place at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to be lead by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Philippines is this year’s ASEAN chair. Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar are the other member-countries of the bloc which has combined population of more than 625 million and home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies like the Philippines.
All the 50 lanterns, made of fiberglass and designed with ASEAN logo and commissioned by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, will be lighted simultaneously at 7 pm.
Here in the region, aside from Tacloban City and Palo, similar activity will also be held in Ormoc City.
In Palo, the landmark ASEAN lantern placed at the historic MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park in Barangay Candahug, Palo.
Series of activities have also been lined up by the municipal government under Mayor Remedios ‘Matin’ Petilla before the main event will take place.
A parade called ‘walk for peace’ starting from Pag-Ibig Plaza, which is located across the municipal hall, will be held to be participated by town officials and representatives from different sectors.
To enliven the occasion, contingents coming from different municipal festivals will entertain the public.
The Tacloban and Palo occasions will end with a fireworks display. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The planned tide embankment here in the city continues to draw strong opposition from residents who will be affected by the P 7.9 billion project.
According to them, if this project will push through, this will not only result in the destruction of their houses but more importantly, dislocate them economically.
Losanto Castillo Jr., a resident of Barangay 88 in San Jose district, said that in their area alone, around 300 houses will be affected by the project being undertaken by the national government through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Castillo, who is also the president of the Tacloban Fisherfolk Association, said that about 500 fishermen will be affected by the project which primarily aims to protect coastlines from storm surge.
“We are opposing its construction because it will not only result to the destruction of our houses but will cause economic dislocation for us fishermen,” the 58-year old fisherman said.
Alex Pingol, another resident of the said village, also expressed his opposition saying that they owned the property where their houses are built but the government will only be paying them less of the actual amount.
“We are supposed to be part of our government and they should listen to us. What they are doing can actually be considered as trespassing to one’s private property,” he said.
Last Friday (August 4), residents of the Barangay 88, in particular, dramatized their opposition during their dialogue with personnel of the DPWH- Tacloban City Engineering District Office.
The construction of the 27.3 kilometer tide embankment was a reaction of the national government to help protect against storm surge that hit the city when super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ pummeled Tacloban City in 2013.
Aside from Tacloban City, the tide embankment is also to be constructed in the towns of Tanauan and Palo which is now underway.
The cost of the project, divided into six sections with a total 27.3 kilometers covered, is P7.9 billion.
Fish landing and boat docking, view deck, mangrove highway, among others, are the components of the project which is expected to be finished by 2020.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

