Luzon

LUZON NEWSBITS
STUDENT JOBS
ANGELES CITY, Pampanga The city government here is set to provide jobs for 410 students from poor families this summer through the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). According to Adelina Deocales, Public Employment Services Office (PESO) manager, the SPES beneficiaries will be assigned to the different offices in the city government, in barangays and in private companies. Of the total summer job slots, 350 applicants will be doled out in the city government offices and in the villages. (Franco G. Regala)

Thursday, April 5, 2012

LIVE STREAMING
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan The province of Pangasinan, which hosts the Palarong Pambansa 2012 from May 6-12, will go on live streaming so the people could have an immediate up date on different games. Gov. Amado T. Espino Jr. said that viewers and reporters need not go to the four venues of the Palaro to watch the games as everything can be viewed in one place at real time through live streaming. This is another first in the history of Palarong Pambansa, Espino said during a press conference to launch the provinces triple summer treat which includes Pangasinan Day, Pistay Dayat (Sea Festival), and the Palaro. (Liezle Basa Iigo)

BATANGAS SUNSET A row of boats bids farewell to the sun as it sets on the horizon seen from the shores of Lian in Batangas. Silhouetted by the setting sun is Fortune Island, another popular destination for local and foreign tourists. (Jose I. Paz Jr.)

Pampanga Ready For Annual Crucifixion

By MARK ANTHONY N. MANUEL

SUBIC RELIEF
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT A relief operation was spearheaded by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) that distributed relief goods to some 235 families who were recently displaced in Cawag, Subic when the land they were occupying was claimed by a private corporation. With the SBMA Public Relations Department in the forefront, the relief operation provided foodstuffs for the former settlers of Sitio Agusuhin, who have now temporarily camped out along the road going to the Hanjin shipbuilding facility. The relief goods given by the SBMA included rice, sugar, coffee, milk, canned goods, and instant noodles. Representatives from Hanjin also joined the relief operation and handed out some construction materials to help the displaced residents in building their shelter. (Jonas Reyes)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda has ordered the deployment of additional policemen and security personnel in places usually visited by people in the province during the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday celebration. Pineda also urged security heads of commercial establishments like SM Pampanga and Robinsons Starmills to deploy additional security personnel in preparation for the large volume of mall goers and tourists expected to visit the province this Holy Week for the annual crucifixion rites. The Motorist Assistance Centers (MAC) and Public Assistance Centers (PAC) with ambulances and fire trucks have already been put in place throughout the province. These posts are manned by police officers in shifting schedules to ensure that folk in need of help will be immediately accommodated. However, the governor reminded the police officers that the motorists

assistance is not their sole priority and they should not be complacent as criminals might take advantage of this Lenten break. We should to be more vigilant to avoid any untoward incidents that maybe perpetrated by criminal elements, she said. Police Senior Superintendent Edgardo Tinio, police provincial director, instructed the police chiefs during their recent assembly here to ask for the assistance of force multipliers such as barangay tanods, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Guardians, Civicom, and Kabalikat, to further secure highly populated areas this Lenten Season. In a related development, a group of independent radio broadcaster has established traffic assistance centers in different entry and exit points in the province to help both private and public motorists for a week-long Holy Week observance. The traffic assistance centers were established by the Society of Communicators and Networkers (SCAN) Pampanga chapter in Arayat, Apalit,

San Simon, Mabalacat, Magalang, Lubao, Mexico, City of San Fernando and Angeles City. Daniel Dan Ombina, SCAN president in Candaba town, said that at least 10 traffic assistance centers were established all throughout the province. Ombina said that SCAN has organized several medical groups composed of doctors, nurses and other health related professionals to provide medical attention for motorists needing it. In Bulacan, Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado said as part of the Lakbay Alalay Sum Vac Program emergency and police assistance teams and volunteer radio and rescue groups are deployed in the province from April 4 to 8. Alvarado said additional public assistance centers have been established at the Provincial Government of Bulacan, the Divine Mercy National Shrine in Marilao, and in Barangay Kapitangan, Paombong, where thousands of local and foreign tourists are expected to arrive to witness

penitents. Meanwhile, the governor said those in emergency situations can dial the Bulacan Rescue hotline 7910566. In a related development, the Cavite Police Provincial Office (PPO) has set up security measures for malls and other business stores in the area for the long Lenten weekend and summer vacation. Senior Supt. John C, Bulalacao, PPO director, met yesterday with some mall representatives and store owners in his office in this camp and had discussed with them the police security and safety and protection measures intended for the season. Cavite, the country's most denselypopulated province, is one of the areas in Southern Tagalog with the most number of commercial stores. Bulalacao and his staff officers had a closed-door meeting with store representatives on security plans and how to ward off undesirable individuals or groups with their guards and personnel. (With reports from Freddie C. Velez and Anthony Giron)

