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PCOS critic Glenn Chong says ambush-slay of aide was planned. Was he the real target?

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Philippines News Agency, BusinessMirror

LAWYER Glenn Chong, an election reform advocate and now senatorial aspirant, cried foul over police allegations that his slain bodyguard is a member of a syndicate, and described the alleged “encounter” as orchestrated by lawmen.

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency on Tuesday, Chong claimed his aide Richard Y. Santillan was murdered, contrary to police report that he figured in an early Monday dawn ambush.

Richard Y. Santillan
Richard Y. Santillan

“Nakita ko yung sasakyan ko (I saw my car), it was riddled with bullets,” Chong said.

In his Facebook post Monday, Chong dared people to look at his car to determine if “it was an encounter or an ambush”.

He said his aide was allegedly ambushed by the police in Cainta, Rizal.

He added that he and Santillan were together in Naga City for some political activities related to his senatorial bid, but the latter sought permission to leave ahead for a gift-giving engagement for indigent children on Sunday in Cainta, Rizal.

“Ang ginagawa po niya, pumupunta po siya sa mga schools na may mahihirap na mga bata. Tapos pinasusulat niya ng wish list for Christmas. Tapos, he and our group requested our friends for the gifts, na idi-distribute niya. Sunday, he was scheduled to distribute it, kaya pinayagan ko siya na umuwi na mauna(What he does is that he goes to schools where there are poor school children. Then, he requests the kids to write their wish list for Christmas. Then, he and our group request our friends for the gifts which he would later distribute. Sunday, he was scheduled to distribute it, that’s why I allowed him to leave ahead of me),” Chong said.

He said Santillan was with a group of police, fire, jail officers and army at that time for the gift-giving activities.

He claimed his aide was allegedly murdered by the police at around 2 a.m. on December 10 in Cainta, Rizal, based on a video they have obtained.

According to Chong, the video footage showed there were patrol cars in front and at the back of Santillan’s car, contrary to the police spot report that his aide engaged lawmen in a shootout.

“That’s against human nature kung alam mong may patrol car sa harap, may patrol car sa likod (if you are aware you have a patrol car in front, and a patrol car at the back),” he said.

He also belied police claims they found in Santillan’s possession three packets of shabu, adding that “when the victim is dead you can always plant evidence there.”

He also pointed some loopholes in the police spot report on allegations that Santillan was a suspected member of the Highway Boys Group which operates in Taytay, Cainta and Pasig City.

“Papatunayan ko sa husgado na si Richard Santillan ay katabi ko halos 24/7. Lahat ng kaibigan ko, kilala si Richard Santillan. Kung si Bong Go ay kay Pangulo, si Richard Santillan naman kay Glenn Chong [ I will prove in court that Richard Santillan is practically with me 24/7. All of my friends know Richard Santillan. If Bong Go is with President Duterte, then Richard Santillan is with Glenn Chong],” read Chong’s post on his FB account.

“In my eight years, even in my associations with politicians and high-profile persons [they] know that Richard is always with me, and I also introduced him to the “big” personages, because I treat him as a brother,” Chong said.

He also confirmed that he gifted Santillan with a Gloc firearm registered under his aide’s name and that Santillan may not have brought the registered firearm with him during the incident. Chong suspects the firearms and a grenade were planted as these were reportedly found in his aide’s possession.

He added that to his knowledge, Santillan had no known “enemies” except some people in Smartmatic and the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Chong had been a thorn in Smartmatic’s side since the 2010 elections, when it won the Comelec bidding to provide the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) for the country’s first automated elections. Chong was among the first and most consistent critics of the PCOS system, which he said could be gamed.

“Malinaw ang mensahe nito sa akin. Wala akong ibang kalaban maliban sa sindikatong riding in tandem – ang Comelec at Smartmatic. Ito lang ang tanging anggulo na nakikita ko. Tinatakot nila ako at gusto nila akong pilayan by going after the people na malapit sa akin. HINDI SILA MAGWAWAGI [The message is clear to me. I have no known enemy except the syndicate riding in tandem—Comelec and Smartmatic. This is the only angle I can see here. They are trying to scare me and are paralyzing me by getting rid of people around me. THEY WILL NOT SUCCEED],” he said.

A police spot report said Santillan was driving Chong’s car when still unidentified assailants peppered the car with bullets, killing him instantly in what police reported as an “encounter”.

Reports said there were 30 bullet holes in the car, and Chong said the incident proved the attackers were keen on killing their target.

Chong is known to be an election reform advocate and was the one who exposed the alleged anomaly in the 2016 vice-presidential race between Leni Robredo and Bongbong Marcos.

