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H’way rob gang leader in Cordi, Ilocos nabbed
BY MAR T. SUPNAD

BANGUED, Abra – After two years of preying on bus passengers in the Cordillera and Ilocos Region, as a notorious gang leader long wanted by the law, police caught up with him.

Senior Supt. Alexander Pumecha, provincial police director, said the suspect, identified as Rey Callejo, 36, native of Guimod, San Juan, Ilocos Sur, was collared after more than two of years of police surveillance.

Pumecha said Callejo was the head of the “Callejo Gang,” a dreaded group that was responsible for a series of robberies and holdups in this province and neighboring provinces.

Pumecha said Callejo’s group was also responsible for the holdup of the Dominion bus in 2005.

The bus was then headed for this capital town when, upon reaching Pidigan town, several men who posed as passengers announced holdup and robbed the passengers.

The arrest of Callejo came after Judge Charito Gonzales of the Regional Trial Court’s Branch 1 here issued a warrant for his arrest.

Provincial officials said the arrest of wanted and suspected criminals like Callejo would boost business in the province as projects would be done more effectively.

In San Isidro town in the province, after undergoing months of social preparation and project identification, nine barangays selected their top project-priorities during the Municipal Inter-Barangay Forum here.

The MIBF is a participatory resource allocation mechanism that allows barangays to decide where to allocate the KALAHI grant.

For their first year of implementation, the MIBF has prioritized three sub-projects to be funded by the Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services, the top poverty alleviation project of the government, allotted 2.7M pesos for the development initiatives San Isidro, one of its beneficiary municipalities.

From a criteria set by the community, the MIBF, through the Barangay Representation Teams rate sub-project concepts presented by each barangay Project Preparation Teams.

The prioritization goes through a unique selection process that rates responsiveness of project concepts and seriousness of problem being addressed based from an earlier participatory situational analysis.

After presentation of sub-project concepts and thorough deliberation and balloting, the community has prioritized the improvement of Barangay Olo farm to market road with PhP 816, 837 from the KALAHI-CIDSS municipal allocation. Second in priority was the improvement of a 3-barangay (Poblacion, Pantoc and Langbaban) water system with PhP 1.2M. And finally, Barangay Dalimag’s construction of foot bridge and foot path, that ranked 7th among 7 presented projects, was allowed by the community to take the remaining grant since it has the minimal funding requirement. Ranked 3rd Barangay San Marcial with a farm to market road (1.1M funding requirement) gave way for Dalimag.

Outgoing local chief executive Elizalde Pacsa also pledged the delivery of over 1.1M-peso local government counterpart contribution in the implementation of the prioritized sub-projects.


Mt. Pulag deforestation massive; officials urged to go after violators

KABAYAN, Benguet – The Cordillera office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources urged Benguet and Ifugao town officials to have “political will” and stop massive deforestation of the Mt. Pulag National Park, the second highest peak in the country.

Samuel Penafiel, DENR Cordillera director, aired the call after he successfully reached the summit of the mountain and saw himself the deteriorating condition of Mt. Pulag, a tourist spot.

He said the situation of the Mt. Pulag slopes was alarming, adding collaborated efforts must be done by various stakeholders to prevent the mossy forest from being destroyed by enterprising individuals.

These people, he said, want to enrich themselves at the expense of the environment and to the disadvantage of the people in the lowlands who are relying on the Cordillera as their source of water for domestic such as Mt. Data and Mt. Pulag National Parks continue.

The Cordillera Region serves as the water reservoir of Northern Luzon because water being used for domestic and irrigation purposes comes from the region’s watersheds.

DENR officials said revitalized watershed and rehabilitation, management program to empower children and community folk to care the environment by planting trees is being implemented.

He said the program provides a reward system for residents who will actively participate in the program.

The fruits of the planted tress will be theirs, he also said.

The program is piloted in 16 barangays alongside the Bayudan River in Bauko, Mountain Province.

It is expected to expand in other critical areas of the different watersheds so the present generation would have something to inherit. – Dexter A. See


Sagada regulates stay of foreigners
BY GINA DIZON

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- The Sangguniang Bayan here recently passed an ordinance regulating the stay of foreign visitors dwelling in residential houses of this tourist town.
The resolution noted some tourists were not registered at the tourist information center.

SB member Jane Bawing, author of the resolution said some long time-staying tourists have committed abuses in the community and residents have no information on the visitor.

As part of the policy, the resolution stipulated that owners of residential houses should make sure that tourists are registered at the tourist information center prior to accepting them as tenants in their houses.

The resolution provided the tourist has to register his passport number, nationality, name and address, purpose of stay in Sagada, and a photocopy of an ID picture.

