Pondoc clears air on healthcare in Tagb
City Health Officer Jeia Pondoc faced councilors at the city council on Tuesday and clarified the various healthcare programs in Tagbilaran City.
This comes as Coun. Malvin “Atoy” Torralba has chided the administration of Mayor Jane Yap for being allegedly lax in implementing healthcare programs.
Pondoc said that the city government has been deploying trained barangay health workers and nutrition scholars and other healthcare workers in the barangays who are in charge in implementing the healthcare programs in the grassroot level.
The city government, she said, also implemented various programs which the doctor explained to present everything as the city legislators want to know the real score.
Torralba made an issue about healthcare in the local campaign as he slammed Yap for not doing enough to provide quality healthcare,
Several barangay captains aligned with Yap earlier slammed Torralba saying the current administration has done enough to provide healthcare to the barangay folks.
Torralba and Yap are engaged in a one-on-one battle for mayor of Tagbilaran City. Torralba is the son of former Mayor Jose Torralba and former Coun. Betty Torralba.
Atoy and Yap used to be allies in 2022 and went on separate ways and now are going against each other.
Former rebel surrenders to gov’t
A former rebel voluntarily surrendered to the government especially to the authorities in barangay San Carlos. Danao town.
The current administration has been working to entice rebels to return to the folds of the law.
The government has been extending various programs for rebels who wish to surrender and start a new life.
For years, the government has been offering programs to people who are in the communist-terrorist movement to return to the government and lead normal lives.
The recent surrenderee is a 45-year-old person and used to be aligned with the Bohol Party Committee under the Komiteng Rehiyon Negros Cebu Bohol and Siquijor.
The former rebel relinquished his firearm to the government and other ordnance for proper disposal.
In view of his surrender, the former rebel is eligible for aid coming from the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) and the Kauban sa Reporma program.
Amper feels good about chances to return as Anda mayor
Mayoralty candidate Metodio “Dodong” Amper says he feels good about his chances of returning as Anda town mayor.
Despite being confident, he remains humble and stressed that it would be best for his opponents to assess his chances of winning during his guest appearance on Tuesday’s Open Forum with Ardy Ines Araneta-Batoy.
He said that he is running on a platform of transparency and good governance.
This is on top of making sure that services to the people are properly delivered.
He wants the people to know what the government is up to and be informed where their taxes go.
He warns to foster a culture of participatory governance to ensure the people is consulted in what the government wishes to do.
HELP
Amper vouched for the sincere and dedicated work of Cong. Edgar Chatto as the former lauded the latter’s help during the time Anda was struggling due to the effects of the earthquake.
Amper was Anda mayor when the town was reeling from the effects of the quake at the time when Chatto was Bohol governor.
Amper said Chatto helped immensely in the paving of certain roads in Anda making travel for Boholanos easier.
He said he is thankful to Chatto for guiding him on what to do when he needed to have a road porting going to Lamanok Island paved.
Amper said Chatto’s disability, as claimed by his detractors, was never a hindrance to public service.
City announces completion of dialysis center
The city government of Tagbilaran has announced the completion of its dialysis center located at barangay Dampas.
Mayor Jane Yap said the plan is to open the center after the elections in May.
The said center has been fully equipped with standard equipment such as the dialysis machine, water treatment facility and more.
The city government built the center without incurring in any loan.
The center was funded by national funds as the city is now focusing on the completion of the Super Mega Health Center, which is the centerpiece of the city government’s health care program.
Challenger accuses Buates of corruption
Don Ritchie Buates
Albur mayoralty challenger Micheal Mantiza accused incumbent mayor Don Ritchie Buates of corruption during a recent political rally of Abante Bohol.
In that rally, Mantiza alleged the corruption committed by Buates including the payment of salaries of his personnel working in a poultry farm allegedly using the funds of the local government unit.
It was also said that the town’s money was allegedly used to pay the salaries of Victor’s Recreational Hub, the operator of the now closed whale watching activity in Albur.
For his part, Buates challenged Mantiza to present pieces of evidence regarding the latter’s allegations.
Buates told his opponent to ask the municipal accountant whether or not there is any truth to the allegations.
Buates said what Mantuza said in the rally are lies and the said event was done in the presence of the group’s standard bearer Gov. Aris Aumentado.
Candle supplier arrested in sting operations
A candle supplier was arrested in a buy bust operation on Monday.
