DENR to hire 315 ex-CPLAs as forest guards in Cordillera

>> Tuesday, August 20, 2013


BAGUIO CITY -– The Cordillera office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will be hiring 315 former members of the defunked Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA) to be deployed as forest guards to preserve and protect the region’s deteriorating watersheds from illegal loggers and poachers.
           
Clarence Baguilat, DENR-CAR regional director, said the new forest guards will be hired by the agency this month to ensure that the region’s remaining watersheds and forested areas will be spared from the activities of illegal loggers that would greatly affect the region’s status as the watershed cradle of Northern Luzon in the future if nothing will be done to enhance regreening efforts.
           
 “We want to deploy more forest guards in critical watersheds in the different parts of the region so that we will be able to significantly reduce the number of illegal logging activities and help improve the regreening of the forests for the benefit of the present and future generations of Cordillerans,” Baguilat stressed, citing that all the six provinces in the region will be getting their share from the forest guards to be hired.
            
Mountain Province, Abra, Apayao and Kalinga will be receiving 60 forest guards each province, Benguet will be getting additional 30 forest guards while Ifugao will be receiving 24 forest guards.
            
The DENR- CAR official said the hiring of the former CPLA members as forest guards is pursuant to the commitment of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to provide gainful employment to them in exchange for the surrender of their firearms and for them to go back to the mainstream society and live a normal life.
           
Baguilat agreed with the earlier contention of Bauko Mayor Abraham Akilit that there is an urgent need to deploy additional forest guards to preserve and protect the undisturbed forest of the Mount Data watershed and to prevent owners of commercial vegetable farms in Benguet from invading the same and ruining the remaining forest cover in the area.
            
Considering that Mount Data is the headwaters of the Chico, Agno, Abra and Magat rivers, Baguilat pointed out the need to maintain the remaining undisturbed forest and expand the reforestation activities in order to significantly increase the forest cover in order to have abundant water supply for the rivers which will be used for domestic, agricultural, industrial and power generation activities, especially for people living along the river systems and even those in the lowlands.
            
He explained the forest guards to be hired will be given specific assignments in strategic watersheds regionwide so that the primary goals and objectives of the National Greening Program (NGP), especially for the region alone will be realized and even exceeded so that people will be able to enjoy and reap the fruits of having a sustainable watershed.
           

Baguilat expressed support to the long standing proposal of Mayor Akilit to fence the metes and bounds of the Mount Data watershed to prevent unscrupulous owners of commercial vegetable farms in the nearby towns of Buguias and Mankayan from invading the undisturbed forest in the town, thus, the need for the vigilance of the people living in the boundary areas to police their own ranks and for them to get their acts together against the encroachers in their places. -- Dexter A. See

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Justice Leonen to deliver Baguio Day message


By Ramon Dacawi  

Marvic Leonen, the Baguio boy who  led the government in successfully sealing a framework agreement the gave fresh hopes for lasting peace in war-torn Mindanao, is coming home to deliver his message on the 104th founding anniversary of his city on Sept. 1.

This was announced by city councilor Elmer Datuin, chair of the Baguio Day observance who said Leonen, now an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, had texted his acceptance as foundation anniversary speaker. 

Prior to his appointment as justice of the Supreme Court, Marvic Mario Victor Famorca Leonen served as chief peace negotiator in the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that resulted in the framework agreement for the establishment of the Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. 

Leonen was valedictorian of the St. Louis University Boys high School before graduating magna cum laude in economics from the University of the Philippines. 

He finished his law at UP in 1987, after which he co-founded the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Inc.-Kasamasa Kalikasan,  which focused on providing legal services for upland rural poor and indigenous people’s communities. 

A master of laws degree holder from Columbia University, he served as faculty member  and dean of the  College of Law, general counsel and vice-president for legal affairs of UP. 

Last Nov. 21, President Benigno Aquino III appointed him as the 172nd associate justice of the Supreme Court. 

He will be introduced by Datuin during the 104th Baguio charter anniversary program at the newly refurbished  Baguio Convention Center.

As traditional highlight of the program, the city will confer the “Outstanding Citizen of Baguio” award to individuals among nominees being  screened by the Society of Outstanding Citizens of Baguio for their notable contributions to the development of the city. 

Following the program will be the annual parade, the front portion of which will depict the city’s history – from its pre-founding years as a settlement of the native Ibaloys to the present dispensation – in a moving pageant being coordinated by the city’s schools led by Dr. Elma Dona-al, principal of the Baguio City Natioanal High School. 

City tourism officer Benny Alhambra said festivities will be ushered in by the presentation of the candidates for “Miss Baguio 2013” during a press conference on August 21, to be followed by the 10th annual HRT Weekend “Celebrating a Decade of Culinary Excellence on Aug. 24-25.

As in the previous year, the observance will take on a humanitarian dimension with a medical mission being mounted by the city health department in coordination with the various health workers’ groups and civic organizations on Aug. 31 at the Baguio Convention Center. 


