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EVSU-Ormoc claims grand championship in 2026 Piña Festival ritual competition

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Members of EVSU-Ormoc Campus’ Pundok Sidlakan celebrate after being named Grand Champion of the 2026 Piña Festival Grand Ritual Showdown in Ormoc City, besting other competing contingents during one of the highlights of the city’s annual fiesta celebration.(CITY GOVERNMENT OF ORMOC FACEBOOK)
Members of EVSU-Ormoc Campus’ Pundok Sidlakan celebrate after being named Grand Champion of the 2026 Piña Festival Grand Ritual Showdown in Ormoc City, besting other competing contingents during one of the highlights of the city’s annual fiesta celebration.(CITY GOVERNMENT OF ORMOC FACEBOOK)

ORMOC CITY — Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU)-Ormoc Campus showcased its cultural artistry and performance excellence after its contingent, Pundok Sidlakan, captured the grand champion title in the 2026 Piña Festival Grand Ritual Showdown, one of the major highlights of Ormoc City’s annual fiesta celebration.

The colorful competition, held Sunday evening,June 21, featured performances that highlighted Ormoc’s rich heritage, creativity, and community spirit, drawing enthusiastic support from festival-goers and local officials.

Western Leyte College of Ormoc’s Pundok Kasadpan placed first runner-up, while New Ormoc City National High School’s Pundok Piñakabibong Kabataan secured the second runner-up honors.

New Ormoc City National High School also garnered the Best in Musicality award, while Miss Sherlyn Rosie Holmes of Western Leyte College was named the 2026 Festival Queen.
Speaking during the festivities, Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez described the Piña Festival as a celebration of the city’s resilience, creativity, and shared identity.

“This festival is the mirror of our community’s journey — a celebration of how we transform our hard work into art and our challenges into triumphs,” she said.

The mayor emphasized that even as Ormoc continues to grow and develop, its people remain deeply connected to their traditions, faith, and cultural roots.

Torres-Gomez also thanked the Ormoc Fiesta Executive Committee and the Ormoc Festival and Cultural Foundation (OFCF) for organizing the month-long celebration, giving special recognition to Estrella Maria Serafica-Pangilinan and Jude Abenoja for spearheading various festival activities.

She likewise acknowledged the support of committee members and festival organizers in implementing a more streamlined celebration this year.

“Smaller does not always mean less. Smaller also means quality and not just quantity,” the mayor said, citing the improved quality of performances showcased during the competition.
Torres-Gomez commended all participating groups for raising the standard of the annual showdown and expressed confidence that future editions of the festival would become even more spectacular.

As the festivities continued, the mayor stressed that the true essence of the Piña Festival lies in the unity and collective pride of the Ormocanons.

“The beauty of this festival lies in our togetherness. Let us hold on to this joy and let it remind us of what we can achieve when we move as one,” she said.

She also thanked members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the city’s congressional representative, and the people of Ormoc for their continued support in advancing the city’s development.

The Piña Festival remains one of Ormoc City’s most anticipated cultural celebrations, showcasing local talent, artistic excellence, and the community’s enduring pride in its heritage.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Leyeco II holds successful District IV board election; incumbent director Dayon re-elected

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REELECTED. Ronnie “Bong” Dayon(center) is proclaimed winner of the Leyeco II District IV Board of Director election after securing another term as representative of Tacloban City’s northern barangays during the cooperative’s electoral exercise held at Tigbao-Diit Central School on June 21. (LEYECO II FACEBOOK)
REELECTED. Ronnie “Bong” Dayon(center) is proclaimed winner of the Leyeco II District IV Board of Director election after securing another term as representative of Tacloban City’s northern barangays during the cooperative’s electoral exercise held at Tigbao-Diit Central School on June 21. (LEYECO II FACEBOOK)

TACLOBAN CITY — The Leyte II Electric Cooperative (Leyeco II) successfully conducted the Board of Director election for District IV, covering Tacloban City’s northern barangays, on Sunday, June 21, coinciding with this year’s Father’s Day celebration.