He added that Smartmatic had a hand in the cheating and that he was relentless in his pursuit of the truth when he testified about the alleged electoral fraud in both Senate and House hearings.

A summary report on Monday from the Cainta Municipal Police Station said “at about 1 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2018, the Highway Patrol Group (HPG)-Provincial Highway Patrol Team (PHPT)- Rizal conducted a spot operation in Barangay San Andres, Cainta, Rizal where they chanced upon one unit of Toyota Fortuner with plate number NOF 845 and upon checking at STRADCOM, the said vehicle was not registered since 2015.

The report said the highway patrol team flagged down the said vehicle, but instead of stopping, it fled heading towards Westbank floodway to Taytay direction and a brief chase ensued.

“HPG immediately coordinated with Cainta MPS and RID RSOU (personnel) who were conducting casing and surveillance within AOR and a dragnet operation was immediately established.”

Upon flagging down the said vehicle, the suspects fired upon the operatives instead of surrendering.

A brief exchange of fire ensued, resulting in their instantaneous deaths.

The two unidentified suspects were reportedy members of Highway Boys, whose leader, a certain alias Barry and his cohort, eluded arrest.

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BiliranIsland.com Bundles of Joy for Christmas 2018

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BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 20:53:00 12/15/2018

Christmas season is here once more. It is a time when giving, sharing, and loving abundantly fills the air. Definitely, this is the best time to extend joy to our less fortunate fellow Biliranons.

BiliranIsland.com started our Christmas outreach program called “THE BILIRANISLAND.COM BUNDLES OF JOY” in 2005. Since then, we had been successful in reaching out to our deprived brethren by giving out gifts in the form of food, clothing, toys and, most importantly, happiness.

This year, BiliranIsland.com will continue its mission to give joy and delight to the less fortunate people in our beloved province. In this regard, and to make this event a success as well as to bring Christmas to every Biliranon, we pray and ask from your generous hearts to share with our fellow Biliranons the real joy of Christmas. You can send any kind of donations, such as used clothing, toys, medicines, children’s books, or anything that you can make our intended recipients happy. You can also help through financial aid. This will surely bring glad tidings to our fellowmen.

Please be assured that every effort, donation and support will be properly and transparently accounted for.

As a way of saying thanks, aside from email responses, we will post the name of every donor/sponsor in BiliranIsland.com.

Thank you very much and God bless you for sharing your blessings this Christmas.

Have a Merry Christmas and a blissful New Year ahead.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Anthony Marlon Mecaral aka Jalmz
BiliranIsland.com Site admin/founder
admin@biliranisland.com

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Pulis gipusil-patay sa Palo, Leyte

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JOHN KEVIN D. PILAPIL
Sun.Star

PALO, Leyte – Patay ang usa ka pulis human gipamusil sa wa mailhing mga responsable ganinang alas 2:50 sa kaadlawon didto sa Barangay Salvacion, Palo Leyte.

Ang biktima mao si Senior Police Officer (SPO2) Andres Vijuan Gonzaga, 43, taga Caibiran Biliran.

Si Gonzaga usa ka aktibong pulis ug nadestino sa Regional Headquarters Support Group sa Police Regional Office 8 (RHSG-PRO8).

Base sa inisyal nga imbestigasyon, padung mo sakay sa iyang sakyanan ang pulis sa dihang niabot ang mga gunmen.

Gipusil sa makadaghang higayon si Gonzaga nga miresulta sa iyang hinanali nga kamatayon.

Dugang sa imbestigasyon, nagsakay og puti nga Sedan ug dark color nga pick up ang mga responsable.

Misibat kini paingon sa Cogon, Palo Leyte.

Pag abot sa kapulisan sa crime scene, duol sa recreation and amusement center, wala nay kinabuhi nga naghigda ug naligo sa iyang dugo ang pulis.

Padayon pa ang imbestigasyo ug follow up operation sa kapulisan sa insidente.

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Drinking session ends in gruesome death

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58-anyos gipatay sa kainom

BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 11:02:00 12/18/2018

Mapuyo, Kawayan, Biliran –  A Mapuyo resident died due to a stabbing incident caused by a drunken dispute.

On December 18, 2018, the Kawayan PNP Personnel responded to a crime reported in Brgy. Mapuyo, Kawayan. The police found the lifeless body of 58-year-old fisherman, Zosimo Daria Coma. 

