POLICE ROUNDUP

16 wanted persons nabbed in Ilocos Norte operations

By MydzSupnad

LAOAG CITY – A total of 16 “most wanted persons” were arrested last year in Ilocos Norte by police.

Senior Supt. Manolito C. Labador, Ilocos Norte Police officer in charge, who is also the deputy regional director for operations joint elements of Ilocos Norte police and the Regional Intelligence Office arrested 16 most wanted persons for the period of January 2012 up to January 2013.

Latest to be arrested were Edmund Vicente and his co- accused Javar Java a.k.a. Jake Java both for murder.

Also arrested was Alex Pascual Cariaga and Emiterio Cristobal Bagay, both wanted for murder in Bangui, Ilocos Norte.

 According to Labrador, Ilocos Norte is the only province of Region 1 not included in 15 priority provinces or “areas of concern”  in the coming elections due to  strong police presence.

Cagayan hospital workers probed over baby snatching 

By Charlie Lagasca

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – Four nurses and five security guards of the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in Tuguegarao City have been placed under investigation for negligence after the snatching of a baby girl in the hospital last Jan. 5.

CVMC director Emmanuel Acluba said he has restricted the four nurses and provided them guidance and psychiatric counseling while waiting for an investigation panel’s recommendations this week.

A similar move was also carried out for the five personnel of a private security agency detailed at the ward where one of the twins of a certain Jennifer Delelis was snatched by a still unidentified woman on the night of Jan. 5.

A closed-circuit TV camera caught the woman bringing out of the hospital an oversized bag believed to contain the missing infant.    

2 miners nabbed in Buguias, Mankayan

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad Benguet–Two miners were successively arrested last week in Buguias and Mankayan towns in Benguet over separate crime charges.

Buguias town police led by PO1 Ruben M. Labutan arrested Mario Codiamat Osinio, 40,private miner, of Pugo, Baculongan Norte, in the town now residing at Acupan, Itogon at the Van Terminal in Abatan, Buguias on Jan. 14.

Osinio was arrested by virtue of a warrant issued by Judge Agapito K. LaoaganJr of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 64, Abatan for violation of Republic Act 9262 with bail set at P120, 000 for his temporary liberty.

The warrant was issued Dec. 17.

Meanwhile, Mankayan town police led by SPO3 Lapic arrested Fernando Sabag Paspasan, 25, small scale miner in Taneg, Mankayan on Jan. 14.

Judge Laoagan, Jr. issued a warrant for his arrest for robbery with violence recommending bail of P100, 000.

Ilocos Norte has new police chief

By Teddy Molina

LAOAG CITY – The reshuffle of police officers has reached the northern provinces with Senior Supt. Gerardo Ratuita taking over as Ilocos Norte police director, replacing Senior Supt. Marlou Chan who now heads  Pangasinan police.

Gov. Imee Marcos expressed dismay with Chan’s transfer to Pangasinan, saying she was not consulted about it, according to radio reports. Ratuita reportedly hails from Pasuquin town.

Regional top police officials have yet to react to Marcos’s statements on the matter even as some policemen said reshuffle of top positions was normal in the Philippine National Police after assessments are done on peacekeeping in certain areas. 

PDEA agents nab farmer in marijuana plantation 

KIBUNGAN, Benguet -- Anti-narcotics agents arrested a suspected marijuana cultivator and destroyed seven plantation sites here worth P5 million in a two-day eradication operation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said on Tuesday.

A PDEA press statement said authorities nabbed farmer Charlie Culbo, 49, of SitioTableo, Barangay Badeo, who was present during the operation.

The torched plantations were in seven adjacent sites in SitiosAlamenes, Al-alinao and Dagadag, all in Barangay Badeo with an estimated total land area of 4,738 square meters.

A total of 17,776 pieces of fully-grown marijuana plants and 33,800 marijuana seedlings were uprooted and 3,000 grams of marijuana seeds were confiscated.

They were burned on site during the operation, Cacdac said.

Operatives of PDEA Regional Office-Cordillera Administrative Region with the Benguet provincial and local police conducted the eradication operation from Jan. 9 to Jan. 10.  

A penalty of life imprisonment and a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10 million is imposed upon any person who shall plant, cultivate or culture plant, regardless of quantity, which is classified as a dangerous drug, the PDEA report said.

‘Katok’ nets over 52,000 guns in Central Luzon

By George Trillo

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – At least 52,584 firearms were accounted for in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija – listed among the 15 provinces tagged as poll hotspots – as part of “OplanKatok” of the Central Luzon police.

Chief Supt. Edgardo Ladao, Region 3 police director, said that under “OplanKatok,” police officers visit the houses of gun owners with expired licenses.

Delayed ‘eyesore’ projects hit; Baguio mayor explains

 BAGUIO CITY – Residents and the media here are questioning delay in implementation of infrastructure projects which they said have become “eyesores.”

           

But according to Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, this was due to situations beyond control of city government, particularly release of funds from government agencies spearheading such projects.

           

In the case of the uncompleted projects at the Centennial Park, formerly the Botanical Garden, the local chief executive said projects funded by the city government were completed ahead of time but projects funded under the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Rep. Bernardo M. Vergara amounting to P2.6 million and those funded by the Tourism Infrastructure and Entrepreneur Zone Authority (TIEZA) have not yet been implemented because release of funds from national government agencies are still being processed.

           

 “We cannot dictate on the concerned national government agencies to immediately release the funds for their priority projects in the city because they are observing some processes which are already beyond our control,” Domogan said.

           

He added as much as they want all infrastructure projects to be completed soonest, the city government cannot do so, except in cases where funds come from the local government, because of separate powers.

           

 In the case of the P50 million rehabilitation of the Rose Garden, the city mayor disclosed the TIEZA was already able to complete the first phase of the project while the P30 million funding for the second phase of the upgrading was already bidded out and undergoing proper evaluation at the TIEZA level and awaiting the ward to the winning contractor.

           

If the funding for the different infrastructure projects comes from the city government, he cited there is a guarantee that the projects will be completed or before the prescribed deadline in the contract.

           

However, Domogan claimed if the sources of funds for projects in the city come from varied sources, there will surely be a problem in the case of those projects that are funded by other sources considering that they might encounter problems on delayed release of funds that will also translate to delayed completion of projects.

           

“We appeal to our people and visitors for utmost understanding in relation to the obvious delays in the various infrastructure projects being implemented around the city because of factors that are not within our control,” he said, citing that they are making representations with the concerned government agencies for them to facilitate the completion of their committed projects in the city’s parks and roads so that the inconvenience to the public will be eased.

           

 Domogan said the local government and concerned government agencies must take advantage of good weather to  complete projects to lessen the inconvenience of the public during the rainy season.

           

He urged concerned government agencies to coordinate with the local government on how to undertake their projects by phases so as not to create problems for local residents and visitors during the 18^th staging of the Panagbenga, the city’s main crowd-drawing event which is scheduled from Feb. 1 to March 3, this year.