October 21, 2013 1

“in pursuit of PIA’s commitment to provide a national mechanism for the free flow of timely, accurate and relevant information… “

VOL I ISSUE 49 Daily E-Newsletter of Philippine Information Agency - 8 October 21, 2013

continued on page 5continued on page 5

P-Noy exhorts Filipinos to live with integrity, do what’s right to ensure a Philippines worth living in

Leyte spearheads the 69th Leyte landing Anniversary Celebration

The Provincial Government of Leyte through Leyte Governor Leopoldo

Dominico L. Petilla spearheaded the 69th Leyte Gulf Landings Anniversary Celebration held at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park Candahug Palo Leyte, the place where General Douglas MacArthur and his troops landed on October 20, 1944 that paves the way for the liberation of the Filipino people from the Japanese Army. The commemoration was celebrated in a simple but meaningful celebration. It started with a Sunrise Ceremony attended by the Veterans followed by a Walk for a Cause led by Palo Mayor Remedios L. Petilla and a Holy Mass at 7 o’clock in the morning. Part I of the commemorative program was the commemorative march of the veterans led by where they were being welcomed by the Officials of the Province of Leyte followed by the Lighting of the Peace Torch by Cmdr. Avelino L. Mosot, Regional Vice-President, VFP Leyte Chapter and Ret. Brig. Gen. Joel Joseph A. Cabides, Regional Vice-President, VFP-Sons and Daughters Association Incorporated as a symbol of tribute to the veterans. Department of National Defense Undersecretary Hon. Eduardo G. Batac who represented His Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino graced the occasion as guest of honor. He was welcomed together with other guests such as Pasig

President Benigno S. Aquino III exhorted each and every Filipino to

live with integrity and to do what is right in order to ensure a Philippines that is worth living in. “It is by looking back, by living with integrity and by doing what is right by our countrymen can we then ensure that the the Phils we pass on to later generations will be a Philippines worth living in,” the President said in his message read to him by Defense Undersecretary Eduardo Batac during the commemorative program for the 69th Leyte Gulf Landings Anniversary celebration on Sunday, October 20. This, the President said is the very mission that guides his administration as “we work to pursue our reform agenda.”

His administration’s goal, the President said, is to build a society where fairness, inclusiveness and justice reign. The President called on every Filipino to work harder to ensure that the invaluable lessons of the past are bequeathed to and cherished by the future generations. It is not enough, the President said, to commemorate this anniversary. “The task for us today is to remain committed as one people in preserving and nurturing the nation in which not only democracy but the fruits of democracy can be realized to the fullest,” the President underscored. He added that the task is to ensure the Philippines as the wellspring of freedom, hope and opportunity for all

General MacArthur makes good on his vow to return to the Philippines. Here he wades ashore at Red Beach at Palo just south of Tacloban during the Leyte landing on October 20, 1944.

(Photo from www.abeville.com)

BY: CONSUELO ALARCON

2 October 21, 2013

BARANGAY E L E C T I O N S

2 0 1 3

September 28, 2013 - November 12, 2013Election Period

for the 2013 Barangay Electionsas per COMELEC Resolution No. 9715

October 11 - 17, 2013(Except October 13)

Filing of COCsfor the 2013 Barangay Elections

as per COMELEC Resolution No. 9761

October 18 - 26, 2013Campaign Period

for the 2013 Barangay Electionsas per COMELEC Resolution No. 9749

October 28, 2013

2013 Barangay Electionspursuant to Sec. 1 of Republic Act No. 9340

September 28 - October 28, 2013Period of Prohibition on issuance

of Appointment, creation of new positions,promotions or giving salary increasesAs per COMELEC Resolution No. 9769

