8 wanted persons held; No crime in 54 Cordi towns

 8 Cordillera PNP officers awarded

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – Eight Cordillera police officers were awarded medals here July 17 at police regional headquarters for notable deeds.
    Cordillera police director Brig. Gen. David K. Peredo and lawyer Julius D. Torres, regional director of Commission on Elections awarded Medalya ng Kasanayan (PNP Efficiency Medal)  to Lt. Col. Vivian Paclibon, acting chief of Regional Information and Communication Technology Management Division, patrolmen Tommy Nixon Facsay and Roger Kitongan III including Lt. Cartner Rhyse Kelly of Regional Information and Technolgy Office for successful conduct of computer hardware maintenance and troubleshooting course on April 11–18 here. The same award was presented to Lt. Col. Berniel Gotoman of Regional Communications and Electronics Unit and CMS. Jamson Marzan for successful conduct of basic radio and telephone operations, procedures, and preventive seminar here June 1 and 20.
    Meanwhile, Medalya ng Kagalingan (PNP medals of merit) were awarded to CMS Tirso Botiwtiw and Cpl. Jemuel Madino of Benguet Police Provincial Office for arresting the no. 9 most wanted person in Benguet.
    Certificate of recognition was presented to Regional Personnel and Records Management Division by Col. Arnold Razote, chief RPRMD, for being adjudged the cleanest office from July 10–14, 2023.
 

8 wanted persons held; No crime in 54 Cordi towns

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet -- Thirty-eight wanted persons were arrested while 54 Cordillera towns recorded zero crime from July 9–15.
    Based on the records from the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division, Kalinga Police Provincial Office recorded highest number of arrests with 18 followed by Baguio City Police Office with 11, Benguet PPO with six and Apayao, Ifugao and Mountain Province PPOs with one arrest each.
    Meanwhile, as a result of the intensified police presence, 54 Cordillera municipalities and three police stations in Baguio City recorded zero crime incidents during the same week.
    Zero crime was recorded in 24 municipalities in Abra, five in Apayao, three in Benguet; four in Kalinga; eight, Ifugao and 10 municipalities in Mountain Province.
    In Baguio City, police stations of Aurora Hill, Irisan and Marcos Highway also recorded zero crime incidents out of 10 police stations in the city.

 
2 die during monsoon Pangasinan onslaught

By Hilda Austria 

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – Two persons died in separate incidents in Pangasinan July 16 amid the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat and enhanced by Tropical Depression Dodong.
    In a statement on Monday, Pangasinan Police Provincial Office information officer Capt. Renan dela Cruz identified the casualties as 23-year-old Aloyssius Kevin Masa Chavez, a resident of Sta. Rosa, Laguna, who drowned in Bolinao town, and 62-year-old Ariel Dacera Canaria, a resident of Bani town, who crashed his motorcycle into an electric post that fell in the middle of the road.
    Chavez was kayaking with his friend at a beach resort when the water current brought them to a deeper portion of the sea and smashed with huge waves.
    His friend survived while Chavez was later recovered and brought to the nearest hospital although he was already dead, Dela Cruz said.
    Canaria was driving his motorcycle that hit an electric post in Barangay Calabeng resulting in serious injury on his head and different parts of his body.
    He was brought to Bolinao Community Hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician.
    In a separate interview, Pangasinan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) operations and training head Vincent Chu said they are still verifying if the incidents will be classified as typhoon-related.
    Meanwhile, Chu said the province remains under blue alert status, which means that equipment and personnel of PDRRMO are still on standby to assist local government units needing assistance.
    “The 103 families who evacuated have already returned to their homes except for the two families in Bani town and there are no longer flooded areas and the river systems are at normal levels,” he said.
    He added that most of the evacuees were from the western portion of Pangasinan.
    They received relief goods from their respective local government and provincial government of Pangasinan.
    The local government of Manaoag suspended classes on Monday due to unpredictable weather conditions. -- PNA
 

NPA leader with P100K reward nabbed for slays

By Vince Jacob Visaya

CAMP MELCHOR DE LA CRUZ, Gamu, Isabela -- A 66-year-old suspected New People's Army rebel leader with a P100,000 reward for his head was arrested for multiple murder in Villa Pascua village in Diffun, Quirino on July 15, the military said.
    Ramon Luis, known in the rebel movement as Romeo Cudal alias Mon of Baracaoit, Gattaran, Cagayan and former agrarian revolution officer of the New People's Army-Komiteng Probinsya Isabela, Komiteng Rehiyon-Cagayan Valley, was arrested by Diffun Police and 86th Infantry Battalion Army soldiers, according to Capt. Rigor Pamittan, 5th Infantry Division spokesman.
    The warrant of arrest was issued for criminal case 24-8071 against Luis and other unidentified colleagues by the Regional Trial Court Branch 24 in Echague, Isabela.
 

Abra rebs at low point; folks want peace: Army

By Liza Agoot 

BANGUED, Abra – The Philippine Army in Abra said the New People's Army (NPA) in the province is now at its ‘lowest point’ as locals now want peace and development versus giving support to the terrorist organization.  
    Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Melchor dela Cruz, commander of the Army's 501st Infantry Brigade (501st IBde), said in an interview on Tuesday that “nali-limit na lang sila sa areas na master nila. Meron pa silang kaunting mga supporters kaya lang iyong mga dati nilang supporters na din ang nag drive-out sa kanila (their area is just now limited to terrains that they are familiar with. They still have a few supporters but those who drove them out of the community are also their previous supporters) who opt to have peace and development in their places." 
    The 501st IBde covers the whole of Abra and four towns of Mountain Province aside from Region 1.

Dela Cruz cited the tri-boundaries of Abra, Mountain Province and Ilocos where the former supporters were the ones who declared the rebels as "unwanted" in their communities and urged them to surrender and lay down their arms. 
    He advised the public to stop supporting the remaining NPA insurgents, encourage them to surrender and support the peace efforts of the government.  
    “When they are weak, they cannot terrorize, they cannot sow terror and they cannot make the people afraid of them. Let us take advantage of this situation when the NPAs are so weak. Let us continue to support the call for their surrender,” the Army officer said.  
    Dela Cruz also cited the gains of the whole-of-nation approach to ending the insurgency, where various government agencies put their resources together to bring development in far-flung areas targeted by the NPAs.  
    He said the people feel the government’s presence and support its development efforts, including the construction of roads, provision of livelihood, electrification and education for the youth.  -- PNA
 

4 arrested for P386-K shabu marijuana

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – Four “drug personalities” were arrested for illegal drugs worth P385,956 July 9 to 15.
    The police Regional Operations Division bared this saying the suspects were caught in possession of a total of 3.0 grams of marijuana and 56.70 grams of shabu worth P385,956.
    The same report disclosed that two arrests were made by the anti-illegal drugs operatives of the Baguio City Police Office who identified the suspects as Jomarck Galano, 21 and Jonada Disoma, 19.
    Meanwhile, drug suspects Rasmia Ebra, 29 and Adonis Abad, 35 were arrested by operatives from the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit.
    All arrested suspects and confiscated items were brought to respective arresting units.
Charges for violating the Republic Act 9165 known as Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 were filed against them.