CEBU CITY
About a third of more than 600 inmates of the Mandaue City Jail have suffered from flu-like symptoms since last week, and a health official warned the ailments could spread faster in such congested quarters. Officials from the Department of Health (DOH) in Central Visayas visited the jail Sunday to collect swab samples from about 177 inmates, as a precaution against influenza A (H1N1). Most of these inmates suffer from pre-existing conditions, one factor that has turned an otherwise mild flu into a potentially fatal illness.
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The news of the Bamboo Taxis is running through the whole world – and they come from? LEYTE – Tabontabon. Read the full article for pictures of this new vehicle!
In the search for a low-cost, fuel-efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly alternative to motorcycles, the mayor of a city in the Philippines recently rolled out two incredible taxis crafted from one of our favorite renewable materials – bamboo! Rustico Balderian, mayor of Tabontabon, has commissioned the construction of two taxis made from 90% bamboo that are powered by coconut biodiesel – take that steel-based cars!
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DAVAO CITY
Human rights officials have linked some members of the Davao City Police Office-Heinous Crime Investigation Section (DCPO-HCIS) to summary killings in the city. Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chief Leila de Lima said an informant, who confessed to be a former member of the so-called Davao Death Squad, told them that some members of the HCIS were responsible for the abduction and death of some victims of summary executions in the city.
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The mayor of Palompon, Leyte has issued an order deputizing fish wardens, police and staff from the Human Ecological Security Group to stay in Kalanggaman Island, which the municipality has taken back from Celso delos Angeles of the Legacy Group.
Palompon Mayor Eulogio Tupa said a clean-up drive in the island is set next week. They will invite government and non-government organizations (NGOs), civic groups, academe and concerned individuals to participate in the coastal clean-up.
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COTABATO CITY
The Cotabato City council has offered a P1-million reward for anyone who could provide information leading to the identities and arrest of persons responsible in the bombing on Sunday.
City Council presiding officer and Vice Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. said the amount would be given to anyone who could inform authorities about the people behind what he described as an “evil act,” which killed six people and wounded 52 others.
“We believe the attacker or attackers are still here, whoever he is he should face the bar of justice,” Guiani said.
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COTABATO CITY, Philippines
The man who was seen leaving a backpack at the roast pig store in front of the Cotabato Immaculate Conception Cathedral before the explosion that left five people dead and at least 40 wounded has been identified.
Rico Aburva, 34, was arrested inside the compound of the Cotabato Immaculate Conception Cathedral right before the bomb went off, said Chief Superintendent Josefino Cataluña, director of Central Mindanao region police. Aburva is now undergoing police interrogation to determine his involvement in the incident. Cataluña said that police will also be looking at footage from the closed circuit television camera from the nearby Central Bank office to possibly identify those responsible for the brutal attack.
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COTABATO CITY, Philippines
Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo has just finished reading the Sunday gospel and was about to start his homily at around 8:40 a.m. when a loud explosion ripped a roadside roasted pig store in front of the Cotabato Immaculate Conception Cathedral.
The blast at the LC Omega Letchon Haus left five persons dead, including a boy, two Army troopers, an elderly woman, and a man said to be suffering from a mental disorder, Mayor Muslimin Sema said, quoting police reports relayed to him. One of the fatalities was identified as Ruby Ramirez, a lechon vendor.
Superintendent Willie Dangane, city police chief, said the explosion at the corner of Macacua Street and Quezon Avenue happened as churchgoers were filing out after an early morning mass.
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Along the strip of fertile coast, our forefathers founded this community which assumed the role of cabeceria of all the municipalities in the northwestern side of Leyte. The pueblo was originally named Hinablayan. There were yet no streets in those days, only trails and mountain paths, big trees and wild games. Fish, sea shells and other marine products abounded. People fished along the shore with arrows tied to vines. They just threw them to schools of fish along the coast and pulled them with fish already hooked. That was life in the early days of our town.
However, such a settlement so well-endowed by nature attracted not only hardworking migrants but also fierce Moro raiders from the south. Legends tells that local defenders use to hang on tree branches the dead bodies of the Moros, so that the place come to be known as Hinablayan.
