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VOLUME 7 NUMBER 145MON - TUE

JULY 14 - 15, 2014

PAGE 6 PLEASE

CLARK FREEPORT – “A very stupid argument.”

Time more relevant than distance for dual airports

MVP calls argument vs. Clark ‘stupid’ BY ASHLEY

MANABAT

That was how busi-ness tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan described the seeming government perception that the Ni-noy Aquino Internation-al Airport (NAIA) in Ma-nila is “too far” from the Clark International Air-port (CIA) here in terms of distance which was among the reasons of the government for “fi -

nally” choosing Sangley Point as the location for the new airport.

Pangilinan made the remark during the Round Table Discussion on Pampanga Business Opportunities organized by the Kapampangan Development Founda-tion (KDF) where he is chair as part of his 65th

CLARK PITCH. Business mogul Manny V. Pangilinan is all eyes and ears to the presentation of Clark Development Corp. President-CEO Arthur P. Tugade during the Round Table Discussion: Pampanga Business Opportunity held at the Holiday Inn Monday in conjunction with Pangilinan’s 65th birthday celebration. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON

ANGELES CITY – “Raids won’t suffi ce, not even simple hoarding or smuggling charges. Sue them for economic sab-otage.”

Thus the advocacy group Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) challenged Interior and Local Government Sec-retary Mar Roxas yester-day “to show and prove government resolve to run after and punish rice hoarders.”

Roxas, along with op-eratives of the Criminal Investigation and Detec-tion Group and repre-sentatives of the Nation-al Food Authority raided the warehouse of the Purefeeds Corp. in Ma-lolos City after an ear-

PGKM DARES ROXAS

Sue hoarders for economic sabotage

lier similar operation in Muntinlupa City which was also participated in by former Sen. Francis Pangilinan, presidential adviser on food security and agricultural modern-

PAGE 6 PLEASE

Roxas

CLARK FREEPORT – A P200-million eco-tourism plan has been drawn by the local government as part of a two-pronged strategy to turn Arayat, Pampanga into a premiere tour-ism hub by 2016.

This was an-nounced by Mayor Emmanuel “Bon” Ale-

P200-Meco-tour plan up in Arayat

Alejandrino

PAGE 6 PLEASE

BY DING CERVANTES

ANGELES CITY- The Alyansa ng Manggaga-wa sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) said yesterday that Pres. Aquino could not invoke “good faith” in the implementation of Disbursement Accelera-tion Program (DAP) as it accused his government

DAP funds still used in Luisita

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of still using such funds “to protect the interest of his family in Hacienda Luisita.”

“Land distribution in Hacienda Luisita is a monumental sham and total failure thanks to DAP and this regime’s deliberate wastage of people’s taxes just so his family can retain con-trol of Hacienda Luisita,” said Ambala Chair Flori-da Sibayan.

In 2012, the Supreme Court (SC) under then Chief Justice Renato Co-rona released a fi nal and executory decision to implement land distribu-tion in Hacienda Luisita which had been owned by the Cojuangco-Aqui-no clan since the 1950’s.

Sibayan said, howev-er, that “billions of pesos from the DAP were used by Aquino to bribe leg-islators to impeach and convict Corona, as retri-bution for the landmark Luisita ruling.”

“The Cojuang-co-Aquinos are using power and infl uence to sabotage the SC de-cision. All government agencies such as the De-

DAP funds still used in LuisitaFROM PAGE 1 partment of Agrarian Re-

form (DAR), the military, police, and local courts in Tarlac are directly taking orders from the Cojuang-cos to coerce and disen-franchise supposed land reform benefi ciaries in Hacienda Luisita,” said Sibayan.

Aside from the DAP, a new disbursement mechanism by the “Aqui-no-Abad tandem” is now believed to be active-ly used to fund the Co-juangco-Aquino’s illic-it sugarcane aryendo or lease agreement scheme victimizing thousands of Luisita benefi ciaries in the guise of “land re-form support services” such as block-farming, Sibayan noted.

She said that un-der the 2013 Grass-roots Participatory Bud-geting (GPB) program, otherwise known as Bottom-Up Budgeting (BuB), P476 million was released to the DAR for agrarian reform benefi -ciaries’ support services.

Sibayan said that “loyal Cojuangco agents such as Arsenio Valenti-no, a former supervisor of the Hacienda Luisita, Inc (HLI) now head the

DAR’s Agrarian Reform Benefi ciaries Organiza-tions (ARBO) and can easily access these sup-port service funds.”

“The funds are used to entice cash-strapped farmer benefi ciaries to enter unfair lease agree-ments known as the aryendo, which will lead to the wholesale disqual-ifi cation of benefi ciaries and the re-concentration of the sugar estate back to Cojuangco-Aquino control,” she added.

“The DAR says that they need enough proof to stop the ‘aryendo’ in Hacienda Luisita, but the most notorious of aryendadors are cur-rently in their employ. We will not be surprised if the DAR takes action on the aryendo – not to pin down these Cojuang-co agents – but to lay the blame on the thousands of Hacienda Luisita farm-workers which they have systematically swindled and disenfranchised through consistent de-ception, violence and co-ercion. Puro panloloko, pandarahas at pangan-gamkam,” said Sibayan.

Sibayan also lament-ed that since June 25,

DAR and PNP per-sonnel using govern-ment-owned tractors “have been directly in-volved in the ruthless destruction of crops and productive organic farms in Barangay Mapalac-siao, Hacienda Luisita to make way for the replant-ing of sugarcane by an-other Cojuangco-Aquino agent, ex-LTO Chief Vir-gie Torres, a known ally and ‘kabarilan’ of Presi-dent BS Aquino.”

“While Aquino cod-dles and grants spe-cial treatment to pork plunderers, hundreds of Luisita farmers have been subjected to police brutality and harassment suits. Under this land-lord president, I have been mauled by police several times, impris-oned at least three times while facing numerous trumped-up charges be-cause of defending farm-workers’ rights to our land,” she said.

A fact-fi nding mission report released by the Unyon ng mga Mang-gagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) in November last year already pointed out “other glaring anomalies in the DAR’s land distri-

bution process in Haci-enda Luisita, such as the granting to the Cojuang-co-Aquinos of “just com-pensation” overpriced by at least P167 million pe-sos and the anomalous land survey of Hacienda Luisita by the FF Cruz fi rm, which concerned DAR employees ex-posed to be overpriced by at least P9 million.”

UMA also pointed out that the highly-ir-regular deployment of the state’s armed police personnel, SWAT teams and elite military bat-talions serve to coerce farmworker-benefi ciaries into signing promissory notes, and in the subse-quent violent eviction of farmers from hundreds of hectares of agricultur-al land declared by the Cojuangcos as their “pri-vate property” in Hacien-da Luisita.

“The DAR enjoyed maximum logistical sup-port and media mileage for Aquino’s land reform which has indeed been quite expeditious – ex-peditiously bogus,” UMA said in the report.

The report conclud-ed that “institutionalized corruption and state ter-

ror have made genuine land reform a distant re-ality for the thousands of farmworkers in Hacienda Luisita and for the mil-lions of farmers and til-lers all over the country.”

“The DAR has been exposed as a ‘pork clearing house’ for cor-rupt politicians and fake NGOs to partake of lump sum public fund alloca-tions. Under CARP, the DAR has merely served as a legal conduit for the blatant misuse of public funds for ineffective land reform schemes and as milking-cow of landlord families entitled to just compensation.”