Tourists were also required to present a barangay clearance to the owner of a residential house which they wanted to rent.

Tourists were required to renew their clearances after one month of stay.

“A disrespectful visitor has the tendency to perpetrate abuse where there are no controls imposed on them, Bawing said.

The SB member specially referred to the case of an Austrian tourist who rented a house at Sitio Bitin and made the residents of nearby barangay Ambasing and Bitin miserable by depriving them of water.

The resolution also provided that if tourists’ stay in Sagada is for developmental purposes, they have to officially inform the municipal office, show evidence of their intentions and apply for accreditation.

Residential owners who fail to abide with the above policies would be fined 1,500 for the first offense, 2,000 for the second and 3,000 for the third offense.

A tourist who violated the above rules would be asked to leave the town as soon as possible.


Tarlac mayoral bet says he has election-cheating proof
BY MAR T. SUPNAD

TARLAC CITY – While there are candidates who say they were cheated in the recent elections, Anao town mayoralty candidate Gian Pierre de Dios said he believes he has all the reasons to say he was indeed cheated.

De Dios, who lost his bid for the mayoralty post to Edgardo Felipe by a slim margin of 710 votes, said he was a victim of ballot switching and vote buying.

“We have the evidence that we were cheated. Hindi kami gaya ng iba na hearsay lang dahil maryoon kaming video, documents, at witnesses na handa naming iharap sa korte,” De Dios said.

He said his camp has called the attention of the Commission on Elections office in Manila and filed a petition for the annulment of proclamation of Felipe through his lawyer, Carmelino Pansacola Jr.

Despite this, Comelec provincial supervisor Panfilo Doctor, in a telephone interview, said that the recent election in Tarlac was among the most peaceful, noting that there was no major election-related violent incident.

“We witnessed a peaceful election last May 14, except for minor cases such as reports of missing names of voters,” Doctor said.

He said that the Comelec is conducting continuous accreditation of new voters and is updating its filed to address problems such cases of missing names.

“We do not stop to work to maintain good housekeeping of records, so that we could prevent disenfranchisement that deprives people of their right vote,” Doctor said.

Re-electionist Tarlac City Mayor Genaro “Aro” Mendoza won in the polls for his third term as city mayor.

But his vice mayor, Tess Cabal, lost to Mike Tanedo, runningmate of mayoralty candidate Aca Manalang.

Meanwhile, police provincial director Senior Supt. Nicanor Bartolome shared Doctor’s observation that the recent eleciotn was indeed peaceful as there was no reported violence since the start of campaign season.

However, Bartolome reported incidents in which some candidates were involved in production of illegal campaign materials or in sending grave threats.

In Camiling town, he said, some personnel in the camp of Mayor Johnny Delos Reyes were reportedly caught in the act of printing election paraphernalia with the use of a photocopy machine.

Bartolome said that the use of a government facility in printing election materials is strictly prohibited by the Omnibus Election Code.

In Sta. Ignacia, a candidate for provincial board member was charged with grave threat and grave coercion-intimidation after he reportedly threatened to kill a barangay leader if the latter does not support his “boss,” who was running for governor.


Fil-Am soldier killed in Iraq; body to arrive soon
BY JENNELYN MONDEJAR

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The body of Fil-American Sgt. Richard Correa, native of this province who was killed in Iraq, is expected to arrive soon.

Sergeant Correa was killed last May 29 when an improvised bomb exploded at his position at Ilbus falris, Iraq.

His parents, Richard Primicas Correa and Ma. Minda Correa, of this capital Town, received the sad news Wednesday when an American official visited them.

Ricardo and his wife were shocked by the news and are now in deep grief.

Sergeant Correa, 25, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division based in Fort Drum, New York.

He enlisted in the US Army in November 2000. He completed training at Ranger School and combat life saver course and also studied at Airborne School.

“Disiplinadong anak, listo at mabait na anak iyan si Richard (He is disciplined, fast, and good son),” his father said.

His favorite food included pizza and chicken, and “pinakbet” was his favorite vegetable dish, he said.

Ricardo said he and his wife were not in favor of the profession Richard had chosen, knowing dangers faced by soldiers.

But they said Richard insisted on his choice as an Army Ranger, recalling that at first he was an air force soldier.

“What ever happened to him, it was his choice, and I hope he is happy,” Ricardo said.

The body of Richard is expected to arrive next week.



Accused in Burnham rob-slay gets 40-year jail term

BAGUIO CITY – The Regional Trial Court here has sentenced one of four holdup men to 40-year imprisonment for the killing of a young lady at Burnham Park, the city’s premier tourist destination, some two years ago.

