What a shame!

Today, I found in my Inbox an email containing this photo and the quotation below. What do you say? Please be the judge...



"A couple of days ago, an embarrasing scene was played on tv when a flip general was carried on someone else shoulder so he wouldnt get wet when he stepped on a banka boat . the american officer on the other hand waded on the water and stepped on the banka without any help. See the symbolism on why the philippines have problems ?

I think the Filipino General should be fired. How could he win the war against the Abu Sayaf? Eh, tubig lang takot na siya. Nakakahiya!! Lalong nakakahiya doon sa Kano na kasunod niya.

BAGONG PEDICURE SIGURO ANG LOKO..."

Amicable settlement agreed upon on murder of Tulgao tribesman

Bontoc, Mountain Province – Representatives of the Tulgao tribe accepted the offer of relatives of Domingo Bangsoy for an out-of-court settlement of the twin cases filed against the latter at the regional trial court here.

Bangsoy was nabbed by Sabangan policemen after he killed a Tulgao tribesman and wounded another in Madepdepas last August 20. This resulted in the creation of mediation groups by the provincial peace and order councils of this province and Kalinga to peacefully handle the case to avoid possible escalation of the incident into an armed tribal conflict which may cause the loss of innocent lives.

In the meeting of the concerned parties and officials at the provincial capitol here last Monday chaired by Bontoc mayor Franklin Odsey, the Tulgao elders agreed to the proposal made by Bangsoy through Sagada mayor Eduardo Latawan, Sabangan mayor Donato Danglose and Sagada ABC president Jaime Dugao to settle the case the indigenous way.

Bangsoy could not personally attend the meeting since he is still detained at the provincial jail pending the resolution of the cases filed against him.

As a gesture of his desire to amicably resolve the problem, Bangsoy offered to sell a titled property to foot some of the financial obligations on account of the agreement. Officials of Sagada and Sabangan hinted that some individuals may voluntarily help Bangsoy given his initiative in tendering his treasured property for the fast resolution of the issue. They however explained that such donation does not mean consenting to the criminal act. “We simply want peace and harmonious relationship among our constituents so that we could go on without fear of possible retribution,” the officials emphasized. **by angel baybay, ZZW read more

Kalinga BIR poised to crack whip on erring Tabuk City businesses

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – In what could be an unprecedented development in the city, the Revenue District Office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue here has recommended to its regional office the issuance of 48-hour notices to five establishments to comply with the findings of their probe otherwise they will face closure.

Revenue District Officer Conrado Tangkia informed the media that the five were among the 10 businesses in the city placed under surveillance by his office by virtue of mission orders from the regional office under the ongoing Oplan Kandado of the agency.

Tangkia said that the five businesses were found by RDO surveillance teams to have understated their sales by 25 to 30 percent and had not been issuing receipts to customers.

Tangkia said that incognito RDO agents fielded to these establishments prior to the actual surveillance observed that the five establishments were only issuing receipts to those who demanded receipts but that during the actual surveillance by identified BIR personnel, they were in full compliance with the receipt regulation.Tangkia said that if the regional committee finds merit in the recommendation of the RDO, the establishments will be given 48 hours within which to adjust their tax payments.

“In the event that they fail to comply with the 48-hour notice, they will be given another five days within which to comply with the findings of the surveillance team. Refusal to comply after the lapse of the grace period will mean closure of the establishment,” Tangkia.

According to the official, temporary closure of businesses shall not be less than five days and shall only be lifted upon compliance. ****By Estanislao Albano, ZZW read more

Dengue alarm lowered in Kalinga

TABUK, Kalinga – Health authorities brought down the dengue alarm in the province after cases dropped. But even if the alarm has been lowered, dengue watch is still up in places where the number of cases remains high, Provincial Epidemics Surveillance Unit (PESU) Officer Jose Pardito, Jr. said.

Pardito said dengue cases in the province started to rise last June with 58 suspected cases recorded in a span of one week from June 28-July 4. Since then, the number of suspected patients rose to as much as 107 in the week July 26-August 1, according to PESU weekly monitoring.

The health department has recorded 724 cases and three deaths for the period January-September this year, the highest in four years.

This caused alarm because dengue in Kalinga has been at controlled levels since 2005, Pardito said.

Explaining the sudden soar in the number of afflicted patients, Pardito theorized that there might have been a mutation of the previous dengue virus that brought about a new one.

Experts have identified four types of dengue viruses from blood serum analysis.

Pardito disclosed that a patient develops immunity from one type of dengue virus after infection, but remains susceptible to a other dengue viruses.

There must have been a new mutated type of dengue virus that could have infected the high number of patients this time, Pardito said. But this has yet to be confirmed by results of blood serum tests earlier brought to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicines (RITM) in Manila.

The results are expected to arrive this month, which would help in the preventive efforts. Pardito, however stressed that clearing of surroundings is still the most effective measure of eradicating the disease. **by L. Lopez/ PIA-Kalinga, ZZW

Man hacked to death, girlfriend raped in Tabuk City

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - A man was hacked to death and his girlfriend who was fleeing the crime scene was raped at barangay Ipil, this city, night of August 24.

According to intial police investigation, Anthony Lumbag, Jr., 21, single, tricycle driver residing at Magsaysay, this city, and Joyce Ann Casmus, 20, separated, with postal address at Tuao, Cagyayan, checked out of the DR's Videoke Bar in Dagupan Centro here where she works as GRO at 10 PM of August 24 and proceeded to his hut in the middle of a farm in Ipil in Lumbag's tricycle.

While on the farm-to-market road leading to the farm, the couple met three men on a motorcyle with whom Lumbag exchanged high fives. The three men then disappeared.

The police said that after the couple finished their sex act, two unidenfied men barged into the hut and hacked Lumbag in the neck twice resulting in his instant death.

The two men then forced Casmus to follow them and when they arrived at the tricycle of the victim, they forced Casmus to board it afterwhich one of the suspects tried to drive the tricycle which went out of control and ran into a rice paddy.

The two suspects with Casmus then walked north where they met a motorcycle with one rider. Upon seeing the approaching motorcyle, the two men ran away leaving Casmus on the road.

Casmus asked the motorcyle rider for help but instead of helping, the male rider raped her on the road then forced her to ride with her dropping her in a dark place in Dagupan Centrro.

A Provincial Mobile Group patrol team which chanced upon Casmus walking along Mayangao Street in Dagupan Centro brought her to the city police station also in the same barangay where, in between sobs, she related some details of the incident to police investigators. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW

Not a volcano

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The people of this city who heard about the earth movement in sitio Lapat in barangay Cabaritan especially those living nearby could now breath a sigh of relief after a geologist from the Mines and Geoscience Bureau (MGB) declared that the phenomenon is not a volcano in the making but a mere rotational landslide or slumping.

Geologist Benigno Espejo who came along with Geologic Aide Vemor Almazen said that the mound of soft rock which protruded on the Tuga Creek bed is the toe of the rotational landslide, or the earth being pushed up by the slumping earth upslope of the adjacent hill.

The two MGB personnel who went to evaluate the phenomenon on August 26 in response to the request of the Tabuk City LGU found numerous fissures or cracks which are as wide as a meter upslope of the hill some 100 meters from the toe which they said indicated that the ground on that portion is slumping.