COMELEC appeals for issues based campaign

Bets running for punong barangay and barangay kagawad positions in

Eastern Visayas this October 28 barangay polls are urged to base their campaign on issues and avoid personal attacks on fellow candidates especially those from rival parties. This was revealed by Felicisimo Embalsado, COMELEC assistant regional director whose appeal is for candidates to focus on a campaign of platform of governance and not on personal issues to ensure for a peaceful and orderly election. The region’s slot for position for punong barangay numbers 4,390 while the post for barangay kagawad is 30,730. The regional COMELEC record as

of October 16 shows 7,942 candidates for barangay chairmen and 56,685 bets for barangay councilors who filed their certificates of candidacies (COCs). The filing of COCs of a 7-days period ended October 17 while October 18 is the official start of the campaign period and end on October 26. Meanwhile, the establishment of permanent mobile check-points and imposition of the gun ban policy are in place. The implementation of such measures is to ensure an orderly and peaceful election which is coordinated by COMELEC, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). (PIA-8)

DOE promotes government energy management program in Eastern Visayas

The Department of Energy Visayas Field Office is set to conduct a seminar

on government energy management program on October 22, 2012 as part of its aggressive campaign to promote energy conservation. DOE Visayas Field Office Director Antonio Labios said that the seminar which will be conducted at the 2nd Floor of the Center for Teaching Excellence of the Leyte Normal University, with participants coming from the different national government agencies and state colleges and universities in Eastern Visayas. It is the declared policy of the government to promote the judicious conservation and efficient utilization of energy resources, Director Labios said.This is done through the adoption of cost effective options toward the efficient use of energy to minimize environmental impact, he added. The DOE implements the Government Energy Management

Program (GEMP), and the National Efficiency and Conservation Program (NEECP), among other initiatives that encourage energy efficiency, Director Labios said. One of the strategies being used by the DOE is the aggressive promotion of energy conservation and energy efficient technology to effect higher energy savings both for the consumers and the producers, through information, education and communications campaign. The GEMP mandates all government institutions to reduce their electricity and fuel consumption by at least 10% while the NEECP aims to make energy conservation a way of life among Filipinos to achieve energy savings. Director Labios called on those invited participants to attend the said seminar from 8:00 o’clock to 12 o’clock in the morning of October 22. The seminar is free of charge, and lunch will be served, Director Labios added. (PIA 8)

BY: AURORA CASIMPAN

October 21, 2013 3Army officer conforms to clamors for inclusion of Guiuan town in history booksColonel Wilson Leyva, Commander,

801st Infantry Brigade of Philippine Army (PA), agreed to previous contentions of concerned parties, that the people of Guiuan should be included in the history of the Philippines because they were once part of the war that led to the freedom of the country. Leyva’s point was part of his message during the 69th Suluan Raid celebration yesterday at barangay Ngolos where he spoke as guest among other invited personalities. He read it in the internet, he said, that some concerned individuals have aired their yearnings for the inclusion of Guiuan veterans in the history of the country. In his talk, he expressed support to such nostalgic desire of some individuals, who among them, was no less than former Governor, Lt. Major Ruperto Ambil, Jr., who conceptualized and initiated the Sentimental Journey to Ngolos, Guiuan, every October 17. An appendix barangay, Ngolos, which is some three hours drive from Borongan, was the site of the US Naval Base during the WWII and where found also the war supply depot of the Americans forces. Col. Leyva reminisced that in 1944, a company of American soldiers landed in Homonhon and together with the Guiuan guerillas, they fought against the Japanese Imperial Army. The bloody fight he said which rendered the breakage of the Japanese coastal defenses, was in preparation to the landing of General Douglas McArthur in the shores of Palo, Leyte (October 20, 1944) where he fulfilled his promise, “I shall return”. “It was the start of the liberation campaign against the Japanese”, Col. Leyva pointed out. “Thus, the efforts of the war veterans in Guiuan should not be forgotten”, the Army Commander of one of the brigades of the 8th Army Division said. He added that he might write the National Historical Institute(NHI) to

