POLICE ROUNDUP

4 nabbed in Baguio City pot session

BAGUIO CITY -- Four men were caught here in the act of having pot session at Purok 2, Tam-awan Road, Pinsao Proper night of June 15. Nabbed were identified as as William Sabado Casibang, 26, of Tam-awan, Pinsao Proper; Joemamel Valera Dipatuan, 35, of Bakakeng Central; Rasul Valera Dipatuan, 31, of Cypress Irisan, both street vendors and Dario Embat Dacera, 35, barber, of Victoria Village.

Confiscated from the suspects were three pieces of plastic sachets containing suspected shabu, one black pouch and assorted drug paraphernalia.

Three men nabbed for marijuana in Bontoc

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Three suspects landed in jail after they were caught in possession of dried marijuana plants here in front of Cable Cafe, Poblacion afternoon of July 14.

They were identified as Michael Marciano Macunat, 27, gym instructor; Kent Tyron Rega Bejasa, 23 and a 17-year- old student, all residents of Muntinlupa City.

They were apprehended after a concerned citizen informed police the suspects were carrying marijuana plants that prompted them to respond. Ten marijuana bunches and a brick of dried marijuana were confiscated from their possession.

Baguio PCSO agent arrested for shabu

BAGUIO CITY -- A high value target and a PCSO agent identified as Errol Carlos Singson “Errol” Ibuna, 36, of Ilocos Sur and resident of City Camp Proper, Baguio City was apprehended here by police July 11 at NOVA Lodge, Bakakeng Central last week.

Confiscated from Ibuna were three sachets of suspected shabu and assorted drug paraphernalia 

 Laborer cornered in Itogon for shabu

ITOGON, Benguet -- A laborer identified as Christian Lopina Caluza, 23, of Delos Reyes St. Outlook Drive, Baguio City was arrested here July 11 at Binanga Sur, Tuding for illegal drugs.

Two sachets of suspected shabu, black Oppo cellular phone and P1,000 cash were seized from Caluza.

Man nabbed for ‘drug pushing’

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- An alleged drug pusher known as Aquino C. Gonayon aka Kenny “Kinnung” Gonayon Gallema, 41 here of Ubbog, Magsaysay was arrested at Silao St., Bulanao Centro on Monday.

Confiscated from Gonayon were one sachet containing suspected shabu and P1, 000 cash.

Farmer, labourer nabbed for shabu

MANKAYAN, Benguet – A certain James Lucas Espada, 42, farmer, and Claire Dicoy Cati-an, 26, laborer, were apprehended here at Sitio Ambabag, Barangay Guinaoang last week.

 Two sachets containing suspected shabu. P1, 000 buy-bust money, six  aluminum foil; two Nokia cell phones and one brown leader pouch were seized from Espada and Cati-an.

Following this, regional police director Brig. Gen. Israel Ephraim T. Dickson said, men under his command will continue intensified drive against illegal drugs.

  2 Papua New Guinea nationals nabbed for mauling young man

BAGUIO CITY – Police arrested two nationals from Paspua New Guinea here July 15 for mauling a young man around 10 p.m. at No.135, Bakakeng Old Site.

The victim was identified as Dexter Lachica Tresmanio, 23, single who filed a complaint for physical injuries against Clye Ravini, 23, IT student of University of the Cordilleras, and presently residing at Camdas, Baguio City and Rodnuy Aii, 23, student of Easter College, and  resident of Easter Hills Subdivision, Lower Pinget.

 Investigation disclosed the victim was on his way home when he stopped at Rabang Store to buy coffee but was suddenly approached by the two foreign national wherein one of them challenged the victim to a fist fight and suddenly punched his face.

The victim ran towards their house but the two foreign nationals followed him and continued punching the victim several times.

Man arrested in Banaue for homicide

BANAUE, Ifugao – Police arrested a man here July 15 at View Point for homicide. Nabbed was Jimmy L. Dammitan after Judge Segundo Catral of RTC, Branch 14, Lagawe, Ifugao fissued warrant for his arrest with no bail recommended.

The suspect was brought to Hingyon police of the town where he was jailed.

Man nabbed for estafa in Rizal

RIZAL, Kalinga – Cops arrested a certain Emilio A. Atencio here June 15 I Barangay Kinama for estafa. This, after Judge Marcelino K. Wacas  of RTC  Branch 25 of Bulanao, Tabuk City issued warrant for his arrest with bail of P40,000 for his tempiorary liberty.

Cop’s house burned in Tabuk

TABUK CITY – The house of a cop was partially burned here June 15 around 11:40 a.m. Laya West. The hosue was owned by Julius D Baribaras who was assigned at Divilacan, Isabela provincial police office.  No person was injured.