Regarding the reported smell emanating from the toe, Espejo said that such foul smell which he denied is sulfuric contrary to earlier claims of some people is characteristic of the mudstone which makes up the toe.

The two MGB personnel see no immediate danger to life and property arising from the phenomenon as it is away from human habitation. They, however, warned people living downstream of the Tuga Creek of possible flash floods just in case the toe collapses from the weight of water impounded upstream during prolonged rains.

“We thought God was going to punish us. We now could sleep soundly,” said Cabaritan Barangay Captain Ronulfo Madarang upon hearing the findings of the MGB geologist.

Residents of the barangay and other people in the barangay were alarmed upon hearing of the protrusion of the earth swelling on the bed of the Tuga Creek which forced the diversion of the watercourse ripping through the adjoining cornfields. Many of them feared that it was an incipient volcano.

The swelling or toe which started to protrude in January this year with the growth escalating in July is estimated to be 70 meters long, nine meters high from the original level at the highest point and 20 meters across at the widest point.

The MGB personnel were accompanied by Tabuk City LGU people headed by Councilor Lester Lee Tarnate, OIC-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ricardo Dang-iw, Dominic Sugguiyao of the Kalinga Environment and Natural Resources Office, Office of Civil Defense Provincial Coordinator Cristeta Reyes, several mediamen and Madarang.**By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW

SONA project: Contractors quarrying illegally

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - According to the records of the Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), only two of the eight SONA (state of the nation address) project contractors in the province have permits to extract sand and gravel issued by the provincial governor through the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board (PMRB).

The ENRO named the two contractors as Omengan Construction and Development Corporation (OCDC) and VUC Engineering (VUC) both of which obtained their permits to quarry for 2009 on June 30 or six months late.

Environment and natural resources officer Dominador Tumbali also admitted that none of the SONA contractors have environmental compliance certificates (ECCs) and free prior informed consent (FPIC) from the tribes in whose ancestral domains they are quarrying.

Regarding the ECC, Tumbali said that permittees are supposed to apply in January since their work are usually done in the first two quarters of the year but none of the SONA contractors did “so we have nothing to indorse for the conduct of the ECC process.”

He said that there is only one quarry outfit in the province which has an ECC. The outfit is not involved in the SONA project

As for the FPIC, Tumbali said that they have been conducting consultations but only with the barangay officials and not with the concerned indigenous groups.

“Henceforth, we will require the companies to undergo consultations with the host tribes,” Tumbali said.

Reminded of the provision of the comprehensive land use plan (CLUP) of this city designating the stretch of the Chico River from barangay Dupag down to barangay Bantay which includes barangay Lucog where OCDC and VUC are quarrying as tourism zone and therefore off limits to quarrying, Tumbali said that that too is an issue.

“The problem is they never come to ask permission before they go down to the river. We only learn when the quarrying is already ongoing. We just assume that the extracting companies confine their operation to established gravel pits of the DPWH,” Tumbali said. .

An ENRO personnel who requested anonymity said that it cannot be helped if SONA contractors working in the Tabuk portion of the project quarry in the prohibited zone because downstream, stones for masonry and riprap are already scarce.

The ZZW learned from the ENRO that the projected sand and gravel tax from the 17 packages of the SONA project in Kalinga for 2008 and 2009 is P5M but as of this writing, only P100,000.00 has been paid by the contractors.

Tumbali, however, is not worried about the low collection saying that to date some of the 2008 SONA packages have not yet been accomplished and that contractors usually pay their sand and gravel tax when they get their final payments.

Tumbali also expects that the just signed memorandum of agreement between the provincial government and the DPWH which requires the latter to automatically deduct from payments of contractors the sand and gravel tax due from them will facilitate the payment of the estimated taxes.

Tumbali complained that the collection of sand and gravel tax has been taken for granted until the coming of the SONA projects “when all of a sudden it became important.”

“The mineral program of the government is not the responsibility of just one officer. All stakeholders should contribute their part in the protection of the resources. Our vehicle cannot go to the municipalities of Lubuagan and Balbalan and we are undermanned. Every concerned agency should assist us,” Tumbali said. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW

SONA projects: Implementation in Kalinga worse than before - Bantay Lansangan

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - The local chapter of the SONA project watchdog Bantay Lansangan (BL) is disappointed that even after the DPWH effected changes in the administration and supervision of SONA projects in the province, the quality of implementation has not improved.

The group noted in its recent report submitted to the regional SONA project office and the BL central office that nothing has changed from the time of their initial monitoring activities late last year as far as the quality of the work is concerned.

“It is even worse now because there are several blocks where the rain scoured the pavement because apparently, the workers poured the cement while it was raining. This did not happen before,” Rev. Luis Aoas, chairman of the Kalinga and Apayao Religious Sector Association (KARSA) which acts as the local chapter of the BL, told the media.

In their report which was also signed by representatives of the DPWH-Kalinga who joined the joint monitoring activity, the group strongly recommended, among other things, that the seven blocks of pavement in the Tinglayan-Suyo section and two blocks in the Suyo-Tangadan section which they said were scoured by the rain be removed and replaced at the expense of the contractor.

They also urged the removal and replacement of the undersized steel bars of the Mamaga box culvert and likewise the improperly constructed riprap at Bangad Centro, Tinglayan.

BL-Kalinga also criticized the lack of supervision on the part of engineers assigned to the SONA projects in the province saying that during the time they inspected the multi-billion project on June 17, only one SONA engineer was in the site and that they only met the other engineers going to the project site very late in the afternoon.

“Workers (especially on riprap) take instructions from contractors and not from the engineers assigned giving poor quality of project to end user. Project engineers assigned in the area must be present to properly supervise workers especially in critical times like the pouring of cement,” the report said in one part.

“We are very disappointed because we expected that the changes made by Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane in the management of the project would improve the quality of the work but the opposite has happened. The regional director has been changed and local DPWH engineers have been assigned to supervise the construction but things only got worse. During the first month after the local engineers took over, the work improved but it was only for a while because now, it appears that things are worse than before,” Aoas said.

Aoas related that when Ebdane inspected the project on January 2, the BL-Kalinga requested that local engineers take over the supervision of the SONA project from the regional DPWH engineers because of the group’s observation at the time that the projects supervised by local DPWH engineers were better implemented than the SONA projects.

“Ebdane told us that that it is against the policies of the agency but nonetheless granted our request. We also asked for the replacement of the regional director and his assistant because of our observation that they had been remiss in the proper implementation of the SONA project. We now have a new regional director but the flaws in the implementation noted before still remain,” Aoas lamented. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Tabuk City police foil rob try

TABUK CITY, KALINGA - The police of this city foiled a robbery try of the Anytimecash Sanglaan pawnshop along Mayangao Street when the robbers who have already successfully dug a tunnel underneath the establishment abandoned the attempt.

Acting on an intelligence information they received that robbers were tunneling under an unidentified downtown establishment through a drainage canal, the police investigated and found the newly dug tunnel under the pawnshop with all the equipment used by the robbers for the digging and for gaining entry into the establishment and opening the vault when the opportune time comes.

The tunnel measured 13 feet long and three feet in diameter which ends under the establishment.