According to the initial investigation, Coma had been drinking together with his brother-in- law, Allan Villato, and his nephew, Ryan Espiritu, when arguments arose. The latter allegedly struck Coma with a slab of wood in the head while Villato was seen holding a “bolo” near the victim’s body.

Coma sustained one stab wound in the throat, resulting in  spontaneous death. His body was sent to the Biliran Provincial Hospital for post-mortem investigation.

The suspects and the evidences recovered  are in the custody of the PNP Kawayan.

A case for murder was filed before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor for inquest proceedings. – BiliranIsland.com 

 

 

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2 pumpboats sank in Carigara Bay, 2 saved, 3 missing

One nabbed in Naval buy bust

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BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 09:30:00 12/19/2018

Naval, Biliran – The Naval PS DEU (Drug Enforcement Unit) confiscated 5 sachets of suspected shabu in a buy- bust operation in Sito Anas, Barangay Agpangi, Naval, Biliran.

Vall John Machete, alias “VJ”, was arrested for peddling suspected shabu.

Seized from him were P500 peso bill as marked money, canister, and a cellphone.

He is now in the custody of the PNP personnel for violation of the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002. – BiliranIsland.com

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Town Fiesta revelers boats caught by big waves

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BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 11:30:00 PM 12/19/2018

CABUCGAYAN, Biliran – On December 18, 2018 around 10:00 pm an alert was sent to the Philippine coast guard (PCG) reporting on two sinking ships along the Cabucgayan- Capoocan waters. The PCG responded and created a Joint Search and Rescue Maritime operations involving the CGS Eastern Leyte and CGS Biliran. The search and rescue operations were temporarily suspended on December 19,2018 at 1:00 am due to rough weather. The SAR was resumed at 7:00 am.

According to the initial investigation two unregistered boats departed from Barangay Balaquid Cabucgayan after attending the town fiesta at 6:00 pm. The undocumented boats had eight passengers onboard on whom five survived and three were missing. The missing persons were identified as Sonny Boy Torculas 28, John Carl Torculas, 7 and Bryce Torculas 4.

On further investigation with the partner of Sonny Torcula, Mrs. Marilar Decallos reported that there were five of them who went to the Cabucgayan Fiesta. According to the reports Sonny saved a certain Mr. Argil Tuando who fell down in the sea but he never made it back to his own boat.

Two of the five identified survivors were Argil Tuando and his daughter, Sheila Mae Tuando.

The SAR teams suspended the operations at 12:00 noon and will resume tomorrow due to bad weather conditions. – BiliranIsland.com

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American priest revered, reviled

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In this Dec. 5, 2018, photo released by the Bureau of Immigration Public Information Office, American Roman Catholic priest Rev. Kenneth Bernard Hendricks poses for his mugshot at the Bureau of Immigration in Manila. Philippine immigration authorities say they have arrested Hendricks accused of sexually assaulting altar boys in a church in Naval town in the island province of Biliran, in a case one official described as “shocking and appalling.” (Bureau of Immigration PIO via AP)

Danny Petilla
Philippine Daily Inquirer

NAVAL, Biliran — On Christmas Day in 2006, American priest Kenneth Bernard Pius Hendricks baptized a frail 2-month-old boy at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (OLHR) Cathedral here.

When the boy turned 7 in 2013, the priest started molesting him, together with the boy’s older brother, according to documents shown exclusively to the Inquirer.

J.V.A (the boy’s alias in the criminal complaint) — who is now 12 — is at the heart of the child molestation case being built by Philippine and American officials who want to put the 77-year-old priest behind bars, if possible for the rest of his life.

Serial offender

Authorities describe the former Franciscan missionary from Cincinatti, Ohio, as a serial sexual predator who preyed on young boys under his care, mostly altar boys who served and lived with him at St. Isidore the Worker Chapel at Talustosan, where Hendricks was the priest in charge.

Talustosan is a remote village some 4 kilometers from this coastal town with a population of 55,000.

“This is potentially an explosive international case involving both the Philippine and American Catholic Church hierarchy,” said a top police official here who was directly involved in the investigation.

“Just imagine a foreign priest, an American at that, hiding in a Third World country and abusing its poor children. The legal implications could be mind-boggling,” the police official said.

But this official is wrong, because Hendricks is not hiding, as also erroneously reported by some news outlets last week.

In fact, Father Pius, as Hendricks is popularly known here, is considered by many to be a pillar of this community where 88 percent of the residents are Roman Catholics.

“He is a generous benefactor who has done a lot [for] our community,” said Dr. Joyce Caneja, 47, chief of the Biliran Provincial Hospital, where Hendricks was brought for a routine medical checkup after his arrest on Dec. 5 at the OLHR parish office by a joint task force of agents from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and the US Department of Homeland Security.

