ORMOC CITY-A street vendor was arrested by the Station Drugs Enforcement Team of Police Station 1 of the Ormoc City Police Office in a buy- bust operation about 1:14 am Saturday (Oct 1) at Barangay District 2 here.
Station 1 COP Police Major Rizal Antonio Leung identified the suspect as Reynaldo Mayaki, 51, married and a resident of Brgy. Libertad, of this city.
Recovered from his possession was one sachet containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu procured by an operative in the amount of P1,000.
During body search, the operatives recovered from the back pocket of the suspect a coin purse color with different colors that when opened filled with medicines, while on the left front pocket the searching cop recovered P3,200 and in the right pocket the searching cop recovered a color black face mask that once opened contained two more sachets containing the same white crystalline substance suspect to be shabu with an estimated street value of P2,000.
Charges of violations of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs of 2002, are being readied by the arresting police against the suspect who is temporarily detained at the locked up cell of Police Station 1. (ROBERT DEJON)
It has been common knowledge to all that the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is one of the government agencies that is infested by fixers who do not seem to leave this office alone, suggesting that there must be some things juicy in it.
There have been past and ongoing campaigns to abolish anomalies and irregularities in various government agencies, the LTO being one of them, but fixers always find a way out, elusive against such dragnets. Clients who transact businesses with the agency would take long by themselves, but if they pay these fixers around, the processing of their documents is quickly done.
People thus have been wondering what influence these fixers have on LTO personnel such that they can easily facilitate the clients’ transactions. Do they have some kind of mutual understanding, or internal arrangements, that those documents handed in by fixers are prioritized at once? Why do these fixers seemingly command action and respect among the employees who work on the various transactions?
To people in a hurry, or those who do not have time to process applications, the presence of these fixers is a blessing. They just entrust everything to these guys and, when they come back, things are already done. But the services of fixers entail money. Good for can-afford clients because they can always shell out money from their pockets. But what about those who cannot afford and are just transacting via honest-to-goodness means? Well, they have to wait for days or weeks.
Perhaps, if the government is serious about getting rid of such irregularities, it should run after these employees who are obviously working miraculously with fixers. Like parasites, fixers will be gone once the people they rely on get lost. They thrive because selected insiders themselves are perhaps ‘hiring’ them.
At least 10 singing groups joined in a competition which aim to discourage youths, in particular, to join the communist armed group. The October 1 competition offered cash prizes to the winners. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
TACLOBAN CITY – Ten bands competed in the first Battle of the Bands Musika Laban sa Insurhensiya organized by the Tacloban City Police Office and the Kabataan Kontra Droga at Terorismo (KKDAT) – Tacloban Chapter.
The competition was lauded by the Police Regional Office 8 as it urged other police offices to emulate and also conduct the same activity in their respective jurisdiction.
“We need the success of this activity to be shared in other units and for the KKDAT to sustain this program. The PRO-8 is always here to support you, so let us start planning on how to cascade this to their units of the PNP,”B/Gen. Joel Limson, PRO8 deputy regional director for operation representing PRO-8 Regional Director BGen Rommel Marbil, said.
Ten bands from Tacloban City and Leyte province joined the competition held last Saturday (Oct.1) at the HRUDC building at the Leyte Normal University, this city.
The competing bands sang a cover song and their original compositions whose main message is to discourage the youths to join the communist armed group or against the insurgency problem of the country.
Winners of the competition bagged P15,000 for 1st prize; P10,000 for 2nd prize; and P8,000 for third prize.
Declared as winners were Speck (3rd place) with their song composed ‘Gising’; Fortisimo (2nd place) with their original song; ‘Ikaw, Sila, Ako’, and Jilla (1st place) with their original song composition, ‘Yan Dapat’.
The song, ‘Injustice’, ‘Isn’t it’ by the After School, bagged the special award and best on original song composition, respectively. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
TACLOBAN CITY- A lifeless body of an abandoned newborn baby was found along the national highway of Barangay Can-abay, Basey, Samar Friday(September 30).
Authorities said they received a call from a barangay official around 7:15 am and found the newborn baby still on the ground and naked.
They also coordinated with the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) to process the crime scene.
