After the 1896 Revolution...
VP de Castro rallies Ecijanos for economic revolution

Vice President Noli de Castro urged Novo Ecijanos to launch an economic revolution by fully harnessing the province's rich agricultural and human potentials.

De Castro spoke during the 111th anniversary rites for "Unang Sigaw ng Nueva Ecija" held at the Provincial Convention Center in Palayan City last September 2. He represented President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who had just arrived from a foreign visit.

He said that Novo Ecijanos could attain prosperity by implementing such a revolution, adding that it could only be achieved if the citizens were to unite and eliminate violence that has marred local politics.

"Let's continue the revolutionary spirit of our forefathers, but this time against mass poverty, petty political rivalries and divisiveness," de Castro said.

The Vice President cited the fact that nine percent of irrigable lands in the country are in Nueva Ecija which also happens to be the site of major irrigation facilities like the Pantabangan and Aulo dams.

He also mentioned the efforts to build on agricultural industries like the production of onion powder, rice wine, dried mangoes and mango puree.

He noted that aside from developing nurseries for high value fruit trees and decorative plants, the province has started the establishment of agri-aqua techno and model farms and made considerable headway in the production of hybrid rice and corn.

Nueva Ecija also participates in bio-diesel technology through jathropa propagation and processing with the support of the national government.

De Castro vowed to push Nueva Ecija's development projects in Malacañang, saying it is not only a job but an honor considering the huge contribution of Novo Ecijanos to Philippine independence.

The Vice President was welcomed by Gov. Aurelio M. Umali and his wife, 3rd District Rep. Czarina D. Umali, and mayors Romeo Capinpin of Palayan City, Alvin Vergara of Cabanatuan City, Josefino Angeles of Santa Rosa, Froilan Nagaño of San Leonardo, Eugenio Placido of Rizal, Crisanto Legaspi of Peñaranda, Ubaldino Lacurom of Nampicuan, Lorna Vero of Llanera, Dominador Mandia of Gabaldon, Abundia Garcia of Cabiao and Marcial Vargas of Aliaga. ###
 
 

PGMA inaugurates Aulo Dam

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo helicoptered to Barangay Manggahan in Palayan City last September 4 to inaugurate the P295 million Aulo Small Reservoir Irrigation Project.

The dam can hold 708,266 cubic meters of water and irrigate a total of 810 hectares of rice lands and orchards. Beneficiaries include 495 farmers from Palayan City and Cabanatuan city.

Agriculture Sec. Arthur Yap told the President that with the completion of Aulo Dam, farmers can now plant two times a year instead of only once.

She also released sacks full of bangus fingerlings into the Aulo Dam waterway.
Gov. Aurelio M. Umali said that with the Pantabangan, Casecnan and Aulo Dams in operation, Nueva Ecija is now fully able to join the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle as envisioned by the President.

During an open air Pulong Bayan, the President said the government has set aside P8 billion for irrigation projects and P5 billion for farm-to-market roads under the 2008 national budget. She said the fruits of the reforms instituted by her administration are beginning to trickle down to the ordinary people, including Novo Ecijanos.

"Dito sa Nueva Ecija, inaasahan nating nararamdaman ang biyaya ng paglagong ito sa mnga  proyektong patubig at kalsadang bukid. Kabilang ang mga Novo Ecijano -- nangunguna pa nga -- sa libu-libong magsasaka na nakinabang sa halos isang milyong ektaryang bagong isinaayos na irigasyon mula 2001," she said.

Among the local officials who attended the Pulong Bayan were Gov. Umali, Vice Gov. Edward Thomas Joson, Palayan City Mayor Romeo Capinpin and Reps. Eduardo Nonato Joson of the First District, Joseph Gilbert  Violago of the Second District, Czarina Umali of the Third District and Rodolfo Antonino of the Fourth District. [Photos by Jun Torres] ###
 
 

Business groups push for Tarlac-Nueva Ecija-Aurora Expressway

Business groups in Central Luzon are pushing the government to build the Tarlac-Nueva Ecija-Aurora Expressway that will transform the region's eastern portion into a gateway for trade, commerce and tourism through the Pacific Ocean route.