Typhoon Falcon: Ifugao, Kalinga roads closed due to soil erosion

LAGAWE, Ifugao -- At least two road sections in Ifugao and Upper Kalinga were closed to public after heavy rains brought about by tropical storm Falcon and enhanced by the southwest monsoon (Habagat) caused soil erosion, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reported Wednesday.

NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said a portion of the Matteled Road at Barangay Dupligan, Tanudan, Ifugao; and Lakilak Road at Barangay Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga were closed due to soil erosion.

The Matteled road was closed around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and clearing operations at the road section were put on-hold due to continuous rains, Jalad said.

Meanwhile, only one lane was passable at the Lakilak road after the soil erosion.

Clearing operations at the road section were on-going but only a portion of the road was open to the public due to an unstable backslope.

Tropical storm Falcon made landfall in Gattaran, Cagayan around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, said an NDRRMC situation report citing the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal (TCWS) Number 2 was raised over the northern portion of Apayao, Batanes, and northern portion of Cagayan including the Babuyan Group of Islands.

Meanwhile, TCWS Number 1 was raised over Ilocos Norte, Abra, Kalinga, Isabela, Mountain Province, Ifugao, northern portions of Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.

 Magalong eyes coop for roving Baguio vendors

By Jessa Mardy P. Samidan

BAGUIO CITY -- Roaming vendors within city streets and public parks with permits will be organized into a cooperative for them to be given livelihood assistance by the city government.

This was announced by Mayor Benjamin Magalong in a meeting held July 17 at the City Multipurpose Hall with hundreds of roving vendors who have been earning their daily needs by selling novelty items and street foods among others within the city market, public parks and certain city streets.

Magalong listened to the plea of hundreds of roving vendors who claimed that their only source of sustenance is by selling their goods to park goers as well as those on city streets and the city market as they are incapable to pay rent if they are to lease a physical store.

In the past, ambulant vendors crowd the city market, city streets and public parks but the city government was able to manage this by providing special permits to sell. The permit served as passes for the vendors to sell their goods within areas allowed and identified by the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) as well as the Baguio City Market Authority (BCMA).

Errant vendors whether they have special permit or none caught selling outside their identified areas in the market, parks and streets are apprehended by the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) of the city government.

Bernardita Banania, president of the Burnham Park Vendors Association, said she has been vending at Burnham Park for over 20 years with her cart full of various merchandise such as balloons, chips and toys.

Her association has over 200 members selling their goods at Burnham Park alternately to avoid crowding in the park.

“Pero simula nang maupo si Mayor Magalong, wala ng nakapagrenew ng special permit sa amin,” Banania lamented. She said they continue to sell sans the special permit since it is their only source of income.

Magalong answered that “parks are beyond the commerce of man,” and therefore selling should not be allowed but the city government will not ban roving vendors immediately until a cooperative is formulated to cater to the needs of the vendors.

“We plan to formulate a cooperative with roving vendors as members and we will put up a physical store for them to manage. The city government will provide assistance to the cooperatives by providing the goods and merchandise to be sold in the stores,” Magalong explained.

He furthered that the stores will only be limited in numbers depending on the park so as not to accumulate large footprint of the park reservations.

Magalong said his proposal is patterned in Japan where the elderlies are organized to manage specialty stores in the parks at the same time keeping their parks clean and orderly.

“In six months from now, ayoko ng makakita ng roving vendors sa mga parks,” Magalong said.

Councilor Philian Weygan-Allan, chairperson of the Committee on Market, Trade and Commerce, said there will no longer be special permits to be issued to roving vendors as a prelude to the formulation of cooperatives.*   

 TESDA to train Abra agrarian beneficiaries

By Fred Barona

BANGUED, Abra--Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will provide skills training to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARB) to improve their skills and ways of developing their agricultural lands.

"Providing skills training to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARB) will improve their skills and ways of developing their agricultural land granted by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)," said Emilyn Sencio, scholarship focal person of TESDA-Abra.

She said the skills training programs will enhance the productivity of beneficiaries and also contribute to the country.

The partnership between TESDA and DAR is aimed at providing options to new land ownners for the purpose of productivity enhancement.

The distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) to the ARB’s is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to fast track the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms or CARPER.

Meanwhile, DAR- Abra officer-in-charge of land distribution Leonida Segudo explained that the CLOA is a document that proves the ownership of the land granted or awarded to a beneficiary by the agency.

"Having a CLOA entitles a beneficiary to own and till the land; thus, ensuring food security and peace to them," she said. (Fred Baroña/TESDA-ABRA)