Philippines News

OPERATIVES of the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA 7) together with members of the Mabolo Police Station in Cebu City raided a suspected drug den in Sitio Abellana, Barangay Luz at 2:49 p.m. Saturday, July 1, 2023.

They arrested suspects Genewin Peoner Romano, the 38-year-old alleged operator of the drug den; Bridget Dawn Ferarren Ontoy, 23; and Lefty Luke Noval Lao, a 37-year-old construction painter.

They seized two packs of shabu weighing 11 grams with a street value of P64,800 and several drug paraphernalia.

A few meters away, they found five more persons inside another suspected drug den.

They identified the suspects as Faustino Alburo San Roque Jr., the 29-year-old alleged operator of the drug den; Rojar Alburo, a 44-year-old construction worker; Antonio Masbag Medilo Jr., 31; Redan Austria Rellesiba, a 25-year-old welder; and 34-year-old Jovelyn Abregondo Roldan.

PDEA 7 operatives seized seven packs of shabu weighing 15 grams with a street value of P102,000.

According to Leia Alcantara, PDEA 7 information officer, it took almost two months for them to conduct a case build-up against the two suspected drug dens after receiving information from a concerned citizen.

She said the eight suspects will be charged with violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (AYB)

TWO barangays in Talisay City, Cebu may soon be declared “drug-cleared.”

This was announced by Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas Jr.

The two barangays are waiting for members of the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug-Clearing Program to issue a certification on their status.

The committee, which is chaired by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas, is composed of provincial representatives of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, Department of Health and local government units.

The committee had already declared Barangays Maghaway, Biasong, Candulawan, Manipis and Jaclupan as “drug-cleared.”

The mayor said his aim is to have all the city’s 22 barangays declared “drug-cleared” by the end of the year. (BBT)

THE Visayas Command (Viscom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has announced that 156 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) have been neutralized between Jan. 1, 2023 and June 30.

The military also seized 223 firearms and 82 anti-personnel mines during the same period.

Among those neutralized were 12 high-value individuals, one of whom was identified as Rogelio Posadas, the noted secretary of the Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor Regional Committee.

Posadas was killed in an encounter last April 20 in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.

“I would like to congratulate everyone for a very good job for the first semester of 2023. The exceptional performance that you have shown manifests your strong desire and motivation to serve and protect our people and end the local communist armed conflict in this part of the country,” according to Army Lieutenant General Benedict Arevalo, Viscom commander.

Arevalo said 942 civilian organizations that cooperate with the military’s community program have been created.

He said they will be of great help in the Viscom’s preparations for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on Oct. 30.

“The support of our people is vital in our campaign to end the reign of terror in the region. As we sustain our focused military operations to prevent the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA from taking advantage of the upcoming Barangay and SK Elections, let us also continue engaging our people. Let us enlighten them on the evils brought by the CPP-NPA. Let us encourage them to cast their vote on someone who advocates peace and development, who values the ideals of family, and someone who can lead them to prosperity and progress. Not those who sow terror and violence and support the false ideology of the CPP-NPA,” he said. (AYB / PJB)

THE Visayas Command (Viscom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has announced that 156 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) have been neutralized between Jan. 1, 2023 and June 30.

The military also seized 223 firearms and 82 anti-personnel mines during the same period.

Among those neutralized were 12 high-value individuals, one of whom was identified as Rogelio Posadas, the noted secretary of the Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor Regional Committee.

Posadas was killed in an encounter last April 20 in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.

“I would like to congratulate everyone for a very good job for the first semester of 2023. The exceptional performance that you have shown manifests your strong desire and motivation to serve and protect our people and end the local communist armed conflict in this part of the country," according to Army Lieutenant General Benedict Arevalo, Viscom commander.

Arevalo said 942 civilian organizations that cooperate with the military’s community program have been created.

He said they will be of great help in the Viscom’s preparations for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on October 30.

“The support of our people is vital in our campaign to end the reign of terror in the region. As we sustain our focused military operations to prevent the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA from taking advantage of the upcoming Barangay and SK Elections, let us also continue engaging our people. Let us enlighten them on the evils brought by the CPP-NPA. Let us encourage them to cast their vote on someone who advocates peace and development, who values the ideals of family, and someone who can lead them to prosperity and progress. Not those who sow terror and violence and support the false ideology of the CPP-NPA,” he said. (AYB)

THE Visayas Command (Viscom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has announced that 156 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) have been neutralized between Jan. 1, 2023 and June 30.