Also on tap are a martial arts festival, the Baguio Day golf tournament, a fun-run and a 32-k,ilometer foot race, “Mr Baguio” (Nick Domalsin Cup) body-building contest, kst Baguio Day badminton invitational, batted ball tournament, and a Baguio Day photo exhibit. 

“Clean and Greeen Baguio” activities, including tree-planting, are being arranged by the city environment and parks management office.

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Baguio, hotel execs nix tourism data gathering

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY– The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) and the Baguio Tourism Council (BTC) questioned the methodology being used by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in the gathering of data on tourist arrivals considering that the figures being released by the agency is reportedly contrary to the real situation and experience of the tourism-related establishments in the Summer Capital.
        
Anthony de Leon, HRAB president and general manager of the Baguio Country Club (BCC), said the report that the city’s tourist arrivals for the first semester of this year dropped by 30 percent considering that there were only 300,000 tourists who actually arrived in the city is totally wrong because it failed to consider tourists who arrived in the city for the 18th staging of the Baguio flower festival, the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumni homecoming and graduation, the Holy Week break and during the summer months.
           
“We are not aware of the reason behind the releasing of the report on tourist arrivals in the city which is questionable because it is in direct contrast to the real situation in the industry, ”de Leon stressed, citing that if the untrue report is geared towards discrediting the present administration of the city, the same will not work because Baguio has its natural pull of tourists which is not present in other tourist destinations in the country.
            
He pointed out the DOT must formulate a methodology that will encompass visitors flocking to the city who opt to stay in hotels, transient houses or even in their homes because some of the tourists have their own homes in the different parts of the city.
            
According to him, data gathering must not only be confined to the establishments accredited by the DOT but also the numerous transient houses that are not actually registered as well as the census of visitors who have existing homes in the different barangays.
            
While it is true that there are also establishments that do not report actual occupancy, de Leon, who is also the BTC chairman, said efforts are being done to police their own ranks but there are some establishment owners who refuse to submit true reports primarily because of fear of the imposition of taxes by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
            
Considering that June to September are lean months for the tourism industry in the city, he claimed the private sector is doing its best to ensure that the city will sustain its identity as an all-weather destination for local hoteliers to make business although they are taking advantage of the lean season to allow their employees to undergo trainings that will contribute in advancing their respective career in the industry.
            
HRAB has been a partner of the city government in the implementation of various crowd drawing events that sustain the influx of foreign and domestic tourists to the city.
            
De Leon strongly denounced the continuous smear campaign being done by individuals and groups who want to ruin the good standing of Baguio city in the worldwide tourism industry, saying that no amont of bad publicity could affect the gains in the local tourism industry because of the good working relationship among all sectors of the Baguio community in order to uplift its standing among the country’s top tourist destination.
           
Earlier, the Cordillera office of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA-CAR) reported that Baguio City is ranked sixth among the top ten tourist destinations in the country. --  Dexter A. See


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BCDA hits John Hay lessee over cases, ‘P3 billion debt’


BAGUIO CITY – The Bases Conversion Development Authority assailed the Camp John Hay Development Corp.,
Anew over the latter’s “P3 million debt to the government” citing CJHDevCo’s string of criminal indictments and dismissed cases related to the uncollected money.

The CJHDevco now manages parts of Camp John Hay after it was leased by the government to the firm after the after it was turned over by the US government which used it as a military camp and recreation center. 

Speaking at a recent media forum, BCDA president and CEO Arnel Paciano D. Casanova said CJHDevCo chairman Robert John SobrepeƱa, chief executive officer Alfredo R. Yniguez III and two others have been charged with malversation by the Department of Justice for refusing to return 26 BCDA-owned hotel units located in Camp John Hay Manor and Camp John Hay Suites, Baguio City while continuing to earn from these units.
SobrepeƱa pleaded not guilty.

Recently, CJHDevCo’s lawyer and spokesperson, Manuel Ubarra Jr., was charged by the DOJ with perjury before the Municipal Trial Court of Quezon City allegedly for making false accusations against directors of the BCDA before the Office of the Ombudsman.

In its resolution, the DOJ said “respondent Ubarra is a lawyer. It needs no reiteration that the ethical standards applicable to a member of the bar, who thereby automatically becomes a court officer, must necessarily be one higher than that of the market place.”

Casanova said while the BCDA’s cases against CJHDevCo officials are making progress and headed for trial, CJHDevCo’s own cases against the BCDA have been dismissed.

Recently, the DOJ dismissed the libel case filed by William Russell L. SobrepeƱa, older brother of Robert John SobrepeƱa, against officials of the BCDA for lack of probable cause.


The elder SobrepeƱa’s case against the BCDA was the latest from CJHDevCo that have been junked by the courts.

Previously, libel charges filed by CJHDevCo against BCDA officials were dismissed, while a perjury charge against Casanova was also junked.

Casanova said the P3 billion CJHDevCo owes the government can be used to fund infrastructure, develop livelihood and medical programs, improve Baguio’s tourist sites, and other initiatives.

As the cases against SobrepeƱa and other CJHDevCo officials head to the courts for trial, the arbitration between the BCDA and CJHDevCo is likewise proceeding, which Casanova said the agency will abide by.

