Army losing land to squatters

The Philippine Army denied that the military has been grabbing farmlands in five barangays in Laur.

"The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the one losing land to squatters and not the other way around," the Army's Northern Luzon Command said in a statement.

The Army has been in conflict with farmers over 1,200 hectares of farmlands in barangays Sagana, Nauzon, Canantong, San Isidro and San Jose, which the farmers have been claiming based on certificates of land ownership awards issued to them by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Quoting Lt. Col. Hermilo T. Barrios, the judge advocate of the 7th Infantry Division, the Army said that DAR had no authority over the land that was returned to the then Army commanding general, Maj. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, in 2001.

The military explained that the Department of National Defense donated 3,100 hectares of land in the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation to DAR in 1991 for the victims of the Mount Pinatubo eruption. The Mount Pinatubo Commission issued certificates of land ownership to the victims covering 1,900 hectares, resulting in an excess of 1,200 hectares which the commission opted to return to the Army.

Because of this, Barrios said the DAR had no more authority over the 1,200 hectares being claimed by supposed beneficiaries in the five Laur barangays.

He said the claimants were mostly not from Nueva Ecija, calling those in Barangay San Isidro as "pseudo farmers acting as fronts for other personalities".

The 7th ID led by Maj. Gen. Juanito Gomez was scheduled to hold a dialogue with the land claimants at the division's multipurpose hall last October 12. ###
 
 

Officials tackle Tarlac-Nueva  Ecija-Aurora Expressway

Presidential  Assistant for Central Luzon Relly Fajardo has vowed to work with the Advocacy for the Development of Central Luzon (ADCL) and local government units on the proposed Tarlac-Nueva Ecija- Aurora Expressway.

Fajardo, former major of Palayan City, had a luncheon meeting with the ACDL-Nueva Ecija Chapter led by Vicky Gaetos, also president of the Nueva Ecija Chamber of  Commerce and Industry last October 18 in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

Following a brief presentation on the proposed expressway, Fajardo requested the ADCL to seek endorsements and resolutions from the local government units and non government organizations concerned so she, in turn, could endorse the project to President Arroyo.

She said the proposed expressway from Tarlac to Dingalan Bay in Aurora had been approved by the President based on the original design by Global Gateways.

However, Fajardo welcomed a new proposal to include a road component to Baler, Aurora to simultaneously develop the area as a gateway to the Cagayan Valley.

She said it would be advantageous for ACDL to also support the full development of the Palayan City airport inside Fort Magsaysay, aside from the proposal to develop Baler Airport and the seaports of Dingalan and Baler. 

For her part, Gaetos said her group would seek the endorsement of the Nueva Ecija Sangguniang Panlalawigan and work closely with Fajardo's team.

The proposed expressway will cross from Aurora to Palayan City and Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija, and on to La Paz, Tarlac where it will be connected to the last section of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. ###
 
 

Cabanatuan identified as ideal for BPO

The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) has identified Cabanatuan City and 14 other cities as ideal locations for investors in business process outsourcing (BPO).

BPO is the contracting of a specific business task, such as preparation of payroll, to a third party service provider.  Examples of BPOs are call centers, human resources and accounting outsourcing.

Monchito Ibrahim, consultant for CICT's cyberservices group, said the 15 cities are among 35 being assessed under the Cyberserve Corridor initiative, based on the availability of human resources, peace and order situation, and power and telecommunications infrastructure.

Aside from Cabanatuan City, the initial list of cities include  those in Metro Manila, Cebu,  Davao, Bacolod, Santa Rosa in Laguna, General Santos, Dagupan, Bacoor in Cavite and Lipa in Batangas.

The CICT was assisted in doing the assessment by regional offices of the Department of Trade and Industry. ###
 
 

Umali orders the setting up of plant nurseries

Gov. Aurelio M. Umali has asked agriculture and environment officials in the province to put up a plant nursery at the sprawling provincial capitol grounds in Palayan City to maximize efforts in the replanting of trees in the dwindling forests and denuded mountains in the province.

Umali said the propagation of fruit tree seedlings in the provincial capitol grounds would extend to other areas.

