PALO, Leyte- Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines John Holmes lauded the bravery of Filipino soldiers who fought to liberate Marawi City from the hands of Maute- Isis Group.
Holmes said that while they were saddened on what happened in Marawi City, they were at the same “salute the brave soldiers,” in liberating the city from the terror group.
“Our hearts go out to all of the victims of Marawi City and all of the brave soldiers who lost their lives and to all their families,” the ambassador said.
The Canadian ambassador said that his country is ready to assist the Philippine government if it will ask for its assistance.
Likewise, his country will continue to provide assistance to Mindanao.
Holmes was among the foreign dignitaries who attended a ‘barrio fiesta’ sponsored by the Palo municipal government on October 19 held at the municipal building.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla hosted the occasion which was also attended by war veterans.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Canadian ambassador pays tribute to soldiers who help liberate Marawi City from Maute-Isis group
Gov’t worker among arrested in sting operations by PDEA against shabu
TACLOBAN CITY- A government employee was among arrested by the members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-8) in a series of buy-bust operations in the city.
Manuel Fausto,43, and an employee of the Tacloban city government was arrested in possession of one sachet of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu valued at P1,000 by PDEA operatives in Barangay 62-B, Sagkahan district last October 11 at about 2:50 pm.
Also arrested was Jess Virgil Cordero, 26 and his live-in partner Joyce Anne Leona,28, in a buy-bust operation in Brgy. Poblacion, district 11 of La Paz town in Leyte at about 5:30 pm on October 17.
Seized from the two drug suspects were two sachets of shabu valued at P1,000 and six dried marijuana leaves.
And in another sting operation conducted by the PDEA agents was Diego Aurelia,36 who was arrested in Barangay 66, Paseo de Legaspi and in possession of two sachets of shabu valued at P1,000.
All four drugs suspects were charged for possession and selling of illegal drugs. They are now temporarily detained at the detention facility of PDE-8. (PR)
PDEA in EV needs 100 agents to combat drug abuse
As sole authority to conduct anti-illegal drugs operations
TACLOBAN CITY- With President Rodrigo Duterte directing the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as the sole agency to carry out operations against illegal drugs in the country, an official of the anti-drug agency in the region said that they need additional personnel to carry out such mission.
Rogelette Urgel, PDEA’s regional spokesperson, said that their current strength is not enough for them to carry out anti-drug operations across the region, composed of six provinces and seven cities.
Urgel, however, said that they welcome the order of Mr. Duterte, issued on October 10, as it is the mandate of PDEA to address the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country.
“Of course we welcome this directive of the President. However, our campaign may be hampered due to lack of personnel,” Urgel said.
“For us to cover the entire region, perhaps we need an additional 100 agents,” she added.
At present, PDEA-8 has about 100 personnel which is headed by Regional Director Edgar Jubay.
She also said that while the President now gave PDEA the sole authority to conduct anti-drug operations, they would continue to work closely with the Philippine National Police (PNP), which earlier played a significant role in the anti-drug campaign.
She, however, stressed that the police organization could not conduct any anti-drug operations without the consent or coordination with their agency.
The campaign to eliminate illegal drugs in the country under the administration of Pres. Duterte has turned out to be controversial due to reported extrajudicial killings which now runs to close to 3,000 as claimed by the administration’s critics, to include human rights groups.
The huge number is being contested by the Philippine National Police.
In the region, lawyer Desiree Pontejos, officer-in-charge of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), said that they have monitored 36 so-called extrajudicial killings across the region.
These killings include that of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., who was gunned down inside his cell at the Leyte subprovincial jail in Baybay City on November 4, 2016 by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Angelika Bonita, 18.
Urgel said that aside from giving PDEA additional personnel, they also need cooperation from the people in the communities.
Meantime, Urgel said that out of the 4,390 barangays in the region, more than 350 of them have been declared as ‘drug-cleared’ by their office.
She also said that the towns of General MacArthur, Maslog, both in Eastern Samar; Limasawa in Southern Leyte; Pagsanghan and Motiong, both in Samar, have been declared as drug-cleared.
By drug-cleared it means absence of a drug supplier in a particular area though there could still be drug dependents, Urgel said.
Icons of saint against storm to be submerged in Leyte areas hit by storm surge
Yolanda’s 4th anniversary
TACLOBAN CITY – Spiritual activities and environmental protection should be highlighted during the yearly commemoration of the onslaught of super typhoon ‘Yolanda.’
And in doing so, it is just fitting to put up the icons of St. Medard along the coasts in areas that suffered devastations due to Yolanda that pummeled the province on November 8, 2013.
