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Philex sets golf for a cause December 12

TUBA, Benguet – Philex Mining Corp. based here will hold a one-day golf tournament today to generate funds for its mining engineering scholarship program at the FA-Korean CC golf course, Fontana Hot Springs, Leisure Parks, Clarkfield, Pampanga.

The second edition of the company’s “golf for a cause” aims to generate sufficient funds from sponsors that will help bring poor but deserving students, especially its scholars in mining engineering to school.

In July 2008, Philex held its first “golf for a cause” during its 50th anniversary wherein it generated substantial funds to bring two students to school taking up the course of mining engineering at the St. Louis University.

Engineer. Eulalio Austin, Philex vice-president for operations and resident manager, said it has two scholars at present, one secondary and on freshman, who are doing well in their studies.

Registration fee per player was set at P3,500 which includes free hotel accommodation and meals. Registration time starts 7-8 a.m.


Baguio gov’t spends P6M to light up roads
BAGUIO CITY – At least P6 million was used up by the city government here to light up the city’s central business district area to spice up the Yuletide celebration and attract tourists.

Part of the funds utilized for the multi-million project include the P2 million used to purchase the light emitting diode (LED) lamps installed along Session, Harrison, Magsaysay and Abanao roads while P3 million was also used to purchase state-of-the-art lighting for the new façade around city hall.

Funds were also utilized to purchase of 82 stands of lights wrapped around the giant Christmas tree at the foot of Session Road.

Excluded in the local funds for lighting were the 154 LED lamps donated by the Department of Energy that were installed around the Burnham Lake, Wright Park in Pacdal and the premises of the Presidential Mansion.


Pineda bares P40,000 bonus
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga –Gov. Lilia Pineda said 2,051 regular and casual employees of the provincial government will receive a bonus of P40,000 each before Dec. 15.

Pineda timed the announcement for the opening of the weeklong celebration of Pampanga’s 439th founding anniversary, which culminates yesterday, Pampanga Day, a non-working holiday in the province.

WW2 vintage bombs found
BAGUIO CITY — Four sacks of assorted World War II vintage bombs, grenades and ammunition were dug up by police and construction workers at a construction site along Tavera Street, South Driver here last week following reports from several workers on the discovery of the explosives while they were digging a sewerage facility.

Senior Supt. David Q. Lacdan, city police director, said the find consisted of dozens of small vintage bombs, Japanese hand grenades, rounds for mortars and bazooka, and ammunition packs. -- Dexter A. See


Cagayan folk free trapped dolphins
SANTA ANA, Cagayan – The government’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources cited villagers in this coastal for freeing 10 dolphins back to the sea after being trapped along its coastline last week.

BFAR said that instead of butchering and partaking of them, fisherfolk decided to release back to sea the dolphins, which were accidentally caught in a beach seine net at the town’s Palawig village on Nov. 29.

   According to BFAR, the freed dolphins were three to 3.5-meter long and weighed about 120 kilograms each.

Dr. Jovita Ayson, BFAR director for Cagayan Valley, who praised the fishermen’s becoming environmentally conscious, said this was the second incident in less than a week that dolphins got entangled in fishermen’s nets in said area.

A scenic coastal town being developed as one of the country’s major tourism sites, Santa Ana, located on the northeastern tip of Cagayan, is a favorite stop-over of marine mammals like dolphins, whose species is classified as one of the world’s most critically threatened sea mammals. – Charlie Lagasca


Baguio officials launch anti-smoking campaign
BAGUIO CITY – Local health authorities and city officials here launched a campaign last week to instill awareness among people on negative effects of smoking.

Dr. Donabelle Tuvera of the city health services offices said an unpublished survey in a local public high school showed 42 percent of females and 44 percent of males surveyed had experienced smoking at a very young age.

Out of those surveyed fourth-year high school students, 20 percent of the females and 54 percent of males went on to continue smoking.

Worst, she disclosed six out of the 10 leading causes of death in the city could be traced to smoking, thus, the need for the public to be vigilant about smokers and vehicles emitting bad smoke.

The six leading causes of death in the city connected to smoking are heart diseases, vascular diseases, lung cancer, colon cancer, pneumonia and bronchitis.

Part of the strategies adapted by health authorities to instill awareness against smoking include the posting of no smoking signs all over the city considering it was proven by health authorities there is a 50 percent quit rate with the presence of such signs. -- Dexter See