TACLOBAN CITY– A total of 31,054 students from various schools across the region are affected by the extreme heat experienced in the country.
This was reported by the regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd) adding that 220 schools in the region have temporarily stopped the face-to-face conduct of classes due to the intense heat.
Implementing the modified distance learning are 98 schools; one is implementing online distance learning while 11 schools are implementing blended learning or limited face-to-face classes.
The DepEd has given the school heads the authority and discretion to suspend the conduct of in-person classes and shift to alternative delivery modes (ADM) in cases of extreme heat and other calamities that may compromise the health and safety of learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.
Also, at the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) in Catarman, Northern Samar, all face-to-face classes were suspended beginning Friday (April 5) and are to end on April 12.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) based here in Tacloban city, wearing non-uniforms among students and its teaching and non-teaching staff was also suspended until further notice. (LIZBETH ANN A ABELLA)
TACLOBAN CITY-OIC District Engineer Rebecca G. Yuse, accompanied by the OIC Chief of Construction Section, Engr. Rhea Perez, and Chief of Quality Assurance Section, Engr. Reynaldo De Guzman, conducted a thorough site inspection of the Magsaysay Boulevard Shore Protection Project. The project, now in its third phase, is rapidly nearing completion, boasting an impressive 95% progress rate.
With a contracted amount of P55,021,170.05, allocated under the General Appropriations Act of 2023, the Magsaysay Boulevard Shore Protection Project represents a crucial investment in enhancing coastal resilience.
Comprising 203.20 lane meters of stone masonry, the endeavor aims to fortify the area against coastal erosion and other environmental hazards.
Originally slated for completion within 229 calendar days, the project has remained steadfast in its timeline.
During her inspection, OIC District Engineer Rebecca G. Yuse expressed satisfaction with the project’s advancement, emphasizing its strategic importance in safeguarding coastal communities and vital infrastructure.
In a statement regarding her assessment, OIC District Engineer Rebecca G. Yuse remarked, “The Magsaysay Boulevard Shore Protection Project stands as a beacon of resilience, poised to bolster the region’s defenses against environmental challenges.” (PR)
ORMOC CITY-The local police manning a checkpoint were stunned to have seized gun, ammunition and suspected shabu from a passing motorcycle driver at about 11 pm on Friday (April 5) along the national highway in Barangay Poblacion 1, Hindang, Leyte.
Hindang chief of police, Captain Rushty Alvarado, identified the suspect as Alejandro Recto, 41, with live-in partner, jobless and a resident of Brgy. Matapay in the nearby town of Hilongos, Leyte.
Alvarado said in an interview that around 9 pm on Friday, April 5, 2024, he led the conduct of a simultaneous checkpoint in their town.
He said that during the course of their operation PSSg Aline Notarte, saw in plain view the handle of an unknown caliber of firearm tucked on the waist of the suspect who was driving a Honda XR 125 bearing plate number 38174 motorcycle.
Upon verification and confrontation, the suspect failed to present any proof of legitimacy to possess any firearm.
Recovered from possession was a Colt automatic caliber .45 loaded with a magazine with five live ammunition of caliber .45.
Incidentally, a clutch bag of the suspect when searched also recovered 15 sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated weight of seven grams and an estimated market value P40,000.
Charges of violation of RA 10591, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Possession of Firearms, ammunition of explosives, and violations of section 11 (possession of illegal drugs), Section 12 (possession of paraphernalia) of Art II of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs 0f 2002 were filed against the suspect who is temporarily detained at the locked-up cell of Hindang municipal police station. (ROBERT DEJON)
HIGATANGAN ISLAND. Tourists have a blast as they enjoyed activities and performances during the annual two-days Higatangan Island Summer Festival at Higatangan Island in Naval, Biliran. (NAVAL LGU)
HIGATANGAN ISLAND. Tourists have a blast as they enjoyed activities and performances during the annual two-days Higatangan Island Summer Festival at Higatangan Island in Naval, Biliran. (NAVAL LGU)
NAVAL, Biliran – Residents, especially business owners on Higatangan Island, are hopeful that more tourists will soon visit their island now that the local government unit is actively promoting it as a forefront destination for tourism in the municipality.
During the 2024 Higatangan Island Summer Festival (HisFest) organized by the local government unit, hundreds of local and domestic tourists, along with some foreigners, visited the island over the weekend.
Emy Poyos Pragas, who operates one of the few accommodation facilities in Higatangan, remarked that the festival resulted in an influx of tourists, benefiting the accommodation sector immensely.
While they only have three rooms available for accommodation, they also offer their spacious grounds for camping to those interested.
“This greatly benefits our business because it brings in customers and generates jobs for locals who provide for the needs of tourists and visitors,” Pragas shared.