The said sting operation was conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Bohol led by agent Chona Egam and supervised by Ferdinand Kintanar.
The PDEA was supported by the Maritime Police and the Tagbilaran City Police Station.
The operation took place at around 4:20 pm in barangay San Isidro.
The suspect was identified as Randy Ebardone.43, of barangay Poblacion 2.
Seized from the suspect were alleged shabu estimated to weigh around 55 grams and valued at P374,000.
Charges of violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2092 will be filed against the suspect,
Police clueless in Panglao incident
The police said they are clueless on the real score regarding an incident where a person was allegedly abducted in Panglao on Sunday.
The incident was first known due to reports going viral on social media.
It was said a person was allegedly forced to board a Toyota Vios and it happened at the Alona area of barangay Tawala.
Panglao police chief Capt. Ranulto Asilo said the victim was largely unharmed and was able to return home safely.
However, the police are still trying to figure out what really happened if the incident was indeed an abduction or not.
The victim, who is a tricab driver, refuses to cooperate with the police’s investigation.
Asilo promised to dive deeper into the incident as the victim has returned home safely.
In a post, it was alleged that a person was forced to board a vehicle.
Asilo said they are facing a blank wall on the incident as they continue to investigate it.
The police are appealing to the public for the latter not to post anything on social media on matters they have no solid knowledge about as misinformation might cause anxiety.
Alleged shabu worth P1.5 M seized in Loon
Alleged shabu worth around P1.5 million and a firearm were seized by the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit in a buy bust operation on Tuesday morning at barangay Talisay in Loon.
Elements of the police detected the suspect to be allegedly engaging in drug trade.
The suspect was identified as Rich Carcallas, 38, of barangay Cabacungan, Loon.
The said police unit conducted the sting operation led by Lt. Col. Jomar Pomarejos.
The sting operation was witnessed by barangay officials and a representative of the local media.
The suspect was arrested after he engaged with a poseur buyer to buy alleged shabu worth P12,000.
At least eight packets of alleged shabu were seized from the suspect worth over P1.5 million.
Also taken from the suspect was a .39 caliber pistol with two rounds of live ammunition.
Charges of illegal possession of firearms in relation to the election gun ban and violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the suspect
DFA Bohol serves more than 16K clients
The local consulate office of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) here in Bohol has reportedly been serving more than 16,000 clients since November 2024, while around 16,392 clients have been served as of March 31. 2025.
More than 7,000 passports have been issued, reports say.
The DFA office is located on the 5th floor of Alturas Mall in downtown Tagbilaran.
It was through Chatto’s efforts that the DFA finally has an office here and Boholanos need not travel to other provinces to get passports.
In the past, it was too cumbersome to get passports which also entailed huge costs.
With the office here, transacting with the DFA is easier and cheaper than before.
Chatto files bill mandating climate change panels in all Sanggunians
Rep. Edgar Chatto
Rep. Edgar Chatto filed a bill seeking to mandate the creation of a committee on climate change in all local legislatures.
Chatto filed House Bill 09288 seeking to make climate change gain importance in all local Sanggunians.
The local sanggunians are the ones on the provincial, town, city and barangay levels.
The law will add climate change to the list of standing committees in these local councils.
Chatto is the chairman of the House panel on climate change for two consecutive terms in Congress.
Chatto’s chief of staff Abeleon Damalerio said it is best to have committees that will discuss specific issues related to climate change.
He said that climate change has become the new reality.
The law will mandate that a climate change committee will be able to address issues, he explained.
The bill when it becomes a law will make it mandatory to create climate change committees in all local councils.
POI in hire-and-run surrenders to police
A person of interest (POI) surrendered to police in Loon on April 11, 2025 as he has been allegedly bothered by his conscience.
The suspect voluntarily surrendered to the police as he was implicated in the death of a senior citizen in barangay Pig-ot on April 5, 2025.
It was said that the POI was unable to get restful sleep as he was bothered by his conscience.
According to Loon police chief Maj. Rey Olar the POI resides in barangay Napo and he is now under police custody as the investigation continues.
The police withheld the name of the suspect as there are no cases filed yet:
To recall retired school teacher Elena Segundo was seen to be crossing the street via the pedestrian lane and was run over by a motorcycle and the victim was left sprawled on the pavement
Man dies due to drowning
A man was found dead allegedly due to drowning off the waters between Tagbilaran City and Cortes on Sunday.