“We are committed to respecting the arbitration process, and we have prepared all our documents and evidence,” Casanova said.

The arbitration is expected to reach a resolution by early 2014.

Aside from the malversation and perjury charges, the BCDA had also previously charged CJHDevCo with estafa for the “double sale” of a property in Camp John Hay, and with professional squatting for the building of illegal structures within Camp John Hay.


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Biggest in country: $70-M Ilocos Norte solar plant underway

By Freddie G. Lazaro

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte – A Korean company is set to invest at least $70-million for the construction of a solar power plant in Ilocos Norte – considered to be the biggest solar power source in the country.

Stephen Chae, chief executive officer and vice president of the Korean company EC Cobuy Philippines, Inc. (ECCPI) based in the country, said the amount is the initial investment of their company for the installation of materials and equipment for the solar power plant in the towns of Badoc and Vintar.

He said the ECCPI is one of the well-known companies in the country that produce materials for renewable energy plants such as the solar power with system on Hanwa Solar Modules and solar tracker, wind power with system on dual blade dual turbine (DBDT) wind generator system, and the LED lighting with higher efficiency and longer life.

“At least 13,000 solar panels are initially planned to be used for the construction of the solar power plant within the 60 to 70 hectares of land located in the towns of Badoc and Vintar,” he said.

“The power plant is expected to generate more than 20 megawatts of electricity,” he added.

He claimed that “this is the first of its kind, and considered biggest solar plant project to be installed in the country.”

As an initial step for the realization of the project, a separate Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) were signed by the local officials from the two towns that were represented by Badoc Vice Mayor Thomas Torralba, Mayor Arlene Torralba, and Vintar Mayor Jose G. Foronda, and Chae.

“We are honored to have the privilege to share another Korean technology here in Ilocos Norte,” Chae said.

Under the MOUs, the two local officials and the ECCPI agreed to increase electricity by installing solar energy products, turbo wind power turbine system, and various kinds of LED lights.

One of the two towns’ counterparts for the realization of the project is to look for the ideal location for the project, while the ECCPI will construct and provide the necessary materials.

It was noted that the project was designed to augment the electric power supply of the local electric cooperative in the province.

After the MOU signing, the ECCPI can now start the process of securing the clearance from the Department of Energy (DOE) for the construction of the project.

Upon the issuance of clearance by the DOE, the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the local officials and the company is tentatively set on October 18, 2013 for the approval of conditions for the start of the full-blast installation of the solar power plant project.

Meanwhile, Badoc town’s Vice Mayor Torralba disclosed that they had already the downstream of the Badoc Bridge, which crosses the Badoc River, as the site of the solar plant project.

Once completed, the solar power plant, Torralba said, will serve the households in Badoc town, and in nearby towns like Pinili in Ilocos Norte, and Sinait and Cabugao in Ilocos Sur.

“The construction of this renewable and environment friendly project is in-line with the vision of the national, and the provincial government headed by Governor Imee Marcos,” Torralba said.


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NGCP donates school supplies to MP students

By Erlindo Ocay Agwilang, Jr.

BARLIG, Mountain Province -- Students of elementary schools in this municipality recently received school supplies donated by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) taking part in the Balik Eskwela Program in cooperation with the office of Mountain Province Rep. Maximo B. Dalog.

The NGCP is a private corporation in the Philippines catering to the improvement, expansion, operation and maintenance of the nationwide transmission system as well as of the sub-transmission system which have not yet been disposed by TransCo.

It also has other programs like the Balik Eskwela Program aimed at helping develop communities in barangays hosting their transmission facilities.

Dalog said he made a request for the school supplies from the NGCP after he learned about the organization’s Balik Eskwela assistance program.

He said each student received a set of five notebooks, three pencils and an eco-friendly bag with safety reminders written on the back cover regarding the protection of transmission lines to avoid unexpected power interruptions.

“Our children are our hope as they are our future leaders thus it is important that we support and cater to their educational needs from day one of their schooling until they graduate,” Dalog said.

The following were school-recipients and the total number of students who received said school supplies: Kaleo Elementary School-104, Ogo-og Elementary School-85, Lunas Primary School-41, Kadaclan Elementary School-107, Latang Primary School-41 and Barlig Central School-240.

The distribution of school items was witnessed by Mountain Province DepEd Administrative Officer Virginia A. Batan and Barlig District Schools Supervisor Juliana D. Goc-oban including the parents, faculty and staff of said schools.


Other schools which were not covered by the program will be the next recipients when additional supplies will be granted by the NGCP. 

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JHMC program to protect John Hay forest reservation

By Melody Browner

BAGUIO CITY -- -- The John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC), the management arm of the state-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) in the John Hay Special Economic Zone (JHSEZ) and John Hay Reservation Area (JHRA) announced  it is strengthening its forest management program to mitigate the effects of climate change.

JHMC president and CEO Jamie Eloise M. Agbayani said the global phenomenon of climate change is real and the effects are catastrophic if not checked. “Baguio is not immune to the ill effects of climate change which include drought, flooding, water-borne and drought-borne diseases, landslides, forest fires, pest infestation, and ultimately the irreparable destruction of the bio-diversity of an area,” she said.

