MANILA - The Sandiganbayan has acquitted eight barangay officials in connection with supposed irregularities in the purchase of a laptop computer for the town nine years ago. In its decision dated February 28 and published online on Wednesday, the anti-graft court's Seventh Division reversed the ruling of the Jordan, Guimaras Regional Trial Court Branch 65 and acquitted Rodolfo Galila, Mae Isabel Arevalo, Jose Henry Parcon III, Maribeth Galgo, Generoso Galgo, Nelly Badilla, Letecia Gedaca and Girlie Gaquit. Galila, the barangay chairperson, and the other accused who are concurrently members of the council and Bids and Awards and Committee of Barangay Poblacion in Nueva Valencia town had been charged with the awarding a 2013 contract for the purchase of a laptop worth PHP33,929 from Lawrence Glass and Aluminum Construction Enterprises. The charge sheet said the transaction caused undue injury to the government and gave unwarranted benefit to the supplier which was not an eligible bi
EMERGENCY MEETING. Sibalom Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (MDRRMO) Joel Odango, on Thursday (Dec. 16, 2021) calls for an emergency meeting of the Antique MDRRM Council to ensure that they are prepared for Typhoon Odette. Sibalom, which is located in the southern portion of Antique is currently under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3.(Photo courtesy of Sibalom MDRRMO) SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique - Local government units (LGUs) in Capiz and Guimaras have preemptively evacuated a total of 1,539 families in preparation for Typhoon Odette on Thursday. Cindy Ferrer, information officer of the Office of Civil Defense Western Visayas (OCD6), said the evacuees composed of 4,718 individuals from 58 barangays are staying in gymnasiums, barangay halls, and health centers identified as evacuation centers by their respective villages. Data from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) showed that 230 of the 1,539 families were from Nueva Val
SAFETY FIRST. Some of the families who were evacuated in Roxas City due to Typhoon Odette and temporarily staying at the Cogon Integrated School in Roxas City. As of 5 a.m. of Wednesday (Dec. 15, 2021) the Roxas City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported that 217 families or 706 individuals, mostly staying in coastal areas, have been pre-emptively evacuated.(Photo courtesy of Roxas CDRRMO) ILOILO CITY - An initial 217 families or 706 individuals are staying in evacuation centers in Roxas City, Capiz after a preemptive evacuation was conducted Tuesday night in preparation for Typhoon Odette. "They are staying in coastal barangays of Roxas City and they have threats of huge waves. There is a possibility that their houses will be damaged and their lives will be at risk so they were pre-emptively evacuated," Office of Civil Defense (OCD) information officer Cindy Ferrer said in an interview Wednesday. The families came from villages of Baybay, Barra, Dumolog, Cog
ILOILO CITY – As COVID-19 cases drop, the daily opening of business hours in the island province of Guimaras will be extended starting November 1. In an advisory, Guimaras Governor Samuel Gumarin has allowed the opening of business establishments from 4 a.m. until 8 p.m. while pharmacies may open f
MOBILE VACCINATION. Residents of Barangay Rizal in Buenavista receive their Covid-19 jab through mobile teams deployed by the provincial government on Oct. 21, 2021. The province has launched mobile vaccination teams to ramp up its inoculation campaign. (PNA photo courtesy of Public Information and Relations Guimaras) ILOILO CITY - The provincial government of Guimaras has strengthened its vaccination drive against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) by conducting mobile inoculation in barangays to reach wider population coverage. "This is a race against time. Kinahanglan doblehon naton ang aton paghimakas nga madamo nga pumuluyo naton ang mabakunahan para malab-ot naton ang herd immunity. We have to double time, that is why dal-on naton mismo ang bakuna sa mga kabarangayan (We need to double our efforts so more residents will be vaccinated and achieve herd immunity. We have to double time that is why we bring the vaccination to barangays)," Governor Samuel Gumarin said i