The election was held at Tigbao-Diit Central School in Barangay 99, Diit, Tacloban City, where qualified member-consumer-owners (MCOs) from 24 barangays gathered to exercise their right to choose their representative to the cooperative’s governing body.

According to Leyeco II, the district election provides member-consumer-owners with the opportunity to elect a director who will help formulate policies, provide strategic direction, and safeguard the interests of consumers while ensuring the continued delivery of reliable, efficient, and quality electric service throughout the cooperative’s franchise area.

Voting officially opened at 8 a.m. and closed at 3 p.m., with the canvassing of votes immediately following. A total of 509 MCOs participated in the electoral process.

After the counting and canvassing of votes, incumbent director Ronnie “Bong” Dayon, who ran unopposed, was proclaimed the winner by the District Election Committee (Decom) headed by Prospero Higinio Yazar, securing another term as representative of District IV.

Leyeco II expressed its appreciation to the member-consumer-owners, election officials, volunteers, and other stakeholders whose participation and cooperation contributed to the orderly, transparent, and successful conduct of the election.

The electric cooperative underscored the importance of active consumer participation in strengthening cooperative governance and ensuring that the interests of electricity consumers remain at the forefront of policy and decision-making.

District IV comprises Tacloban City Areas 5 and 6, also known as the city’s northern barangays, which form part of Leyeco II’s service coverage.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Heavier trucks return to Calbiga Bridge as DPWH finishes strengthening works ahead of schedule

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OPEN TO HEAVIER VEHICLES. Heavy vehicles cross the Calbiga Bridge following the completion of Phase 1 strengthening works by the Department of Public Works and Highways. The project, finished two months ahead of schedule, allows heavier trucks to resume using the bridge, improving the movement of goods and reducing travel time between Samar and Leyte.(ROEL T.AMAZONA)
OPEN TO HEAVIER VEHICLES. Heavy vehicles cross the Calbiga Bridge following the completion of Phase 1 strengthening works by the Department of Public Works and Highways. The project, finished two months ahead of schedule, allows heavier trucks to resume using the bridge, improving the movement of goods and reducing travel time between Samar and Leyte.(ROEL T.AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY — Truckers, transport operators, and businesses across Eastern Visayas can now expect faster and more efficient travel after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) completed the initial strengthening works on Calbiga Bridge two months ahead of schedule, allowing the vital transport link to accommodate heavier vehicles once again.

The completion of the phase 1 portal shoring works marks a significant step in restoring the bridge’s capacity to handle larger cargo loads, easing transportation bottlenecks that had affected the movement of goods between Samar and Leyte in recent months.

DPWH Regional Director Engr. Edgar Tabacon said the retrofitting and strengthening project was undertaken to improve the bridge’s structural integrity, increase its load-bearing capacity, and ensure safer passage for motorists and freight carriers.

Beginning June 19, 2026, the Calbiga Bridge was reopened to two-way traffic for vehicles weighing up to 15 tons following a successful inspection conducted by DPWH engineers.
Vehicles weighing up to 30 tons are also allowed to cross the bridge under a controlled one-way traffic scheme from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The accelerated completion of the project followed the February visit of DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, who ordered the immediate implementation of strengthening measures and the release of funds for the construction of portal shoring structures designed to provide additional support to the aging bridge.

The Calbiga Bridge serves as a critical transportation link along the Pan-Philippine Highway in Samar, connecting communities, businesses, and supply chains across Eastern Visayas.
Restrictions imposed on the bridge earlier this year forced heavy vehicles to take the longer Wright–Taft–Basey route to reach Tacloban City and other key destinations, resulting in increased fuel consumption, longer travel times, and higher logistics costs.

With the reopening of the bridge to heavier loads, transport operators are expected to save both time and operating expenses while improving the flow of agricultural products, construction materials, consumer goods, and other essential commodities throughout the region.

