Umali couple's presence in SP session protested

Vice Gov. Edward Thomas N. Joson accused Gov. Aurelio M. Umali of barging into the session hall of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan together with his wife, 3rd Dist. Rep. Czarina Umali, last January 21 while the provincial budget was being discussed.

"He should not have barged in there especially at a time when we were discussing the budget," Joson said in a radio interview later. "The executive and legislative branches have different functions," he added.

He said the President of the Philippines would never come uninvited while Congress is deliberating the budget.

SP Member Racquel Agapito, in the same radio interview, said that what the governor did was contrary to protocol.

It was reported that some of Umali's supporters carrying placards also entered the session hall.

For his part, Umali said that he and his wife went to the session hall merely to observe.

"Everybody is free to go there and observe.  I was not meddling in their affairs. I said nothing there," he pointed out.

He criticized the provincial board for trimming more than P300 million from his P1.4 billion budget proposal, with the slashed amount intended for scholarships and operating expenses of some provincial offices.

"They are crippling me," Umali said.

He said he would veto the budget once it is sent to him for approval. ###
 
 

Educators get free Boy Scout uniforms courtesy of Umalis

A total of 162 principals, school heads and teachers in the province received free Boy Scouts of the Philippines uniforms from Gov. Aurelio M. Umali and his wife, 3rd Dist. Rep. Czarina Umali, in simple rites held at the old Capitol Building in Cabanatuan City last January 22.

The recipients had participated in a three-day Basic Training Course held at the Boy Scouts of the Philippines Camp in Palayan City in August last year.

The governor gave away the uniforms costing P1,500 each in place of a 10th wedding anniversary present he was supposed to give his wife last December 8.

In his speech, Umali told the educators to wear the Boy Scout uniform with pride, honor and dignity and continue living the life of a true Boy Scout whose motto is "Be prepared".

He said he has drawn strength from scouting from the time he was a young Boy Scout until now that he is governor.

"Kumukuha ako ng lakas sa Boy Scout sa araw-araw na problemang inilalapit sa akin sa Kapitolyo," he said.

Present at the affair were Division Schools Supt. Dioscorides Lusung, BSP Council official Rose-Ria dela Cruz and the newly designated head of Umali's Batang Nueva Ecija Foundation, Inc., Gay Padiernos.

Dela Cruz said that the event marked the first time in the history of the province that a governor gave free and complete Type A uniforms to Boy Scout training participants.

'Mahal and uniporme; dagdag gastos kung bibili sila at magpapagawa pa," she said. ###
 
 

Case #1
3 provincial officials survive slay try

Three officials of the Nueva Ecija provincial government survived a night-time ambuscade  staged by two unidentified gunmen in Gapan City last January 17.

Sr. Supt. Napoleon Taan, OIC provincial police director, said those who escaped the slay attempt were Eng. Vicente "Boyet" Santos, 48, OIC provincial engineer, and Eng. Roberto Leoncio, 48, assistant chief of the Provincial General Services Office, both of San Leonardo; and Eng. Anthony Alfaro, 26, chief of the provincial planning program of Barangay Santo Niño, Gapan City.

Supt. Marlon Bingcang, police station commander, said the shooting happened at about 10:10 PM in Santo Niño while the three victims were riding a Nissan Frontier pickup with plate number SFC-823.

The vehicle with Leoncio driving was in front of Alfaro's house when the two suspects wearing fatigue jackets and ski masks aboard a red Honda Motorcycle fired at it.

Three bullets went through the pickup's windshield but hit no one as the three engineers managed to duck. They then sped off towards the barangay hall of adjacent Barangay San Nicolas.

Investigators recovered three 9 mm shells and a live bullet.

Ferdinand Abesamis, a consultant of Gov. Aurelio M. Umali, said that Santos was appointed head the Provincial Engineering Office shortly after the May 2007 elections. ###
 
 

Case #2
Licab barangay chair escapes ambush

The barangay chair of Linao, Licab and his cousin sustained minor injuries when they were ambushed along the provincial road in Barangay San Pascual, Santo Domingo last January 23.

The barangay official, Agustin Teodoro, 45, and his cousin Johnny Teodoro were confined in a hospital. The barangay chair was wounded in his lower lip.

Chief Insp. Nicasio Malazzab, Santo Domingo police chief, said the victims aboard a barangay service vehicle were returning home from a seminar at the Philippine Rice Research Institute at past 5:00 PM when fired upon by the suspects.

Teodoro, despite his wound, managed to drive the vehicle to the Licab police station, a few kilometers away from the crime scene. ###
 
 

SP Member Agapito elected VP of  Lady Local Legislators League

Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Raquel Agapito was elected as vice president for Luzon of the Lady Local Legislators' League of the Philippines (4L Philippines) in the national elections held at Pearl Hotel in Manila last January 25.

She ran under the 3G party of Dagupan City Councilor Farah Marie Decano who won the national presidency. Except for one candidate, all of those who ran with Decano were elected.

The other elected officers were Quezon City Councilor Lala Sotto (executive vice president), Talisay City Vice Mayor Lani Abarquez (secretary general), Leyte Board Member Evangeline Esperas (treasurer), Tagum City Councilor Mylene Baura (auditor), Mandaue City Councilor Naoleen Bobajos (vice president for the Visayas), and Dapitan City Vice Mayor Patri Chan (vice president for Mindanao). 

The 4L Philippines is an organization of lady vice governors, board members, vice mayors, councilors, barangay leaders and councilmen and councilwomen, and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) presidents. 

The group was formed in 1996 with former Pangasinan Board Member Editha Demetria as founding president. ###
 
 

Ecija doctors protest 'generics only' provision of Cheaper Medicine Bill

The president of the over 400 member Nueva Ecija Medical Society (NEMS) said the lives of patients would be virtually left in the hands of drugstore employees if doctors were forced to prescribe only generic and not branded medicines.

Dr. Augusto Abeleda, Jr., NEMS president, said that while Nueva Ecija physicians are united with patients in longing for inexpensive medicines and better access to health services, they were against a provision of the Cheaper Medicine Bill requiring doctors to prescribe only generic drugs.

He said that the lives of patients should not be sacrificed by the "generics only" provision of the House version of the bill.

"In the end, it's our profession and the patient's life that are at stake," he stressed.

He  denied that multinational drug companies were funding the campaign against the generics provision of the Cheaper Medicine Bill which had been endorsed both by the Department of Health and the World Health Organization. ###
 
 

The wrath of a Grade 3 pupil...
Boy brings gun to school

A Grade 3 pupil caused tension in Jaen Elementary School in Jaen town when he brought to class his grandfather's unlicensed pistol that he intended to use to get even with school bullies who had beaten him up.

Chief Insp. Samuel Sevilla, Jaen police chief, said the boy surrendered the .38 revolver to policemen who came to check out the information that a pupil had brought a gun to school.

The boy said he stole the gun from his grandfather's cabinet upon the prodding of a schoolmate so he could shoot the kids who had hurt him.

The boy was temporarily placed under the custody of the Jaen Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.

The Jaen police chief said that the boy would be allowed to return to school as long as he reports to the social welfare office once a week for counseling. ###
 
 

Jueteng bet collectors arrested in Gapan City

Police arrested two bet collectors and seized jueteng paraphernalia and cash bets in a raid in Barangay San Lorenzo, Gapan City during the third week of January.

Those arrested were Jaime de Lima, 52, and Marilou  Borra, 40.

The two yielded identification cards as collectors of Green 2 Corp., former franchise holder of the legal Small Town Lottery which stopped operations when Gov. Aurelio Umali assumed office last year.

It was reported that jueteng bets collected in Gapan City and General Tinio were being drawn in San Miguel, Bulacan while those from Cabiao and Jaen were being drawn in Arayat, Pampanga.

The resurgence of jueteng in southern Nueva Ecija allegedly started sometime during the first half of January, coinciding with the installation of the new provincial police director, Sr. Supt. Napoleon C. Taas.

