TACLOBAN CITY-A progressive human rights group based in this city reported that three peasant members were detained by soldiers in Northern Samar on October 2, an allegation vehemently denied by the government troops.
Alexander Abiguna of Katungod Sinirangan Bisayas said that detained by the members of the 20th Infantry Battalion, which is based in Catubig town, Northern Samar, were Christian Sabado, who belong to a peasant group, Northern Samar Small Farmers’ Association (NSSFA), Anton Manoso, and Edson Piczon, whom he said to be village watchmen of Barangay Hinagonoyan, Catubig town.
Abiguna claimed that the three were on their way to Brgy. San Francisco, Las Navas town, also in Northern Samar, reportedly to conduct investigation on the pest infestation affecting the abaca industry in the town and the impact among coconut farmers on the low price of copra when they were apprehended by the government troops on that day at about 11 am.
“They were made to lie face down on the ground while the soldiers stepped on them multiple times. It also appears that they were manhandled and physically abused upon arrest,” he said.
Abiguna said that they condemns the ‘intimidation and harassment of the civilians as they demanded for the immediate release of the three.
But this allegations of Abiguna was dispelled by the military saying the three were not physically abused during their arrest.
In a post on their Facebook account, the 20th IB, which is under the command of Lt.Col. Juan Gullem, said they were not farmers contrary to Abiguna’s claims but members of the New People’s Army(NPA).
The government troops were in the area as part of their security patrol when they chanced upon Sabado and his companions who were said to have carrying firearms, explosives and subversive documents which resulted to their arrest.
And based on their questioning to Sabado, who is from Manila, he said that he was sent to Northern Samar to ‘propagate’ the white area operations of the CPP-NPA in the province long been considered by the military to still have an active insurgency problem in Eastern Visayas.
His companions, Manoso and Piczon, were identified by the military as regular members of the NPA.
“We assure the family and friends of (Sabado) and his company, now in the custody of PNP, are treated humanely in accordance to the rule of law,” it said.
A video, showing a clean-faced Sabado was posted by the 20th IB on their Facebook account to dispel claims of Abiguna that he was physically mauled and manhandled.
Sabado said that he is being treated well by both soldiers and police of Las Navas.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
Katungod claims military arrested 3 farmers; military says they were NPA members
Students of San Policarpo National High School win ‘tinapa’ cook fest
Now on its 6th year
CALBAYOG CITY–The students from the San Policarpo National High School (SPNHS) once again won this year’s annual ‘tinapa’ cookfest, with 14 other participants coming from different schools based in this city and nearby towns.
For their winning menu, the Grade 12 students cooked tinapa ter sa gata, served in sliced banana, fresh ternate flower and “latik”, a solid by-product of coconut oil used a garnishing for variety of desserts at the 6th Calbayog Tinapa Cookfest.
“I am pressured because we need to do our best next year to make sure that our school will win again,” Divina Sumayan, SPNHS technology and livelihood education teacher and coach of the winning team.
The cookfest, now on its 6th year, which gives focus on tinapa( smoked fish)which serves as one of the activities of the annual World Tourism Week celebration of the city government through its tourism office.
This year’s event was held on October 4 held at the city’s convention center with one of the country’s most respected and well-loved restaurateurs, Glenda Barretto, who is from this city, among the guests and judges of the cooking fest.
Sumayan said that they only have less than two days to prepare and had to change the members of her team because of conflict in the schedules of the students.
As for the dish that they have prepared, Sumayan said that she always cooked it to her family and only made some enhancements to taste it better and more pleasing for the competition.
Barretto, owner of the famed Via Marie restaurant, mentioned that the ingredients and presentation of the winning dish complimented with each other and did not overpowered the taste of tinapa.
“Ingredients must enhance not cover the taste of tinapa. Our tinapa is very tasty and is of good quality but sometimes is overpowered by the sauce that you do. So make sure that your sauce compliments and it should enhance and not overcome your main ingredients,” Barretto said.