The police kept watch on the establishment which is some 75 meters away from the entry point at the outlet of the drainage canal along Daguitan Street at the Abogado Creek since the night of June 3.

When the robbers did not return until morning of June 8, the police concluded that the robbers had caught wind that the tunnel was being watched by law enforcers and abandoned the planned heist.

The police exposed the aborted robbery attempt on June 8 by digging at the doorstep of the pawnshop in full public view. They recovered the following equipment from the tunnel: two shovels, one bolt cutter, one hydraulic jack, three improvised chisels, one insecticide spray and a black bag containing five plastic water containers and candies.

The police believe that the would-be robbers are members of a locally organized crime group which has been victimizing business establishments in the province and even as far as Baguio City.  **BY Estanislao Albano,Jr., ZZW

Family of missing woman bury wrong body

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - The relatives of a mentally ill young woman who had been missing buried the wrong body believing it to be that of their missing kin.

This came to light after the relatives of the missing woman in Artacho, Sison, Pangasinan informed the family that Lailanie Lucena, 36, arrived there on May 28 after wandering around that province for almost two months.

Brenda Ravelo, the sister of the victim with whom she was staying in Magsaysay, this city, then went to see the missing woman for herself and announced to the local media on June 8 that indeed, Lucena is alive and is with their aunt Conchita Macusi in Artacho.

Ravelo said that the information they received while looking for Lucena after she went missing on April 6 that she was seen taking a jeepney bound for Roxas, Isabela at Bulanao, this city, was true.

“She told me that the two men she was seen boarding the jeepney with left her at a restaurant in Roxas giving her P200.00 which she used as fare to Pangasinan. She intended to go to Artacho but boarded the wrong bus which took her to Dagupan City instead. From there she walked and found herself in San Fabian, Pangasinan. She said she went to the police to request that I be informed but apparently the police did not heed her request as I did not receive any communication. They gave her P100.00 which she used to buy food and after that she resumed her wandering and later arrived at Alaminos, Pangasinan. There, she was taken in by a videoke owner for whom she washed clothes and attended to young children to earn her keep. After sometime, she asked the videoke owner directions for Artacho and the latter gave her P150.00 which she used for her fare. Upon seeing her, our relatives thought she was a ghost,” Ravelo said.

Ravelo said that her sister appears to be in one of her sane episodes and is now ashamed to come home to Tabuk due to what happened.

Asked about the body they buried, Ravelo said that the body had the same fair complexion, the nails and arms looked the same and it also had a protrusion on her left foot.

“The body also had an earring on her left ear and we thought that the silver ring on her finger was that of Lailanie,” Ravelo said.

The decomposing body of the unidentified woman was fished out of the Cagayan River in Abaryongan Ruar, Santo Nino, Cagayan on April 30,2009 and buried the same day by the local police and barangay officials.

Learning of the recovered body from the radio, Ravelo went to Santo Nino on May 7 and from the photos of the missing woman she brought, the local police declared they were 90 percent sure the body they buried was that of Lucena.

The Santo Nino police says that according to the medico legal examination conducted, the victim was strangled to death.

The body was exhumed and brought home to Tabuk City on May 11 and buried two days later. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW

Detained army officer running for Congress

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – Detained Army Capt. Dante Langkit, 37, has declared his readiness to run for Congress in the coming elections either for the lone congressional seat of his native Kalinga province or through the party list system.

Langkit already took the first step by making sure that he is a registered voter of Taga, Pinukpuk, this province which was made possible when he was granted a three-day temporary freedom by jail authorities so he could travel home.

His twin brother Danzel, however, told the local media that there was no need for the captain to register because upon verification, his name still appears on the voters’ list of Precinct No. 78-A of Taga, Pinukpuk.

“His registration was not affected by his detention,” Danzel said.

Capt. Langkit who was accompanied by two jail guards and told to stick with the approved itinerary talked with the media here on May 12, the last day of his leave from jail, about his political plans.

He said that he is among the members of the Samahang Magdalo (SM), an organization headed by renegade soldiers Gen. Danilo Lim and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, being considered for nomination in the event that the SM will be accredited as a party list organization in time for the 2010 elections.

He said that the SM legal department is already working on the accreditation of the organization as a party list group by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and that at the same time, the SM is in the process of strengthening its national organization through the enlistment of its sympathizers as members of the group.

“We are targeting three percent of the electorate of each congressional district,” Capt. Langkit said.

Gunning for the congressional seat of Kalinga is also an option, the army officer said.

Capt. Langkit rebutted what he branded as black propaganda leveled against the SM.

He said that it is not true that the group is left-leaning and is allied with subversive groups claiming there is nothing in the code of conduct of the SM which is anti-government.

“We advocate love of God, country, family, our people and the environment. We are also averse to bribery and the selling of votes. The SM is a dagger in the heart of the people who do not believe in our advocacies,” Capt. Langkit said.

Capt. Langkit also laughed at the allegations that the SM has lots of funds.

“Our coordinators ride motorcycles. As for us, we are just hitching rides,” Capt. Langkit said.

He told the local media that when his twin brother Danzel made a run for Congress in the last elections, he campaigned on a shoestring budget but still managed to garner 11,300 votes.

A member of Philippine Military Academy Class 1995, Capt. Langkit was nabbed in April 2006 for alleged involvement in the alleged coup plot against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo two months earlier and has been in detention since then. He is being tried by a court martial.

Danzel said that the charges against his brother remain unproven and that there appears to be an effort to delay the court proceedings and deny him justice.

“It is inspiring our sympathizers who want to know the truth,” Danzel said. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW

Super body formed to address Chico River pollution

BONTOC, MTN. PROV., May 15, 2009 – The Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC) here created a task force to address the worsening pollution of the Chico River which strands from this landlocked province to Kalinga and Cagayan. The river is suffering from the unabated disposal of garbage and liquid wastes along the river to the detriment of downstream communities and other water users.

The Chico River has been identified as one of the major river systems in the Cordillera that provides sufficient water resources for electric power generation, agriculture, domestic water, ecotourism or recreation and fishery.

The super body will be composed of representatives from the regional offices of the DENR, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), DPWH, DILG, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the local government units of Mountain Province and Kalinga.

The task force shall ensure complimentary and concerted actions of government agencies, local governments and other stakeholders in addressing the problem of garbage and waste disposal and to oversee the effective implementation of activities that would ensure the proper disposal of such wastes of communities and households to prevent the eventual death of the river, popularly being used by foreigners for white-water rafting activities.

Earlier, the province of Kalinga has expressed grave concern on the massive pollution of the river through Resolutions No. 2009-035, 2009-045, 2008-477, 2008-478 and 2005-123 of the provincial board which were eventually endorsed to the RDC-CAR for appropriate action.

The Kalinga provincial government has established a provincial monitoring team headed by boardmember Fernando M. Abay and composed of representatives from the DENR office in Kalinga and the local government units concerned which recently conducted an inspection of the river and met with provincial officials of Mountain Province and the municipal officials of its capital town regarding the alarming state of pollution along the river.

On the other hand, the EMB-CAR also conducted dialogues and consultations with officials of Mountain Province on the establishment of materials recovery facilities, sanitary landfill sites and the conduct of massive information and education campaign activities on solid waste management in communities along the river.