Taas said the jueteng operation in the south has been verified, but he denied that the illegal game was also rampant in the province's second district. ###
 
 

Boxes of fake liquor destroyed

Ten big boxes of fake Pedro Domecq products, including bogus Fundador brandy, which had been confiscated by authorities were destroyed at the back of the court building inside the old Provincial Capitol Compound in Cabanatuan City last January 24.

Regional Trial Court  Branch 31 Executive Judge Napoleon Santa Romana and Brach 24 Executive Judge Rodrigo Caspillo led representatives from various sectors, including the police and the media, in witnessing the destruction of the illegal goods. ###
 
 

Bongabong lady cop's live-in partner killed

The 32 year old live-in partner of a policewoman was shot and killed last January 28 along the national highway in Barangay Curva, Bongabon.

A report submitted by Sr. Insp. Ernesto delos Santos to Mayor Beth Gamilla identified the victim as Glenmore U. Musuela of Barangay Santor, Bongabon.

He sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the body.

It was learned that the victim was returning home aboard his motorcycle after delivering
his live in partner, PO1 Anne Cecilia Santos, to the municipal hall when he was fired upon by the unidentified suspect who had tailed him. ###
 
 

Man jailed for molesting 8 year old girl

Police arrested a 23 year old man accused of molesting an eight year old girl in Barangay Piñahan, General Natividad on the night of January 18.

The suspect, Antonio delos Santos, was seen by Merlito dela Cruz while molesting the girl, a neighbor, and reported the incident to the police.

The suspect admitted having committed the crime, saying he was drunk at the time. ###
 
 

Retired Cuyapo cop, woman shot dead

An unidentified man shot dead a retired policeman and an old woman who were playing cards in Barangay Cabileo, Cuyapo last January 21.

Insp. Epifanio Salipsip identified the fatalities as retired SPO3 Teodulo M. Manzano, 48, and Rosalina R. Abellar, 61.

The victims and two other persons were busy playing the card game "tong-its" when the gunman appeared from some five to seven meters away and fired hitting Manzano eight times in the head and Abellar once in the back. ###
 
 

Search for head of summary execution victim continues

The search continues for the missing head of a man whose body was found in Barangay Santiago, Aliaga two weeks ago.

Sr. Insp. Raymund Valera said the victim was identified as Arsenio E. Domine alias Boyet, 51, of Barangay San Juan ACCFA, Cabanatuan City. His body was identified by his younger brother Joselito, who said that the victim had a live-in partner and two children.

Valera said that they were looking for the the victim's live in partner to shed light on the crime.

The victim's body was found dumped beside the road on the night of January 10,  with a cardboard sign saying "Budol-budol ako, huwag pamarisan". ###
 
 

Son robs own mother's shop

A man who was reported to be rebelling against his mother was arrested by the police in Quezon City after he robbed her car spare part shop in San Leonardo town and took her vehicle.

Insp. Angelo Nicolas, chief of the Quezon City Police District anti-carnapping section, said that the suspect, Gibb Interior Cipriano, 30, jobless, was arrested together with seven companions along A. Bonifacio Avenue near  Balintawak Market at about 11:30 PM last January 28.

Cipriano allegedly took the vehicle and car spare parts from his mother's shop and intended to sell these to a buyer in Tayabas, Quezon.

The mother, Edna Jose Cipriano, who was engaged in trucking and forwarding business, decided to file charges of car theft against her son and his companions identified as Ricardo Austria, Joy Rubiano, Arsenio Balala, Eduardo Mendoza, Faustino Almendas, Sandiago Diamante and Randy Mangurab.

Nicolas said the suspects went to the family owned shop in San Leonardo and threatened a helper who was guarding Edna's Fuso Canter and spare parts stored in the garage.

Edna was on the way back to Nueva Ecija when she spotted her vehicle at the opposite lane and immediately informed traffic enforcers of the North Luzon Expressway who in turn tipped off the Quezon City police.

The unarmed suspects did not resist when arrested.

Nicolas said charges to be filed in Nueva Ecija were being prepared against the suspects, .  He said the intended buyer of the stolen goods would also be investigated. ###