(Continued from Dec. 31, 2020 issue)
CHALLENGING. Momentous. Action-packed. No doubt the year 2020 is all of these, and more.
As we prepare to welcome New Year 2021, let us look back at the events, institutions and people that shaped 2020 and made it historic.
Undoubtedly, there are many. The staff of this paper endeavored to pick some of the more significant ones. What are yours?
We truly hope and pray that we have learned valuable insights from 2020 and use them as we face yet another challenging year ahead.
YAMASHITA TREASURE BURIED IN IGBARAS?
An excavation at a private lot in Barangay Pasong, Igbaras town alarmed residents.
Behind an enclosure surrounding the lot, men were reportedly digging for treasures.
Some residents said the diggers were looking for the buried gold treasures of World War 2 Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita.
But what worried residents were the possible adverse effects of the excavation on their village such as landslide, soil erosion and the earth caving in.
Eventually, Mayor Jaime Esmeralda sought the help of the provincial government and National Museum of the Philippines which eventually ordered a stop to the diggings.
Barangay Captain Cornelio Elumba of Pasong dismissed speculations there could be Yamashita treasures buried in his village.
“Kon tuod nga may ara, kontani damo nga mal-am ang mahambal sina,” he said.
Yamashita was assigned to defend the Japan-colonized Philippines from the advancing Allied forces in the waning years of World War 2. He failed to stop the Allied advance, and Japan ultimately surrendered in August 1945.
Before his Philippine assignment, Yamashita and his men were said to have plundered other Southeast Asian countries that Japan attacked and/or invaded during the war and buried the loot in the Philippines.
PANDEMIC HURTS MUSLIM TRADERS IN BORACAY
The pandemic-induced lockdowns and limited job opportunities have taken a heavy toll on business owners. Many folded up. In Boracay Island, many Muslims traders were forced to make tough but necessary decisions.
So far, 231 Muslims have returned to Mindanao with no permanent jobs and savings.
The price tag of returning home meant leaving relatives and loved ones in Boracay Island.
With the pandemic’s end still uncertain, it is likely the repatriated Muslims could be staying home longer in Mindanao.
In March, Boracay banned tourists in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Boracay Island has yet to return to pre-pandemic highs. More tourists are hoped to return, with COVID-19 restrictions gradually eased since September.
‘VERY FRUSTRATING’SLOW PROGRESS ON WV MEGA BRIDGE
“This is very frustrating.” This was Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon’s lament over the slow pace of progress on the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PNG) bridge.
“It is just like business-as-usual for the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH),” said the Senate minority leader during a Senate hearing on the agency’s proposed 2021 budget.
The PNG bridges will allow easier access and open a network of more convenient transportation linkage that can transform the flow of people, goods and services between the three islands of Panay (comprising Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo provinces), Guimaras, and Negros (Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental).
Drilon pressed Public Works secretary Mark Villar to fast-track the construction of the proposed bridge that will connect the three major islands in Western Visayas.
“We hope to make it happen during this administration,” he told Villar.
The 32-km PGN bridge is composed of two phases: the Panay-Guimaras bridge which totals 13 kilometers and the Guimaras-Negros at 19.37 kilometers.
PDEA-6 BURNS P8.2M ILLEGAL DRUGS
Around P8.2 million worth of confiscated illegal drugs and expired medicines were destroyed through thermal incineration at the crematorium of a funeral parlor in Barangay Balabago, Jaro, Iloilo City in October.
The illegal drugs were methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth P7.772 million, marijuana worth P448,995 and the rest were expired medicines, according to Graziella Tanaleon, spokesperson of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6.
Destroying seized illegal drugs through incineration was a protocol instituted by the Dangerous Drugs Board in Regulation No. 1, Series of 2002 and by Section 21 of Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The illegal drugs, confiscated between 2010 and 2014 including last year’s seizures, were already presented as evidence by PDEA in drug-related court cases.
GOAL: PLANT 1.5M TREES IN ONE DAY
On Sept. 26, the provincial government of Iloilo planted 1.5 million trees through a massive province-wide tree planting activity dubbed “Tanum Iloilo: Tree Growing With Social Distancing”.
Tree planting was pursued despite the coronavirus pandemic. Health protocols were strictly observed such as maintaining physical distancing, wearing of facemasks and face shields, and washing of hands.