The Advocacy for the Development of Central Luzon (ADCL) presented to the Nueva  Ecija Chamber of Commerce and Industry the features of the proposed 60 kilometer expressway that will start from La Paz, Tarlac and pass through Zaragoza, Santa Rosa, Cabanatuan City and Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija, from where the road will be extended to Dingalan and  Baler in Aurora.

Rene Romero, ADCL chair, said the expressway will shorten travel time to Dingalan to mere 40 minutes.

While the proposed expressway seeks to transform the region's eastern corridor into trade routes to and from North America by way of the Pacific Ocean , the soon to be finished Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway along the region's western side provides access to Southeast Asian countries by sea and air.

Romero said these interconnected structures would strengthen the potentials of the Luzon Urban Beltway that covers Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Metro Manila. President Arroyo and government economic planners have clustered these places as a "super region" in July 2005.

While the Tarlac-Nueva Ecija-Aurora Expressway was not included in the Central Luzon Development Plan completed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Department of Trade and Industry in 1995, the CLDP said there is a need to create a parallel development of the North Luzon Expressway and the Sierra Madre Expressway. The latter would encourage economic development in Cagayan Valley and Aurora. ###
 
 

Pantabangan wants to be a city -- no kidding!

Pantabangan Mayor Romeo Borja said that town officials have started grassroots consultations and hearings on a proposal to convert the town into a component city of Nueva Ecija.

Borja expressed optimism that Pantabangan -- a fourth class municipality -- could "graduate" into a component city, saying it has met two of the requirements for cityhood.

He said that in terms of land area, Pantabangan encompasses 400 sq. kms. of land -- four times the minimum requirement of 100 sq. kms. Secondly, he said the town has earned a minimum annual income of P100 million in the past three years, meeting the income requirement for cityhood.

Borja said the town's income from taxes paid for Casecnan Dam is the sixth highest among the more than 1,500 municipalities in the country.  Based on a report by the Commission on Audit, he said Pantabangan earned P200 million in 2005 and P194 last year, mainly from tax payments made by California Energy International and First Gen Holdings, Inc. ###
 
 

Edno opposes deferment of barangay/SK elections

First Dist. Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson joined other congressmen in opposing the move in the Lower House to defer to 23009 the holding of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Joson pointed out that the barangay elections had been suspended twice, meaning incumbent officials are already overstaying in office.

He said the proposed date for the deferred village elections, 2009, immediately precedes a presidential election that entails long term preparations and huge expenses for the government.  Besides, he said the barangay elections would be a fertile spawning ground for massive fraud as presidential candidates would want to ensure that they have supporters in place in the most basic political unit.

Joson said the administration already has its hands full with the escalating armed hostilities in Mindanao, the brewing trouble related to the arrest of Jose Ma. Sison in the Netherlands, public dissatisfaction with multibillion dollar questionable deals and the backlash of the verdict on the Estrada case, and a postponement of the barangay elections would bring an additional unwanted complication.

Besides, Joson said the barangay and SK elections this year has already received a budget allocation. ###
 
 

Joson wants exoneration of poll winners facing political crimes

First Dist. Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson has filed a bill seeking to clear those charged with political crimes if they win in a national election.

Joson's House Bill 2305 or the proposed Sovereign Exoneration Law is expected to benefit Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV who won in the last election despite a rebellion charge filed against him in connection with the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

The continued detention of Trillanes for the non-bailable charge prevents him from attending Senate sessions.

"If the President can give pardon, why can't the Filipino people do so as the sovereign?" Joson asked.

He said if the people elect a person charged with a political crime to a national office, that means the people have forgiven the candidate and want him to serve.

The Joson bill covers those charged before any court of law, administrative agency or military tribunal, with rebellion, coup d'etat, sedition and disloyalty as defined in Articles 134 to 142 of the Revised Penal Code or "crimes against public order, directed against the existence of the State, the authority of the government and general public tranquility".