The culinary legend added that she will be using the winning dish in some of her catering services in Metro Manila.
Via Marie, which she started in September 1975, is one of the frontrunners in the restaurant and catering industry in the country, serving in some of the big events in the country like state gathering in Malacañang.
Barretto added that the competitors this year have a high level of preparation but some has problem in the texture of their dish.
Aside from SPNHS, other winners were STI Calbayog with their spicy tinapa sisig shawarma (2nd place), Calbayog City National High School with ginataang tinapa sa basi (3rd place).
The dishes were judged based on taste, texture and appearance, creative use of tinapa, presentation, and ‘mise en place.’
Calbayog tourism officer Ronald Ricafort Jr., said that next year, the competition will be much bigger with the addition of new categories by including teachers and professionals.
“Hopefully we can come up with a book compilation of recipe especially the winning recipe of the competition,” Ricafort said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Yohann Panis Luzano and her Youthplus center
“Beautiful skin adds one’s confidence”
While it has been a dream of Yohann Kae Panis-Luzano to become a doctor, particularly treating those suffering from skin problems, the 38-year old mother of two young kids also would like to see the better side of having good skin.
After all, she acknowledges that one’s better and improved physical looks could make others to notice them, but more so, give them much needed confidence in life.
“I know that having a bad skin causes some to suffer depression and low morale. That is why, Youthplus Skin and Laser Center is there for them to help and uplift them, morally and developed self-confidence which could not be bought,” Yohann, as she is fondly called by her family and friends alike, said.
And so, close to 10 years ago, Yohann Kae, with the support of her mom, Dettie, owner of a chain of beauty salons, made her first step in realizing her goal – to have a skin center of her own.
Thus, the Youthplus Skin and Laser Center was born!
It was first of its kind in the city, if not in the region, as it used state-of-the-art equipment to make sure that its prospective clients would have a happy return of every cent they spent.
Needless to say, the skin center, located along Real Street, steadily developed clients not only coming from Tacloban City but even outside the city.
But nature intervened-big time!
Just over a year after it opened for business on October 5,2012, Tacloban City was pummeled by super typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ causing massive destructions in the city never seen before, just like it suffered during the Liberation campaign in 1945 by the American Forces.
“I was in Manila for a seminar when Yolanda pummeled Tacloban City. Good thing, my mom was able to secure our equipment located on the second floor of our skin center,” Yohann said.
And needless to say, even the world’s strongest typhoon failed to stop Yohann’s dream as she was back in business in 2015.
Again, with the help of her mom, Dettie, she found a place to start her Youthplus Skin and Laser Center.
This time, bigger and better!
Her new space, located along Zamora Street, is steadily gaining clients, again, not only from this city but even those coming from other parts of the region.
With her new space, Yohann is now realizing her dreams, with the full support of her husband, Rex, to become Eastern Visayas top skin center and specialist.
Aside from its Tacloban City branch, Yohann has also put a Youth Skin and Laser Center in Catarman, Northern Samar and is generating additional employment from its previous seven workers to now 22.
Yohann is investing not only her time by attending seminars and studies here and abroad like Italy, but even having the latest state-of-the-art equipment to make sure that their clients could get the best services, comparable with that of a Cebu or Manila-based skin centers.
“We are giving the best services that we can give to our clients by having these state-of-the-art equipment. They would no longer go to Cebu or Manila just to have skin treatments as we also offer competitive prices,” the licensed pharmacist-turned medical doctor-turned fellow of Philippine Dermatological Society said.
Among the latest services being offered by the Youthplus Skin and Laser Center is the Ultherapy, BTL Exilis, CO2 Laser Quanta Asset Winback therapy machines.
These machines are the top-of-the-line which are being used by some of the best skin clinics in the country, particularly in Manila.
“But here in the region, Youthplus Skin and Laser Clinic is the only one which has these equipment,” Yohann said.
By acquiring these machines, they are realizing their goal for Youthplus Skin and Laser Center to become Eastern Visayas’ to-go-to skin center, offering their ever-growing customers with excellent quality cosmetic services using these state-of-the-art equipment.