The provincial government enlisted the support of all local government units, national government agencies, non-government organizations, schools, religious organizations, media and the social media netizens, business and other sectors.
Participants were allowed to do the tree planting (fruit trees, indigenous trees, bamboo, and coconut, etc.) in any area of their choosing.
Each household was also encouraged to plant at least five seedlings, preferably fruit trees.
To ensure the survival of the trees, Barangay Service Point Officers, barangay officials and municipal environment officers were tasked to monitor and evaluate the seedlings within three months after the planting.
BIG SHABU HAULS IN BACOLOD / NEGROS
THROUGHOUT 2020, a string of police operations netted huge volumes of shabu valued in millions of pesos in Bacolod City.
For example, shabu weighing about 1.2 kilograms valued around P18.08 million was seized in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City in Jan. 10.
Two days after, on Jan. 12, antidrug operatives recovered shabu worth P2.5 million in Barangay San Pedro, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.
There were many other seizures made in succeeding months – perhaps an affirmation that indeed, Bacolod City (and by extension Negros Occidental) is “shabulized.”
CHAINSAW PERMITS IN ANTIQUE RESCINDED
To avert further damage in Antique’s protected forests due to rampant cutting of trees, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Antique provincial office has cancelled all chainsaw permits in the province.
The Provincial ENR Office (PENRO) disclosed that a substantial number of trees were cut down using chainsaws in Barangay Inyawan, Libertad, Antique, a protected area covered by the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park (NPPNP).
This was discovered when DENR conducted a patrol and monitoring activity. The area was converted into a kaingin (slash-and-burn farming) site and later planted with agricultural crops such as ginger and other root crops.
The monitoring report showed that the affected area was about 0.25 hectares and fell within the Strict Protection Zone of the NPPNP.
PENRO chief Andres Untal said unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of the quarantine restrictions in the past months to extract and exploit the natural resources of the province.
BOY, 10, PLAYING WITH GUN SHOOTS FRIEND
A 10-year-old boy playing with a gun shot his Grade 9 friend in Leon, Iloilo. The friend, a 16-year-old lad, died.
The shooting happened on Jan. 18 at the house of the school principal of Leon Central Elementary School, George Callarga, 50.
The victim was a scholar of the elementary school principal at Buga National High School in Leon and was staying at his benefactor’s house in Barangay Poblacion, Leon.
The 10-year-old boy, on the other hand, was doing errands for the principal.
At the time of the shooting around 10 p.m., Callarga was not in the house, according to the Police Captain Felix Perez, Leon police chief.
The Grade 9 student was hit on the left thigh.
According to Perez, the gun – a .40 pistol – was kept in a drawer and the boys managed to find it.
The victim was taken to the Aleosan District Hospital where he died.
Responding policemen recovered the .40 pistol.
2,206 ANTIQUE RESIDENTS HAVE TYPE 2 DIABETES
From January this year to Nov. 5, Antique recorded 2,206 residents suffering from Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body metabolizes sugar (glucose) — an important source of fuel for the body.
With type 2 diabetes, the body either resists the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into the cells — or doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels.
Between 2015 and 2019, diabetes was one of the 10 leading causes of death in Antique, said Jenevieve Gabin, Nurse II, Integrated Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Program of the Antique Provincial Health Office.
There is no cure for Type 2 diabetes but losing weight, eating well and exercising can help manage the disease.
If diet and exercise are not enough to manage the blood sugar well, one may also need diabetes medications or insulin therapy.
REGION 6 POSTS SHARP DROP IN MEASLES CASES
THE ongoing community quarantine due to coronavirus disease 2019 may have helped reduce cases of measles in Western Visayas.
The Department of Health (DOH) recorded 56 measles cases this year since January – a sharp drop from the 3,312 measles cases in 2019.
“The community quarantine limited the mobility and interaction of people. Since mostly ara sila sa sulod sang balay, virus transmission from one person to another stopped or slowed down,” said Dr. Daphynie Teorima, head of DOH Region 6’s Expanded Immunization Program.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world. Signs and symptoms include high-grade fever, rashes, cough, and eye infection.
Measles can lead to complications such as pneumonia, ear infection, blindness, severe diarrhea, and swelling of the brain.
Here are the Region 6 areas with measles cases this year:
* Antique – 23
* Negros Occidental – 15
* Bacolod City – nine
* Iloilo province – eight
* Aklan – one
On the other hand, the provinces of Capiz and Guimaras and Iloilo City recorded zero measles cases since January.
