Thursday, August 31, 2017

BFAR steps up watch vs. red tide

TACLOBAN CITY Aug. 31  -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) regional office here has stepped up its monitoring against harvesting and trading of shellfish from bays affected by red tide.

The BFAR’s Fisheries Protection Law Enforcement Group (FPLEG)  confiscated on Thursday PHP900 worth of mussels reportedly gathered from red tide affected Maqueda Bay in Samar province during an inspection at the public market in this city.

“We will be burying the seized mussels at the Coastal Resource Management Center BFAR in Diit village to avoid future harm,” said FPLEG head Reynato Galan.

The team also inspected landing areas and markets in Babatngon, Leyte and Villarreal, Samar to prevent selling of shellfish from affected bays. The fisheries bureau had set up FPLEG stations to monitor compliance to the shellfish ban.

Identified as red tide positive are Matarinao Bay in Quinapondan, Salcedo, General McArthur, and Hernani, Eastern Samar; Irong-irong Bay in Catbalogan City and Tarangnan, Samar; Maqueda Bay in Jiabong, Samar; Villareal Bay in Villareal, Samar; Carigara Bay in San Miguel, Barugo, Carigara, Capoocan, and Babatngon in Leyte; and coastal waters of Daram, Samar.

BFAR has partnered with the maritime police, Philippine Ports Authority, police public safety battalion, Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, and local government units to carry out an intensified fisheries checkpoint in the region.

The bureau reiterates its public advisory to refrain from eating, harvesting, marketing, and buying bivalve marine products and Acetes sp. (small crustaceans) from affected bays until such time that the toxicity level has gone down below the regulatory level.

 Fish, squid, shrimp and crab are safe to eat “provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” according to BFAR.

Red tide is a term used to describe a phenomena where the water is discolored by high algal biomass or the concentration of algae. The discoloration may not necessarily be red in color, but it may also appear yellow, brown, green, blue or milky, depending on the organisms involved. (SQM/PNA)

Army blocks rebels' drive to recover Leyte villages

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 30  -- The Philippine Army has assured Leyte villagers that they will not allow communist rebels to recover former strongholds.

Brig. Gen. Francisco Mendoza, Army’s 802nd brigade commander, said on Wednesday that recent clashes in the mountains of Burauen, Leyte do not mean that rebels are gaining strength in the province.

“The three encounters in Burauen town in the past few weeks happened in the mountains and far from communities. This is an indication that rebels are no longer welcome in villages,” Francisco said.

The official said the clashes happened because villagers reported to the military the sightings of armed rebels in the mountains.

A soldier was wounded during clashes from August 15 to August 20. These encounters led the discovery of camps of New People’s Army (NPA), and driving rebels upland, farther from settlements.  Mendoza revealed there are about 50 rebels in Leyte province, 40 of them armed.

The NPA has stepped up their insurgency drive within the mountain range of central Leyte, he said citing intelligence report. 

“We will not give them the opportunity to recover the areas already recovered by our government forces from rebel influences,” assured Mendoza despite the recent deployment of the 19th Infantry Battalion to Mindanao.

Burauen Mayor Juanito Renomeron confirmed on Wednesday, the efforts of rebels to  penetrate far-flung villages of Roxas, Candag-on, Cagbana, and Mahagnao.

He said these rebels are not from his town, but from Samar, Luzon, and Mindanao provinces.

“I told residents to return to their communities and teachers to resume classes because the military is on top of the situation. We also identified safe evacuation centers within their village if in case there would be encounters between soldiers and rebels,” Renomeron said. (SQM/PNA)


Wednesday, August 30, 2017

New marker for NPA ‘purge’ victims to rise in Baybay City

BAYBAY CITY, Aug. 29 -- The city government here will put up a new marker for victims of mass killings perpetrated by the New People’s Army (NPA), whose remains were exhumed in 2006.

The Inopacan mass grave discovery and exhumation marked its 11th year anniversary on Monday.

However, venue for the commemoration was set at the local church grounds following the demolition of the marker at the public cemetery where the skeletal remains of at least 67 individuals were buried after they were uncovered on August 23, 2006.

Baybay City Mayor Carmen Cari said the marker was affected by the road widening project undertaken by the Department Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the area.

“We will build a new marker where all family members can pay their respects,” Cari said.

She vowed the new marker will be put up in an area that will be safe and accessible to the public.

