Eastern Visayas anti-drug war nets more than 18,000 pushers, users

PALO, Leyte, Aug. 23 (PNA) -- Barely two months of relentless drive against anti-illegal drugs, the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office here has documented 16,583 illegal drug users and 2,107 pushers for a total of 18,690 who have surrendered as of Aug. 18, 2016.

Of the 16,583 drug personalities, 5,609 were from Leyte, 4,449 from Southern Leyte, 547 from Biliran, 1,121 from Samar, 2,685 from Eastern Samar, 1,205 from Northern Samar, 2,089 from Ormoc City, and 985 from Tacloban City.

Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, acting PNP Eastern Visayas regional director is expecting more drug personalities to surrender with the full implementation of “Project Tokhang” in the region.

“The large number of drug personalities who surrendered is a tangible proof that the use of illegal drugs is already widespread in the region and has reached all strata of the society,” Beltejar said.

In line with this program, Beltejar is determined to sustain activities and programs to further educate and rehabilitate illegal drug personalities, who surrendered in every police station in collaboration with stakeholders and other government agencies.

The rehabilitation program of the PNP has two phases. The first phase is the education drive in the different elementary and secondary schools to edify them the ill effects of drugs and learn how to say “No to Drugs.”

The second phase is the six-month rehabilitation phase. The first three months will focus on character development to help drug dependents to recover from drug-free mindset.

They will be attending psychological and psychotherapeutic processing sessions or any available treatment that concerned agencies may have to offer. The last three months will concentrate on skills trainings and livelihood development in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other stakeholders.

Beltejar said the police regional office will continue in the conduct of anti-illegal drugs operations and will have no let-up in eradicating both the use and trade of illegal drugs in the region.

Likewise, PNP Eastern Visayas asked the public to fully support and trust the police while it continues to get rid of the scalawags in the police service.

It also encourages the general public to support the police in the campaign against illegal drugs and provide relevant information immediately to the nearest police stations or through social media. (PNA)

FPV/SQM/PNP-PR/EGR

DOH Eastern Visayas declares end of diarrhea outbreak

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 23 (PNA) – The recent spate of diarrhea outbreak that killed 81 people and afflicted 9,432 others in Eastern Visayas is now over, the Department of Health (DOH) officially declared on Tuesday.

“For the past three weeks, diarrhea cases have steadily declined. This is the result of our strong message sent to affected communities that diarrhea kills if neglected,” said DOH Regional Director Minerva Molon.

With 50 cases, Samar province recorded the most number of deaths due to the water-borne disease.

Mortalities have been reported also in some parts of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Leyte including Tacloban City, the regional capital. The last death was recorded on July 10.

Molon also attributed the significant decline of diarrhea cases to the massive information drive, distribution of medicines, provision of aquatabs or water disinfectant tablets, and support of local government units and non-government organizations.

“We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that diarrhea will not plague these communities again,” she added.

The DOH points to the summer season that dried up some of the water sources affected areas as the culprit. The situation prompted people to get their drinking water from non-potable sources.

The official also urged local government units to prioritize water supply projects to diarrhea-affected communities.

Fiesta celebrations between May to June this year, according to the DOH official, also aided the increase of cases due to person-to-person transmission and improper handling of food.

The health department advised the public to drink water only from safe sources, eat well-cooked and properly prepared food, keep food away from insects and rats, use toilet when defecating, and always wash hands before and after eating and after using the toilet. (PNA)

FPV/SQM

DPWH to bid out Leyte’s ‘Great Wall’ project next month

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 23 (PNA) – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office here will proceed with the bidding of some subsections of the PHP7.9 billion tide embankment project in September after months of design changes and consultations.

Changes in project specifications particularly in some parts of Palo, Leyte have been approved by the DPWH central office, said DPWH Eastern Visayas Regional Director Edgar Tabacon.

For this year alone, the allocation is PHP1.46 billion to kick of the construction of structures designed to shield coastal communities from the impacts of rising seas.

The revised design incorporates recommendations of local government units, affected residents and experts, according to Tabacon.

“The project should have been started early this year. There will be spill over for few months for these batches and these will be extended until end of next year,” the official said.

The DPWH regional chief is unsure when to proceed with the project in Tacloban City due to slow pace of relocation of affected families from coastal areas to northern resettlement sites.

The 27.3-kilometer “Great Wall” project stretches from Diit village in Tacloban to Cabuynan village in Tanauan town. Sections 1 to 3 are in Tacloban, section 4 are the coastal villages of Tacloban and Palo, section 5 are some areas in Palo and Tanauan, and section 6 in Tanauan town.

The four-meter high structure, designed to shield coastal communities from big waves, was pushed through by the previous administration after the 2013 storm surges wipe out neigborhoods in Leyte province.

