ORMOC CITY-A saleslady from a local mall in Maasin City was killed, and her motorcycle driver was injured after their vehicle collided with a medium-duty truck at around 11:40 am on December 11 in Barangay Mahayahay, also in the same city.
The fatality was identified as alias “Glenda,” 27, single, a saleslady at Gaisano Grand Mall, and a resident of Brgy. Nasaug.
The injured motorcycle driver, identified as alias “Rissa,” 31, married, and a resident of Brgy. Panan-awan, was driving a black Suzuki scooter with plate number 736HYB.
The driver of the Mazda Elf truck, bearing plate number JAS-2956, was identified as alias “Darwin,” 29, single, and a resident of Brgy. Cabulihan, Ormoc City.
Initial investigations conducted by the local police revealed that the Suzuki motorcycle was heading toward Brgy. Panan-awan, while the Mazda Elf truck was traveling to Maasin City proper from Ormoc City. Upon reaching the accident site, the truck reportedly swerved into the opposite lane and collided with the oncoming motorcycle.
The collision caused severe injuries to both the saleslady and the motorcycle driver. The victims were immediately rushed to a local hospital, but alias “Glenda” was pronounced dead at around 12:20 pm by attending physician Dr. Jocelyn Orito.
The driver of the Mazda truck and the vehicle were taken to Maasin City Police Station for proper disposition, while the deceased was brought to a local funeral parlor.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE: TOMECO personnel are installing fire lane and no parking signs at major Tacloban intersections with fire hydrants. Motorists are urged to comply to ensure quick, unobstructed access for fire trucks and responders during emergencies, enhancing public safety.
(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
EMERGENCY RESPONSE: TOMECO personnel are installing fire lane and no parking signs at major Tacloban intersections with fire hydrants. Motorists are urged to comply to ensure quick, unobstructed access for fire trucks and responders during emergencies, enhancing public safety. (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
During Christmas season
TACLOBAN CITY—The Department of Health (DOH) has placed all 51 government-run hospitals, 36 private hospitals, and two DOH-retained hospitals in Eastern Visayas under Code White alert starting December 16.
This heightened alert ensures medical personnel and supplies are on standby to address potential holiday-related emergencies, including firecracker injuries, communicable diseases, and road crashes.
The measure is part of the DOH’s expanded “Ligtas Christmas, Iwas Paputok” campaign, which promotes fire safety, health precautions, and disaster preparedness through its key components: “Healthy Handaan,” “BiyaHealthy,” and “Iwas Paputok.”
Hospitals on Full Preparedness
The code white alert mobilizes hospital staff to remain ready for emergencies during the busy holiday season. The DOH has inspected facilities across the region to assess their preparedness and ensure the availability of necessary medical supplies, including medicines and first-aid kits.
“Having hospitals on code white alert is a critical step in ensuring immediate response to holiday-related cases,” said DOH-8 Assistant Regional Director Dr. Catherine Miral.
Broader Monitoring
This year, the DOH is expanding its surveillance efforts to include not just firecracker-related injuries but also cases of communicable diseases and road crashes, which are common during the holiday season.
“During Christmas, people often overlook the importance of proper diet and safety precautions,” Dr. Miral said. “We also remind everyone to prioritize safety when traveling to spend the holidays with their families.”
The DOH noted a sharp increase in firecracker-related injuries in recent years, from zero cases in 2020 to 31 in 2023. The agency expects cases to rise during the New Year celebrations and urges the public to adopt safer alternatives.
To minimize accidents, the DOH recommends the following: use noisemakers like horns or sound-emitting devices instead of firecrackers; attend community fireworks displays rather than setting off firecrackers at home; and avoid handling unexploded firecrackers; use a dustpan for safe disposal.
For those injured by firecrackers, the health department advises seeking immediate medical attention.
“Let’s celebrate Christmas and the New Year responsibly and safely,” Dr. Miral emphasized.
The DOH’s comprehensive approach aims to ensure a safer and healthier holiday season for all.
