ORMOC CITY– A wife of a person deprived of liberty(PDL) is facing a charge of violations of illegal drugs after she was caught trying to sneak in an illegal drug while visiting her husband at the Leyte sub-provincial jail in Barangay Guiwan I, Palompon, Leyte.

Palompon town police chief, Capt. Realthur Tabenero identified the suspect as Amy Ruiz, 50, married, housewife, a resident of Brgy. Poblacion.

Recovered from her possession were two sachets containing white crystalline substances suspected to be shabu inserted at a sanitary napkin worn by the suspect.

PCPT Tabernero, in an interview, said that the local police station received a call from the jail facility personnel on April 8 art about 2 pm informing them that they discovered illegal drugs from one of the visitors.

Initial investigation conducted by responding police disclosed that the suspect visited her husband identified as Orland, who is imprisoned after being arrested in a buy-bust.

The police said that provincial guard Marivic Lao conducted a body search of the suspect before entering the jail. However, the police added, that Lao was surprised when she noticed that the suspect was wearing a sanitary pad when she already looked old.

Lao’s suspicion led her to ask the suspect to remove her sanitary pad and once opened yielded two sachets containing white crystalline substances suspected to be shabu placed inside two small pieces of paper with masking tape.

The arrested person was subsequently brought to Palompon local police for documentation and was charged with possession of illegal drugs.
(ROBERT DEJON)

TACLOBAN CITY – Authorities conducted a counterinsurgency operation through the service of a warrant of arrest against a member of the communist group who is also the Top 5 most wanted person of the Northern Samar Police Provincial Office in Barangay Inanahawan, Pambujan, Northern Samar on Wednesday(April 17).

The arrested person was identified as alias “Onyot”, a 59-year-old farmer who used the alias ‘Beloy’ while he was a member of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The joint operatives of the 2nd Northern Samar Provincial Mobile Force Company led by its commander, PLt.Col. Edwin Oloan. Jr., together with the Pambujan Municipal Police Station and the members of the 19th Infantry Battalion implemented the warrant of arrest against the suspect for the crime of murder.

The suspect is now detained at the Pambujan detention facility.

Police B/Gen. Reynaldo Pawid, the police regional director, said that they will continue to intensify their operations against offenders who continuously pose threats to the safety and security of the community.

“We will work together with other law enforcement agencies to safeguard the community and ensure that victims of unlawful acts are brought to justice,” Pawid said in a statement.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

First in Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY– Eastern Visayas has a confirmed death due to pertussis as the Department of Health (DOH) reported of seven confirmed cases.

Jelyn Malibago, the regional information officer of the DOH, said that the casualty involved a three-month-old baby boy from Gamay in Northern Samar.

The baby died on April 11 and was said vaccinated.

Malibago said that he was first brought to Gamay district and was later transferred to the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital in Catarman where he died.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly infectious bacterial disease involving the respiratory tract that mostly affects infants.

Malibago said that due to the rising pertussis cases in the region, they are advising the public to continue to practice the minimum health standards which include using masks, handwashing, observe cough etiquette, and seek early medical assistance upon onset of the symptoms.

Among the symptoms of the disease include runny nose, nasal congestion, red and watery eyes, fever, cough, and extreme fatigue.

Malibago said that there are 48 suspected pertussis cases in the region as of this week.
Of this number, seven are confirmed cases validated from sample results by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine(RITM).

The seven confirmed cases are from Tacloban City,2; and one each from the towns of Santa Fe, Jaro, Pastrana, and Abuyog, all in Leyte; and Can-avid in Eastern Samar.

Also, 35 of the victims were children one year old and below and of which 33 of them were unvaccinated.

Based on the record of the DOH-8, Leyte has the highest number of pertussis cases at 30; followed by Northern Samar at 7; Eastern Samar, 6; three in Southern Leyte; and two in Samar.

Biliran is the only province in the region which has no reported pertussis cases.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)