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Believe it or not, but Ormoc City, a host community to geothermal plants and recipient of millions of subsidies, still has 67 sitios that do not have electricity. Cong. Lucy Torres-Gomez, in the little she can do to help in this area, energized at least five sitios in RM Tan and Airport on Saturday, January 28, saying she believes that having electricity would spur progress in a particular locality. Max Torcinde, ISD manager of Leyeco V, is seen on the microphone (lower picture) emphasizing in his announcement that the project was really through Lucy’s efforts, apparently trying to avoid a repeat of a past energization, the credit of which was grabbed from Lucy by her political rivals.

THE ORMOC City Chamber of Commerce and the City Government have been given 20 days by the Energy Regulatory Commission to file their position papers as oppositors of the application of Leyte Electric Cooperative V for a 77-centavo hike on power rate in the next five years, intended to fund P 1.045-billion worth of capital expenditures.
ERC commissioner Atty. Ronaldo Gomez, who presided over the second hearing of the application on January 25 (Wednesday) initially gave the City Government, represented by Barangay Affairs officer Ben Matiga five days, but upon persuasion of the Chamber to be given more time to come up with an intelligent opposition, was also given the same period of 20 days.
Businessman Iñigo Larrazabal said that the ERC should give the chamber more time, considering that the public was not well-informed about the application. He enumerated that everybody was caught by surprise about the application and that even Leyeco V’s lawyer says the requisite publication and posting have been complied with, “compliance may be what is right under the law but might not be what is just”.
Pete Ilagan of NASECORE, on the other hand, filed a motion to dismiss, claiming that ERC is not the proper body to hear the application because its job is to set the rates and not to grant applications for CapEx.  Even as he moved that the hearing is suspended, pending the resolution of the motion to dismiss, the ERC ordered its continuance.
Leyeco V was then given the floor to present its application, while Ilagan asked questions almost line by line, pointing out lumpsum appropriations which he said were not transparent. The hearing went up to around 4:00 PM.
At this juncture, Ilagan pulled a surprise when asked by the ERC who will his witnesses be. He said they would be board president Joselito Yap, treasurer Adelina Y. Larrazabal, Lito David, Amparo Bonghanoy and Lamitz Pañares.
Leyeco V manager Engr. Juanito Jorda and lawyer Atty. Gula were fast to ask who would foot their traveling expense, in case the next hearing would be held in Manila. Jorda said he will not allow the expense to be charged to Leyeco V.
ERC officer Gomez also said while he cannot say as of that afternoon where the next hearing would be, there was the possibility it would be held in ERC-Manila.
The ERC officer also informed those present that while the Chamber and the City have been recognized as oppositors, it is only the NASECORE represented then by its president Pete Ilagan, that is the legit intervenor and allowed to cross the witnesses presented. However, he gave the assurance that all positions would be taken into consideration and historically, ERC studies such applications closely and usually adjusts the proposed increases.
On the other hand, Ben Matiga said he was just requested to attend the hearing that morning, because city legal officer Atty. Augustine Vestil Jr. was not around. However, from what he understands, the city is already prepared with its opposition. In presenting the city’s intention to become an oppositor, Matiga told the ERC that “we’ve heard information that Leyeco is making P 15 to P 20-million a month” and the city is keen on knowing whether there is really a need to have an increase. Of the LGU’s under Leyeco V, Ormoc consumers would be hardest hit because it is where the biggest electricity users are. The impact of the 77-centavo increase on current rates would be around 10 percent.
It was not made clear if councilor Jose Alfaro Jr. would pursue his plan to sponsor a resolution to ask ERC to hold hearings on the matter in Ormoc, and that the city would be glad to led its multi-purpose center at the city hall.
Joel Brazil, Ormoc Chamber president, also said the 20-day period given should be enough. “We actually have the financial analysis ready for presentation to the lawyer or lawyers who will make the opposition for us”, he said. By Lalaine M. Jimenea

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THE FINANCE Department’s Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) has filed a graft complaint against the Customs of the Sub-Port of Isabel, Leyte here, for allegedly accumulating wealth beyond his salary and lawful income.
