New Unofficial Web Site of Maasin City, Southern Leyte, Philippines

- IN & AROUND SOUTHERN LEYTE -

Manila (29 March) --- Lawmakers on Tuesday pushed Pilipinas Shell to pay P21 billion in taxes it allegedly owes the government even though the oil giant is still disputing the claim’s validity.

Maasin City (29 March) --- Adonis Aguelo successfully defended his Philippine Boxing Federation superbantamweight title via a split decision over Johnrey Verano of Bukidnon at the Otis Mall, Butuan City last Saturday, March 21, 2009.

Manila (29 March) --- Vice President Noli de Castro has denied reports that he received an islet as a gift from Celso de los Angeles, the owner of the collapsed Legacy Group of Companies.

Tacloban City (29 March) --- The 11 electric cooperatives operating in Eastern Visayas region yesterday questioned the rate increase granted to the National Power Corp. (Napocor), saying that it was not justified because most of the agency's assets have already been privatized.

Tacloban City (29 March) --- The government is set to distribute in Eastern Visayas 129 composting facilities worth around P45 million in a bid to strengthen the capacity of farmers to produce organic fertilizer.

PIA-8 (29 March) --- The government scores anew in its campaign for the hinterlands to become insurgent-free, as one communist leader and two others surrendered to the operatives of the 19th Infantry Battalion based in Barangay Aguiting, Kananga, Leyte on March 15.

Manila (26 March) --- A group of overseas Filipino workers accused the Philippine Overseas Employment Admnistration (POEA) on Sunday of sitting on formal complaints filed against recruitment agencies taking exorbitant placement fees.

Tacloban City (21 March) --- About 115, out of the 136 municipal government units in Eastern Visayas will have five nurses each when the NARS project is fully implemented, Department of Labor and Employment Region 8 Director Forter Puguon informed the media in the recently held Harampang Ha PIA.

Tacloban City (21 March) --- As part of the strategy to mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis, around 1,000 inexperienced nurses will be hired for emergency employment to serve in 115 poor municipalities in Eastern Visayas.

Manila (21 March) --- It's all systems go for the 1st SMART/ABAP Visayas Area Boxing Tournament in Oromoc City and Kananga town in Leyte on March 22-27 with Team Bacolod eyeing to dominate the competition.

Maasin City (21 March) --- The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) here announced the taxpaying public the implementation of "Oplan Kandado" strategy to strengthen the bureau's imposition of penalty against those non-compliant taxpayers.

Manila (21 March) --- It was hardly surprising to many Filipinos that Romeo Jalosjos would declare that he did not intend to apologize to the girl (by now a woman) that he violated. His critics would call it arrogance — a quality that may naturally be traced to his high post on the totem, which is inextricably linked to his family’s great wealth, which in turn is the primary force galvanizing the loyalty of his “constituency.”

Borongan City (16 March) -- The rehabilitation of Taft-Arteche road section, by Tacloban RAS construction, the concreting of Guiuan airport by WILPER Construction and the concreting of Laoang-Lapinig-Arteche road section by RT Morabe of Tanauan Leyte may soon provide short-term employment for skilled laborers.

Maasin City (16 March) --- A town in the pacific area and another one in Panaon island received today their share of the financial assistance intended for senior citizens aged 70 and above who are not members of State pension firms, either the Social Security System (SSS) or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Maasin City, So. Leyte (16 March) -- At least 16 Botika ng Barangay operators here received the capital assisatnce worth P25,000 of drugs and medicines from the Department of Health (DOH) during the People's Government Mobile Action (PGMA)-Serbisyo Muna Caravan held at Maasin City, Friday, March 14.

Tacloban City (14 March) -- A huge green sea turtle weighing more than 200 kilograms and is believed to be more than 100 years old, was literally assisted and helped back to its natural habitat, on March 13, 2009, at Bantay Dagat Area in Tanauan, Leyte.

Tanauan, Leyte (13 March) -- This town, which is widely known for having been twice awarded as the country's Most Business Friendly Municipality, is once again catching the attention of many.

Cebu City (11 March) --- The central bank has filed a second estafa case against the officers of the Legacy group of companies, including owner Celso de los Angeles, for allegedly swindling the solicited funds deposited in First Interstate Bank (FIB) in Leyte.

