In a letter addressed
to the newly installed 8th Infantry Division Commander MGen. Rodrigo
Maclang, which was likewise sent to the AFP higher headquarters and to
the Secretary of National Defense in
Manila, the town mayor requested to effect an immediate relief of
LtCol. Dida and some of his officers for alleged political
partisanship, military harassment, and for using the army funds and
resources in advancing the alleged political plots of the town’s
vice-mayor Marcelina Yu.
Based on the said
letter, this writer gathered that LtCol. Dida has been carrying out
projects in partnership with some NGOs in different barangays of this
town by allegedly employing the direct involvement of the vice-mayor’s
office here but subsequently by-passing the office of the local chief
executive.
“Concededly, the
military has wide latitude of discretion to implement civic programs
and projects in the community to win back the trust and confidence of
the public. This is in recognition that military solution is not the
decisive way of winning the battle for a lasting peace. Said
discretion however, is not ad infinitum, as it has to yield to
the constitutionally recognized rule that the military must insulate
itself from partisan politics. The sitting vice-mayor in our locality,
cannot and should not, be allowed to exploit the military for her
personal and partisan ends and benefits, and the military must always
observe that insulation from partisan politics as a ‘tough rule’ to
follow”, the mayor said in his letter.
The same letter
pointed out the participation of the 34th IB commanding officer as
allegedly being exploited by Vice-mayor Yu in propagating shoddy and
malicious propaganda against the first family of San Jorge.
The letter
particularly pointed out the alleged pronouncement of LtCol. Dida that
he currently hold a copy of a standing warrant of arrest against one
of the Mayor’s son which is accordingly charged with murder in Manila,
and though the mayor did not comment nor elaborate on the issue
stressed that: “And the fact that the army are consolidating various
materials to demolish me in my locality when in fact it is not their
duty to arrest wanted persons, and granting that a son of mine by that
name is indeed here in my ward, will it free them of their
misdemeanors as soldiers who cuddles erring politicians in my town?”,
the mayor stressed.
Mayor Grey likewise
branded as a form of harassment the spurious announcements allegedly
made by one of the officers of the 34th IB in an unnamed municipality
that their town is the most problematic place in Samar’s first
district because of his and his family’s alleged notorious activities.
Further in his
petition for the relief of the 34th IB officers, Mayor Grey stressed
that the present situation confronting the people of this town
relative to the alleged military partisanship in politics had been
causing serious demoralization from the civilian populace, and
moreover told “that the present leadership in the 34th IB appeared to
have deviated from the basic and fundamental role of the army in the
society, and it seems that under this condition, the military is once
again exposed to a serious public scrutiny and judgment”, the mayor
concluded.
“Action speaks louder
than words” – San Jorgehanons say
Meanwhile, Mayor
Joseph Grey reacted to the recent statement issued by LtCol. Glorivine
Dida, commanding officer of the 34th Infantry Battalion here,
regarding the mayor’s unavailability whenever the army is set to
coordinate their programs in the locality, disclosing that the first
medical mission Operation Blessing conducted by the 34th IB in
partnership with a religious NGO in Brgy. Blanca Aurora of this town
last Nov. 15, 2005 has been successfully implemented, “with us fully
backing the army’s needs, including food and manpower support, because
it was well coordinated with the LGU”, the mayor exclaimed.
“And granting that I
am out for official business, why can’t they send in their
communication to my office as they used to do before? If I am out, it
doesn’t necessarily mean that my office has no competent personnel
that will handle their concerns, ang babaw naman ng dahilan nila, e
kahit nga sa 8ID kapag ba wala si Gen. Maclang, ang ibig bang sabihin
ni koronel e hindi na magagampanan ni Gen. Maclang ang gawain niya as
the chief of the division?”, he explained.
“Bakit, kung may
kapal-pakan ba na mangyari sa mga pinag-gagawa nila, hindi ba ako ang
sisihin ng mga tao, I am the mayor of this town, and I am responsible
of my constituents welfare, dapat alam nila yon, alam ko that they
have their own judgment that pertains to essence and nature of their
work, pero dapat respetuhin din naman nila ang opisina ko”, Mayor Grey
added.
The chief executive
here cited at least 3 complaints of some barangays here particularly
those that were awarded a water system project via the Operation
Blessings being implemented by the 34th IB here but was not
coordinated with the LGU, “but well coordinated with the office of the
vice-mayor”, says Mayor Grey.
