TACLOBAN CITY — Information provided by residents led to the recovery of two caches of war materiel believed to have been concealed by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Barangay Salvacion, Jiabong, Samar, the military said.

Personnel of the 3rd Infantry Battalion recovered the materiel following information relayed by residents through the battalion’s Modified Community Support Program (MCSP).
According to the Army, individuals believed to be members of the Yakal Platoon of the Sub-Regional Committee (SRC) Browser had attempted to seek support and resources from residents in the area.

The residents reportedly refused to assist the group and instead informed the MCSP team, prompting soldiers to verify the information and conduct a recovery operation.
The operation led to the discovery of a cache of war materiel allegedly concealed for future activities by communist terrorist groups (CTGs).

Several days later, another resident voluntarily provided information about the location of a second cache reportedly intended for use in violent activities by the armed group.
Authorities immediately acted on the information, resulting in the recovery of the additional materiel, according to the Army.

The 3rd IB said the successive recoveries demonstrated the importance of community cooperation and vigilance in preventing armed groups from using civilians and local resources to sustain their operations.

The battalion also stressed that maintaining peace and security requires the participation of both security forces and local communities.

It said it would continue its security and community engagement efforts in coordination with residents to prevent violence and protect communities from armed groups.
The recovered items were placed under government custody.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY– Higher electricity costs contributed to the sharp acceleration of inflation in Eastern Visayas in July, with the region’s headline inflation rate rising to 8.3 percent from 7.0 percent in June, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The 1.3-percentage-point increase marked a reversal from the slowdown recorded in the previous month, when regional inflation eased from 8.2 percent in May to 7.0 percent in June.

In the PSA-8 July 2026 report, the uptrend in the overall inflation in the region was primarily brought about by the higher inflation rate in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at 9.6 percent during the month from 5.4 percent in June 2026.

The increase came as households faced higher electricity bills following a rise in generation charges.

“A sharp increase in power charges driven by record Line Loss and Congestion Charges (LLCC) and higher prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market contributed to the acceleration of inflation in Eastern Visayas in July,” says PSA-8 chief statistical specialist Mae Almonte.

The region’s 11 electric cooperatives were earlier billed a combined P1.187 billion in the latest WESM-related charges, with P573.53 million, or nearly 48 percent, attributed to LLCC. This was more than double the P276.5 million recorded in June.

Electric cooperatives said the unprecedented LLCC was largely due to transmission constraints and power losses in the grid.

Higher charges came alongside increased WESM prices as several power plants temporarily shut down, supply in the Visayas grid tightened, and electricity demand remained high. These conditions resulted in several yellow and red alerts, pushing up prices in the spot market.

Another main driver to the upward trend of the regional inflation is the higher inflation rate in the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages, which increased to 7.7 percent in July 2026 from 6.7 percent in the previous month.

Higher prices of rice, fish and other essential food items pushed food inflation higher in Eastern Visayas in July 2026, with rice emerging as the main contributor to the region’s food price increase.

The regional food inflation rate accelerated during the month, largely due to the faster increase in rice prices. Rice inflation rose to 20.4 percent in July, up from 16.7 percent in June 2026.

Fish and other seafood also recorded a higher inflation rate at 8.2 percent, compared with 6.9 percent in the previous month, further contributing to the uptrend in regional food inflation.

The regional inflation rate remains significantly above the government’s target range of 2 to 4 percent. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has earlier projected that inflation in Eastern Visayas could remain above target through 2027, underscoring the need for continued monitoring of price pressures.

For consumers, the higher inflation rate means that prices continue to rise, although the extent varies across commodities. The latest figures reinforce the importance of managing household expenses as families cope with higher costs for essential goods and services.

The July inflation data also underscores the need for measures to stabilize electricity costs and strengthen the region’s energy supply as authorities work to protect consumers from further cost-of-living pressures.

(AHLETTE C. REYES, PIA-LEYTE)

TACLOBAN CITY — Police arrested two alleged high-value individuals (HVIs) and seized 102 grams of suspected shabu valued at P693,600 during a buy-bust operation in Barangay 105 Suhi here on Aug. 15.

Arrested were only identified as alias “Naldo,” 49, a resident of Tacloban City, and alias “Jerry,” 47, of Molondo, Marawi City. Both were identified by police as HVIs.
The operation was conducted by personnel of the Tacloban City Police Office-Police Station 3 Station Drug Enforcement Unit (TCPO-PS3 SDEU) in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Eastern Visayas (PDEA-8).

Police recovered seven heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets and one knot-tied transparent plastic sachet containing a substance suspected to be shabu. The seized drugs had an estimated weight of 102 grams and a Dangerous Drugs Board value of P693,600.
The confiscated items were marked and inventoried at the scene in the presence of invited witnesses, in compliance with legal procedures.

Authorities are preparing charges against the two suspects for alleged violations of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Police Regional Office 8 Director Brig. Gen. Percival Jason Capoy said the regional police will continue its intensified anti-illegal drug operations, particularly against high-value targets, while ensuring that all operations comply with the law.

“We will sustain our relentless campaign against illegal drugs and continue to pursue high-value targets while ensuring that all police operations are conducted in accordance with the law,” he said in a statement.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

ORMOC CITY — Police arrested two individuals listed among their respective provinces’ most wanted persons in separate warrant operations in Biliran and Eastern Samar on Aug. 14, 2026.

In Naval, Biliran, police arrested Jose Erwin Gelarde II, also known as “Sherwin,” 44, a single painter and resident of Naval, who was ranked No. 4 among the province’s most wanted persons.

Gelarde was arrested at about 4 p.m. in Barangay Sto. Rosario on a warrant for lascivious conduct under Section 5(b), Article III of Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

The warrant, dated Jan. 23, 2024, was issued by Judge Luz Petilla Navarrte of the Regional Trial Court Branch 16 in Naval, with a recommended bail of P200,000.

The operation was carried out by personnel of the Naval Municipal Police Station, Biliran Provincial Mobile Force Company, Regional Intelligence Unit, MLET Biliran and PIDMU Tracker Team.

In Jipapad, Eastern Samar, police separately arrested Rhoni Pajanustan, 19, single, a farmer and resident of the town, who was ranked No. 10 on the province’s most wanted list.

Pajanustan was arrested at about 3:40 p.m. in Barangay Roxas for statutory acts of lasciviousness under Article 336 of the Revised Penal Code.

He was arrested through an intelligence-driven operation by the Jipapad Municipal Police Station and the Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Eastern Samar Police Provincial Office.
The warrant was issued Aug. 11, 2026, by Judge Roldan Guido Alconaba Capito of the Regional Trial Court Branch 5 in Oras, Eastern Samar, with a recommended bail of P102,000.

Both suspects were brought to their respective police stations for documentation, proper disposition and further legal proceedings.

(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)