The victim was identified as Bobby Dawan, 56, of barangay La Paz, Cortes.
The man was found floating on the water already lifeless.
The police said it is possible that the man swam from Manga to de la Paz Cortes.
It is said the victim was drunk last April 11, 2025 and was not seen since.
The police said there was no indication of any foul play.
2 lads arrested in Ubay
Two young men were arrested on April 11, 2025 in barangay Bongbong, Ubay.
The two were arrested following a sting operation conducted by the Ubay municipal drug enforcement team.
The suspects were identified as Adan Basilad, 40, and Mark Lew Abatabay, 31, both residents of barangay Bongbong.
The suspects engaged with a poseur buyer and were arrested after.
At least 10 sachets containing alleged shabu were seized from the suspects estimated to be worth around P40.800 more or less.
Charges of violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 may be filed against the suspect.
Carpenter electrocuted in Albur
A carpenter (popularly called “mason” in Bisaya) was electrocuted while working in an apartment in Albur town, belated reports said.
The victim was identified as Edgar Valiente, 56, from Garcia Hernandez.
It was learned that on April 11, 2025 at around 4 pm at barangay Ipo, Albur, the victim was working in the said apartment.
The victim climbed to the second floor but beforehand he was told not to climb to the second floor.
It was said that while on the second floor, the victim lost his balance and inadvertently grabbed onto a wire that snapped and he touched a live wire causing hike to be electrocuted.
The victim was flung tongue ground floor and was brought to a hospital in Tagbilaran City.
The victim sustained major burns including the left hand that grabbed the live wire.
He was in critical condition when he was brought to the hospital.
As of this writing, the victim is being given the appropriate medical attention.
Carpenter killed allegedly by fisherman in Ubay
A carpenter was killed allegedly by a fisherman in barangay Juagdan on Tuesday afternoon.
The victim was identified as Raniel Canuvas and he sustained stab wounds on the left portion of his chest, left arm and other parts of the body.
The stab wounds caused the victim’s death as he was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.
The suspect was identified as a certain Jimbert Pascua Toquero, 48, and a resident of the said barangay.
The suspect was arrested following a hot pursuit operation conducted by the police,
Initial investigation showed that the victim engaged in a drinking spree and afterwards he slept on a wooden bench and upon waking up he asked someone to accompany him home.
As the victim and companion were about to board a motorcycle, the suspect was allegedly already waiting and threatened to kill the victim.
Then the suspect approached the victim and stabbed the latter.
At first, the suspect’s stabs were parried by the victim leading to a melee.
However, as the victim was drunk he was overpowered allegedly by the suspect and the suspect was able to successfully stab the victim to death.
The police said the possible motive behind the killing is an old grudge.
The police are still conducting additional investigation on the matter.
Jagna police arrest wanted person
Elements of the Jagna police station arrested a wanted person for alleged statutory rape and violation of the special protection against child abuse and exploitation on Tuesday in barangay Can-uba.
The suspect was identified as Irineo Galope, 43, of the same place, barangay Can-uba, Jagna.
The suspect was arrested by local police armed with an arrest warrant issued by Judge Samuel Biliran of Regional Trial Court branch 50 in Loay.
The suspect faces two counts of statutory rape and two counts of violation of Republic Act No. 7610.
No bail was recommended for his temporary liberty in relation to the case of statutory rape while the bail for the other case was set at P200,000 per count.
Dauis on alert for ASF
Dauis is now on alert as a swine has tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF).
Reports say the swine tested positive for ASF via the rapid test and is located in barangay Songculan.
The local government and the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPV) have met to discuss ways to mitigate the possible spread of ASF.
To recall, in April last year the provincial government imposed a border control when some Dauis barangays were hit with ASF.
Dauis mayor Roman Bullen said he met with the families affected with the swine disease where some of their hogs died allegedly due to ASF.
Last April 13, 2025, there were reports that same hogs died in Songculan and were buried immediately after.
It was reported that 29 hogs were buried using the backhoe lent by the Capitol.
Bullen said there is a need to cull the infected hogs in order to get aid coming from the Capitol and from the Dauis government.
It is said that more than two dozen towns in Bohol have been affected with ASF since last November, according to the OPV.