ORMOC CITY– A high-value individual on the drug watchlist of the city police here was arrested in a buy-bust operation which resulted in the recovery of suspected shabu with a street market value of more than P22,000.

The suspect, Anthony Morales, 50 and ranked number six on the watch list of the Ormoc city police, was arrested in a sting operation on Wednesday (June 12) in Barangay Cagbuhangin, this city, at about 12:06 am.

Police Captain Sheriza Jane Salazar, SDET chief of Police Station 2, said that the suspect, who is a resident of Brgy. Macabug, was in possession of six sachets of suspected shabu weighing 2.73 grams when arrested.

Morales was charged for violation of selling and in possession of illegal drugs at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office and is now detained at the City Police Station 2.
(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY– One of the region’s most wanted in the drug watchlist of the Philippine National Police (PNP) was arrested in a sting operation in Bontoc, Southern Leyte on Thursday (June 13).

The suspect, identified as Mike Elona, 42 and a government worker, was arrested in Barangay San Ramon of the said town during a buy-bust operation conducted by the drug enforcement unit of the PNP-Southern Leyte at about 8:50 pm.

He was said to be ranked number five in the regional priority target list of the PNP.

Recovered from the suspect were five sachets containing white crystalline substances suspected to be shabu procured by an operative in the amount of P5,000.

Charges of violation of sections 5 (selling illegal drugs) and 11 (possession of illegal drugs) of Article II of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs of 2002 was filed at the Provincial prosecutor’s office by the arresting police against the suspect who is temporarily detained at the locked-up cell of the Bontoc municipal police station.
(ROBERT DEJON)

TACLOBAN CITY-A three-year-old boy, identified only “MJ,” was drowned after being swept away by a strong current while swimming with his father in the San Juanico Strait, this city.

The incident occurred around 11 am on Sunday (June 16) in Barangay 105, San Isidro, which faces the San Juanico Strait.

MJ, a resident of GMA Kapuso Village in Brgy 106, Sto. Niño, was reported missing, prompting a search effort by local authorities.

The Tacloban City Police Office’s Police Station 3 received a call about the incident and immediately responded to the scene to verify and investigate the situation.

Based on the investigation, MJ and his friend, also three years old, were swimming when the boy was caught by a strong current.

After several hours of searching, MJ’s lifeless body was discovered floating in the coastal area of the San Juanico Strait around 8 pm on the same day.

He was rushed to the Tacloban City Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician at about 11:50 pm.
(ROBERT DEJON)

TACLOBAN CITY – The local government unit of Arteche in Eastern Samar is aiming to make the municipality the seaweed production and trading capital of Samar Island.
Arteche is located in the northernmost part of Eastern Samar province, near the border with Northern Samar.

On Friday (June 14), the Department of Agriculture-8, together with the provincial government headed by Governor Ben Evardone and other provincial officials, turned over a P16-million project to the Eastern Samar Seaweeds Production and Trading Enterprise (ESSPATE).

The event was also graced by DA-8 Regional Executive Director Andrew Rodolfo Orais.
The project was funded by the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP), with a 20 percent counterpart from the provincial government of Eastern Samar and an additional P3-million contribution from the Catumsan Crab Growers Association.

“Through this initiative, we hope to increase our seaweed production and provide an alternative livelihood for our fisherfolk,” Mayor Evardone shared.

He added that the municipality will serve as the consolidator of all seaweed produced by sub-proponent groups.

Currently, fisherfolk from Barangay Beri are engaged in producing kappaphycus alvarezi, the largest tropical red algae species with a high growth rate.

Some of these seaweeds, locally known as ‘guso,’ are processed by residents into atchara and seaweed chips. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – One of the leading digital infrastructure providers in the country, LBS Digital Infrastructure, has entered into an agreement with the provincial government of Northern Samar to build cell towers across the province.

This initiative by LBS Digital Infrastructure aims to enhance internet connectivity in the area. It comes at a crucial time as the provincial government has been receiving inquiries from companies engaged in business process outsourcing (BPOs), according to Jan Allen Berbon, head of the provincial economic development and investments promotions office.
“BPOs are talking to us, and having digital infrastructure is one of their requirements,” Berbon said in an interview.

Berbon mentioned that LBS Digital Infrastructure, led by its CEO Ramoncito Yu III, was one of the companies that participated in the provincial government-sponsored investment forum held on June 14.

However, Berbon noted that they could not yet disclose the number of cell towers LBS Digital Infrastructure would be constructing in the province or when the construction would commence. He emphasized that the entry of LBS Digital Infrastructure into Northern Samar would help address the province’s poor connectivity issues.

“It will definitely help us attain stable internet connectivity,” Berbon stated.

As part of the agreement, the provincial government will assist LBS Digital Infrastructure in identifying suitable locations for the cell towers.

“We will assist them in finding locations, and they will coordinate with us on their corporate social responsibility activities,” Berbon added.

He also mentioned that mobile operators could benefit from the planned cell tower construction by LBS Digital Infrastructure.

As a registered common tower provider, LBS Digital Infrastructure focuses on building shared telecom facilities to serve underserved regions.

This initiative aims to improve telecommunications services, create jobs, enhance online government access, and aid in poverty reduction, Berbon explained.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

BOBON, Northern Samar– The police in Bobon town, Northern Samar are conducting a probe as to who was behind on the killing of a woman suspected to be a victim of vehicular accident.

The woman, identified only as alias ‘Rose,’ 48 and a resident of sitio Balud, Barangay Magsaysay of the said town, bore an open fracture in her left lower leg and blood at the back of her head, the police said.

Her dead body was found at about 5:30 am on Sunday (June 16) along a national highway in sitio Mas-ing of Brgy. Dancalan, also in Bobon town.

The local police said that at about 8:45 am on that day, a concerned citizen informed their station that at about 5:30 am, the victim was found lifeless on the grassy portion of the highway.

The police immediately proceeded to the said place to verify the information and in the place of incident, responding officers saw the victim with an open fracture in her left lower leg and blood at the back of her head.

They then suspected that a vehicular incident had taken the life of the victim as shown by the injuries of the victim.

The police recovered from the site of the incident multiple fragments of motorcycle parts and skid marks, which were believed to be evidence of a vehicular accident.

They also recovered from the victim were one pair of slippers, one sling bag colored gray, and one short bolo.

The victim was declared dead by municipal health officer, Dr. Henry Novales, who conducted the postmortem examination. (ROBERT DEJON)