include in the records of the past, the contribution of the Guiuan veterans in winning back the freedom of the Filipino people. Mrs. Priscilla Rivera Ayllon, 90, a retired school principal has the same musings. According to her, neither in the American records nor in the Philippines’ will ever be found the Guiuan veterans who offered their lives for freedom. In her wheelchair, Lola Precy, who in her earlier days was Post Commander of Guiuan Veterans Post informed that her husband was one of the guerillas who fought against the Japanese in the islet of Suluan. The 69th Sentimental Journey was marked with simple ceremonies. Mr. Berlindo Morallos, Executive Assistant of Gov. Conrado Nicart, expressed his thanks for the preparation and participation of the municipal government of Guiuan and the presence of all the Army soldiers, PNP, provincial media and other national agencies. As always, the flags of the Allied Forces during the WWII were raised in the round monument, while each national anthem was played on records: China,

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General Douglas MacArthur (center), accompanied by Lieutenant Generals George C. Kenney and Richard K. Sutherland and Major General Verne D. Mudge (Commanding General, First Cavalry Division), inspecting the beachhead on Leyte Island, 20 October 1944. (Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)

France, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, USA and the Philippines. As a start up activity, a Thanksgiving Mass was offered by Rev. Father Arturo Gonzales of Sulangan Parish, who also appealed to the participants to include in their thoughts and prayers, the victims of the 7.2 quake in Bohol and Cebu. It was followed by the 21-Gun Salute of the PA contingents and Wreath Laying Ceremony in honor of the fallen heroes by Mr. Morallos and Guiuan ABC President Paul Gonzales.(PIA-Eastern Samar)

4 October 21, 2013

Leyte Gulf Landings fete reminds us of our responsibility to our veterans – Gov. Petilla

BY: LEONILO LOPIDO

“The commemoration of the Leyte Gulf Landings remind us of the responsibility we have to our veterans who served our nation 69 years ago that ended the dark chapter in the world history.” Thus, said Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla in his

Anniversary message during the commemorative program, Sunday, at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park this municipality. Governor Petilla said that it is “our moral obligation to honor and remember the bravery of our veterans and improving the healthcare services for

them.” “Let us honor their service with actions that fulfill our commitment to our troops and their families and our veterans,” he said. Petilla said that we must not only remember their gallantry in the battlefield but also look at the lasting legacy of strength and service they brought with them. “Now more than ever, we must fulfill our duty to reward our soldiers with the bright future when they return home. Let us make the promise now to do right for our veterans. Let us make life better for them, for their grandchildren and all their descendants,” he said. “Today, let us make a promise, let us make a new pact with history to win back our economic freedom and correct the moral and political deficits of the past,” he said. The Leyte Governor said that the freedom that we are enjoying now is a result in large part of the efforts of our veterans. “We are making sure that they get what they deserve for the sacrifices they had made for this country,” he said. The 69th Anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings banners the theme, “The Filipino Veteran: Role Model for Patriotism.” (PIA-8)LEYTE GOVERNOR LEOPOLDO DOMINICO PETILLA

(PIA File Photo)

October 21, 2013 5

P-Noy exhorts...from page 1

Filipinos. The President also stressed the importance of working harder and building closer ties and goodwill with other countries. He said that countries must engage one another in a positive manner to achieve shared vision of peace, prosperity and freedom.

City Representative Roman T. Romulo, his wife Shalani Soledad-Romulo and the diplomats from Australia, Japan, New Zealand and United States of America at the arrival honors. Before the program proper began, a wreath laying ceremony was done at the monument as a salute to those who have fought and died during the war. Governor Petilla, together with Palo Mayor Remedios L. Petilla, was joined by the diplomatic corps and other guests at the wreath laying ceremony. DND Undersecretary Batac who represent the President delivered the message to the veterans and to

Leyte spearheads...from page 1

Leyte Governor Dominic Petilla said the President couldn’t make it to this year’s celebration but he expressed optimism that next year which is the 70th Anniversary and a bigger celebration, the President will already be able to attend. (PIA 8)

all Leytenos who have attended the celebration. The President has emphasized that commemorating the anniversary is not enough but more importantly, to remain committed as one people in preserving and nurturing a nation in which not only democracy but the fruits of democracy can be realized to the fullest. He also encouraged everyone to work even harder to ensure that the invaluable lessons of the past are bequeathed to and cherished by future generations. (PIA-8)

