TACLOBAN CITY– The famed REO Brothers will hold a charity concert slated to be held on February 23 at the Leyte Academic Center in Palo, Leyte. The proceeds of the post-Valentine charity concert will be used to fund for the construction of the St. Jude Thaddeus Pastoral Center Project of the St. Jude Parish. Tickets for the concert are priced at P1,000, P500, and P300. The REO Brothers of Tacloban rose to prominence when they were featured in one of the programs of the ABS-CBN. They are known to render songs of the The Beatles, The Beach Boys, the Dave Clark Five, Bee Gees, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Lettermen, America, The Ventures and the VST and Co. (PR)
Construction of the P110 million Maasin City’s tourist facility now underway
TACLOBAN CITY – The construction of the Maasin City Tourist Service Center and Rest Area continues is now underway.
This was disclosed by Mayor Nacional Mercado saying that the P110 million facility could help encourage more visitors to visit the city.
The construction of the tourist facility, located near the Maasin Terminal in Barangay Tagnipa, is funded under the 2022 Seal of Good Local Governance- Incentive Fund Project. Groundbreaking of the tourism center took place last August 2023.
Once completed, the two-storey building will have a coffee shop, Pasalubong display, air-conditioned comfort rooms that can accommodate persons with disabilities, a permanent location of the City Tourism Office, and a conference room for investors and visitors.
“We need to have a tourist center that will assist visitors and provide them information and data needed while visiting the city,” Mayor Mercado said.
Mercado added that the project will also help transform the city into a travelers haven that can become their source of pride.
“The local government aims to further develop and enhance the tourism industry in the city, providing a welcoming space for tourists and visitors,” he said.
As the capital of Southern Leyte province, Maasin City hosts most of the accommodation and other tourist service facilities. Several tourist destinations are found in the province are also located in the city. These include the pilgrimage sites and natural attractions.
Included in the pilgrimage sites found in the city is the Maasin City Cathedral built in the 1700s by Jesuit Missionaries and houses the 200-year-old statue of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion de Maasin.
The Jalleca Hills, in Brgy. Mantahan is where the 36ft image of Our Lady of Assumption is found, about 310 ft. above sea level, and the Monte Cueva, a shrine located inside a cave, 170 ft. above sea level.
Natural attractions popular among locals are the Guinsuhotan Falls and Cave, locally known as Cagnituan Falls, and Cave located in Brgy. Maria Clara.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
ChEd commissioner finds 90-day preventive suspension order ‘unfair’
Issued by Malacañang
TACLOBAN CITY-Commissioner Aldrin Darilag of the Commission on Higher Education (ChEd) said that he was surprised on the preventive suspension order issued by Malacañang against him.
Darilag, who sits as chairman of five state universities in Eastern Visayas, said that he was not even aware of the facts of the 90-day suspension order issued against him.
“I have no full information about the cases filed against me. I did not receive a copy of the complaint. This is so unfair for me,” he said on Sunday (Jan.21) in an interview via Facebook’s private messenger.
Over the weekend, ChEd chairman Prospero De Vera III announced that Malacañang has slapped Darilag a 90-day preventive suspension order for his alleged grave misconduct, neglect in the performance of duty, abuse of authority, and violation of RA 3019, otherwise known as the Anti- Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The order from the Office of the President was issued on Jan.16 and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
It was learned that the preventive suspension order would be served to Darilag on Monday (Jan.22) who was appointed as ChEd commissioner in 2019 but was reappointed in 2020.
His term is to end this July.
Darilag defended himself by saying he never committed any acts that were attributed to him.
“I never done any acts that could harm the commission. All my SUC presidents can testify that I work well. Wala akong ginawang kasalanan. Hindi ko maintindihan,” he said.
He hinted that ‘somebody’ could be behind on the complaints filed against him who is interested in his post.
Darilag sits as chairman of the board of the Leyte Normal University in Tacloban City, Leyte; University of Eastern Philippines in Catarman, Northern Samar; Samar State University in Catbalogan City, Samar; Southern Leyte State University in Maasin City, Southern Leyte; and Biliran Province State University in Naval, Biliran.