“He built our cemetery, our hospital’s chapel. He paid for the education of so many young men and women here,” Caneja added.

But investigators on the Women and Children Protection (WCP) desk of the Naval police station paint a different picture of Hendricks, who allegedly gifted his victims with clothes and shoes while bribing their parents to look the other way.

“Hendricks showered his victims with a lot of material things,” said SPO3 Venus Abrigo, WCP head at the Naval Police Station.

Investigators in Ohio also are looking at Hendricks’ banking records for the possibility that he misused some of the funds he had solicited in the United States to pay off and silence his victims.

Philippine and American law enforcement officers have started piecing together a criminal case against Hendricks.

He has been charged in Ohio with a federal crime as an American citizen engaging in illicit sexual acts in a foreign country.

He could also be prosecuted under Philippine law for violating Republic Act No. 7610, the Anti-Child Abuse Act.

The Diocese of Naval has tried to put a lid on the growing scandal, issuing a one-paragraph statement on the case, claiming that the diocese had formed a commission to investigate the allegations against Hendricks.

Hendricks is the only foreigner among the 26 priests working for the diocese. He was ordained in 1996 under Bishop Filomeno Bactol who, in 1988, became the first bishop of Naval.

Bactol retired in October last year at age 77, two years over the mandatory retirement age for priests.

He was replaced by Bishop Rex Ramirez, a close confidant of Archbishop John F. Du of the Archdiocese of Palo.

It was under Bactol’s administration that most of the alleged molestations took place.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has yet to issue a statement on the matter.

But the CBCP has protocols in place when allegations of sexual misconduct by clergy are reported.

No comment

This writer visited Ramirez on Dec. 14, but the new bishop of Naval refused to comment, saying he would wait for the commission’s report.

Revered by many of his parishioners and reviled by a few, Hendricks and his case could reveal if he is really a closeted pedophile or a pious pastor wrongly accused by his alleged detractors.

Before Hendricks was flown to Manila to be held temporarily in an immigration cell in Bicutan, Caneja and her staff took his blood pressure.

“It was 130 over 80. It was very normal,” Caneja said.

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NSU students receive education subsidy

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Naval State University

NAVAL, Biliran- Naval State University students, who qualified for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), receive 20K cash assistance, today at NSU gymnasium, Naval, Biliran.

Dr. Victor C. Canezo, Jr., OIC University President, and Hon. Jerome T. Arcenal, Student Regent, during the meeting, clarified that the selection of grantees for the TES Program was not made by the university administrators nor the NSU-Board of Regents, provincial and local government officials.

Hon. Arcenal explained that it is the CHED-Unifast and the national Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) who did the evaluation and identified the list of grantees for different State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) including NSU-Main and Biliran Campus.

Based on the list released by CHEd, there are 260 students in NSU-Main Campus who qualified for the said program.

Dr. Erwin G. Salvatierra, Student Affairs and Services Office (SASO) Director, also reminded those grantees in the list who failed to attend today’s meeting that they can still get their subsidy when the classes will resume next year.

Meanwhile, TES is one of the programs of the CHED under RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017 wherein students receive an annual subsidy of Php 40,000 on top of the free tuition and miscellaneous fees that they availed.

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Dead bodies of missing passengers of capsized boat found

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BiliranIsland.com Staff
Photos by Joshua Atencio Estancia
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 11:18:00 PM 12/23/2018

CABUCGAYAN, Biliran – The dead bodies of two missing passengers from a boat that capsized in Capoocan waters on December 18 have bee found in the shorelines of Capoocan and Cabucgayan towns.

The dead body of a boy, positively identified as Zian Carl Torculas, was found early morning in Barangay Talisay, Capoocan, Leyte on December 22.

Another dead body, positively identified as Sonny Boy Torculas, was found on Sunday, December 23, in Barangay Looc, Cabucgayan town.

The body of the third passenger named Bryle Torculas is still missing.
– BiliranIsland.com

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TD Usman forecast to directly hit Biliran Island

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TROPICAL DEPRESSION "USMAN” HAS MAINTAINED ITS COURSE AS IT MOVES CLOSER TO EASTERN VISAYAS.

BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 12:28:00 PM 12/28/2018

NAVAL, Biliran – Tropical Depression Usman (35W) forecast to directly hit Biliran Island.

7:00 AM Tropical Depression Usman is now located about 453 kms. away from Naval, Biliran. Moving West North West at 13 kph. Forecast to directly hit Biliran Island.

