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LGU good governance awardees honored by the provincial government

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CHAMPIONS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE. The provincial government of Northern Samar extended its congratulations and commendations to 10 of its municipalities for receiving awards on good governance. (THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN SAMAR).
CHAMPIONS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE. The provincial government of Northern Samar extended its congratulations and commendations to 10 of its municipalities for receiving awards on good governance.
(THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN SAMAR).

CATARMAN, Northern Samar– The provincial government of Northern Samar, through the Sangguniang Panglalawigan, recognized the champions of local governance for their transparency, and excellent implementation and monitoring of infrastructure projects in the province through SP Resolution of Commendation for the LGU awardees.

Authored by Board Member Don L. Abalon, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan led by Vice Governor Clarence Dato approved the resolution of commendation to acknowledge the contributions of these local government units (LGUs), instrumental in turning the Provincial Government’s plan and programs into efficient and transparent actual projects, in line with Governor Harris Ongchuan’s Health, Capacity Development and Climate Resilient, and Opportunities (HCO) development agenda.

The SP Resolutions of Commendation were awarded last Friday, January 23, 2026 to the following LGUs:

Catarman
• National and Regional Awardee, Subaybayani Awards 2025
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Mayor Dianne Rosales

Gamay
• Regional Champion, Local Legislative Awards 2025
• National and Regional awardee, SubayBAYANI Awards 2025
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Vice Mayor Clarita Gomba

Bobon
• National and Regional Awardee, Subaybayani Awards 2025
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Mayor Reny Celespara

Mondragon
• Regional Awardee, SubayBAYANI Awards 2025
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Mayor Mario Madera

Lope De Vega
• Regional Awardee, SubayBAYANI Awards 2025
Received by Vice Mayor Honeybelle Bation

Catubig
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by SB Member Tirso Celajes Jr.

Laoang
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Municipal Administrator Jesus Acebuche

Lapinig
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Mayor Romualdo Menzon Jr.

Lavezares
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Mayor Edito Saludaga

Mapanas
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Vice Mayor Barbara Luisa Tejano

Pambujan
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Mayor Owen Siervo

San Antonio
• Local Governance Champion 2025
Received by Mayor Gary Lavin

Palapag
• Local Governance Champion 2025

San Isidro
• Local Governance Champion 2025

San Roque
• Regional Awardee, SubayBAYANI Awards 2025
• Local Governance Champion 2025

These regional and national awards not only brought honor to the province, but also reflected the sustained commitment of the Provincial Government towards excellence in good governance. Through SP Commendation, the Provincial Government recognizes these exemplary LGUs for demonstrating good governance in the province and serving as key components in setting the standards worth emulating by other LGUs in driving the province towards a marig-on, mainuswagon, ngan malipayon nga Norte san Samar.

(THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN SAMAR)

BFAR-8 leads anti-illegal fishing assessment, planning in Biliran

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TACLOBAN CITY — Efforts to curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF) in Biliran province gained momentum as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Eastern Visayas (BFAR-8) conducted a three-day assessment and planning activity in Naval, Biliran from January 28 to 30, 2026.

The activity brought together the province’s eight coastal municipalities—Maripipi, Kawayan, Almeria, Culaba, Naval, Caibiran, Biliran, and Cabugcayan—and employed the IUUF Index Tool (IFIT) to evaluate the extent of illegal fishing and the effectiveness of existing fisheries law enforcement in municipal waters.

Participants included representatives from Municipal Agriculture Offices, the Philippine National Police, Municipal Fisheries Law Enforcement Teams, Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Councils, fisherfolk associations, and various people’s organizations.

BFAR-8 said the assessment helped local governments identify the prevalence of illegal and destructive fishing practices, as well as enforcement gaps and operational challenges. Commonly reported violations included the use of active and destructive fishing gears, cyanide and compressor fishing, fishing without permits, unreported catches, and fishing within Marine Protected Areas.

Municipal Agriculturist Marites Lipalam of Caibiran noted that the assessment gave local officials a clearer picture of illegal fishing intrusions and highlighted areas that need improvement to better manage and protect municipal waters.

