Umali alerts officials on hog cholera

Gov. Aurelio M. Umali has directed various provincial offices to be on the alert for the possible outbreak of hog cholera which had affected some piggery farms in the adjacent provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga.

He allayed fears of a hog cholera outbreak in Nueva Ecija, but said he was not leaving anything to chance.

Umali appealed to hog raisers and backyard growers for the mass vaccination of their animals.

Ed Rillon, provincial information officer, said Umali had convened an emergency task force composed of agriculture, animal industry, health and police officials to neutralize any ill effects that the disease could bring to the hog industry in Nueva Ecija.

Rillon said that Umali had instructed the police to put up checkpoints to inspect cargo trucks to prevent the entry of infected meat into the province.

The governor also directed the office of the provincial veterinarian to make an inventory of available anti cholera vaccines in preparation for the mass vaccination of hogs in the entire province. ###
 
 

Due to the impending drought
NIA asks farmers to take care of irrigation facilities...

Amid the threat of a prolonged drought, the National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) issued an appeal to farmers to take care of its facilities to conserve irrigation water.

Eng. Antonio Nangel, operations manager, also advised members of irrigators' associations in the province to use the recommended technology to ensure a high yield without the use of excessive water.

In his letter to farmers, Nangel asked them to avoid activities that could destroy irrigation facilities.  He also called for the prompt payment of irrigation fees that are used to improve the irrigation system and services.

Because rainfall has been below normal at this time of the year, the water elevation in the Pantabangan reservoir has dipped to below 190 meters. The normal elevation is 200 meters. Still, Pantabangan Dam fares better than other dams in Luzon which are rapidly being depleted of water, including Angat Dam in Bulacan --  the main source of drinking water for Metro Manila.

The Pantabangan reservoir gets additional water from the the Taan and Casecnan rivers in Nueva Vizcaya through a mountain tunnel. ###
 
 

... while PhilRice unveils new irrigation technology

The Muñoz-based Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has developed a new system to reduce the impact of the impending drought.

Dr. Leocadio Sebastian, PhilRice executive director, said the new scheme can reduce the amount of water used in irrigated lowland farms without reducing the yield.

The system called "controlled irrigation" or CI was developed long before Luzon experienced a prolonged dry spell that substantially lowered the water level of most dams in Luzon, including the Pantabangan Dam.

The scheme was developed in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna; National Irrigation Administration (NIA); and local governments.

Sebastian said that in contrast to the traditional continuous farm irrigation practiced by farmers, the scheme involves the alternate wetting and drying of rice paddies by using an ideal amount of irrigation water.

PhilRice promotes the use of a 25 centimeter deep observation tube made of bamboo or plastic buried in the paddy that enables farmers to observe the water level below the surface.

The agency said that farmers should apply irrigation water until five centimeters above the soil surface when there is no more water in the observation tube or when the soil moisture is about to leave the root zone where the rice plants are able to absorb water.

Alex Espiritu of the PhilRice Agronomy, Soil Science and Plant Protection Division pointed out that it is wrong for farmers to think that rice plants will experience stress if water is not seen on the soil surface. ###
 
 

NFA assures stable rice supply

Edelino Alejandro, National Food Authority (NFA) provincial manager, has assured that the agency's buffer stock of rice is enough to provide local government units with their rice requirements during calamities.

"There is no reason to speculate, " Alejandro said, pointing out that about 300,000 bags of imported rice are expected to arrive in September to boost the 200,000 bags that are now stored in NFA warehouses in the province.  He said the supply could last until December.

Rice prices and supplies tend to be unstable during the planting season until the regular harvest season begins in November.

Alejandro said that his agency maintains 370 rice outlets with NFA rice sold for as slow as P18 a kilo.

He said that aside from NFA rice, commercial rice stocks are also sufficient. ###
 
 

Vietnam rice allocated to Ecija and other CL provinces

Some 1.5 million bags of rice imported from Vietnam were distributed to Nueva Ecija and the six other Central Luzon provinces to beef up their buffer stocks.

