TACLOBAN CITY– As the Santa Cruz de Mayo resumes, streets across the city are once again filled with colorful lanterns and lively worship songs.

To celebrate the official start of Flowers Month, Santa Cruzan festivities resume. Youths from different barangays and sitios in the Apitong area gathered at the St. Josemaria Escriva Mission Station to have their lanterns and crosses blessed.

This religious procession started in the 1800s, remembering Queen Helena’s pilgrimage to retrieve the cross of Jesus.

This tradition is honored not only in Tacloban but also across Eastern Visayas and other regions.

The grand Santa Cruzan is scheduled on May 30 and is being actively prepared by the Tacloban City Tourism Operations Office.

(ALYSSA PLANA, EASTERN SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT INTERN)

TACLOBAN CITY – Batch SIMANDIPI (Sigaw ng Mandirigma Pinili) finished their 270 hours on-the-job training at Camp Ruperto Kangleon in Campetic, Palo Leyte, Forensic Unit 8 (RFU 8) last Friday, April 26.

SIMANDIPI is the Bachelor of Science in Criminology, graduating class of 2024 from Leyte Colleges, this city.

Attended by their supervisor, Police Lieutenant Gringo Fabella, the event started at 8 am with an opening remarks and program preliminaries followed by the message to the attendees, supervisors, and completers by Hannah Orsilino.

According to a completer, “I experienced all sorts of things related to forensic and crime scene – I learned a lot from our supervisors and the people guiding us. I learned how to process a crime scene properly and identify fingerprints along with DNA. During lectures, an intern will really have that sufficient knowledge in preparation for job employment and I believe here in RFU 8 and PDEA, they know how to handle, train, and educate their people, that’s why, I learned a lot in here – my last agency.”

Further, the graduating class shared their warm appreciation to the focal people relevant to their career enhancement and preparation towards the real-world experiences after graduation.
(JANUS CAMILLE A. BERDAN, LEYTE NORMAL UNIVERSITY STUDENT INTERN)

TACLOBAN CITY – Recognizing the hard work of our farm and fishery workers, the Department of Agriculture here in the region kicked off the 2024 Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month Celebration (FFMC) on Thursday(May 2).

Andrew Rodolfo Orais, DA regional executive director, emphasized the importance of teamwork in achieving food security.

“Together, we can do more for our farms,” he said, acknowledging the significance of unity during challenging periods.

Director Orais highlighted the challenge of ensuring enough food for everyone despite difficulties like the pandemic.

“We need to work even harder and team up with others to ensure we have enough food,” he urged.

Meanwhile, Regional Farmer Director Engr. Miguel Pedroso, elected as the regional farmer director during the event, called for support for farmers as they improve their lives.

“We need support from both the government and private sector to improve farming conditions,” he explained, thanking the department for its ongoing support, including programs like ‘Kadiwa ng Pangulo’.

Engr. Pedroso expressed gratitude for the department’s assistance in extending programs to help farmers increase production and income, such as the Kadiwa ng Pangulo initiative.
He is serving his third term as the farmer director, having been elected by the members of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AFC) in the region.

(THERESE A. CASTILLANO, EASTERN SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT INTERN)

TACLOBAN CITY-The Southern Leyte Provincial Police Office(SLPPO) collected over P600,000 in penalties for operations conducted in accordance with the implementation of various local ordinances in the locality.

In the information released by the SLPPO, it said that they have P638,125 as a result of their various operations across the province from April 1–25, 2024.

Most of the violations involved traffic law violations and illegal fishing.

According to the police, 2,252 individuals were given citation tickets for not complying with the road ordinance, including not wearing a helmet.
(MIYLENE CATUBAY, EASTERN SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT INTERN)

TACLOBAN CITY– An official of the city schools division here in the city said that they are ready for this year’s regional sporting event, the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association(EVRAA) Meet which will officially start this Sunday(May 5).

This year’s EVRAA Meet will be held in Ormoc City.

Manolito Bolpa, the division’s spots officer, said that as part of their preparations, the 660 young athletes from the city have been preparing extensively to bring home medals.
(JANESSA T. MOSCOSA, EASTERN SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT INTERN)