Maasin City (10 March) -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in close coordination with the Philippine Overseas Employment Adminsitration (POEA) will be conducting a Local and Overseas Jobs Fair at the City Gymnasium here on March 14, Saturday.

Cebu City (March 9) -- Legacy chief Celso de los Angeles’ headaches are now migraine-size as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) filed another set of criminal charges, its fourth, against De los Angeles and his alleged cohorts at the Legacy Group.

Tacloban City (March 8) -- Some 200 of the initial 225 employees at the newly opened APAC Customer Services, Inc., are Leyteños, Mr. Mike Marrow, APAC President and CEO informed during the press conference held right after the opening of the first call center in Leyte and in Region 8.

Maasin City (March 7) --- Southern Leyte Cong. Roger G. Mercado who keynoted the first Regional Youth Summit throughout Eastern Visayas region recently challenged the youths-participants to lead by example in order to combat climate change by protecting the environment which greatly affect our lives.

MANILA, (March 6) --- The province of Leyte is eyeing the Palarong Pambansa (National Games), set in Tacloban City in April, as an avenue to jumpstart again its sports development program.

PIA-8 (March 7) --- German Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Christian-Ludwig Weber-Lortsch said he is happy with the efficient implementation of German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) projects funded by the Federal Government of Germany, in Tanauan, Leyte.

Tacloban City (March 3) --- The very first call center in Eastern Visayas formally opened Monday with 225 employees to man its maiden operation in Palo town Leyte province.

Tacloban City (March 6) --- Thirty-three former rebels in Leyte who have returned into the folds of the law and are now enrolled at the Social Integration Program, formally received their respective livelihood package in an awarding ceremony on February 27, 2009 at 1:30 to 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon.

Cebu City (March 6) --- A town in Leyte has become the latest entity to go after Celso de los Angeles and his failed Legacy Group of 12 rural banks and three pre-need companies, and this time the complaint is not about questionable financial dealings but alleged land-grabbing.

Tacloban (March 6) --- In a matter of two hours, fourteen houses were washed out, one after the other, by big waves, on the shores of San Roque in the coastal municipality of Tanauan, Leyte, at around four o'clock in the afternoon of February 7.

Southern Leyte (March 3) --- More than 140 people were rescued Monday night after a cargo/passenger vessel incurred engine trouble off Southern Leyte, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Tuesday.

Southern Leyte (29 March) --- In time with the 23rd commencement exercises, the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) – San Juan Campus will confer 160 graduating students of their degrees likewise, Congressman Roger G. Mercado of the Lone District of Southern Leyte will be conferred Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, SLSU President Dr. Gloria M. Reyes disclosed recently.

PIA-8 (29 March) --- The government's Social Integration Program for rebel returnees is truly drawing communist terrorists back into the folds of the law.

Maasin City (29 March) --- In an effort to address the effects of global economic condition and worsening unemployment problem particularly in the province, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Southern Leyte Provincial Office here awarded its Tulong Pangkabuhayan Sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) program to the municipality of Malitbog.

PIA-8 (28 March) --- The Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) meet is set to be conducted in Leyte from March 29 to April 3, 2009, Leyte Division Superintendent Sol Lomarda informed.

GMANews.TV (27 March) --- Gamca lists diseases that would make OFWs unfit to work. The Gulf Cooperation Council-(GCC) Accredited Medical Clinics Association (Gamca) recently released the list of diseases that would render overseas Filipino workers (OFW) unfit to work in GCC countries.

Bulalat.Com (26 March) --- Human rights group Karapatan raised alarm over the new surge in extrajudicial killings. According to the Karapatan’s documentation team, 16 have been killed in just three months. Two were killed in January; seven in February and seven more in March.

Manila (26 March) --- At least 500 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) failed to leave for their jobs in the Middle East since the start of the year allegedly for not being able to “shell out grease money” to Bureau of Immigration (BI) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), sources said yesterday.

Maasin City (21 March) --- Almost a hundred people in the municipality of St. Bernard, Southern Leyte from different walks of life will find employment as soon as their livelihood projects will be implemented in full swing anytime this month following the assistance released from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) early this month.

Tacloban City (21 March) --- Operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested a man in posession of illegal firearms in Tabango, Leyte last Friday.