Yohann is not shy to say that she dreams of having her own skin center with operating rooms as if boutique hospital-like style rooms and whose services could be at par with the best in the country, if not in the world.
By having her own skin center that will offer innovative and non-invasive aesthetic and cosmetic surgical procedure, Yohann could help the government’s campaign to make the Philippines a hub in medical tourism.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
Australian Air Force makes emergency landing
No one was hurt among its 46 passengers
By: Joey A. Gabieta
TACLOBAN CITY-An Australian Air Force aircraft had an emergency landing at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport (DZR) Airport, this city, on Saturday loaded with 46 passengers.
The Royal Australian Air Force Aircraft ASY 727, a Boeing C17 Globemaster III type of aircraft with Aircraft Registration A41-209 as described by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Tacloban Office, made the emergency landing at about 12:47 pm.
The airplane was from Kadena, Japan and was on its way to Edinburgh, South Australia, when it had its emergency landing at the DZR Airport, CAAP said in a statement.
While the reason for the emergency landing of the Australian Air Force plane has yet to be known as of this writing, a source said that fumes were observed emitting from the aircraft cockpit, forcing the pilots, Captain Matthew Dank and Kurt Ehrlich – Senicic, to make the emergency landing.
None of the 46 passengers of the aircraft were reported to have been hurt due to the incident.
CAAP Tacloban, through its Air Traffic Service (ATS), Crash Fire Rescue (CFR) Unit, and Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) made a quick response to the aircraft carrying 46 crew members and aircraft officials.
Based on the initial information from Tactical Operations Group (TOG) whose headquarter is located inside the airport premises, the Australian Air Force was loaded with eight crew members and 38 passengers.
CAAP, in a statement, said that the incident caused a blockage at the airport’s south taxiway reason why the facility’s newly-reblocked north taxiway was opened to ensure that the operations of the DZR Airport will not be affected.
DZR Airport is considered to be the main airport of the region and is one of the top 10 busiest airports in the country.
As of this writing, the aircraft is still at the airport’s Bay 1 ramp where it will stay while waiting for the arrival of needed spare parts.
All the Australian passengers stayed in a nearby hotel.
Trends to mend
Fires on remnant tropical forests, thousands of dead marine creatures washed ashore, former mountains of snow now totally melted, oceans of trash now invading land areas, killer viruses on the rise, nuclear warfare threatening human civilizations—all these are forming part of our daily headlines nowadays.
Where is this world headed to? Come 2030, or fifty years from now, what kind of world do we expect to have given these current trends? Are we in for a better future, or for the worst? Why are we grappling with so much troubles? If the world is at the brink of massive collapse, what on earth are we doing to save this planet? Do we have the cooperation of the majority of people, of governments, of private institutions, of international organizations?
So many questions to ask but we wonder if we are getting the right answers. We can’t even invite attention to these woes as the majority of people just don’t care. Much explaining has to be done for them to fathom the consequences of human abuses to nature, and the results of their inaction. Yes indeed, these global problems are too big for our eyes to see, hence our apathy toward them. The contrast is deepening—we are faced with these alarming situations yet we hardly do anything to resolve them in our own little ways.
We know, for instance, that the air is getting toxic with pollutants, yet people continue to burn plastic and rubbers; vehicles to include giant ships continue to emit hazardous fumes into the air; and numerous factories keep on darkening the skies with their smokes. We are aware that bodies of water are getting darker with rubbish, yet people keep on throwing their garbage into the rivers and beaches, releasing their wastes into the sea. We learned that trees and forests help preserve the environment, but people keep cutting them wantonly without bothering to replace them.
Humans are guilty of destroying and messing up natural creations. Since they are rapidly increasing in number, we can only expect more destruction to nature in the coming years. Unless something drastic is done to alter these trends, the world is up to chaos and decay, to our soon demise. World governments, take the lead in salvaging the earth from an inevitable doom.