Investigation on explosion incident still ongoing

TACLOBAN CITY- The chief of police of Hilongos in Leyte was sacked from his post as investigation on the blast incident in the said town continues.
Chief Inspector Alberto Renomeron Jr., was relieved from his post effective January 5, nine days after the explosion incident rocked Hilongos that injured 32 people, 10 of them were children.
The relief of Renomeron was signed by Leyte police director S/Supt. Franco Simborio though with the go signal of Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, regional police director.
“Chief Inspector Renomeron was relieved from his post as chief of police of Hilongos and was replaced by (Chief) Inspector (Ronald) Espina,” Chief Inspector Bella Rentuaya, information officer of the Philippine National Police (PNP-8), said.
Renomeron, the head of Hilongos police station since March 4, 2016, was temporarily reassigned at the Leyte PNP headquarters “on a floating status.”
He was replaced by Espina who was previously assigned at the Leyte Public Safety Battalion.
Rentuaya said that the relief of Renomeron is just part of the standard operating procedure as there is an ongoing probe regarding the incident.
“But he is still part of a special task force created regarding the incident in Hilongos,” she said.
But a source said that Renomeron was sacked from his post due to his failure to monitor the existence of the threat that resulted to the bombing incident.
On December 29, Beltejar created the special investigation task force to help hasten the Hilongos incident.
The December 28 incident at the Rizal Park in Hilongos injured 32 people after an improvised explosive devices (IED) exploded.
The first IED, of an 81 mm mortar, exploded at 9:01 followed with another explosion minutes later.
Police operative are still conducting their manhunt operation against their suspects using the footage taken from the CCTV.
Illegal drugs and a group involved in counterfeit money are the two angles being considered by the police as motive for the incident.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

With RDC’s endorsement

TACLOBAN CITY – The Regional Development Council (RDC) has approved a proposal that feasibility study be made to make a seaport in Babatngon, Leyte as the future transshipment hub for the region.
Aside from feasibility study, experts from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) will also come up with a master plan of the Babatngon Port as Eastern Visayas’ regional transshipment hub.
The study is expected to kick off early this year and it will be completed within 2017.
The proposed development is not actually just a simple port, according to Oliver Cam, RDC private sector representative for business.
The RDC approved the proposal during its full council meeting on Dec. 20, 2016.
Babatngon town is located in the northern part of Leyte and is just 22 kilometers north of this city.
The town’s port has been eyed by experts as regional hub considering the difficulty of big ships to reach the regional capital.
Large Tacloban-bound vessels have to traverse the narrow San Juanico Strait that separates Samar and Leyte Islands to reach the regional center.
Part of the proposal is to build a cargo terminal holding and warehousing facility.
“The classic example of what we see now in both Tacloban and Ormoc ports in Leyte is that the cargo vans are outside the port utilizing part of the road or part of another area, which are not designed to have that much capacity in terms of the cargo van holding, loading, and transporting capability equipment,” Cam said.
The overall feasibility study will take account of where and how large the holding, loading and warehousing facilities needed for cargo vans and other related cargos.
“The proposed port development will also be a part of the Tacloban North Agro-industrial economic zone. Thus, it will facilitate better exchange of incoming inputs and outgoing outputs of the economic zone,” Cam explained.
The Tacloban North Agro-Industrial Economic Zone is a 13.4 hectare economic zone identified by the Tacloban city government and is located in the northern part of the city.
Comprehensive feasibility study is also being pushed for the ports of Naval, Catbalogan City, Calbayog City, Leyte Integrated Development Estate in Isabel town, and Ormoc City.
“The goal here is not to marginalize the other existing ports but to optimize the traffic among our ports in the region so that all of us will benefit from this comprehensive feasibility study,” Cam explained.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)

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)

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)