TACLOBAN CITY – A 20-year-old alleged member of the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered to authorities in Borongan City on July 23, 2025, signaling another step forward in the government’s campaign to end local armed conflict.

The surrenderer, identified only by his alias “Aki,” is a farmer from Sitio Bagong Barrio, Barangay Pinanag-an, and a former member of the dismantled SDG CN: Nila/Bugsok Platoon, Sub-Regional Committee SESAME, Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC). He is also listed in the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) Common Database (CCD).

His surrender was made possible through the joint efforts of the Provincial Intelligence Unit–Eastern Samar Provincial Police Office (PIU-ESPPO), Provincial Intelligence Team (PIT)–Eastern Samar, Kasimbayanan, and the Kaugup Initiative, which aim to encourage rebels to return to mainstream society through peaceful means.

“This achievement reflects the dedication of our officers and the crucial role of public support. The Borongan City Police Station remains committed to ensuring community safety and calls on remaining CTG members to lay down their arms and return to the fold of the law,” said LT/Col. Silver Cabanillas, Borongan City acting police chief.

Alias Aki is currently under the custody of the Borongan City Police Station for proper documentation and debriefing. Authorities are now verifying if he has any outstanding warrants of arrest from the courts.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Northern Samar’s provincial government is eyeing loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance key projects to strengthen the province’s rich marine resources.

Aiming to secure support for Northern Samar’s agri-fishery industry, the Northern Samar Food Security and Sustainable Economic Development (FSSED) cluster convened on Friday to finalize the project proposals to avail of the ADB loan facility, said Jhon Allen Berbon, head of the Provincial Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office (PEDIPO).
Among these projects are the construction of deep-sea ports, ice plants, and cold storage facilities; provision of adequate power supply systems to reduce postharvest losses; provision of fish harvesters and fishing vessels; and promotion of value-adding enterprises, such as canned and bottled sardines, fish sauce production, and salt farming ventures.

The proposals are based on the Provincial Agriculture and Fishery Modernization Plan 2024-2030, focusing on irrigation infrastructure development, sustainable aquaculture and fisheries modernization, and deep-sea port development, Berbon said in a phone interview.
“We formally expressed the intent to avail of the USD400 million loan facility recently announced by the ADB, which aims to support the restoration of marine ecosystems and the strengthening of the country’s blue economy. Through this loan support, we hope to further strengthen our rich coastal and marine resources,” he added.

The ADB announced last month that the Philippines will receive a USD400 million loan to support efforts to make the local agriculture sector more sustainable through 2030.
The coastal province of Northern Samar is endowed with rich marine resources and expansive agricultural lands.

Berbon said that despite this potential, the province continues to face long-standing challenges, most notably, inadequate irrigation infrastructure and significant postharvest losses in the fisheries sector due to the lack of essential logistics and processing facilities. (PNA)

TACLOBAN CITY – A total of 73 senior citizens from Borongan City recently received financial gifts from the national government through the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) as part of efforts to recognize milestone birthdays and uplift the welfare of the elderly.

The beneficiaries received P10,000 each, either personally or through an authorized family representative. The cash assistance was given to seniors who celebrated milestone birthdays between April and May 2025, specifically those who turned 80, 85, 90, or 95 years old.

Borongan City Social Welfare Officer Verina Amoyo expressed her gratitude to the NCSC for the swift release of the financial aid. She noted that this was already the third batch of payouts in the city for the first half of 2025.

Meanwhile, NCSC Project Development Officer IV Aster Dadulla lauded Borongan City for its comprehensive senior citizen programs, which she said should serve as a model for other local government units (LGUs) in the region.

“You are a model LGU in the entire Region 8 because of your many programs for senior citizens. I am proud of you—even though I am not from Borongan, I proudly talk about your city in other places because of your initiatives. I even tell other LGUs that Borongan has programs like these that they can also implement,” Dadulla said in Waray during her message.

The city government under Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda has been proactive in supporting its elderly population. Starting January 2025, Borongan has been providing a monthly monetary allowance of P1,000 to all senior citizens. They also enjoy free medicine and free transportation under the city’s health and social welfare programs.

For centenarians, in addition to the P100,000 cash gift provided by the national government, the Borongan city government grants an additional P50,000, recognizing the remarkable longevity and contributions of the city’s oldest residents.

These initiatives reflect a strong national-local partnership in promoting inclusive social protection, especially for the elderly sector.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)