PANAOAN ISLAND PRESERVATION. As part of the campaign to preserve and protect the Panaoan Island in Southern Leyte, the regional office of the Department of Science and Technology entered into an agreement with environment conservation group, Oceana Philippines. The Panaoan Island is rich fishing ground which has been declared to be a ‘critical biodiversity hotspot’ in Southern Leyte province.(FILE PHOTO)
PANAOAN ISLAND PRESERVATION. As part of the campaign to preserve and protect the Panaoan Island in Southern Leyte, the regional office of the Department of Science and Technology entered into an agreement with environment conservation group, Oceana Philippines. The Panaoan Island is rich fishing ground which has been declared to be a ‘critical biodiversity hotspot’ in Southern Leyte province.(FILE PHOTO)
TACLOBAN CITY—The Department of Science and Technology Region VIII (DOST-8), through its Provincial Science and Technology Office-Southern Leyte, has partnered with Oceana Philippines International to safeguard the rich marine ecosystem of Panaon Island Seascape, a critical biodiversity hotspot in Southern Leyte.
A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed on December 17, 2024, committing both organizations to collaborate on the conservation of Panaon Island’s marine environment. The initiative aims to ensure sustainable benefits for communities relying on the island’s resources.
Representing DOST-8 at the signing ceremony was Provincial Science and Technology Director for Southern Leyte, Dr. Ramil Uy, on behalf of Regional Director Dr. John Glenn Ocaña while Oceana Philippines was represented by Vice President Atty. Gloria Ramos and Marine Protected Area Campaign Lead Atty. Ma. Nikka Andrea Oquias.
Board Member Myra Rentuza, chair of the Provincial Board’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Committee, also attended the event.
“This partnership reinforces our commitment to protecting Panaon Island’s unique marine ecosystems while ensuring that local communities benefit from sustainable practices,” said Uy.
Spanning 62,478.50 hectares, Panaon Island Seascape is celebrated for its exceptional marine biodiversity. Surveys show that 41% of the island’s coral reefs have a hard coral cover exceeding 50%, an increasingly rare find in the Philippines.
However, Panaon Island’s marine ecosystem faces significant threats, including overfishing, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, marine debris, and illegal fishing activities.
These stressors have depleted fish stocks and risk large-scale habitat degradation, underscoring the need for immediate conservation efforts.
While the Philippines has 114 legislated protected areas, many critical ecosystems like Panaon Island Seascape await formal protection.
House Bill 6677, authored by Southern Leyte Representatives Christopherson Yap and Luz Mercado, seeks to declare Panaon Island as a protected seascape.
Its counterpart in the Senate, Senate Bill 1690, titled the “Panaon Island Protected Seascape Act of 2023” and authored by Senator Cynthia Villar, remains pending. Once enacted, the legislation will provide Panaon Island with the necessary legal framework and resources to ensure its long-term conservation.
“This collaboration is not just about protecting marine life; it is about ensuring that future generations can enjoy and benefit from our natural heritage,” said Atty. Ramos of Oceana Philippines.
The joint efforts of DOST-8 and Oceana Philippines serve as a vital step in preserving one of the Philippines’ last bastions of marine biodiversity while addressing the urgent need for sustainable marine management. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
ORMOC CITY– The rank No. 3 most wanted person at the provincial level was arrested by local police and operatives from the Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Biliran Provincial Police Office at around 8:40 pm on December 8, 2024, in Barangay Balaquid, Cabucgayan, Biliran.
Authorities identified the suspect as alias “Bani,” 21, single, a student, and a resident of Barangay Balaquid.
The arrest was made by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued on December 4, 2024, by Judge Constantino Esber, executive judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 37, Naval, Biliran.
The suspect faces charges of statutory rape, a non-bailable offense, and rape through sexual assault in relation to Republic Act 7610, with a recommended bail of P120,000.