Although tourists visit the island on regular days, their arrivals are usually concentrated on weekends and they often do not stay for long.
Pragas expressed hope that with the island festival held every summer, more tourists would visit not only during the event but throughout the year.
Initially intended for private use only, Pragas revealed that they decided to open their facility to the public when the local government of Naval initiated the summer festival in 2017, in order to cater to the needs of tourists.
For this year’s HisFest, the LGU aims to attract around 5,000 tourists to the island to participate in various activities prepared for visitors and local residents to enjoy.
John Michael Travis Geraldo was among the hundreds of tourists who attended the two-day event ending on Sunday (April 8) with his friends, participating in the beach volleyball event and camping at one of the designated sites identified by the LGU.
Geraldo remarked that two days were not enough to fully enjoy all the activities organized by the festival, emphasizing the event’s potential to attract tourists and raise curiosity, especially through social media.
“This is an opportunity to let people know that Region 8 not only offers Kalanggaman, but we also have Higatangan Island, which can accommodate more people who want to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature,” he said.
During the press conference before HisFest 2024, Mayor Gretchen Espina stated that the ultimate goal of the event, held every summer, was to promote and market Higatangan so that more people would visit the island, even outside the summer season.
Since its inception in 2017, HisFest has become an annual event, attracting hundreds of tourists to the island to enjoy its offerings within its 4.34 square kilometers of land area and along its long white sandy beach.
From the initial nightly parties and concerts, trade fairs, and swimming along the shifting sandbar, additional events have been added each year, such as manta tow, diving at Capella del Mar, and cliff diving in 2019, and shore casting and jigging this year.
Unlike previous years where events were concentrated near the Higatangan sandbar, this year the LGU scattered them in various areas, allowing tourists to explore other parts of the island. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
TACLOBAN CITY– Government forces exhumed the remains of a New People’s Army (NPA) member in a forested area of Sitio Silao Bato, Barangay Kahupian, Sogod, Southern Leyte on Saturday (April 6).
The deceased was identified as Teodulo Arbuyas, also known as “Teng/Enting,” belonging to Platoon 1, Island Committee 47 – LEVOX (IC 47-LEVOX) of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee.
Arbuyas, who was positively identified by his wife through a tattoo on his chest, was reportedly buried by his comrades, as revealed by a former rebel who surrendered to the Army earlier.
The former rebel, who died May of last year, is to be buried on Tuesday (April 9) in a public cemetery in Javier, Leyte, his place of birth.
The joint efforts of the Army’s 14th Infantry (Avenger) Battalion, Southern Leyte Provincial Forensic Unit, Southern Leyte Police Mobile Force Company, and the Sogod Municipal Police Station led to the retrieval of Arbuyas’ cadaver, following information provided by a former rebel regarding the location of the body and the circumstances of his death.
Arbuyas allegedly succumbed to Hepatitis due to neglect by the communist leadership, who withheld medical treatment and intentionally concealed his death from his family.
It was also learned that Arbuyas had expressed a desire to surrender but was denied by his NPA commander, who rejected the possibility of him receiving medical care with assistance from the Army and the government.
“It is imperative that Arbuyas receives a dignified burial, allowing his family to mourn. It is our duty to serve the people and provide necessary assistance to victims of armed conflict, even in death,” stated local Army Commander Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Gabia.
Brigadier General Noel Vestuir, commander of the 802nd Infantry Brigade, extended condolences to Arbuyas’ family while condemning the treatment of NPA members by the terrorist movement.
“I am appalled by the callousness of the NPA commanders, who disregard human life. They show no regard for the feelings of their members’ loved ones,” remarked BGen Vestuir. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
ORMOC CITY – Two fishermen who were reported missing were discovered with their dead bodies floating from the shoreline of Barangay 6, San Julian in Eastern Samar.
First to be recovered was the body of Leoncio Castro, 43 on midday last Friday (April 5) and the following day, that of Diosdado Castro, Sr., 59.
According to the Coast Guard Eastern Samar, the two fishermen went to fishing last Thursday (April 4) when their motor boat capsized due to strong winds and big waves.
Responding to the incident report, the Coast Guard promptly initiated a search and rescue operation in the waters off San Julian.
By midday Friday, they recovered the lifeless body of another fisherman, Leoncio Castro, 43, from the same area.
Continuing their search efforts, the Coast Guard expanded their operation to the waters of San Julian. Upon returning to their station in Borongan City, they received a call from Diosdado Castro Jr. past 6 pm on Saturday, informing them of his father’s discovery.
According to Castro Jr., a concerned citizen known only by the nickname “Minic,” from Brgy. Libas, spotted a floating object while returning from fishing. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the body of the missing fisherman, Castro Sr. (ROBERT DEJON)