The military also seized 223 firearms and 82 anti-personnel mines during the same period.

Among those neutralized were 12 high-value individuals, one of whom was identified as Rogelio Posadas, the noted secretary of the Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor Regional Committee.

Posadas was killed in an encounter last April 20 in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.

“I would like to congratulate everyone for a very good job for the first semester of 2023. The exceptional performance that you have shown manifests your strong desire and motivation to serve and protect our people and end the local communist armed conflict in this part of the country," according to Army Lieutenant General Benedict Arevalo, Viscom commander.

Arevalo said 942 civilian organizations that cooperate with the military’s community program have been created.

He said they will be of great help in the Viscom’s preparations for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on October 30.

“The support of our people is vital in our campaign to end the reign of terror in the region. As we sustain our focused military operations to prevent the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA from taking advantage of the upcoming Barangay and SK Elections, let us also continue engaging our people. Let us enlighten them on the evils brought by the CPP-NPA. Let us encourage them to cast their vote on someone who advocates peace and development, who values the ideals of family, and someone who can lead them to prosperity and progress. Not those who sow terror and violence and support the false ideology of the CPP-NPA,” he said. (AYB)

The Supreme Court en banc issued a writ of kalikasan against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, and Altai Philippines Mining Corporation. 

Boycotting a beer, attacking products celebrating the LGBTQ community, and criticizing shareholders for promoting diversity: In the face of growing criticism from conservatives, American companies are backtracking on progressive corporate initiatives. 

Phivolcs recorded 397 rockfall events, four volcanic earthquakes, and two fast-moving avalanches of volcanic ash, rock and gases, known as pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) in the past 24 hours. 

In a statement late Saturday, the DOT said it is “currently conducting an exhaustive investigation to determine the veracity of, and to gather the full faculty of facts” on the allegations that non-original parts were used in the video for the country’s new tourism campaign. 

Both of the northbound lanes of the Waikato Expressway are closed following a crash this evening.

The single vehicle crash, reported to Police at 5.20pm, occurred between the Koura Drive on-ramp and the Great South Road off-ramp.

The driver of the car suffered moderate injuries and has been transported to hospital.

Diversions are in place.
 

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre.&nb

Justin Verlander tossed seven strong innings Saturday afternoon for the host New York Mets, who rode a third-inning power display to a 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants in the middle contest of a three-game series. Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor all hit solo homers within a four-batter span in the third for the Mets, who opened July with a win after enduring a 7-19 June. Tommy Pham added an RBI

LAUGHING, running, and playing.

This was how 80 children, who were given a new lease on life with free congenital heart defects (CHDs) surgeries, bonded together on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at a fast food restaurant in Cebu City.

A year ago, these children were suffering from a debilitating illness that would have placed them in a lifetime of pain.

Yet with the help of Rotary Club Cebu’s “Gift of Life” program, which has provided free open heart and noninvasive heart surgeries for the last 12 years, these children will lead normal lives.

During the celebration of the group’s new fiscal year on Saturday, Rotary Club president Walter Yap Cang said it was a tradition to bring together the beneficiaries of the Gift of Life program to be symbols of hope.

“By tradition, on the first day of the rotary year (or the group’s fiscal year), we host an event [that] allows children to be gathered,” he told SunStar Cebu.

The civic group is composed of Cebu-based business leaders. It was established in 1932, making it the second oldest club in the country after the Rotary Club of Manila.

Gift of life

The Gift of Life is a program created in partnership with the group’s founding organization — Rotary International, which aims to provide free operations to children with CHDs in Cebu in the past 12 years.

CHDs are present at birth and can alter a baby’s heart’s shape and the way it works. It may have an impact on how blood moves from the heart to the rest of the body.

Aside from the funding from Rotary International, its club members also contribute money out of their pockets to enable the children’s operations.

Cang revealed that they used to bring the patients to the United States for their operations before deciding to have these done in Manila.

“We realized that if we keep continuing that, we can only assist a few children due to how huge the budget is allocated in every trip outside the country, so we decided to just do it here,” he said.

