ORMOC CITY– An elderly American national and his Filipina wife were found dead with multiple stab wounds inside their home in Sitio Talong, Barangay Liloan, Ormoc City, in what authorities believe to be a robbery-homicide.
The victims, identified only by their aliases “Jack,” 81, a US citizen, and “Jean,” 65, were discovered around 9:30 am on Tuesday, June 18, 2025.
According to the police, the sister of the female victim came to visit the couple and found them lifeless inside their house. She immediately sought help from a local vendor, alias “Sef,” who then reported the incident to Ormoc City Police Station 3 (OCPS3) around 9:40 am.
Responding officers confirmed both victims had sustained multiple stab wounds. The house was found in disarray, with belongings scattered throughout, indicating robbery as a possible motive.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) from the Ormoc City Forensic Unit have since processed the scene and collected forensic evidence.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to identify and arrest the suspects. Police have yet to disclose additional details pending further developments.
TACLOBAN CITY – Catarman Mayor Francisco Aurelio Rosales III met with residents of Barangay Yakal and nearby communities to discuss the upcoming implementation of a P150-million flood control project set to begin this July in Catarman, Northern Samar.
The project, spearheaded by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), will run through five barangays—Casoy, Molave, Yakal, Narra, and Ipil-ipil—along the Marondoyon and Caglangkoy creeks, both prone to severe flooding during the rainy season.
During the community dialogue, Mayor Rosales acknowledged the disruption the project may cause but emphasized its necessity and long-term benefits.
“I ask for your understanding because this project can no longer be stopped as it is mandated by the national government. However, we will find a way to make your relocation less burdensome,” he said, addressing to the concerned villagers.
At least 19 households are expected to be displaced by the construction of the Trapezoidal Canal, a major infrastructure component of the flood control system. While most residents admitted they do not hold legal rights to the land they currently occupy, they appealed to the municipal government for assistance in relocation, ideally near the town center where their livelihoods are based.
The flood control project is designed to reduce flooding in Catarman’s low-lying communities, safeguard private property, and protect essential government infrastructure from damage during extreme weather events.
Of the total P150 million budget, P100 million is being provided by the provincial government of Northern Samar, while P50 million comes through the efforts of the 1st Congressional District of the province.
Before full implementation, the DPWH conducted dredging activities in 2024 along the Marondoyon and Caglangkoy creeks as part of the project’s preparatory phase.
The initiative underscores the growing urgency for disaster resilience and climate-adaptive infrastructure in Northern Samar, one of the provinces frequently impacted by typhoons and heavy rainfall.
Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan with ‘Secret Kitchens of Samar’ author Clang Garcia along with Samar Provincial Tourism Officer Marvin Piczon, and Rosario Francisca Cinco Miel, together with Samar Public Employment Service Office Manager Michael Cristobal at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2025. (Samar Provincial Information Office)
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Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan with ‘Secret Kitchens of Samar’ author Clang Garcia along with Samar Provincial Tourism Officer Marvin Piczon, and Rosario Francisca Cinco Miel, together with Samar Public Employment Service Office Manager Michael Cristobal at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2025. (Samar Provincial Information Office)
TACLOBAN CITY – A groundbreaking culinary book series from the province of Samar has brought the Philippines into the global gastronomic spotlight after winning top honors at the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2025 held in Portugal.
The five-volume “Secret Kitchens of Samar” series, a comprehensive tribute to the province’s rich food heritage, clinched two major international awards—Best Book Series in the World and Best Regional Book in the World—at the awards ceremony held during the Cascais World Food Summit at the Estoril Convention Center in Lisbon from June 18 to 20.
Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan and book author Clang Garcia were present in Portugal to personally receive the awards, marking a proud moment for Eastern Visayas and the country.
“This victory is not just for Samar, but for every local cook, weaver, farmer, and family whose stories and flavors are woven into these pages,” said Governor Tan. “This is a tribute to our roots and our shared passion to preserve and promote Samar’s culinary soul.”
Authored by Clang Garcia, a tourism advocate and World Food Travel Association ambassador, the “Secret Kitchens of Samar” was a project spearheaded by the provincial government of Samar, with funding support from the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and technical assistance from the regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Garcia said receiving the international recognition was both humbling and emotional. “It was a moving moment to receive a special award recognizing the depth of my contribution to Philippine gastronomy tourism—something I never received in my own country,” she said.