DPWH’ gravel to paved road projects nears completion

BY: MARIVIC ALCOBER

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte Fourth

Engineering District based in Ormoc City is currently conducting two gravel to paved road projects in their areas of coverage. District Engr. Lino Francisco C. Gonzalez revealed that one of the gravel to paved road project is along the Kananga-Tungonan Hot Spring, which has a contract cost of Php33,750,000.00 taken from the DPWH CY2013 funds. The ongoing project, which has 500 road shoulders, took off last January 28, 2018 and was targeted to be completed by 26 August 2013 by its contractor Octagon Concrete Solutions. It was revealed that the 90% accomplished road project is currently being conducted because it has been observed that the flow of water in said area is heavy, hence the construction of the flood control structure to protect the roadway from erosion. The second gravel to paved road project is the Merida-Lundag-Puting Bato-Consolacion-Isabel Road, which has a contract cost of Php34,620,000.00, under the contractor MAC Builders. The project, which is expected to benefit some 600 road users, started last January 28, 2013 and was targeted to be completed by July 20, 2013. To date, the road project is 89.85% completed with funds taken from the DPWH CY2013 funds. Once completed, the gravel to paved road project is expected to benefit four barangays. (PIA-8)

(L-R) Program host Manny Maano; Expert Global Solutions Recruitment Supervisor Marc Linsangan; EGS Recruitment Consultant Jethol C. Paanod; and co-host Jimmy Angay-Angay. EGS (formerly APAC) recruitment officers in Leyte guested at Suruswerte ha PIA Friday in line with their company’s promotional campaign dubbed “Your Home Your Career,” encouraging talents to find opportunities within their community. (PIA-8)

6 October 21, 2013

Pulse Asia survey indikasyon sa kusganong suporta sa kadaghanan sa tubag ni Presidente Aquino kalabot sa isyu sa PDAFMokabat og unom sa napulo ka

mga Pilipino ang mihatag og pag-aprobar ngadto sa “tubag ni Presidente Aquino ngadto sa isyu sa gitahu nga anomaloso nga gamit sa Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF),” usa ka pahayag sa publiko nga tabang alang sa Chief Executive’s nga pagpakgang sa pangurakot nga mga

reporma og inisyatibo. Sumala sa pinaka-ulahi nga Pulse Asis survey nagpakita nga kadaghanan mipaluyo alang sa panawagan sa Presidente sa “search for the truth, and to hold accountable those who are responsible.” ng survey, nga gipahigayon sa Pulse Asia gikan sa Septembre 14 hangtud

sa 27, mipahayag nga 63 porsiento ang mihatag og pag-aprobar sa tubag sa Presidente kalabot sa gikatahu nga mag-abuso, ilabina sa iyang pagkigsaad sa pagtaral kaniadtong katawhan nga nalambigit diha sa pag-abuso sa PDAF. Kini nga sentimento gipalanog sa kadaghanan sa matag geographic area (60% ngadto sa 65%) og socio-economic grouping (63% ngadto sa 68%). “Despite efforts at misdirection, our people clearly discern President Aquino’s determination to institute needed reform measures to ensure that public funds are properly used in the delivery of essential infrastructure and services,” matud ni Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma. Sumala kang Pulse Asia Research kaniadtong Septembre 2013 Ulat ng Bayab Survey, 9 sa matag 10 ka mga Pilipino (90%) ang nasayud sa mga isyu nga naglibot sa PDAF kon pork barrel. “Majority awareness levels are recorded across geographic areas (82% to 95%) and socioeconomic classes (84% to 98%). Awareness is more pronounced in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon and the Visayas (91% to 95%) than in Mindanao (82%) and in the best-off Class ABC (98%) than in the poorest Class E (84%),” ang survey nagpahayag. Ang gikatahu nga pag-abuso sa PDAF sa pipila ka mga membro sa Kongreso ang midominar sa mga balita sukad sa Septembre karong tuiga. Diha sa sentro sa gitawag nga pork barrel nga kalaboso mao ang negosyante nga si Janet Lim-Napoles, kinsa gikatahu nga responsible diha sa pagsuyop sa gibanabana nga P10 bilyones gikan sa PDAF sa pipila ka mga magbabalaod aron sa pag-peke sa non-government organizations (NGOs) nga gikatahu nga nailalom sa iyang pagkontrola. Kaniadtong Agosto 28, 2013, si Napoles mi-surender ngadto kang Presidente Aquino. Siya mi-surender duha ka semana human ang Department padayon ha page 7

