Razon axes 2 Cabanatuan cops for falsifying blotter

Philippine National Police Director General Avelino I. Razon, Jr. ordered the dismissal of two Cabanatuan City policemen for falsifying an entry in the police blotter to support the court alibi of the country's number one most wanted criminal.

Ordered separated from the service after a thorough investigation by the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management were Insp. Romeo P. Gabriel and SPO4 Julio G. Menor who were found guilty of falsification of public documents.

Investigation showed that the two policemen inserted an entry in the Cabanatuan police blotter that fugitive crime suspect Jose Sarmiento Panlilio figured in a traffic accident along the Maharlika Highway in Barangay Zulueta at midnight on or about July 14, 2003.

Panlilio had been accused of killing and robbing Albert C. Gutierrez and Amel C. Real, sons of lawyer Carmencita de Castro, on July 15, 2003 in Calamba City in Laguna.

Panlilio used in his defense the Cabanatuan police station entry made by Gabriel and Menor that turned out to be have been falsified. ###
 
 

US soldiers learn jungle survival at Fort Mag

American soldiers participating in the Balikatan joint military exercises were treated to a rare gastronomic treat by Filipino troops in the jungles of Fort Magsaysay.

They were served salad made of wild leaves, insects as appetizers, rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and drink from the blood of king cobra.

More than 100 soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry, Guam Army National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 200th Infantry and New Mexico Army National Guard took part in the training given by the Philippine Army's Special Forces.

Jungle survival training has been a well known Balikatan event for the past 28 years.

Aside from jungle survival, the American soldiers also took part in rope negotiating in the Special Forces training camp deep in the Fort Magsaysay jungle. ###
 
 

US and Pinoy soldiers repair Santa Rosa schools

American and Filipino soldiers participating in the Balikatan  military exercises in Fort Magsaysay repaired dilapidated school buildings in Barangays Liwayway and Soledad in Santa Rosa.

Lt. Col. Ken Nava, spokesperson of the US Army's Task Force 294, said the American soldiers donated their own money for the community project. They also brought books and school materials.

Nava said that his team was happy to receive a warm welcome from the pupils, their parents and the teachers.

The group also held a dental mission benefiting hundreds of poor residents and their children in the two barangays.

Maj. Fernando Los Banes, spokesperson of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, said that the barangay residents helped the American and Filipino soldiers in their community service in the spirit of bayanihan. ###
 
 

Onion farmers hit DA's failure to regulate imports

Nueva Ecija onion farmers criticized the failure of the Department of Agriculture (DAP) to act on their complaint regarding the continued onion importation that not only marginalized their existence but also threaten to wipe out the century old onion industry.

The members of the Samahang Magbubukid ng Nueva Ecija and the Asosasyon ng mga Maliliit na Magbubukid said that as early as September last year, they had questioned the issuance of an unprecedented number of onion import permits but no action has been taken up to now.

They warned that unless the issuance of import permits for onions from China is stopped, local onion growers could find themselves without any livelihood.

They wondered which sector the government in general, and the DA in particular, is protecting -- the interest of local onion farmers, or that of onion importers.

They said that one of the big onion importers even tagged the complaining onion farmers as members of the New People's Army in an attempt to discredit them so the DA would ignore their complaints.

The Bureau of Customs, for its part, said it could not do anything to regulate onion importation as that authority belongs to the DA. ###
 
 

Casecnan releases irrigation water to northwest Ecija

The Casecnan Multi-Purpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMIPP) of the National Irrigation Administration has started to release water to irrigate some 7,028 hectares of rice farms in the Science City of Muñoz, Guimba, Rizal, Llanera, San Jose City and Talugtog.

This would benefit some 6,371 farming families who have organized themselves into Irrigators' Associations.

Eng. Alexander Coloma, CMIPP project manager, said that the farmer beneficiaries are now coordinating with various government agencies like the Department of Agriculture, Philippine Rice Research Institute, local governments and private entities for technology transfer.

Coloma said that aside from the supply of irrigation water, the farmers have also been provided with service and access roads totaling 213 kilometers built along the irrigation canals.

He said that farmers can now save P10 per cavan of palay or P1,000 per hectare per planting season in transporting their produce to the nearest access roads.

Eng. Robert C. Suguitan, assistant project manger, said the CMIPP's irrigation component would ensure food sufficiency as every Novo Ecijano family would earn more than they did before.

The irrigation service is expected to reach as far as Victoria, Tarlac when the entire project is completed this year.
 
 

Edno files snap election bill

First District Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson filed a bill seeking a snap presidential election on May 26.

This is in the light of mounting protests against the Arroyo administration due to allegations of corruption in the national broadband network deal and other scandals.

Joson said a snap election would bring closure to the many accusations hurled against the administration.

Under the Joson bill, the election would only be for the presidency, with the winner serving out only the remainder of President Arroyo's term until June 30, 2010 and will be ineligible for reelection.

The bill sets aside P2 billion for the snap polls.

Joson pointed out that a snap election was held in 1986 to find out whether Ferdinand Marcos still had the trust of the people.

"The allegations of misgovernance were the same then and now," Joson pointed out. ###
 
 

'Food for School' program launched

The national government's hunger mitigation program called "Food for School" was launched in Nueva Ecija, with some 45,405 public school pupils in 19 towns as beneficiaries.

Edelino Alejandro, National Food Authority provincial manager, said his agency is collaborating with the Department of Education and local government units in the implementation of the program.

He said the program -- an offshoot of Social Weather Station surveys that indicated that a large number of Filipinos were experiencing hunger -- provides for the creation of the Anti-Hunger Task Force involving various government agencies.

The participating local government units are Aliaga, Zaragoza, Santo Domingo, Licab, Quezon, Guimba, Bongabon, Palayan City, General Natividad, Gabaldon, Laur, Talavera, Llanera, Cuyapo, Cabiao, Jaen, San Antonio, Talugtog and Carranglan.

A total of 465 public schools and 540 daycare centers are involved in the program where each Grade 1 and pre-elementary pupils will be given one kilo of rice each every time they attend classes. ###
 
 

STL returns to Ecija

After the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes' small town lottery (STL) was stopped half a year ago due to disagreement between Gov. Aurelio M. Umali and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the legal numbers game has returned to Nueva Ecija.

STL went full blast last February 20 amid reports that it was being allegedly used as front for the illegal game jueteng.

It was reported that STL draws were being held thrice a day in the cities of Cabanatuan, Gapan, San Jose, Palayan and Muñoz, and in the towns of Aliaga, Bongabon, Cabiao, Carranglan, Cuyapo, Gabaldon, General Natividad, General Tinio, Guimba, Jaen, Laur, Llanera, Licab, Lupao, Nampicuan, Pantabangan, Peñaranda, Quezon, Rizal, Santa Rosa, San Antonio, San Isidro, San Leonardo, Santo Domingo, Talavera, Talugtug and Zaragoza.

The PCSO identified its authorized agent in Nueva Ecija as CTG Prime Ventures, Inc. with Ronald Amador de Castro Villanueva as president. Its local business address is Velarde Building, Barangay San Antonio, Jaen.

Rosario Uriarte, PCSO, vice chair and general manager, said CTG was granted the STL franchise after it completed all the necessary preparations for the project and posted a P10 million cash bond.

In a letter to Interior and Local Government Sec. Ronaldo Puno, Uriarte said the STL project would contribute to the realization of a major thrust of President Arroyo -- to have a country free of illegal numbers game. ###
 
 

Ex-GMA 7 broadcaster accuses Joson bodyguards of stoning house

Former GMA-7 news anchor Nina Castro sought the help of the  police last February 20 after her house in Diliman, Quezon City was allegedly stoned by bodyguards of former Nueva Ecija Vice Gov. Mariano Cristino Joson.

Castro and Joson are neighbors at Pentagon Homes, where their townhouse units are adjacent to each other.

Castro said Joson's bodyguards would usually hold drinking sessions until the wee hours of the morning at a vacant lot in front of her unit.

She said the stoning incident happened at about 4:00 AM after she accosted Joson's bodyguards for the noise they were creating while they gambled and drank in front of her house.

Castro said that after her house was stoned, one of the Joson bodyguards reported told her, "Lumayas ka dyan. Dudurugin ko yung mukha mo."

She claimed that there was an instance in the past when her 14 year old son was threatened by one of the bodyguards.

She said he had once informed the former vice governor of the drinking sessions of his bodyguards after which he scolded them.

Recently, she also asked Joson's wife, Josephine, to talk to the bodyguards so the problem would not have to be referred to barangay officials, but the former congresswoman reportedly told her to bring the matter to the barangay, finally severing their once cordial ties with each other.

Castro said she could not yet file a formal complaint because she did not know the real names of the Joson bodyguards.

Supt. Franklin Moises Mabanad, chief of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said that they would do whatever positive action was possible. ###
 
 

Retired cop faces rap for stealing 'birthday kiss'

A retired policeman in Talavera who drives a tricycle is facing a charge for act of lasciviousness after stealing a kiss from his lady passenger.

The suspect was identified as Silvino dela Cruz.

The victim told investigators that early in the morning of February 17, she asked dela Cruz to ferry her home from the market. Upon reaching her place, the driver helped her to unload her goods then stole a kiss from her, saying it was his birthday and the kiss would be his gift from her. ###
 
 

Grandpa found dead in hotel room

A 63 year old man was found dead inside a room in a hotel in Barangay Daang Sarile, Cabanatuan City at around noon last February 21.

Supt. Eliseo Cruz of the Cabanatuan City police identified the fatality as Tomas Aves Manapol of Barangay General Luna, Laur.

Investigators said that Manapol and an unidentified woman checked in at Driftwood Hotel at about 9:45 AM.

Precy C. dela Cruz, hotel manager, said that about two hours later, they noticed that the door of  Manapol's room  was ajar and when they checked inside, they found the man's lifeless body, with his lady companion gone.

The police found the victim's belt bag containing a caliber 45 pistol with eight bullets, two spare magazines with 15 bullets, a wrist watch, five keys, a wallet containing P490 in cash, a senior citizen ID and memorandum and mission orders from the 71st MICO of the 7th Infantry Division based in Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City. ###
 
 

Illegal recruiter nabbed

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment reported the arrest of nine suspected illegal recruiters, including one in Nueva Ecija.

Task Force chief Rosalinda D. Baldoz said that one of the illegal recruiters, Renato Pingol Francisco, was arrested at NE Pacific Mall in Cabanatuan City sometime last year after receiving marked money paid by the complainants as their processing fees.

Nine victims, most of whom come from Nueva Ecija, filed illegal recruitment cases against Pingol, Baldoz said.

She advised other victims of the arrested recruiter to come forward and file complaints. ###
 
 

Construction worker arrested for rape, abduction

A 24 year old construction worker from Cuyapo was arrested by Taguig City police officers in an entrapment operation for the abduction and rape of his 17 year old text mate.

The suspect was identified as Rhyan Gatin of Barangay Cabatuan, Cuyapo who worked as a construction worker in Manila.

He allegedly raped his teen aged text mate in Taguig, then brought her to his house in Cuyapo.

Chief Insp. Delia Ingalla, chief of the Women and Children Protection Center of the Taguig police, said the girl's father sought their help when his daughter disappeared last Valentine's Day.

Investigators were able to establish a a link between Gatin and the girl with the help of the victim's two friends.

One friend befriended Gatin and during their exchange of phone calls was able to her the victim's voice in the background and even talk to her.

Upon confirmation that the victim was with Gatin, the Taguig police set up an entrapment operation that led to the arrest of the suspect and the rescue of the victim. ###
 
 

2 die, 7 hurt in Santa Rosa traffic accident
 

Two persons died and seven others were seriously injured when a passenger bus rammed a pick-up truck in Barangay San Gregorio, Santa Rosa last Valentine's Day.

Sr. Insp. Roger Sebastian of the Santa Rosa police identified the fatalities as Charizza Geronimo, 18 year old nursing student, and Pat Chris Collaleon, 18, of Paombong, Bulacan.

Those hurt were Dennis A. Pascual, 31, pick-up driver; Eric P. Tolentino; Maricar B. Lobederio, 19; Roderick L. Coronel, 36; Benjamin C. Lindayag, 19; Bryan C. Lindayag, 21; and Eric Chris C. Pangan.

SPO2 June Adalem said the accident happened at about 11:30 PM when the victims' pick-up was hit by an oncoming Victory Liner bus driven by Reynaldo L. Pura, 49.

The impact caused the pickup to overturn and hit the terrace of the house of one Gregorio R. Dayao. ###