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Catarman probes suspected ASF cases as swine deaths rise

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ASF. The municipal government of Catarman in Northern Samar reported of deaths of more than 100 pigs after they exhibited symptoms associated to African Swine Fever (ASF). The LGU is currently conducting investigation on this incident.
ASF. The municipal government of Catarman in Northern Samar reported of deaths of more than 100 pigs after they exhibited symptoms associated to African Swine Fever (ASF). The LGU is currently conducting investigation on this incident.

TACLOBAN CITY – The local government of Catarman, Northern Samar, is investigating suspected cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) following the deaths of around 100 pigs in several barangays.

The affected pigs, which exhibited ASF-like symptoms, were from the villages of Bocsol, Old Rizal, Cag-abaca, Quezon, Salvacion, Washington, Tinowaran, and Cularima.
“We have yet to confirm if these pigs died due to ASF, but they have displayed ASF-like symptoms,” said Rachel Arnaiz, municipal information officer.

The symptoms observed included high fever, skin redness, loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness, and coughing.

In line with standard protocols, hog raisers buried the sick pigs in pits to prevent further spread.

Vivencio Moreno, slaughter master and meat control officer, stated that the exact number of ASF-related pig deaths remains unclear.

“This is because some owners either butchered their pigs and sold them or immediately disposed of them,” he said in an online interview on February 22.

But he said that the number of pigs which died due to suspected ASF could have now reached to around 100.

Moreno also assured that any pigs slaughtered at the municipal facility that showed symptoms were culled and buried to prevent potential spread.

Moreno revealed that the outbreak may have started last year but was not immediately detected.

More than 50 backyard hog raisers have been affected by the incident, though the source of infection remains undetermined.

Currently, Catarman is classified as a pink zone—a buffer zone that is either near an infected area or still ASF-free. Pink zones indicate proximity to ASF-positive areas, while dark green zones are ASF-free.

To contain the potential outbreak, Mayor Francisco Aurelio Rosales III has instructed the Municipal Agriculture Office to conduct blood sampling on pigs in barangays near suspected ASF cases. Slaughterhouse personnel have also been directed to test pigs before slaughtering.

Meanwhile, Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan issued an executive order on February 12 restricting the movement of live pigs and pork products from suspected ASF-affected areas, including Las Navas, Catubig, and Laoang. Quarantine checkpoints have been set up across all municipalities in the province.

The governor emphasized that the measure aims to prevent the further spread of ASF in Northern Samar.

ASF is a highly contagious viral disease affecting both domestic and wild pigs. It can spread rapidly through direct contact with infected animals.
Currently, there is no known treatment or vaccine for ASF.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

Calbayog City to implement localized social pension program for senior citizens

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TACLOBAN CITY – The city government of Calbayog is set to launch a localized social pension program for senior citizens who are not included in the national social pension program implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Mayor Raymund Uy announced this initiative last month during the third leg of the Calbayog Caravan 2025 in Barangay Migara.

Last week, the local chief executive, along with Vice Mayor Rex Daguman, led a public hearing at the Calbayog Convention Center attended by senior citizen representatives from various barangays, who shared their insights and emphasized the importance of this pioneering initiative in providing financial support to elderly residents.

Vice Mayor Daguman assured that the city legislative council will work towards approving the ordinance and securing proper funding allocation, ensuring that no senior citizen is left behind. The legislative action aims to address gaps in pension support and create a more inclusive assistance program for the elderly.

Based on Mayor Uy’s announcement, the local government unit (LGU) plans to provide a P500 monthly social pension to eligible senior citizens in the city.

To ensure the success of the program, the mayor stressed the importance of gathering accurate and comprehensive data on senior citizens in Calbayog.