JOEY A. GABIETA
Samar town seeks DOT funding to boost tourism industry
Once an NPA lair
TACLOBAN CITY– The town mayor of Matuguinao in Samar province is seeking funding from the Department of Tourism (DOT) as it pushes tourism as an income generator.
Mayor Aran Boller said that he had sought P45 million in funding from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), an attached agency of the DOT assigned for the construction of tourism-related infrastructures.
He said that the amount would be used to develop the Salpan Caves and cold spring located in Barangay Barruz, about three kms away from the town proper.
“We are seeking for a funding assistance from the DOT so we can develop the Salpan cave and cold spring and make it a tourist destination and as an income generation for our municipality and at the same time, help provide livelihood for our people,” Boller said on Friday(Jan.19).
The town mayor said that as part of his development plan to the cave and cold spring, they plan to construct a path bridge, pathway, solar lights, storage area, grouted riprap, and other amenities.
Boller said that he wanted to transform the image of his town from being a haven of the communist group, the New People’s Army, into a tourist destination in Samar province.
“I want Matuguinao to be known not as a terrorism-infested area but as a tourist destination,” the town mayor, who opened the tourism industry of the town in 2020, a year after he assumed the post, said.
Matuguinao, about 62 kms away from the provincial capital of Catbalogan City, boasts of natural cold springs and several caves, many remain to be developed as tourist attractions.
Last year, about 11,390 tourists visited the town’s Matugnaw and Maslog cold springs which generated over P287,000 for the local government.
The town was known to be among the lairs of the NPA in previous years with all of its 20 barangays were said to be under the influence and control of the rebels.
“Now, I am happy that our people have realized the evils of the NPA and are very cooperative with the LGU,” Boller said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
‘Sawa’ captured in a hotel in Ormoc City
ORMOC CITY– A 10 foot 12 kilos Philippine Reticulated Python was turned over by the personnel of the Ormoc City Fire Station to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources(DENR) after it was captured under a vehicle at about 7:29 am on Friday(Jan.19) at Bayview Inn in Barangay Alegria, this city.
City Fire Marshall Fire Chief Inspector Darren Baclea-an said that the python locally known as “sawa” was found under the chassis of a parked pickup.
The hotel personnel, upon finding the python under the vehicle, immediately called the attention of the BFP rescue group to capture the big snake.
The python was carefully captured using a snake-catching stick by the responding city fire personnel and was immediately turned over at DENR’s Community Environment and Natural Resources for proper disposition.
(ROBERT DEJON)
Church, progressive groups hit move to change 1987 Constitution
TACLOBAN CITY– Various progressive and Church-based organizations are up in arms following the plan to change the country’s 1987 Constitution through the people’s initiative.
“I do not favor charter change whether it is people’s initiative or constituent assembly. Charter change is not the answer to inflation, unemployment, housing crisis, education crisis, corruption, and economic crisis in the country,” said lawyer Aaron Pedrosa, leader of Sanlakas.
He said charter change only benefits the politicians who want to extend their term of office.
Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, said the signature campaign for people’s initiative being done in the communities “has no legal or moral basis and has been exposed as a grand swindle.”
“The people’s initiative can and will be defeated because it is advocating self-serving changes in the Constitution and is being undertaken through highly questionable means,” added Reyes in a public statement.
Reyes maintained that instead of charter change, the nation’s leaders should focus on creating more livelihood, efficient public transport system, improving human rights conditions, justice, education, health, national industrialization, and democracy.
President Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, president of the Catholic Church’s social arm, earlier said that “any attempt to alter the Constitution, especially when shrouded in secrecy and lacking genuine public participation, raises serious concerns about its true motives.”
“Instead of wasting time and resources on amending the Constitution, the government should prioritize measures to eradicate corruption and ensure the efficient and effective delivery of basic social services to our people,” said the bishop.
According to Bagaforo, charter change “is not a silver bullet for the Philippines’ economic woes, particularly the pervasive issue of corruption.”
“The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has always taught that ‘If the Constitution is to be revised at all, the process should lead to a greater defense and promotion of the moral values of human dignity and human rights, integrity and truth, participation and solidarity, and the common good,” he said.
(RONALD O. REYES)