He said the nursery could revitalize efforts at promoting local high value fruit tees by capitalizing on thousands of old mango trees especially at Central Luzon State University which could be tapped for seedling production, and tapping the expertise of noted pomologist Bernie Dizon who comes from Bongabon.

Dizon has developed his own nursery called "Nueva Ecija's Best" in Magalang, Pampanga. It is the biggest in Central Luzon and boasts of thousands of seedlings of various mango varieties and other fruit trees like lychees, mangosteen and durian.

The governor believed that the province could produce its own own stocks of fruit tree seedlings for the greening of the countryside, at the same time producing quality fruits like mangoes which could earn dollars and serve as alternative livelihood to rice farming.

Umali said that instead of sourcing seedlings from nurseries in Batangas, Laguna and other places, farmers or barangay residents could engage in seedling production for use in the government's food production efforts. ###
 
 

RP-US military exercise starts in Fort Magsaysay

About 6,500 Filipino and American military personnel are participating in a joint military maneuver and community outreach activities during the "Talon Vision" exercises that started on October 15.

More than 2,000 US military personnel were deployed in the exercise sites in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija; Clark Air Base and Basa Air Base in Pampanga; and  Subic Bay, Zambales.

US Marines from the 3rd Expeditionary Unit, III Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa, Japan and US sailors from the Essex Expeditionary Strike Group, Task Force 76, from Sasebo, Japan are participating in ground, air and naval integration training with the AFP.

The military exercise is designed to improve interoperability between US forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and increase the readiness and strengthen the professional relationships between the two countries.

Community outreach projects such as the repair of school buildings and painting of classrooms will be implemented, including free medical and dental clinics in Palayan City; Ternate, Cavite; and Laguna. ###
 
 

Carabao Center embarks on cloning

The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) based in the Science City of Muñoz and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) expect to produce the first cloned carabao in Southeast Asia in the next two years.

Edwin Atabay, PCC supervising science research specialist, said the country spends P26.1 billion a year for imported milk and dairy products.

The PCC is mandated to develop the Philippine carabao to increase milk and meat productivity and provide additional income and better nutrition to farming communities.

He said the ongoing project of PCARRD, Department of Science and Technology and PCC is aimed at developing a system for the cloning of "super buffalo calves"  through somatic cell nuclear transfer technology.

It is expected that some 1,300 cloned buffalo embryos will be produced in the laboratory and transferred to recipient animals.

So far, Atabay said some 750 embryos have been produced.

The PCC was created in 1992 through the Philippine Carabao Act sponsored by then Sen. Joseph Estrada using his community development fund.  The center was inaugurated when  he became president.

Estrada's son, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, has filed a bill converting the PCC into the Philippine Livestock Research Institute to be attached to the Department of Agriculture, with the expanded mandate to cover research on and development of cattle and small ruminants.
###
 
 

Wanted: All Filipino rice beverage

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) will hold a nationwide search for an all-Filipino rice beverage in November at its Central Experiment Station in the Science City of Muñoz.

PhilRice has noted a lack of an all-rice Filipino beverage despite the proliferation of  Filipino rice dishes and delicacies and the huge market for beverages.

The contest is open to women's groups, college and high school students, HRM and Home Economics graduates and others.

The recipe entries should be original and at least 25% rice based.

The entries will be judged according to taste and appearance, 30%; product stability, 25%; originality, 25%; nutritional value, 10%; economy, including cost and ease of preparation, five percent; and safety, five percent.

Prizes await regional winners and selected runners up, who will be qualified to join the national competition. ###
 
 

Gapan, San Jose, Talavera win regional nutrition awards

The Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) 3 conferred the Outstanding Green Banner award to Gapan City as the city in the region that has contributed outstanding performance to the government's program for good nutrition.

San Jose City bagged second place in the same category, followed by the City of San Fernando.

Meanwhile, Talavera was given the Green Banner award, together with Abucay, Bataan; Plaridel, Bulacan; Lubao, Pampanga; Anao, Tarlac; and Candelaria, Zambales.

The nutrition committees of  various local government units were honored for having formulated tangible plans to combat malnutrition for three consecutive years.

RNC Director Josefina Castillo-Go said the recognition of the local nutrition councils would better uplift the standard of nutrition in the country, adding that the government could not aspire to see a productive country if its population is deprived of the basic need of nutrition.

