ORMOC CITY- Police authorities are still facing a blank wall on the killing of one of the high profile drug pushers of this city as they are calling possible witnesses to help them uncover the armed suspects.
Chief Inspector Omar Cartalla, officer-in-charge of Police Station 1, this city, said that they could not yet determine who killed Ferdinand Rondina, tagged as level 2 of their high profile targets linked to the illegal drug trade in Ormoc.
Rondina was said to be one of a drug dealers of self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa in Ormoc City.
He was shot dead on the night of January 6 while watching a television outside his house in Barangay District 4.
Eyewitnesses said the suspects wore bonnet and hooded jacket.
Jenjen Pacañot, sister of the victim, said that two men who acted as lookout stood at a passage exit while another two appeared at corridor from inside the village, approached and shot Rondina.
The victim was brought to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Members of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) recovered 10 fired cartridges and three deformed slugs of suspected caliber .45 gun.
Rondina surrendered before the police on July and voluntarily submitted to former Albuera police chief, Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido, after being linked to the Espinosa drug group. (ELVIE ROMAN ROA)
Police faces blank wall on the killing of a drug pusher linked to the Espinosa drug group
Pray for Pres. Duterte
Astaunch priest who does not fear criticizing what he believes are wrong policies of the government, recently called on the faithful to pray for Pres. Rodrigo Duterte in the face of the latter’s controversial pronouncements and the creation his own church, Iglesia ni Duterte.
Rev. Fr. Oscar Lorenzo, a resident priest in Tacloban’s Sto. Niño Parish, took a caring citizen’s stand saying, “My brothers and sisters, since he is our President, we want him to succeed, we want him to do what is best for the Philippines, if not for this problem in himself,” further calling on the people to pray for the members of Duterte’s cabinet, his alter ego, to advise him on what he should do.
This cleric took the altar lectern to express his dissent to the policies being espoused and introduced by Duterte such as divorce and marrying to a maximum of five as will be allowed in Duterte’s Iglesia, the desecration of the Holy Host, his maligning of the Holy Water, the killing of people without due process which debases the sanctity of life.
He said that PRRD should be cautious of what he says in public to the extent of telling the people to blame God for making him what his character is only because he cannot change anymore. Lorenzo likewise feared what Dr. Natividad Dayan established in the annulment of marriage case which the latter faced against his former wife Elizabeth Zimmerman that PRRD was allegedly suffering from anti-social narcistic personality disorder.
The doctor further alleged in her findings that PRRD’s sickness is characterized by gross indifference, insensitivity and self-centeredness, among other unwholesome personality traits. It should however be understood that these are the same traits alleged by most doctors on the personality of defendants in most cases for annulment of marriage. However, the media played up this psychiatric findings as a national problem.
Lorenzo’s apprehension on what the country’s future will be could be right at all. Since PRRD is not god, not even a semblance of the goodness of God, he has to be guided by the wisdom from the God of Christians, whom he adored when he was yet a Catholic. The good side of the President noted should however such as his issuances and the edicts he signed favorable to the lowly citizens of the country. Thus, PRRD is not at all a hopeless case. Conversely, he could be a great statesman the Philippines has ever produced.
PNP in EV clears 370 barangays of illegal drugs
CAMP KANGLEON, PALO, Leyte- Region 8 has obtained 18% drug-cleared barangays since Barangay Drug Clearing Operations have been implemented in October 2016, says Police Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, regional director of Police Regional Office 8.
He said that the entire region has 370 barangays in different towns and cities that are already drug-cleared in collaboration with the local government officials since the new administration launched its intensified narco-war.
PC/Supt. Beltejar said that the number was the latest recorded so far as of January 3, 2017.
The region has a total of 2, 474 affected barangays from 4, 390 total number of barangays with a variance of 2,104 total number of barangays to be cleared from drugs.
All these said barangays underwent rigorous evaluation down to the grassroots in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils and PRO8 aims to declare more municipalities/barangays as drug-free this year with the continuous implementation of Project Double Barrel-Alpha, Beltejar adds.
Moreover, the declaration of the drug-free barangays is based on the following factors: non-availability of drug supply; absence of drug transit/transshipment activity; absence of clandestine drug laboratory; absence of clandestine drug warehouse; absence of clandestine chemical warehouse; absence of marijuana cultivation site; absence of drug den, dive or resort; absence of drug pusher; absence of drug user/dependent; absence of protector/coddler and financier; active involvement of barangays officials in anti-drug activities; active involvement of Sangguniang Kabataan to help maintain the drug-liberated status of the barangay; existence of drug awareness, preventive education and information, and other related programs; and existence of voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation processing desk.
Beltejar considers the police operations against illegal drugs a “success” with the drug supply in the region cut by as much as 90% since the implementation of Project Double Barrel-Alpha and has challenged more cities and municipalities to protect their communities from being infiltrated by illegal drugs.
