ORMOC CITY-In what supposed to be a traffic violation operation took an unexpected turn when authorities in Allen Northern Samar discovered 37 kilograms of suspected shabu which has a commercial value of P277.50 million inside the vehicle.

In a joint operation conducted by the members of the Northern Samar Provincial Highway Patrol Team (NSPHPT), Regional Intelligence Division (RID) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) led to the recovery of suspected illegal drugs along Maharlika Highway in Barangay Jubasan, Allen, Northern Samar on Sunday, Sept.1, at about 5 am, report from the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police based in PALO,Leyte.
The suspect, identified only as “Sander,” a male resident of Brgy. Tubod, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, was driving a dark turquoise Toyota Yaris Cross without a license plate and was initially stopped for traffic violations, including the absence of a seat belt.

When asked to present the vehicle’s official documents, the suspect could only provide a sales invoice and failed to produce an official receipt or certificate of registration.

During questioning, the suspect reportedly became visibly nervous before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing into the mountainous terrain of Brgy. Jubasan.

Despite efforts to pursue him, the suspect managed to evade capture, leaving behind his Vivo cellphone.

The joint team conducted a thorough inspection of the abandoned vehicle.

They discovered 37 packs of what is believed to be shabu, concealed in black plastic bags with Chinese markings which has an estimated commercial value of P277.50 million.
In addition to the suspected drugs, authorities recovered a driver’s license under the name “Sander,” a Vivo cellphone, and a sales invoice for the Toyota Yaris Cross registered to an individual named “Omar.”

The recovered evidence was carefully marked and inventoried on-site in the presence of witnesses, as required by law.

NSPHPT personnel, in coordination with nearby stations, are continuing their efforts to locate and apprehend the suspect.

A dragnet operation is ongoing, and authorities are urging the public to remain vigilant and report any information that could assist in the suspect’s capture.
(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) here in the region has successfully completed 480 projects under the Local Adaptation to Water Access (LAWA) and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished (BINHI) initiatives.

These projects include the construction of 274 water harvesting facilities, some of which feature fish ponds.

Eleven of these facilities are located in Northern Samar, 11 in Eastern Samar, and 252 in Southern Leyte. Additionally, 210 community gardens have been established.

The water facilities will serve 138,605 square meters of agricultural land, helping farmers cope with dry spells caused by El Niño and climate change.

The community gardens, on the other hand, are expected to boost the harvest of vegetables, crops, and fruit-bearing plants in the region, providing food for more than 26,000 families.

In the implementation of Project LAWA and BINHI in the region, 3,800 individuals—referred to by the social welfare agency as “partner-beneficiaries”—underwent comprehensive training. This training covered disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and practical skills in gardening and water harvesting.

Following the training, the beneficiaries participated in 15 days of work based on activities identified by their local government units (LGUs). These activities included constructing water harvesting facilities, farming, forage production, and vermicomposting.
For their participation in the 20-day cash-for-work (CFW) and cash-for-training (CFT) sessions, each individual received P7,500.

The DSWD implements Project LAWA and BINHI to maintain agricultural productivity during dry periods and to manage excess water during periods of heavy rainfall associated with La Niña. These initiatives focus on mitigating the impacts of food insecurity and water scarcity caused by El Niño while preparing for the potential effects of the rainy season.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

PALO, Leyte– As the entire Philippine bureaucracy celebrates the 124th Philippine Civil Service Anniversary this September, the Civil Service Commission Regional Office 8 (CSC-8) has lined up activities for the month-long celebration in Eastern Visayas.

Speaking during the ‘Kapihan sa PIA’ Eastern Visayas on Friday, August 30, Atty. Marilyn Taldo, CSC-8 regional director, invites government workers and the public to join this year’s celebration.

“We are enjoining all government agencies and all government workers to celebrate with us, to show that we are one in the government service and we are committed to deliver excellent public service,” Taldo said.

The month-long activities kicked off with a fun run which featured different categories to promote camaraderie, physical fitness, and well-being among civil servants.

The fun run was attended by over 1,000 participants in the region with a registration fee of P250.

The proceeds of this activity will benefit the Pamanang Lingkod Bayani Program of the CSC that would provide financial support to the families of civil servants who lost their lives in line of duty.

This will be followed by a Government Job Fair on Wednesday, September 4, at Robinsons Place in Marasbaras, Tacloban City.

Qualified applicants who are interested to apply for vacant positions in the government are encouraged to visit the mall as 20 government agencies and universities have signified to join the job fair.

In addition, government workers are also encouraged to participate in the blood-letting activity dubbed as “Dugtong Buhay Handog ng Lingkod Bayan” on September 12.

As an act of gratitude, compassion, and generosity, CSC-8 is inviting government workers to join this significant activity to help patients who are in need of blood.

Blood donors may go directly to the Human Resource Center, CSC Regional Office in Palo Leyte.

Meanwhile, a “tree growing for a cause” is also slated on the third week of September to be conducted in the provinces of the region.

CSC also reported that special treats for workers in the government will also be offered where discounts could be availed of from different stores or malls. For more information and details, visit CSC-8’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cscregion8.

The awarding of the Outstanding Government Workers will also highlight this year’s PCSA celebration.

The 124th Philippine Civil Service Anniversary is centered on the 10-year theme, “Transforming public service in the next decade: Honing agile and future-ready servant heroes.”

As of this writing, Eastern Visayas has a total of 177,973 government workers including career, non-career and contractual or job order workers.
(CBA, PIA Eastern Visayas/CSC-8 socmed cards)