Joson clarified that those charged with common crimes such as murder and homicide are not covered by his proposal. ###
 
 

Cabanatuan tricycle drivers oppose color-coding scheme

Legitimate tricycle drivers and operators in Cabanatuan City are protesting the proposed color-coding scheme that ban them from plying the city's main streets from Monday to Saturday, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, calling it "unfair, anti poor and oppressive".

The city government under Mayor Alvin Vergara announced that the scheme would be implemented for two weeks on experimental basis, beginning last September 3.

Under the plan, only tricycles with license plates ending in 1 up to 5 can ply within the city proper on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Those ending in 6 up to 0 are allowed to ply on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Affected by the scheme are some 20,000 tricycles in the city, including 10,000 illegal ones. ###
 
 

Cop chief relieved, 2 other investigated over jueteng

The police chief of Pantabangan was relieved while the police chiefs of Rizal and Bongabon face investigation for allowing the operation of jueteng in their areas of jurisdiction.

The acting provincial police director, Sr. Supt. Agripino Javier, ordered the relief of Sr. Insp. Jose A. Ocampo after a raid on a jueteng den in Pantabangan last September 5. Eleven jueteng personnel were arrested.

Under investigation are Sr. Insp. Samuel M. Avila of the Rizal police force and Bongabon police chief Danilo Zulueta.

Javier said the arrested suspects in Pantabangan were also believed to be the same group operating in Rizal and Bongabon.

He said he had ordered the Provincial Special Reaction Team led by Chief Insp. Arnold Palomo to monitor the activities of the jueteng group after receiving reports that it operated "kangaroo style", hopping from one town to another to avoid detection. ###
 
 

2 cops arrested for kidnapping

Two Nueva Ecija policemen suspected of being involved in a kidnap for ransom gang were arrested two hours after they abducted a member of a Cabanatuan City rock band last September 5.

The Nueva Ecija police director, Sr. Supt. Agripino Javier, identified the two as PO1 Arvin Lucido, 29, of the Gapan City police, and PO1 Edgar Vicente, 34, of the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau.

The Cabanatuan City police led by Supt. Eliseo Cruz arrested the suspects in Barangay Bitas.

Investigation showed that the suspects abducted at gunpoint Wilfredo S. Austria, 22, a local rap singer, in Barangay Bantug Norte and detained him at Texas Inn in Barangay Daang Sarile for three hours. They demanded a ransom of P20,000.

Witnesses immediately reported the incident to the police, resulting in the arrest of Vicente minutes after receiving P5,000 from Austria's father, Wilfredo Sr.

Lucido was arrested at the police station when he tried to recover the car used in the abduction.

Meanwhile, another kidnap victim surfaced last September 7 and identified Vicente and Lucido as the same persons who abducted him in Barangay Gen. Luna, Cabanatuan City last August.

The victim, Richard Gomez, a tricycle driver, said he was abducted by Vicente last August 14 and detained in a hotel room  before demanding P100,000 from his wife.  He said the policeman also took his motorcycle.

His wife first negotiated to pay P30,000 but the suspects did not release him until the P70,000 balance was delivered.

He identified Vicente at the police station before going to the office of National Bureau of Investigation head agent Pedro Roque, Jr. where he filed a case.

The two policemen are facing kidnapping charges and administrative cases for grave misconduct. ###
 
 

P.6M Aliaga payroll lost to holdup men

Two motorcycle riding men held up a government ambulance ferrying P626,000 worth of payroll money for Aliaga employees last August 30.

The Cabanatuan police chief, Supt. Eliseo Cruz, said the ambulance was returning to Aliaga after withdrawing the money from the Land Bank of the Philippines main office along Gabaldon Street in Cabanatuan City when the suspects armed with .38 revolvers overtook the vehicle.

On board the ambulance were Pastora Dumlao Ferry, 62, of Barangay Bibiclat; Luciana de Leon Nieves, 52, local revenue collection officer, of Barangay Poblacion; and driver Jesus Nacino Lleva, 42, of Poblacion West, Aliaga.