October 21, 2013 7Pulse Asia survey...tikang ha page 6

of Justice (DOJ) nag-isyu og usa ka warrant of arrest alang sa kaniya og sa iyang igsoon kalabot sa mga sumbong nga seryoso og ilegal nga pag-tener sa primero nga whistleblower diha sa pork barrel nga kalaboso, nga si Benhur Luy. Si Napoles kasamtangan ubos sa kustodiya sa Philippine National Police (PNP) sa Fort Sto. Domingo, Laguna. Kaniadtong Agosto 29, 2013, ang Senate Blue Ribbon Committee nagsugod sa iyang pagsusi kalabot sa mga pregunta samtang kaniadtong Septembre 10, 2013, ang Supreme Court nagmando sa executive department sa paghunong sa pagpagawas sa nahabilin nga PDAF sa mga magbabalaod alang sa kasamtangan nga tuig. Kaniadtong Septembre 16, 2013, ang DOJ nagpasaka og plunder, graft, pagpanuhol og malversasyon nga mga sumbong atubangan sa Ombudsman batok kang kanhi Senate President Enrile, Senador Estrada og Revilla, Napoles og 34 ka ubang mga katawhan. (Gibinisaya ni esg/PIA8 SoLeyte)

8 October 21, 2013

Basey sailboat rider bags top prize in 69th Leyte Gulf Landings fete Subiran RegattaOrlando Baclea-an, a sailboat rider

from Basey, Samar emerged as the champion in the Subiran Regatta conducted as one of the side lights of the 69th Leyte Gulf Landings Anniversary celebration on October 20, 2013. Baclea-an outsmarted 39 other sailboat riders to bag the first prize in the Subiran Regatta witnessed by thousands of spectators including the guests and dignitaries who attended the just-concluded Commemorative Program. He expressed joy in winning the top prize and for his fellow Baseynon participants who also won in the water sports which is usually dominated by the riders from Carigara, Leyte. Baclea-an was referring to his townmate Marlo Deloverjes, Jonathan Yaras andMichael Deloverjes who won the fifth, sixth and seventh places, respectively. Only one Basey participants

Palo Mayor Remedios “Matin” Petilla awards a trophy and cash prize worth P15,000 to grand prize winner Orlando Baclea-an (back to the camera) of Basey, Samar during the Subiran Regata competition in connection with the 69th anniversary of Leyte Gulf Landings held at the Red Beach, Palo, Leyte,October 20. (PIA-8)

did not land in the top ten. Meanwhile, Carigara riders Romulo Juli, Crispo Sumalinog, Rogelio Nicdao and Mateo Arcoseba landed on the second, fourth, eighth and ninth places, respectively. Noel Jaca of San Jose, Tacloban City won the third place while Francisco Nicdao of Tacloban City landed in the tenth place. Some 40 saiboats equipped with beautiful sails coming from Leyte and Samar made a postercard-like scene

at the venue of the Subiran Regatta, the Leyte Gulf at the historic Red Beach of Palo, Leyte, the same body of water where General Douglas MacArthur and the Allied Forces landed 69 years ago on October 20, 1944. Mr. Gilbert Eco who is the focal person of the activity said that the activity highlights environmental awareness for all the people to protect and maintain a clean ocean as 70 percent of the food that people eat come from it. (PIA 8)

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