“Pres. Aquino himself has allocated billions of pesos from his uncon-stitutional DAP for land-lord compensation and for alleged bribery to se-cure the impeachment of Chief Justice Corona after the SC promulgat-ed its fi nal and executo-ry decision in Hacienda Luisita,” said UMA in the 2013 report.

Luisita farmers will join the people’s protests when the President de-livers his State of the Na-tion Address (SONA) on July 28.

STAYCATION. The refurbished Pampanga Provincial Jail can easily pass off for a resort hotel. No VIP treatment of prisoners, including real estate developer Delfi n Lee, here though. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON

BY ERNIE ESCONDE

PILAR, Bataan- Scores of workers and giant backhoes on Wednesday continued to rush the completion of river control projects to lessen if not totally stop fl ooding in this town.

Flood control projects in the form of revetment and rip-rapping of river banks are on-going at the Tabon River and at the portion of the Talisay River in Sitio Dau in Barangay Panilao.

Concrete revetment of a

Town undertakes river control projects vs. fl oods

big portion of the Talisay Riv-er and re-channeling project in Diwa, a barangay at the foot of Mt. Samat, were almost com-pleted.

Construction foreman Jo-vencio Owen said their target date of completion for the fl ood control and re-channeling proj-ects is on July 31 this year.

“Ang layunin ng mga pa-gawaing ito ay upang ma-kon-trol ang malakas na tubig para magtuloy-tuloy sa dagat at hindi bumaha sa bayan ng Pi-lar,” Owen said.

In the absence of or al-

ready worn-out revetments or ripraps on river embankments, some portions of Barangays Poblacion, Del Rosario and Panilao went under water during fl ooding in the past.

When the rivers became swollen, fl ash fl oods also hit large tracts of agricultural lands in Pilar which is consid-ered as Bataan’s rice granary.

Mayor Alice Pizarro has said that the fl ood control and re-channeling projects were funded for P55 million by the National Disaster Risk Reduc-tion Management Council.

OEDC umani ng batikosNI JOHNNY R. REBLANDO

OLONGAPO CITY----Hindi kumbinsido ang mga electric con-sumers sa planong dagdag singil sa bayarin ng kuryente ng Olongapo Electricity Distribution Company (OEDC) matapos itong maghain ng application sa Energy Regulatory Commission noong April 7, 2014.

Sa pagpupulong na ginanap sa isang pribadong restoran sa pagitan ng electric consumers, OEDC at ERC, umani ng pag-batikos ang OEDC dahil sa biglaang pagapapatawag ng public hearing nang hindi man lamang nalalaman ng mga consumers ang nilalaman ng application.

Ayon kay Olongapo City Councilor Atty Noel Atienza, kahit na nagkaroon pa ng publication sa ibat-ibang daily newspapers ang planong pagtaas ng bayarin sa singil ng kuryente ay dapat pa rin malaman at mapag-aralang maigi ang nilalaman ng application ng OEDC sa ERC bago magpatawag ng public hearing.

Sa ginawang expository presentation ni Engr. Bonifacio Rana, Jr., vice president ng Consumer Services ng OEDC, isa sa batayan nito ang mataas na “system loss” na umaabot sa 37 percent na naitala mula noong June 2013.

Ayon sa mga cosumers hindi tiningnan at pinag-aralang mabuti ng OEDC bago nila pinangasiwaan ang Public Utility Department (PUD) nang isapribado ito na ang utang ay umabot sa P5 billion sa bayarin ng kuryente sa panahon ng administra-syon ni dating Mayor James “Bong” Gordon, Jr., .

Iniangal din ng mga consumers ba sa pagpapalit ng kanilang “electric meter” ay walang ibinigay na “calibration meter test re-sult certifi cate” ang OEDC na siyang nagpapatunay na maay-os ang kanilang electric meter at ang nakakaalam lang nito ay ang OEDC at ERC nang isagawa ang meter testing at walang isa man lamang sa mga consumers ang nagsilbing “represen-tative.”

Dahil dito, nagkaroon ng pagdududa na may sabwatang na-gaganap sa pagitan ng OEDC at ERC.

Humingi naman ng pasensya sa publiko ang representative ng ERC na si Atty. Carl Stephen Guzman sa pagkukulang ng OEDC.

Harapan namang sinabi ni Patrick Escusa kay dating Mayor Gordon na ang lahat ng problema sa usapin sa kuryente ay ka-gagawan nito.

Lininaw naman ni Alex Hermoso ng PREDA Foundation na ang naganap na pagpupulong ay isang “information o forum” at hindi ikinukusenderang public hearing.

“Ang public hearing ay ginaganap sa pampublikong lugar at hindi sa isang pribadong lugar, gaya dito sa restoran at baka ito ay gamitin ng OEDC at ERC para ma-aprobahan na ang kanil-ang applikasyon sa planong dagdag singil sa kuryente”, dagdag pa ni Hermoso.

Aminado naman si Engineer Rana, na kapag nagkakaroon ng “unexpected brown out,” pagbalik ng supply ng kuryente ay bahagya naman tumatalon ang reading sa electric meters na madalas na iniaangal dahil hindi nabibigyan ng sulosyon ng OEDC.

Ang Olonagpo City ay may 47,500 electric consumers na na-ka-rehistro sa tanggapan ng OEDC.

Ayaw naman banggitin ng OEDC kung sino-sino ang mga government offi cials na hindi nagbabayad at wala sa record ng dating PUD.

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BY ARMAND M. GALANG

RIZAL, Nueva Ecija - Nueva Ecija is eyed to be the capital for mini-hydro power plants, which is seen to liberate con-sumers from skyrocketing prices of electricity, as the Philippine National Oil Com-pany-Renewables Corpora-tion (PNOC-RC) and the Na-tional Irrigation Administration (NIA) bind together to estab-lish small plants along the lat-ter’s main canals.

This developed as a P90-million one-megawatt hydro power plant at a sec-tion of Pampanga River Irri-gation System Main Canal in Poblacion West was offi cially launched in a ground-breaking ceremony on Friday.

“This water might have been crying in silence for over twenty years, saying it can light up your residences at night while providing irrigation to your plants,” said Carlos Jose Gatmaitan, PNOC-RC president even as he said that while the construction of the new plant is on-going they will continue to search for more spots suited for hydro-power generation.

This, on top of six sites al-ready identifi ed, one of which is the 500-kilowatt hydropower plant to be located along Su-per Diversion Canal Lateral C of the NIA in Science City of Munoz. The preliminary de-sign of this one is ongoing as the project is expected to com-mence in the third quarter of 2014.

“Habang ginagawa itong hydropower plant na ito, ang aming mga tauhan ay patuloy na hahanap ng mga bagong lugar para paglagyan ng turbi-na,” Gatmaitan said.

The PNOC-RC explained

NE eyed as site for mini-hydro power plantsthat the projects are aimed at harnessing hydropower from irrigation systems. The canal gates located in Barangay Po-blacion West, Rizal will serve as diversion for a penstock that will deliver water to two 500-MW turbines in the power plant just below.

The project is expected to be commissioned in May 2015 and will benefi t the community through a power sales agree-ment with the Talavera-based Nueva Ecija Electric Coopera-tive II.

Reynaldo Villanueva, pres-ident of Neeco II, said the co-operative will buy electricity produced by Rizal PRIS plant at P4 which is 60 centavos lower than the P4.60 from the First Gen Hydro Power Cor-poration. This will also provide stability to power supply in Rzal town which consumes an average of 2MW.

Mayor Rafaelito Andres ex-pressed hope the existence of the hydropower plant in town will serve as an engine of economic growth in this second class municipality, lo-cated along the Sierra Madre mountain range. “Mas baba-ba ang presyo ng kuryente at malalagyan ng kuryente ang buong bayan,” he said.