Eng. Nicolas Crisostomo, National Food Authority (NFA) Region 3 director, said Nueva Ecija received 280,000 bags; Aurora, 40,000; Bataan, 111,000; Bulacan, 397,000; Pampanga, 370,000; Tarlac, 185,000 and Zambales, 86,000.

He said the rice shipment was delivered to Subic Freeport by seven vessels last week.

Another 2 million bags are scheduled to arrive in September, in time for the typhoon season.

Crisostomo explained that the NFA always reserves rice intended for national emergencies or calamities to assure the country's food supply even in areas that may become isolated. ###
 
 

Edno wants rice importation given to private sector

First District Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson has filed House Bill 794 that seeks to give to the private sector the task of rice importation so the government can instead concentrate on buying locally produced rice.

Joson noted that the National Food Authority (NFA) which he used to head during the Estrada administration has accumulated debts amounting to P40 billion brought about by the continuous importation of rice.

He explained that under a presidential decree, the NFA was given the power to import food products, ingredients and materials used in the processing of food products.  Because of the need to boost the rice supply due to the low production of the staple, farmers and their cooperatives were allowed to do the importation.

Joson said that placing the business of rice importation in the hands of private traders would reduce if not eliminate the government's debts.

Admitting that his proposal would face problems with market prices when initially implemented, Joson said the government can put safety nets like the distribution of vouchers or receipts to the poorest sectors, including soldiers and policemen.

He also pointed out that his proposal would allocate to NFA a certain percentage of the rice imported by the private sector, to serve as buffer stock. ###
 
 

NE police chief: 2 months to solve killings

After Gov. Aurelio M. Umali gave the provincial police 90 days to solve the series of killings in Nueva Ecija, Sr. Supt. Agripino G. Javier, provincial police office chief, said they could finish the job in just two months.

"We can finish even in two months the task of putting closure to the numerous past and present unsolved killings in Nueva Ecija involving high profile personalities, including media men," Javier said.

He mentioned at least four murder cases as nearly ready for prosecution -- that of a barangay chair and two others in Quezon town, a district engineer in Talavera, a San Leonardo small town lottery executive, and the newly elected Lupao mayor and vice mayor.

Javier said he would not fail his fellow Novo Ecijanos and would work to ensure public safety through reversing what Gov. Umali has termed as the "culture of violence" in the province. ###
 
 

NGO stages protest caravan

The Movement Yearning for Valor and Oneness through Intellectual, Cultural and Economic Development (MyVoice) held a caravan last July 22 that passed through 32 kilometers of the province's national highway to protest the alleged massive fraud, especially vote buying, that took place in the May 14 elections.

The caravan started from the Ninoy Aquino Freedom Park in front of the old capitol building in Cabanatuan City and ended in Cabiao town with a Holy Mass officiated by Rev. Fr. Jessie Salac.

Editha Wayas, MyVoice spokesperson, said her group still finds hope as shown by the interest of a lot of people for good governance.

She said that MyVoice is composed of volunteers from several organizations like the Institute for Governance, Inc. (iGovern) a lawyers' group; Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI); professionals, media practitioners and other people's organizations.

Lawyer Diosdado Padilla, iGovern president, said his group has renewed its active involvement in social, cultural and economic affairs affecting Philippine society to encourage the strong social involvement of people, specifically farmers, workers, professionals, church people, youth and students, so there would be a stronger voice for the realization of good governance.

Wayas said MyVoice would hound lawmakers and other local officials against wrongdoing.

"We appeal to congressmen, even those who bought their seats through vote buying, to start working for good governance," she said.

MyVoice claims that a study it conducted showed that candidates for various positions in Nueva Ecija last May 14 connived and pooled their resources to buy votes at a higher price. The group said the candidates running for mayor, congressman and governor contributed money, with the chance for being elected depending on the amount given. ###
 
 

CA junks Esquivel's appeal

The Court of Appeals has junked the appeal of former Jaen Mayor Prospero Esquivel to stop the trial of the murder case filed against him.