Tabacon said the project aligns with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to address transportation challenges affecting motorists and truck drivers and to ensure the continued mobility of people and goods in Eastern Visayas.

He added that the strengthened bridge will help stimulate economic activity, support regional trade, and improve access to markets and services for communities in Samar and neighboring provinces.

DPWH officials said additional rehabilitation and long-term improvement measures for the bridge remain part of the agency’s infrastructure program to ensure the structure’s safety and reliability in the years ahead.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Like a roller coaster

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Philippine politics now moves at an alarming pace, with alliances shifting overnight and enemies turning into allies before the public can even make sense of it. The pace of these events has become so reckless that it often cheapens the seriousness of governance itself. What should be a solemn duty to serve the nation has too often become a contest of greed, ambition, and deception.

The rapid turnover of political loyalties and positions has made public life look less like governance and more like a market of convenience. One day, a politician condemns another in the strongest terms, and the next day, they stand side by side as partners, smiling before cameras as if nothing happened. Principles are abandoned with ease, and public declarations are treated as disposable. This constant shifting sends a dangerous message: in politics, conviction is negotiable, and truth can be traded for power.

Worse, many of those involved seem less concerned with solving national problems than with building personal empires. Public office has become, for many, a ladder to wealth, influence, and protection. Projects meant for public welfare are often tainted by allegations of overpricing, kickbacks, and misuse of funds. While ordinary citizens struggle with rising prices, poor wages, and unstable services, many in power appear busy strengthening their own circles and securing their own futures. That contrast is not only offensive; it is a betrayal of public trust.

This culture of dirty politics has also poisoned the national conversation. Instead of a healthy debate, what often takes place is character assassination, intimidation, and endless political maneuvering. Important issues are buried beneath noise, while investigations are often shaped by political interests rather than by the pursuit of truth. The public is left exhausted, confused, and cynical. It becomes harder to care because the spectacle is repetitive, and the outcome often seems predetermined by those who already hold power.

That is precisely why the public must not surrender to apathy, even when disgust feels justified. To stop caring entirely is to leave the political arena fully in the hands of those who abuse it. The answer is not indifference but sharper judgment, stronger demands for accountability, and the refusal to reward corruption and political opportunism at the ballot box. Politics may move fast, but the people must remain steady, watchful, and unafraid to call out those who have turned public service into private gain.

Solar technology

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The lights went out again just recently, and in parts of Leyte, blackouts have become part of ordinary life. That scenario tells me something important: the old way of depending purely on the wall socket is no longer enough. The rise of solar-powered gadgets and portable power stations is not a fad to admire and forget; it is a practical shift that deserves serious respect.

I have noticed it everywhere now—solar lamps hanging in backyard fences, solar CCTV cameras staring quietly from rooftops, solar fans, solar radios, solar chargers, even solar-powered backpacks that sip sunlight like thirsty mouths. Years ago, these things looked like novelty items sold at trade fairs, the kind people bought out of curiosity and later forgot. Today, they are no longer curiosities. They are survival tools, convenience tools, and in many places, symbols of independence. It feels like watching a quiet rebellion against the electric bill.

The wisdom behind this is simple, almost embarrassingly simple: the sun keeps showing up for work without sending an invoice. Coal gets mined, diesel gets shipped, electricity rates climb like monkeys on sugar, but sunlight arrives free every morning. Of course, the gadgets themselves cost money, and batteries eventually wear out, but the idea remains attractive. To me, solar is the closest thing modern civilization has to borrowing power from heaven without asking permission.

Its workings are not mystical, though many treat it like wizardry. Solar panels use photovoltaic cells—usually made of silicon—to capture sunlight and convert it into direct-current electricity. That energy is either used immediately or stored in batteries, usually lithium-ion or lithium iron phosphate, in modern power stations. Then an inverter turns that stored energy into usable current for ordinary devices. It sounds complicated on paper, but in truth, it is just sunlight being taught how to behave like wall power. A clever trick, really—like convincing rain to become coffee.