The PHP7.9 billion project include civil works and right of way acquisition broken down in four years – PHP1.46 billion for 2016, PHP1.19 billion for 2017, PHP2.64 billion for 2018, and PHP2.64 for 2019. (PNA)
FPV/SARWELL Q. MENIANO

Nabbed couple tags Leyte mayor’s son as drug supplier

KANANGA, Leyte, Aug. 22 (PNA) – A couple, categorized as high value target, nabbed by Kananga, Leyte police in a recent drug buy bust revealed that Kerwin, son of Albuera town Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. provided them supply of illegal drugs and protection.

This was confirmed in an interview Sunday with suspect Sarah Tan, 50, identified as the town’s number two in the drug watch list.

She disclosed that Kerwin, a suspected top drug lord in the region, provided them the supply of illegal drugs they disposed in the town.

Sarah also identified the mayor’s son as the one who apparently sheltered her to smoothly carry out the illegal drug trade in the area, making her untouchable.

“Kerwin provided us drugs supply. He promised us that he would do the rest so we would not be arrested,” she disclosed.

“There were times he would call telling me to cool down and leave the place for a while, then days after, our house were raided,” Sarah recalled.

Her husband Ernesto Tan, 54, was categorized number three in the watch list.

The lady suspect known as “Princess” in their business circle, said Kerwin delivers a hundred grams of shabu worth PHP260,000.00 that she pays when disposed.

The couple left the town in June and came back last week of July to surrender to the police. Sarah insisted they stopped doing the prohibited business since then.

The joint police operation in relation to project Double Barrel conducted by provincial office and the town’s Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operation Task Group (AIDSOTG) allegedly bought illegal drugs from Tan in their house at Riverside, Poblacion, Kananga town.

Sarah denied owning the confiscated items, saying “those were planted.”

Equipped with a search warrant issued by Presiding Judge Ephrem Abando of Regional Trial Court Branch 18 in Hilongos, Leyte, the operatives confiscated nine sachets of shabu, PHP500 marked bill and drug paraphernalia from the possession of the couple.

Chief Insp. Ricky Reli, Kananga police chief confirmed the two had surrendered, however, a surveillance showed they were still engaged in the trade causing their arrest.

Six of the town’s top drug personalities already submitted themselves to police and the top in the list has been eyed.

“The police are serious in running after those who still indulge in the outlawed occupation and who are still resorting to use drugs. I urge everybody to stop.” Reli said. (PNA)
FPV/SQM/ELVIE ROMAN ROA/EGR

LWUA okays Tacloban relocation medium-term water supply plan

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 22 (PNA) -- The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has approved the PHP159-million water supply plan as a medium-term solution to the water shortage problem at the Tacloban North Resettlement Area.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Eastern Visayas Regional Director Bonifacio Uy confirmed that the plan endorsed on June 22, 2016 by the Regional Development Council (RDC) recently got the nod from LWUA.

The project will run for six months while waiting for the implementation of the PHP527 million level 3 Tacloban North Water Supply Project of LWUA and Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD).

“Pending the completion of the LWUA-LMWD project, which is estimated to take almost two years from the start of construction, there is an urgent and serious need to develop a water supply strategy for the medium term and improve the ongoing delivery of safe water,” said Uy, who is also the RDC vice chairperson.

The medium-term water supply plan will develop a source through infiltration wells and pumping facilities, pipe-laying, use of large reservoirs and procurement of water trucks to transport water from the infiltration wells to the reservoirs.

“The plan also includes the provision of rain water harvesting facilities to be provided to the housing units so that rain water may be collected and utilized for domestic use,” Uy said.

The city government admitted that water supply has slowed down the pace of transferring families from danger zones to newly completed housing units.

Tacloban city administrator Irene Chui said water supply is a major setback to their efforts to move families to northern relocation sites.

Of the 14,433 families living in danger zones, only 2,000 have been transferred to their new homes as of this month.

“The city government has been delivering water to the northern villages since they have no access to potable water. Each family needs three to five cubic meters per day,” Chui said.

Even if the central government is pushing for the PHP527 million permanent water supply project, the city government will not stop negotiating private investors.

“The city government had talks with private investors like Manila Water and Maynilad. We’re just waiting for their final proposal. There is a Supreme Court ruling that water utilities cannot be monopolized. Private companies come in and invest,” Chui explained.

Citing studies of the United States Agency for International Development, long-term water supply for Tacloban relocation sites require at least PHP2 billion investments.

The city’s resettlement sites cover 10 villages – Cabalawan, Camansihay, Kawayan, New Kawayan, Suhi, Salvacion, San Isidro, Sto. Niño, Tigbao, and Tagpuro. (PNA)
LDV/SQM