Malversation case – Court acquits town mayor
TACLOBAN CITY- An outgoing mayor in Leyte was acquitted of 11 counts of allegation of malversation of public funds by a regional trial court. Mayor Alden Avestruz, who is serving his third and last term as mayor of Barugo was accused of the crime while he was sitting as vice mayor. Avestruz was accused to have misappropriated the amount of about P60,000 representing his various travelling expenses. “Of course, I feel relieved that the cases filed against me were finally dismissed by the court. I never misused these funds and were in fact, been liquidated long time ago,” Avestruz in an interview said.
He said that he already settled his unliquadated expenses in 2005. The alleged incidents took place from 2001 up to 2004 while he was a vice mayor. The 11 counts of malversation of public funds charged against Avestruz were filed by a town councilor who is running for mayor in this year’s elections. Avestruz’ wife, Ma. Rosario, filed her own candidacy for mayor. Based on the eight-page decision of Judge Lauro Castillo, presiding judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 36 based in Carigara town, also in Leyte, the prosecution failed to establish that the outgoing mayor had committed malversation of public funds.Castillo, on his decision dated December 22,2015, said for a malversation of funds to progress, the following elements have to be satisfied under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code: offender is a public official; in control or in custody of public funds; the questioned funds are considered as public funds and that he misappropriated the funds.
The court, however, said that while the three first elements were present under the instant case, the last element was missing. “Following a long line of cases…and pursuant to the constitutional presumption of innocence, if the evidence is insufficient to prove the guilt of the accused, the latter would necessarily be entitled to an acquittal,” the court said. By Joey Gabieta
Comelec warns candidates of prohibitive acts
TACLOBAN CITY- The region’s highest elections official has reminded candidates running in this year’s balloting to be guided with rules governing the said activity. Lawyer Jose Nick Mendros, regional director of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said that there are prohibitive acts that candidates need to follow starting January 10 up to June 8, 2016, or the entire election period. The country is to hold a general elections on May 9.
Among the prohibitive acts, contained under Comelec Resolution Number 99811, includes the hiring, transfer or movement of officers and employees in the civil service; bearing, carrying or transporting of firearms or other deadly weapons or commonly known as gun ban; use of security personnel or bodyguards by candidates; and suspension of elective local officials unless issued by the Office of the Ombudsman concerning on graft and corruption.
Candidates could be exempted on gun ban and use of security personnel if they have written authority from the poll body, Mendros said. The imposition of the gun ban is meant to ensure that the conduct of balloting will not be marred with violence, the Comelec regional director said. “Comelec checkpoints to be manned by the local police will be set up in every city and town to implement the gun ban and prevent election-related violence,” he added. Mendros said that while there will be only one Comelec- initiated checkpoint in every area, located in a conspicuous and well-lighted area, checkpoints could also be put up by local authorities like the police and the Land Transportation Office.
Meantime, Mendros said that he welcomes the deployment of Special Action Force (SAF) members of the Philippine National Police in Samar. According to him, their presence in the province could help prevent the occurrence of election-related violence. Samar has earlier identified by the PNP as a concerned area relative to the conduct of the May 9 polls due to the occurrence of election-related violence in past elections and presence of private armed groups (PAGS) (JOEY A. GABIETA)
Blaze victims describe woes as “worst” than “Yolanda”
TACLOBAN CITY- A four-hour fire incident greeted this city during the coming of the New Year in Pericohon district, displacing 110 families in the process. The fire, raised to second general alarm by the fire officials, gutted down 69 houses of Barangay 56, Pericohon district, at 12:19 am, said fire investigator SFO2 Levino Caya of the Bureau of Fire Protection, Tacloban office. Caya said that it took them a while before they could penetrate the burning area due to narrow pathways of the village which made it difficult for them to bring in their fire hoses.
“We had to look for a way where we could get close to the fire scene,” the fire officer said. For the residents of the village, the experience was worse than what they went through when Tacloban was hit by supertyphoon “Yolanda” two years ago. “At least when Yolanda hit us, we’re able to save some of our belongings unlike now. What we have are just our clothes at our back, “Joseph Solayao, 50 and a father to 6 children, said.
Solayao said that he was lying on his bed when his son informed him that the house of one Salvacion Murillo, located just few meters from their house, was hit by a fire.
He, together with the rest of his family, went out of their house bringing nothing with them. When Yolanda hit Tacloban, their house only sustained minor damages, he said. “And we were able to save some of our things,” Solayao said. “But now, it’s all gone,” he said, referring to their house that was razed to the grounds due to the four-hour fire that was officially declared fire out by fire officials at 3 am. For Joy capili, 36, what was important was the safety of her family.
“We ran out of the house. We were able to bring only our civil registry records placed in a cabinet,” the mother of four said. Just like the rest of the victims, Solayao and Capili took temporary shelter at their respective relatives. Several others were also housed at the social hall of the Redemptorist Church which is near the village. SFO2 Caya said that, as of press time, he could not say yet what could be the cause of the fire. “But we are not ruling out the possibility that it could be due to a firecracker,” he said, referring to the claims of some witnesses that a “kwitis” hit the house of Murillo, 60. Murillo and her daughter Vivian managed to get out of their two-story house, Caya said.