The mayor presented to
the media one of the 3 barangay captains but requested not to be named
for security reason, who subsequently informed that their barangay was
asked to contribute P10,000.00 pesos as counterpart in the said
project which according to them is only a simple “jetmatic pump” , “an
problema kay kadadako na han ak gastos pagpinaka-un han mga sundalo
nga nagtrabaho han jetmatic pump kay por lo menos 120 hira tanan nga
nakadto upod na an iba nga ak kabarangay, kay baga lugi gad an
barangay han panhitabo, kay baga rehab nala ngani adto kay may-ada
naman da-an didto nga luho ngan tubo”, the barangay captain informed.
The said barangay
captain likewise revealed that they were herded inside the 34th IB
camp with a certain army Major informing them that the army doesn’t want
politics to interfere in the said water-system project that is why
they did not invited local government leaders, but all were surprised
when they allegedly saw Vice-Mayor Yu during that meeting.
“Bisan ngani dida han
medical mission nira ha amon, nakadto gihap ito nga Major ngan
ginpanid-ngan kami, upod an am mga BHWs nga dire na kinahanglan
i-inpormar iton mayor ngan an iba nga opisyal han bungto han nasabi
nga medical mission, labot la daw kan vice-mayor Yu, pero kay gin-inpormar
gad la gihap nam hi mayor”, the barangay captain revealed.
On the other hand
teachers and barangay officials here confirmed to the media that there
is no truth to the pronouncement of the 34th IB that they are not
extending personal security details to the vice-mayor.
On condition of
anonymity, the teachers revealed that there are even times that the
vice-mayor would attend their school gathering even if she is not
invited, and allegedly along with her is a platoon of military
escorts, “May-ada ngani hadto usa ka beses nga pati an tanke dara nira,
imposible nga i-deny ito nira kay nakita man kami, amo ngani nga pirmi
nagkukulang iton amon guti nga baga andam nga pagkaun tungod han
kadamo han mga sundalo nga upod ni vice”, alleged one of the teachers.
Sinirangan Press Club
files petition to rescind DENR order
By PIA Borongan
September 1, 2006
BORONGAN, Eastern
Samar – A petition has recently been filed seeking to rescind
the order of then DENR Secretary Michael Defensor lifting the logging
moratorium of San Jose Timber Corporation.
The petitioner,
Sinirangan Press Club of Eastern Samar in solidarity with the Catholic
Church, other religious groups and civil society were moved to file
the petition citing the enormous destruction it will cause to the
environment.
Its more than 95
thousand hectares timber concession, the petition states, is at the
center of an old growth forest and critical watershed of the
proclaimed Samar Island Forest Reserve (SIFR) in 1996 and Samar Island
Natural Park (SINP) in 2003. Thus, resumption of logging operation in
the area will cause some 80% destruction to critical watershed and old
growth forest which provides habitation to some 2,400 species of
flowering plants, 197 bird species, 25 species of reptiles and 12
amphibians, 39 species of mammals accounting for approximately 23% of
the total count of land mammals in the country.
The logging operation
of the San Jose Timber Corporation prior to the logging moratorium in
1989 was the primary cause of the rapid forest destruction and
denudation and massive flooding of seven towns in Eastern Samar. Due
to the logging moratorium,
Eastern Samar has been spared from typhoon because of the presence
of the 120,000 hectares old growth and critical watershed if preserve
will infinitely supply the drinking water requirement of the Samareños
as well as the agricultural and industrial needs of the island. This,
if qualified will show a match bigger value than the taxes that the
government collects from the logging companies, the petitioners claim.
The petition
further states that the province of Eastern Samar has 19
municipalities inside the SIFR and SINP, a big portion of its area is
inside the logging concession of San Jose Timber Corporation. If
logging activities will be allowed, flashfloods is inevitable as what
happened in 1989. Moreover, the 14,725 hectares of the virgin forest
and critical watershed of the municipality of Borongan is inside the
concession of the PAVA Logging Company which will also avail of the
lifting of the logging moratorium extended to the San Jose Timber
Corporation.
Apo Island 'ray of
hope' for oceans, Greenpeace says
Press Release
By GREENPEACE
Southeast Asia
August 31, 2006
APO ISLAND,
Philippines – Apo Island Marine Reserve in central Philippines is a
'ray of
hope' for oceans around the world, Greenpeace said Wednesday during
the visit of the ship MY Esperanza to the famous reserve. The
Esperanza was welcomed in pristine Apo Island by the local community
who displayed a 20 meter long banner by the shore, with the words
'Marine reserves: hope for the oceans.'
The Esperanza's visit
to Apo Island highlights how the establishment of such protected areas
in the oceans is a key solution to the crises that seas worldwide
face. The visit is part of the Philippine leg of the Esperanza's
global Defending our Oceans tour and follows two weeks of campaigning
against marine pollution in different parts of the country.
