2 ex-teachers win as Surigao del Norte governor, top provincial board member
May 19, 2010SURIGAO CITY - Two former teachers and retired Department of Education (DepEd) officials emerged victorious, the first, winning Surigao del Norte’s tightly contested Gubernatorial race while the other, topping the number one Provincial Board Member spot in recently concluded automated polls here.
Proclaimed winners by the poll body was former DepEd Regional Director for Caraga Region and Region 8 Dr. Sol Matugas and former DepEd Surigao del Norte District Supervisor Myrna Romarate.
Neophyte Matugas defeated former House of Representative Spice Boy member re-electionist Governor Robert Barbers. Matugas got 111,225 votes while close rival Barbers obtained 109,011 votes.
Romarate occupied the number one slot in the ten-man Provincial Board seats garnering 81,176 votes in the final official poll body count.
Both are considered to be first in the history of Surigao del Norte politics, Matugas being the first woman Surigao del Norte governor while Romarate was the first woman to be elected number one Provincial Board Member in the male-dominated Sanggunian Panlalawigan chamber.
The two ran under local party Padajon Surigao-Lakas-KAMPI.
Matugas told GMANEWS.TV she will prioritize in addressing issues and concerns of the women and child sector particularly on education, heath care, livelihood and women and child abuse problems and the role of women for sustainable development.
Matugas said under her administration the women will play vital roles in the province’s socio-economic development agenda.
For her part, Romarate claimed that aside from issues and concerns of women and child sector that she will help address, she vowed to look into the plight of the senior citizens, environment, and eco-tourism. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV
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ARMM, other provinces won’t get flash cards on time
May 6, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Problems in the country’s first ever nationwide automated elections continued to mount Thursday as officials confirmed that clustered precincts in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and other provinces may only get compact flash cards for automated voting machines on Election Day itself.
Chairman Jose Melo of the Commission on Elections said more than 30,000 new memory cards have been reconfigured, tested and are ready for deployment. He added that new memory cards were shipped out to Antique, Bohol, Capiz, Guimaras, Abra, Batanes, Quirino, Makati, Parañaque, Marikina, Batangas, and Palawan Wednesday night.
Officials of poll machine supplier Smartmatic-TIM, however, admitted that the reconfigured memory cards might not be able to reach 5% of the country on time due to security and logistical challenges. The worst thing that can happen, according to Smartmatic Asia President Cesar Flores, is that the memory cards will arrive in the polling centers on Election Day itself.
This includes all municipalities in Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Basilan, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Misamis Occidental, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur. Other places where the flash cards will be delayed are Toboso, Negros Occidental; Divilacan, Maconaco and Palanan in Isabela; Calayan, Cagayan; and Baliguian, Sibuco, Siocon and Sirawai in Zamboanga del Norte.
Flores said delays in the delivery of the flash cards means that the voting machines will not be ready by May 10 since they first have to be tested and sealed. However, the voting process will still continue as stated in the Comelec’s continuity plan.
What will happen is that voters will still fill up their ballots but will not be allowed to insert their ballots into the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines. Instead, the boards of election inspectors will collect the ballots, store them in the ballot box and wait for the new memory cards to arrive.
Upon receipt of the cards, the BEIs need to install them into the PCOS machines, test the machines and seal the memory cards. Once all preliminary procedures are done, the BEIs will feed all accomplished ballots to the machine for automated counting and transmission.
Flores said the new memory cards must be tested first and the machines sealed before they are used for counting and transmission.
Melo ruled out a proposal to revert to a manual count and reiterated that the automated nationwide election will push through as scheduled on May 10. He added that if things still go wrong, the Comelec is prepared for manual elections in 30% of the country and that the necessary forms have been printed and are already on standby. (abs-cbnnews)
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Former NPA, family killed in Surigao Sur ambush
May 5, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Suspected members of the New People’s Army on Monday ambushed and killed a former comrade, his wife and his daughter in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.
Police identified the victims as Persinifles Mayordo, 52, a rebel returnee who became a militiaman of the Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion, his wife Anita, 49; and, his daughter Gemma.
Initial reports said the victims were on a motorcycle when 7 gunmen, believed to be communist rebels, ambushed them at Sitio Bingcongan, Barangay Bigaan.
Mayordo’s son, Reynante, was not hit in the initial volley. He escaped unharmed. A rescuer brought the wounded Gemma to the Bislig District Hospital, where she died while undergoing treatment.
Members of the Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office are now conducting a joint investigation with the Army to identify the gunmen who killed Mayordomo and 2 members of his family. (abs-cbnnews) (more…)
Announcement
April 5, 2010
Email Address: akc_1124@yahoo.com
Subject: looking for contact number of Pedrito Corbeta Laid
Message: I’m looking for a contact number or address of Mr. Pedrito Corbeta Laid who happened to be running as Councilor in Surigao City, Surigao Del Norte. I just want to ask if he know someone named Reynaldo Corbeta Laid or if he is the sibling of the said name. Reynaldo Corbeta Laid died last April 1, 2010 here in Caloocan City and I just want to inform his family of his death. Kindly help me for any information of Mr. Pedrito Corbeta Laid. We cant burried Mr. Randy Corbeta Laid without informing his relatives. We don’t have any information or contact numbers of his relatives.
Abducted girl released in Surigao del Sur
March 20, 2010MANILA, Philippines - An abducted 10-year-old girl has been released by her captors in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, police said Friday.
Inspector Isagani Ybañez, Carrascal town police chief, said a tricycle driver brought 10-year-old Angel Gurro to the Tandag City Police Station around 2 p.m. on Thursday.
Ybañez said Tandag City policemen deferred speaking with the child because she was still in trauma when turned over to them by the tricycle driver, identified as Ayec Bautista.
He said that according to the driver, the girl flagged her down near a transport terminal in Tago town. He said the girl asked him to bring her to the Tandag Police Station.
Tandag City policemen, who have been informed about Gurro’s abduction, immediately radioed the Carrascal town police station and informed them about the girl’s release.
Ybañez said the girl has no bruises or contusions when turned over to them.
Unidentified men snatched the girl in front of the Adlay Community Elementary School on Monday afternoon. The suspects were seen forcing the girl into a dark colored van and escaped towards Tandag City.
Police have yet to identify the people behind the girl’s abduction. – Report from Trinidad Velasco, ABS-CBN Northern Mindanao (more…)
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