What fascinates me most is how solar has reshaped emergency preparedness. Before, a blackout meant candles, dead phones, spoiled food, and restless nights. Now people can pull out a portable solar power station, plug in a fan, a light, even a small refrigerator, and carry on. That changes the psychology of power itself. Electricity used to feel like a giant river controlled by distant hands; now it feels like a bucket one can carry. I like that image because it makes energy feel personal again.

Still, I am not blind to its weaknesses. Solar gadgets can be painfully slow under cloudy skies. Cheap units often die early, like overconfident boxers in the first round. Batteries are expensive, and disposal is an issue the world still wrestles with. There is also the uncomfortable truth that manufacturing panels and batteries still relies on mining and industrial systems. So no, solar is not some spotless saint dressed in white. It is cleaner, yes—but not innocent.

And yet its future is difficult to ignore. Battery technology keeps improving, becoming safer, lighter, and stronger. Solar panels themselves are becoming thinner and more efficient. Scientists are experimenting with transparent solar glass, solar fabrics, and building materials that harvest light. Imagine windows charging your appliances, or roofs behaving like silent power plants. That future does not feel far off anymore. It feels like a train already moving, and the latecomers are the ones still arguing at the station.

Personally, I find myself leaning more toward this sun-fed world. Not because I hate traditional electricity, but because I distrust dependence when alternatives exist. There is wisdom in keeping one foot on the old road and another on the new one. The smartest path, I think, is not to abandon the grid like a bitter ex-lover, but to treat solar as a faithful second heart—steady, quiet, and always beating when the first one falters.

Human love made divine

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WE are meant for loving. That’s why we have intelligence and will, both encapsulated in our heart. That’s why Christ once said, insofar as the intelligence is related to the heart, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts.” (Mt 15,19) And insofar as the will is also in the heart, King David said, “Set your heart to seek the Lord.” (1Chr 22,19).

We need to see to it that our intelligence and will, our mind and heart and, in fact, all our other faculties—our emotions and passions, our memory and imagination, etc.—should be made to learn how to love properly. They should not just be used to pursue purely personal, i.e., egoistic, and temporal goals.

They should learn to have the true love which can only be a living participation and channeling of the very love which is the essence of God and is meant also to be the essence of our humanity, since we are God’s image and likeness. Thus, human and natural love, which is always wounded, should be elevated to the supernatural order, to partake of the divine love that is also meant for us.

We need to elevate and purify our human love to make it divine. This is done when our love is animated not simply by our human powers alone, but by the grace of God. With God’s grace, which is always made available to us, our intellect and will, i.e., our heart, and all our other human faculties, get healed. As a result, we would never say enough in our self-giving.

We would always be thinking of others, avoiding the tendency to simply think of our own selves, our own interests. We would always take the initiative to surrender our whole heart to God and to everybody else.

When our love is made divine, it will have a universal scope. It can prefer to suffer and die for the truth. It covers everyone, including our enemies, the unlovable, the sinners. It is given without measure, without limits, giving the impression of some kind of madness. And even when unreciprocated, our heart would just go on loving.

Human love becomes divine when we let God take our heart and make it beat with his charity. Then we just would not stop judging others. We would start working for human redemption, in vital cooperation with Christ’s continuing mission of saving man.

For this, we have to expand our heart to make it more universal, as well as broaden our mind so we can understand things more deeply and extensively. Let’s examine ourselves more thoroughly so as to be more aware of our biases and preferences that can get in the way of our effort to adapt and our pursuit for a more universal love and compassion.
We have to learn how to go through the process of changing, improving and growing in our spiritual life. This can be painful and tedious, but it is always worthwhile. Not only that. It is necessary, if we have to be realistic.

This universal love should not be exclusively associated with the sweet and tender moments of pity, sympathy and empathy. It demands sacrifice and self-denial which we should be willing to give.

Our challenging times are actually a call for us to identify ourselves more closely with Christ so we can love everyone the way Christ loved all of us and continues to do so.

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