This will enable the local government to effectively identify and serve all eligible beneficiaries of the program.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Female shabu peddler, patron arrested in a sting operation

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ORMOC CITY-A newly identified female drug peddler and her patron were arrested by operatives of the Station Drug Enforcement Team of the local police during a buy-bust operation on Wednesday afternoon, February 19, in Barangay Cabalquinto, Calubian, Leyte.
Cpt.Alexander Alfonzo, town police chief, identified the suspects as alias “Wena,” 40, a jobless resident of Brgy. Cabalquinto, and alias “Joseph,” 34, a married farmer from Brgy. Kawayanan, who was present at the scene during the operation.

According to PCPT Alfonzo, “Wena” was the primary target of the operation following complaints from neighbors about disturbances caused by her visitors.

During the sting, she was caught selling a sachet of suspected shabu worth P500 to an undercover operative. A subsequent body search, conducted in the presence of mandated witnesses, led to the recovery of a self-sealing plastic package hidden in her underwear, containing 88 sachets of suspected shabu, along with the marked P500 bill and three P100 bills believed to be drug proceeds.

Meanwhile, a search of “Joseph” yielded a maroon body bag containing four sachets of suspected shabu, six P100 bills, and one P50 bill, also suspected to be drug proceeds.
Both suspects were informed of their rights under the Miranda Doctrine in a language they understood.

They are now facing charges for violations of Sections 5 (selling illegal drugs) and 11 (possession of illegal drugs) under Article II of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The charges have been filed at the City Prosecutor’s Office against the suspects who are temporarily detained at the Calubian Municipal Police Station.

(ROBERT DEJON)

DPWH-L2DEO reports completion of a multi-purpose building in Barugo town

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MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte Second District Engineering Office (L2DEO) reported completion on the construction of the P7.91 million worth in Barangay Caboloan, Barugo town. (L2DEO)
MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte Second District Engineering Office (L2DEO) reported completion on the construction of the P7.91 million worth in Barangay Caboloan, Barugo town. (L2DEO)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte Second District Engineering Office (L2DEO) has completed the construction of a multi-purpose building in Barangay Caboloan, Barugo, Leyte, providing the local community with a much-needed venue for various social and recreational activities.

According to District Engineer Leo Edward Oppura, the newly constructed multi-purpose building covers an area of 574.04 square meters.

The project involved the construction of a reinforced concrete structure with finishing, pavement painting, steel trusses, and long-span roofing sheets, making it suitable for multiple functions. Additionally, basketball hoops and goal systems were installed to support local basketball enthusiasts.

Barangay Chairman Leo Costa Alvaran expressed his gratitude for the project, emphasizing how it addresses a long-standing community need.

“When it rains, we do not have a suitable place; oftentimes, we borrow tents just to continue our activities,” he said.

“I am very grateful that our dream of having a covered court has come true. We can now hold our events here. Thank you very much for constructing this covered court,” Alvaran added.

The multi-purpose building provides a versatile space that meets the diverse needs of the community. It can serve as a venue for local gatherings, sports events, meetings, and other recreational activities, fostering social interaction and collaboration.

Additionally, it can function as a reliable evacuation center in times of natural disasters.
The project was implemented with a total budget of P7.91 million with the construction commenced on May 6, 2024, and was completed on November 21, 2024.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Drowning Fields

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Continuous rains and invading floodwaters are ruining extensive portions of farmlands, rotting crops in the fields before they can be reaped. The devastation is tremendous, jeopardizing the country’s food supply and destroying the lives of farmers who plow the fields. If permitted to continue, what is left of farm investments would be nothing but debt, and what is left for people to eat would be nothing but desperation.

Golden fields of ripening rice are now and look like stagnant lakes, their harvests wasted to weeks of immersion. Cornfields and vegetable gardens that could have nourished families and provided market vendors with sustenance now remain idle to rot their shells beneath mounted piles of mud. The damage this has done to the farmers is astronomical—seeds, fertilizers, and work rendered useless as waters engulfed everything in one swoop. Meanwhile, consumers face skyrocketing prices, as the lack of local produce pushes them to depend on expensive imports.

