KANANGA, Leyte- Five island towns in Samar are to be declared as insurgency free by the military. This was disclosed by Major General Jet Velarmino, commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City. Velarmino, however, declined to identify the island towns of Samar, once considered the hot-bed of insurgency of the country. The region’s highest military official also declined to say as to when they would declare the five areas as completely without the presence of the rebel group, the New People’s Army.

Just recently, the military declared 15 towns in Leyte to be insurgency-free.  Of the six provinces of Eastern Visayas, only the provinces of Biliran and Southern Leyte were declared as insurgency-free. However, all the four remaining provinces of the region were declared by the military to be manageable areas, short for the declaration as an insurgency-free. Velarmino, who was in town for the celebration of the founding of the 19th Infantry Battalion based in Kananga, said that declaring a town as an insurgency free area is the next step before a province is declared as such.

Velarmino said that in the course of their campaign against members of the Maoist-inspired group, which has been waging armed battle with the government for more than four decades now, skirmishes between the two warring groups is “inevitable.” Meantime, Kananga Mayor Elmer Codilla said that the campaign against insurgency is not only the obligation of the soldiers. “The Army and the local government units cannot do it on their own. We need help from the communities that are now cooperating since they had seen that soldiers are now more approachable and they are partner in development,” said Codilla. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- If one is given a second life, he would rather offer his talent to God in thanksgiving. The undertaking started as an economic venture with all the feasibility studies in place, but after surviving the harrowing encounter with supertyphoon “Yolanda” in November 2013, nine well-known local paint artists decided to make remembrance in thanksgiving for extended life. At the entrance of the iconic Sto. Niño Church, this city, can be seen in its ceiling the mural depicting the history of the local church’s faith and devotion to Señor Sto. Niño de Tacloban. This the painters describe as a legacy, a once in a lifetime unique project for them. According to Crispin Asensi, a member of KasiKasi Art Association that undertook the painting of the ceiling mural, working on the project gave the nine of them different feelings.

“We got closer to God and felt our work was being blessed because we were doing our work while the mass was going on,” he recalled. “For each of us, to do this mural is a thanksgiving. We are survivors of typhoon Yolanda and are still here given the chance to paint once more and to thank God for this new life,” Asensi said. The painting was finished last March after two months of intricate work. Asensi was joined by his fellow professional artists in this work namely Ernie Ybañez, Rico Palacio, Dante Enage, Archie Zabala, Archie Prisno, Billy Pormida, Jass Diaz and Jun Olimberio. Although the original plan of painting the whole ceiling of the church took four years before typhoon Yolanda struck, the final output was the mural at the ceiling by the main entrance door.

The church was among the city’s landmarks that sustained major damages due to Yolanda. The 18-foot in diameter oil canvass painting portrays the salient details that explain the transfer of the fiesta celebration of the Sto. Niño from January to June 30. History conveys that in the return voyage to Tacloban, following repair made on the ivory image in Manila, the ship that was carrying it was gutted by fire. The image was jettisoned before the ship completely sank in the middle of the sea.

In the meantime that the icon of the Taclobanons faith was missing cholera epidemic broke which toll on the lives of many Taclobanons. Following long days of search, some individuals informed the local government and church leaders that the image was seen being venerated in a remote community in Semirara Island in Antique province. A group of men were tasked to retrieve the icon, which they did but stealthily as the community folks did not like to return the image. The icon was finally returned to Tacloban on June 30, 1889. On that same day, people sick with cholera started to recover from the illness and the economy flourished once more. This marked the beginning of a more fervent devotion to Señor Sto. Niño de Tacloban. (EILEEN NAZARENO-BALLESTEROS)

JARO, Leyte-An upland barangay situated about seven kilometers away from the poblacion of this town, Barangay Villa Conzoilo prides itself as one of the beneficiaries of the MIC (More Income in the Countryside) program under the administration of Governor Leopoldo Dominico “Mic” Petilla.

The barangay, which has a population of 330 and seven kilometers from the national highway, mainly relies on farming as its main source of income. Its major crops include coconut, root crops, corn and vegetables. With the introduction of the provincial agriculturist’s new package of farming technology on high value vegetables and root crops under the MIC program, farming in Brgy. Villa Conzoilo has flourished.

They are now a major source of these vegetables being purchased by restaurant owners in Tacloban City, 47 kilometers away from Jaro. Under the leadership of barangay chairman Alex Aborita, Brgy. Villa Conzoilo has a long way to go. It has to implement proper waste management in order to preserve the cleanliness and rustic beauty of the countryside.