According to the NIA, the agency will generate P700,000 in annual revenue from the power plant that will be used to improve irrigation and “oth-er agricultural services” that will benefi t farmers of host mu-nicipality.

“In line with the President’s thrust of energy security at a lower cost, we commit to work hand in hand with you to max-imize the use of our water re-sources and to safeguard our investments,” a ranking NIA offi cial said.

BY ELMO ROQUE

CABANATUAN CITY - It was a real-life drama like no oth-er that this city saw unfolding minutes after that July 16, 1990 powerful earthquake roared and struck down the six-storey Christian College of the Philippines (CCP) building here.

Trapped beneath the rub-ble, which was a mishmash of concrete slabs, twisted rein-forcement steel bars, pieces of concrete, stones and sand, and broken wood, were more than 300 students, teachers, the school’s administrative personnel and some other persons.

“There was much wailing and cries for help by those in the rubble,” recalled George Garcia, an engineer from the city engineer’s offi ce who was among the fi rst persons to arrive in the disaster site recalled.

He also said a number of the victims were seen pinned lifeless by concrete materi-als high above the grounds. There were also agonizing howls of “Si Ma’am…Si Sir…” when some of the onlookers recognized the pinned life-less bodies.

Those who came out, who were either injured or unscathed, but nonetheless dazed, scampered disorient-ed and not knowing where to go, he added.

“Then the volunteer res-cuers came and a few hours later, soldiers from Fort Mag-saysay followed ready with some tools and equipment for the rescue operations,” Garcia said. “We went on with the rescue operations using jack hammers, steel saws, big hammers, and our bare hands to search for and rescue the victims. Oth-ers brought the injured to the hospital,” he added.

But, as Garcia further re-called, the equipment and tools used then were no match for the job and many volunteers went on searching

Cabanatuan’s 1990 quake experienceprompts response readiness build-up

and trying to rescue victims in the rubble using only their sheer courage.

Gripping stories, like the young boy who saved fi ve of his classmates but on his sixth trip to the rubble to look for his girlfriend became a victim himself when he was knocked dead by a concrete slab when a relatively strong aftershock roared, became good copy for the news coverage.

Or that tale of a rescued young girl who narrated that a culprit, instead of saving her, feasted by forcing out her ex-pensive ring from her fi nger.

It was only when US sol-diers and medical teams from Subic came, led by then Olon-gapo City Mayor Richard Gor-don, that the complexion of the search, rescue and re-trieval operations changed. Fully equipped and knowing exactly what to do, the job of searching, rescuing, retrieving victims and the clearing of the debris were effectively done.

An air-conditioned tent that served as a mini-hospital was put up on the provincial athlete grounds. All told, 133 dead victims were accounted for in the collapsed CCP build-ing.

The many who witnessed or experienced that tragedy tried hard to forget in order to move on. But offi cials of the city government here did not, and “used” the lessons from that incident to “be re-sponse-ready.”

“Mayor (Julius Cesar) Ver-gara formed the Cabanatuan Emergency Search and Res-cue Team in 2004,” said Eu-gene Mintu, coordinator of the City Disaster Risk Reduc-tion and Management Offi ce (CDRRMO) and city informa-tion offi cer. “He hired people, trained them and equipped them with the expertise to car-ry out exigencies attendant to such a big tragedy,” he added.

Then in consonance with the provisions of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Manage-ment Act of 2010, Vergara put up the CDRRMO and hired,

on a permanent basis, people to be ready to respond not only to earthquake debacle but other kinds of disasters on a 24/7 basis. More impor-tantly, he said, the mayor pro-vided funds for the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment and tools needed for search, rescue, retrieval, and taking care of victims operations.

Named offi cer-in-charge of the offi ce is Ronnie Punzal. The offi ce is soon planned to be a regular department un-der the city government oper-ational structure.

The offi ce, which is un-der the offi ce of Mayor Ver-gara, conducts training for incident command system, integrated planning, camp management, basic life sup-port, standard fi rst aid, ambu-lance operation, water safety and boat management, water search and rescue, high an-gle rescue, basic fi refi ghting, crashed vehicle extrication and rescue, and others for any kind of disaster or trag-edy.

‘We now have lifting bags that can move 85 tons of de-bris, hydraulic equipment, forcible entry tools, medi-cal equipment, automated external defi brillator, scoop stretchers, spine boards, communication equipment, a number of rubber and plastic boats and ambulances, and others,” Mintu said.

The city government here has also put up a gym-type evacuation center near the city hall and a building for the permanent offi ce of the members of CDRRM coun-cil. Ambulance-type vehicles for each of the 89 barangays here were also purchased and distributed for mobility in case of emergencies.

“We are training our more than 15,000 tricycle drivers here to become assets for search and rescue opera-tions,” Mintu said. “They will also be trained for giving fi rst aid to the victims, including CPR (cardio-pulmonary re-suscitation),” he added.

BY GEORGE HUBIERNA

PANIQUI, Tarlac—Local police here scored anew after three notorious drug pushers oper-ating in this municipality were arrested in an anti-illegal drug operation in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforce-ment Agency at Sitio Basyo, Poblacion Norte Saturday af-ternoon.

The suspects were identi-fi ed as brothers Alvin, 22, sin-gle and Melvin Perez, 28, mar-ried, both of Malioer, Bayam-bang, Pangasinan; and Erick Itchoen, 28, married of Baran-gay Samput this town.

According to Chief Inspec-tor Carlito U. Grijaldo, Paniqui chief of police, the operat-ing team seized two pieces of heated transparent plas-tic sachet of suspected sha-bu and recovered a .45 pistol (HK USP Compact) with se-

3 pushers fall, 2 guns seized

rial number 29-007291 load-ed with a magazine with three live ammunition as well as the marked money amounting to P4,600.

Grijaldo said that during the follow-up operation at the place of incident, the police confi scated a .22 Armscor re-volver with two live ammuni-tions. They also found a mag-azine loaded with three live ammunitions inside a Honda CRV car during the search.

The operation was con-ducted with the DOJ represen-tative and Barangay Council-ors Rodalyn Naungayan and Joselito Calveno of Poblacion Norte as witnesses.

The suspects are now de-tained at the municipal jail here facing charges for viola-tions of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act 0f 2002 and Illegal Possession of Fire-arms and Ammunitions.

THINKGREEN

Offi cials of the City Disaster Reduction and Risk Management Offi ce in Cabanatuan City show the equipment and tools for disaster response capability. Some 15,000 tricycle drivers are being trained as volunteer responders for any type of disaster.

PHOTO BY ELMO ROQUE

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OOpinion

TODAY IN PHILIPPINE HISTORYTODAY IN PHILIPPINE HISTORYSource: www.kahimyang.infoSource: www.kahimyang.info

BS does a Marcos“TO ACCEPT his resignation is to assign to him a wrong and I cannot accept the notion that doing right by our people is wrong.”

Thus, President BS Aquino III rejected outright the proffered resignation of Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad.

Abad did right with the Disbursement Acceleration Program?

The Supreme Court on July 1 ruled that the Abad crafted DAP was illegal, no different from the damned Priority Development Assistance Fund.

By veritably declaring the DAP is right, Aquino has arrogated unto himself the judicial power of the Supreme Court in the settlement of confl icting legal rights, as well as to review the exercise of discretion by the political branches of government.

This is plain Marcosian power grab.At least the Great Ferdinand had to issue

PD 1081 before he did so. Pure BS this Aquino.