The RDC asserted that only a concerted action of government agencies, local governments and other stakeholders can ensure a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the garbage and waste disposal problem along the river.

For their part, Bontoc municipal officials disclosed they are implementing strict waste management practices to prevent residents from dumping their solid and liquid wastes along the Chico River. **By Dexter A. See, ZZW

Missing Tabuk City woman found dead in Cagayan

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – The body of a woman fished out of the Cagayan River in Santo Nino, Cagayan on April 30, 2009 has been identified as that of a mentally ill 37-year old woman who last left her residence at Magsaysay, this city, on April 6.

Teacher Amparo Dalingay of Casigayan, this city, said that relatives did not feel concerned when Lailanie Lucena, 36, did not come home after a couple of days as she sometimes disappeared for a few days then returned home.

But when Lucena did not come home after a week, relatives and neighbors searched the barangay and neighboring barangays to no avail.

However, one of the search groups got information that Lucena was seen boarding a jeep bound for Roxas, Isabela with a male companion at Bulanao, this city.

Hopes of finally finding the missing woman arose when on May 1, a news report over Bombo Radyo-Tuguegarao City announced that the body of a woman was found in a sack floating in the Cagayan River in Abaryongan Ruar, Santo Nino, Cagayan on April 30 and was buried by barangay official and the police on the same day.

Dalingay said that when Brenda Ravelo, the sister of the victim with whom she was staying, went to Santo Nino on May 7 with photos of Lucena, the local police declared they were 90 percent sure the body they buried was that of Lucena.

Dalingay also said that Ravelo recognized the body to be that of her sister from earrings and a hairclip worn by the victim.

Ravelo quoted the Santo Nino police as saying that according to the medico legal examination conducted, the victim was strangled to death.

Ravelo added that the Santo Nino police did not say whether Lucena was raped prior to being killed or not.

The body was exhumed and brought home to Tabuk City on May 11. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Tabuk City LGU bans tandok for rabies

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) here enacted an ordinance prohibiting the usage of the tandok as alternative treatment for dog bites.

The tandok is a sucking instrument made of the tip of cow horn and of late, also of plastic. It is believed by people here that the instrument can cure snake bites and dog bites and even kill pain from rheumatism.

Councilor Alma Sandra Mejia who authored the ordinance said there was an urgency of passing the legislation because of the growing number of dog bite victims who sought treatment from mananandoks (tandok administrators) dying from rabies.

Among the recent victims was Ronald Buado, 25, resident of Calanan, this city, who died of rabies 109 days after going for tandok treatment. He did not seek medical treatment until it was too late.

The ordinance penalizes mananandoks found using tandoks on dog bites with a fine of not less than P2,000.00.

“There is no empirical data to prove that tandok is effective against dog bites. On the contrary, there is evidence to show it is ineffective. People who believe that tandok can cure rabies might be basing their conclusion on cases where the dog was not rabid,” Mejia said.

Mejia told the media that despite the public announcement of the consultations on the proposed ordinance, no mananandok attended the activity.

Ordinance No. 4, series of 2009, which is captioned “Rabies and stray dog control ordinance of the City of Tabuk,” also prohibits the trade of dog for meat.

Mejia said that, aware of the penchant of many residents of the city for dog meat, some members of the SP had expressed concern that the provision will not be implemented but in the end, the consensus of the body was that “it is better to have an ordinance supporting national laws prohibiting the slaughter of dogs for dog meat than to have none at all.”

The penalty for violation of the provision is P5,000.00 per dog and imprisonment of from one to four years.

Among other provisions, the ordinance mandates dog owners to present their dogs for registration and vaccination and to keep them from freely roaming in public places.

Included as responsibilities of the LGU under the ordinance are to maintain adequate supply of animal anti-rabies vaccine at all times, conduct free anti-rabies vaccination, maintain and improve animal rabies surveillance system and conduct research on rabies and its control in coordination with other agencies. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW

Lady welder opts to use skill for self-employment

TABUK, KALINGA - Ellena Madigyem-Bumatnong, 38, the only woman who graduated from the course Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) during the mass graduation of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Provincial Training Center (TESDA Kalinga -PTC) plans to use her new skills as her capital for self-employment.

Bumatnong, who is also a National Certificate II (NC11) holder for Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), is investing on welding courses as she plans to establish her own welding business someday.

She said that working abroad is not the only option for those who have acquired skills. As a mother of small five children and a Midwifery graduate, Ellena chose to stay home to work and be with her family. **by gigi dumallig. Read more...

Tribes fail to settle murder of Lammawin

BONTOC, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE – Efforts to restore peace between the tribes involved in the killing of the late judge Milner Lammawin hit a snag after the contending parties failed to agree on how the case is to be settled.

Lammawin was killed allegedly by Maducayan tribesmen in Tabuk, Kalinga months after Edwin Lingbawan, a Maducayan native, was shot to death while on their way to Tabuk from Tuguegarao City. One of those on board the vehicle was Tabuk mayor Camilo Lammawin, brother of the late judge. Milner’s wife, Venus, is a memer of the Bontoc tribe.

In the meeting facilitated by the Bontoc Council of Elders at the Anglican Diocesan Center here last May 2, relatives of Venus Lammawin, rebuffed the suggestion of lawyer Basilio Wandag of the Maducayan tribe that the problem be mended through “Pakpakan,” a manner by which the case is to be settled by immediate family members and that no damage is to be demanded by an aggrieved party except for a token heartily offered by the offender. Unlike the bodong system, this mode of settlement does not go through many rituals but the mere exchange of food. Partaking the food offered by an offender implies forgiveness on the part of the aggrieved party. **By angel baybay. Read more...

‘Kalinga should come up with a mining blueprint’

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – Amidst moves to revive the defunct Batong Buhay Gold Mines (BBGM) in Pasil, this province, and the development of at least one more mine in the same mineral-rich town, there is a need for the provincial government to formulate a blueprint for mining, a local cooperative leader said.

Manny Onalan, 49, president of the 100-strong Kalinga Tawid Development Cooperative (KTDC), said that this is imperative so that the provincial government will not just be reacting to but preempting problems brought about by the entry of mining in the province.

Onalan said that the presence of a blueprint could also help the resource owners to have one voice relative to the development, extraction and management of their mining resources.

Onalan said the blueprint should be anchored on the vision-mission of the Kalinga for the area to become an agro-industrial and tourism hub “otherwise we should do away with the vision-mission of the province.”

Onalan said that as far as KTDC whose members produce and market organic agricultural products is concerned, the vision-mission of the province is more in tune with small scale-mining than with large-scale mining.

“The negative impacts of small-scale mining could easily be remedied. There are existing technologies which are perfected for small-scale mining. There are modern water technologies which could clean the water used in small-scale mining areas before being released to the main stream. On the other hand, profit is the driving force of large-scale mining so if the measures to protect the environment will cause so much and make the operations unprofitable, they will be abandon this to the detriment of the environment,” Onalan said.

Onalan also said that the local economy will benefit more from small-scale mining than in large-scale mining where the company takes out the bulk of the output of its operations.