Manila (20 March) --- Twenty-three finance department officials and private individuals will be charged with plunder before the Sandiganbayan by the Office of the Ombudsman more than a decade after allegedly defrauding the government of more than P73.76 million in taxes in the tax credit scam between 1994 and 1996.

Tacloban City (19 March) --- Over 500 registered nurses, including those who recently passed licensure tests, would land a job in Eastern Visayas under the national government's Project Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (Nars).

Tacloban City (18 March) --- MY introduction to Tacloban City in Leyte, and to this region for that matter, it being the gateway to the Eastern Visayas, came when my brother-in-law married a Waray and decided to live there. Since then I have become a regular visitor, using the city as a stepping stone to exploring the wonders of the region.

Negros (16 March) --- A top national government official has recently proposed to link the island provinces in Visayas via bridges to spur brisk economic growth in the area.

Manila (19 March) --- More than 25 boxing teams representing the different provinces, cities and municipalities in the Visayas are feverishly gearing up for the 1st Smart/ABAP Area Boxing Tournament which kicks off on March 22 to 27 in the neighboring Ormoc City and Kananga town in Leyte.

Manila (19 March) --- Convicted child rapist and former Zamboanga del Norte congressman Romeo Jalosjos is expected to walk out of prison a free man today after completing a commuted 16-year sentence.

Tacloban City (16 March) -- A total of 5,104 people availed of the medical and dental services conducted on March 12-14, 2009 in Southern Leyte by the PGMA (Philippine Government Mobile Action) Serbisyo Muna.

Cebu City (12 March) -- A white sand island with tree-fringed shore of waving palms and lush beach foliage in Leyte helped the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) nail Legacy Group owner Celso de los Angeles in their syndicated estafa case filed at the justice department and perjury case at the Ombudsman's office.

Tacloban City (10 March) -- The search is on for the most outstanding barangay council in the first district of Leyte, an official from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced.

Maasin City (March 9) -- The Social Security System (SSS) has informed that six (6) slots are allocated for the local office here in a nationwide summer job training program designed to cushion the impact of the global financial crisis.

Tacloban City (8 March) -- When Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla said that the province of Leyte will rehabilitate the Leyte Sports Complex and the facilities necessary for the staging of the 2009 Palarong Pambansa, never did the public imagine that he really meant "state-of-the-art" facilities.

Tacloban City (March 8) -- Over a hundred Manila-bound passengers were stranded for hours Monday at the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport this city when a Philippine Air Lines (PAL) plane developed an electrical problem.

Maasin City (March 7) --- Over a hundred hogs were reported dead in two consecutive weeks now throughout the province, however, in Maasin City, City Agriculturist Amado Acasio ruled out Ebola Reston virus as the cause of deaths so far as some weakened hogs still respond to medications.

PIA-8 (March 7) --- Tanauan, Leyte has a good reason to be beaming with pride nowadays. Its beautiful lass, twenty-one year old Maila Carl Morantte landed in the 9th place with a rating of 86.60 percent, in the recent Nursing Board examinations.

Maasin City (March 7) --- At least 12 municipalities and 1 city in Southern Leyte started using the Modified Rice Composting introduced by the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPAg) here, Norberto Tagana, OPAg Supervising Agriculturist reported this morning.

Tacloban City (March 5) --- The typhoons and floods that swept through Eastern Visayas, one of the country's poorest regions, last year damaged P1.7-billion worth of private and government infrastructures across the region.

Tacloban City (March 6) --- About 67 civic minded individuals from Tacloban City and from several other municipalities in the first District of Leyte responded to the call of Tacloban City Parole and Probation Office to become its volunteers who could assist the office in the rehabilitation of its clients.

PALO, Leyte (March 6) --- One of the enemies of coconut trees, the coconut leaf beetle or brontispa, has affected 449, 095 trees in 22 towns and three cities in Eastern Visayas region.

Southern Leyte (March 4) --- The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday announced that Southern Leyte is now free of mosquito-borne filariasis disease after seven years of mass drug administration.

Tacloban City (2 March) -- Among the many major infrastructure projects in the Region, the construction of the P995.037 M Agas-agas Bridge in Sogod, Southern Leyte is 4.89 percent ahead of target, as of January 25, 2009.