Thus said Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto who disclosed that a group of divers will be coming to the province next week to identify particular areas where the icons of the saint would be placed.
But initially, the plan is to ‘submerge’ the icons in areas where storm surges occurred. The storm surge was blamed as the cause for the deaths of thousands of people when Yolanda devastated Leyte and some parts of the region.
“The yearly commemoration of the Yolanda devastation should have more meaning(and) impact by taking care of our environment and strengthen our spiritual faith,” Loreto said.
Thus, the plan to put the images of Saint Medard of Noyon considered as the patron saint against bad storms.
“Divers are due to come next week to pinpoint a good location for these (icons),” Loreto disclosed.
Scientists were one in saying that Yolanda was a result of climate change, blame mainly to man’s abuses to the environment.
St. Medard of Noyon, France is a sixth-century bishop considered as the patron saint for protection from bad storms. Legend has it that as a child, he was once sheltered from the rain by an eagle hovering over him.
Proposed areas for the project are Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa and other areas which were devastated by the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland.
However, for Tanauan town, the plan is for the icon be placed at one of its junctions facing the sea, Loreto said.
Loreto added that while many natural disasters are unavoidable such as Yolanda, some are linked to human activities which direct a connection towards environmental stewardship.
He said catastrophic natural disasters continue to occur nowadays and these devastating events always take their toll on human life, whether through immediate devastation and destruction or through their crippling impact on food production and ecological systems.
In the long run, these areas where the icons of St. Medard will be placed can be promoted for pilgrimage tourism, it was learned. (AHLETTE C.REYES)
EV child labor committee tackles welfare of child laborers
ORMOC CITY– The member-agencies of the Eastern Visayas Regional Child Labor Committee (EVRCLC) tackled in a meeting some issues and concerns for the welfare of child laborers in the region.
The EVRCLC had its last activity in 2012 with the drafting of a memorandum of agreement for the intensified, sustained and unified implementation of Philippine Program Against Child Labor in Eastern Visayas Region.
Lawyer Roy L. Buenafe, OIC-assistant regional director (ARD) of DOLE 8, who presided the RCLC meeting in Ormoc City, Friday (October 6), hope to make the RCLC alive again by reconstituting its membership and structure.
He asked representatives of the RCLC member-agencies to intensify their child labor-related development programs to help minimize and eradicate it in the region.
He also highlighted the reaffirmation and appraisal of the commitment of the EVRCLC member-agencies on the drafted 2012 MOA to fit into their present programs and interventions.
The member-agencies of the EVRCLC lined-up the following activities for the National Children’s Month celebration in November: MOA signing of the heads of the EVRCLC member-agencies of the intensified, sustained and unified implementation of Philippine Program Against Child Labor in Eastern Visayas Region; gift-giving to the identified child laborers in barangays Rizal and Tugbong in Kananga and in barangays Sumanga and Patag in Ormoc City dubbed “Pasko sa Nobyembre”; national launching of IEC materials for the Strategic Helpdesk for Information, Education, Livelihood and other Developmental Interventions (SHIELD) Project; and the DSWD 8 children-related activities.
The lined-up activities for the National Children’s Month celebration in November tentatively set on November 29, 2017 in Ormoc City will be finalized during the meeting of the EVRCLC member-agencies on November 3, 2017 in Ormoc City.
(PIA8-Ormoc Desk)
2 construction workers buried alive in a landslide in N. Samar town
TACLOBAN CITY- Two construction workers were buried alive after they were hit by a boulder while they were excavating inside an elementary school in Lavezares, Northern Samar on Wednesday (October 11).
Killed were Jonnel Nabor, 21 and Elmer Abayon, 30, who were buried in a pit they were excavating inside the Libas Elementary School, which is located at the foot of a mountain.
The victims, along with more than 10 workers of the CE Construction and Supplies construction company, were constructing a building inside the school compound which has more than 200 students.
PO1 Albert Enguerra, police desk officer of Lavezares police station, said that the two were hit by a rampaging boulder cascading towards them, pinning them down to a pit which they were excavating.
“They were doing some excavation when a boulder coming down from the mountain hit them, burying them alive. It took three hours before they were retrieved. At that time, the weather was fine,” Enguerra, reached on the phone, said.
The incident happened at about 2 pm with the retrieval effort ending three hours later, the police officer said.
The victims’ coworkers with the help of local members of the Bureau of Fire Protection and local police helped in recovering the lifeless bodies of Nabor and Abayon, who were both from Barangay Kalabog, Victoria, also in Northern Samar.
The remains of the victims were collected by their respective families.(VICKY C. ARNAIZ)