To cover his illegal activities?

TACLOBAN CITY- Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido, police chief of Albuera, Leyte, revealed that names of several police and Army officials as well as elective officials and some media personalities appeared several times on the checks issued by alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa. The checks were discovered by the police authorities at the back of the barangay chapel in sitio Tinago, Barangay Binulho last August 15. Espenido, however, declined to provide the identities of those who reportedly received the checks issued by Espinosa who still remain at-large. The checks, which were returned checks which mean these were already withdrawn, were recovered by them after they received an information on the items, Espenido said.

The checks were issued from 2014 until June of this year amounting in all to around P500 million. “An informant called and informed me that checks placed in short brown envelope and in folder, were found at the back of the chapel in Binulho. The checks, of about 500 pieces, belong and issued by Kerwin,” he said. The money received by the recipients could have been used by the alleged drug lord to bribe them for him to continue his illegal drug activity, the police chief said.  Espenido, however, was cautious in providing names and the amounts involved saying the checks would still be verified for “authenticity purposes.” “We will have all these 500 pieces of checks verified first by our crime laboratory,” he said.

The checks were forwarded at the national headquarters of the Philippine National Police at Camp Crame. Espenido said that he would welcome any one of those who reportedly received the checks to come to his office and cooperate on their investigation regarding this matter. Kerwin is the son of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., who reassumed his post last Tuesday (August 16) after he temporarily abandoned it on August 2. Meantime, Espenido said that he has not yet met Mayor Espinosa since his return. He admitted that he want to confront the embattled mayor over the issue against him. “But I assure him of police protection. But really my hands are itchy…” Espenido said. “He has been accused of peddling illegal drugs and yet he has still the gall to return here. Ang kapal ng mukha niya,” the town police chief said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

Among big ticket projects of the Duterte administration

TACLOBAN CITY – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) here in the region is optimistic that the country’s premier coordinating body will approve the P2.4 billion modernization of the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC).
NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio Uy said the NEDA Board, chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte, will convene soon to approve the 10 projects worth P300 billion endorsed on Aug. 4 by the Cabinet-level Investment Coordination Committee (ICC).
Among these projects is the P2.4-billion modernization of EVRMC, the region’s biggest government-run hospital.
NEDA records show that the funding for the P2.4 billion project will be sourced out from the national government for P1.79 million, Japan International Cooperation Agency grant of P350 million and Bloomberry Cultural Foundation, Inc. donation of P250 million.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of May 2017.
“The project has been favorably evaluated and endorsed by the NEDA regional and central offices. This is one of the proposed interventions under the post-Yolanda rehabilitation and reconstruction plan to build back better the health facilities in Eastern Visayas,” Uy said.
The NEDA board is composed of the President as chairman, the Secretary of socio-economic planning and NEDA Director-General as vice-chairman, and the following as members – the executive secretary and the secretaries of finance, trade and industry, agriculture, environment and natural resources, public works and highways, budget and management, labor and employment, and interior and local government.
“As regional referral center, modernizing EVRMC will improve quality health services to the people of Region 8, ensure resiliency in times of disasters, enhance health outcomes, and achieve equity in healthcare in the region,” Uy added.
Part of the EVRMC modernization program is to transfer the entire facility from the city center to a storm surge-safe area in Barangay Cabalawan. The transfer has started this year and will be completed in 2018.
Its new site, which is about 10 kilometers from Tacloban city proper, is situated along the national highway and close to San Juanico Bridge — making it more accessible to the three Samar provinces.
There is an ongoing construction of a new 6-storey hospital and ancillary building in a new site. It has a total floor area of 30,000 square meters with 420-bed service wards and 180-bed private rooms.
The modernization program is expected to enhance the quality of services of the medical center, improve health outcomes, and achieve equity in access to healthcare in the region. By: SARWELL Q. MENIANO

TACLOBAN CITY- Alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa will be facing a new complaint.
And this time, it’s due to his possession of pythons inside his house in sitio Tinago, Barangay Binulho in Albuera, Leyte.
Last Saturday (August 13), a team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and local police team went to the house of Espinosa, who remains at-large, to rescue 15 pythons.
“Our legal team is now readying the filing of a case against him for violation of Republic Act 9147 for possession of wildlife without permit,” DENR-8 Executive Regional Director Leonardo Sibbaluca said.
If found guilty, Espinosa could be imprisoned for 4 years at the maximum with a penalty of P300,000.
Crisostomo Badeo, chief of the conservation and development division of the DENR-8, said that they would ask veterinarians to check the condition of these animals which are considered as among the endangered.
“Based in our record, we did not receive any application from him seeking permission to keep these animals,” he said, referring to Espinosa.
Thus, the alleged drug lord could be charged for violation of Republic Act 9147 or the conservation and protection of wildlife resources, Badeo said.
Espinosa has been charged for illegal possession of prohibited drugs but were dismissed on grounds of technicality and lack of witnesses.
His father, Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr. has already been charged for possession of illegal drugs by the local police before the Leyte prosecutor’s office last Thursday.
According to Sibbaluca, they learned about the presence of these animals at the house of Espinosa through an informant who called him last Friday(August 12).
Immediately, he formed a team composed from the provincial environment and natural resources (PENRO), community environment and natural resources (CENRO) of Albuera and the local police and rescued the animals Saturday morning.
“I have to act immediately kasi kawawa na ang mga animals. They have been left without food for weeks now. They were already weak and hungry,” Sibbaluca said.
Of the 15 recovered pythons inside the house of Espinosa were 4 Burmese python, one green tree python and 10 reticulated pythons.
Each of the pythons, the biggest was four meters in length, were placed inside a cage located just at the entrance of the abandoned house of Espinosa.
The pythons could eat a young child if they could escape from their cages, Sibbaluca said.
The animals were immediately brought to the animal welfare center in Palo, Leyte where the Penro office is located.
These will be later release at the wildlife conservation park located at Mt. Mahagnao, Burauen town, also in Leyte.
The house of Espinosa has been abandoned after the August 3 gun battle between the alleged armed group and local police. (JOEY A.GABIETA/RESTY CAYUBIT)