Meanwhile, Carmelita Tenaja, whose husband was one of those executed, remembered how their family members suffered at the hands of the rebels. She was joined by more than a hundred other family members from Baybay City, Inopacan and Mahaplag towns who offered mass and lighted candles for their loved ones.

Tenaja tearfully recalled the plight of families whose sons, fathers and brothers were killed in the 1980s mass purging and said that each year the case drags dims their hope for justice to be served.

After the mass grave discovery, the Philippine Army filed 15 counts of murder before the Manila Regional Trial Court against couple Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, Satur Ocampo, Vicente Ladlad, Randal Echaniz, Rafael Baylosis, Exusperado Lloren and several others.

The Tiamzons got temporary freedom to be part of the ongoing peace talks between the government and the NDF in Oslo, Norway. The case filed against the top hierarchy of the NPA had its last hearing last year.

The mass purging tagged by the NPA as “Oplan Venereal Disease,” has claimed the lives of about 300 residents in Leyte province, based on estimates of former rebels and the victims’ relatives.

Skeletal remains of 67 individuals were unearthed from shallow graves at Subang Daku village in Inopacan town on August 28, 2006 through the help of villagers.

Brig. Gen. Francisco Mendoza, commander of the Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade, expressed hope that cases filed against NPA leaders will speedily roll in court, saying causes of the delay is more on the judiciary process.

“We are extending all active support we can to the family members. Our hopes are one with them that justice will be served soon,” Francisco said.

He added that they will annually commemorate the Inopacan mass grave discovery and exhumation so the victims will be remembered and that their sufferings in the hands of communist terrorists will serve as lessons "well-learned" in the present times. (ACR/PNA)

Army official warns Leyte bizmen vs. scammers

BAYBAY CITY, Leyte, Aug. 29  -- A top military official has cautioned businessmen in Leyte province not to fall victim to a group introducing themselves as members of a liquidation squad or a vigilante group.

Brig. Gen. Francisco Mendoza, Philippine Army 802nd Brigade commander, denied the existence of vigilante groups in Leyte.

The official made the statement in a media interview Tuesday after a businessman from Ormoc City reported having received death threats through phone calls.

“These are all scams. I urge those who received this call to ignore this and if they feel that they are threatened, they must call security agencies like the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army to report the incident,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza added that even members of the New People’s Army in Leyte province have “no capability to impose active threats” to businessmen.

“With development comes peace. We cannot achieve peace and development if there are extortionists bringing disorder to our business community,” Mendoza added.

Mendoza also added that people should also be cautious in spreading text messages or information on social media pertaining to existence of vigilante groups if not validated by law enforcers.

“These are just false information meant to create panic in the people’s mind,” Mendoza added.

The army official noted that all similar reports received by the military turned out to be false. (RTA/PNA)

Monday, August 28, 2017

Power plant to rise inside Leyte’s eco zone

ISABEL, Leyte, Aug. 28  -- A Japanese firm will build a 70-megawatt diesel power plant inside the 425-hectare Leyte Industrial Development Estate (LIDE) in this town, an official confirmed Sunday.
LIDE Management Corporation General Manager Eddie Agustin said that Japanese firm Marubeni Corporation will need about two hectares to build the facility. The official declined to disclose total investments.

“Survey of the area is on-going and they are targeting to start supplying power by September next year,” Agustin said.

Marubeni's construction of a power plant will help ensure power stability for two major LIDE locators – Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corporation (PhilPhos) and Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation (PASAR).

PhilPhos is the country’s leading producer of phosphatic fertilizer with a rated capacity of 1.17 million metric tons every year.

PASAR, on the other hand, owns and operates the only copper smelter and refinery in the country. Its primary product is the electrolytic copper cathodes, the raw material used for manufacturing various kinds of electric cables, telecommunication wires, copper shapes and copper-alloy products.

Both firms directly get their power supply needs from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, sourced from the nearby Leyte Geothermal Power Plant.

“We will now have an alternative energy source with the new power plant inside LIDE. Operations will not be disrupted in case of power shutdown caused by natural calamities,” Agustin told reporters.

Located in this town, LIDE is owned by the National Development Company, a government-owned and -controlled corporation attached to the Department of Trade and Industry. The property was established in November 1979 through Letter of Instruction No. 962 to spur economic development in Eastern Visayas and as prime site for heavy industries.

LIDE was declared a Special Economic Zone under Republic Act (RA) 7195 as amended by RA 8748 or the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995. (RTA/PNA)

Friday, August 25, 2017

P20-M earmarked for Leyte industrial zone plan

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 25  – The Department of Trade and Industry Board of Investments (DTI-BOI) is setting aside P20 million to complete the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone (LEIZ) master plan and feasibility study in the next two years.