In a 12-page decision, Judge Fernando Vil Pamiltuan of Branch 3 found Delfin Sannada Allicog guilty of conspiring with three other men in robbing Noralyn Andrada Calvan of her belongings and shooting her at the head, killing her instantly.

Pamintuan stated in his decision that the case was a “tragic story of two lovers” because the victim was killed on July 2, 2005, but the following year, her boyfriend Mark Carbonell, after giving testimony to the court, also died.

Marked lived for a year in order to testify and find justice for the death of his girlfriend in the hands of four holdup men.

Records show that Noralyn and Mark went to the Rose Garden at Burnham Park for a walk at about 11 p.m. on July 2, 2005.

Noticing a man walking back and forth in front of them, the duo tried to evade him by retreating.

However, they were sandwiched by three other men who then announced the holdup.

Noralyn was pulled from Mark while he was being frisked by the robbers.

He heard her plead and then he suddenly heard a gunshot. He saw Noralyn fall on the ground and he shouted for assistance.

Noralyn was pronounced dead on arrival at the Baguio General Hospital Medical Center. -- Dexter See



Kalinga girl shines at internat’l science fair

TABUK, Kalinga – Showing that Kalingas could excel on the international level, Hester Mana Docasao Umayam, 16, won the Fourth Grand Award for her research during the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) held at Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 13-18.

In an interview, she said her research on “ethno mathematics in the Geometric Pattern in Woven Fabrics of the Indigenous Kalingas of the Philippines’ won the award. She shone in the fair together with five other Filipinos students on various science high schools in the Philippines, who also bagged individual and team awards.

“We were only nine students representing the Philippines who qualified as finalists in the Intel fair, and I was thankful to be one of them,” she said.

Umayam, an honor pupil at the Kalinga Christian Learning Center (now St. Tonis), related that she had joined several teams in trying to come up with a proposal but failed. This prompted her to decide to work on her own.

“It was my adviser who gave me the idea on ethno mathematics,” she said, relating that she chose to focus her study on weaving because interests her and is one of the traditional practices in the province.

“When I asked the help of weavers in the province with my study, I found out that they were not aware that mathematics is being applied in their patterns,” she said, adding that this is an indication that the weavers, even without formal education, have an innate knowledge on mathematics.

Through her research, the incoming statistics student of the University of the Philippines aims to document the Kalinga culture.

“As observed, only a few are now practicing weaving in the province. This study is my contribution to preserving this tradition, and I also hope to elevate the respect for Kalinga people who are often branded as ‘head hunters.’ We have to show them that the Kalinga culture is also worthy of their appreciation, “the young mathematician said.”

Umayam is also hopeful that her study would make teachers and students realize that math is not all figures and formulas but it also has practical applications.

“My study intends to disprove the notion that mathematics is very difficult and boring. Through this research, I hope that teachers and students will learn to appreciate and realize that mathematics has also its practical applications,” she said. (Dexter See)


College students get one million pesos each in Sun Cellular’s triple promo
BY TONET PAITO

Veronica Tumaneng and Lesther Ann Valderama hardly thought about winning 1 million pesos each when they registered for Sun’s Triple Treats.

Imagine their surprise when they received calls congratulating them for winning the top prize in the recent promo.

“I thought it was just a trick, so I told him that he shouldn’t be wasting my time,” Veronica said. But after thinking things through, she called Sun’s hotline 200 and was jolted with the confirmation of her winnings. “I could hardly believe what I heard!”

Her good friend, Lesther Ann also received a call at around the same time Veronica got hers. “Like Veronica, I initially thought that it was just another prank,” she revealed. She immediately called Veronica and the hotline number. “And they told me that I indeed won the million!”

Schoolmates and pharmacy students at the University of Santo Tomas, Veronica and Lesther Ann were both loading credits at a store near their school when the saleslady suggested that they join the promo.

It was Lesther Ann who initially signed up to save 20% on her succeeding reloads and Veronica quickly followed suit.

“The funny thing was a few days before we got the call, we were thinking about how we would spend the money but I thought we were just having fun daydreaming,” Lesther Ann confessed.

As it turns out, that daydream was a preview of things to come, and both of them are extremely thankful for their good fortune. Lesther Ann plans to keep half of the amount in the bank for her education and other needs. “I will give the other 50% to my parents,” she happily said. “I don’t want to spend my money on worthless things.”

Veronica, for her part, plans to give a certain amount to charity. “I want to channel it through an institution like Tahanang Walang Hagdan, a home for the aged or an orphanage.”

And aside from finally getting to purchase her dream laptop computer, she will put aside some money for her parents’ insurance or retirement plan.

“I love my mom and dad so much and I want them to live comfortably when they get old. Maybe a vacation would be in the works. I think they should enjoy a break while they’re still young,” she says.