The police surrendered to the court two alleged Central Luzon communist leaders after they were caught by military and police operatives in Talavera.

Sr. Supt. Agripino Javier, provincial police director, identified the suspected guerilla leaders as Emeterio Antalan alias Ka Jigs/Elgy, who reportedly led the provincial committee in Nueva Ecija, and Edgardo Friginal alias Reynold/Archie, said to be the commander of the New People's Army Sandatahang Gerilya.

A total of P2 million has been offered for the capture of Antalan; P1 million for Friginal.

Javier said the two were arrested based on arrest warrants issued by various courts for assorted criminal charges. 

He said Antalan faces charges of multiple murder, robbery and destructive arson at the San Jose City Regional Trial Court. Friginal, on the other hand, is facing charges of murder, kidnapping and illegal possession of firearms in Aurora province.

The two were arrested in a house in Barangay Dimasalang, Talavera in the afternoon of November 28 by a combined team of operatives from the Nueva Ecija police, the Army's 702nd Infantry Brigade and intelligence operatives from the 7th Infantry Division.

Seized from the suspects were two carbine rifles, one M-16 Armalite rifle with tampered serial numbers, a laptop, four cellular phones and subversive documents.

The suspects were allegedly responsible for the abduction and murder of Fr. Dakila Lopez, an Aglipayan priest of San Jose City whose body was dug up in a mountain in Carranglan, the burning of a Baliwag Transit Bus and the robbery of Gavino Reyes and Rogelio Julian of Carranglan.

Javier said that with the arrest of Antalan and Friginal, the police and the Army have broken the backbone of the CPP-NPA in Nueva Ecija as the two are considered the two top rebel officials in the province. ###
 
 

'US citizen' declared duly elected Guimba vice mayor

A defeated vice mayoral candidate in Guimba who has a pending disqualification case before the Supreme Court for allegedly being an American citizen, was declared by the regional trial court as the duly elected winner for the position.

RTC Branch 32 Judge Napoleon Sta. Romana declared Roseller de Guzman of Lakas-CMD as the winner with 11,373 votes. Her opponent, Angelina dela Cruz of Bagong Lakas ng Nueva  Ecija, got 10,597 votes or 776 votes less.

Last May, dela Cruz was proclaimed winner by the municipal board of canvassers after getting 11,984 votes against de Guzman's 10,844 votes.

De Guzman filed an election protest claiming massive fraud, resulting in a court order for the revision of 278 contested precincts. ###
 
 

Ecija may soon become the country's hybrid rice capital

Nueva Ecija may soon find itself as the hybrid rice capital of the Philippines as more farmers in the province are planting the rice variety using an integrated farming scheme that has maximized their rice yield and income.

This was the forecast of Henry Lim Bon Liong, chair and chief executive officer of SL Agritech Corp. after a recent visit to a local hybrid rice farm with Dr. Zhang  Zhaodong, a rice scientist who is the firm's executive vice president for research and development.

He cited the Bagong buhay Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BBMPC) in Barangay Mabini, Santo Domingo as one example where working together as a group and sharing resources would have tremendous effect on food production.

The Santo Domingo cooperative has been named by the Department of Agriculture as a model hybrid rice cluster as its farmer members have been harvesting an average of 180 cavans per hectare using the SL-8H hybrid rice variety.

Felino "Jojo" Garcia, Sr., BBMPC chair, said that he himself harvested 246 cavans per hectare during the past dry season, with his co-members posting an average of 200 cavans per hectare with the use of modern farming methods. ###
 
 