In total, they were able to conduct heart surgeries for around 300 children since the project’s inception in 2011.

Cang said that the cost of heart procedures in private hospitals can range from P500,000 to P1.5 million, depending on the complexity of the procedures.

Lives changed

A 37-year-old father from Consolacion town in northern Cebu is among the grateful parents whose kids received free heart surgeries.

Jomar Galang is a father of four children. Three of his kids had CHDs and were beneficiaries of the Gift of Life program.

Galang said he and his second child Yohan were flown to Dallas, Texas in 2017 for the operation. Yohan is now a healthy and robust seven-year-old.

A year later, his third child was diagnosed with the same disease. Natalie Rose, who is now five years old, was brought to San Antonio, Texas in 2018 to have her open-heart surgery there.

And just recently, Jomar’s youngest baby, Andre, who is just barely a year old, was born with the same disease. He underwent noninvasive heart surgery last January.

“I am very grateful to them. They are really of big help. Now, I am happy to see my kids functioning just like the other normal kids,” he said.

AROUND 1,000 households in Lapu-Lapu City will enjoy a more stable water supply as the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) commissioned two wells on Monday, June 26, 2023.

With the new wells, the water district can accommodate additional new service connections to around 1,000 households that still rely on artesian wells for their water supply.

The wells, located in Barangays Bankal and Agus, are among several water sourcing projects of MCWD that are seen to improve the water supply of Lapu-Lapu City in preparation for the El Niño phenomenon.

MCWD general manager Edgar Donoso said the water district has been relentless in its efforts to find new sources of water in Mactan to make the island self-sufficient and no longer dependent on mainland Cebu for its water supply.

The commissioning and blessing were attended by Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard ‘Ahong’ Chan, MCWD directors Jodelyn May Seno and lawyer Earl Bonachita, and the MCWD managers.

Chan thanked MCWD for providing the city additional water sources.

“On behalf sa mga taga Lapu-lapu, dako ang atong pasalamat sa MCWD sa ilang gihatag karong adlawa nga duha ka well. Hinaut pa unta daghan pa nga tubig nga moabot sa Syudad sa Lapu-Lapu,” Chan said. (On behalf of the residents of Lapu-Lapu City, I thank MCWD for the two wells that they provided us. Hopefully, our city will get other water sources in the future.)

The two wells, which will serve around 4,000 individuals, are among several projects that MCWD has lined up to improve the supply and distribution of water in Lapu-Lapu City.

Recently, MCWD signed a contract with Philkonstrak Development Corp. to implement a P100-million transmission and distribution pipeline project, with a length of 3,440 meters, along Agus to Mactan Circumferential Road in Lapu-Lapu City.

MCWD also has an ongoing pipeline expansion project at the General Aviation Road and Bangkal Road.

It has also issued notices of award for other transmission and distribution pipeline projects to be implemented in Barangays Basak and Marigondon, and on P. Rodriguez St.

The bidding process for another transmission pipeline project on P. Rodriguez St. is also ongoing.

MCWD is also preparing the detailed engineering design for 10 distribution line expansion projects that can serve more than 15,000 new service connections, in anticipation of the additional volume of water from the desalination plants in Barangays Canjulao and Catarman in Cordova town.

The Cordova project will supply at least 20,000 cubic meters of desalinated seawater daily and is expected to deliver a partial volume of 5,000 cubic meters per day within the year.

The Canjulao plant is expected to deliver 25,000 cubic meters of water daily within 24 months from the contract signing.

MCWD has also finished the bidding process for a bulk water supply project in Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, which will be capable of delivering up to 15,000 cubic meters of water per day.

The new transmission and distribution lines are necessary to reach more households within Mactan Island and increase MCWD’s demand coverage in the area, the water district said. (PR)

TO ADDRESS the flooding problem in communities near the Bulacao River, the Talisay City Government is planning to install sheet piles along the river.

The sheet piles will prevent water from spilling over during heavy rains.

Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas Jr. told SunStar Cebu in an interview on Thursday, June 29, 2023, that the City’s flood-control program will focus on constructing sheet piles along the Bulacao River, which will start next year.

Gullas said it is more important to build flood-control structures along the rivers to prevent water from overflowing, which causes inconvenience and danger to the residents.