The legend continues that when the Spaniards came they saw floating at the bay a cluster (pong pong) of mangrove propagules locally known as “Tungki” they have decided to change the name of Hinablayan to Paungpung which gradually evolved into what is now Palompon, after that beautiful cluster of mangrove propagules to erase the bloody memory of the Moro raiders. It is said that cluster later got stuck to the shoal until they grew up as trees, forming an islet which is Tabuk island today.
In 1737, Jesuit missionaries arrived and built the first chapel which was later burned during a Moro raid. It was rebuilt and as a refuge from attack the chapel was enclosed with piled stones, with a “cota” along the frontage. When the people saw Moro vintas coming, the big church bell would ring the alarm and people rushed inside the church, fighting back with bows and arrows and spears.
It is the place where the fiercest battle among the early settlers and Moro raiders happened sometime in 17th and 18th century, or even earlier. Our forefathers stood defiantly and fought those Muslim pirates during that decisive encounter. Many among the local warriors perished, and some women are held captive one of them is a young woman named Tomasa, daughter of a local warrior and leader.
At the time Palompon was under the parish of Hilongos. The parish priest visited the place occasionally for marriage, baptism and masses.
The Jesuit, later succeeded by the Agustinians, built the present church with 300 natives. It was a forced labor without pay. If one or some of the laborers were unable to work, they were substituted by others just to maintain the quota every day for the next thirty years. The structure soon became a great landmark towering over the settlement of Palompon, reputed to be the oldest church in Leyte. On November 12, 1784 Palompon obtained its parochial independence from Hilongos.
The town of Palompon is one of the oldest coastal settlement in Northwestern Leyte. It existed for more than four centuries already. Folklore says that it was Hinablayan before because of its gory objects found along the coast. The dead bodies of the enemies (Moros) that are hanged at the branches of the tree. However, these remained an oral tradition up to now.
The name Hinablayan evolved to Palompong, and then to Palumpun (spelling of Palompon sometime in 1700 or 1800). It is indisputably a very old town. Ormoc was part of Palompon parish from 1784 until 1851, when finally it was declared as an independent parish. Villaba and Matag-ob are both part of the territorial jurisdiction of this town before it obtain its municipio (pueblo) status.
But there are no available records in our town about our very interesting history. In 1990, then Mayor Viacrucis together with historian, Arcadio “Carding” Molon Jr, and Antonio E. Reposar came up with a book that established some facts about the significant past of Palompon. It was an attempt to give a clear picture of the things that happened to this town. It has complete names of town leaders (mayors and capitan municipal) from 1852 until present , municipal mayors, parish priests from 1784 until present, names of beauty queens and damas from 1914.
It was a good and laudable accomplishments, but there are still many things that are unknown to many Palomponganons.
The history of the people’s struggle should be verified so that the younger generations of Palomponganons and Leytenos will know how their forefathers generously shed their blood for the noble cause.
Sadly, little is known on what must have been to be a very fascinating story. The place has some artifacts and relics that came from the past. One of these, is the century-old cannon, believed to be used by the natives during the violent Moro raids in 17TH and 18TH centuries. But there are no established facts that can claim that the said cannon was used by the early Palomponganons during those encounters, or where did it came from. Another, is the wooden image of the patron saint, St. Francis Xavier, place in a glass and wooden urn, which was brought by the Jesuits missionaries in mid-17TH century.
Lately, the book of Manuel Artigas de Cuerva “Resena de la Historia de la Provincia de Leyte” has a fascinating revelation. That the cannon found in our plaza was used by the early Palomponganons during Moro raids and that they have sustained in a nine-day battle that took place sometime in late 17TH century, that the people rushed to the stone church (newly completed at that time) and took refuge for more than a week, that the Moros suffered losses in that encounter. It was the only recorded victory among the natives in all the raids that happened Leyte perpetrated by these bandits.
Some other towns, however, was devastated by the onslaught of these violent raids, like Ogmuk in December 3, 1634 (now Ormoc) whose priest, Fr. Juan del Carpio was brutally killed by the raiders by the use of kampilan, with more than 300 natives perished because the bandits slaughtered them mercilessly, and other towns suffered losses also when these Muslim bandits plundered whatever riches they could take from these places, and took its natives captive. In Ogmuk, the early settlers in the coastal villages (now the present site of Linao, Alegria, Punta and Naungan) find its way to live in the hinterland, the reason why the settlement of Palungpung (now Palompon) flourished and expanded earlier than that of Ogmuk.
