Congratulations to San Andres Municipal Councilor Alan del Valle for being elected unopposed as the new president of the Provincial Councilors League (PCL) in Catanduanes!
The elections for the various positions were held last Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, at Catanduanes Convention Center under the supervision of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) provincial office and a representative from the PCL national headquarters.
Del Valle, who was interim PCL president since July 1 after Panganiban Councilor Juan Velchez ended his three consecutive terms as councilor, will sit as an ex-officio member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan until June 30, 2022.
His bid for the PCL’s top post was reportedly supported by Gov. Joseph Cua and his mayor brother Peter Cua, along with Acting Gov. Shirley Abundo for whom del Valle is a valued adviser.
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Last Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, a family outing in Tambongon, Viga turned tragic when two young children died from drowning.
According to the police report, Mark Justin Tayamora Orcilada, nine years old; and his elder sister Ysha Jane, 11, were with their parents and other members of the family, all from the poblacion barangay of San Vicente, during the outing at the beach of Tambongon.
At around 10:30 A.M., the children’s mother, Sharon, told them they would be leaving for home. But the Mark Justin and Ysha Jane, along with nephew Jomar, asked for more time to continue swimming in the sea.
Jomar returned by his lonesome a little later and informed the victim’s father, Jay-R, that the two children were carried away by the strong current.
The distraught dad immediately tried to locate and rescue his children but failed. He sought the assistance of barangay officials led by chairman Borromeo Ocray, who subsequently recovered Ysha Jane’s body at 11:30 A.M., about an hour after the incident.
Her brother’s body was found at 8 P.M. after a rigorous search. Both were declared dead on arrival at the Viga district hospital where their bodies were taken.
The two siblings’ accidental but preventable death follows similar incidents in Caramoran and Baras during the recent Holy Week where the victims, six and three years old, respectively, were allegedly left unattended and were carried away by the waves.
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Early last month, the DILG issued Memorandum Circular No. 2019-129 directing all local government units to ensure a sustainable supply of organic produce and encourage their respective communities to be self-sufficient.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said the directive is in furtherance of a resolution of the National Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB) and in implementation of Republic Act 10068, also known as the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010.
Last July 17, the NOAB, through said resolution, recommended that the DILG and the LGUs, through the Gulayan sa Barangay Program, establish organic gardens based on the provisions of the Philippine National Standards for Organic Agriculture.
The plan of Acting Gov. Shirley Abundo and the OPAg to transform idle portions the sprawling capitol compound into agri-tourism landscapes dubbed as the Capitol Farmville by the last quarter of the year would hopefully include such an organic garden.
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SENIOR PROBLEMS. Three old men are sitting on the porch of a retirement home. The first says, “Guys, I have real problems. I’m seventy years old. Every morning at seven o’clock I get up and I try to urinate. All day long I try to urinate. They give me all kinds of medicine but nothing helps.”
The second old man says, “You think you have problems. I’m eighty years old. Every morning at eight o’clock I get up and try to move my bowels. I try all day long. They give me all kinds of stuff but nothing helps.”
Finally the third old man speaks up. “Mate, I’m ninety years old. Every morning at seven sharp I urinate. Every morning at eight o’clock I move my bowels. And every morning, bang on nine, I wake up.”