The awarding rites were held at the Benigno Ninoy Aquino Hall at the Pampanga provincial capitol grounds.

Among the guests were Pampanga Gov. Eduardo Panlilio, Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Castillo, other local government officials and city and municipal nutrition councils in the region. ###
 
 

Infected hogs burned

Authorities killed and burned ten hogs believed infected with swine respiratory disease (SRD) intercepted at a checkpoint in Talavera.

Dr. Abraham Pascua, Department of Interior and Local Government provincial director and head of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC), said the infected hogs were bound for Guiguinto, Bulacan when stopped by the police in Barangay Pinagpanaan, Talavera.

The hogs were loaded in an Isuzu Elf truck driven by Manuel Z. Libunao and reportedly owned by a certain Eli Sta. Ana of Guiguinto.

The PDCC reported that the driver failed to present any veterinary document or permit to transport the animals when stopped at a checkpoint along the highway.

Dr. Eugenio de Belen, municipal veterinarian of Talavera, and Dr. Eliseo V. Padolina confirmed that the hogs were infected and ordered them condemned to prevent the spread of the disease.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jennilyn Averilla, provincial veterinarian, reported to Gov. Aurelio M. Umali that the hog disease that struck five towns in the province from July to September had been contained. ###
 
 

Joson to de Venecia: Resign

First Dist. Rep. Eduardo Joson urged Speaker Jose de Venecia to "do an Abalos" and resign to save the image of the House of Representatives due to his alleged involvement
in a bribery and influence peddling scandal.

He said the allegations that de Venecia used his office to help the company of his son, Jose de Venecia III, to corner a government contract and get two congressional franchises were more serious than the bribery charges against former Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos.

Joson said that graft was a bigger offense than bribery and the speaker's position was higher than that of the COMELEC chair.

He said even the appearance of wrongdoing would hurt the image of the House. ###
 
 

Honest tricycle driver cited

A 32 year old Cabanatuan tricycle driver earning barely P100 a day was honored for returning a brown envelope containing P100,000 in cash that a passenger accidentally left in his vehicle.

The driver, Francisco Lorenzo, Jr. of Barangay San Juan, managed to trace the owner, Melanie Nuñez, who said she was on her way to the bank to deposit the money for her employer, Ferdie Cruz, owner of Psalmist Music Center.

Lorenzo did not ask for a reward but Cruz gave him an undisclosed sum, a guitar and two wrist watches.

He was also recognized by the Ministry of Christ the True Vine of which  Cruz is a member. ###
 
 

Talavera OFW bares employer's abuse

A 27-year old mother from Talavera who worked as a domestic helper in Lebanon for nearly a year, has accused her employer's son of raping and torturing her.

The victim, a mother of three from Barangay Maestrang Kikay, said the rape was committed last March 30 in her employer's condominium unit in El Haddas-Hay El American in Beirut.

The woman was presented to newsmen by former Talavera Mayor Manolito Fausto whose help was sought by her mother and aunt.

The victim said she was recruited by Blue Bay Employment Services, Inc. in April 2006 to work as a domestic helper for Leila Nasreddine in Lebanon for a monthly salary of $150.

She said she was treated well during the first few months but never allowed to go out of the house except in the company of her female employer.

Last March 30, her employer hog-tied and handcuffed her for unknown reasons, and she was not given food the entire day. That night, her employer's son, Haydar, raped her after she was injected with a kind of drug.

The following day, she was brought to the office of her employment agency and stayed there for four days before she was hurriedly taken to the airport by her employer's husband for a flight back to Manila.

Nestor Burayag, officer-in-charge of the Repatriation and Assistance Division of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said that the repatriated domestic helper was turned over to the OWWA operations center by the airport police when no one came to fetch her. She was found to be uncommunicative and incoherent.

She was eventually referred to the National  Center for Mental Health where she was diagnosed to be suffering from symptoms of schizophrenia and advised to undergo monthly treatment as an out-patient. ###
 
 

Ex-SP member survives neck slash

Former Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Jose Bernardo "JB" Yango filed a frustrated murder case against a man who slashed his neck with a shaving razor last October 6.

Police identified the suspect as Cayetano Gregorio, Yango's barangay mate.