A bad account“ALTHOUGH I was wholly prepared to relinquish my post, I am grateful for the President’s expression of his continuing trust and confi dence in my leadership of the department. I have thus chosen to defer to his better judgment and stay.”

So said Abad, ever grateful to the kunsinti of his boss BS.

Sayeth further: “In the wake of the controversy surrounding the DAP—especially after the adverse Supreme Court ruling that declared parts of the program unconstitutional—it became clear to me that I must abide by the highest standards of accountability that we in the Aquino administration hold ourselves to.”

Yeah, right, Abad. The highest standards of accountability those in the Aquino administration hold themselves to is accountability fi rst, foremost and only to Aquino. The people be damned.

Pure BS. Really.

Senior momentsFIVE MONTHS into my senior citizenship, I am having a blast with the discounted life.

Less fi guratively now -- the shortened distance to the end-times which heralds either dread of the unknown or great anticipation of the heavenly reward, depending where one sits in the religious divide.

Most literally now – the 20 percent discount in transport fare, resto bills, purchases, especially of maintenance meds, etcetera that comes with age 60 and stays on until, well, kingdom come.

Where before those charming pharmacists at SM City Clark Watsons got their noses bleeding, their tongues twisting with the King’s English when I bought my dosage for the week, ever-mistaking me for a foreigner, now they get shocked in disbelief when I fl ash my senior citizen card to avail myself of my 20 percent discount. Love it both ways, then and now. The ego – pogi, eh – gets sated many, many times over.

Great too getting Wendy’s pretzel bacon cheeseburger – what with a lane dedicated to SCs and PWDs, fully respected and observed even when the other lanes are clogged with younger patrons. And no signatures asked, the SC card suffi ced.

Even stricter with the SC lane are SM malls’ hyper- and supermarkets, ditto Walter Mart’s – no SC card, no pass at the cashiers’ slots, no matter how kilometric are the queues on the other lanes. I fi nd here my SC card superior even to my SM Prestige card

No dedicated lanes for SCs but just as breezy with their service for the elderly are Krispy Kreme and Starbucks – you just get seated and get served, the discounted bill coming later. Of course, it pays to have Sun-Star Pampanga’s Rey Navales at the former and this paper’s Ashley Manabat at the latter, being virtual fi xtures at the said coffeeshops, earning them not only credit but the staffs’ trust and confi dence.

In the banks, I have yet to avail myself of senior privileges at Metrobank, at least at the Dolores, City of San Fernando branch where I’ve been a depositor since its establishment in the early 1990s. There is no signage indicating some priority lane for SCs at the tellers’ counter. You just have to wait it out – in cool comfort though – till your number is called.

At BPI, also in Dolores, an SC priority lane is inconspicuous in some little corner, easily missed, with our over 20-20 vision.

Maybe its high time banks assigned some tellers exclusively to SC clients, with the corresponding sign for all to know. And more importantly to follow.

McDonald’s at Dolores Junction has this “Priority Lane for SCs and PWDs,” which, sadly, is more honoured in the breach. I had had two rows with McDo on this clear violation of the SC law. Senior moments, in a different, aye, affi rmative, sense they are to me too.

The fi rst time, I was not an SC yet, buying breakfast meals for the unmistakably elderly punye…,er, poetang Kapampangan Macky

Pangan and laureadu Felix Garcia, who both happened to have a sudden bout with gout that restricted them to their seats.

Lined up at the clearly marked priority lane for SCs and PWDs were teens in their school uniforms, a young couple with tots, some employees. Last in the queue of 10, I patiently waited for my turn. My temper got the better of me when I got to third in line, snatching the priority lane sign and slamming it on the counter.

“Useless, you don’t follow it anyway,” I shouted at the service crew, drawing the attention of the security guard whom I put in place with a snarl: “Wag kang makialam, lumalabag kayo sa batas dito.”

The manager was profuse with her apologies and offered to get my orders herself and serve them at our table which I rejected, lecturing her on the rights of SCs while I waited for my turn at the counter.

And then, just this Saturday morning, again with Macky and Felix. The priority lane had an SC at its head, followed by four school-age kids and two 30-something ladies.

The open lane had only two in line so I took the slot and got served fast. I did not want to make a fuss this time.

Finishing our pancakes and sausage breakfast, I noticed the priority lane still clogged by the young, with a manang holding her SC card at the tail end.

I stood up, asked the manang to please get to the head of the line, and ordered – in a voice that boomed across the place – the service crew to serve her as it is her right to be served fi rst, warning them: “You are discriminating against senior citizens here.”

All eyes of the customers were on me but what did I care? Senior ito! I know our rights and I shall make sure they are respected, they are upheld, whenever challenged.

Come to think of it, only last week City of San Fernando Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago paid the highest respect to the elderly, enjoining the community to treat them as “senior-itos and senior-itas” if only for their contribution to the development of the city. This, at the launch of the “Libreng Sine para sa Senior Citizens” program at the SM City Pampanga mall, where the elderly can avail themselves of free movie viewing every fi rst screening on Mondays at the two SM malls in the capital city and at Robinsons Starmills.

Nothing special, just simple respect for the law. That’s what all SCs are entitled to. For all its hyped corporate social responsibilities, McDo epically failed here.

Maybe, Mayor EdSa should come visiting soon.

ON JULY 14, 1974, the fi rst Miss Universe beauty pageant held in the Philippines formal-ly opened at the Folk Arts The-ater in Manila. It was participat-ed in by 65 contestants from all over the world and was won by Amparo Munoz of Spain.

Then outgoing Miss Uni-verse Margarita Moran of the Philippines crowned the tear-ful Miss Muñoz at the conclu-sion of a two-hour telecast on

July 21, 1974.Notably, the fi rst Miss Uni-

verse (1952), Armi Kuusela of Finland, 1967 Miss Universe Sylvia Hitchcock of the Unit-ed States, and 1969 Miss Uni-verse Gloria Diaz of the Phil-ippines graced the event. The event was hosted by Bob Bar-ket and Helen O’Connell and was attended by an estimated 10,000 crowd and broadcast live by CBS and Radio Philip-

pines Network.The venue of the event,

the Folk Arts Theater near the famed Manila Bay, was com-missioned by then First Lady Imelda R. Marcos and was built for only 90 days in time for the pageant. It was inaugu-rated on July 7, 1974.

Manila again hosted the event 20 years later, when it became the host city for the Miss Universe 1994 pageant.

Miss Universe pageant opens at the Folk Arts Theater

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Regarding HenryHenrylito D. Tacio

OOpinionNapag-uusapanLangFelix M. Garcia

‘Lethal injection,’ ang tanging

solusyon

SAPOL ipag-utos ng ating gobyernoang tigil bitay sa mga nasa death rowkapansin-pansin ang paglobo ng hustong crime rate ng halos sitenta porsyento.

Bigla ang pagsirit ng kriminalidadsa lahat halos ng malalaking siyudad,Kung kaya pati sa Simbahan, Mall at Parko mataong lugar ay di na rin ligtas.

Nagkalat na ngayon ang mga holdapermaging sa loob man ng ating expresswaykaya’t hindi na rin ligtas sa commuterang sumakay ng bus, taxi o kaya tren.

Kumpara sa dati, mas dumami ngayonang rape cases kaysa nangagdaang taon,dala marahil ng di na takot ngayonang mga kriminal sa lethal injection

Pagkat magmula nang ang parusang bitayay ipatigil ni Gloria Macapagal,biglang lumakas ang loob ng kriminal,kasi nga naman ang parusa’y kulong lang.

