PALO, Leyte- By just a flick of their fingers using their mobile phones or computers, the public could now report a crime incident or even what they perceive an anomalous activity involving a member of the Philippine National Police(PNP).
Chief Inspector Ma. Bella Rentuaya, regional information officer of the PNP, said that they are encouraging the public to use the program dubbed as “PNP i-Serbis,” a mobile application.
“We urge the public to use the mobile application to make them aware of what they can do in eliminating criminal activities at their respective areas,” Rentuaya said during an interview.
By using the mobile application will allow the public to easily seek and access police assistance including the contact number of their police chiefs.
The users are also assured that their identities will be protected if they report a crime incident using the i-Serbis.
The application will also encourage the public to support the PNP on its campaign against criminality and provide relevant and immediate information pertaining to crime to its nearest police station.
The PNP i-Serbis is a free mobile application that is downloadable to smart phones through iOS and Google Playstore.
The application features infographics, updates on the Project Double Barrel, emergency hotlines, links to PNP applications, process on steps and documentary requirements for firearms and explosive, the Supervisory Office for Security and Investigative Agencies; Highway Patrol Program and PNP recruitment program.
Also integrated at i-Serbis are “Itaga mo sa Bato” application, 911 and 8888.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

In the absence of needed utilities and livelihood

TACLOBAN CITY- The Catholic Church has appealed to the city government of Tacloban to stop the scheduled eviction of families hit by supertyphoon “Yolanda” in the city.
Through its social action arm, the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA) / Caritas Philippines along with other groups said that about 3,500 Yolanda-affected families in 15 coastal barangays in the city will be “displaced” with this move of the city government.
“Unfortunately, this is not the kind of response that the Yolanda survivors had been praying for,” said a letter from Community of Yolanda Survivors and Partners (CYSP), a coalition of 163 community organizations and 10 non-government organizations including NASSA/Caritas Philippines, Urban Poor Associates and the Canadian Catholic for Development and Peace.
During his visit in Tacloban on November 8, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the National Housing Authority to finish all the construction of permanent houses and relocate families still living in temporary shelters or in areas declared as danger zones next month.
City Councilor Aimee Grafil, who chairs the committee on the urban poor, human and housing resettlement, said that the city government “is doing its best” to comply with the mandate of the national government to transfer the families who lost their houses due to Yolanda.
She, however, denied that the city will forcibly evict the families, particularly those in the coastal areas. “We cannot force them,” she said. According to Grafil, they need to “meet half-way” with the people who expressed complaint about the plan.
“They need to understand that we are also doing our part,” she said. She added that there are also families who are willing to transfer in the northern relocation sites.
“The National Housing Authority and City Housing (Office) have conducted orientation and consultation with the families,” Grafil said.
She added that the city government has provided water in the relocation sites through delivery trucks every day as part of its commitment to the families.
On Wednesday (Nov. 16), about 500 Yolanda families and Church group leaders trooped to the Sangguniang Panlungsod building to dramatize their opposition on the planned immediate transfer.
The affected families were one in saying that while they want to be relocated to permanent shelters, needed facilities and provisions like water and power should also be installed.
On top of these, the families, who mainly depend on fishing, also ask the government to provide them livelihood opportunities considering that their transfer would mean economic dislocation.
Ma. Regie Ruego, focal person of the Pope Francis for Resilient and Co-Empowered Sustainable Communities (FRANCESCO), said that that the mass transfer of the Yolanda families “is for compliance purposes only.”
“They are doing it so they have something to report to Pres. Duterte when he would return in Tacloban by December (to check the progress of the housing resettlement). The issues here are acceptability, accessibility, and the process of resettlement projects are too far from being achieved,” she said. (RONALD O. REYES)

Despite mounting opposition

TACLOBAN CITY – The P7.9 billion tide embankment project designed to shield communities in this city and nearby towns from possible storm surge will proceed before the end of this year despite sustained efforts of some groups to derail the project, a top official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.
DPWH Regional Director Edgar Tabacon said the national government has already set aside P2.6 billion funds this year to commence the construction of the seawall.
This will kick off in some parts of San Jose district in this city and Palo town under section 4.
In 2017, the project will get P700 million for construction activities in some coastal villages of Palo and Tanauan towns, covering section 5.
On Nov. 8, President Rodrigo Duterte and DPWH Secretary Mark Villar were supposed to ground break of tide embankment’s section 4 project in Palo town but was cancelled after some groups threatened to hold a protest rally.
“The scheduled ground breaking was just ceremonial. The project will start soon now that the contractor has started the mobilization their equipment to support civil works in some subsections,” Tabacon said in a mobile phone interview.
The government has identified at least 14 subsections that are now in advanced stage. Of the total, three have been awarded to contractors; two are scheduled for bidding; and four with final designs.
Completion of specific designs and program of works is ongoing for other subsections.
Tabacon dismissed claims by protesters that the project was not carefully planned by the DPWH.
“The project design is a product of one year study of the Japan International Cooperation Agency and several consultations with local government units, concerned government agencies, and affected communities. We also highly considered environmental impacts,” Tabacon explained.
The project was supposed to prioritize the coastal communities from Tacloban City’s astrodome to San Jose district but was not pushed through pending the relocation of families within the danger zones.
Tabacon, however, could not say when the project will start in Tacloban due to slow pace of relocation of affected families from coastal areas to the northern resettlement sites.
The 27.3-kilometer tide embankment project stretches from Barangay Diit in Tacloban to Brgy. Cabuynan in Tanauan town.
Sections 1 to 3 are in Tacloban, section 4 are located in the coastal villages of Tacloban and Palo, section 5 are some areas in Palo and Tanauan, and section 6 in Tanauan town.
The four-meter high tide embankment project was an initiaitve of the Aquino administration after the 2013 storm surges wipe out communities in Leyte when it was hit by supertyphoon “Yolanda”. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO)