LGU opposes Leyeco V’s P1B Capex application

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) conducted a second public hearing on Leyte-V Electric Cooperative’s (Leyeco V) application for P1.045 billion worth of capital expenditure projects under its five-year distribution development plan last Jan. 25.
 

This time, there are three parties who manifested opposition to the application compared to only one the first time around. Hearing Officer Atty. Ronaldo G. Gomez decided that National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reform (Nasecore) will be the intervener, giving it the privilege to present evidences and cross examine witnesses during the hearing.
 

On the other hand, the Ormoc local government unit (LGU) and Ormoc Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Orcham) will be considered oppositors and can submit their position papers. The two parties asked that they be given 30 days to submit their respective position papers but Atty. Gomez granted only 20.
 

Nasecore President Pete Ilagan filed an instant motion to dismiss the application but which was countered by Leyeco V counsel Atty. Rogelio P. Gula on the ground that it will only delay the proceedings. Besides, the ERC will dismiss the application if the motion is meritorious, he added.
 

Atty. Gomez proceeded with the expository presentation and pre-trial conference. Orcham Vice President Iñigo Larrazabal said they wanted to examine Leyeco V’s book of accounts and the financial analysis for the projects. There were other issues raised by the participants that had nothing to do with the issue at hand.
 

One of them is Leyeco V’s alleged over-collection of P150 million which was raised by Manuel Constantino, cooperative officer of Isabel LGU. Atty. Gomez did not entertain such issues but instead advised them to file their grievances to National Electrification Administration. Ilagan said he will present five witnesses from among the Board of Directors (BOD) of Leyeco V on the next evidentiary hearing which is yet to be scheduled.
 

Meanwhile, Mayor Eric C. Codilla extended an offer for the LGU to mediate between Leyeco V and Nasecore. Speaking over DYRR, the mayor said he understands the need for Leyeco V to upgrade its facilities but Nasecore also raised valid points with respect to the 7719¢ per kWh rate corresponding increase as a result of the DDP.
 

Mayor Codilla sees no point for the two parties to conduct their own forums that don’t resolve the problems. He was apparently referring to the power forum conducted by Orcham and Nasecore in Nov. 26 last year wherein Leyeco V wasn’t invited to answer the issues. In another occasion, Leyeco V was allowed to present its position at a public hearing organized by the Ormoc LGU in Dec. 21 last year but was snubbed by Orcham and Nasecore.
 

“Sige lang mo’g forum unya wala man ang Leyeco diha. Mag-grandstanding lang gyud mo; ipakita lang nga maayong laki mo manulti,” he scoffed. “Walay solusyong mahimo. Ang interes sa tawo unsa may solusyon, dili magsige ta’g pagarpar (ug) pabilib nga maayo kang mu-istorya.”

 
Mayor Codilla will schedule a closed-door meeting wherein he hopes Leyeco V’s BOD and accountants as well as Nasecore members will attend.
(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 23-29, 2012)

35 LGUs get P170.6M; Ormoc grabs highest amount at P45M

THE Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Budget and Management will release P170.6 million to 35 local government units (LGU) in Region 8 that are recipients of the Local Government Support Fund which is intended to defray part of the decrease in the LGUs’ Internal Revenue Allotment for 2012.
 

DILG Regional Pedro Noval Jr. informed that the fund would be released only to provinces, cities and municipalities that have passed the DILG’s Seal of Good Housekeeping, Director Noval said. In Region 8, four provinces, three cities and 28 municipalities have been stamped with the Seal of Good Housekeeping.
 

These are the provinces of Leyte which will receive P25 million; Biliran, P5 million; Eastern Samar, P15,000; and Northern Samar, P15 million. The cities are Ormoc, P45 million; Tacloban, P25 million; and Maasin, P20 million.
 

The 28 towns include six from the province of Biliran namely Almeria, P500,000; Biliran P500,000; Naval, P900,000; Cabucgayan, P500,000; Kawayan, P500,000; and Maripipi, P400,000.
 

There are seven towns from Eastern Samar namely Guiuan, P1 million; Balangiga, P600,000; Dolores, P1 million; Hernani, P400,000; Maydolong, P900,000; San Julian, P600,000; and Sulat, P700,000.
 

The eight recipient towns from Leyte include Alangalang, P900,000; Burauen, P1million; Jaro, P900,000; Babatngon, P700,000; Calubian, P700,000; Dagami, P800,000; Palo, P1 million; and Tanauan, P900,000.
 

The three recipients from Southern Leyte are Hinunangan, P800,000; Hinundayan, P500,00; and Macrohon, P700,000.
From Northern Samar are the two recipients namaely Laoang, P1 million; and San Isidro, P800, 000.
 

Finally, the two recipient towns from Samar province are Calbiga, P800,000; and Marabut, P600, 000.
 

DILG Region 8 Information Officer Myles Colasito said the recipient LGUs would be granted not more than 50% of their corresponding decrease in IRA after DILG has reviewed and approved their one-page project proposals which should be submitted along the projects to be funded by the LGSF.
 

Once the Regional Office has determined the soundness of the project, it shall endorse the same to the DBM for funding, Colasito said. The funds shall be utilized as capital expenditure to augment the approved 2012 annual investment plan for implementation of any or combination of the following projects like rural electrification, local roads connection national roads, arterial farm-to-market roads and bridges, local economic enterprises, flood control and drainage and to support priority projects of the National Government such as Millenium Development Goals, Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 and Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. (PIA 8)

(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 23-29, 2012)

SP defers discussion on port dev’t delineation

The port development plan shows a 31-hectare expansion sidewards to the sea.

THE 12th Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) in its regular session this week deferred discussion on a resolution endorsing the proposed port zone delineation to comply with the rehabilitation of the Ormoc port. The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) plans to implement a P131 million upgrading of the port to include its expansion by 31 hectares to the sea.

To make this possible, the PPA will first have to delineate the area for expansion. However, Councilor Rafael Omega asked that since the city will cede ownership and control over 31 hectares off the coast, wouldn’t it be more proper to amend the zoning ordinance instead of passing a mere resolution.

However, Asst. Majority Floor Leader Claudio P. Larrazabal, proponent of the resolution, explained that the city doesn’t have jurisdiction over the sea but the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Port Services Division Manager Concepcion R. Tupa who was invited to the session also clarified that the PPA will not own the delineated zone but will only administer the area. 

But Councilor Jose C. Alfaro Jr. disagrees, saying that in actual practice, the PPA will have full control area with its own police force and that the city will lose its jurisdiction. “Our policemen cannot even enter the pier,” he said. The item was deferred and brought back to the committee level for further discussions. by Felix N. Codilla III
(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 16-22, 2012)

Editorial: Credit-grabber, freeloader

THERE has been a lot of fuss lately over infrastructure projects around 4th District being claimed by Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez. A competing local newspaper which we will call as Lucy Mail would have us believe that the congresswoman has lined up half a billion pesos worth of projects for the district. 

But the public has to be wary of such a spin. In fairness, we have to give Lucy and her staff credit for their alacrity in owning projects at the risk of being branded as credit-grabbers and freeloaders. A what? Let’s brush up on our vocabulary. 

A credit grabber is someone who takes credit for others’ efforts while a freeloader is someone who exploits the generosity of other people (usually friends) to get anything for free (e.g. free ride, free lunch). In this case, Lucy is piggybacking on other agencies’ efforts and takes credit to earn easy brownie points. We have a Visayan term for that – dawat og limpyo.

Lucy manifested this tendency early on from the time she laid claim on the airport terminal project. It was unbelievable, knowing that her husband Richard made the airport’s sorry state a campaign issue, oblivious of the fact that bidding for the terminal project was already done.
 

Richard doesn’t have an idea about the project, but it suddenly became Lucy’s. We’re not saying credit should go to ex-Rep. Dodong Codilla, but those in the know would attest that the airport terminal was his reward from President Arroyo for supporting her from the impeachment moves in the House.
 

In another project, Lucy nitpicked on the opening of the newly-rehabilitated Bao Bridge. Did she really expect her constituents to believe she’s responsible for the repair when the contractor is a political opponent? Word is that she even wanted the work stopped to replace the contractor.
 

If we follow Lucy’s crooked logic, any project of the DPWH that is completed under her watch is hers. It’s her predecessor’s fault for not finishing his projects on time. So what’s the real story? This was what really happened. Until recently, backlogs are a norm in DPWH.
 

Delays were not only confined on Bao Bridge or other 4th Led projects under Rep. Codilla’s watch for that matter; delays were rampant nationwide. In Region 8 alone, there are 248 backlogs from 2008 to 2011. Reasons for these vary from late funding releases to realignments.
 

But the thing is, most of these projects were pursued, albeit belatedly. The flurry of road repairs we’re seeing have been programmed long before Lucy assumed office and were carried over on the second half of 2010 until last year because of late fund releases.
 

How can Lucy be responsible for these road works when the PNoy administration had been under-spending for most part of last year? Even the ongoing asphalt overlay activities everywhere are funded either from the Special Support Fund of the Motor Vehicle Users Charge or from the National Roads Improvement and Management Project II (NRIMP-2).
 

NRIMP-2 is the second phase of a program to upgrade and preserve the National Road System. DPWH will get an additional P1 billion for NRIMP-2 to pave 15,872 kms. of national arterial roads. Meaning to say, the road repairs we’re seeing in 4th District is part of a nationwide operation to upgrade the Philippines’ road networks.
 

These road works have been going on during Rep. Codilla term. That time, newspaper Lucy Mail bombarded 4th Led with criticisms because of the road re-blockings but has now turned silent because its benefactor is staking her claim on the construction activities.
 

Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez has nothing to do with these road repairs. Her only contribution is the ubiquitous billboards bearing a face so beautiful, no one would think it is owned by a credit-grabber-slash-freeloader congresswoman.
(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 16-22, 2012)

Ormoc to be awarded PCCL Host of the Year

MAYOR Eric C. Codilla has succeeded in making Ormoc a sports haven of Region 8. This is proven with the award to be received by the city from the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) as Host of the Year during a ceremony on Jan. 27 at the ABS-CBN studio compound in Quezon City.

Ormoc hosted the regional games of PCCL last Nov. 25-30, 2011 wherein all games were televised through delayed telecast on Studio 23. The crowds filling the Superdome to the rafters and the warm welcome by the Ormocanons exceeded the expectations of the visiting teams.

The event was memorable as it saw the local team ACLC College Titans beating the Iloilo Wildcats to break into the Sweet 16 for the first time. Rival teams from Cebu and Manila also settled their scores in Ormoc – University of Cebu against Southwestern University and Colegio de San Juan de Letran against San Sebastian College.

Councilor Ruben Capahi, chairman of the City Sports Council will receive the award. He extends his gratitude to PCCL Commissioner Jose Lipa for giving Ormoc the honor of hosting the regionals. With the award, he hopes Ormoc will get a crack in hosting the Final 4 and championships this year. by Joey Vincent Motel

(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 9-15, 2012)

Mayor Eric C. Codilla poses with Dr. Jung-Ho Cho (left) and an unidentified Korean visitor. Dr. Cho is the director of Physical Education of Sumkyong Women’s University in Seoul. He and 15 Korean students are in Ormoc to donate 50 boxes of PE equipment and musical instruments to Mabini Elementary School. They will also teach the pupils how to use the equipment and instruments.

Ormoc, Kananga groomed as salad bowl

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) and Energy Development Corp. (EDC) are putting in P92 million to develop a 2,000-hectare mountain range in Tongonan surrounding Ormoc City and Kananga town. The massive project called Agri-Pinoy, the integrated and diversified program will last for five years and will benefit at least 5,600 farmers from 23 farmers’ associations.
 

The focus would be on land preparation, cultivation, harvesting, processing, and marketing of high value vegetables. Among the vegetables being currently planted are cabbages, green onions, tomatoes, eggplants, radishes, chayote, cucumber, and pineapples. These will be enhanced by planting crops, durian, rambutan, jackfruits, coffee and abaca. As such, the concept is to turn Ormoc and Kananga areas into a major “salad bowl.”
 

From the allocation, the DA will use P29 million to put up a consolidation center and pilot packaging facility. Beneficiary farmers will also be given marketing support. Another P13 million will also be used for research and development into new farming techniques and plant development.
 

EDC will also provide P50 million for farmer financing. This will be divided to P10 million per year for the next five years. The beneficiaries will come from seven barangays in Kananga and nine barangays in Ormoc.
 

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said the five-year project should improve the lives of poor farmers by having them learn some entrepreneurship skills. Having local farmers turn themselves into businessmen would also improve the region’s economic status. By Alexander Villafania
(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 9-15, 2012)

Ratooning promoted to rice farmers

SOME 5,000 hectares of rice lands in Leyte are identified for rationing this year to produce more palay (unhusked rice) and offset losses brought about by flooding and pest infestation. The move is in response to the order of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala to facilitate rice planting in as many areas until next year’s cropping season under the quick turnaround program.

“Leyte is the priority for this technology since this has been practiced by some farmers in the province where they have irrigation system,” according to Agriculture Department Regional Executive Director Antonio Gerundio. “We will just provide interventions to boost their yield.”
 

Gerundio explains that they are campaigning for rationing to attain rice self sufficiency by 2013. “We are looking at expanding the practice to more areas of the region next year,” he adds. The program will involve 5,000 farmers with an expected yield of 10,000MT. Region 8 has been recording an annual output of less than one million metric tons per year.
 

Ratooning is a technology wherein the remaining stubble or rice stalks are allowed to regenerate tillers and grains by applying fertilizers. Farmers are advised to apply a bag of fertilizer per hectare 20 days after the main crop is harvested and practice good water management to stimulate growth.

Gerundio assures the practice will not disturb the usual cropping pattern from November to April and May to October as it only takes 45 days to cultivate ratooned rice. Experts say the ratoon crop matures earlier and requires 60% less labor and the same reduction with water supply.
 

In Ormoc where rationing has been practiced, the yield per hectare for the main crop is 130 sacks. With ratoon, an additional 40 sacks is harvested, gaining an estimated P21,000 additional income. “The technology is very advantageous,” City Agriculture Technician Judith Paredes said. “Because of the good crop stand, it is free from pest infestations and disease infections.”
 

Other advantages of ratooning include maximizing crop residues and controlling soil erosion by keeping the soil covered. Gerundio explains that the success of a good ratoon crop depends on the care with which the main crop is cultivated in the growing season.
 

Agronomic practices and the care with which the main crop is protected against insect, pests and diseases determine the success of rationing and crop yields in ratoonable cultivars. Rice rationing is not a new practice. It has been successfully adopted in India, Japan, USA, Brazil, Thailand, Taiwan, China, etc.

(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 9-15, 2012)

Ormoc LGU renews Go’s consultancy

RETIRED Visayas State University President Dr. Samuel S. Go will continue to oversee the city’s agricultural programs after the Sangguniang Panlungsod last Jan. 12 approved the renewal of his contract as agriculture consultant which will run for the whole year of 2012.

Councilor Rafael C. Omega Jr. backed the resolution, citing Ormoc’s strides in agriculture. He specifically mentioned Valencia Barangay Captain Alfredo Q. Roble being awarded as Best Hybrid Rice Farmer in the Philippines by no less than President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino Jr.

(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 9-15, 2012)

Goma stains relief drive with politics

ACTOR Richard Gomez who is interested to run for mayor next year created a stir at the social networking site Facebook (FB) when he accused the local government unit (LGU) of refusing to cooperate in a relief drive for typhoon victims in Mindanao. Demands for his public apology fell on deaf ears after his information turned out to be false.
 

A group of concerned Ormocanons took the initiative to collect donations for victims of typhoon “Sendong” in Cagayan de Oro, Valencia and Iligan Cities. They were able to solicit 50 sacks of rice from Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez which started the brouhaha.
 

“congw lucy donated 50 sacks of rice from her pdaf for the victims in cdo and iligan before Christmas. but when the city mayor of ormoc found out about this, he did not lend his city truck to the organizers to pick the sacks of rice and other stuff. so the organizers had to spend extra money for the hauling and shipment instead of giving more for the victims,” Gomez posted on his FB wall.
 

Agnes Capahi-Siguenza, one of the volunteers who initiated the relief drive, did not let Gomez’s misinformation pass and gave him a piece of her mind which opened a floodgate of criticisms against the actor-politician. Most of the succeeding comments accused him of politicizing a noble initiative.
 