Food security is now a very real crisis in the making rather than something to be expected in the future. Should farming losses persist, the nation would be heavily reliant on overseas producers, and that reliance would come at an expense. The expense of importation is shouldered by regular folk who are compelled to cut back on their meager earnings just to make ends meet. Without food grown here, economic vulnerability increases and hunger is a problem not merely for the poorest but for everyone in the nation.

The failure of the government to anticipate deteriorating weather has contributed to the crisis. There ought to have been flood defenses, sustainable drainage, and pre-emptive relief to affected farmers way before the waters began rising. There are knee-jerk band-aid solutions only—cash assistance that reaches a few, meager subsidies, and hollow promises that do nothing to alleviate the pain of those who have lost their source of livelihood.

The country must act swiftly. Farming infrastructure must be transformed to be weather-resistant against calamities, and relief work must be made temporary, paving the way for permanent solutions. The flood-affected areas must be provided with better irrigation and water diversion systems so that no more harm can come to them. The farmers do not need to bear this loss; they need to be reimbursed immediately and given technology to go back to farming. Without such intervention, the fields will remain uncultivated, and the people’s tables will remain bare.

We need trees

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Rains came in with such ferocity the last time I saw the swollen creek gulp down a footpath, and then a rice field, then the road. Water roars like a demon, with trees and knee-high mud and scattered things. Still, men continue cutting down trees as if they had nothing else to live for despite all being true.

I don’t have to be a scientist to know that trees hold the earth together. They grasp at the ground with their roots like a grasping hand preventing it from running away when the sky rains and turns the world into a mire. Trees anchor the planet so that the ground doesn’t yield, shattering and pouring down hillsides in landslides that destroy homes and lives. I’ve seen it with my own eyes: homes consumed whole, streets erased out of existence, towns leveled to soggy rags. We curse the rains, but the truth is we’re cursing our own wild hands.

It’s simple to say, “Let’s plant more trees,” and it’s true—we should. But the planting is the simple part. The difficult part is keeping them alive. I have witnessed individuals happily participating in tree-planting rituals, forgetting the saplings as soon as photo opportunities are completed. A neglected tree is equivalent to a dead one, a weak stick poised to wilt under the sun or be trampled by goats. Without attention—without water, without protection from roaming animals and thieving hands—our touted solution turns into a hollow ritual.

And speaking of greedy hands, I’ve lost count of how many newly planted trees have vanished overnight, their absence marked by a pitiful stump. People cut them for fences, firewood, for house posts, thinking that one tree won’t make a difference. But one tree does make a difference. So many “one tree” separate firm land from landslides, managed floods from torrential downpours sweeping everything clean. We cannot continue to chop down young trees faster than we can plant them. That’s trying to fill a dripping bucket-we will never have enough.

I understand the need for those appropriating these trees. For generations, in large parts of rural areas, wood is costly, and getting wood out of the hills has been a family tradition. But times have changed. The rains fall stronger these days, the soil not quite firm, and the risks bigger. What was innocuous—cutting some poles to build a fence—had become a roll-slowly disaster. And yet still, some never wish to learn the link until the flood sweeps through their doorsteps.

We can no longer be shortsighted. We shall plant trees but be their guardian. Schools, barangays, and civic groups should not merely conduct tree planting but tree nourishing. We must have the people’s watch to guard those saplings for the trees won’t be taken nor allowed to wither if the people really wanted them not to. Now imagine if one family took a tree, oh the difference A single mango or narra tree, well maintained, can live for generations, shading roads, stabilizing soil, and keeping disaster at bay.

And let’s be honest: it’s not so much about trees. It’s about our attitude towards nature, towards the future, towards the world we leave behind for our kids. We must cease to think of the environment as a bottomless tank of resources and start thinking of it as a co-conspirator in survival. If we don’t, then we will keep getting caught wading up to our necks in floodwaters, looking for clues as to what went wrong. But in fact, we already know.

The answer is easy, but the task is difficult: plant, defend, and stay. The trees will take care of their side, but will we?

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