In possession of shabu
valued at P20,000

TACLOBAN CITY- Anti-drug elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency(PDEA)-8 and 8th MIB of the Philippine Army arrested another high-value target during the conduct of a buy-bust operation at Magsaysay Boulevard (Madonna of Japan), here in the city last Friday(August 4)at around 6 pm.
In a report submitted to PDEA Director General Isidro S. Lapeña, elements of PDEA-8 under Director Edgar T. Jubay and 8th MIB PA, identified the suspect as Rex Gaviola, 43, married and a resident of Mountview, Youngfield, this city.
Gaviola was considered as a high-value target and said to be connected at the Leyte provincial capitol as an administrative aide.
Purchased and seized during the operation were eight (8) pieces of heat-sealed plastic transparent sachet containing suspected shabu weighing about 4.0 grams with an estimated market value of P20, 000.
Gaviola will be charged for violations of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), and Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of RA 9165.
The suspect is now temporarily detained at PDEA RO8 Detention Facility while waiting for his commitment order. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- Discrimination against them from the locals is now a thing of the past.
Thus said Farhana Jamel, 26 and a mother to five children, who fled the war-torn Marawi City and sought temporary shelter in Barangay 62-B, Sagkahan district, this city.
Jamel disclosed that they faced harassment and bullying from the residents of the said village when they arrived here last June 2.
Of the 16 Muslims who fled Marawi City, nine of them are children who also bullied at the schools where they are now enrolled.
But thanks to the village officials who, upon learning the problem, asked the residents to stop harassing the Marawi residents and treat them with respect.
“During our first few days here, we were bullied. Some people called us Maute,” Jamel said, referring to the terror group that attacked Marawi City last May 24.
The attacked by the terror Maute Group prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to place the entire Mindanao until martial law which is to last until the end of the year.
Jamel said that they just ignored the harassment directed against them and chose to live normally by doing small businesses like vending foods.
Jamel, however, said that they informed the barangay officials about their predicament and in turn, village chairwoman, Rosita Luyten, told her people to stop harassing the Marawi residents and treat them with respect.
And this stopped the harassment and bullying of their children who are studying at the elementary and secondary schools in Sagkahan, Jamel said.
“They have learned to accept and interact with us,” she said, referring to the residents of the village.
“We told the residents that we have taken precautionary measures that if in case they do something wrong or illegal, we can easily trace them because we did profiling on the evacuees,” Wilma Almeria, a barangay councilor, said.
Meantime, Jamel and her group are now occupying temporary the village’s legislative building after the owner of the apartment that they have rented asked them to leave.
“We decided to let them transfer to the legislative building as their temporary resettlement while they are waiting for the condition in Marawi to get better,” Luyten said.
Luyten added when they met City Mayor Cristina Romualdez last July 25, she gave an assurance that her administration will provide the basic needs of the evacuees and to ensure that they are safe while they are here in Tacloban City.
Jamel said that she hopes the war in Marawi City will end soon so that they could return there and live peacefully just like in the past.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

CATBALOGAN CITY- Business climate of this city is on the upward projection with its income covering the first five months expected to surpass last year’s performance.
Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan said that she is confident that the good economic performance of the city will continue showing the confidence of the investors.
The mayor said that from January to May of this year, they have earned over P44 million out of the local taxes it collects from businessmen.
Last year, the city government earned P66 million from local sources which were higher compared to the P51 million it collected in 2015.
Data from the Business Process and Licensing Office shows that there are 1,380 businesses operating in the city covering the first five months of the year.
Last year, 1,424 business establishments secured permits from the city government which was higher compared to the 1,319 licenses issued in 2015.
Among the newly-opened businesses in the city includes coffee shops, hardware stores, restaurants and department stores.
In terms of capitalization, about P2.9 billion so far has been poured in by those currently doing business in Catbalogan covering January to May period.
This is already relatively higher compared to last year’s P2.7 billion and P2.1 billion in 2015,respectively.
“This shows that more investors are confident in putting up businesses in the city,” Mayor Uy-Tan.
Among the new investors that are to open in Catbalogan are the Prince Warehouse and the Primark Properties that will develop the central public market of Catbalogan into a mall-type establishment.
Mayor Uy-Tan added that soon, they will welcome two new branches of banks in their city, the Bank of Philippine Island (BPI) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Based on the information provided to them by the BSP, Catbalogan City has the most number of deposit accounts in the entire island of Samar with 57,000 bank accounts compared to the 51,151 in Catarman, Northern Samar that is on second; 45,754 in Borongan City; 44,433 in Calbayog City and 12,171 in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.
“On the total deposit liabilities in Samar province amounting to more than P 8.826 billion, more than half are in Catbalogan Banks amounting to more than P 5.272 billion,” said Mayor Uy-Tan.
“This only shows that indeed Catbalogan is the center of economy in the province,” Mayor Uy-Tan added.
She attributed the good performance on local economy to the good peace and order situation of the city and the influx of people from other places in Samar Island that
Although it is good that there businessmen and corporation are coming to the city to invest and do business, the city mayor said that she hopes that local businessmen will do business in the city.
“We continue to invite more investors from the national especially our local businessmen to make our local economy more productive and give more jobs not only for the residents of Catbalogan but also for those from our neighboring towns,” Uy-Tan said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)