“mauwaw ta Manoy Rich oui...di ta pataka pahaba sa mga inosenteng katawhan sa ormoc ug mga bakak! kung gusto ka mohumot aron botohan ka paghimo ug mga matarong nga buhat ayaw anang puros ka lang pandaut sa imo mga kaatbang kay layo pa ang piniliay...” Juliet Orbiso Alcala typed.

“unsa man pagtoo nimo taga ormoc mga uwat na lang jud ug gibolokan ka namo? pagtoo nimo di mi kaantigo motimbang-timbang knsa nagsulti ug nagbuhat kamatuoran ug knsa ang wala? ayaw tawn ming mga taga ormoc smola pag ayo kay very bigs kaau mi para patuyukon sa imohang fingering-aling noh?”

Siguenza clarified that not only did Mayor Eric C. Codilla lend a vehicle to transport the donations to the port, he also allowed the use of the City Hall as drop-off point for the donations. She also posted a photo of the Canter light truck of the LGU that was used to transport the donations. Personnel of the General Services Office also loaded and unloaded the cargoes.
 

Not only did Gomez lie about the LGU’s purported non-extending of help, he also made it appear that Roble Shipping charged the donations by saying the volunteers spent their own money for the shipping cost. “He is twisting the facts, roble shipping did not even charge us a single centavo for transporting the relief goods to cebu!” Siguenza typed on FB.
 

She suspects Gomez’s intention was to malign Mayor Codilla. If true, Gomez solicited only a handful sympathetic comments on his wall. One of his supporters, publisher Lalaine Marcos-Jimenea, tried to rescue her newspaper’s benefactor from the backlash by commenting on John Patrick Ceniza’s comment thread: “So let’s move on and forget all this hullabaloo.”

But the Richard-bashing went on at Siguenza’s account. She said Gomez just wanted to brag about their rice donation which she belittled as compared to the LGU’s P1.5 million assistance to the three battered cities. “Wa man gani nagpasi-atab ang siyudad sa Ormoc nga mihatag ug P1.5M para sa tulo ka lugar nga nabahaan! Kanang imo 50 ka sako di na katandog sa hinabang sa siyudad noy!” she typed.

Ma. Lourdes Zamora seconded by saying Gomez would have gloated even more if they donated the much expensive Granador rice. “Nku ganador na rice iya gedonate ky grabeh man pgputak nija..pastilan pud ni manoy richard ug mo tabang gani tabang y dghan yaw2x ug mahimo dli nlang unta isangyaw,” she posted.

Siguenza agrees and typed: “NFA RICE is what they are donating — ano pa kaya kung GRANDOR RICE?! abot sa pluto ang advertisement and publicity?” Maricel Yu contributed that it is the congresswoman’s voters who are embarrassed with Gomez’s action.

“Tingali may tatak to ila face ang kada grains,” typed Lynn de los Reyes. She was referring to the Gomez couple’s fondness of putting up pictures of their faces everywhere which earned for them the moniker Epal King and Queen of 4th District in reference to the Anti-Epal Bill which proposes to ban signages of politicians.
 

Oneal Aberilla, also a volunteer in the drive, typed his reaction: “Ato ipa sosi sa CDO tingali naa tarpaulin nka butang nila ngadto.” Ronah Sacay-Dubal asked the most sensible question: why didn’t the congressional office deliver the rice themselves considering they have a fleet of vehicles?
 

Ken Enecio who also spearheaded the drive gave a detailed explanation on the controversy. According to him, they made a hasty decision last Jan. 5 to deliver the donations the following day. Given their limited logistics and time (the ship leaves 11:00 am), they decided to ship out the food items and clothes first and then the rice on Jan. 9.

“It is unfortunate that all of the good intentions me and the rest of my group had had to be politicized and blown out of proportions. This defeats our purpose of just lending a hand to Sendong victims,” Enecio laments. by Felix N. Codilla III

(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 2-8, 2012)

Repaired Bao Bridge blessed

ORMOC Mayor Eric Codilla led the blessing of the newly repaired Bao Bridge in neighboring Kananga town last Jan. 7. He was supposed to be joined by his brother, Kananga Mayor Elmer C. Codilla, but the latter got caught up with the installation ceremony of Lt. Col. Joel Alejandro Nacnac as new commanding officer of 19th IB (see related report this issue).

Mayor Beboy said he considers the bridge repair completion as significant reason why he personally attended the blessing done by Rev. Fr. Gil Logramonte, parish priest of Holy Family Church in Kananga. This is because Bao Bridge is a vital link to the regional capital of Tacloban. It is also an access used by cane trucks in delivering sugarcane to Region 8’s lone sugar mill located in Kananga.

Former Rep. Eufrocino M. Codilla Sr., father of the two mayors, identified and approved the bridge repair but was not immediately implemented because of the election ban in 2010 and the under-spending policy imposed by President Benigno Simeon Aquino Jr. last year.

The repair finally pushed through in October last year when the President decided to unleash infrastructure funds to cushion the anticipated economic slowdown brought about by his under-spending. Mayor Beboy thus thanked the President for pushing through with the vital bridge repair.

According to contractor Engr. Eduard Codilla, proprietor of Yakal Construction, the repair entailed reinforcing the columns of the 75-meter bridge, applying fiber epoxy on the girders and installing new slabs and railings. The Codillas opened the bridge to traffic immediately after the blessing. by Felix N. Codilla III
(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 2-8, 2012)

Ormoc expects P300M from permits, RPT

THE Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) is expecting to collect close to P60 million from the renewal of business permits this month. Permits, Licensing and Franchising Chief Emilio G. Tingson said the assessed collection will come from the 4,900 registered businesses in Ormoc (see table).

While missing the target is possible because of business closures, Tingson said most establishments that usually cease operations are micro enterprises. Besides, these are offset by new business openings. There were 45 businesses that closed in Ormoc in 2010 for example, but there were also 771 new enterprises that opened the next year. Ormoc has 20 large-scale businesses, 63 medium, 343 small and 4,474 micro enterprises.
 

Deadline for renewal of permits is on July 20 with no extension. Businessmen who won’t make it to the deadline will have to pay a penalty. Tingson said there is no reason for an extension considering processing time takes only an hour after which the permit is immediately released.
 

This is made possible by a simplified and streamlined procedure in compliance with the joint memo circular issued by the Department of Interior and Local Government, and Department of 

Trade and Industry imposing a unified form for permits application for all BPLOs.
 

Tingson said only two basic documents will be attached to the application for renewal: the barangay clearance and the previous year’s permit. Moreover, the permit will need only two signatures: the mayor’s and BPLO chief’s. The last time the Ormoc BPLO extended the renewal of permits was in 2002.
 

Meanwhile, City Treasurer Angelo Roman said they are targeting to collect P250 million from real property taxes. He reminded landowners to pay early their RPT this year to avail of a 10% discount. Last December, the discount was 20%. Late payers will incur a 2% penalty. by Elvie Roman-Roa
(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 2-8, 2012)

Nacnac is installed as new commander of 19th IB

LT. Col. Joel Alejandro Nacnac who was installed as the 30th commanding officer last Jan. 7 during a change of command ceremony. He takes over the post relinquished by Lt. Col. Rancis Cabugon. “19th IB had a bishop; now I’m installing a knight under the command of Lt. Col. Nacnac who is equally skilled with his forerunner,” said 8th ID Commander Maj. Gen. Mario F. Chan who presided over the ceremony.

“19th IB has achieved much despite the short stint given to Lt. Col. Cabugon. I expect more from Lt. Col. Nacnac this time,” Maj. Gen. Chan added. The 19th IB topped other army battalions in the 3rd quarter of last year which contributed to Leyte being declared as a Manageable Conflict-Affected and Development Ready.
 

Lt. Col. Cabugon also wrote a book entitled “The Implementation of Internal Peace and Security Plan in Leyte” which narrates his own experiences on how he battled the insurgency in Leyte within six months. He was awarded a Military Merit Medal and a Command Plaque during the ceremony.
 

A native of Piddig, Ilocos Norte, Lt. Col. Nacnac is a member of Philippine Military Academy class ‘90. He graduated number one when he took up the Command and General Staff Course (GSC) Class 53 at Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College.
 

GSC is the highest career course for military officers. The 19th IB will be the second battalion he will command in his 22 years of military service after serving as assistant chief of staff for civil-military operation of 8th Infantry Division.

(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 2-8, 2012)