Authorities are investigating the incident. (RONALD O.REYES)
MISS ORMOC. After almost two years of hiatus, the Miss Ormoc beauty and brain competition will be staged again. About 20 young ladies from different barangays of the city will compete for the crown won by Aura Shaznay in 2019. The candidates were presented on Sunday (Oct.2) before a large crowd at the city’s main plaza. Story on Page 1. (ORMOC CITY GOVERNMENT)
ORMOC CITY-This city will be celebrating its 75th Charter Day anniversary for the whole month of October starting off with the presentation of candidates vying for Miss Ormoc title on Sunday(Oct. 2).
This early, Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres Gomez said that health protocols will still be strictly observed as big number of people are expected to see the various events relative to the celebration.
At present, Ormoc has two active COVID-19 cases, based on the record of the Department of Health.
Aside from staging the Miss Ormoc, several activities have been lined up to mark the city’s diamond founding anniversary which includes concerts featuring some of the country’s big-name artists; business seminars; agri-aqua fair; sports competitions, and its diamond jubilee parade on October 20, its founding day anniversary.
The city mayor said that after almost two years of having no celebration of the city’s founding, they will be making a series of activities considering this year marks its 75th year.
“This year’s celebration is really a milestone for Ormoc……from being labeled as Eastern Visayas illegal drug capital into its richest city,” Torres Gomez said.
She, however, gives much credit on the transformation of Ormoc to the six-year term of her husband, now congressman Richard Gomez.
The former mayor had prioritized in ensuring the peace and order of the city for him to invite investors, which included addressing the proliferation of illegal drugs in the city.
Under his watch, Ormoc City was regarded by the Philippine National Police as one of the safest cities in the country on top of solving its illegal drug activity.
It was also during the term of now congressman that several investors came to Ormoc like the establishments of two shopping malls and operations of several hotels, among others.
On Sunday, 20 lovely candidates coming from different villages of the city were presented before the public and guests at the city’s main public plaza.
This year’s candidates are Abiah P. Dicdican, Dianne A. Espinosa, Jorochelle Euliza Swartz L. Grafilon, Crissa Althea B. Colon, Francheska Terese C. Matiga, Ma Kim Bocao, Desiree Solejon, Angel Mae R. Duallo, Donna P. Ramada, Alexandra P. Juanillo, Liezle N. Jones, Hannah Grace Caintic Yuson, Zeljemer del Rosario Castro, Quintine L. Saligue, Jessajane P. Belic, Lerrish Frances Dawa Belarmino, Erice Beatrice Tan, Charybel Faith Dizon, Mitzi Lucaban, and Marie Carmen Songalia. The coronation is on Oct 15, 2022.
Noted singer-composer Rey Valera also entertained the with his smash hits. The event was hosted by Mr. Fu.
Among those in the audience of more than 10,000 people were Rep. Gomez and his wife, Mayor Lucy, and other city officials. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone lauded the decision of a couple for ending their communist armed struggle. The couple surrendered to Evardone on Sept.30 who vowed to help them have a peaceful and productive life. (PHOTO COURTESY)
TACLOBAN CITY- An alleged member of the New People’s Army (NPA) and his wife surrendered to authorities in Eastern Samar on September 30, citing difficulties living in the mountains and the campaign of the government against their group as reasons for giving up the armed struggle.
‘Ka Cardo,’50, was said to be the political officer while his 49-year-old wife,’ Ka’ May was the finance officer of the sub-regional committee Artic, Browser, Elcon platoon, squad 2 which operates in several towns in Eastern Samar which include the town of Dolores.
The surrender of the two mid-ranking NPA rebels to Governor Ben Evardone on Sept. 30 was facilitated by Luisidro “Bong” Moscosa, a media worker based in Can-avid town, also in Eastern Samar.
Moscosa, who agreed to be named for this story, said that he received surrender feelers from the couple as early as August 19 telling him of their desire to surrender and live a normal life with their 10 children.
According to him, the couple made their desire to surrender through their cousin who is his friend. They first met in an interior village of Dolores, also in the same province, on August 19 and met again on Sept.27 on their way to Borongan to escape and abandoned their former comrades for two years.
While in Borongan City, they stayed in a hotel until they formally surrendered on Sept.30 to Evardone and witnessed by Police Regional Director B/Gen. Rommel Marbil and Eastern Samar police provincial director Col. Matthe Aseo.
It was learned that the couple was among the rebels whose camp was the target of a massive air and land assault by government forces in Barangay Osmeña, Dolores last August 16, 2021.
The attack resulted in the death of 19 rebels inside their camp classified by the government forces as the communist rebel bomb-making facility.
Gov. Evardone provided cash incentive to the couple and for them to receive other assistance being given by the government to NPA surrenderees. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