Based on the complaint filed by RIPS with the Ombudsman on January 12, 2012, Sevellino C. Tomol, Customs Collector I, accumulated unlawful wealth beyond his salary as a public servant and other lawful income, failed to report several real properties and improvements thereon, mis-declared the actual values of his assets, and provided false and deceptive information regarding his properties and business interests in his sworn Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN).
A careful comparative analysis of Tomol’s SALNs for the years 2000 to 2010 revealed that he owned a house and lot in Tacloban, ricefield, cocolands and agricultural lot in Silago, Southern Leyte, residential land and another rural land in San Carlos City, Pangasinan. Aside from his exclusive personal assets, he also purchased during the said period various motor vehicles such as a sedan, Kia Pregio van, Nissan Urvan Estate, and Toyota Hi-Ace Commuter AUV.
Supporting documents gathered by RIPS showed that in October 2007, Tomol, through a promissory note with chattel mortgage executed in favor of BPI Family Bank, bought the Nissan Urvan Estate for P1,370,000.00, tendering P411,000.00 as down payment while the outstanding balance will be paid thereafter to the tune of P35,673.00 for 36 months. Tomol also purchased in August 2008 a Toyota Hi-Ace Commuter AUV for P1,160,000.00 in cash.
“Considering that respondent was only receiving a monthly salary of P20,871.00 in 2007 and a monthly salary of P23,532.00 in 2008, it is inconceivable for respondent to be able to afford the acquisition of the two aforementioned vehicles. Such amount of expenses is definitely disproportionate to his lawful salary as a government employee,” RIPS said in its complaint.
His SALNs indicated that Tomol likewise racked up various loans and other payables in the amount of P 105,496.00 in 2000 which steadily increased to P 1,086,037.28 in 2010.
Yet, despite such acquisitions and arrears, Tomol’s service record as issued by the BOC specified that his current gross salary as Collector I is only at P 439,656.00 per annum, excluding applicable taxes.
His 2010 SALN disclosed that Tomol’s total net worth grew to P 3,754,908.72.
In the course of the lifestyle investigation, RIPS also stumbled upon Tomol’s ownership of a 216 sq.m. real property with a residential building situated in Barangays Caibaan and Marasbaras, Tacloban City which he was able to acquire through a Deed of Absolute Sale with Assignment from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) sometime in 1993. The same property was not reflected in any of Tomol’s 2000 to 2010 SALNs.
Worse, Tomol consistently represented in his 2000 to 2010 SALNs that he owned a residential lot and an agricultural land in San Carlos City, Pangasinan but which was belied by a certification from the Office of the City Assessor of the said place, confirming that neither Tomol nor any of his family members has real properties registered under their names in the said jurisdiction.
The RIPS complaint further points out that “adding to Tomol’s violations is his failure to disclose the acquisition costs of his landholdings as he only indicated its fair market values – a scheme that he adopted to conceal the actual value of his real properties so as not to stir up any notion that he accumulated wealth from unlawful sources through dishonest means”.
Insofar as his business ventures are concerned, it was discovered during the investigation that Tomol’s family was engaged in transportation business, three of which were based in Tacloban City, namely: RAMS-J Tours, acquired in November 2006 and declared in Tomol’s 2006 SALN; RAMS-J Travel Link, reported only in Tomol’s 2009 and 2010 SALNs but was actually acquired way back 2007; and Fiolah Tours, disclosed by Tomol in his 2007 SALN, notwithstanding that he was already connected to the business since December 2006. RAMS-J Tours and Fiolah Tours were registered under Tomol’s children, James and Sellah, respectively.
In contrast with his 2000 to 2005 SALNs, Tomol indicated therein that he had no business interests whatsoever during the said period of time.
Incorrigibly, Tomol held back in his 2007 SALN the fact that he and another child of his, Marped, had respective business interests in Ormoc-based RAMS-J Travel Links, formed on February 15, 2008, and BG Express, which was put up in October 2007.
However, it was verified with the City Government of Tacloban that the names of Tomol and his children do not appear in the business registry of the said locality from 2006 to date.
Extant from the available records was that RAMS-J Travel Link and Information System, located in Ormoc City, has five vans and computer units which were never disclosed in Tomol’s SALNs.