The suspects shot the left rear tire of the vehicle while it was passing through the main road in Sitio Boundary, Caalibangbangan, Cabanatuan City. When Lleva stopped the vehicle, the suspects grabbed the black suitcase containing the payroll money and sped away.

Cruz said the suspects could have tailed the victims from the Land Bank. He said that investigators are determining if the robbery was an inside job. ###
 
 

Killers of former INC minister arrested

Three principal suspects in the slay of a former Iglesia ni Cristo minister were arrested last September 10 in Cantarilla St., Barangay Valdefuente, Cabanatuan City.

Police said the victim, Benjamin Carlos, 60, of 119 Sumacab  Sur, was stabbed 18 times and robbed of his tricycle and  in the evening of September 8.

Those arrested were Ryan Gonzales, 23, of Purok 3, Barangay Vijandre; Angelo Guevarra alias Elo, 23, of Barangay Kalikid Norte; and Alvin Eugenio, 19, of Barangay Matadero, all in Cabanatuan City.

The group's alleged leader, Rogelio Talens alias Mong, of Purok 3, Barangay Vijandre, managed to escape. ###
 
 

Retired teacher stabbed in the eye with fork

An 80-year old retired teacher in Gapan City is in danger of going blind after being poked in the eye with a fork by a neighbor at the height of an argument.

In a report submitted by Supt. Marlon Bingcang to the office of City Mayor Ernesto Natividad, the victim was identified as Julia Trinidad of Barangay San Nicolas.

Investigation showed that at about 10:15 PM last September 10, Trinidad had an argument with her neighbor, Enrico Tolentino Alonzo, who was then engaged in a drinking session. The suspect suddenly grabbed a fork and stabbed the victim, hitting her in the right eye.

Trinidad was rushed to a local hospital.

The suspect has been charged with frustrated homicide. ###
 
 

San Jose robbery suspects nabbed

Five members of a notorious robbery/hold-up gang operating in Nueva Ecija and adjacent provinces were arrested at midnight last September 3 after they robbed a rich couple and their five guests in a subdivision in San Jose City.

City police chief Supt. Sidney Villaflor identified the suspects as Virgilio D. Ibasan, 27, of Poblacion West, Lupao; Roger C. Bernardino, 30, and Angelo B. Sapla, 27, both of Rigos Block, Barangay Abar 1st, San Jose City; Joselito B. Sapla, 31, of Sitio Habitat, Barangay Santo Niño 3rd, San Jose City; and Bryan A. Graco, 23, of Poblacion, Lupao.

A sixth suspect -- Fernando Santiago, 39, of Gabaldon -- was able to escape.

Prior to their arrest, the suspects, armed with guns and knives, broke into the house of Victor Rene and Marie  Grace Corpuz in Villa Ramos Subdivision, Barangay Abar 1st. ###
 
 

Marijuana supplier arrested

The Cabanatuan City police and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group arrested a suspected big time marijuana supplier in Barangay Bitas last September 7.

The suspect was identified as Alexander Gentrobales Gonzaga, 29, originally from Digos, Davao del Sur and now living in Bagtu, Maria Aurora, Aurora.

Anti illegal drug agents arrested the suspect after a drug deal with a police asset. ###
 
 

1 dead, 2 hurt in highway mishap

A motorcycle driver died while two persons riding in tandem with him were seriously hurt when their bike was hit by a ten wheeler truck last September 1 in Barangay Mayapyap, Cabanatuan City.

The fatality was identified as Eduardo E. Santos of Barangay Bakod Bayan, Cabanatuan City.

Injured were his passengers Edgar Serrano and Zaldy Alvarez, both of  Barangay Aduas Centro.

It was learned that the victims' motorcycle was cruising Maharlika Highway when it was hit by an Isuzu truck owned by Ferdinand Galope and driven by Pastor Pagulayan Ong of Barangay Fugu, Cauayan City, Isabela.

Ong surrendered to the police. He was charged with reckless imprudence resulting to homicide. ###