The trade department sees the blueprint as a key to attract investments to the proposed LEIZ designed to complement the 425-hectare Leyte Industrial Development Estate, the home to the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. (Pasar).

DTI-BOI Executive Director Raul Angeles, who signed the cooperation agreement on behalf of the Trade Department late Thursday afternoon at Hotel Alejandro said their office has already allocated PHP10 million for drafting of master plan and another PHP10 million to complete the feasibility study.

The plan will be done next year, while the detailed study is up for printing by 2019.

The two documents form part of the Copper Industry Roadmap, which aims to promote the integrated development and competitiveness of copper and other related industries in Eastern Visayas. 

“Both the master plan and study will be actively marketed by the BOI to local and foreign investors for the establishment of the zone,” Angeles said.

The DTI-BOI has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Visayas State University (VSU) based in Baybay City, in the preparation of tender documents for the masterplan and study.

The deal calls for VSU to appoint project team members who possess the qualifications, educational background, and experience necessary to serve the project and consult with the BOI and Copper Industry Roadmap technical working group to develop the LEIZ master plan and study.

The zone is expected to house potential locators in the field of copper wire rod casting facility, downstream copper industry such as but not limited to copper wire producers, major industrial concerns that need power and port facilities such as steel, and copper-using industries.

Planned investments will support the operation of Pasar with electrolytic copper cathode as the primary product.

The firm gets its raw materials abroad and also ships the finished products outside Philippines, making its operation without inclusive economic impact in the region.

Pasar is the country’s only copper smelting and refining firm and one of the biggest in Asia. The firm produces 320,000 metric tons of copper cathodes every year, contributing about 30 percent of the Gross Regional Domestic Product.  (SQM/PNA)

Bird flu scare affects Leyte chicken traders

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 25  – News about bird flu outbreak in Luzon has dropped the sales of chicken meat in Leyte province, small traders here confirmed Friday.

The bird flu scare, according to Tacloban market vendor Joelito Montesclaros, 46, resulted in more than 50 percent decrease in sales in the past two weeks.

“Before the news about bird flu outbreak, I used to sell up to 30 kilograms of chicken meat daily, but now it has gone down to less than 15 kilograms,” Montesclaros said.

Despite the huge sales drop, the price of chicken in the wet market is pegged at P135 per kilogram, the vendor noted.

About 42 kilometers south of Tacloban, a chicken meat trader in Burauen, Leyte also expressed dismay over the bird flu issue.

“Though we are far from Pampanga, we are still affected because the people are scared to buy chicken meat. We can really feel the decrease in our sales,” said Aurora Lagario, whose sales dropped to 10 kilograms from 20 kilograms last month.

Department of Health regional epidemiology and surveillance unit Roderick Boyd Cerro said there’s no harm in consuming thoroughly cooked chicken meat.

“It is considered safe to eat the chicken meat. The one at risk are the people in contact with live chickens. People should not be afraid of eating it because the virus is found in the secretions of the chicken. It is found in its manure and sometimes in their eggs,” Cerro said.

Department of Agriculture (DA) regional technical director Andrew Rodolfo Orais clarified that the region never had bird flu outbreak.

“Aside from strict quarantine measures, the DA, national government agencies, and local government units are closely guarding entry points to prevent entry of bird flu in the region,” Orais said.

The farm department also asked local authories to check the measures in place for poultry operators to keep bird flu out of Eastern Visayas.

The DA also ordered the National Meat Inspection Service to make rounds of the outlets of poultry and poultry products and post signages certifying that all those sold in the market are safe to eat. (SQM/with reports from Madelene B. Perez, OJT/PNA)

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Red tide alert up in 4 Eastern Visayas bays

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 24  – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has imposed shellfish ban on four bays in Leyte and Samar provinces due to recurrence of red tide.

BFAR found the red tide bloom in bays and some coastal waters in the region through laboratory analysis which lasted for two weeks.

The presence of red tide in both meat and water calls for prohibition of gathering, trading and consumption of shellfish from identified areas, the BFAR regional office here said in a statement issued Thursday.

Tagged as red tide positive are Carigara Bay in Leyte; Irong-Irong Bay, Maqueda Bay, and Villareal Bay   in Samar; and Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar.