Out of over 200 participating countries and regions, the “Secret Kitchens of Samar” was the only winner from the Philippines, making the recognition even more historic.
Gourmand Awards founder Edouard Cointreau, who made the announcement at the Estoril Congress Centre, praised Garcia’s work as a “masterpiece” that not only preserves Samar’s unique gastronomy but also celebrates its communities.
“Congratulations to Ms. Clang García for her ongoing and passionate contribution to food tourism in the Philippines, highlighted by the launch of Secret Kitchens of Samar,” Cointreau ointreau said. “Your work honors the rich culinary heritage of the province and celebrates the heart and soul of its people through stories, recipes, and cultural traditions.”
The Secret Kitchens of Samar series serves as a cultural and gastronomic chronicle, documenting traditional recipes, cooking methods, and the everyday lives of people across Samar’s diverse towns. More than just a cookbook, it is a celebration of identity and resilience through food—placing the province and the Philippines on the global culinary map.
The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, founded in 1995 at the Frankfurt Book Fair, is the world’s only international competition dedicated to food and drink publications.
It is open to works published in all languages and regularly attracts entries from around the world. Each year, it hosts a global symposium in a city of gastronomic significance, drawing top figures from the culinary, diplomatic, and publishing worlds.
With its recent international acclaim, Samar’s culinary legacy is now poised to reach more global kitchens, palates, and hearts.
PIÑA FESTIVAL. The city of Ormoc marked its annual Pina Festival on Sunday, June 22, with seven contingents participating. This year’s grand winner was the delegate from the Eastern Visayas State University-Ormoc Campus, receiving P700, 000 for their prize.
PIÑA FESTIVAL. The city of Ormoc marked its annual Pina Festival on Sunday, June 22, with seven contingents participating. This year’s grand winner was the delegate from the Eastern Visayas State University-Ormoc Campus, receiving P700, 000 for their prize.
ORMOC CITY– The 2025 Piña Festival of Ormoc City dazzled spectators with more vibrant performances, elaborate costumes, and a renewed sense of cultural pride, marking a significant milestone in the city’s celebration of its iconic agricultural product — the pineapple or piña.
Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez(4th district) described this year’s festival as a “huge leap forward” in both quality and energy, citing the addition of professional coaches and choreographers who helped participating contingents elevate their artistry and execution.
“We made an investment in talent development, and the results were spectacular,” Gomez said.
Aside from improved performances, the prize pool was significantly increased, drawing more excitement and participation.
The grand champion, Pondok Sidlakan of the Eastern Visayas State University-Ormoc Campus, received a cash prize of P700,000. The first runner-up, Pundok Pinakabibong Kabataan of New Ormoc City National High School, took home P600,000, while Liloan National High School’s Pondok Mabuhangon placed second runner-up with P500,000.
Non-winning contingents were also recognized with P400,000 each as a token of appreciation for their participation and effort.
Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez highlighted the deeper meaning of the festival, saying the event is not just a celebration of the pineapple as a product but a symbol of the Ormocanons’ perseverance, patience, and prosperity.
“The Piña Festival represents our unity, strength, and resilience as a people. The pineapple reflects who we are — thriving, fruitful, and grounded in hard work,” Torres-Gomez said in her message, as she thanked organizers, performers, and the entire community for their support.
First launched in 2018, the Piña Festival was conceptualized to honor Ormoc’s thriving pineapple industry, particularly the Queen Formosa variety, known for its distinct sweetness and quality. The festival has since evolved into a major cultural and tourism event, held annually in June as part of the city’s fiesta celebration.
What started as a local celebration has grown into a platform showcasing Ormoc’s creativity, agricultural pride, and community spirit, drawing both local and national attention.
As the curtains fall on the 2025 edition, officials say the Piña Festival continues to bear fruit not only for performers but for Ormoc’s identity and economy as well.
As wars between global powers intensify, the Philippines must resist the temptation or pressure to take sides. Aligning militarily or politically with warring giants when the country lacks defense capabilities is nothing short of a national suicide mission.