She added protecting and preserving the forest in the JHSEZ and the JHRA play a key role in sustaining the balance of the various species both flora and fauna or the bio-diversity in the area. The John Hay forest covers 30 percent of the entire forest land of Baguio.

Agbayani said JHMC has taken additional measures to maintain John Hay’s forest density, clean air and water resources for the benefit of the people of Baguio.

According to Agbayani,  the JHMC personnel and its Forest Rangers have been deputized as DENR Officers (DENROs) and are authorized to apprehend illegal tree cutting activities in the Camp John Hay Reservation.  

They patrol the Camp to protect and preserve more than 30% of the forest cover of the City of Baguio. 

She said planting of additional 13,600 pine tree seedlings, and harvesting of some 136 dead and pest-infested Benguet pines that will prevent the spread of disease to healthy trees, both contribute to good forest management.

JHMC chairman Silvestre C. Afable Jr.  said that  “JHMC has gone a step further in ensuring the health of the pine trees by engaging the services of a Forest Pathologist who will evaluate the overall condition of the forest”. He explained that the pathologist will provide a strategic plan to abate the infestation with Ipscalligraphus, a bark beetle, and the means by which these challenges can be met institutionally.

JHMC secured the permit from the DENR to cut the pest-infested dead pine trees. The Sanitation Cutting and Pruning Permit was granted by the DENR last July 17.


Since 2012, JHMC has established and maintained community-based fire lines covering an area of 69,320 square meters in at least six barangays in the John Hay Reservation to prevent the spread of forest fire and further intensified its forest management program in support of the National Greening Program of the Aquino administration.

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113th PhlCivil Service anniversary events set


BAGUIO CITY -- The Civil Service Commission shall spearhead the celebration of the 113th Anniversary of the Philippine Civil Service in September with the theme, “Tatak Lingkod Bayani: Isabuhay, Ipagmalaki at Ipagbunyi”.

The month-long celebration aims to promote, showcase and celebrate heroism in public service and to highlight stories of triumph and sacrifices of the men and women in the government. Said lawyer Marilyn Taldo, director 4 of the regional CSC.

The theme encourages public servants to cross the line between being ordinary civil servants to being servant heroes or lingcod bayani.

All government agencies are enjoined to be part of the month-long anniversary celebration by conducting parallel activities in their respective agencies, as follows:

Display of anniversary banner in all government offices; (The design and specifications will be uploaded in the CSC Website, www.csc.gov.ph)
Recognition and Awards Program for Outstanding Employees (agency level); R.A.C.E. to Serve Fun Run ]Choral Competition (based on the Anniversary theme);
Special Treats for Employees (may be done in partnership by the agency with government agencies and private companies to provide special treats for agency employees such as free rides on public transportation, free movies, special discounts in department stores or restaurants, etc.);
A Day at the Museum;Tree Planting/Clean and Green/5 S’s Activities; and
Health and Wellness/Physical Fitness/Sports Competition Activities

Agencies may also conduct their own activities or do their own version of the above-listed activities in support of the anniversary theme.

The CSC has issued Memorandum No. 13, s. 2013 authorizing government agencies to undertake appropriate programs and activities to commemorate this year’s anniversary of the Philippine Civil Service.

For any inquiry or clarification, government agencies may contact our telephone numbers (074) 443-5981/82 or send an e-mail through cscro14@yahoo.com. or browse the CSC website at www.csc.gov.ph. or visit the CSC-CAR Regional Office at 116 Wagner Road, Military Cut-off, Baguio City or the nearest CSC Field Office in their area.  

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Baguio, Benguet mayors push area growth plan

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Cooperation among Baguio and Benguet town mayors is being enhanced among the city and provinces included in the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) development concept.

Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan bared this citing collaboration between Baguio and La Trinidad in tackling their mutual waste problem which he said is an offshoot of efforts to revive the BLISTT development concept, mapped out almost 20 years ago.

He expressed hope that more cooperation will emanate from said efforts as the city and Benguet towns pursue the development framework.

“I hope those days when negative attitudes persist are gone now because it is not true that only the city of Baguio will benefit from the BLISTT cooperation.  Of course, the city will have gains out of this but other municipalities will also mutually reap benefits as much as the city,” the mayor said.

Domogan earlier lauded La Trinidad mayor Edna Tabanda and other officials for helping the city in its time of need which he said is a symbol of cooperation which embodies the true spirit of the BLISTT concept.

Domogan attended the recent first development council convened by the Regional Development Council Cordillera (RDC-CAR)and hosted by the city at the Baguio Country Club with mayors Tabanda, VictorioPalangdan of Itogon, Arthur Baldo of Sablan, Florencio Bentrez of Tuba and Ruben Paoad of Tublay.

The meeting was also attended by RDC-CAR Vice Chairperson and National Economic Development Authority CAR Director Milagros Rimando, Dept of Interior and Local Government CAR Director John CastaƱeda, DILG Benguet Provincial Director Rufina Fegcan, DILG Baguio City Director Evelyn Trinidad and Environment Management Bureau-Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources CAR Director Oscar Cabanayan.