Proper maintenance of its farm to market road has to be sustained and its transportation facilities have to be increased. The barangay has also to acquire some post-harvest equipment to enhance its vegetable production and storage. But with the assistance from provincial government, it is believed that Villa Conzoilo will showcase the results of the MIC program.
(IMELDA NARTEA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Mastery on the country’s anti-drug law will ensure better convictions rate among drug traffickers apprehended by law enforcers. This was the message underscored by the former vice chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), lawyer Clarence Paul Oaminal. Oaminal conducted a six-day orientation on Republic Act 9156 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs of 2002 before the members of the regional anti-illegal drugs task force at the regional headquarters at the Philippine National Police which ended on May 11.  Oaminal said that lack of full knowledge on said law among apprehending officers of individuals who engage in prohibited drugs was often the reason why “80 to 90 percent of drug cases are dismissed by the courts.”

“(The seminar will) empower our law enforcers of the knowledge and mastery of the law,” Oaminal said, referring on the importance of the orientation. During the orientation, Oaminal in particular discussed section 21 of RA 2002 which he said was the common loophole why drug-related cases are dismissed even at the prosecutor’s level.

He said that good thing that original text of said section was amended on the introduction of Senator Tito Sotto, once the chairman of the DDB. Under the original provision, it provided that the apprehending team, which has the initial custody and control of the seized drugs should conduct physical inventory and photograph the drugs immediately after confiscation in the presence of the accused or his/her representative or counsel, among others. But under the amended version, the apprehending team who has the initial custody and control of the dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals, instruments/paraphernalia and/or laboratory equipment to immediately after seizure and confiscation, conduct a physical inventory of the seized items and photograph the same.

The inventory should be done in the presence of the accused with an elected public official and a representative of the National Prosecution Service or the media who shall be required to sign the copies of the inventory and be given a copy and that the physical inventory and photograph.(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico “Mic” Petilla assured members of the media that he is an advocate on press freedom. Petilla made this disclosure during his meeting with the members of the National Press Club (NPC)-Tacloban chapter on May 6. NPC members, headed by Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros as president, paid their courtesy call to Petilla. The governor stressed he would not put the media in a situation that will compromise its integrity and neutrality. He has been upholding this principle as personal advocacy since his college days where he had the experience to be among the student activists although not hardcore, he said.

Gov. Petilla expressed full support to the cause of the journalists, including the NPC-Tacloban. However, he cautioned that such help should not be violative of any auditing policy, such as imposed in the constitutional mandate on separation of church and state. The journalists, in turn, took the opportunity as well to get the governor’s stand on various issues which among others his political plans on the 2016 elections as well as his desire to improve the living condition of the people of the province, now considered among the country’s poorest provinces after it was devastated by supertyphoon “Yolanda.”  The governor said that he would focus on enhanced productivity instead of generating employment.
(EILEEN NAZARENO BALLESTEROS)

TACLOBAN CITY – Local government units were given only up to June 30 of this year to finish the distribution of the emergency shelter assistance(ESA) for families whose houses were damaged or destroyed by supertyphoon “Yolanda.”  Otherwise, there is a possibility that its release could be affected due to election ban relative to the general elections next year, said Nestor Ramos, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Ramos said that P2 billion has been released by the national government to the regional DSWD intended for ESA in the 63 towns and cities hit by Yolanda. The amount represents less than half of the estimated P6 billion shelter aid requirements of the 63 towns in the region. “I am appealing to the local government units to complete all documents and if they already received ESA funds, they should release it immediately to recipients. If it won’t be released after June 30 or early July, it will be affected by election ban on October 30,” Ramos told reporters in an interview. Earlier, the national government had set the April 30 timeline to complete the ESA distribution but it failed due to delayed fund disbursement from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

“There are issues that are beyond our control but if all the records are ready, we have to release it the soonest,” Ramos said. On the part of local government units (LGUs), duplication in the listing of beneficiaries has slackened the process of handing out the P10,000 grant for each family with partially damaged house and P30,000 for each family whose house were totally damaged. Of the 63 areas affected by Yolanda, only the towns of Tanauan, Tolosa, Palo, Tunga, Palompon, Mahaplag, Kananga, Jaro and Tacloban City, all in Leyte have completed the ESA distribution.

Tacloban and nearby Sta. Fe town have partial releases of shelter aid for typhoon victims. President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the DBM to immediately release the P11.18 billion ESA funds to Yolanda-hit areas in the Visayas. DSWD field offices were asked to start the preparation of documentary requirements needed for the ESA release. Among the documentary requirements are disaster terminal report, project proposal, rehabilitation plan, certificate of eligibility of the beneficiaries, omprehensive land use plan and certification from the local engineering office ensuring that the areas are safe from hazards. Qualified to receive the shelter aid are poor families living in safe zones and earning less than P15,000 monthly.