The blaze spread so fast as most of the houses in the village were made of light materials and located close to each other. Fire stations from the towns of Palo, Tanauan, Babatngon, Alangalang, Sta. Fe and those from the Chinese chamber provided support to the city fire in putting out the fire. Village chairman Cesar Advincula said that the fire hit 69 houses involving 110 families comprising 660 individuals. The offices of Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and the City Social Welfare and Development immediately provided assistance to the fire victims by giving them food and clothing. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
2016 as Jubilee Year for Mercy Du to media: spread the word that God is merciful
TACLOBAN CITY- Archbishop John Du exhorted the members of the media to “spread” the good words that God is merciful. Du, who made this encouragement during a Christmas party for media practitioners based in Tacloban on December 30, said that God’s love to His people is boundless and limitless that forgiving His children is beyond question.
The region’s highest prelate disclosed that 2016 has been declared as the Year of Mercy. “I hope the media will always remind the people that God is merciful… (that) when we are helpless, always ask God’s company,” he said in his message. “You have the mission to spread the good news; that God is merciful,” the prelate added. Last March 13, 2015, Pope Francis declared 2016 as the Jubilee Year for Mercy wherein the period is considered by the Church as the time for mercy and remission of sins. Du said that seeking forgiveness from God whenever one committed a sin or has failed, there is no other recourse but to seek God’s mercy. And this could be demonstrated when one kneels before God, the archbishop said. Du said also said that the practice of mercy and love should start in the family, adding that he personally witnessed this during the time the region was devastated by supertyphoon “Yolanda” on Dec.8, 2013.
According to the archbishop, love of the parents, particularly, the mothers, is truly beyond words. He said that when the Palo cathedral was being pummeled by Yolanda, with its roofs blown away, mothers turned “stubborn” just to save their children who were separated from them due to the commotion as they tried to look for a safer area inside the cathedral. At that time, there were hundreds of people, including Du, who were trapped inside the cathedral when Yolanda made her full fury. “There was full of drama inside but clearly, the mothers were willing to sacrifice their own very lives for the sake of their children,” Du said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
Thai princess in the city
TACLOBAN CITY- A real princess stepped inside a “reel” palace in the city for an hour and expressed her “amazement” on how the place remained well-maintained. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, whose family is considered to be the world’s richest royals with fortune of $30 billion based on Forbes 2015 listing, visited the Santo Niño Shrine and Museum, known mostly as the palatial house of former first lady and now Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos.
Her visit to the said museum was part of her itinerary during her two-day visit in Leyte that ended on Wednesday, January 20. The 21-room palatial structure, located along Real Street, this city, is under control of the government through the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), claiming it was part of the so-called Marcos ill-gotten wealth. Annabelle Arpon, staff of the PCGG-8 who served as guide to the Princess in her “room-to-room” visit of the shrine, said she finds her to be “very simple.” “Well, we usually picture a princess with a tiara on her head and wearing a very nice gown. But in her case, she came here as if she was just an ordinary guest. No tiara, no gown. She was just wearing something like a blouse and pants,” she said.
“She is very simple. But she is a princess that is why I was also in awe. It’s my first time to encounter a real princess,” Arpon, whose been serving as a guide for guests visiting the shrine since 1989, she added. Arpon said that the princess arrived at the shrine at 9:45 am on Wednesday. She left the shrine almost an hour later. She was welcomed by Juliette Romualdez during her tour to the shrine. Romualdez is the sister-in-law of Marcos. The former first lady was said to be close to the princess’ mother, Queen Sirikit. “We were briefed that she would not see all the 21 rooms here. But during her visit, she actually went inside all the rooms and lingered for almost three or five minutes in every room she was in,” she said. And using her camera, she also took pictures in every room, designed differently from each other, and even seen to have taken some notes using a small notebook.
“According to her aide, the Princess described the shrine as the best she ever visited,”Arpon said. And in the guest list, the Princess wrote a comment of “well kept.”
Arpon said that she received from the Thai princess, handed to her by a staff, a miniature designed Buddhist temple as a gift. The shrine, built in 1979-1980 during the remaining years of the Marcos regime, is undergoing renovation after it sustained damages when it was hit by supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013. Found inside the shrine, once described by Marcos as her summer house, are numerous Russian icons, oriental jars and paintings by some of the country’s national artists like Malang and ivory-made statues. It has also an Olympic-sized swimming pool and state dining room located at the second floor. Each of the guest rooms are decorated with different motifs of the country’s regions.
A chapel also greets the visitors with the image of Santo Niño, the patron of Tacloban. Renoir Dauag, regional PCGG representative, said that they were happy that a royalty visited the shrine. “We were happy that her visit to the shrine was included in her itinerary. This could help encourage, among foreign tourists especially, to visit the Santo Niño Shrine and Museum,” he said. Aside from the Santo Niño Shrine and Museum, the Thai princess also visited the Santo Niño Church and the MacArthur National Landing Memorial National Park in Palo town.
The Thai princess visited Leyte to personally lead in the turn -over of a two-classroom at the Banayon Elementary School in Dagami town, Leyte.
She also lead in the turn-over of livelihood assistance involving mushroom production, tilapia raising to the locals still reeling in the aftermath of Yolanda’s destruction.
Dagami, more than 30 kms away from Tacloban, was one of the areas in Leyte hit by Yolanda.