2 men alleged in drug trade busted in anti-drug operations in N. Samar

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March 30, 2015

TACLOBAN CITY- A combined teams from the regional office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and local and provincial police in Northern Samar recently arrested two men working in the government alleged to be engaged in the illegal drug trade. Arrested by the authorities were Noemi Siervo, said to be a confidential aide of Pambujan Mayor Lino Balanquit and Adolfo Avalon, identified to be a relative of San Roque Mayor Don Avalon.

The operations were separately conducted by the operatives on March 11 which resulted to the arrest of the two government workers. Laurefel Gabales, officer-in-charge of the PDEA-8, said in a press statement that the operations did not only result to the arrest of the two suspects but also yielded sachets containing believed to be “shabu” (hydrochloride methamphetamine) with an estimated market value of P10,000 and some firearms.

Laurefel said that the two will be charged for violation of Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 12 (Possession of the Equipment, Instrument, Apparatus and Other Paraphernalia for Dangerous drugs) Article II of R.A 9165 otherwise known as Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Additional charged for violation of RA 8294 will be filed against Avalon who was in possession of one cal. pistol M1911, one 9mm cal. pistol, one cal. 45, one homemade cal. 38, one hand grenade and assorted live ammunition. The suspects are now temporarily detained at San Roque Police lock-up facility. (PDEA,PR)

Close to 60 towns in EV have no fire stations, BFP says

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March 30, 2015

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TACLOBAN CITY – At least 56 of the 136 towns in the region have no fire stations despite of a law requiring each city and municipality to have a government-owned firefighting facility. Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Regional Director Supt. Pablito Cordeta said the region also needs about 1,000 firemen or half of the region’s number of firefighting personnel. “Although some areas have no fire stations, they are still being served by BFP through clustering like in some parts of Samar and Eastern Samar,” Cordeta said.

Samar province has the most number of areas without fire stations and fire trucks as 16 of its towns have no fire stations of their own. These are the towns of Almagro, Calbiga, Matuguinao, Motiong, San Sebastian, Sta. Rita, Sto. Niño, Daram, Hinabangan, Jiabong, San Jorge, San Jose de Buan, Talalora, Tagapul-an, Tarangnan, and Zumarraga. In Eastern Samar, these towns are Balangiga, Gen. MacArthur, Hernani, Jipapad, Llorente, Maslog, Maydolong, Mercedes, Quinapondan, Salcedo, San Julian, San Policarpo and Balangkayan.

Without fire stations in Northern Samar are the towns of Biri, Bobon, Lapinig, Mapanas, Rosario, San Vicente, Silvino Lobos, and Victoria. Cordeta said that even the more accessible towns of Leyte such as Bato, Javier, Julita, La Paz, Macarthur, Mayorga, San Miguel, and Tabango have no fire stations too. In Biliran province, towns without firefighting equipment are Culaba and Maripipi. Also included in the long list of BFP are the towns of Anahawan, Hinundaya, Limasawa, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, Pintuyan, San Francisco, Silago, and Tomas Oppus, all in Southern Leyte.

Budget constraints only allowed the BFP regional office to establish fire stations and acquire fire trucks for 20 towns in the past four years. “The national government needs P2.5 million to establish fire station and P4 million to acquire a fire truck. We also have to hire 14 firemen to man a fire station 24 hours. Each fireman has an average salary of P16,000 monthly,” Cordeta explained. The official hopes that the extent of the problem will be reduced this year as the Department of the Interior and Local Government is set to establish 469 fire stations nationwide. The BFP is stepping up its fire prevention drive in Eastern Visayas even as the bureau noted that fire incidents in the region have not reached threatening levels in the past years.
The official said the best defense against fire is the awareness of people on how to prevent such incident in their own houses and in the community.
“Safety is everybody’s concern, get informed and be involved. Our appeal to the people is to police themselves, their family and their neighbors,” he added.

This Fire Prevention Month, the BFP will distribute information materials, conduct lectures, inspect all establishments, test fire hydrants, conduct fire disaster emergency evacuation planning, conduct drills, monitor hazard operations, and identification if fire prone areas. Firemen will also share tips on safety measures at home, escape plan, exit in the home, and how to use the fire extinguisher. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

Leyte town aims to become “child-friendly” LGU

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March 30, 2015

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SAN MIGUEL, Leyte- This town is giving importance in providing a child-friendly environment by ensuring, among others, their personal hygiene are taking care of. During the town’s 98th founding anniversary on March 10 tooth brush kits were distributed among day-care children to make them know how to brush their teeth properly and regularly. Making her town as child-friendly is one of her top agenda reason why her administration has come up with programs geared towards children, said town Mayor Cheeryl Enrica Esperas. Other programs for the children include hygiene program such as alis-kuto (anti-lice) campaign and hand washing, while their feeding program is also done regularly all year round.

