TACLOBAN CITY-Local government officials, disaster response agencies, community leaders, and civil society organizations gathered Wednesday, Nov.19, as the University of the Philippines Tacloban College hosted the “Pagburubligay Kontra Kataragman: Eastern Visayas Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Summit.”

The event was aimed at evaluating the region’s vulnerability to natural hazards and identifying sustainable strategies to strengthen disaster preparedness and mitigation plans.
Based on UP Resilience Institute’s now shelved Project NOAH, Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay, the UPRI executive director, presented the disaster risk landscape of Eastern Visayas.

Launched in 2012, Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessments of Hazards) was the government’s main disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation program. It combined real-time weather monitoring, flood hazard mapping, landslide risk assessment, and early warning systems. However, it was defunded during the previous administration.

With increasing risks brought about by climate change, rapid urbanization, and environmental degradation, Lagmay emphasized that the country remains one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, making proactive action a top priority
At the country’s central zone is Eastern Visayas which is regularly battered by typhoons and is prone to earthquakes and flooding.

“We must confront the reality that our communities are becoming increasingly vulnerable. This summit is an opportunity for us to collaborate, innovate, and commit to long-term solutions that will protect lives and livelihoods,” Lagmay said.

In light of recent flooding, earthquakes, and other natural calamities, Lagmay noted that the high-risk zones identified by Project NOAH have been remarkably precise in assessing potential hazards across key areas of the country.

“It has been eerily accurate,” Lagmay said of the recent flooding in Talisay, Cebu after the Mananga River overflowed.

He also shared how Project NOAH was precise in its assessment of communities in Abuyog, Leyte and Baybay City which were affected by catastrophic landslides triggered by Typhoon Agaton in 2022.

Also highlighted during the summit’s presentation the importance of integrating science-based approaches into the LGUs’ Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (LDRRMP), Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA), and Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) and encouraged them to utilize the 5% LDRRM Fund not only for emergency response but also for research and innovation that strengthen local preparedness.

After the critical issues of disaster vulnerability were examined and actions and sustainable strategies for disaster preparedness and mitigation articulated, the summit called for nature-based solutions, resilient infrastructure, and capacity-building programs to reduce disaster impacts. (ACR/PIA Leyte)

Ormoc City — A caliber .45 pistol recovered by government troops in Jaro, Leyte has been confirmed as the service firearm of a soldier tortured and slain by communist rebels in 2023, strengthening the military’s claim that the three New People’s Army members killed in a recent clash were involved in past atrocities.

The pistol was retrieved on November 18 from the encounter site in Barangay Villa Paz, bringing to three the total number of firearms seized following the November 17 firefight between the 8th Infantry Division and remnants of the Island Committee (IC) Levox.
Initial verification showed that one of the earlier recovered firearms belonged to the late Pfc. Aries Ampoan, who was murdered by the communist armed group on April 2, 2023 during an encounter in Abuyog, Leyte. The discovery is seen as key evidence directly linking the neutralized rebels to the incident, according to the 8ID.

The clash in Jaro resulted in the death of three rebels who were identified as Fidel Lagado alias “Ivan,” Rogelio Berino alias “Jun,” and Maricel Anora alias “Gani,” and the confiscation of firearms and other war materiel.

In compliance with International Humanitarian Law, the division immediately facilitated the turnover of the remains to their families and coordinated with the local government of Jaro to ensure dignified burials.

Maj. Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio, 8ID commander, emphasized that the operation was not only a step toward community security but also toward justice.

“Our commitment goes beyond securing communities; it extends to upholding IHL and pursuing justice for our fallen soldiers. This encounter brings undeniable clarity to the heinous nature of the enemy we face and provides crucial accountability for their crimes,” Orio said.

(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)

ORMOC CITY– A drug personality ranked No. 10 in the regional priority target list was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Brgy. Caraycaray, Naval in Biliran on Friday, November 14.

The suspect, identified by police as alias “Sonny,” 48, single, and a construction worker residing in the same barangay, was caught after selling a sachet of suspected shabu worth P500 to an undercover officer.

During a body search in the presence of mandated witnesses, authorities recovered another sachet of suspected shabu and the marked P500 bill used in the operation. The actual weight of the seized drugs will be confirmed by the Regional Forensic Unit.

The joint operation was carried out by the Station Drug Enforcement Team of Naval Police Station and the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit of the Biliran Police Provincial Office.

Police said the suspect was informed of the reason for his arrest and his constitutional rights. He is currently detained at the Naval MPS lock-up cell while charges for violation of RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) are being prepared.

(ROBERT DEJON)