The mayor said the discussions centered on the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed in July 2012 which charts the BLISTT heads’ roles in the implementation of the development framework which aims to make the BLISTT a “model regional growth center.”

The mayor said the MOA will be subject to consultations with the BLISTT’s legislators and public and private organizations to gather inputs on the avenues of cooperation that the BLISTT may pursue.

According to Shah Balaw-ing of the RDC-CAR, the development council also agreed to involve line agencies to beef up its technical capabilities.
               
“It was agreed that the BLISTT mayors will comprise a governing body which will approve the recommendations of the BLISTT Development Council. The specific functions of the governing council and its relationship to the rest of the BLISTT structure shall be determined in the next council meeting,” Balaw-ing said.

“The members are encouraged to study the MOA and make proposals on further cooperation. It is expected that before the end of the year, more consultations shall had been conducted to generate comments and issues that must be addressed and lead to a commitment for a BLISTT re-planning.”
            

Domogan said the BLISTT development council will hold its next meeting August 23 with La Trinidad as host.

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Gov't to fishermen: Try oyster growing

COMMUNITY BILLBOARD
Jennelyn Mondejar

DAGUPAN CITY– The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources encouraged fisherfolk in this city, especially the marginalized fishermen, to go into oyster growing as an alternative livelihood that can be potentially as lucrative as tending to the famous bangus (milkfish).

Dr. Westly Rosario, chief of the National Integrated Fisheries and Technology Development Center (NIFTDC) under BFAR, said oyster (talaba) growing is environment- friendly, and requires minimal capital and is easy to grow with little supervision.

“In a tropical country like ours, it only needs a while to grow oysters,” Rosario said.

Rosario added there is market for oysters waiting to be accommodated, hence more oyster growers are needed.

To succeed, fishermen are advised to be very careful in growing oysters, making sure their harvests will be free from the bacteria e-coli that can cause diarrhea.

One way to make the oysters safe is to adopt the net-bamboo process. Leaving oysters in a clean net connected to bamboos for 10 days ensures that the bacteria will disappear.

Applying science to the traditional way of oyster culture will not only eliminate bacteria but will also help the river system recover and provide additional income to fishermen, Rosario said.

“The problem is, no one adapts to this scheme. I hope a policy will be enacted that prohibits the sale of oysters if it did not undergo the net-bamboo process,” he said.


Over-extraction also poses a threat to oyster production, Rosario said. Oysters, which have not yet reached maturity are immediately harvested leaving no room for growth and cycle. 

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POLICE ROUNDUP


Ilocos Sur councilman shot dead, woman hurt
CAMP PRESIDENT QUIRINO, Ilocos Sur — A village councilman was killed and a woman that rode with him on a motorcycle was wounded when a gunman shot them repeatedly in Barangay Poblacion Sur, Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur Wednesday.

Killed was Barangay Kagawad Alfonso Castillo, 53, of Tangaoan village in Santa Maria.

The attack carried out by a gunman around 10 a.m. also resulted in the wounding of Macrina Dasalla, a local resident. Probers are still trying to identify the killer armed with a .45-caliber pistol. -- Freddie G. Lazaro

Four men nabbed for crimes in Cordillera 
CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – Four men were recently arrested in the Cordilera for various crimes.  
In Lagangilang, Abra, 28-year old farmer who shot a student but missed his supposed target along the road in barangay San Isidro, Lagangilang, Abra was arrested by town police..

The suspect was identified as Loreto Taberdo Babida alias Pongpong, while the victim was identified as Ray Mark Peralta Galvan, 18, and both resident of Barangay Nagtipulan.

A homemade Cal. .22 revolver with a bullet was confiscated from the suspect.

The second arrested wanted individual  was identified as Donald TugadiPadapat, 29, laborer who was arrested after beating to death Rogelio Tugadi Padapat, 53.

Both were residents of Sitio Bangcag, barangay Naguirayan, Pidigan.

Investigation revealed that the suspect started beating the victim with a piece of wood after a heated argument between the two of them in there barangay.

In Kalinga, a 22-year old painter who was under the influence of liquor was arrested after hitting two victims with a steel bar in Purok 7, barangay San Juan, Tabuk City, Kalinga.  

As a result, the victims sustained lacerations, abrasions and bruises on the different parts of their bodies and both were brought at the Kalinga Provincial Hospital, Bulanao, Tabuk City by their relatives for Medical treatment. 

The suspect was identified as Roldan Bareto Gapua, while the victims were identified as Robin Deleon Bani, 28, farmer, both resident of San Juan, Tabuk City and Romeo Baret Deleon, 22, self employed and a resident of Cabanatuan City. 

In Baguio City, a taxi driver named Daniel Pikpikan Kisofen, 31, a resident of Camp 7, Baguio City was held up in Purok 3 Sto. Rosario Valley, after still unidentified  male passengers hit him with a stone on the head and took away his earnings amounting to P1,800.00.