Onalan claimed that if the provincial government has a blueprint, not only will the ill effects to the environment of mining be mitigated or avoided but the social unrest they could cause will likewise be averted as the interest of the people who will be affected by the negative impact of mining will be taken into account.

“If the interest of the people downstream whose lives depend on the Chico River will not be considered, it is likely that there will be a conflict between them and whoever will push for mining. What would make things worse is the invocation by the owner of the company of the police powers of the state to protect its operations. It would say that since the government has issued it a license to operate, its operations should not be disrupted. In response, the government will deploy the military in the area which in turn will draw the opposing force. This happened in the 80s when the Batong Buhay first operated and it could happen again,” Onalan said.

Onalan said that a confrontation between the downstream dwellers and the resource owners and their partners could be avoided if the blueprint will treat the Chico River – the Pasil River which passes through the mining areas is one of the tributaries of the Chico River – as the economic backbone and lifeblood of the province.

“We cannot compromise the river with short-term economic returns. The bulk of the benefits from mining will be taken out of the province while the water and the plains of the province are perpetual venues for agriculture and other related industries,” Onalan said.

Regarding the position of DA Sec. Arthur Yap that agriculture and mining could co-exist, Onalan asked when did that ever happen in this country.

Onalan also said that with regards to mining, the vision-mission of the province dictates that its metal resources should be processed into finished products to maximize their added value before being released to the open market.

“If we only serve as a quarry, we will not be maximizing our resources. We will only get the cost of our labor and the value of a small portion of the resource extracted,” Onalan said.

Onalan is not absolutely against large-scale mining “but it should be moved to a future time when the technology to mitigate its environmental impact becomes available and when we will be equipped to process the gold into finished products.” **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW

P1.7B-worth of projects in Kalinga launched

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Eleven packages under the SONA (state of the nation address) projects of the administration with a combined cost of P1.7B were simultaneously launched on March 30, 2009 during the groundbreaking of the new Canao Bridge at Calanan, this city.

Congressman Manuel Agayao said that the packages consist of the widening and pavement of the Bontoc-Tabuk-Tuguegarao Road from Tinglayan to Bulanao, this city, including the replacement of the 50-year old Canao Bridge which spans the Chico River.

Agyao said that the joint launching is in accordance with the austerity policy of President Gloria Arroyo.

Agyao said that the road projects are part of the program of Arroyo to improve the roads to the tourism areas in the country adding that the stretch from Mt. Data, Mtn. Province to Tuguegarao City is originally targeted to be completed before the end of her term on June 30, 2010.

“Our office gave the completion target as December this year,” Agyao said.

Regarding the new Canao Bridge which is a 280-meter long Prestressed Concrete Girder V Bridge composed of eight spans and seven piers, DPWH-CAR OIC Roy Manao said that the contract price is P160M exclusive of the approaches.

He called upon Agyao to work for the funding of the approaches and also for the covering of the old bridge so that it could be used as a picnic area “to serve it’s historical purpose.”

The engineering profession has acknowledged that a remarkable engineering feat attended the construction of the bridge in the late 50s.

Juanito Bolislis, a former journalist and one of the laborers during the construction of the US-PI Friendship Bridge which would be renamed Canao Bridge in 1997 in honor of Congressman Antonio Canao who first broached the idea of spanning the Chico River to facilitate travel to the Tabuk Valley, related during the groundbreaking that during the preparation of the foundation of Pier 3, all the engineers and work crew left for Tuguegarao City “for human necessity” or for a “good time.”

When they came back a few days later than scheduled, they gave the go signal for the concreting without checking the form works such that two weeks later, it was discovered that Pier 3 was misaligned with the other piers by .3 meter and was 2.6 meters away from where it is supposed to be.

The decision reached during a symposium called by then Public Works Secretary Florencio Moreno was to demolish the pier but project engineer Mauricio Buenaventura asked that he be given a month to correct his error.

The surrounding of the pier was excavated and then the underneath of the pier was drilled to give room to steel pipes to serve as rollers then the pier was moved into proper place with the use of mechanical jacks.

The feat was featured in an international engineering magazine as “the first time in the history of engineering that such a big volume of concrete and steel embedded five meters in the rock underground could be moved by mechanical means.”

Bolislis who incidentally owns the land on both sides of the western approach to the Canao Bridge was given a certificate of appreciation during the groundbreaking for donating 7,000 square meters for the approach of the new bridge which is a few meters downstream of the existing one. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Tabuk not yet ready to concede defeat on issue of cityhood

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – In the face of the alleged denial of the motion for reconsideration of the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) that the cityhood laws of the 16 “new cities” including this city are unconstitutional, Mayor Camilo Lammawin, Jr. told the media that the city is not yet giving up.

He did not, however, say if that is the position of the 15 other “new cities.”

Citing information from an insider, Lammawin said that the high court during its session last Tuesday junked the motion for reconsideration on a vote of 6-5, the same vote when the court struck down the new status of the 16 local government units last October.

The insider said that Justices Arturo Brion, Antonio Carpio, Conchita Carpio-Morales, Leonardo Quisumbing, Dante Tinga and Deosdado Peralta voted against the 16 cities while Justices Renato Corona, Teresita Leornardo-de Castro, Minita Chico-Nazario, Presbitero Velasco, Jr. and Consuelo Ynares-Santiago voted in their favor. Chief Justice Reynato Puno and Justice Eduardo Natchura inhibited themselves.

Lammawin commented that the real motive of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) for challenging the cityhood laws in the SC is not constitutionality but money as they claim that the conversion of the 16 “new cities” reduces their internal revenue allotments (IRAs) because there are more now sharing the portion for cities of the national internal revenue pie.

Lammawin contended that the conversion of the 16 cities could not be unconstitutional because conversions of towns are done through the guidelines of the Local Government Code or RA 7160, a law which has been passed by Congress and which it also has the prerogative to amend.

The LCP argued that the cityhood laws are unconstitutional because, according to the Constitution, the conversion of towns should follow the process set in RA 7160 and the cityhood laws violate RA 9009 which amended RA 7160 by raising the income requirement for towns applying to become cities from P20M to P100M exclusive of their IRA.

Lammawin maintains that as deliberated, RA 9009 had exempted the 16 cities from the new income requirement on the premise that their cityhood bills were already pending in Congress when RA 9009 was passed in 2001. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Kalinga ready to go green by building a minihydro

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – While most Cordillera provinces are wasting a lot of time and saliva discussing prospects of clean energy projects which will at the same time result in additional income, Kalinga is ready to construct and operate one.

This developed as there are no more hitches to the implementation of the 400 kilowatt minihydro project of the Kalinga provincial government after the junking of the new feasibility study in favor of the old one.

Sangguniang Panlalawigan Secretary Mathew Matbagan said that the project which will be constructed along the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) lateral canal in Bulanao, this city, was proposed by former governor Dominador Belac to supply the electricity needs of provincial government offices including the provincial hospital and national government offices located in Bulanao with the excess to be sold to the Kalinga-Apayao Electric Cooperative (KAELCO).

The provincial government applied for a loan of P42M, the projected cost stated in the feasibility study prepared by the Oriental Planners, Builders and Consultants, but only P36.9M was approved by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) on the reason that the balance should be funded by the provincial government.