“We are really working for program that involve the fulfillment of the right of our children to a clean, healthful environment as well as provide them a comfortable learning day care centers and schools,” Esperas said. Mayor Esperas disclosed that they have earlier tied up with the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) for the provision of kiddie tables and chairs for all the 24 day care centers of the municipality.

Most of the tables and chairs used by the children were already old, dilapidated, or destroyed during the previous typhoons, she said. Meanwhile, day care centers which were destroyed during the onslaught of supertyphoon “Yolanda” and sustained further damages when San Miguel was hit in succession by typhoons “Ruby” and “Senyang” last year are already undergoing rehabilitation. Local government units were earlier directed by the Department of Interior and Local Government to beef up their services that will promote children’s welfare.

Under the said directive, LGU must comply the following: inclusion of children’s issues in the executive-legislative agenda, mainstreaming of child rights, peace building and disaster risk reduction in the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and Annual Investment Plan (AIP) including the Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan (LPRAP), rendering of an annual State of the Children Report. In 2014, the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit (CFLGA) of the DILG started to measure the performance of all cities and municipalities in their delivery of services that generate positive results for children. (AHLETTE C. REYES/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

“Hot” logs valued at more than P200, 000 seized in Samar

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March 30, 2015

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MARABUT, Samar – Government authorities confiscated of illegally cut timbers of various species in a village of this town with an estimated value of more than P233, 000.
The fletches of illegally cut timbers were seized in Barangay Tinabanan, this town, on March 14 by a joint team composed of personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local police and soldiers belonging to the 52nd and 87th Infantry Battalions. Confiscated by the raiding team was 3,883.87 board feet of illegally cut timbers belonging to the species of lawaan, patsaragon and yakal with a street value of P233, 032.
Also seized were four units of chainsaws; 75 sacks of charcoal valued at P26, 250.
The owner or owners of the seized items have yet to be known to the authorities, said DENR Executive Regional Director Leonardo Sibbaluca.
However, during the raid, six men, whose identities were not disclosed, were arrested. They were seen to have boarded the cut lumbers to their motorcycles. Sibbaluca vowed that once unmasked, appropriate charges will be filed against the owners, particularly on violation of the Forestry Code of the Philippines.
It was learned that the joint team responded after a concerned citizen reported that several illegally-cut lumbers were being hauled and found along the pathway of kilometer 4 up to kilometer 22 of said village. Sibbaluca disclosed that intelligence report revealed that seized forest products believe to have been financed by some influential personalities and businessmen in Samar. “These trees are good for making furniture. I believe that this is part of a bigger haul to be delivered to Tacloban City or other places in the region,” Sibbaluca said.
Meanwhile, Elpidio Cabahit Jr., chief of the forest protection and law enforcement unit of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office based in Sta. Rita, also in Samar, admitted that it was very difficult to monitor a total of 186,864,12 hectares of forested lands under his jurisdiction.
He claimed his office has only 3 forest guards monitoring all the nine towns of Sta. Rita, Basey, Marabut, Calbiga, Hinabangan, Pinabacdao, San Sebastian, Talalora and Villareal Samar. “We lack men, logistics to guard our forests notwithstanding the danger since said some forested areas covering our area of responsibility were NPA rebel infested and some illegal loggers were also armed,” Cabahit said. (JAZMINE BONIFACIO/RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

30 OFWs arrested in Saudi Arabia, says Migrante

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March 30, 2015

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TACLOBAN CITY- Filipino migrant rights group Migrante has said at least 30 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were rounded up by Saudi police as the oil-rich kingdom intensified its crackdown on illegal migrants. “Saudi authorities heightened crackdown on undocumented migrants that started last week nabbed at least 30 OFWs as per the initial combined reports we have received so far from our affiliates in the kingdom,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante regional coordinator in Middle East. “The common notion that illegal migrants were the very reason why crime rate escalates in the kingdom is fairly objectionable. Most of the so called illegal migrants were actually victim of abuses, maltreatment and labor rights violations who were forced to abscond,” added Monterona in a statement.

According to Monterona, the Saudi’s Ministry of Interior issued a stern warning last month saying that it will intensify the crackdown on illegal expatriates as they have been tagged as main reason why crime rates escalated in the Saudi Arabia. “Those who were nabbed included mostly Asian migrant workers without resident permits, those working in jobs not matching with their work permit, and others working with another employer who were not their sponsors,” Monterona said. Monterona reported that in most areas in Saudi capital, the police conducted check points and at times searching houses where there are suspected illegal migrants.

Monterona, however, appealed to the Saudi government “not to treat the undocumented migrants as mere criminals.” Migrante has urged the Philippine government to provide assistance and follow up the immediate deportation of undocumented OFWs who are now languishing in Saudi jails. “We would like to remind the Aquino government that there are 200 plus distressed women OFWs in Bahay Kalinga in Riyadh, while about 80 male OFWs in a shelter rented by the Philippine embassy most of them have been there for at least 3 months to 1 year,” Monterona said.(RONALD O.REYES)