TACLOBAN CITY — A P25-million road concreting project is set to improve access between two barangays in Matag-ob, Leyte, with the project specifically designed to address persistent flooding and difficult travel in a low-lying area.

Matag-ob Mayor Bernardino Tacoy said the project, funded through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), will cover more than a kilometer of road linking Sitio Balanac in Barangay Balagtas and Sitio Balanac in Barangay Sto. Rosario.

The project is expected to undergo bidding this month, Tacoy said.

Aside from concreting the road, the project will include raising its elevation to reduce the impact of flooding and improve its usability during periods of heavy rain.

“This is a flood-prone area. The road has a major problem because it is low-lying. All the water from the higher areas of Villaba flows toward this area,” Tacoy said.

He said the road improvement would also benefit farmers who use the route to transport their agricultural products to markets and other destinations.

Matag-ob received a total of PHP30 million in LGSF, with the remaining PHP5 million allocated as assistance for the national government’s rice distribution program, which is still being implemented in the municipality.

Tacoy said the municipality initially targeted 5,000 families as beneficiaries of the rice distribution but hopes to eventually extend the assistance to all families in Matag-ob.
More than eight of the town’s 21 barangays have so far received rice, with additional assistance from the provincial government helping the municipality expand the distribution.
Tacoy expressed appreciation for the LGSF policy allowing local governments to identify projects based on their communities’ immediate needs.

“It is a big help because we can see the priority needs of our people,” he said.
He said local officials are in a better position to identify pressing concerns in their communities, allowing government funds to be directed toward projects with direct local benefits.

“For us, it is good that the national government has this LGSF program where we can identify the project ourselves, and the funds are given to us so we can implement the project,” Tacoy said.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY — Palapag has been declared under a Stable Internal Peace and Security Condition (SIPSC), making it the 18th municipality in Northern Samar to attain the status following decades of armed conflict and government security efforts.

The declaration was formalized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) involving the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), local government, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).

The signatories also signed a pledge of commitment, affirming their responsibility to preserve Palapag’s peace and security gains and sustain cooperation among government agencies, security forces, local officials and communities.

Among those who signed the MOU were AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, 8th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Peter Burgonio, Northern Samar Gov. Harris Ongchuan, DILG Northern Samar Provincial Director Jinky Maquelabit, Northern Samar Police Provincial Office director PCol. George Buyacao Jr., and OPAPRU Area Coordinator Imelda Bonifacio.

Palapag Mayor Florence Batula led officials representing the municipal government.
The declaration marks a significant change for a municipality that, according to Batula, spent decades pursuing lasting peace.

“For almost four decades, peace in Palapag was promised, repeatedly pursued, but never realized,” Batula said.

He recalled the deployment of various infantry battalions, changes in security strategies and continuing military operations over the years as successive generations of Palapagnons waited for more lasting peace in their communities.

Batula said the SIPSC declaration was particularly meaningful to him because of an incident on May 2, 2014, when two of his military escorts were forcibly taken while they were made to lie on the ground.

He said he tried to negotiate for their release, even offering money, firearms and other items in an effort to save them. The attempt failed, and he later faced accusations related to the incident, with questions raised about his credibility as a government official.
“I hold on to one conviction. Truth may be delayed but it cannot be hidden forever. I, too, was a victim of that incident,” Batula said.

He said the experience instead strengthened his determination, as chair of the Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC), to pursue localized peace initiatives.

Batula said the municipality’s approach combined security operations with dialogue, peace-building, government presence and direct engagement with families and communities.
He credited the SIPSC declaration to the collective efforts of government agencies and security forces, including the 78th Infantry Battalion, 31st Special Action Force, 3rd Special Action Force, Palapag Municipal Police Station, Northern Samar Police Provincial Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Police, among others.
He also thanked the DILG and other agencies and individuals involved in the municipality’s peace initiatives.

Batula said the peace gains have coincided with visible changes in Palapag’s economy and infrastructure, including the entry of a bank, operation of a public transport terminal, growth of resorts and restaurants, additional gasoline stations and direct public transportation links to Tacloban.

“These are not merely economic indicators. They represent something deeper: peace creates confidence, confidence attracts investments, and investment expands opportunity,” he said.

The SIPSC declaration also adds another chapter to Palapag’s long history as an important community in Northern Samar.

During the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade, Palapag served as a port of refuge and resupply because of its strategic location near the San Bernardino Strait and its natural harbor.
The town also became the center of the Sumuroy Revolt in 1649, an uprising against Spanish colonial authorities over forced naval labor led by Agustin Sumuroy. The revolt later spread to other areas of the Visayas and Mindanao.

In 1614, Palapag was selected by the Jesuits as the cabecera, or head town, for Northern and Eastern Samar, partly because of difficulties in reaching the inland settlement of Catubig.

With its SIPSC declaration, Palapag joins the other municipalities in Northern Samar that have transitioned from prolonged security challenges toward a framework focused on sustaining peace and preventing a resurgence of armed conflict.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

CATARMAN, Northern Samar— Four members of the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered to authorities in Northern Samar, while security forces recovered six high-powered rifles from two concealed caches during follow-up operations from Sept. 10 to 13.
The four, identified only by their aliases “Junjun,” “Yana,” “Tanggol,” and “Digma,” were members of the NPA’s Sub-Regional Guerrilla Unit under the Sub-Regional Committee Arctic of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee, according to the military.

Their surrender was facilitated through a family-centered Local Peace Engagement involving local government officials, soldiers and police officers.

The military said the former rebels cited difficult living conditions, dwindling local support and food shortages as among the reasons they decided to abandon the armed struggle and return to their families.

They also reportedly complained of strict leadership and alleged disregard for the welfare of members under Chadwick Suazo, alias “Estella,” whom the military identified as a leader of the group.

Following the surrender, joint military and police forces conducted operations in the vicinity of Can-erib in Sityo Canonghan, Barangay Osmeña, Palapag, Northern Samar.
The operation led to the discovery of two weapons caches containing four M16 rifles and two M14 rifles.

Personnel from the 78th Infantry Battalion, 20th Infantry Battalion, 32nd Special Action Company and 3rd Special Action Battalion of the Philippine National Police took part in the operation.

The four surrenderers are undergoing medical and dental examinations, custodial debriefing and other procedures for their proper disposition, the military said.

The 803rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, headed by Brig. Gen. Carmelito Pangatungan, said it would continue supporting peace initiatives and efforts to help NPA members return to their families and communities through legal and peaceful means.

The brigade also called on remaining NPA members to lay down their arms and avail themselves of government reintegration and assistance programs.

(EUGENE M. ENANO)