Matbagan said that the project did not materialize then as time ran out due to the elections in 2007.

Matbagan said that Gov. Floydelia Diasen who succeeded Belac was able to have the loan approved by the DBP which was ratified by the new members of the SP. The problem however was the sharp increase in the prices of construction materials which made the borrowed amount inadequate.

The DBP had cancelled the loan because it was not implemented within one year.

Matbagan said that in November 28, 2008, Diasen requested the SP for a new authority to contract a loan of P65M from the DBP to finance the project on the basis of a feasibility study prepared by Travis Fruitt Design Services, Inc. (TFDSI) which took into consideration the escalation of the prices of construction materials.

Matbagan said that the new feasibility study sparked opposition to the project from two members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) and the Provincial Employees’ Association of Kalinga (PEAK).

SP members Efraim Orodio and Antonio Bakilan questioned the new feasibility study because not only was it submitted unsigned but it failed to provide details such as how the project will pay for itself, source of financing, management and operation of the project and even the qualifications of TFDSI.

The PEAK said that the new cost was not justified because of the rollback in the prices of construction materials which took place while the feasibility study was being prepared.

TFDSI then amended the feasibility study recommending P46M as cost of the construction but before the SP could act on the amended feasibility study, Diasen requested the DBP for an extension of time to implement the old approved loan of P36.9M on condition that if it is not enough to pursue the project, the bank will conduct a reevaluation for purposes of extension of an augmentation loan.

Matbagan said that although the thinking of the SP is that no additional loan will be taken out for the project and for provincial government loans to cover the balance of the construction cost, the action of Diasen had the effect of clearing all obstacles to the implementation of the project.

“The amended feasibility study has been set aside in favor of the old feasibility study,” Matbagan said.

With regards to the question as to what happens during the time of the year when the NIA cuts off the water for the annual rehabilitation of the system, Matbagan said that the provincial government has entered into a memorandum of agreement with the NIA to allow enough water to support the minihydro.

“The provincial government has also made a sales agreement with the KAELCO to buy generated by the minihydro,” Matbagan said. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Anti-fencing policy in Kalinga

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – If the Matagoan Bodong Consultative Council (MBCC), this city’s equivalent of the local peace and order council, will have its way, the oppressive practice among some Kalinga natives of making immigrants “ransom” goods stolen from them will be a thing of the past.

This developed after the MBCC recently passed a policy compelling proven fences to return the stolen goods to the owner or pay him the value thereof and also to pay a corresponding fine.

Community Affairs Officer Heriberto Barila said that the policy outlaws the practice among some native Kalingas of forcing immigrants to “redeem” their stolen properties from the fences adding that the passage of the policy is in response to the mounting complaints of immigrant victims against the practice.

According to Barila, the policies being enacted by the MBCC takes the place of the pagta or laws of the bodong (peace pact) in the center of the city which is called the Matagoan Zone or peace zone consisting of the barangays of Dagupan Centro, Dagupan Weste, Magsaysay, Appas, San Juan, Bulanao Norte and Bulanao.

“These barangays are not covered by the bodong so the policies of the MBCC takes the place of the pagta,” Barila said. All Kalinga native tribes practice the bodong.

Foremost of the policies passed by the MBCC is the “no gopas” policy which outlaws the practice of tribal wars in the Matagoan Zone.

Also passed recently by MBCC are the policies prohibiting kulligong, threat, grave threat, and theft.

Barila defined the kulligong as the principle of treating the domiciles of members of Kalinga tribes outside their ancestral domain as an extension of the territory of the tribe.

He said that the prohibition on the application of the kulligong principle in the Matagoan Zone is to help in law enforcement it being that policemen belonging to Kalinga native tribed often stop on their tracks when their quarries take refuge in residences of Kalinga natives in the Matagoan Zone for fear of complicating the relations of their tribes with those of the suspects.

In recent years, some law enforcers have been haled before the bodong for acts committed while in pursuit of Kalinga native suspects and that such acts have been known to put on the line the good relations between the tribes of the law enforcers and the suspects. The MBCC which forerunner Matagoan Bodong Council was created in 2001 to breathe life to the Matagoan Declaration for Tabuk made by the Kalinga Bodong Congress sometime in the 80s but remained a mere declaration in the following years is using the indigenous conflict resolution process specifically the areglo or amicable settlement system in dispensing justice and restoring peace among tribes, families and individuals who are in conflict.

The MBCC policies of which there are already 15 anchor the council’s dispute resolution system. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Tabuk seed coops hit DA for delay in payment of P12M

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – The three rice seed growers’ cooperatives in this city are up in arms against the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region Field Unit (DA-CARFU) for the delay in the payment of P12M worth of rice certified seeds they delivered in December and January under the government’s seed subsidy program.

Members of the Kalinga Hybrid Rice Seed Growers’ Multi-purpose Cooperative (KHRSGMPC), the Tabuk Hybrid Rice Seed Growers’ Multi-purpose Cooperative (THRSGMPC) and the Sumyaan Organic Farmers’ Multi-purpose Cooperative (SOFMPC) could not understand why the DA-CARFU is taking too long to pay when the deliveries were under the seed subsidy program of the government.

“We are assuming that since there is a program, there is a fund. In reality, we are having a hard time collecting. The DA-CARFU Accounting Division is now saying that there is no cash,” said Jesse Rey Cuaresma, manager of the KHRSGMPC which still has to collect the payment for 5,013 bags amounting to P6M.

So far, the DA-CARFU has only paid the KHRSGMPC for the first purchase order dated March 6 P1.3M for 966 bags of rice certified seeds. It has also made initial payments to the other two cooperatives.

The cooperatives are wondering how come the payments are being made in installments when the procurement was done through the bidding process.

“Since it was done through bidding, there should only be one purchase order,” Cuaresma said adding that following up the POs cost money as the DA-CARFU is located in Baguio City.

A member of the SOFMPC who does not want to be identified is also angry that the DA-CARFU Accounting Division is saying it cannot as yet pay the deliveries because the documents for the distribution of the certified seeds to farmer beneficiaries by their LGUs are not in order. The cooperative still has to collect P2.4M from the DA.

“Why should we suffer for the mistakes or shortcomings of others? We have delivered our seeds and the delivery is duly acknowledged by the end users. We have already submitted the delivery receipt, the seed analysis and the bill of collection for the whole delivery and that should be enough for them to pay the whole amount,” the member said.

He added that if the DA-CARFU does not improve its system, the cooperative may choose to do business with Regions 1 and 2 in the coming seasons.

The major reason why the area for the growing of F1 or hybrid rice seed in the city has steadily gone down from 800 hectares in 2004 to a mere 130 hectares this cropping season is the delay in the payment of the seed deliveries which sometimes lasted as long as one year.

This did not happen while the funds for the F1 procurement program of the government was still in the hands of the Philrice. The procurement responsibility was transferred to the DA-CARFU in 2004.

THRSGMPC President Eusebio Orprecio agrees that it is much better to do business with the DA in Regions 1 and 2 than with the DA-CARFU saying that it only takes a month to collect from the two regional offices.

“We really cannot understand what’s the matter with DA-CARFU since the DA is using only one set of procurement guidelines,” Orprecio said.