The accused was informed of the nature of his arrest and his constitutional rights under the Miranda Doctrine in a language he understood. He was subsequently brought to the Cabucgayan Municipal Police Station for documentation and proper disposition before being turned over to the issuing court. (ROBERT DEJON)
Seventy-two agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from Eastern Samar received condonation certificates freeing them from financial burden, while 203 received individual electronically generated land titles (E-Titles) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)
Seventy-two agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from Eastern Samar received condonation certificates freeing them from financial burden, while 203 received individual electronically generated land titles (E-Titles) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)
BORONGAN CITY– It was still 14 days before Christmas but Pancho Bayben from Maydolong town considered the Certificate of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROM) he received on December 11 this year an early Christmas gift from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
The COCROM relieved Bayben from his remaining P26,495.89 debt with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) which he incurred from the amortization of the land awarded to him under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
“Nalilipay ako kan (President) Bongbong Marcos nga ginhatag ini nga maaga nga pamasko ha am nga waray na namon babayaran han am nabibilin nga utang ha Land Bank (I am happy for this early Christmas gift (President) Bongbong Marcos had given to us that we are no longer going to pay our remaining debt with the Land Bank.),” exclaimed Bayben at the Provincial Capitol Gym.
On Wednesday, Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, DAR Eastern Visayas Regional Director, alongside Marian June Libanan Ganzon, who represented Marcelino Libanan, House Minority Leader and 4Ps Partylist Representative, and Alfonso Catorce, Eastern Samar Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II) led the distribution of 90 COCROMS to 72 ARBs from this city and from the towns of Can-avid, Dolores, Hernani, Lawaan, Maydolong and Salcedo.
Catorce disclosed that a total of P438,929.26 unpaid debts based on the 90 COCROMS were remitted by virtue of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (Republic Act No. 11953) which President Marcos signed on July 7 last year.
On the same occasion, 280 individual electronically generated land titles (e-titles), under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project were handed to 203 ARBs. These e-titles covered an aggregate area of 381 hectares of farm lots situated in the towns of Balangiga, Balangkayan, Can-avid, Dolores, Giporlos, Lawaan, Quinapondan, San julian and Taft.
Yu explained that by providing ARBs with individual titles, property right over their awarded lands is strengthened.
He added that providing land to the landless where they can derive livelihood is DAR’s contribution to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC), a whole-of-nation approach in addressing insurgency problems in the country.
Further, DAR likewise turned over various farm machineries and equipment with a combined amount of P900,000.00 to Lalawigan Progressive Farmers’ Association, President Roxas ARB Association, Inc. and the Sagkaray Farmers Agrarian Reform Cooperative. (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)
TACLOBAN CITY—The Northern Samar provincial government’s Kauswagan Caravan was honored at the Parangal: Gawad ng Kahusayan sa Komunikasyong Pampubliko, held on Monday, December 16, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).
The program was named runner-up in the Public Service Campaign category, a flagship recognition by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) that celebrates outstanding communication campaigns and strategies by government agencies and local government units.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally awarded the province a P50,000 grant, which will be used to further develop the Kauswagan Caravan and expand its reach to more communities.
The recognition underscores the Kauswagan Caravan’s role as a transformative platform that unites municipal, provincial, and national government agencies with private organizations and non-government organizations (NGOs).
The program allows the private sector to fulfill their corporate social responsibilities while integrating government services to provide a cohesive and impactful public service approach.
A flagship initiative of the Northern Samar provincial government, the Kauswagan Caravan brings essential government services directly to communities, aligning with Executive Order No. 70, which institutionalizes the whole-of-nation approach to ending local communist armed conflict.
Since its inception, the caravan has served nearly 50,000 families or approximately 190,000 individuals across 179 barangays.
Currently, the program collaborates with 113 stakeholders, including 45 private sector businesses and 10 non-government organizations, demonstrating a strong model for public-private cooperation and inter-agency partnerships.
The recognition affirms the Kauswagan Caravan’s significant impact on the lives of Northern Samar residents, making it a benchmark for innovative and inclusive public service. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