A suspect identified as Carl Elton Payang Temporal, 19, a resident of Marcos Highway, BadiwanPoblacion, Tuba, Benguet was arrested by the patrolling police personnel in the area and recovered the stolen item from his possession.

All arrested persons were brought to the respective police stations for investigation and appropriate charges are being prepared against them.

Lightning kills 2 farmers; two brothers shot dead
BANI, Pangasinan  – Two farmers were killed after they were hit by lightning in Barangay Garita night of June 10.

The bodies of Ronald Paz, 45, and his cousin Mario de Leon, 14, were found in the rice field the next morning.

The victims were reportedly on their way home when lightning struck.

Meanwhile, two brothers were shot dead by still unidentified gunmen in Barangay Catablan, Urdaneta City also night of August 10.

Renato Magallanes, 39, and Roberto Magallanes, 49, both farmers of Sitio Calegu, were riding a tractor on their way home when they were attacked.

Police recovered six caliber .45 slugs from the crime scene.  

Six men arrested in Kalinga, Baguio City
CAMP BADO DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet - The swift response of the Police Regional Office Cordillera personnel resulted in the simultaneous arrest of six suspects in separate incidents in the province of Kalinga and Baguio City.

Two individuals on a motorcycle were arrested in front of the Onion Marketing, Magsaysay, Tabuk City, Kalinga Monday evening after the back rider indiscriminately fired a pistol.
Confiscated from the suspect were a Colt Cal. 45 with five bullets.  

Senior Supt. John Colinio, provincial. Police director  identified the suspects as Romel Palano Ammakiw, 27, of Purok 4, Bulanao, Tabuk City and Emilio Galdang Pod-ac, 36, a resident of Gaang, Tanudan, Kalinga.

In Baguio City, four persons were arrested in front of Block Out bar, Upper Session Road, after one of them poked his firearm to one individual and aimlessly fired his gun.  One of the victims reported the incident to the police.

The suspects were identified as PO1 Rommel Batalao Abbacan, 27, PNP- SAF member and presently assigned in Sta. Rosa, Laguna; Richard Batalao Bianno, 23, and a resident of San Carlos Heights, Baguio City; Glen Ballangui Baggay, 26, and Raffy Oliver Baggay Binoloc, 22, both construction workers, and residents of Crystal Cave, Baguio City.

Police confiscated a Glock Cal.40 pistol from Binoloc while a magazine with nine bullets for Cal. 40 handgun was recovered from Abbacan. 

Police got empty shells and deformed slugs at the crime scene which will be subjected to ballistics test.
           
All arrested suspects are now under custody of concerned police stations prior to their subsequent turnover to the court concerned while appropriate charges were filed against them.

Cops foil sale of carnapped vehicle
TABUK CITY, Kalinga  - Three individuals were arrested for carnapping along the national Road of Barangay Lacnog and Agbannawag here early morning of Monday.

Senior Supt. John Colinio, provincial police director  identified the suspects as  Virgelio Vintura Cardenas alias Atong, 41, laborer; Edwin De Guzman Battong, 39 and Ryan Dilla Cerapon, 24, both farmers and all residents of San Ramon, Mallig, Isabela.

Police chased and nabbed the suspects when they suddenly ran while when they saw the patrolling lawmen.

The carnapped tricycle and a motorcycle without plate numbers were recovered from the suspects. 
Investigation revealed the tricycle was carnapped at Barangay Quiling, Roxas, Isabela and brought to Tabuk to be sold to a buyer.

All three are now under the custody of the concerned police stations while charges were filed against them.

Benguet cops recover 517 board feet of illegal umber
Benguet Police recovered a huge volume of illegally cut lumber in their respective areas of jurisdiction over the weekend.A total volume of 517.2 board feet of assorted illegal lumber with an estimated value of P 14, 481.00 were confiscated in the province last week.

Mankayan town police chased  a driver of a Blue Ford Fiera bearing plate number ABT 839 after he was flagged down in a police checkpoint at Guinawang in the town but failed to arrest the driver.

When they inspected the vehicle, it was discovered to be loaded with 8 pcs of 2x3x7; 21 pcs of 2x6x7 and 25 pcs of 1x12x7 sawn pine lumbers with a total volume of 350 board feet having an estimated total value of P9, 800.00.

Atok police also received a report from a concern citizen about illegally sawn pine lumber in Sitio Adala, Caliking, Atok.

Responding police personnel recovered 24 pcs of 2x3x8, 5 pcs of 2x6x10, 2 pcs. of 1x10x8 and 1 pc. of 1x12x8 abandoned pine lumber with a total volume of 167.2 board feet with an estimated value of P 4, 681.6.

The vehicle and the confiscated and recovered pine lumbers were brought to the concerned police stations for safekeeping prior turn-over to the DENR.

The police are now conducting follow-up investigation to determine and arrest the owner of the said contraband.

Nine wanted persons arrested in Cordillera
CAMP BADO DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – Cordillera police arrested nine wanted individuals in separate incidents for committing various crimes first week of August.

A 16- year old, high school student and resident of Barangay Magsilay, Conner, Apayao was arrested at his residence for rape following warrant issued by Judge Quirino M. Andaya of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 26 in Luna, Apayao with no bail recommended.

It was learned that the suspect molested a Grade I pupil, who is a special child, in the evening of Jan. 6 at the compound of the Manag Elementary School in Conner.

Joven Omayana Paez, 23, of Queen of Peace, Lourdes Extension Subdivision, Baguio City was also arrested at the Athletic Bowl, Burnham Park, Baguio for robbery with violence and intimidation with a recommended bail bond of P100,000.

Brantford Chang Teng, 35, of Lower Pinget, Baguio City was nabbed at Sunnyside Fairview for perjury with a recommended bail bond of P12,000.00 and John Paul Tay-ogPusot, 24, private miner, and a resident of Philex Mines, Tuba, Benguet was arrested in his residence for robbery with force.

Three other individuals were separately arrested in different locations for violation of RA 9262 (Anti-Violence against Women and Their Children Act of 2004).

They were identified as Mulawin Purisima Balanao, 23, farmer and a residence of Daburab, Bacarri, Paracelis, Mt. Province who was arrested in Dagawe, Poblacion, Paracelis.

Bryan Dela Paz Paddanan, 28, of San Pascual, Rizal, Kalinga and Ricky Reyes Arches, of Barangay Magsilay, Pasil, Kalinga. Balanao were both arrested in their respective residences.

Two suspects were also separately arrested for estafa.

They were identified as Juan Gonowon Camo, 52, taxi driver and a resident of Banangan, Sablan, Benguet and Evangeline Macaraeg Galang, 43, housewife and resident of Lower Engineers Hill, Baguio City.

Camo was nabbed in front of Abanao Square, Baguio City with a recommended bail bond of P 200, 000.00 while Galang was arrested along Leonard Wood Rd., Saint Joseph Village, Baguio City with a recommended bail of P12,000.

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Soldiers in Tarlac clash recognized
Army troops involved in an operation that left six communist rebels dead in Camiling, Tarlac last month were honored by top security officials last week.

Awarded with military merit medals were eight soldiers from the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion led by Capt. LoydTondo.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista led the awarding ceremony at the Subic Bay International Airport in Zambales.

Among those awarded were Sgt. Benjamin Garlejo Jr., Cpls. Rodelio Navarro, VicmanRabanos, Freddie Selda and Jover Mercado, and Pfcs. Robert Lee Bermil and Belly Jay Caguia.

Rookie cop dies during training in Pangasinan
TAYUG, Pangasinan – A police scout trainee died while undergoing training at the Provincial Public Safety Company (PPSC) here.

Supt. Rhode Espero, PPSC commander, said PO1 RuelGuarin, 33, of Lingayen, passed away days after he collapsed on July 28.

Espero said Guarin was brought to the Tayug Family Hospital for treatment and was later transferred to Villaflor Doctors Hospital in Dagupan City, where he died on Aug. 1.

Guarin' death was due to another illness, Espero said citing a report of the attending physician.

Two days ago, another policeman, Police Officer 1 Sander Claveria also collapsed while on training.

Claveria was rushed to the hospital and was recommended to rest for a week.

Espero said all trainees passed the medical and physical fitness examination before they were allowed to join the training.

Mom reports son’s rape of 3 sisters
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – A mother turned in her own 21-year-old son after learning that he had raped his three younger sisters in Gerona, Tarlac.

The mother accompanied the eldest of her three daughters, aged eight, to the Gerona police station after she found out that her son had raped all his three younger sisters at different times in their home.

The woman, however, asked not to be named complainant in the case of her two other daughters, leaving the police on their own to pursue the charges based on the testimony and the medical report of the eight-year-old girl, said Superintendent Ponciano Zafra, Gerona police chief.

Zafra personally led the arrest of the woman’s son who is now facing charges of statutory rape under Republic Act 7610 and violation of the Anti-Abuse Against Women and Children Law.

PO3 Levy Santos, who is assigned to the case, said the suspect is now detained without right to post bail.

He said a medical exam showed that the eight-year-old girl had “multi-abrasions in her private parts.”

Police said the suspect’s grandfather was convicted for raping a relative in 2007, while an uncle was arrested in 2010 due to the rape complaints of three relatives.



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Is Cold War II in the offing?

PERRYSCOPE
Perry Diaz

On December 25, 1991, President Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union resigned, declared his office “extinct,” and handed over the Soviet nuclear missile launching code to Russian President Boris Yeltsin.  That same evening, the Soviet flag was lowered for the last time and the Russian tricolor was raised.  The dissolution of the Soviet Union also marked the end of the Cold War.  

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States became the only superpower on Earth.  Earlier that year, the Gulf War ended and the victorious Americans went home in peace.  In the ensuing decade, the world experienced relative peace.  It was Pax Americana all over again.   

But all that changed on September 11, 2001, when terror struck America. The decade that followed was one bloody period.  The U.S. invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban government and put in its place a democratically elected government.  On March 20, 2003, the U.S. and her allies invaded Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power. The Iraq War is now over after almost nine years of warfare and the war in Afghanistan is winding down.   
               