Orprecio is also wondering how come at this point when the harvest is just around the corner, DA-CARFU still has not conducted seed matching sessions ”so we will know if they will buy our seeds or not.”

“DA Region 1 has already called me to go sign a MOA with them,” Orprecio informed. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Tabuk chief agriculturist bats for equal subsidy for rice seeds

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – City Agriculturist Gilbert Cawis rued the decision of the leadership of the Department of Agriculture of giving 50 percent subsidy for hybrid rice seeds and 100 percent subsidy for inbred seeds this current cropping saying that with the decision, the government has missed a golden opportunity to promote hybrid rice.

This, according to him, is rather ironic because hybrid rice is being touted as the salvation of the country from its chronic rice shortage.

“Had they consulted us in the grassroots level, we would have told them that the percentage of the subsidy should be equal. What happened was that because the inbred seeds were given free, the farmers opted to plant inbred varieties instead of the better yielding hybrid varieties. They should listen to us because we directly deal with the clientele doing the actual planting,” Cawis said.

Cawis said that although local farmers usually get 10-15 percent higher yield by planting hybrid rice, they chose the inbred varieties not only because they were free but because they also get good harvest with certified inbred rice seeds.

“What could have tipped the balance in favor of hybrid seeds is if the percentage of subsidy were equal,” Cawis said.

In the same token, Cawis is not in favor of the DA’s plan of giving P1,500.00 and P600.00 subsidy for hybrid and inbred seeds, respectively, this next cropping. He said that amounts to 50 percent subsidy for inbred seeds. On the other hand, while it may also be 50 percent for hybrid seeds produced by the government, it could only be 33 percent in the event farmers choose hybrid seeds produced by private companies.

Cawis also expressed his vehement disapproval of the practice of importing rice saying that instead of importing, the government should increase palay support price because the higher price will have the effect of increasing domestic production.

He cited the time in 2007 when palay prices went beyond P20.00 per kilo in the market and P17.00 in the NFA saying that many farmers in the city immediately cultivated their ricefields after harvesting and even planted rice in areas previously used for other crops.

He said the farmers were disappointed because the following harvest, the price went down due to factors foremost of which is importation of rice.

“It’s not bad to import but the volume should be limited to what we really need and should not be stocked. What is important is when farmers sell their palay, they should gain and not lose,” Cawis said. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Kalinga PNP neutralizes 8 wanted persons

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – In an intensified drive against criminal elements in the province, local police killed one person wanted by the courts and collared eight others in the last six weeks.

Among the nine was the alleged triggerman in the murder of Indonesian Roman Catholic priest Franciscus Madhu. The police said that Nestor Wailan, farmer and resident of Dugnac, Lubuagan, was killed in Canao, Lubuagan midnight of February 9 when he allegedly shot it out with members of the Regional Mobile Group and the Kalinga Provincial Police Office who were out to serve his warrant of arrest.

Last to be nabbed was Pidi Addum, 47, farmer and resident of Bulo, this city. Wanted by the Regional Trial Court Branch 25 for the crimes of murder and frustrated murder, he was arrested by elements of the Provincial Mobile Group at Battikin Village, Bulanao, this city, on March 10.

The others who were arrested in separate operations during the period were the following: Calsiman Pag-et (attempted parricide), Peter Malinao (robbery), Jerry Diascon (homicide), Benjamin Bannacas (theft of large cattle), Jerry Ambona (theft of large cattle), Gaspar Edduba (robbery and double frustrated murder), and Christopher Dangangao (acts of lasciviousness).

“We are working harder. We are communicating to the criminal elements in Kalinga that sooner or later the long arm of the law will catch up with them. We are giving would-be criminals something to think about,” Senior Supt. Arni Dean Emock who took over as police provincial director last October told the media.

Emock also said that they are negotiating for the surrender of other wanted persons so that they could face trial instead of continuing to be on the run. He also warned wanted persons who are still at large not to resist arrest “because our officers will defend themselves.”

Emock also told would-be criminals to engage in honest and dignified labor instead of thinking of shortcuts.

“If poverty is the cause why they commit crimes, they could work. There is a lot of work to be had in the locality. Labor is dignified for so long as it is legal. If one is industrious, he could earn for his family eliminating the need for him to commit crimes to gain something,” Emock said.

Meanwhile, a policeman from this province was killed and another one was injured when one of the tires of the service vehicle they were riding in burst as they were negotiating the Aragaag Bridge in Asingan, Pangasinan 1 AM of March 12.

Citing initial investigation of the Asingan police, Emock informed the media that SPO1 Ignacio Padilla who was riding at the back of the back to back Toyota Hilux fell from the vehicle and off the bridge when the vehicle swerved after its left rear tire burst.

Emock said that PO1 Rocky Pacao who was also seated at the back of the vehicle also fell but was kept from falling off the bridge by the railings. He was injured, however.

Emock said that the other occupants of the vehicle namely SPO1s George Acob, Odilon Pagudpud and Randell Lacuesta, PO3 Carina Castillo and Theresita Emock, Emock’s wife, were unhurt.

Emock said that group was bound for Camp Bado Dangwa in La Trinidad, Benguet to attend a finance seminar and conference when the accident took place adding that his wife was riding with the group to Baguio City.

Emock said that it took some 30 minutes for the Asingan police to locate the body of Padilla. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Naked truth!

Dreadful naked truth indeed! Oh when shall we ever learn...DEMAND FOR CHANGE!

Tabuk irrigation steel parts gone to China

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – The construction boom in China preceding the Beijing Olympics last year had affected the life of this city.

According to Engr. John Socalo, superintendent of the Chico River Irrigation System (CRIS) of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the demand for steel materials occasioned by the construction boom in the neighboring country caused the price of steel scrap in this city to skyrocket from P2.00 to more than P10.00 per kilo.

He said that with the price in Isabela where scrap from Kalinga find their way at as high as P18.00 per kilo, the CRIS was soon stripped of most of its exposed steel parts.

Socalo mentioned the guard rails of the siphon and wasteway in barangay Calanan and the lifting mechanism of the head gate of Tabuk Supply Canal No. 1 in Bulanao as among those sawed off and spirited away by pilferers during the night.

He related that the thieves were armed. Some people in barangay Bulo informed that when they noticed some movements in a control gate there during the night and attempted to investigate, they heard gunshots. They found out the following day that the trolley of the gate was gone.

With the pilferage of the steel parts, controlling the flow of the water in the CRIS during emergencies now takes more time and energy.

Socalo said that while before, the operation of the gate of Tabuk Supply Canal No. 1 only needed two persons, now it takes five persons to shut the gate and a crane to open it.

With the condition of the gate now, if there are emergencies along the canal which passes through the population center of Bulanao and where most drowning cases in the CRIS take place, the NIA has to shut the main gate of the system at the diversion dam which is around five kilometers away.

“With the volume of water accumulated in the canal, it will take hours before the water in Tabuk Supply Canal No. 1 subsides. Had the lifting mechanism not been stolen, it would take less than an hour for the water in the canal to subside,” Socalo said.

He continued that had not the gate been ruined, it is possible that the two children who drowned along the Tabuk Supply Canal No. 1 last year may have been saved.