Award-winning WU-P Concert Chorus The Wesleyan University-Philippines Concert Chorus backed by a ten-piece orchestra performed George Frederick Handel's "Messiah" in Cabanatuan City's Megacenter mall last December 14 and 15.  Barely a week before, on December 8, the group  won second prize and the texters' choice award in the finals of the Koro Bago amateur choir competition held at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. The WU-P chorus was the only entry from a provincial school. Not a bad finish at all, as the ragtag group of part-time student singers from various Wesleyan colleges was bested by a choir of music majors from the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music. The "Messiah" concert, directed by Ferdinand U. Cruz and Rafael R. Ramirez, was first staged for the Wesleyan community at the university auditorium last December 5, and re-staged at Megacenter as a benefit concert of the Ministry of the True Vine-Cabanatuan City. ###

Irrigation projects to be finished as scheduled

The National Irrigation Administration assured that the P7.1 billion irrigation component of the Casecnan Multi-Purpose Irrigation and Power Project would be completed in December 2008 as scheduled.

The irrigation components of the project are expected to irrigate 26,290 hectares of new areas in the northern towns of Cuyapo, Guimba, Nampicuan, Talugtog and the Science City of Muñoz, and ensure the supply of irrigation water to 55,100 hectares within the service area of Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems covering 17 towns and four cities in Nueva Ecija, Arayat and Candaba in Pampanga, and San Ildefonso and San Miguel in Bulacan.

Eng. Alexander Coloma, NIA-Casecnan project manager, said the construction of a 29 kilometer super diversion canal and the rehabilitation of existing dams are now 90 percent finished.

He reported that the rehabilitation of Rizal Dam was finished three months ahead of schedule, with congress appropriating P1.5 billion for the construction work of the remaining
four components.

The so-called S-2 package worth P1.2 billion covering the Science City of Muñoz and portions of Guimba is 96% complete while the S-3 package worth P500 millions more than 78% complete.

The rehabilitation of Atate Dam in Palayan City costing P448 million under the U-1 package is 73% complete. The U-2 package involving the improvement of the Peñaranda River Irrigation System diversion dam in southeastern Nueva Ecija and the rehabilitation of the Pampanga-Bongabon River Irrigation System costing P608 million is now over 87% finished. ###
 
 

Antonino proposes stiffer penalties for possession of illegal guns/explosives

Fourth District Rep. Rodolfo Antonino has filed a bill imposing stiffer penalties for illegal and unlawful possession of firearms and explosives.

Antonino said that House Bill 2992 also imposes heavier penalties for the manufacture, acquisition or disposition of firearms, ammunition or explosives, or instruments used the manufacture of those items.

He clarified that his bill seeks to distinguish violators who have no intention to cause mass destruction of properties and loss of lives. 

He stressed that the possession of explosive and hazardous materials and other chemicals of the same nature are more dangerous than the possession of firearm.

He said that his bill is meant to punish violators of any kind or nature who have in their possession enough explosives to commit terrorist acts.

The Antonino bill comes in the wake of a bomb explosion at an entrance of the House of the Representatives last November 13 that killed Basilan Rep. Wahab Akhbar and injured several others. ###
 
 

Licab market administrator shot dead

The market administrator of Licab town was shot dead by two motorcycle riding men along the national highway in Guimba.

A report reaching the regional police office in Camp Olivas identified the victim as Renato Barmachea.

The victim and his wife Marites were riding a motorcycle on their way home when the attack happened.

Barmachea died on the spot from bullet wounds in the head and other parts of the body.  His wife was unhurt.

One of the gunmen took Barmachea's wallet before escaping. ###
 
 

Barangay chair faces rape charges

Rape charges are being readied against a Peñaranda barangay chair for allegedly raping a drunken tomboyish teenager inside a local hotel on the night of December 8.

In a complaint filed with the women and children's desk, the victim's mother claimed that Noel Mercado, chair of Barangay San Josef, raped her 18 year old daughter.

Investigation showed that the victim was having a drinking session with friends at a birthday party when Mercado arrived together with two Bantay Bayans and joined the group.

At about 7:00 PM, the victim quarreled with a certain Gigi, prompting Mercado to intervene.

He told the victim that he was taking her home as she was already drunk and asked her to board the barangay service tricycle.

