ORMOC CITY-A lineman who was doing repairs at an electric post died on the spot after he was electrocuted in Sogod, Southern Leyte on Friday (Nov. 3).
The victim was identified as Olvic Arayan, 42, and a lineman of the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (Soleco) and a resident of Brgy. Zone V, Sogod town.
Investigation conducted by local police disclosed that the victim was conducting repairs at the Soleco post near Corompido Hospital at about 11:50 am on that day when his body accidentally touched a high voltage wire that caused the electrocution.
The electrocution caused his body to stick at the post which resulted in his death.
Soleco personnel immediately cut the power supply in the area to rescue the victim.
Local rescue group rushed the victim to Sogod District Hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician, Dr. Maria Jemalyn Carvero.
The victim’s cadaver was immediately brought to a local funeral parlor. (ROBERT DEJON)
TACLOBAN CITY – After visiting the island towns of Biri and Capul in Northern Samar and Maripipi in Biliran province, the 73 guests of the excursion cruise ship Coral Adventurer dropped anchor in Babatngon and this city on Friday (Nov. 3).
The foreign guests, composed mostly of Australians, arrived at the Babatngon Port past 8 am where they were welcomed by the local officials led by Mayor Leny Lugnasin and Department of Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes and the warm smile of the town people.
“Even if they didn’t have any activity here in our town, welcoming them to our town will still give them awareness and this will make them curious to know what are the tourist destinations of our town like the Busay Falls that the LGU has improved and the various beach resorts in Barangay Tulaan,” Mayor Lugnasin said.
After they were welcomed in Babatngon the guests proceeded to Tacloban and visited fist the Yolanda mass grave at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Brgy. Basper and Yolanda Memorial in Anibong District.
The visit to Tacloban is part of the Eastern Visayas leg of Coral Adventure excursion in the country.
Aside from visiting the Yolanda memorial site, they also visited the Sto Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum where they toured the edifice built in 1979 by former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, mother of Pres. Marcos, Jr.
After visiting the Sto Niño Shrine they also went to the Prince Mansion, the official residence of Gen. Douglas McArthur when he stayed in Leyte during the liberation period in World War II.
After the Price Mansion they also went to the McArthur Park National Shrine in Palo town.
Unlike their visit to the island towns of Biri, Capul, and Maripipi where they had cultural immersion, the visits to Tacloban and Palo were more focused on sightseeing on famous landmarks.
Just like Biri and Maripipi towns, this is the first time that Tacloban and Palo were included in the cruise ship visit itinerary.
Tiopes said that this was designed to make sure that every cruise guest who will visit the region will have a unique and different experience and memories in every locality that they visit during their cruise call in Eastern Visayas.
After visiting Tacloban and Palo, the group then sailed to the Cuatro Islas in Inopacan, and Canigao Island in Mahaplag, both Leyte, before heading to Bohol.
Coral Adventurer will return to the region on Nov. 12 and 13 to visit Padre Burgos and the island town of Limasawa, both in Southern Leyte and Kalanggaman Island in Palompon town. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
More than 500 riders from several parts of the region attended the resilience ride held on Nov.4, one of the events leading to the 10th year anniversary of Yolanda’s onslaught in Tacloban City and the rest of Eastern Visayas. (Photo Courtesy)
Yolanda’s 10th year
More than 500 riders from several parts of the region attended the resilience ride held on Nov.4, one of the events leading to the 10th year anniversary of Yolanda’s onslaught in Tacloban City and the rest of Eastern Visayas. (Photo Courtesy)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in partnership with the Tingog party-list hosted the 2nd Resilience Ride as part of the commemorative program of the onslaught of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ exactly 10 years ago.
The resilience ride was participated by about 500 riders who are members of various organizations in Eastern Visayas and personnel from various government agencies such as the 8th Infantry Division, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Department of Interior and Local Government.
The Resilience Ride held last Saturday (Nov. 4) started at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, this city, going to Ormoc City, Baybay City, Abuyog town then to Rizal Plaza in Tacloban or a total of 264 kilometers distance of travel.
OCD Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion said that the resilience ride is not only for remembering what happened during typhoon Yolanda but also aims to highlight the contribution of riders during disaster response.
“Sometimes yung four-wheel natin hindi makapasok sa areas especially every after disaster. Odette had told us that, so this is one way of letting them know that we value the, and in case of any disaster we will be asking for their assistance,” he said.
Torrecarion added that the activity also aims to increase resiliency awareness in the region not only among people but also to the local government units and government agencies.
Ten years now since super typhoon Yolanda devastated Eastern Visayas and other parts of the Visayas, teaching resiliency remains to be a continuing process to ensure that this will not be forgotten by the people.
“When we rest on our laurel that is sometimes we fell short, that is why it needs to be a continuous process. We need to be aware, we need to be updated with new trends,” Torrecarion said.
Aside from the Resilience Ride, the OCD together with its partners agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Army, and the Philippine National Police as an on-going exhibit at Robinsons Marasbaras featuring various disaster response equipment like satellite phones, two-way radio, search and rescue equipment, food packs and non-food packs assistance and camp management design.
The OCD is also hosting a two-day Resilience Forum at the Leyte Normal University guest includes United Nation Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzales, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, Department of Tourism Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes, Mayor Alfred Romualdez, among others. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
The Leyte Normal University defended itself on the backlash it received after it did not issue accreditation to the school’s paper, ‘An Lantawan.’