Provincial Fisheries Officer Luzviminda Robin emphasized that the initiative strengthens both provincial and municipal capacities in fisheries law enforcement and supports the long-term sustainability of marine resources. She also cited the continued commitment of local fishery law enforcers in safeguarding coastal and marine ecosystems.

Based on the assessment results, participating municipalities crafted short- and long-term action plans aimed at reducing IUUF activities. Proposed measures include intensified information and education campaigns, comprehensive fisherfolk registration, stricter enforcement of fishing permits and catch documentation, updates to municipal fisheries ordinances, increased funding for coastal resource management, and incentive programs for compliant fisherfolk.

The assessment findings and proposed action plans are set to be presented to municipal legislative councils for possible adoption and will be consolidated for integration into the unified fisheries law enforcement plans of Fisheries Management Areas 7 and 10.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

EVMC expansion law boosts hospital capacity, zero-billing services in Eastern Visayas

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MORE EVMC BEDS. The Eastern Visayas Medical Center(EVMC), the region’s biggest public hospital, is now at 1,500 bed capacity following the approval of a measure sponsored by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and his wife, Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez of Tingog party-list extending its bed capacity from its present bed capacity of more than 600. (FILE PHOTO)

Thru the initiatives of Reps. FM and Yedda Romualdez

MORE EVMC BEDS. The Eastern Visayas Medical Center(EVMC), the region’s biggest public hospital, is now at 1,500 bed capacity following the approval of a measure sponsored by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and his wife, Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez of Tingog party-list extending its bed capacity from its present bed capacity of more than 600. (FILE PHOTO)

TACLOBAN CITY — Access to expanded, modern, and free medical services in Eastern Visayas has been strengthened following the passage of a law upgrading the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC), the region’s largest government-run hospital.

The expansion was made possible through Republic Act No. 11567, which originated from House Bill No. 6972 authored by Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez.

The law mandates the development and modernization of EVMC to meet growing healthcare demands in the Visayas.

Under the law, EVMC’s bed capacity will be increased to 1,500, significantly expanding its ability to accommodate patients from across Eastern Visayas and neighboring regions.
The measure also provides for the acquisition of modern medical equipment and upgraded hospital facilities aimed at improving the accuracy, efficiency, and quality of medical treatment.

One of the key features of the law is the institutionalization of a zero-billing policy, ensuring that qualified patients will no longer shoulder hospital expenses, in line with the government’s Universal Health Care program.

EVMC serves as the main referral hospital in Eastern Visayas, catering not only to residents of Leyte and Samar provinces but also to patients from nearby regions seeking specialized and tertiary-level care. Prior to the passage of the law, the hospital faced persistent challenges, including overcrowding, limited bed capacity, and resource constraints, as patient admissions continued to rise.

Supporters of the measure said the expanded and modernized EVMC would help decongest hospital wards, reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients, and bring world-class healthcare services closer to communities in the Visayas.

From a legislative proposal to an enacted law, Republic Act 11567 marks a major milestone in strengthening the region’s public healthcare system, with officials saying the upgraded EVMC is expected to play a crucial role in improving health outcomes and access to quality medical care for millions of Filipinos in Eastern Visayas.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

Chiz to health, boarder authorities: Keep protocols and preparedness systems fully active vs. Nipah

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Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero

Amid rising global concern over the Nipah virus, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero urged health and border authorities to maintain strict vigilance and ensure that preparedness systems remain fully operational.

Escudero said that although current health advisories place the Philippines at low risk, developments in neighboring regions underscore the need for sustained, proactive monitoring.

“Public safety depends not only on rapid response but on continuous readiness,” he stressed, noting that several Asian countries have already tightened airport health checks following recent Nipah‑related developments abroad.

The Philippines must match this level of alertness to safeguard travelers and communities, he pointed out.

Nipah virus, first detected in Malaysia in 1998, has resurfaced in India, where authorities are enforcing localized containment measures and expanded contact tracing.

Escudero called on the Department of Health and the Bureau of Quarantine to keep border health protocols fully activated, from thermal scanning and symptom monitoring to clear guidance for arriving passengers. These measures, he said, are critical to preventing the entry and spread of high‑risk pathogens.

“Preparedness is never the work of a single office. It is a shared responsibility that requires synchronized systems, updated data, and timely communication,” he stressed.
The senator added that the government should have already internalized the lessons of past outbreaks.