At kung pagkapiit lang ang bubunuhinnitong kahit na ang hatol ay ‘life sentence,’sa akala kaya nati’y mangingimingpumatay ang mga lintik na salarin?

Lalo pa’t sa ilang halang ang kaluluwana ang pagpasok sa Munti ay bisyo na,Yan sampung ‘life’ man hatol sa kanilaay mayrun pa nga bang sukat ipangamba?

Partikular na sa maraming preso riyangAlipores ng may mga katungkulan,Kung ang parusa ay pagkakulong lamangay napakadali nilang “matakasan”.

Kasi nga ilan mang ‘life sentence’ ang hatolay bale wala lang sa ibang inmates ngayon na may kasangga riyan sa Bureau of Prisonsat sinasandalan na bigating “Ninong”.

Kaya’t kung tulad niyang ang parusang bitayay suspendido pa’t wala pang go signal,aa buhaying muli ay pagpipistahannitong nasa loob na di naisalang.

At ‘yang nasa laya nama’y tuloy pa rinsa di makatao’t masamang gawain,ay mangingimi pa nga kayang kumitilng buhay ng kapuwa o bibiktimahin?

Sa ganang amin ay mas makabubutingang parusang bitay ay ibalik natin,‘now that most heinous crime’ ay patuloy pa ringlumolobo at di na halos mapigil.

Dito lang mismo sa atin sa Pampangamay mga ‘rape cases’ na ang itong biktimaay pinatay nito matapos gawan niyang makahayop na pananamantala.

Lumalaon, unti-unting tumataassa lahat ng dako ang kriminalidadbunsod nitong pagkawala riyan ng ganapng parusang bitay – na siyang tanging lunas

Upang itong krimen na ngayo’y palalaay di man tuluyang ganap na mawala,Yan kahit papano ay medyo bumabakapag ang bitay ay ibinalik kusa.

At kung hindi rin lang natin maipatupadeh bakit pa tayo nagpasa ng batasna lethal injection manding matatawag,Pero nagsilbi lang ding ‘panakot uwak’?

Aba’y mainam pang yan ay iporkilona lamang po nating ibenta siguro, Kaysa kalawangin lamang yan ng hustodiyan sa National Bilibid, pare ko!

Chemical-free farmingTRACES of Chlorothalonil and Mancozeb were found by the Pesticide Action Network-Philippines (Pan-ap) to be present in three upland elementary and secondary schools in Davao City, according to a news report published by Sunstar Davao.

The three identifi ed schools with traces of the two pesticides were Vinzons Elementary School in Manuel Guianga, Tugbok District, Ma. Cristina P. Belcar Agricultural School (formerly Baguio High School of Agriculture) in Tawantawan, Davao City, and Baracayo Elementary School in Daliao Plantation.

The two chemicals are among the 20 pesticides in the hazardous list maintained by the Malaysian-based environmental group. Chlorpyrifos, Monocrotophos, Malathion, Methamidophos, DDT, Permethrin, Diazinon, Paraquat, Propoxur, Atrazine, Dichlorvos, Cypermethrin, Deltamethrin, Methyl parathion, Carbaryl, Parathion, Lambda-cyhalothrin, and Maneb comprise the other 18 pesticides.

Ann Fuertes, executive director of Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) was quoted as saying, “In the water and air monitoring studies that IDIS has conducted in an elementary school and two high schools in the uplands, we have also found traces of Chlorpyrifos and Diazinon. The others on this list are also registered pesticides in the country, meaning they are also being sold here.”

IDIS reported that pesticide use is now pegged at 2.3 million tons, or 50 times more than in 1950. While chemical inputs help increase farm production, their continued use and over-use threaten the people’s health.

In a news report I wrote a few years back, the National Crop Protection Center found that vegetables, fruits and other produce sold in the market in the country were spiked with pesticide residues over the limits prescribed by the World Health Organization.

The Environment Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources stressed that many farmers remain “hooked” on the chemical pesticides whose use not only harms fertility of their farms in the long run but also eats into their profi ts.

EMB added that insect species which attack food crops in the country are becoming resistant to the insecticides being used against them forcing farmers to double the amounts being sprayed contaminating more farm produce with the chemicals.

Recently, however, the use of natural pesticide is gaining ground among Mindanao

farmers. Spearheaded by the government and concerned agencies, farmers -- especially the marginal ones -- are being encouraged to grow and use botanical plants whose saps have been found as effective pest control.

Among the botanicals whose extracts have been found as effective natural pesticides are the red pepper or “sili” (Capsicum frustescens), “tubli” or “tibanglan” (Derris spp.), “madre de cacao” or “kakawate” (Gliricidia sepium), and “makabuhay” (Tinosphora linii).

Some farmers in Bansalan, Davao del Sur broadcast fresh leaves of the kakawate on their fi elds at the rate of 1-5 kilograms per 100 square meters. The system prevents armyworms, cutworms, rice bugs and whorl maggots from infesting the fi elds for a week.

In Cotabato, farmers are using tubli. The roots are twisted until about arm-size and foot-long. They are buried in the soil for a week then pounded with the sap collected used as a natural insecticide.

The same farmers employ fresh tobacco leaves in combination with the tubli sap and half a liter of kerosene with such a mix effectively controlling plant pests.

It’s high time to minimize if not stop altogether the use of chemical pesticides.

“Wars and natural disasters strike swiftly, infl icting their punishment in a manner that is unmistakable and spectacular,” wrote Elizabeth Dowdeswell, former executive director of the United National Environment Program. “In contrast, the unnatural disaster caused by chemical toxins is slow and ambiguous. Damaged chromosomes and brewing cancers remain unseen for years. The maladies strike at random, without a clear indication of cause and effect.”

Dr. Romeo Quijano, Pan-ap president, agrees. “Pesticides and other toxic contaminants in air, water, and food have emerged as important causal factors for various developmental abnormalities, cancers and other diseases suffered by children. Hardly any person or any place on earth is left uncontaminated and not poisoned to some degree by these toxic chemicals,” he points out.

Are you listening?

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FROM PAGE 1

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of JUAN CAYANAN and ROSARIO

V. CAYANAN who died intestate on July 29, 1999 and November 3, 2010 respectively both in Guagua, Pampanga executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement with Deed of Partition of their estate, more particularly described as parcels of land, to wit:

Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 94900-RLot 14, Block 24 of the subdivision plan (LRC) Psd-19813,

being a portion of Lot 5, (LRC) Pcs-1472, L.R.C. Cad. Rec. No. 138, situated in the Barrio of Del Pilar, Municipality of San Fernando, Prov. of Pampanga;

Lot 15, Block 24 of the subdivision plan (LRC) Psd-19813, being a portion of Lot 5, (LRC) Pcs-1472, L.R.C. Cad. Rec. No. 138, situated in the Barrio of Del Pilar, Municipality of San Fernando, Prov. of Pampanga;

Original Certifi cate of Title No. 7081Lot 5418 of the Cadastral Survey of Guagua, Cad-376-D, plan

As-03-000321, LR, Case No. N-45 L.R.C. Record No. N-50005, situated in the Barrio of San Juan Bautista, Municipality of Guagua, Province of Pampanga;

Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 149543-RLot 2 of the consolidation-subd. plan (LRC) Pcs-22812, being a

portion of the consolidation of Lot 2, (LRC) Pcs-22676 & Lots 3, 4 & 5 (LRC) Pcs-16563, LRC Rec. No. 23088, situated in the Barrio of Sto. Cristo, Municipality of Guagua, Province of Pampanga;

Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 149543-RLot 2 of the consolidation and subd. plan Pcs-03-000091, being

a portion of the consolidated Lots 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 (LRC) Pcs-16563 and Lot 1, (LRC) Pcs-22812, LRC Rec. No. , situated in the Barrio of Sto. Cristo, Municipality of Guagua, Province of Pampanga;

Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 200664-RLot 3, Blk 2 of the subd. plan (LRC) Psd-171797, being a portion

of Lot 1, (LRC) Pcs-14485, LRC Cad. Rec. No. 150, situated in the Barrio of Cabalantian, Municipality of Bacolor, Prov. of Pampanga;

before Notary Public Gener C. Endona as per Doc No. 181, Page 38, Book 49, Series of 2014.Punto! Central Luzon: July 15, 22 & 29, 2014

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of DANIEL PACHECO VINUYA SR.

who died on August 28, 2008 in Hayward, California, USA executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement with Waiver of Rights of his estate, more particularly described as a parcels of land, to wit:

Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 578139-RA parcel of land (Lot 54-A of the subdivision plan, Psd-103-

139514, being a portion of Lot 54, Pcs-3553 L.R.C. Rec. No.) situated in the Bo. of Suclayin, Minicipality of Arayat, Province of Pampanga;

Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 578141-RA parcel of land (Lot 54-C of the subdivision plan, Psd-103-

139514, being a portion of Lot 54, Pcs-3553 L.R.C. Rec. No.) situated in the Bo. of Suclayin, Minicipality of Arayat, Province of Pampanga;

Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 5940A parcel of land (Lot A, Bsd-035402-003385 [AR], being a portion

of Lot 4, Pcs-3553) situated in Barrios San Vicente and Candating, Minicipality of Arayat, Province of Pampanga;

Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 4753A parcel of land (Lot 447, of the consolidation and subdivision

plan Pcs-3602, being a portion of the consolidation of lots 992, 994, 997-B Psd-16003, 1000, 1001, 1017, 1018, 1019, 3456, 3594, 3536, 3486, 3487, 3488, 3491, 3531, 3532, 3533 and 3535 of the Cadastral Survey of Arayat, G.L.R.O. Cad. Rec. No. 1275) situated in the Bo. of San Vicente, Minicipality of Arayat, Province of Pampanga;

before Notary Public Renato O. Navarro as per Doc No. 276, Page No. 56, Book No. VIII, Series of 2014.

Punto! Central Luzon: July 1, 8 & 15, 2014

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of MARCELINA G. SONGCO who died

intestate on June 30, 2014 in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement of her estate, more particularly described as a parcel of land (Lot 17, Block 6 of the subd. plan Psd-71033, being a portion of Lot 791-C, described on plan Psd-16004, L.R.C. Cad. Rec. No. 124), situated in the District of Pulung-Bulu, Angeles City and covered by Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 128718 before Notary Public Archie Paul C. Muyrong as per Doc No. 39, Page No. 9, Book No. 1, Series of 2014.Punto! Central Luzon: July 15, 22 & 29, 2014

birthday celebration, at the Holiday Inn Resort here yesterday.

It was near the end of Clark Internation-al Airport Corp. (CIAC) President-CEO Victor Jose “Chichos” Lucia-no’s power point update on the development of the CIA when Pangilinan took to the microphone.

“Chichos, can I just make one rather very

MVP calls argument vs. Clark ‘stupid’important point… that Pampanga should assert itself,” Pangilinan said.

“Clearly, Clark to NAIA is about 100 kilo-meters so that’s the per-ception… ang layo nyan (it’s too far)… we proba-bly have the longest dis-tance for any pair of air-ports in the world as in-deed we probably do, but I fi nd it a very stu-pid argument because technology has moved ahead to make distance

agnostic,” he said.Travel time is more

essential than the mea-surement of the actual distance, Pangilinan fur-thered.

“It (distance) doesn’t matter… what you do is to speed up the train sys-tem,” he added.

Pangilinan explained that “in the Narita ex-pressway, you run at a certain speed before it would bring you from Narita to Tokyo terminal

station, about an hour or less even if Japan has the technology to make travel time faster, like 20 minutes. But they don’t want that because it’s too expensive. General-ly the masses (people) cannot afford so they do it in an hour because that is the most comparable distance by bus.”

He also said: “Ob-viously from Clark to Makati, you speed up the train to bring your

passengers in less than an hour. About 120 kph rated speed but you must calibrate the speed to the target three stops like one in the north at SM Balintawak then an-other in Manila at Dima-salang and then fi nally in Buendia, Makati. It’s the same with Hong Kong’s train stops at Tsing Yi, Kowloon and Central.”

Pangilinan stressed that distance mea-sured by kilometers (masyadong malayo [too far]) instead of travel time “is not a valid argu-ment.”

“Kung pepeng-ga-pengga ang tren mo, masyadong malayo (If you have a rickety train, it’s too far). Obviously you need a high speed train (to close in the dis-tance),” he said.

Other speakers were National Economic De-

velopment Authority (NEDA) Assistant Re-gional Director Victor Baldo who gave an eco-nomic overview of Pam-panga, Bernie Angeles who gave an insight of the province from the perspective of the pro-vincial government and Clark Development Corp. President-CEO Arthur Tugade who ban-nered the state-run fi rm’s 2013 performance.

Pangilinan hails from Apalit, which is Pampan-ga’s southernmost town. The business tycoon has always celebrated his birthday in his home-town by embarking on his companies’ corporate social responsibility to help his townmates. This time, he presided over a business forum to thresh out plans for the devel-opment of the province and the region.

ization.Roxas charged Pure-

feeds Corp. of mixing old stock rice “unfi t for hu-man consumption” with imported rice from Viet-nam.

“They are selling adulterated rice,” Rox-as said, noting that the goods are passed off as premium variety.

At the raided Jubilee Multitech Inc. warehous-es in Muntinlupa, author-ities found the old rice stocks mixed with rodent droppings and cock-roach eggs.

Pangilinan said these showed “a clear intent to

Sue hoarders for economic sabotageFROM PAGE 1 deceive the buying pub-

lic.” The former senator

cited illegal repacking and hoarding of NFA rice as a violation of Repub-lic Act No. 7581, or the Price Act Law, which is punishable by fi ve to 15 years’ imprisonment and can cost a business its accreditation and lead to its blacklisting.

To the PGKM how-ever, “the gravity of the offense, given the spike in the prices of prime commodities, the artifi -cial shortages caused by hoarding, the danger adulterated rice poses on the health of the peo-ple, price manipulation

and the unconsciona-ble profi teering scheme of the hoarders mer-it charges for economic sabotage.”

Economic sabo-tage is a capital of-fense punishable with life imprisonment.“Government should im-pact the full force of the law on these hoarders not only of rice but also of garlic and other prime commodities,” PGKM Chairman Ruperto Cruz said. “If it is really serious in eradicating hoarding once and for all. Else, all these raids will be noth-ing more than propagan-distic “pa-pogi” points for Roxas’ 2016 ambitions.”

Earlier, the militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) branded the raids of rice ware-houses as a “build-up” to President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) and to boost the image of Roxas as the Liberal Party’s standard bearer in the 2016 presi-dential derby.

“Those so-called raids conducted by In-terior Secretary Manuel Roxas and Presidential Assistant on Food Se-curity and Agricultural Modernization Francis Pangilinan on rice ware-houses were really all for show,” said the KMP.