PAGASA SEVERE WEATHER BULLETIN #12
FOR: TROPICAL DEPRESSION #UsmanPH
TROPICAL CYCLONE: WARNING
ISSUED AT 8:00 AM, 28 December 2018

(Valid for broadcast until the next bulletin to be issued at 11 AM today)
TROPICAL DEPRESSION “USMAN” HAS MAINTAINED ITS COURSE AS IT MOVES CLOSER TO EASTERN VISAYAS.

• “USMAN” may intensify into a Tropical Storm prior to landfall over Eastern Samar tonight.
• Moderate to heavy rains which may trigger flooding and landslides is expected over Visayas, Bicol Region, Mindoro Provinces, Marinduque, Romblon, and Quezon. Residents of these areas, especially those living near river channels and in low-lying and mountainous areas, are advised to take appropriate measures, coordinate with local disaster risk reduction and management offices, and continue monitoring for updates.
• Fisherfolks and those with small seacrafts are advised not to venture out over the seaboards of areas under TCWS #1, the seaboards of Northern Luzon, the eastern seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon, and the eastern seaboard of Surigao Provinces due to the approaching Tropical Depression and the surge of the Northeast Monsoon.
• “USMAN” may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility between Sunday evening (December 30) and Monday morning (December 31).
Location of eye/center At 7:00 AM today, the center of Tropical Depression “USMAN” was estimated based on all available data at 250 km East of Guiuan, Eastern Samar(10.8°N, 128.0°E).
Strength: Maximum winds of up to 55 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 65 km/h.
Movement: Moving West Northwest at 10 km/h.
Forecast Positions
• 24 Hour(Tomorrow morning): 95 km South Southeast of Masbate City, Masbate(11.6°N, 124.0°E)
• 48 Hour(Sunday morning):160 km North Northwest of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan(11.1°N, 118.2°E)
• 72 Hour(Monday morning): 70 km Southwest of Pagasa Island, Palawan (OUTSIDE PAR)(10.5°N, 113.7°E)
• 96 Hour(Tuesday morning):295 km West Southwest of Pagasa Island, Palawan (OUTSIDE PAR)(9.8°N, 110.8°E)

TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNAL
TCWS#1 (30-60 km/h Expected in 36 hours)
Northern Palawan incl Calamian group of Islands, Camarines Norte, Southern Quezon, Marinduque, Romblon, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, including Ticao and Burias Islands, Southern Occidental Mindoro, Southern Oriental Mindoro, and Cuyo Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Northern Cebu including Camotes Islands, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo,Guimaras, Antique, and Northern Negros Occidental Dinagat Island

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TD ‘Usman’: Statistics of Evacuees in Biliran Island

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BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 07:21:00 PM 12/28/2018

NAVAL, Biliran – Statistics of Evacuees in Biliran Island as of December 29, 2018 8 AM

According to Biliran PDRRMC Jun Dacillo, 442 families with 1,611 individuals evacuated to 16 evacuation centers and 0 casualty.

LGU Naval: As of 5:00pm of December 28, 2018

a) Person Stranded: 0
b) Vehicles Stranded: 13
c) Ships Stranded: 2
d) House Destroyed: 0
e) Electricity: Operational
f) Flooded Areas: Negative
g) Road Condition: -Passable
h) Bridges: All Passable
i) No. of Evacuation Centers: 3
j) No. of Evacuees: 242
k) Casualties: 0
1. Died: 0
2. Missing: 0
3. Wounded: 0
l) SAR Personnel Deployed: 38
m) SAR Personnel on Standby: 24

PDRRMC as of 4 PM December 28, 2019

PDRRMC as of 4 PM December 28, 2019
PDRRMC as of 4 PM December 28, 2019

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Boy’s ‘extraordinary courage’ helps unmask man of cloth in sexual abuse case

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Danny Petilla
Philippine Daily Inquirer

NAVAL, BILIRAN—After years of being sexually abused by an American Roman Catholic priest, a 12-year-old boy is leading the fight against pedophilia in a remote village here where his older brother and many of their friends are also victims.

Police officials here said JVA (the boy’s alias in the criminal complaint) convinced his 22-year-old brother, known in the same complaint as CV, and several other former altar boys who are now of legal age to come out and charge the 77-year-old priest, Kenneth Bernard Pius Hendricks, of sexually abusing them for many years.

“The courage and bravery of this boy is extraordinary. He is the reason why we have this case,” said SPO3 Venus Abrigo, chief of the Women and Children Protection (WCP) desk of the Naval Police Station.