“We should learn from the mistakes of the past, particularly during the COVID pandemic, and strive to do better. Early detection and transparent reporting remain the strongest defenses against emerging health threats. I call on our authorities to continue refining surveillance tools and ensuring that frontline personnel are equipped with updated protocols,” the senator said.

Escudero likewise emphasized the importance of clear and consistent public advisories to curb misinformation and maintain public confidence. Calm, factual communication, he noted, helps citizens understand risks without panic and reinforces trust in institutions. (PR)

Dubious inspection

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The announcement of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon’s visit to inspect the Samar highway only breeds doubt rather than hope. Because supposedly, a thorough investigation does not forewarn those with much to hide.

The Samar highway has been notorious for years, but it has been notorious, not because of the geography of the place nor the weather, but because the funds meant for the construction of the roads seem to be wasted on temporary repairs, with some parts of the roads deteriorating almost immediately after repair, with the same people involved every year, and with the people used to the usual litany of excuses for the state of the roads.
But by making the announcement of the inspection, the very purpose of the inspection, which is to investigate, becomes a mockery because the repairs, the patchwork, and the clearing of the roads are already underway, not to fix the roads but to fix the roads for the purpose of the inspection, a usual ruse for the roads to be repaired only to deteriorate once again when the attention of the government has moved to the next problem.

An unannounced inspection would have shown the reality of the highway on a day-to-day basis—the potholes that devour cars, the sections that were abandoned unfinished after receiving funds, and the normalcy of shoddy work. It would have shown the reality of corruption, not as some spectacular crime, but as the normal shortcuts, cost overruns, and protective alliances between officials and those who do business with them. The idea of transparency does not hold when those to be inspected are given time to arrange things.

If the point of inspection is to bring about change, then it needs to be unannounced, technically sound, and backed by consequences that extend beyond slaps on the wrist. It needs independent engineers, publicly announced contracts, and criminal consequences for repeated failure, not last-minute repairs. It needs to be about more than appearances, so that the Samar highway ceases to be a symbol and becomes reality.

Murderous resort

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The night Mahsa Amini was murdered by the police in September 2022, the streets of Iran acquired a new meaning. That night, the Iranian regime, which claimed divine inspiration, chose bullets and batons to respond to the grief of its people. One clear implication emerges: a regime that kills its own people cannot claim to be righteous.

Human rights organizations have documented thousands of people killed by the regime since the outbreak of the waves of protests, and many more injured, arrested, or missing, though some human rights activists have claimed tens of thousands, a figure that cannot be verified. Whatever the numbers, one thing is clear: the Iranian regime uses deadly force against its own people, who have been protesting for dignity, justice, and basic human rights. A government does not require evidence of human rights abuses to be condemned; it requires evidence of humanity, which the Iranian regime appears to have lost.

But one question continues to plague us: why does a government that claims to be guided by God’s will resort to violence first? Religion, at its core, is meant to be a source of morality, not immorality. A government that shoots its own teenagers, beats its own women for strands of hair, and sentences its own people to death after sham trials cannot claim to be guided by God’s will. Religion is a uniform, not a moral compass.

Power imposed under threat of fear has already failed. When people no longer consent to rule, and rule is imposed at the point of a gun, it is not the power that has failed but the legitimacy of the rule. What we see is a government in fear of losing power and confusing silence with security and graves with governance. This is not a strength; this is panic with a payroll.

People wonder why there is killing when there are prisons. The answer appears to be grimly logical. Prisons leave witnesses and martyrs alive and stories to be told. Death is intended to be final and serve as a warning inscribed across the public square. But history continues to laugh at this logic. Everybody begets more questions, more discontent, and more resolve.

What form of government must protect itself from its citizens and hunt them down in the streets? What form of government has forgotten the distinction between itself and the state, and law and loyalty? I refuse to accept the premise that order demands blood. An order based upon fear is weak and shatters like glass at the first sign of fear, losing its grip.
There is a wicked paradox at the core of this conflict. The government claims it fights to protect morality. But in doing so, it normalizes brutality. It claims it fights to protect life. But in doing so, it treats lives as nothing more than collateral damage. By doing both, it teaches a generation of citizens that authority is something to be endured rather than respected.

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