“Ang importante is mabutangan jud og sheet piling para ang tubig klaro ang agianan, dili magpakilid and that’s what is going on in Mananga river also,” Gullas added. (The important thing is to put sheet piles so that the water has a clear path to follow, and it will not spill to the sides, which is what’s going on in the Mananga River also.)

Gullas said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has already put up sheet piles along the Mojon-Biasong River in Talisay, and they will do the same along the Bulacao River.

As for the clearing of the three-meter easement from the riverbanks, the mayor said the City prefers to take things slowly.

The City Government has yet to determine the number of residents who will be displaced when it is fully implemented. “The DPWH will follow easement as far as the sheet piling is concerned and it will be the DPWH who will identify the residents with the help of the City Government of Talisay,” he added.

With regard to solid waste management in the rivers of Talisay City, people who collect their wastes properly will receive rice and school supplies as incentives.

Gullas said incentives may not be the solution to the problem, but for the mayor, it is important to educate the people not to throw their trash anywhere, and the government should set an example.

LOCAL government units (LGUs) that prohibited the entry of pigs and pork products from Cebu are expected to lift their executive orders (EO) patterned after the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) zoning or color-coding policy.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia appealed to them to recognize the Court of Appeal’s (CA) issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the implementation of the BAI’s culling and color-coding policy in the province to contain the spread of the African swine fever (ASF).

Garcia announced on Friday, June 30, 2023, that the CA granted their petition to issue a TRO against the enforcement of BAI’s ASF containment policies in the province, citing that its continued implementation will cause grave and irreplaceable damage to Cebu’s P11-billion hog industry.

The news was welcomed in Carcar City, where Cebu’s first ASF case was detected last March.

Mayor Mario Patricio Barcenas told SunStar Cebu on Saturday, July 1, that they have not recorded any new ASF cases lately, saying that normal day-to-day operations have long since resumed in the city.

He said sales of the city’s famous lechon or roasted pig and pork chicharon have returned to pre-ASF levels and remain stable.

He assured that strict biosecurity measures continue to be enforced in the city’s pig farms, slaughterhouses and wet markets.

According to the BAI’s latest report on June 14, ASF had spread to 12 local government units (LGUs) in Cebu, namely the cities of Bogo, Carcar, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay, and the towns of Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, San Fernando, Sibonga and Tuburan.

Jonathan Young, president of the Central Visayas Pork Producers’ Cooperative, told SunStar Cebu on Saturday that the latest development is good news for hog farmers.

Once the court ruling is imposed, local hog farmers can resume distributing and shipping live hogs outside of Cebu, he said.

He pointed out that the BAI’s ASF policies significantly affected the market value of swine in the province after their products were not accepted by other regions due to the imposed bans.

This resulted in an oversupply of live hogs in Cebu due to the limited market, Young said, adding that the situation also caused the drastic decrease of live weight price of hogs per kilogram from P170 down to P140 to P150 per head, or a loss of P1,000 to P2,000 per swine.

However, Young wondered why the price of pork in the public markets is high despite the drop in the live weight price.

Opening borders

Meanwhile, Young welcomed the collaboration of the Cebu Provincial Government and the Negros Oriental Provincial Government, which agreed to open their borders for the entry and exit of live hogs.

On Thursday, June 29, Garcia and Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria teamed up to form a unified policy to contain hog-related diseases.

Both officials also agreed to lift their existing EOs banning the mobility of pigs and pork-related products due to the presence of ASF.

Young said Negros Oriental also suffered from an oversupply of live hogs, which resulted in a drastic drop of the live weight price per kilo to around P85 and P90.

However, he hopes the situation will be rectified within a few weeks as cross-province livestock trading resumes.

Glaisa Ersan, who has been selling lechon in Carcar City for 10 years, told SunStar Cebu in a text message that since most if not all of their pigs were sourced from Negros Oriental they had a hard time looking for replacements when the ban took effect due to the ASF.

“Apan karon nga gisabotan na nila pagbalik ni Governor Gwen, mas nigaan ang amoang pamati kay dili na kaayo mi magkara-kara og palit sa bisan asa kay pwede na kaayo mi modiretso sa taboanan which is didtos Mantalongon,” Ersan said.

(Now that Governor Gwen has agreed to allow the entry of live pigs from Negros, we no longer have to worry about looking for a supplier since we can go directly to the farmer’s market in Mantalongon, Barili.)