Likewise, PRO8 urges the public to support the police in waging the war against illegal drugs by providing relevant and timely information in their respective places to report to your nearest police station or through social media (Twitter – @Pro8Pcrd or Facebook Page – PNP RegionEight) or through the following: Dial 117 or text 2920; RPCRD 09173238683/ 09088146421; RTOC 09173114794 /09478907155 and Isumbong Mo Kay Tsip 09178475757. (PR)
Tacloban city government-DILG project to bring water to resettlement sites
TACLOBAN CITY – Nearly 700 households in the northern barangays will soon have access to potable water, this after the city government through Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez secured funding from the Department of Interior Local Government (DILG) which will be used to install much-needed water facilities there.
Worth P5 million, the fund will come from the DILG Bottom Up Budgeting (BuB) Potable Water System Sub-Project and will be used by the city government for the installation of the water pipeline distribution systems in both at the Habitat and Kapuso Villages.
City Administrator Atty. Irene Chiu said the project will provide much needed water services in the north which is currently dependent on daily water rations by the City General Services.
Recently, the city government said that it is putting up a satellite office in the north, a good 13.4 kilometers from the city center, to provide much needed government services to the resettled communities.
Families whose houses were totally destroyed by supertyphoon “Yolanda” were resettled at the northern part of the city.
Concerned households which attended the public consultation organized by the city government on Wednesday, January 4, welcomed the project.
This latest development is part of the thrust of Mayor Romualdez to provide basic amenities to resettled families in the north, according to Chiu.
She added that the BuB project will provide households with free pipe and water service installation and is expected to commence as soon as the fund is downloaded to the local government unit.
Each of the beneficiary households will be installed with a level 3 type water system which means that each house will have their own water connection and meter.
Private Water Utility Provider Mactan Rock, will supply water sourced from different potable sources in the city.
The City Engineer’s Office will undertake the pipe installation while the Mactan Rock will take care of the water systems maintenance.
The BuB-Water Supply Project is part of the DILG-BuB program which aims to strengthen local communities’ participation in national budget formulation and project implementation. (HENRY JAMES G. ROCA/CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
Single ladies arrested for possession of shabu
TACLOBAN CITY- Elements from the Tacloban City Police Office(TCPO)-SAIDSOTG Police Station 2 led by Chief Inspector Rudy Conejo Jr. with seven non-commissioned officers conducted a buy-bust operation at Purok Santol, Barangay 66, Paseo De Legaspi, this city at about 4 pm of January 8, 2017 that resulted to the arrest of Welmina Albero,23, single, and a resident of same barangay and Grace Tampil,24, single and a resident of Purok 2, Brgy 65, Paseo De Legaspi, this city.
A certain “Tolindoy” Herrera and “Yogyog” Herrera were able to elude arrest.
The poseur- buyer bought from the suspect one piece heat-sealed transparent sachet containing suspected shabu.
Recovered from Albero’s actual possessions were six pieces heat sealed transparent sachet containing suspected shabu, two pieces P100 bills, improvised lighters, two pieces improvised tooters, among others.
While confiscated from Tampil was one piece small heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu.
Confiscated pieces of drug evidence were turned-over to the Regional Crime Laboratory Office (RCLO8) for qualitative and quantitative analysis while the other pieces of non-drug evidence were turned over to TCPO evidence custodian.
Suspects are now under the custody of Police Station 2 custodial facility while cases for violation of Sections 5, 6, 7, 11, 12 & 15 of RA 9165 are being prepared for filing before the City Prosecutor’s Office.
The operation was conducted in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-8) under the supervision of S/Supt. Rolando V. Bade, acting city director of TCPO. (PR)
Tokhang final count in EV: 30,161 drug users, pushers surrendered
PALO, Leyte- A total of 30,161 drug users and pushers have surrendered across the region since the start of the massive anti-drug campaign of the government.
Records from the regional Philippine National Police (PNP), disclosed that since July 1 up to December 31, 2016, 27,493 drug users and 2,668 drug pushers voluntarily surrendered before the police authorities which is implementing the “Oplan Tokhang,” an anti-illegal drive campaign of the government under President Rodrigo Duterte.
The records also showed that 21,726 houses across the region were visited by the police authorities who conducted the operation seeking for alleged drug users and pushers to surrender.
Covering the same period, the police conducted 587 operations against illegal drug personalities resulting to the death of 46 drug personalities and the arrest of 690 others.
A total of 16, 906.25 grams of shabu and 306.1 grams of marijuana with an estimate value of P135.2 million were confiscated in the course of the anti-illegal drug operations.
The PRNP-8 also disclosed that of the 186 listed as high value targets, 62 of them have surrendered, 54 were arrested, 12 were killed during the police operations.
Three killings were considered as “death under investigation” or no known suspects while 55 high value targets were under surveillance and subject for police operation.
Among those arrested were a police, soldier and an agent from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency; four former police personnel and four government employees.
“We are very serious on this campaign. When we say we mean business, once they go back to their old habit, they will be subjected to police operation. They were given a chance but if they engage again to illegal drug trade, they will be subjected to police operation because they are closely monitored,” Chief Inspector Bella Rentuaya, police regional information, said, referring to those who surrendered under “Oplan Tokhang” but still chose to continue to use or push illegal drugs. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)