The Leyte Normal University defended itself on the backlash it received after it did not issue accreditation to the school’s paper, ‘An Lantawan.’
TACLOBAN CITY– The Leyte Normal University (LNU), this city, has defended its action in requiring accreditation of the ‘An Lantawan’ (The Watchtower), the university’s student publication.
“The university has a responsibility in establishing certain guidelines and standards to ensure quality and integrity of our academic and extracurricular programs,” the government-run university said in a statement posted on its social media account.
“Part of this process is the accreditation of student organizations, including publications like An Lantawan. This is a standard procedure in many educational institutions even worldwide,” it added.
It maintained that requiring An Lantawan to undergo accreditation is not an attempt to curtail the freedom of the speech or of the press, contrary to the claims of those who opposed the move.
“The process is in accordance with established policies so that organizations within the University adhere to ethical and professional standards, and to ensure that they contribute to the overall experience of students,” LNU said in a statement released on October 25, 2023.
While the accreditation of the campus publication is still pending, the university assured that it “continues to support the publication of new materials and encourages open expression of ideas.”
LNU, recognized as the center of excellence in Teacher Education in the Eastern Visayas, caught itself in the center of a controversy after it allegedly ordered the An Lantawan staff to rename its page and cease the use of its publication name and logo, pending the approval of its accreditation process, on October 22.
“I felt devastated because we’ve been working for An Lantawan for many years and since we are prohibited to use the logos, we were holding on to the Facebook page name ‘An Lantawan,’” said Troy Ortega, 21, a publication staff.
An Lantawan publication is serving an estimated 7,000 enrolled students of the university, which was established in 1921.
Ortega, the managing and opinion editor during the academic year 2022-2023, admitted that for the current school year, their publication has yet to establish its editorial board “because of the accreditation.”
“We take initiative, as student journalists and as members of the previous editorial board. If we don’t act, who will act for us to work on the university accreditation process?” Ortega asked.
As of November 1, the An Lantawan Facebook page, now renamed as “LNU-Student Publication Office”, has been retrieved.
However, the publication’s lengthy response to LNU’s advisory they posted on October 30 “has been removed by Facebook.” (RONALD O. REYES)
ORMOC CITY-Five houses were burned down while four others sustained damages after a fire hit in the village of Little Venice, Laoang in Northern Samar Saturday (Nov.4) at about 7:20 am.
Laoang Fire Marshall Senior Fire Officer II Carlos Dulay identified the owners of the totally gutted houses as Nelda Adora, 65; Colita Adora, 74; Rosalinda Alastoy, 62; Conception Adora 56; and Evangeline Adora, 41.
The houses owned by Sherry Mae Peligreno, 29; Thelma Galit, 57; Jennifer Corocoto, 41; and Maria Corocoto, 73.
FO3 Lizel Esquillo, duty fire investigator, in an interview said that their station received a call about 7:27 am.
She said that the road going to the fire area was too narrow, prompting them to spread out their hoses and use fire pumps to control the fire. She added that local residents in the area also conducted a bayanihan in putting off the fire.
The fire was under control at about 7:40 am was totally out at about 7:57 am.
Initial investigation by the local fire bureau disclosed that the fire originated from a newly delivered sack of charcoal in the house of Nelda Adora with the fire rapidly spread to the nearby houses which were mostly made of light materials.
No one was reported injured from the fire with an estimated damage of P423, 000. (ROBERT DEJON)
TACLOBAN CITY–A 57-year-old broadcaster was shot and killed while he was airing his program, with his grisly murder being seen live on social media early Sunday morning, November 5, 2023 in Calamba, Misamis Occidental.
Juan Jumalon, known as “DJ Johnny Walker”, of 94.7 Calamba Gold FM was attacked by gunmen who pretended to be guests with an urgent announcement to make on the radio.
They entered the station without provocation.
“The attack is even more condemnable since it happened at Jumalon’s own home, which also served as the radio station,” said the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines.
A video clip of the shooting has gone viral, showing Jumalon being shot twice by a suspect who also grabbed his gold necklace before fleeing the announcer’s booth.
Jumalon’s killing is the 199th since 1986 and the fourth under the watch of President Fernand Marcos Jr.
The killing also comes in the same week as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
The President immediately issued a statement, strongly condemning the killing of Jumalon.
“Such an uncivilized attack on our journalist has no place in a democratic country,” Marcos Jr. said.
He ordered the Philippine National Police to conduct “a thorough investigation to catch and hold accountable whoever is behind this heinous crime.”
“You can count on our close attention to bring justice to his murder,” Mr. Marcos said.
As this developed, the Misamis Occidental Police said they had already identified two suspects involved in Jumalon’s murder.
Police are looking into three to four possible motives for the shooting.
“I am shocked and I am in grief… Having known this man as a fearless broadcaster, I share the grief of his family and the people of my province for we lost a truth crusader,” said Misamis Occidental Governor Henry Oaminal.
Paul Gutierrez, the undersecretary of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, called the police for the immediate activation of a special investigation task group to probe the radio anchor’s murder.
“We also call on our colleagues in the media and the public not to resort to any speculation or make baseless accusations that can only distract our investigators on the true motive for the attack on Jumalon,” Gutierrez said. (RONALD O. REYES)