The boy, who is now in Grade 6 here, is said to idolize Coco Martin’s character in the popular television series “Ang Probinsyano.”

Years of shame

Police say the minor is doing his best to break free from years of shame, guilt and trauma.

“This boy brought down his family’s wall of silence regarding his abuse and defied his church,” added Abrigo, who claimed that JVA and CV had stopped attending St. Isidore the Worker Chapel at Talustosan village, where they assisted Hendricks for many years as altar boys.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, which has jurisdiction over Hendricks, has not commented on the scandal since his arrest here on Dec. 5 by Philippine and American law enforcement officers.

Instead of ministering to his parishioners during the holidays, Hendricks spent Christmas in an immigration jail at Bicutan as Philippine and American officials wrangled over jurisdiction.

The diocese of Naval, which has sheltered Hendricks for 37 years, has imposed a news blackout on the case, deciding not to comment to the media while conducting its own investigation.

US-Philippine cooperation

A potential David vs Goliath kind of legal fight could happen, pitting the abuse victims and their lawyers against the Catholic Church, one of the most powerful institutions in the country, if lawsuits are allowed to proceed against Hendricks, an American citizen who still maintains an address in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The identity and whereabouts of JVA and his brother are being kept under wraps by the local police and agents of the US Department of Homeland Security as both governments prepare a case of criminal child sex abuse against the former Franciscan missionary.

Hendricks was the only foreign priest working in the diocese of Naval.

JVA, who was baptized by Hendricks as a 2-month-old child in 2006, told investigators that Hendricks assaulted him numerous times since he was 7 years old inside the priest’s quarters at the Talustosan chapel, where Hendricks was the priest in charge.

Talustosan is a village at the foot of the Biliran mountains that can only be reached by “habal-habal” (motorbike).

“Malain. Maraut. (It’s strange. It’s bad),” JVA told police investigators in the local dialect when asked how he felt during the times when he was being molested by Hendricks.

“I pity these boys. They will be scarred and traumatized for life,” said a Manila-based official of ChildFund, a nonprofit children’s advocacy group.

“These boys looked up to this priest. And then they were abused. That’s the worst form of betrayal,” the official said.

Decision time

In the affidavit he filed on Nov. 6, JVA said he was alarmed when his brother CV got sick with a sexually transmitted disease in 2015 but the priest did not bother to bring CV to a hospital.

JVA said he decided to come forward after the American priest assaulted him again on Oct. 31, 2018.

Police said an American citizen named “Jeff,” who is a boyfriend of the boys’ sister, persuaded the brothers and their mother to press charges against Hendricks.

Hendricks, who reportedly travels back to the United States every year to solicit funds from his old archdiocese at Cincinnati, allegedly bribed the brothers and their parents by building them a house, paying for the boys’ education and gifting CV with a motorcycle.

JVA’s complaint, together with the affidavits of CV and their 50-year-old mother, became the basis for the warrant of arrest for Hendricks signed on Nov. 30 by Magistrate Judge Stephanie K. Bowman, of the Southern District Court of Ohio.

Slow movement

Hendricks was charged with a federal crime involving a US citizen engaging in illicit sex with a minor in a foreign country.

While US Attorney Benjamin Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio said last week that his office would prefer that Hendricks be tried in the Philippines first, the case had slowed down in Naval on procedural matters.

In a move seen to defer to the US justice system, Judge Constantino F. Esber of the Regional Trial Court’s Branch 11 in Naval has yet to schedule the case for trial, although it was raffled to his court on Nov. 9 yet. – Philippine Daily Inquirer

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Ex-Biliran Rep. Chong presses for NBI probe on aide’s slay

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PNA

Former Biliran Rep. Glenn Chong met with officials of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday to seek assistance in the investigation into the death, under suspicious circumstances, of his aide Richard Santillan last month.

Chong met with DOJ officials led by Undersecretary Adrian Sugay to request that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) take over the investigation.

In his request to the DOJ, Chong, in particular, asked that the NBI take custody of his Toyota Fortuner SUV (NOF 845) impounded by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The PNP claims Santillan shot it out with policemen, prompting law enforcement authorities to use overwhelming force.

Chong and Presidential Anti-Corruption Commissioner Greco Belgica accompanied Santillan’s widow Jenette to the DOJ in seeking assistance.

Aside from the car, Chong said they also want the NBI to take custody of the clothes worn by Santillan during the incident, as well as conduct “a reconstruction of the events” from the time Santillan was last seen alive.

He added that a crucial piece of evidence, particularly footage from the dash camera installed on his SUV, could also shed light to the event.