The Philippines is neither armed nor prepared to be dragged into wars not of its own making. Its military hardware is outdated, its defense budget minuscule compared to the trillions spent by global powers, and its geographical vulnerability undeniable. Entering a conflict without adequate means is an invitation to national ruin. The horrors of modern warfare—missile strikes, cyberattacks, economic sieges—can reduce an ill-prepared nation to chaos overnight. This country must avoid becoming collateral damage in battles it cannot survive, much less win.
History has repeatedly shown the folly of small nations picking sides in the ideological and military struggles of empires. Such alliances rarely protect them. Instead, they become pawns—sacrificed easily and replaced quickly. The Philippines must learn from countries that have pursued diplomatic neutrality to preserve peace within their borders. National security is not strengthened by servility to foreign ambitions; it is maintained by deliberate prudence and the courage to say no to involvement.
While alliances and treaties have their place in international relations, blind loyalty to any superpower erodes sovereignty and invites retaliation. The Philippines must prioritize its people’s safety above foreign applause or aid. Geopolitical neutrality does not mean weakness—it is a strategic posture that shields the country from unnecessary entanglements, allowing it to focus on internal development and stability.
It is time for leaders to craft and enforce a foreign policy rooted in realism, non-alignment, and national interest. The state must act not as a follower of empires, but as a defender of its people’s peace and future. Let diplomacy, not cannon fire, define the country’s role on the world stage.
It is one thing to show the world evidence, file legal cases, and let the process run without hindrance. But when political rivals are igniting torches and sharpening blades, the hunt is no longer justice, but theatre. It becomes barefacedly clear that the purpose is neither truth nor accountability, but extermination. This is the time-tested anatomy of political destruction—where power is exercised not to construct a nation, but to dismantle opposition power. In so doing, we start to decay from the inside out, as democracy is reduced to a shootout of whoever is most popular, sponsored by those who do not want to lose their crowns.
It is not merely the Dutertes and the Marcoses. It is about a perilous phenomenon in Philippine politics wherein public stance is a conflict of opposing clans, with the people just pawns instead of being the final authorities. The harm goes beyond headlines—it infects our national conscience, anesthetizing us to the loss of faith in our institutions. When politicians are more concerned with making points than with serving their constituents, public trust breaks like an eggshell crushed by the heel of a heavy boot. And we know that once broken, trust rarely comes back to its former strength.
Even the greatest institutions can be no greater than those who occupy them. When prosecutors are made puppets, when courts curtsy at the mention of a palace’s caprice, and when threats of impeachment are used like fishhooks before the unsuspecting, then we are no longer ruled by law, but by drama. And a heartless drama at that—where actors wear masks of virtue, but conceal daggers behind them. The voters, meanwhile, sit on the sidelines, silenced and forced to cheer or jeer on somebody else’s command.
Let us not act like this is something novel. Power politics masquerading as policy have been a staple of Philippine politics for a long time. Politicians here love to clothe their scores with legal garb and pretend it’s for the people. But beneath that barbed Tagalog and sanctimonious talk are fragile egos concealed in barbed ambition. What we see happening today is but a brasher incarnation of an ancient game—an ancient game that belittles the wisdom of a people wiser than the elites would have them believe.
And when politicians change overnight—from defender to guardian, from foe to friend—simply on the strength of votes gained in an election, it is a guarantee of what everyone is sure of: that values can be discarded, that moral positions are for sale. This is a mockery not only of democratic processes, but of leadership itself. If their leaders are not constant in what they think, if they dance to the beat of power rather than march to the drumbeat of justice, how could they possibly be entrusted with the future of a nation?
The citizens are not a naive crowd for elites to inform them as to whether a person is correct or incorrect. The electors are forgiving, but not idiots. They spot hypocrisy even when it’s shrouded in legalese or trumpeted publicly in self-serving press conferences. All that they need is to form their own opinions. Take that from them, and you create their disillusionment—and eventually, their revolt. That is how institutions crumble: not in a blast, but in a gradual, incremental drift away from the people that they are meant to serve.
Perhaps the better way is to trust in the people, not the politicians. Let the courts function, for sure—but let them function without the shadow of political vendetta hanging over them. And above all, let the voters do what the system exists for: elect the destiny of leaders, not through choreographed knockouts, but through the ballot box. Because true change—true, enduring, and meritorious—does not come out of adversaries breaking each other. It comes from the people making sound decisions and being allowed to do so freely.
