CATARMAN, Northern Samar—The provincial government of Northern Samar concluded the annual 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW) with a celebration recognizing outstanding Gender and Development (GAD) program implementers among Barangay Local Government Units (BLGUs) and Municipal GAD Focal Persons. The awarding ceremony was held on December 18, 2024, at the Provincial Capitol.

The initiative aims to inspire local government units to adopt and replicate gender-responsive programs and policies as best practices. Similar to the Seal of Good Local Governance, the awards assess the functionality and effectiveness of GAD mechanisms within BLGUs. Criteria include having an approved GAD Plan and Budget, efficient budget utilization, capacity development programs, and responsive Barangay VAWC (Violence Against Women and Children) desks, among others.

Governor Edwin Ongchuan graced the occasion, commending the awardees and the provincial government GAD technical working group for advancing gender responsiveness, inclusivity, and empowerment in the province.

He also expressed gratitude to keynote speaker Dr. Virginia G. Balanon from the University of Eastern Philippines College of Arts and Communication for her insightful message, emphasizing collective efforts to end violence against women.

Provincial Administrator Atty. Efren Sabong welcomed attendees, including delegates from various barangays, Municipal GAD focal persons, and members of the GAD executive committee, which includes representatives from national government agencies, NGOs, and Provincial Government office heads.

Outstanding BLGU GAD Implementers 2024 were 1st place, BLGU Daganas, Catarman; 2nd place, BLGU Little Venice, Laoang; and 3rd place, BLGU Lawaan, Laoang.

Consolation prize winners were BLGU Doña Luisa, Laoang; BLGU Zone 5, San Roque; BLGU Macagtas, Catarman; BLGU Lipata, Allen; and BLGU Balnasan, San Roque.

As for the Outstanding Municipal GAD Focal Persons 2024: 1st place, Sarah Irnicka D. Cardenas, Catarman; 2nd place, Maria Ana C. Acebuche, Laoang; and 3rd place, Emma A. Lobos, Mondragon.

Participating BLGUs, local chief executives, and Municipal GAD focal persons were also recognized for their valuable contributions to advancing the province’s gender and development goals.
(THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN SAMAR)

MAASIN CITY-The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Southern Leyte Provincial Office has initiated efforts to collaborate with the local government unit and provincial authorities to align plans and programs that advance Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) development.

Ramil Uy, provincial science and technology director, presented his agency’s development agenda in a coordination meeting on December 17, which outlined strategic priorities for the anticipated growth in STI fields of endeavor.

“A strong partnership between the provincial and city governments is key to creating a robust STI ecosystem in the province,” Uy said.

Uy presented key results from the recent STI Council meeting and insights from a comprehensive planning workshop that involved various sectors, focusing on innovation-related upgrades.

The discussion included an overview of DOST’s accomplishments in implementing STI-driven projects throughout the province.

Vice Governor Rosa Emilia Mercado described the discussions as fruitful, focusing on programs for the province that utilize technology and innovation.

“I am glad that the implemented and proposed programs of DOST-Southern Leyte Provincial Science and Technology Office (PSTO) complement well with our vision to become a self-sufficient province. Healthy collaborations like this are what I desire,” she said.

Maasin City Councilor Mikhael Mercado, who chairs the city council’s committee on science and technology, emphasized the significance of local collaboration in implementing STI programs.
(AAC/MMP, PIA Southern Leyte with reports from DOST–PSTO)

TACLOBAN CITY – Calls from families and loss of support from communities have encouraged more members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Visayas to abandon the armed struggle.

Realyn Basada, 38, a native of upland Tabay village in Hinabangan, Samar, said the appeal from her mother and absence of provision from previously supportive upland farmers influenced her decision to escape from their lair at about midnight on the third week of November.

“We starved for many days because we did not get any donations from farmers after the military conducted the RCSP (retooled community support program) in previously NPA-influenced areas. We’re not getting any support, unlike in the past,” Basada said in a phone interview.

The RCSP is a strategy that deploys teams tasked to identify issues and concerns in remote communities threatened by the NPA. These issues were raised with the concerned government agencies and local government units for action.

Basada reunited with her mother and three daughters after more than two decades of fighting the government as an officer and combatant of the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

As a member of the NPA for 26 years, she was known by the alias “Lorry,” where she held the position of secretary of the sub-regional committee – Sesame under the NPA’s Eastern Visayas regional party committee.

As party secretary, she was in charge of the political and military activities of their members operating in the southern part of Samar and Eastern Samar provinces.

She replaced her husband, Martin Colima alias “Moki,” who died in a gun battle with government forces in the mountains of Borongan City, Eastern Samar on Jan. 6, 2024.
Recruited as a 13-year-old girl, Realyn was trained not to fear bullets and embrace the life of hiding in the mountains, but her mother’s message awakened her sense of love for her family.

“Our relatives relayed to me about my mother’s video message that she’s old and she doesn’t want to die without seeing me again. My mother assured me that if I surrender, soldiers will not harm me,” she said.

Her mother, Rosa, has been raising Realyn’s three young daughters. In the past 25 years, she only met her mother when she had to leave her babies under their grandmother’s care.
Realyn surrendered to the military on Nov. 24 along with her live-in partner Ruben Magcoro, alias “Ara,” the squad leader of the NPA’s Apoy platoon operating in Eastern Samar.

Just like Realyn, Ruben, 22, heard the news that his father also had a Christmas video message for him.

When he was 17 years old in 2020, Ruben was regularly beaten by his father, making him vulnerable to the persuasion of rebels.

“We left our hideout in the mountains near the boundary of Eastern Samar around midnight, and no one noticed us. It took us more than a day of hiking to get to our village in Hinabangan town,” Ruben recalled.

The surrender and death of several NPA fighters in the Samar provinces this year led to the dismantling of the Apoy and Bugsok platoons under the NPA’s Eastern Visayas regional party committee based in the boundaries of Samar and Eastern Samar provinces.

These groups perpetrated numerous atrocities in the region, including the Dec. 13, 2019 ambush in Borongan City that killed a police officer and three civilians, and wounded 12 others, including three minors.

From January to the third week of December, troops engaged in 93 armed encounters across the region.

These operations resulted in the death of 41 communist group members, two of whom are considered high-value individuals and six are key leaders, the recovery of 75 firearms, 48 banned anti-personnel mines, and the seizure of 143 NPA lairs.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)