"Apo Island has always
been the model of hope for coastal communities in the Philippines. It
demonstrates how reserves can effectively restore the productivity and
biodiversity that once characterized the seas, and shows how more
reserves around the globe will mean a better chance for the oceans to
recover," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Daniel Ocampo.
Recent studies show
that the impact of human activity on marine ecosystems have reached a
critical tipping point. Greenpeace is calling for 40% of the world's
oceans to be protected as marine reserves in order to reverse the
current decline in the health of our oceans.
Greenpeace considers
the visit to Apo Island significant. Scientists recognize the
Philippine archipelago as the world's centre of marine biodiversity
but the country's rich marine ecosystem is among the most highly
threatened in the world. The island, however, clearly presents the
solution. Apo Island's reefs, now known for their astounding variety
of marine life, was, only three decades ago, substantially degraded by
destructive fishing practices. The establishment of the reserve was a
crucial factor to the impressive recovery.
Many governments and
institutions accept the importance of establishing marine reserves,
but effective global action to increase areas of protection in our
oceans has yet to take place. It is therefore also important for
governments to realize that protecting the oceans' general welfare
should be a priority.
In the Philippines,
for example, despite strong local programs for the establishment of
reserves such as in Apo Island, the country's rich biodiversity still
continues to be undermined by poor national governance. The
government's delayed and insufficient responses to oceans disasters
such as the recent oil slick involving Petron, as well as toxic spills
involving Lafayette mining in Rapu Rapu Island indicate a clear bias
toward corporate interests rather than environmental conservation.
"Saving the oceans
means stopping the threats to marine ecosystems at the same time as we
set aside areas for its protection and rehabilitation. In this way,
Apo Island and other marine protected areas throughout the globe can
effectively ensure the future of our oceans," said Dr. Janet Cotter of
Greenpeace's Science Unit.
San Jorge mayor decries military
meddling over political row
By ROMMEL L. RUTOR
August 31, 2006
SAN JORGE, Samar – The
snowballing political rift between San Jorge Mayor Joseph Grey and the
town’s Vice-Mayor Marcelina Yu has started to make sense with the
alleged intrusion of the military over the town’s political issue via
some so-called officious activities being perpetrated by members of
the 34th Infantry Battalion against the local chief executive.
In an interview last
week, Mayor Grey disclosed that despite his relentless effort into
assisting the army in their locality with supplies and other forms of
assistance, “it seems that the present leadership of the 34th IB has
no intention to simply go about their task as soldiers and go after
the enemies of the state and would continue prying with our political
activities”, Mayor Grey informed.
He expressed his alarm
over last week’s report that a military man identified in the police
logbook here as PFC Gilberto Alap-an, was seen jotting down the plate
number of the new vehicle he is using.
“I am full of death
threats at present, because of my intensive drive against criminality
in our town, then here comes a military man and without reason is
executing thought provoking actions, why are they doing that? They
also want to kill me?”, the mayor stressed.
Immediately after
being informed about the incident, he wrote LtCol. Glorivine Dida of
the 34th Infantry Battalion here requesting for an explanation of the
said soldier’s actuations, but as of this writing the mayor did not
get any reply yet.
The Mayor revealed
that the incident was not the first that they have observed in the
recent months, and pointed out that an obvious alliance between the
military and his vice-mayor is allegedly in place.
According to Mayor
Grey, two of his supporters were murdered by still unidentified
killers, but their camp is suspecting that the military allegedly has
a hand on both killings based on the circumstances that they have
observed, “and that even links to our vice-mayor here”, the mayor
alleged. It was learned that a certain Danilo Adona aka “wangbu”, an
identified supporter of Mayor Grey was recently found dead in a rice
field near the boundary of Sta. Margarita and Gandara towns.
“The body bore marks
of torture, and his hands were tied with tie-wires”, Mayor Grey told,
and added that Adona is mentally ill but can be pacified by him and
his son whenever he is in the mood for making trouble.
Mayor Grey likewise
bared the untoward incident that happened to one of his former
security guard, identified as Crisanto Bocaboc aka “bunso”, which was
found dead in Brgy. Adela Heights of Gandara town.
“Both of them are
identified supporters of mine, and both of them get complained by our
vice-mayor for allegedly threatening to kill her, and both of them
died after their names landed in our police blotter books, and why we
should not suspect the army? In the case of Adona for example, why is
it that a soldier from the 34th IB would be interested with a mentally
ill person by taking his pictures when I placed him in police
custody?” the mayor stressed.