Instead of taking the victim to her house, Mercado allegedly brought her to Diamond Hotel where she was forcibly undressed and raped. ###
 
 

Santa Rosa cop charged for hospital guard slay

A member of the Santa Rosa police force has been identified as the alleged gunman who shot and killed a security guard of Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center in Cabanatuan City last month.

Supt. Eliseo Cruz, Cabanatuan City police chief, said that Marilou Concepcion Cando, widow of the victim, Joel Gonzales Cando, has filed a murder charge against PO2 Dante Francisco of the Santa Rosa police.

Meanwhile, the victim's fellow security guard, Romel Medes Bien, charged Francisco with frustrated murder.

At about 10:00 PM last November 26, Cando and Bien were talking when Francisco suddenly appeared and shot the victim at close range, then boarded a waiting motorcycle and escaped.

The witnesses' positive identification of Francisco led to the early resolution of the case. ###
 
 

Provl. Jail detainee hangs self

A 53 year old detainee of the Nueva Ecija Provincial Jail in Barangay Caalibangbangan, Cabanatuan City hanged himself during the early morning of December 9.

In a report submitted by Chief Insp. Dennis Jose, provincial jail warden, to the office of Gov. Aurelio M. Umali, the victim was identified as Oscar Arnas Alison of Barangay Ligaya, Gabaldon, who was facing a charge for violation of the Anti-Illegal Logging Law.

Investigation showed that at about 4:00 AM, Alison's cell mates discovered his body hanging from a nylon cord.

His cell mates recalled that days before committing suicide, Alison felt depressed as his family seemed to have abandoned him. ###
 
 

2 die, 2 hurt in Muñoz hold up

Two persons died while two others were injured when two unidentified men held up a tricycle in Purok Nagsabaran, Barangay Bical, Science City of Muñoz.

The fatalities were identified as Virgilio Garcia Bayota, 40, tricycle driver, and his passenger Magdalena dela Cruz Etrata.

Injured were Christian Lloyd Balagot Bayota and Sarah Jane Balagot dela Cruz, both 11 year old grade five pupils.

Investigators learned that the victims were on their way home aboard Bayota's tricycle when they were stopped by the two suspects who immediately shot the driver in the head, killing him instantly. The suspects then grabbed Etrata's shoulder bag and when she refused to let go, she was shot in the chest. She died before she could be taken to a hospital. The two children were hurt during the shooting. ###
 
 

2 motorbike riders killed in Talavera mishap

Two men riding a motorcycle in tandem were killed when they collided with a trailer tanker last December 5 along the Maharlika HIghway in Barangay San Pascual, Talavera.

The victims were identified as Jon-jon Salagsag Domingo, 16, of Barangay La Torre, Talavera, driver of the motorcycle, and Dario Austria Alejandro, 20, of Barangay Burgos, Santo Domingo. They died on the spot.

The driver of the tanker, Herminio Orteza Escobar, 43, of Centro 1, Aparri, Cagayan surrendered to the police.

He was charged with reckless imprudence resulting to double homicide and damage to property. ###
 
 

Man accidentally shoots girlfriend

A 28 year old man accidentally shot his girlfriend when he tried to take away from her an air rifle that she was fidgeting with.

A report by Sr. Insp. Victor Bautista to the office of the Nueva Ecija Police Intelligence Branch identified the victim as Analyn Quinto Abesamis of Barangay San Josef, Peñaranda.

SPO2 Mike Inductivo, case investigator, said that the victim and some friends visited her boyfriend, Tommy Ortega, at his house at about 3:00 PM. The group then went to a nearby hut to have snacks. There,  Abesamis saw an air rifle used in the farm and fidgeted with it. Ortega tried to stop her by taking away the rifle when it accidentally fired, hitting the victim.

Abesamis was rushed to Gonzales General Hospital in San Leonardo where she was treated and declared in safe condition. ###