While the U.S. was preoccupied in Afghanistan and Iraq, Russia was slowly – and quietly -- building her military forces.  With the election of Vladimir Putin to a new six-year term as president – his third -- on March 4, 2012, the geopolitical game changed dramatically.  Unlike his predecessor, Dmitry Medvedev, Putin put in motion an aggressively assertive agenda.  He wants to restore Russia to the superpower she once was.   He became more involved in Middle East politics.
               
Last June, Obama and Putin met on sidelines of the G8 meeting in Northern Ireland to discuss issues, particularly the Syrian problem.  The Guardian reported: “Russia’s failure to respond positively to US claims of chemical weapons use in Syria and its hostile response to Obama's plan to give military support to rebel groups means the two leaders remain deeply divided.”  And divided they are, not just on Syria but also on a slew of issues including cyber warfare.  However, they agreed to put up a “cold war hotline” to deal with outbreaks of cyber attacks.
***
On August 1, 2013, Russia granted whistleblower Edward Snowden temporary asylum of one year.  He had been holed up at the Moscow Airport for several weeks waiting for a country to give him asylum.  
Within a few days, Obama canceled his summit meeting with Putin in Moscow ahead of the G20 economic summit in St. Petersburg.  The White House said that Russia’s decision to “defy the U.S. and grant Snowden temporary asylum only exacerbated an already troubled relationship.”

But it did not end there.  Obama immediately went on the offensive.  A few days ago, he appeared on the Jay Leno Tonight Show and said, “There have been times where they slip back into Cold War thinking and Cold War mentality. What I continually say to them and to President Putin is that’s the past.”

But who says that a new Cold War couldn’t happen in the future?
***
As a matter fact, during a White House press conference last August 9, Obama said: “I think there's always been some tension in the US-Russian relationship after the fall of the Soviet Union.” He said that Putin’s return to the Russian presidency in May 2012 had cast a chill over thawing ties. “There's been cooperation in some areas. There's been competition in others. It is true that in my first four years in working with President Medvedev, we made a lot of progress,” he said. “What's also true is, is that when President Putin... came back into power, I think we saw more rhetoric on the Russian side that was anti-American, that played into some of the old stereotypes about the Cold War.”  (Source: “Putin’s Cold War stance chilling ties,” The Nation, August 10, 2013)
The question that keeps popping up in my mind is: With a stockpile of 8,500 nuclear warheads, would Putin make a move to withdraw from the New START Treaty (for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) that Medvedev and Obama signed on April 8, 2010 and which took effect on February 5, 2011?

Under the terms of the treaty, the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers will be reduced by half.   A new inspection and verification system will be established, replacing the SORT mechanism. It does not limit the number of operationally inactive stockpiled nuclear warheads, that remain in the high thousands in both the Russian and American inventories.(Source: Wikipedia)

When Xi Jinping ascended to China’s presidency in March 2013, his first trip outside China was to visit Putin. At their summit in Kremlin last March 22, they agreed to form a “strategic partnership” to advance their countries’ interests.     
In my article, “New World Disorder” (March 26, 2013), I wrote: “At a joint press conference, Xi told the media: ‘China’s friendship with Russia guarantees strategic balance and peace in the world.” But what he presumably meant to say was that the new China-Russia military-economic alliance would be so formidable that it would establish a new world order never seen before.  In Xi’s mind, only a China-Russia military-economic alliance could stop the United States’ ‘pivot to Asia’ strategy. And one of Xi’s concerns was the United States’ building of an intercontinental ballistic missile defense system, which could tilt the balance of power towards the U.S.’ ”
***
Last July 8-10, Russian and China conducted a joint naval exercise off the coast of Vladivostok.  It was the largest between the two countries. American strategists view it as an attempt to counter the U.S.’s “pivot to Asia,” which would shift 60% of America’s air and naval forces to Asia-Pacific by 2020.
               
In anticipation of China becoming a rival naval power in Western Pacific waters by 2020 (“China raises the ante,” July 31, 2013), the Pentagon has put in place a strategy known as Air-Sea Battle. The goal is “to neutralize the ability of enemies to keep U.S. forces at bay with so-called Anti-Access and Area-Denial (A2/AD) defenses.”

According to the Air-Sea Battle plan, US forces would launch physical attacks and cyber attacks against the enemy’s “kill-chain” of sensors and weaponry in order to disrupt its command-and-control systems, wreck its launch platforms (including aircraft, ships, and missile sites), and finally defeat the weapons they actually fire. The sooner the kill-chain is broken, the less damage US forces will suffer - and the more damage they will be able to inflict on the enemy.  (Source: “How Pentagon strategy could trigger war with China,” Foreign Policy.com, August 2, 2013)


Many experts believe that the U.S. and China are headed to an armed confrontation – or war -- by 2020.  With a China-Russia military-economic alliance in the works, it won’t be long before they’d become belligerent toward America, which makes one wonder if Cold War II is in the offing? (PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

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