He pointed out that
such actions of the army, who has extended personal security details
to Vice-Mayor Marcelina Yu, are glaring circumstance that the army
allegedly has a hand in the numerous killings occurring in the said
area.
“And worst is that,
they are pointing each of the killings towards me including other
accusations, gaya nong paratang na Drug Lord daw ako, I know that my
vice-mayor and the present 34th IB leadership is apt on something
against me, pero ito lang ang masasabi ko sa kanila, they cannot put a
good man down”, Mayor Grey concluded.
SC Alumni Association
Batch ’83 holds Likay Sakit Program
By MARVIN G. AÑONUEVO
August 31, 2006
CATBALOGAN, Samar –
About 1,669 people from different barangays of Catbalogan received
free medicines courtesy of the Samar College Alumni Association –Batch
’83 in cooperation with the United Laboratories Inc. The medicine
drive took place last August 22 and 26, at the Samar College campus.
According to Henry
Mabingnay, Batch ’83’s Officer-in-Charge, the activity dubbed as
“Programa para Likay Sakit nga Ubo ngan Sipon” is just part of several
activities planned by their batch. It was also meant to make their
presence felt as incoming hosts of their Alma Mater’s 2007 Alumni
Homecoming.
“Part la actually ine
hit amon activities kay kami man an host yana nga 2007, ngan plano
namon nga hit next year, magkamay-ada medical mission with doctors nga
mag che-checkup hit mga pasyente,” Mabingnay said in an interview over
DYMS radio.
91 boxes of medicines
(Allerin and Alerta) were donated by the United Laboratories Inc.
through the efforts of the SCAA host president and another one of
their batchmates. “Ine in ha panalingkamot pinaagui hin duha namon nga
miyembro nga an hingyap in makabulig ha aton mga kabugtuan nga waray
kapas pakapalit hin bulong nga mamahalon. Ngan ine in waray halo nga
pamulitika,” Mabingnay added.
In a brief interview,
one of the donors (who requested anonymity) said they also dispersed 5
boxes of medicines for Tarangnan, 3 boxes for Brgy. Pasigay in Calbiga,
2 boxes for Brgy. Lagundi, and 3 boxes for Brgys. 1 & 2 Salug, both of
this town.
Environmentalists step
up campaign to protect Samar forests
By ALICE NICART, (PIA Borongan)
August
30, 2006
BORONGAN, Eastern
Samar – In its bid to fully implement the forest conservation program
of the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) the Samar Island Biodiversity
Foundation (SIBF) is now conducting a more intensive information
campaign in the entire Eastern Samar province to protect and conserve
the so called remaining biodiversity resources in this part of the
country.
Headed by Mr. Agustin
Docena, the team has gone to the upstream barangays and municipalities
of the province, that is, Maslog and Jipapad. They also visited the
students of the nearby schools of the targeted municipalities,
particularly the school campuses of Eastern Samar State University in
Guiuan, Salcedo and Maydolong.
In the sitio barangays
of San Pablo and Can-aga of Borongan, San Raphael, Malinao, Mabuhay,
San Pablo
and Del Remedio of Taft, reports were common of small scale " Kaingin",
but Docena with his group quickly dismissed the idea. He stressed that
"kaingin" is detrimental to the lives of the future generation.
Instead, he suggested that package proposal for alternative livelihood
with forest conservation component be submitted to them so that it can
be considered first study and funding rather than inflicting pain and
damage to the forest resources. Initially, seedlings of "Kalamansi"
were distributed for the farmers to nurture and raise because the
kalamansi fruit has a good market, the team advised.
On the whole, Docena
reported that majority of the members of their audiences were
receptive to their cause and they vehemently reject any form of
logging and mining operation in their area. He said that most of the
humble residents did not have the idea of how lush and verdant are the
trees at their distant backyard until Docena’s team came to their
place to inform them so. They were thankful, we came to give them the
very important information, Docena concluded.
A foreigner was
spotted by Docena and his team in an upstream barangay of Jipapad.
Unexpectedly the European approaches them later and likewise listened
to the information delivery. Convinced, the visitors agreed to the
assertions of the SIBF Team that forests resources must be protected
by all means and at all cost. According to Docena, the foreigner even
jokingly suggested to burn down mining and logging equipment should
there be some attempts to "trample down upon the beloved soils" of the
upstream barangays and sitios.
Jipapad and Maslog are
only two of the many municipalities of
Eastern Samar those are within the protected area of the SINP.
(with
reports from Sammy Candido)
