ORMOC CITY – A security guard listed as the No. 10 most wanted person in Biliran province was arrested in Quezon City on February 14, 2026, for a charge of qualified rape of a minor, police reported.

Vicente Tablate Jr., 38, a resident of GK Housing Site in Barangay Burabod, Biliran, Biliran, was apprehended at around 4:40 p.m. in Barangay Doña Josefa.

Authorities said Tablate is ranked 10th in the provincial most wanted persons list.
He was arrested by virtue of a warrant issued on June 20, 2025 by Judge Luz Petilla Navarrete, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court Branch 16 Naval Biliran.

The court did not recommend bail for the charge of qualified rape of a minor.

The operation was led by the Biliran Provincial Forensic Management Component, in coordination with the Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Biliran Police Provincial Office and personnel of the Biliran Municipal Police Station. The arrest was carried out with assistance from Police Station 11 (Galas) of the Quezon City Police District.

Following his arrest, Tablate was brought to Police Station 11 for proper disposition before being returned to Biliran to face the charges against him.

(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)

ORMOC CITY – A technical-vocational school in Leyte will expand its free skills training programs after securing a A$175,000 grant from Macquarie Asset Management through the 2025 Macquarie Shared Value Award.

The grant was awarded to the Keitech Educational Foundation, Inc., an initiative of Energy Development Corporation (EDC), a subsidiary of First Gen Corporation. EDC is a portfolio company managed by Macquarie.

Keitech was recognized as one of three winners in the first round of the 2025 Macquarie Shared Value Award, which honors Macquarie-managed teams and assets that combine strong business performance with meaningful social impact. Since it was established in 2023, the award has distributed more than A$1.3 million to 11 organizations worldwide.
The funding will be used to enhance Keitech’s technical and vocational education programs, improve training facilities, and expand access for students in underserved communities in Leyte. The goal is to boost employability and contribute to long-term community development.

Founded in 2009, Keitech provides free, high-quality technical-vocational education to high school graduates from Kananga and nearby Ormoc City. It offers specialized training in high-demand fields such as construction, metals and engineering, and tourism. The foundation has maintained a 100 percent passing rate in Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) national certification exams for over a decade.

EDC, the country’s largest geothermal energy producer, manages about 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity from geothermal, hydro, solar, and wind facilities. Since acquiring a majority stake in 2017, Macquarie has supported EDC’s renewable energy operations as well as community-based initiatives in host areas.

Jasmine Chew, Regional Head of Asia for the Macquarie Group Foundation, said the partnership demonstrates how business and community collaboration can create lasting impact.

EDC official Allan Barcena welcomed the recognition, saying the grant will allow Keitech to reach more students and strengthen its mission of empowering Leyte’s youth through skills development.

“We are honored to receive the Macquarie Shared Value Award,” Barcena said. “This recognition underscores the impact of our work at Keitech and reaffirms our commitment to empowering the youth of Leyte through education and skills development. The generous grant will enable us to expand our programs and reach more students, ultimately contributing to a brighter future for our community.”

Officials said the expanded support is expected to help address unemployment and limited access to higher education in the region while contributing to local economic growth.

(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Six municipalities in Eastern Visayas have taken a formal step toward reducing power costs and improving electricity reliability after their mayors signed agreements to craft local energy plans and pass renewable energy (RE) ordinances in their respective areas.

The mayors of Alangalang in Leyte; Paranas and Marabut in Samar; and Guiuan, Oras, and Salcedo, all in Eastern Samar signed separate memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) during a ceremony held here on Feb. 20.

The Manila-based organization advocates climate resilience and low-carbon development and works with both national agencies and local governments to strengthen clean energy policies.

ICSC Executive Director Angelo Kairos dela Cruz said the collaboration demonstrates that the energy transition can be achieved through strong local leadership and cross-sector cooperation.

“Every signature, decision, and step that we take will serve as a symbol of our vision and collective action toward achieving a better and more resilient future for Eastern Visayas,” dela Cruz said in a statement, stressing the urgency of the energy transition.

The partnership aims to help local government units (LGUs) develop participatory and data-driven local energy transition plans anchored on community needs and local development priorities. These plans are expected to guide the passage of enabling ordinances that will support renewable energy investments and programs at the municipal level.

Eastern Visayas has long faced challenges in energy supply, including unstable service and high electricity rates that have disrupted hospital operations, affected schools and communication systems, and increased the cost of doing business.

Despite its strong potential for solar, wind, and geothermal energy, the region has remained heavily dependent on coal-fired power plants.

Electricity rates in parts of the region even reached as high as P20.96 per kilowatt-hour—among the highest in the country—adding financial strain on households and small enterprises.

Alangalang Mayor Lovell Ann Yu-Castro said the MOUs represent a long-term commitment rather than a symbolic gesture.

“We are not merely drafting plans, we are laying the foundation for a resilient future,” Yu-Castro said in a statement.

“This is not only about energy. It is about economic opportunity and green jobs. It is about lowering power costs for families and ensuring energy security for our schools, health centers, and public services,” she added.

Under the agreements, the LGUs committed to align their local energy initiatives with national frameworks such as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act and the DILG–DOE Joint Memorandum Circular 2020-01, which streamlines the processing of energy projects at the local level.

The towns also pledged to promote programs like Net Metering and the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP), which allows qualified electricity consumers to directly source their power from renewable energy providers.

Paranas Mayor Elvira Babalcon underscored the role of local leaders in driving the transition.

“We affirm that local energy planning is not just an option but a responsibility that local leaders must work on, not in the future but now,” Babalcon said. “We commit to integrating renewable energy into our local development plans, promoting solar and energy solutions, building local capacities, and encouraging community participation.”

For its part, ICSC committed to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support to help the LGUs conduct multi-stakeholder consultations, prepare clean energy transition roadmaps, draft RE ordinances, and mobilize investments for renewable energy projects.

Priority actions identified under the partnership include promoting rooftop solar installations in government offices, commercial establishments, farms, and homes; developing renewable energy initiatives for sustainable tourism; expanding Community Renewable Energy (CORE) projects; and rolling out information and education campaigns to encourage greater public adoption of clean energy technologies.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)