Investigation showed that at about 7:20 PM, the suspect armed with a razor barged into Yango's yard at District 5, Cuyapo, and asked "Pare, ano ba ang kasalanan ko?" before taking a swipe at him.

The blade hit Yango in the neck. Yango was rushed to the Guimba General Hospital where he was later declared out of danger.

Yango served as board member for three terms. Before entering politics, he used to play in the Philippine Basketball Association where he was known as the "Cuyapo Kid". ###
 
 

Coed drowns in irrigation canal

A 21 year old female student of  Dr. Gloria D. Lacson Foundation Colleges drowned in an irrigation canal in a freak accident on the evening of October 1.

Chief Inspector Alexander Mariano, chief of the Nueva Ecija Police Intelligence and Investigation Branch, identified the victim as Arlene delos Santos Marcelo of Barangay San Lorenzo, Gapan City.

It was learned that at about 12:30 AM, the victim was driving her car with a lone passenger, Aldrin Ray Fajardo Bautista, 21, of Barangay Sampaguita, General Tinio, when she reached the dead end of a NIA service road beside an an irrigation canal in Barangay San Anton, San Leonardo.

She got off  to see how she could maneuver her car but slipped, fell into the irrigation canal and was carried by the strong current.

Her companion managed to get help from passersby but by the time Marcelo was fished out, she was already dead.

Police are determining if there was any foul play in the incident. ###
 
 

Ex-cop sentenced for homicide tries suicide

A former police inspector in Cuyapo who was arrested after being found guilty for homicide tried to commit suicide by drinking an insecticide used for killing termites.

In a report to the office of Mayor Amado Corpuz, the former police officer was identified as Insp. Jay Mauricio Ronquillo, 36, of Aromin Street, District 8 and formerly assigned to the Special Action Force in Bicutan, Taguig.

Ronquillo was arrested at about 4:45 PM last October 2 after having been found guilty by RTC Branch 33 Judge Ismael Casabar in a homicide case.

The arresting officer, SPO2 Alfredo Antonio, said he noticed Ronquillo drink from a  mineral water bottle. Once inside the detention cell, the police officer started to vomit from having drunk Solignum, a termite killer.

He was rushed to the Guimba District Hospital in serious condition. ###
 
 

Santa Rosa housewife killed

A 36 year old housewife died after being hacked in the head and slashed in the throat by a 22-year old man with whom she had quarreled.

In a report filed by Sr. Insp. Roger Sebastian to the office of Chief Insp. Alex Mariano, chief of the Police Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the victim was identified as Maria Anita Gavino Magsilang.

It was learned from Magsilang's 11 year old son that about 8:00 PM last October 1, he saw her mother being chased by the suspect, Bernardo Mateo Cuevas, who was armed with a machete.

When the suspect was able to corner the victim in her house, he hacked her and slashed her throat.

Cuevas was later arrested by policemen and barangay watchmen. ###
 
 

Pacquiao fan stabbed by pro-Barrera drinking buddy

A fan of Manny Pacquiao was stabbed by a drinking partner at the Litsunan sa Kubo-kubo in Barangay Joson Carranglan last October 3.

The  victim, Marson Ventura Segundo, was treated in a hospital in San Jose City and is recovering.

Investigation by SPO1 Benedicto Corpuz showed that Segundo was engaged in a drinking session with Jeffrey Felipe, 31, when the conversation turned to the upcoming Pacquiao-Barrera fight, with the victim calling the Mexican boxer a has-been.

A heated argument ensued until the suspect pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim.

Felipe was arrested and charged with frustrated homicide. ###
 
 

4 killed in Jaen car crash

The driver and three passengers of a Toyota car died when the vehicle crashed onto a large acacia tree in Barangay Malabon Kaingin, Jaen at about 4:30 PM last October 7.

The victims were identified as Jerwine Justine Bernardo Tiu, 16, driver; Edwin Buenaviaje Sauro, 36; and Norberto Unsal Encarnacion, 53, all of Barangay La Fuente, Santa Rosa; and Ronaldo Diaz Almero, 26, of Barangay Lourdes, also in Santa Rosa.

The four were taken to Nueva Ecija Doctors' Hospital in Cabanatuan City but efforts to save them failed. ###