BIKING MAJOR
CAMP GEN. PANTALEON GARCIA, IMUS, Cavite Chief Inspector Romulo C. Dimaya will trek by bicycle the parish churches in Cavites 23 cities and towns on Maundy Thursday to meditate and pray for peace and speedy recovery of his sickly military man-uncle. Dimaya is set to bike on the long and winding road of the coastal province starting at dawn today for the traditional Visita Iglesia (Church Visits). He is one of the ace officers of the Cavite Police Provincial Office (PPO) being the public information officer and chief of the Mobile Patrol Group. Ill be biking this time for Visita Iglesia (Church Visits) in Cavite as a sacrifice or reparation for Christs sufferings and to ask for forgiveness and pray for peace and my beloved uncle who is now in the hospital, said Dimaya. (Anthony Giron)

DA, DAR Accord Aids Farmers

MUNOZ SCIENCE CITY, Nueva Ecija The Department of Agriculture (DA) has tied up with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in conducting farm researches, technology trainings, and entrepreneurial projects to improve the economic status of farmers in Central Luzon. The two government offices have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during the Lakbay-Palay conducted at Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) based here. The MOU aims to increase rice yield while reducing farm expenses through trainings, application of science research and livelihood programs. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)

CL Sets Prison Poll Precincts

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga The Regional Office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) here will establish polling precincts inside jails in the region in order to encourage prisoners to vote in the May 13, 2013 local and national elections. The poll body has recently promulgated Comelec Resolution No. 9371 or the Rules and Regulation on Detainee Registration and Voting in connection with the 2013 midterm elections to serve as guide to the conduct of election inside prisons. The resolution provides that prisoners who have been in jail for six months and who are 18 years old and older on the day of the elections may register and vote. Comelec will also set up satellite registration and special polling places in jails in the region. Even with less than 10 qualified applicants, there should be registration. In capital towns where there are provincial, city or municipal jails, separate registrations shall be held. In cities composed of two districts, registration shall be conducted by all Comelec districts within the city even if the jail is located in one district only, the resolution said. It added that prisons with 50 to 100 qualified detainee voters would have one polling place. In cases where there are more than 500 qualified voters, one special polling place shall be put up for every additional 100 qualified detainee voters. The polling place should be spacious enough to accommodate more than 10 voters at a given time to ensure that voting is completed, it said. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)

Ship Book Fair Attracts Thousands

By JONAS REYES

BEST IMPLEMENTOR
BALANGA CITY, Bataan For second time, Barangay Cataning under chairman Benjie Merio bagged the citys Kasama Ani sa Barangay (KAANIB) Best Implementor award. Merio said that from the initial 500 square meters, the barangay expanded the farm area to 2,000 square meters planted with different vegetables like talong, sitaw, okra, kalabasa, and kamatis. Merio, president of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) here, said they are eyeing other idle lots for the vegetable planting program to increase vegetable farming lots to 6,000 square meters. (Mar T. Supnad)

Abra Gets P11-M For Agriculture

By MARVYN N. BENANING

Abra is raring to join the race of progressive provinces in Northern Philippines, Governor Eustaquio Bersamin says. The recent provision of P11 million for agricultural, fishery and irrigation projects by the Department of Agriculture (DA) will push farmers to do better and raise output in time. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the P11-million assistance

is a modest contribution to farmers and agricultural producers long stymied by low productivity and little market access. Alcala awarded the projects during his recent two-day visit to Abra from March 27 to 28. He was accompanied by top DA officials led by Cordillera regional director Marilyn Sta. Catalina and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) chief Antonio Nangel. Of the total amount, P6.7 million was allotted for agricultural projects,

P3.5 million for the rehabilitation of two communal irrigation systems (CIS) in Nagtipulan, Lagangilang, and in Bagatoy, La Paz. and P885,000 was earmarked for inland fishery projects. Nangel said NIA has allotted P103 million this year to construct and repair several communal irrigation projects in Abra, including the two CIS in Langangilang and La Paz. When completed, the new and repaired systems will irrigate a total of 26,500 hectares, Nangel said.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT The crew of M/V Logos Hope, the worlds largest book fair, said they are happy that Filipino book lovers keep on visiting their ship since its arrival here in Subic on March 16. The vessel, which is currently berthed at the Alava Pier here, has received more than 33,000 visitors who browsed through some 5,000 available book titles on board, and viewed interactive displays like Life X-perience, which is about HIV. More visitors are expected to flock to the book fair each day until it closes on April 8, which is Easter Sunday. Until then, the book fair remains open every day, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., except on Holy Thursday and Good Friday in observance of the Holy Week. Tom Dyer, captain of M/V Logos Hope, said that it has always been a pleasure for them to be in the Philippines. I like being in the Philippines. You have a very positive cheerful spirit, he said. Anywhere in the world that you go, when you find a Filipino community, there is so much joy. We are very thankful to be here. Dyer also thanked the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority for providing assistance to the ships crew. He also praised the Freeports port facilities.