– Bong Z. Lacson

jandrino, during the “Bal-itaan” forum at the Bale Balita here last Friday or-ganized by the Capam-pangan in Media, Inc. (CAMI) in cooperation with the Clark Develop-ment Corp. and the So-cial Security System.

The fi rst-term mayor said one of the programs envisions the speedy development of the 14-hectare resort area of Central Luzon’s only mountain.

He said this could prepare Arayat achieve its goal of employing tourism activities as an essential instrument for its progress and sus-tained growth.

Alejandrino, a for-mer Huk supremo, said Arayat had an “image problem” concerning peace and order before, but has now been de-clared by the Regional Development Council as one of the most peaceful towns in Central Luzon.

The comprehensive 10-year eco-tourism pro-gram has a price tag of P200 million which will be executed under the na-tional government’s pri-vate-public partnership (PPP) program template designed to lure private capital in projects that could spur economic prog-ress in the country’s urban and rural communities.

This program will be supported by a compre-hensive land use plan that will guide the town’s quest for socio-economic prog-ress, Alejandrino said.

Both plans have been fi nalized and scheduled for formal unveiling in August, he said, stress-

ing that phase-I of the tourism program has ac-tually been implemented to jump-start the refor-estation of the denuded sections of the mountain and the upgrading of the facilities at the San Juan Baño Park at the foot of Mt. Arayat which was de-clared by then President Manuel L. Quezon under the Commonwealth Act as a National Park.

Virgin forestAlejandrino said Mt.

Arayat comprises about 3,400 hectares but only about 10 hectares are considered virgin forests until now. He said the rest has been denuded be-cause of rampant illegal logging and the tradition-al “kaingin” or slash-and-burn method of upland farmers to clear the land. With the forest denudation also went the wild animals which once roamed the mountain. Only a handful of wildlife like monkeys, wild boars and some birds remain, he added.

Sadly, only three for-est rangers from the De-partment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are guarding Mt. Arayat, the mayor lamented.

However, Alejandrino said illegal logging has now abated but sporadic reports of the illegal ac-tivity still crop up every now and then.

Meanwhile, Alejandri-no said, for the fi rst time in years the San Juan Baño resort has begun to generate revenues for the local government.

He said in a peri-od of three months from March to May this year alone, the revenues

from the gate receipts of the resort have already amounted to nearly P1 million that allowed the municipality to pay en-tirely the P300,000 an-nual rent to the DENR.

Last frontierHe said the eco-tour-

ism program will be pri-marily geared towards protecting and rehabili-tating Mt. Arayat to help mitigate the adverse im-pact of climate change not only on Arayat town and Pampanga but the entire Central Luzon.

The reforestation phase of the program will be buttressed by the town’s plan to encourage direct involvement of pri-vate groups in planting and growing forest and fruit trees in partnership with the town’s commu-nities and informal up-land farmers.

To attain this objec-tive, the mayor said, the LGU intends to mount a campaign for wider com-munity support. “This means that our cries will not only be confi ned to within our borders to help us promote the protection of Mt. Arayat but also beyond by sell-ing Arayat as ‘The Last Frontier’ in Central Lu-zon,” he added.

Alejandrino said his administration also hopes to execute plans and programs that will closely abide by the dec-laration of Mt. Arayat as a national park.

To achieve this objec-tive, he said his offi ce has started to network with the three areas around the mountain (the towns of Magalang and Mexi-co and Angeles City) for

a closer coordination in the execution of work plans designed to clean and clear waterways to avert fl ash fl oods in some barangays around the mountain and even mount support for refor-estation programs of the other towns, as well as help beef up security in and around the mountain.

More than 60 per-cent of the total area of Mt. Arayat falls within the territory of Arayat town while 40 percent is in the town of Magalang. Ange-les City and Mexico are situated at the foot of the mountain.

Tough stanceIn the case of Arayat,

the mayor said that in his fi rst 100 days in offi ce, he managed to improve the town’s peace-and-order situation by taking a tough stance against bandits, drug pushers and other criminally-bent individu-als, including illegal log-gers and slash-and-burn farmers in the mountain - a development that al-lowed his offi ce to work on the programs designed to uplift Arayat’s socio-eco-nomic condition.

At present, the town’s population stands at 128,000 spread out in 30 barangays. The munic-ipality generates an an-nual income of P174 mil-lion, of which P154 mil-lion is accounted for by its internal revenue allot-ment (IRA).

The bulk of local tax collection is from com-mercial establishments, the majority of which de-pends on the revenues from tourism-oriented ac-tivities around Mt. Arayat.

–Ashley Manabat

P200-M eco-tour plan up in ArayatFROM PAGE 1

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESDepartment of Transportation

and CommunicationsLAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING

AND REGULATORY BOARDRegional Offi ce No. III

City of San Fernando, Pampanga

Application for Extension of Validity of aCertifi cate of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ service.

DANILO B. VICTORIO Applicant

CASE NO. RFRO-III-2004-00781x---------------------x

NOTICE OF HEARINGApplicant is a grantee of a Certifi cate

of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Ser-vice for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: BALIUAG-MEYCAUAY-AN via PLARIDEL, GUIGUINTO, BOCAUE, MARILAO (Bulacan) and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to June 28, 2014. In theapplication fi led on June 27, 2014, Applicant request for the extension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit autho-rized.

NOTICE is hereby given that this Ap-plication will be heard by this Board on July 21, 2014 at 9:00 A.M. at its Offi ce at the abover address.

Applicant is hereby ordered to publish this Notice at least FIVE (5) days before the above date of hearing once in a nwespaper of general circulation in REGION III.

Parties opposed to the granting of the Application must fi le their written oppositions supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date, copy of the same be furnished to the applicant, and may if they so desire appear on the said date and time.

This application will be acted uponby this Board on the basisof the records of this case submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive addi-tional documentary evidence for the judicious resolution of the same.

WITNESS the Honorable Atty. ZONA RUSSET M. TAMAYO, Offi cer-in-charge- Regional Director this 30th day of June 2014 in the City of San Fernando, Pampan-ga.

Atty. JONATHAN V. JAVATE Attorney IV

Punto! Central Luzon: July 15, 2014






RAFAEL T. DAVID Applicant



of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Ser-vice for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: MARISOL -PAMPANG (AC) and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to JUNE 22, 2014. In theapplication fi led on JUNE 27, 2014, Applicant request for the extension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit authorized.

NOTICE is hereby given that this Ap-plication will be heard by this Board on JULY 21, 2014 at 9:00 A.M. at its Offi ce at the abover address.



This application will be acted uponby this Board on the basisof the records of this case submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive addi-tional documentary evidence for the judi-cious resolution of the same.

WITNESS the Honorable Atty. ZONA RUSSET M. TAMAYO, Offi cer-in-charge- Regional Director this 30th day of June 2014 in the City of San Fernando, Pam-panga.








CARLITO GOPEZ Applicant



of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Service for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: CITY OF SAN FER-NANDO-NORTHVILLE 14 via BULAON, DEL CARMEN and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to August 31, 2014. In theapplication fi led on June 27, 2014, Applicant request for the ex-tension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit authorized.

NOTICE is hereby given that this Appli-cation will be heard by this Board on July 21, 2014 at 9:00 A.M. at its Offi ce at the abover address.




WITNESS the Honorable Atty. ZONA RUSSET M. TAMAYO, Offi cer-in-charge- Regional Director this 30th day of June 2014 in the City of San Fernando, Pampan-ga.








SESINANDO S. MIRANDA Applicant



of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Service for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: CABANATUAN CITY-CABIAO via GAPAN (NE) and vice versa with the use of ONE(1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to October 13, 2014. In theapplication fi led on June 27, 2014 Ap-plicant request for the extension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit authorized.