“This is not a case of extrajudicial killing but a clear case of murder by guns for hire,” Chong told reporters after his meeting at the DOJ as he reiterated his call for the PNP leadership to surrender those guilty for the assault.

Belgica, for his part, underscored that no less than President Rodrigo Duterte has called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

Chong, an outspoken critic of government election services contractor,
Smartmatic of Venezuela, reiterated that he could have been the real
target of Santillan’s assailants.

The victim was found sprawled in Chong’s Toyota Fortuner (NOF-845). A police report showed that Santillan allegedly shot it out with a group of policemen manning a checkpoint on Eastbank Road, Cambridge Village past 1 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2018.

Chong insists his expose on election irregularities in the use of Smartmatic’s Precinct Count Optical Scan machines was the motive for the attack.

Two police officers from the Rizal Provincial Police Office were relieved from post on December 12 in connection with the incident.

Relieved were Rizal Provincial Police Director Senior Supt. Lou Evangelista and Cainta police chief, Supt. Pablito Naganag. (PNA)

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Pusher nabbed in Cabucgayan buy bust

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BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 8:17:00 01/05/2019

Cabucgayan, Biliran – A 23-year-old  male suspect was arrested in a joint buy bust operation by BPPO- PDEU led by Chamberline B. Ludevise  and Cabucgayan MPS – PDEU led by Police Inspector Vic Viros at Sitio Rawis Brgy. Looc, Cabucgayan.

On January 5, 2018, at 3:50 pm, John Mark Kenneth Cebuano Recamadas was arrested in the act of selling one sachet of suspected shabu to a police pseudo buyer.

Retrieved from his possession were three sachets of suspected shabu. The drug inventory was made in the presence of barangay officials and media representative.

Recamadas is detained in the Cabucgayan police station. A case is being filed for violation of Section 5 and Section 11 of RA 9165.

– BiliranIsland.com

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Power project up for Biliran’s island destination

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TACLOBAN CITY — Residents of Higatangan Island in Naval, Biliran will soon experience a 24-hour uninterrupted power supply with the operation of a microgrid project this month.

The equipment needed for the project to take off arrived in Naval town last week of December, but transporting was delayed due to Tropical Depression Usman, which crossed central Philippines before New Year, according to the Biliran Electric Cooperative (BILECO).

The PHP15-million equipment was donated by the South Korean government and Korean firm ELT Co., Ltd.

The local electric cooperative had put up a PHP7-million counterpart for the purchase of a lot, site preparation, and distribution line construction, BILECO general manager Gerardo Oledan said in a phone interview on Friday.

The project is composed of photovoltaic panels, power conditioning system, diesel generator and energy storage system. With this development, BILECO could supply power to the entire island for 24 hours.

The target of the project’s turnover and start of operation has been set before the end of January.

“Once installation is completed at the prepared site in Higatangan island, the Koreans will do the testing and commissioning and system training to BILECO technical personnel,” Oledan said.

Higatangan Island is the second beneficiary of a microgrid project from South Korea after Romblon.

The local government unit of Naval sees the project as boosting the island’s tourism, considered as the main attraction in the capital town of Biliran province.

Higatangan is famous for its shifting sandbar that changes its direction every two months. The island also features white sand beaches, rugged cliffs, turquoise waters, coral garden, and rock formations.

In 2017, the Naval local government launched the Higatangan Summer Festival that had drawn more than 4,000 tourists coming from the region and some parts of Luzon and Visayas in the past two years.

In April last year, the local government unveiled the underwater chapel named “Capilla del Mar”, featuring a 12-foot cross and eight benches, symbolizing the eight towns of Biliran province. (PNA)

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Pope appoints new bishop of San Jose de Antique

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Bishop-elect Marvyn Maceda of San Jose de Antique

By CBCP News

Pope Francis has appointed today Monsignor Marvyn Maceda as the new bishop of the Diocese of San Jose de Antique.

Maceda, 49, becomes the first bishop from Naval which was created a diocese in 1988.

He succeeds now Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo who was appointed to head the Archdiocese of Jaro in February 2018.

The bishop-elect took his philosophical studies at the Sacred Heart Seminary in Palo, Leyte, and his theology at the San Jose Seminary in the Ateneo de Manila University.

He was ordained a priest for the Naval diocese on May 29, 1996.

Among his first assignments were as parish priest at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mission, Diocesan Director for the Youth, while performing the functions as diocesan financial administrator and chancellor.

From 2000 to 2010, he was priest in charge St. Roch Mission Chapel and then of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conceotion Mission Chapel in Naval.