The Mantalongon livestock facility is the biggest livestock market in Cebu, where traders from other towns in the province as well as from other provinces like Negros and Leyte sell their products.

During Garcia’s meeting with Governor Sagarbarria last Thursday at the Capitol, the latter said he and Garcia agreed to come up with a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to make sure proper protocols and up-to-standard biosecurity are followed.

Garcia had earlier requested the mayors of various localities in Central Visayas and other parts of the country to open their ports and allow their products to enter Cebu as long as they follow the correct method and joint biosecurity measures through a MOA.

Negros Oriental was the first locality to declare its desire to negotiate with Cebu Province.

“We need to know where the pig comes from to make sure it is not infected. As to national standards, that way we can secure our borders more. But this is not just about securing borders, this way we can also support our local farmers because at least now the products can cross borders. Our products that are live, their products that are processed can now cross borders so this is what we are aiming for,” Sagarbarria said in Bisaya.

The MOA is expected to be finalized next week and once signed, it will be implemented immediately. (EHP / ANV, TPT)

THE continued growth in real estate activities in Cebu has prompted a group of young lawyers to expand their services and venture into realty and brokerage.

In an interview Friday, June 30, 2023, Tierra Pro Real Estate Solutions Inc. president Atty. Nestor Crispin Miguel Lumapas said this new venture will allow young professionals to tap into the opportunities in real estate. This also complements the company’s already existing real estate services.

Lumapas said that while they have been in the business of real estate for the last four years, they have yet to introduce the younger generation to the opportunities they can avail themselves of when they become licensed salespersons and eventually become licensed brokers in the industry.

Tierra Pro Real Estate Solutions is a real estate services company based in Cebu that has been offering Cebuanos its expertise in real estate due diligence, admin titling, transfer of title, building administration, parking administration, acquisitions, land use conversion, Department of Agriculture clearance processing, and settlement of estate.

The company is composed of young lawyers led by Lumapas and his co-founders Atty. Paul Danico Blanco, Atty. John Michael Fiel, Atty. Jo. Kristian Borbajo and real estate broker Lovelyn Castañeda.

Tierra Pro currently has seven partner developers and 12 licensed salespersons. The company is accepting more brokers and salespersons.

“We are in Cebu. We are considered as one of the major real estate hubs in the country. We see this as both an opportunity to earn but more so a golden opportunity to educate our younger generation by teaching them about how to think about money, how to invest what they earn, and empowering them with financial literacy,” Lumapas said.

Recently, property advisory firm Colliers Philippines said Cebu’s residential market has remained resilient amid economic uncertainties. It remains as one of the most attractive and largest residential hubs outside Metro Manila.

National developers continue to launch in Metro Cebu as they are optimistic about the locale’s potential for growth post-Covid.

“In our view, the improving sentiment from businesses and individual investors and end-users will likely support the Cebu residential sector’s growth,” the firm said in its latest market report.

It added that the launch of higher-priced condominium units outside Metro Manila also indicates national property firms’ confidence in Cebuano investors’ purchasing power and rising affluence.

“As demand recovers and businesses start to rebound from the adverse impacts of pandemic, now is an ideal time for developers to launch projects that will cater to the demand of both end-users and investors,” the firm said.

In the first quarter of 2023, Colliers recorded take-up of 1,100 condominium units in Cebu, while 420 house-and-lot units were sold in the same period this year.

© Provided by Xinhua

China beat hosts Australia 74-60 to set up a final against Japan at the FIBA Women's Basketball Asia Cup in Sydney.

SYDNEY, July 1 (Xinhua) -- World number two China overcame hosts Australia 74-60 on Saturday to se

Preparations are underway in case President Marcos decides to attend the 28th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties or COP in the United Arab Emirates in December after he was formally invited by COP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber to attend the climate summit, according to Climate Change Commission Secretary Robert Borje.

President Marcos yesterday led the inauguration of a segment of the Davao City Coastal Bypass Road and witnessed the signing of a $1-billion loan agreement that seeks to modernize the local public transport system – projects that are seen to help promote economic activity in the region.

“It’s about time” military and uniformed personnel contribute to their pension fund, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said yesterday as he pushed for the passage of a bill reforming their retirement fund system before the end of the year.