Tomol’s actuations gave rise to multiple violations of Section 7, Republic Act 3019, as amended, Section 8 (A), Republic Act 6713, Falsification of Official Documents and Perjury under the Articles 171 (4) and 183, Revised Penal Code, and Grave Misconduct and Dishonesty under the Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.
Significantly, Tomol may be placed under preventive suspension without pay pending investigation of the administrative and criminal cases against him pursuant to Section 24, Republic Act 6770, or the Ombudsman Act of 1989.
If found culpable of the aforementioned acts, Tomol is in danger of being dismissed from the service while his properties will be forfeited by the government in accordance with Section 2, Republic Act 1379, also known as Forfeiture of Ill-Gotten Wealth.
As mandated by Executive Order No. 259, series of 2003, RIPS, at present, has initiated 101 graft and lifestyle cases against one hundred forty one 142 personalities, 60 of whom were suspended from office while twenty 20 were already dismissed from service.
The EV Mail tried to get Tomol’s side in a visit to Isabel on Thursday, but the mayor’s office which made the call to arrange an appointment, was told he was not around. Source: www.rips.gov.ph

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ONE OF ORMOC’S PRETTIEST FACES, MS. LAVINIA "VIVI" HOPKIRK, is a favorite subject of local photographers covering the Sinulog in Cebu. She is a member of the San Diego Dance Troupe that is now a Hall of Famer of the Sinulog Festival, yet they continue to dance as their offering to the Holy Child. Vivi said that she’s been dancing in the Sinulog for 10 years now and she considers it her personal devotion. “We dance with friends, we dance for the people, most of all we dance for Sto. Nino”, she said. Photo by Alan “Taloy” Noval

TACLOBAN CITY – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has taken over from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) the probe of a highway robbery last October 16 where P8-million in cash were taken from the possession of two social welfare employees and P3.8-million found in the possession of PO3 Arnulfo Boco, a cop long assigned to Ormoc but a resident of Tacloban. Another accomplice, also an Ormocanon, has also been arrested.
From reliable sources, it was learned that a team from NBI-Manila led by Lawyer Romy D. Lim, chief of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) was in Tacloban for three days this month to conduct thorough investigation of the case.
The team arrived here without fanfare and left in a hush. The NBI regional director cannot be reached for comments except to confirm that their Manila office is handling the case now.
As for the personalities involved in the heist, Department of Social Welfare and Development regional director Leticia Corillo-Diokno said the two employees Vilma Aguilar, chief of the Administrative Division Regional DSWD Field Office and driver Constino Goco were put on preventive suspension effective 2nd week of January this year.  
She said the preventive suspension is for three months and their future status will depend on the findings of the case.
PO3 Arnulfo Boco, on the other hand, has been re-assigned to the PNP regional office, where he is presumably “restricted to quarters”, said Sr. Insp. Neil Montaño whose team he was under during the time of the heist.  He does not have information, however, if Boco has been suspended from service just like Aguilar and Goco.
Boco was arrested by a joint police/CIDG team after driver Goco said he recognized the robbers as the companions of the cop during a drinking session with him over the weekend. He remembers mentioning to them that they just had come from partially distributing 4P’s cash for work subsidies and had with them a lot more cash to be brought to Northern Samar on their next trip.
Boco’s complicity was proven when his brother-in-law, who lives just nearby, gave up to the arresting team a bag the cop left with them containing P3.8-million.  Sr. Insp. Bernard Lao, CIDG assistant director then, said Boco admitted to them masterminding the robbery.
The next day, the police arrested alias “John-john” who was later identified as Johnny Agcang y Lascañas, 19, a resident of Brgy. Patag in Ormoc City. Recovered from him was a Honda Wave motorcycle used as getaway vehicle during the incident, P 30,000.00 in cash, and one Colt .45 caliber pistol with serial number 835612. During the inquest and in front of media, Acgang admitted to assistant Ormoc city fiscal Gorgonia Encina-Pineda that he was the one who poked the gun on the DSWD personnel, but added it had no bullet because he was afraid it would accidentally go off.
Police are still looking for the third man, only identified by the driver as “Zaldy”.