He also participated in the diocesan group of formation of the Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC), of which he was the diocesan director from 2006 to 2010.

In 2010 to 2011, he went on sabbatical leave at Our Lady of the Philippines Trappist Monastery, in San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras.

Back in Naval, from 2011 to 2017, he was moderator of the group of ordained ministers at the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception parish and Pastoral Director of the BEC.

He also served as Vicar General of Naval and became member of the Presbyteral Council and Board of Consultors.

Upon his appointment, Maceda has been serving as Director of the Naval diocese’s Commission on Clergy.

With his new assignment, Maceda becomes the fifth bishop of San Jose de Antique with about 54 priests and more than 80 religious women in 25 parishes.

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New private hospital to rise in Naval

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BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 8:56:00 01/08/2019

Naval, Biliran – The residents of Biliran Province will soon have access to a private hospital that will rise in Sitio Puro Tugas, Brgy. Calumpang, Naval, Biliran.

Dr. Nonoy Trumata and Mr. William Diu led the groundbreaking rites for the Christ the Healer Hospital on January 8, 2019. Former Naval Mayor Susan Parilla and PHO Dr. Edgar T. Veloso were among the few who attended the event.

The proposed hospital will be a two-level structure with a floor area of 3,000 square meters in a 5.6 hectare lot. It will have a 50-bed capacity and will employ an initial 61 nurses. It is expected to generate many job opportunites in allied and non- allied health professions.

Si Businessman William Ang Diu ang usa sa mga investors sa bag-ong itukod na Hospital sa Naval, Biliran. 📷 Jalmz
Si Businessman William Ang Diu ang usa sa mga investors sa bag-ong itukod na Hospital sa Naval, Biliran. 📷 Jalmz

The Christ the Healer Hospital – Biliran Branch will be a 2- storey building on a 5 hectare lot. It will have a 50-bed capacity and will employ at least 61 nurses. It will also generate many job opportunities seeking employment in allied and non allied health professions.

Interview with Dr. Nonoy Trumata on the first private hospital to open in Naval, Biliran.

A state of the art laboratory equipped with Digital CT scan, hemodialysis, 2D-echo will save the Biliranons the long trip to other tertiary hospitals. – BiliranIsland.com

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Bishop elect Maceda, bagong Obispo ng San Jose Antique

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Marian Pulgo
Veritas846

Itinalaga ni Pope Francis si Msgr. Marvyn Maceda bilang Obispo ng Diocese ng San Jose de Antique.

Ang 49-taong gulang na si Bishop-elect Maceda ang kauna-unahang Obispo na nagmula sa Diyosesis ng Naval mula ng itinatag ito noong 1988.

Si Bishop-elect Maceda ang hahalili sa iniwang posisyon ni Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo na unang itinalaga bilang arsobispo ng Jaro, Iloilo noong Pebrero 2018.

Si Bishop-elect Maceda ang ikalimang Obispo ng San Jose de Antique na binubuo ng 54 na mga pari at 25 mga parokya.

Ang bagong Obispo ay nagtapos ng kaniyang pag-aaral sa Sacred Heart Seminary sa Palo, Leyte at sa San Jose Seminary ng Ateneo de Manila University.

Inordinahan bilang pari sa Diocese ng Naval noong May 29, 1996.

Siya ay nagsilbing Vicar General ng Naval at miyembro ng Presbyteral Council at Board Consultors.

Bago itinalagang obispo, nagsisilbi rin bilang Director ng Diocese of Naval Commission on Clergy.

Si Bishop-elect Maceda ang ikalawang obispo na itinalaga ni Pope Francis ngayong taon.

January 2 nang italaga ni Pope Francis si Bishop-elect Rex Andrew Alarcon bilang obispo ng Diocese ng Daet.

Sa pagkakatalaga kina Bishop-elect Maceda at Bishop-elect Alarcon, walo pang mga diyosesis sa bansa ang wala pang nangangasiwang obispo kabilang na ang Butuan, Iligan, Isabela Basilan, Malolos, San Jose Mindoro, Taytay at Military Ordinariate. – Veritas846

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Student caught in buy bust operation

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BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 09:34:00 01/14/2019

Naval, Biliran – A 19 year old Tesda Student was caught peddlling an illegal susbtance to a police pseudo buyer on January 14, 2019 in Brgy. Sto. Nino, Naval.

The apprehended student is Jeric Calosor Dacara. Recovered from his possession were four sachets of suspected shabu and other drug parahernalia.

The suspect is now in the custody of Naval PS for the violation of Sec 5 and 11 of RA 9165. – BiliranIsland.com

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