In a two page resolution penned by Associate Justice Jose Catral, the appellate court turned down Esquivel's motion for reconsideration which was based on an alleged loophole in the petition filed by Rosalinda Velarde, widow of the victim, Ricardo.

The CA insisted that Esquivel's additional arguments were not reason enough to modify or reverse the court's earlier ruling that supported the petition of Rosalinda that there was grave abuse of discretion when the judge turned down the prosecution's ex-parte motion to admit amended information to include Esquivel as one of the accused.

Esquivel's case has gone through a total of three preliminary investigations. He was excluded from the murder case in the first one but not in the last two, where he was linked to the crime by co-accused Rufino Domingo and Edgardo Santos. ###
 
 

Ecijano car owner in Burgos case passes polygraph test

The owner of a Mitsubishi Lancer car said to have been used in abducting Jonas Burgos passed a lie detector test at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last July 31.

Dick Criste, NBI special investigator, said Renato Alfaro of San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija  passed the polygraph test after being asked questions regarding the case.

The NBI said that because of this, Alfaro was automatically stricken off the list of suspects.  However, he could still be summoned again for questioning if new pieces of incriminating evidence should come out during the investigation.

Burgos, son of the deceased Malaya publisher and activist Jose Burgos, was kidnapped by a group of men at a restaurant in Quezon City last April 28. An unidentified witness told investigators that a Lancer later traced to Alfaro was used in the abduction.

Alfaro said he was an employee of Colgate-Philippines and traveled to his family in Canada every year.  He said he was with his wife when the Burgos abduction came out in the news. He said the Lancer was sold to him in November 2006 and he was the third owner of the vehicle. ###
 
 

Army soldier kills comrade in accidental shooting

A Philippine Army soldier faces court-martial proceedings for having accidentally shot and killed a fellow soldier during a training exercise at Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City.

Cpl. Edgar Caban has claimed responsibility for the death of Staff Sgt. Raul Suacillo. The two were assigned to the elite Army Special Forces Regiment.

Suacillo was credited with the killing of the second highest officer of the Abu Sayyaf during a raid on the group's lair in Talipao, Sulu last January 16.

The shooting incident happened last July 3 during an ambush simulation exercise.

Caban said he did not know that his firearm was loaded with live bullets instead of blanks.

Army Chief Romeo Tolentino said that the original recommendation was for Caban to be charged with homicide before a civilian court but the general had him court-martialed as the crime took place between soldiers. ###
 
 

Ex police officer hacked dead

A policeman who was sacked after going on absence without leave was hacked dead in front of his six year old daughter last July 15 in Purok Sampaguita, Barangay Mayapyap, Cabanatuan City.

In a report submitted by Supt. Eliseo Cruz to the office of City Mayor Alvin Vergara, the victim was identified as Guillermo C. Saturno, 36, who was fired from the city police after going AWOL three years ago.

Investigation showed that the victim was walking with his daughter Margarette when he was hacked by Raul Payumo Esmino, 38, of the same barangay.

Saturno was rushed to Premiere General Hospital but declared dead on arrival.

The suspect managed to escape.

Investigators are looking into the motive for the killing. ###
 
 

ATM swindler arrested

The San Jose City police has arrested a 20 year old "master ATM swindler".

Insp. Edilberto Bautista, deputy city police chief, identified the suspect as Arnold Parunkin of 129 Mulawin St., Encarnacion Subdivision, Barangay Santo Niño.

The suspect would pretend to help someone unfamiliar with ATM operations. In the process, he would get the PIN of the cardholder, switch the latter's card with a bogus one, and later withdraw the funds from the card he had filched.

He was finally nabbed last July 23 when he tried to victimize another ATM user. ###