The robbers held up the service vehicle at the Maharlika Highway at Brgy. Caibaan at around 8:30 AM.  Aguilar told probers they commandeered the car and after getting the cash box, sped away on a motorcycle towards the direction of the Coca-Cola Plant.
The two employees are also considered suspects. Tacloban City police chief Wilson Caubat earlier said he didn’t believe Aguilar and Constino Goco during the spot investigation because the inbox and sent items folder of Ms. Aguilar were empty, meaning the messages have been deleted, while the mobile phone of the driver was missing.
Up to press time, the balance of P 4,000,000 has yet to be recovered.

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THE CITY Council this week has given Mayor Eric Codilla the nod to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine National Police through city director Nilo Donaire, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Army and the DENR to establish the “Ormoc Tourist Police” for the “safety and protection of foreign and domestic tourists/travellers” in the city.
The “initial” tourist police will be actual cops with special uniforms and badges. They will be distinct from the regular police force, the city’s “park police”, members of the Civil Security Unit and traffic enforcers, and the “tulis pulis” as one businessman quipped. One Ormoc cop is now a suspect in a major heist in Tacloban City.
They are supposed to have their own uniforms and badges, long pants in the commercial and city areas, and short pants in mountain areas.
Under the MOA, the Ormoc City Police Office will “provide initial manpower, mobility, communications and armaments for the said unit”.  There is no clear-cut mention of what happens or who provides the additional personnel, arms and uniforms after the “initial manpower” shall have been provided.
Meanwhile, the City is tasked to “facilitate appropriate skill-enhancement trainings” to the force and “equip them with necessary materials and information in dealing with foreign and domestic tourists in need of police assistance”.
DILG, on the other hand, will provide awareness seminars in promoting tourism/eco-tourism programs “currently being implemented by the city government and to help source out additional funds for the LGU”.
The roles of the Army and the DENR, on the other hand, will be to beef up the Ormoc City Police office and equip the Ormoc Tourist Police on knowledge about the ecology and environment, respectively.
Councilor Lea Doris Villar, in charge of tourism, was the measure’s proponent. She said the measure was endorsed by City police director Nilo Donayre.
During the discussion, councilor Rafael Omega Jr. asked if the resolution implies that there is no cooperation at present between the agencies involved.  Larrazabal, on the other hand, commented how useful the MOA would be when protecting tourists is part of a policeman’s job
Villar said that there is just a need to formalize the creation of the unit. Police officers Chris Tiguelo and Mark Nuñez added that the Ormoc Tourist Police in actuality was already operating in the city, but where, it was not stated.
“The MOA is just for formalizing the cooperation and its establishment,” Tiguelo said, because as the resolution states, “foreign and local tourists are quite skeptical before visiting a new place for they want to make sure the safety and security of the place to feel them at ease”.
The resolution also claims that “Ormoc City is one of the tourist destinations in Eastern Visayas”, hence maintaining its peace and order is vital.
Documents attached to the council resolution pinpoints the priority tourist destination areas in the country as Metro Manila, Cebu, Camarines Sur, Baguio City, Davao City, Boracay, Cagayan de Oro, Zambales, Bohol, Puerto Princesa, Camiguin, Cagayan Valley, Negros Oriental and Ilocos Norte.
It is also recommended that the tourist police units to be established in these areas will be patterned after the Bohol Tourist Police unit model.
A high-ranking tourism official in Bohol was reached by this reporter to explain how their tourist police work and he said these are limited to known tourist hubs, in their case at Panglao and at the small island of Cabilao, usually frequented by foreign divers.
He also expressed surprise at the need for a tourist police here. “Whoa !!! Giunsa man na nila pag justify nga wa man gani tingali sila’y figures of tourist arrivals and tourists spending their money in Ormoc? Kasagaran akong na observe diha mga foreigners nga naminyo og mga locals. They are not mainly tourists”.  He said all these should be in the Tourism Master Development Plan.
Meanwhile, Tacloban City director Wilson Caubat who once served as city director here said they have seven “TOP COP”. The seven cops are divided into two, one team is assigned at the Airport and another at the Sto. Niño Shrine. As of press time, he said, the cops are “still wearing the same uniform .. we are waiting for the distinctive uniform from higher headquarters”.  By LMJ with a report from Mutya Collander

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