ANTIQUEÑA CITED IN SPIRIT OF HONG KONG AWARDS
A domestic helper from Antique was a big winner in the recent 8th Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.
Forty-two-year-old Rodelia Pedro Villar, whose roots were from the Antique towns of San Jose and San Remigio, was cited as the “Lion Rock People’s Choice” – the first Filipino to be nominated and to win the award.
Villar has lived in Hong Kong for more than 17 years. She was cited for her work with the Domestic Workers Corner, formerly Lovely’s Corner, a Facebook page she founded in 2017 to help provide emotional support and information to fellow Filipina domestic helpers who are in need or in trouble.
The annual awards, co-organized by the South China Morning Post and property developer Sino Group, recognize remarkable people whose accomplishments may go unnoticed.
Citing the group’s mission statement, Villar said she wanted to help members in need, explain to them their rights, and encourage them to assert these when necessary.
“I focus on how to help members avoid getting into trouble,” she said.
Villar collaborates with local organizations and churches, and keeps close contact with the Consulate General of the Philippines in Hong Kong in helping those in need of advice or information.
SANDIGANBAYAN CLEARS MONICO
The Second Division of the Sandiganbayan absolved former Bacolod City congressman and mayor Monico Puentevella and co-accused Jessie Garcia over the alleged overpriced information technology packages distributed to different city schools.
The procurement in question was made when Puentevella was still Bacolod’s Lone District representative.
In his decision on Criminal Case No. SB-14- CRM- 0108 and promulgated on Nov. 16, Associate Justice Oscar Herrera Jr. said Puentevella and Garcia were acquitted “for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.”
Puentevella and Garcia were also absolved from any civil liability, as “acts from which liability may arise do not exist.”
BEING ‘TOPLESS’ TABOO IN ROXAS CITY
When in Roxas City, make sure you have your upper body clothing on.
Going topless or bare-chested in public there is now a crime for both men and women punishable with a fine or even imprisonment.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Roxas City passed an ordinance for this. City councilors said they wanted to promote “decency, propriety and orderliness”.
But there are exemptions to this “no topless” policy:
* persons inside private premises
* activities or events with special permit issued by the city government/implement agencies
* in cases of medical emergencies
* indigenous peoples wearing ethnic clothes
* when in public swimming pools, beaches and rivers
* persons engaged in sports activities
LA CARLOTA CITY MAYOR PASSES AWAY
The city of La Carlota in Negros Occidental mourned the loss of their mayor Luis “Jackie” Jalandoni III.
He passed away around noon on Jan. 7, 2020 due to liver cancer at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Makati City.
Jalandoni had been undergoing medical treatment for the past two years. He had served his hometown as councilor and vice mayor, too.
He died while serving his second term as his city’s chief executive.
Jalandoni was replaced by his vice mayor, Rex Jalandoon.
POPE NAMES ARCHBISHOP OF CAPIZ A CARDINAL
In an unusual consistory at the Vatican in November, Pope Francis formally elevated Archbishop Jose Advincula of Capiz to the rank of cardinal.
Advincula, however, failed to make it to the Vatican – seat of the 1.2 billion-strong Roman Catholic Church – and attend the ceremony due to coronavirus disease pandemic travel restrictions.
Advincula, 68, instead followed the consistory at the archbishop’s residence in Roxas City via livestream from St. Peter’s Basilica.
The new cardinal admitted having “apprehensions” because of the tasks attached to his new mission.
The Holy See press office said a representative of the Pope would present Advincula with the red hat, cardinal’s ring and title connected with a Roma parish “at a time to be decided later”.
Advincula will also receive his distinctive insignia.
All the new cardinals, who promised to obey the Pope, are tasked to offer him advice and eventually elect his successor.
Advincula is eligible to vote in a conclave (election for a new pope).
CONSTRUCTION OF P480-M UNGKA FLYOVER STARTS
The construction of the P480-million flyover in Barangay Ungka II, Pavia, Iloilo started in January. Work will last for 18 months, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways Region 6.
When completed, the 453.70-meter flyover will stretch from the Petron gasoline station up to the intersection of the Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue and the road leading to Parc Regency Subdivision.
It is expected to ease traffic congestion in the area and smoothen the travel between Iloilo City and the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