The fisheries bureau advised the public to refrain from eating, harvesting, marketing, and buying shellfishes and Acetes sp. from affected bays until such time that the shellfish toxicity level has gone down below the regulatory level.

Fishes caught in these areas are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh, washed and cooked thoroughly, according to BFAR’s advisory.

The fisheries bureau has stepped up water sampling activities in affected areas to ensure safety of shellfish consumers. (SQM/PNA)

2 Ormoc residents die in Leyte quake

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 23 -- At least two persons in Ormoc City died after the magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck the western part of Leyte province Wednesday morning, local authorities reported.

Ormoc City police identified the fatalities as Maria Contreras Colasito, 51, resident of Naungan village; and Rosita Baloro, 70, resident of San Jose village.

Elma Delos Santos, Ormoc police deputy director for operations, said that Colasito slipped and fell while trying to run to an open space when the earthquake hit the city around 6:26 a.m. on Wednesday.

In a mobile phone interview, she said Baloro suffered the same fate and lost consciousness. Both of them were proclaimed dead when brought to the hospital.

The local police confirmed that at least 56 houses were slightly damaged in Altavista village in Ormoc City.

The city government also suspended classes in all levels in Ormoc on Wednesday.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the epicenter of the earthquake with tectonic origin was five kilometers northeast of Albuera town.

Albuera is a neighboring town of Kananga and Ormoc City, the two areas badly hit by the July 6, 2017 destructive earthquake that killed three, including a young mother from Ormoc.

The tremor was also felt in Pastrana, Leyte with a recorded Intensity 4; Tacloban City and Palo, Leyte at Intensity 3; and Cebu City at Intensity 1.

Albuera town is located within the Central Leyte Fault line stretching from Villalon village in Calubian, Leyte and ends in San Francisco, Southern Leyte. The active fault line forms part of the 1,200-kilometer long Philippine Fault Zone, which extends throughout the country. (SQM/ERR/PNA)

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Magnitude 5.1 quake destroys houses in Leyte

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 23 --  A 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Albuera, Leyte Wednesday morning, damaging several houses, local authorities reported.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that at least 56 houses were slightly damaged in Altavista village in Ormoc City.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the epicenter of the earthquake with tectonic origin, was five kilometers northeast of Albuera town.

Albuera is a neighboring town of Kananga and Ormoc City, the two areas badly hit by a destructive earthquake last July 6.

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) confirmed reports of damaged buildings, but they are still consolidating reports as of Wednesday noon.

“The earthquake was felt most in Ormoc. We are awaiting official reports on casualties if any,” said OCD Eastern Visayas Regional Director Edgar Posadas.

The tremor was also felt in Pastrana, Leyte with a recorded Intensity 4; Tacloban City and Palo, Leyte at Intensity 3. Instrumental intensities were felt in Cebu City at Intensity 1 and Ormoc City at Intensity 6.

In a press statement, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said that power transmission services remain stable despite the 5.1 magnitude earthquake.

“The grid remains intact as there had been no reported cases of power interruptions,” the NGCP said.


Albuera town is located within the Central Leyte Fault line stretching from Villalon village in Calubian, Leyte and ends in San Francisco, Southern Leyte.

 The active fault line forms part of the 1,200-kilometer long Philippine Fault Zone, which extends throughout the country. (SQM/PNA)

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Remote village in Leyte gets 26 new houses

BURAUEN, Leyte, Aug. 21 -- The provincial government of Leyte and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office turned over on Monday 26 permanent houses for residents in an interior rebel-infested village here. 

Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominco Petilla is positive that the project will help address insurgency and encourage residents to become more productive. 


“Economic development begins in you. The government hopes that your place will attain peace and prosperity,” Petilla told the beneficiaries after handling the certificate of ownership. 

For their part, the beneficiaries thanked the government for relocating them to a safer community, farther from the place where rebels were frequently sighted. 

To reach Tagbaya sub-village, one must cross three rivers. Tagbaya is just a few kilometers away from Roxas village, where soldiers overran a rebel encampment and had an encounter with the insurgents last week. 

The site is about 25 kilometers upland from the town center.
 
The Burauen local government bought the lot to build the houses while the Leyte provincial government provided PHP10,000 for each family to buy additional housing materials. 

The DSWD funded the construction of houses, which started early this year. 

The houses, which cost PHP70,000 each, is a mix of concrete and wood materials. The floor area for each unit is 80 square meters. 

Villagers also asked the governor to establish a school building, road, and bridges in the area. (RTA/PNA)