This application will be acted upon-by this Board on the basisof the records of this case submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary evidence for the ju-dicious resolution of the same.

WITNESS the Honorable Atty. ZONA RUSSET M. TAMAYO, Offi cer-in-charge- Regional Director this 30th day of June 2014 in the City of San Fernando, Pam-panga.








REYNALDO D. DANTES Applicant


SECOND NOTICE OF HEARINGApplicant is a grantee of a Certifi cate

of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Ser-vice for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: CITY OF SAN FERNAN-DO (Palengke) – SM CITY/ROBINSONS STARMILLS (CSFP) via DOLORES and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to July 8, 2014. In the-application fi led on June 03, 2014, Applicant request for the extension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit authorized.





WITNESS the Honorable Atty. ZONA RUSSET M. TAMAYO, Offi cer-in-charge- Regional Director this day of July 2014 in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.








ROMULO R. TENGCO Applicant



of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Ser-vice for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: CITY OF SAN FERNAN-DO SAN JUAN via SAN JOSE MEXICO and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to October 31, 2014. In theapplication fi led on July 2, 2014. Ap-plicant request for the extension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit authorized.





WITNESS the Honorable Atty. ZONA RUSSET M. TAMAYO, Offi cer-in-charge- Regional Director this 3rd day of July 2014 in the City of San Fernando, Pampan-ga.








JESUS MONTANO Applicant



of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Service for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: CHECKPOINT-HO-LY ANGEL- HIGHWAY (AC) and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to June 22, 2014. In theapplication fi led on June 23, 2014 Applicant request for the extension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit au-thorized.





WITNESS the Honorable Atty. ZONA RUSSET M. TAMAYO, Offi cer-in-charge- Regional Director this 1st day of July 2014 in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.








ALEJO R. PAMINTUAN Applicant



of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Ser-vice for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: MARISOL –PAMPANGA (AC) and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to July 13, 2014. In theapplication fi led on June 30, 2014, Applicant request for the extension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit authorized.








REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESDepartment of Transportation and Com-

municationsLAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING




EDWIN L. BUAN Applicant



of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Service for the transportation of passen-gers and freight on the route: DCHECK-POINT-FRIENDSHIP and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to June 23, 2014. In theapplication fi led on June 23, 2014, Applicant request for the extension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit autho-rized.





WITNESS the Honorable Atty. ZONA RUSSET M. TAMAYO, Offi cer-in-charge- Regional Director this 4th day of July 2014 in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.








MARICEL N. CAYANAN Applicant



of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Ser-vice for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: PAMPANG – TELABAS-TAGAN and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to July 12, 2014. In theapplication fi led on June 30, 2014, Applicant request for the extension of validity of said Certifi cate with the use of the same number of unit authorized.












Application for Extension of Validity of aCertifi cate of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ service with Motion to Allow Late Filling

ANGELITO Q. ALFONSO Applicant



of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ Ser-vice for the transportation of passengers and freight on the route: PAMPANG – TELABAS-TAGAN and vice versa with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certifi cate is valid up to May 05, 2014 On July 03, 2014, In the application fi led a motion for late fi lling of extension of validity of certifi cate of public convenience which the boaed fi nds the motion to be mer-itonous, the same was hereby GRANTED.





WITNESS the Honorable Atty. ZONA RUSSET M. TAMAYO, Offi cer-in-charge- Regional Director this 4th day of July 2014 in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.



71 under par for two days to win for the fi rst time the grand prize of the tournament former-ly known as the San Di-ego Junior Masters. She built a four-shot lead with a nine-hole score of two-under 34 in the fi rst round to hold off the con-tenders from the United Kingdom, USA, China, Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong and India.

The 10-year-old champion stopped a Chi-nese-American rival and won by two strokes.

It could be recalled that Annyka vastly im-proved her game and started winning tourna-ments in the country af-ter her parents – May-or Pineda-Cayabyab and husband Archen – tapped veteran coach Norman Sto. Domingo to handle her.

Sto. Domingo said they are set to compete in three other tourna-ments in the USA -- Cal-laway Jr. World, Veritas World Junior & the US Kids Golf in Pinehurst.

“Patience, hardwork, a lot of practice, working together as a team, ded-ication, a lot of sacrifi ce and 100 percent support from Annyka’s family are the key elements to her triumph,” said Sto. Do-mingo in a statement.

Gov’s...FROM PAGE 8

NI ERNIE ESCONDE

ORION, Bataan- Hindi pa binabagyo ang Bata-an subalit maraming mangingisda tulad na la-mang sa bayang ito ang dumaraing nitong Saba-do dahil sa epekto ng habagat sa kanilang ka-buhayan.

Ayon kay Reny Lin-tag, 49, ng barangay Lusungan, Orion, halos mag-iisang buwan nang

mahina ang kanilang pamamalakaya dahil sa tumitinding habagat na nagpapalaki ng mga alon sa laot.

Ang mga mangingis-da, aniya, lalo na ang gamit ay bangkang de sagwan, ay lumalabas sa dagat ng alas-5 ng madaling araw ngunit napipilitang bumalik agad dahil sa pagbira ng habagat ng alas-8 o alas-9 pa lamang ng um-

aga.Ang dati nilang huling

isda na halagang P300 ay P100 na lamang at kung minsan ay talo pa. Dati-rati, aniya, ay nasa laot sila ng hanggang alas-11 ng tanghali.

“Sana pag-ukulan ng pansin ng pamahalaan ang mga mangingisda ng kahit kaunting biyaya dahil may kalamidad ngayon,” panawagan ni Lintag.

Sinabi naman ni Jim-my Espina, 50, na ang kinakain nila ng ilang araw na ay halaan. “Ka-pag ang ulam ng mang-ingisda ay shell, ibig sabihin niyan walang huling isda,” sabi nito habang ipinapakita ang lutong laman ng ha-laan na kinakain nilang mag-asawa.

Napakadilikado raw pumalaot dahil ang tulak ng habagat ay palaot na hindi kaya ng mga bang-

kang de sagwan. Hindi lamang ang

mga mangingisdang gumagamit ng bang-kang de sagwan ang nagrereklamo kundi pati na ang gumagamit ng malalaking bangkang de makina.

Isa rito si Alberto Dawal, 60, na nama-makyaw ng isda upang dalhin sa Malabon kung saan, aniya, medyo ma-ganda ang presyo ng isda.

“Sapalaran lamang ang pagtawid namin papuntang Malabon ka-pag may habagat. Malal-aki ang alon at napaka-hirap,” sabi ni Dawal.

Mangingisda sa Bataan dumaraing dahil sa habagat

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ANNYKA Chanel Pine-da-Cayabyab, grand-daughter of Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda, best-ed 20 players from sev-en countries to rule the recent Future Champi-ons of Golf International

Gov’s granddaughter tops golf tourney in USAjunior championships at the Riverwalk Golf Club in San Diego, California, USA.

Annyka, daughter of Lubao Mayor Mylyn Pi-neda-Cayabyab, scored

PAGE 7 PLEASE

CHAMP. Annyka and coach Sto. Domingo proudly display her trophies after winning the grand prize of the Future Champions of Golf International junior championships at the Riverwalk Golf Club in San Diego, California, USA last week. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Documents

P 8.00 Luzon - punto.com.phpunto.com.ph/data/pdf/vol7no145.pdf · ... presidential adviser on food ... agrarian reform bene ﬁ - ... of the Hacienda Luisita, Inc (HLI) now head the