Socalo blames the unregulated business on steel materials being carried out by junk shops and ambulant junk buyers as the culprit for the lose of the steel parts of the CRIS “because if there are no buyers, there would be no thieves.”

Socalo called on the junk buyers to see to it that they only buy junk and not usable materials.

“We should protect the irrigation system because it is for us all. Who knows if the next drowning victim is your child?” Socalo said.

Socalo said that the replacement of the stolen parts is programmed but they are worried that when replaced, the parts might be stolen again.

“The very sad part is that the lost lifting mechanism is only 100 kilos and could have been sold to the junk buyer at P500.00 but it causes P80,000.00 to have one manufactured,” Socalo said. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Tabuk seed seller calms farmers

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – Representatives of the SL8 Agritech, a private hybrid rice seed producer, blamed the media for the uproar over SL8 hybrid rice seeds imported from China which it sold to local farmers this cropping season.

Farmers in many parts of Luzon complained that the seeds flowered prematurely and contained a lot of impurities.

Jade Pedres, SL8 technical sales representative, claimed that the misinformation on the imported seeds took place when mediamen in Nueva Ecija where the news first broke out relied on second hand information and did not conduct their own investigation.

Pedres said that the issue has since died down in Nueva Ecija when one farmer who planted the seed harvested 174 cavans from his one hectare farm.

“Farmers here in Tabuk and other places may not have noticed the difference with the seeds had not the media blown up the story,” Pedres told the media here.

Pedres together with two SL8 technicians came to Tabuk City March 6 to meet for the second time with farmers belonging to the Balong Norte Irrigators’ Association (BNIA) who have also been alarmed by the premature flowering of some hills of their SL8 rice stands.

Last March 2, BNIA President Nelson Lagaso informed the local media that after only 37 days, some of the plants have flowered and what was worse was that the grains are sterile.

He said that when SL 8 Agritech people came two weeks earlier, they told the farmers not to worry because the flowering plants are only two percent of the crop but as of March 2 the percentage has gone up to seven percent and each day, more flowers continue to appear.

He said that they are worried just in case the second wave of flowers will not also be filled and that some of their members were already on the verge of giving up on their crops.

Lagaso informed the company representatives during the March 6 meeting that if their crops will not yield at least 60 cavans per hectare, the BNIA is determined to take legal action against the SL8 Agritech to recover their losses.

He said that they will include City Agriculturist Gilbert Cawis in the charges so that he will help pressure the SL8 Agritech to compensate them for their losses because it was him who offered them the China-produced SL8 seeds.

Pedres responded that the farmers should take care of their crops because the company is confident that there is nothing wrong with the seeds except for the little impurities.

“We are the No. 1 hybrid rice seed producer in the country and we are not about to allow our name to be ruined,” he said even as he assured the farmers that the remaining plants that still have to boot will catch up with the booting plants.

To prove the confidence of the company in the imported seeds, Pedres said that they have set a farmers’ field day in the BNIA came harvest time.

A farmers’ field day is intended to show farmers in the locality the good performance of a certain rice variety and encourage more farmers to plant the variety.

During the meeting, Cawis denied the allegation of Lagaso that he forced the BNIA to plant the China-produced SL8 variety saying that it was the only available seeds when the BNIA members were looking for hybrid seeds.

The BNIA members were compelled to plant hybrid rice because that is one of the requirements for their agricultural loans from the Land Bank of the Philippines.

Cawis expressed the confidence that based on the present stand of the BNIA rice crops, the members will have a good harvest.

He acknowledged, however, that during the previous seasons when Tabuk City farmers planted SL8 seeds, they had no problems with impurities.

BNIA member Jerry Doctolero said that so that local farmers will feel secure over their rice crops, the SL8 Agritech and the Office of City Agricultural Services should make available SL8 seeds produced in the country and not those imported from China.

Cawis said that during this cropping season, the SL8 Agritech was unable to produce in its Davao and Tabuk City production areas the needed volume to answer the demand for its seeds and that was the reason it imported seeds from China. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Pupil molested during class hours

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – A grade three pupil in one of the public schools in the city was sexually molested during class hours morning of February 11 by a grown up man who pretended he was looking for the house of a relative.

Maria (not her real name) informed the police later that while playing on the school campus at around 9:30 AM during recess, a man approached him asking her to help him find the house of a relative among the houses near the school.

After they stepped out of the campus, the man then forced her to go with him to a hut in the rice fields behind the school where she molested her.

According to the girl, the man forced her to lie down, pulled down her underwear and inserted his middle finger into her private part and also forced his penis into her mouth.

She said that she could not shout for help because the man had threatened to strangle her to death if she does not keep silent.

After molesting her, the man let the girl go back to school warning her “Dimo ibagbaga ti sabali. No ibagam, patayenka no makita ka.” (Don’t tell anyone. If you do, I will kill you when I see you.)

The girl told her ordeal to her teacher who brought her to the barangay captain. The barangay captain brought the girl to the city clinic for medico legal examination and later to the police.

Police said that upon investigation, they found out that the people who saw the girl and the man pass by thought they were father and daughter and had no inkling a crime was being committed. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Alleged Priest murderer shot dead

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – The alleged triggerman in the murder of Roman Catholic priest Fr. Franciscus Madhu on April 3, 2007 in Mabungtot, Lubuagan, this province, was shot to death in sitio Malusong, Canao, Lubuagan by Philippine National Police (PNP) troops around 12:30 AM of February 9.

Kalinga PNP Director Arni Dean Emock said that the incident took place when elements from the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) stationed in Lubuagan and from the Kalinga Provincial Police Office (KPPO) who were on a mission to serve the warrant for the arrest of suspect Nestor Wailan, married, farmer and resident of Dugnac,were fired at by Wailan.

Emock related that the troops who were acting on an intelligence report that Wailan was seen in the house of a certain Begas in Malusong armed with an M16 cordoned the subject house and two of them knocked on the door identifying themselves as policemen and ordering the occupants to open up.

Emock continued that instead of opening the door, the occupant of the house jumped out of the window firing at the lawmen while escaping prompting the latter to fire back.

The man who would later be identified as Wailan was hit causing his instant death, Emock said.

Emock said that an autopsy and paraffin cast could not be conducted on the body of Wailan as his relatives retrieved and buried the body immediately after the incident.

Emock further said that a 17-year old male person was apprehended during the operation and investigated for harboring a criminal but was released to the custody of the Municipal Social Welfare Office of Lubuagan later.

Emock informed the media that the case filed against Acmor Bonggawon, single and resident of Mabungtot, Lubuagan, one of the two identified cohorts of Wailan who was arrested in sitio Mansanita, Ipil, this city, on July 4, 2007, was dismissed by the court as there were no witnesses to corroborate the result of the investigation of the police.

The third suspect – Joel Awingan - is still at large, Emock said.

Emock said that this is the second operation to effect the arrest of the suspects and that during the first one on July 17, 2007, Wailan was able to elude arrest but was allegedly wounded.

Emock said that Wailan has a history of not giving up peacefully but the police still followed police operational procedures by knocking on the door and announcing their purpose.

According to the police, Madhu was preparing to say mass at the Mabungtot Primary School at around 5:30 PM on April 3, 2007 when Wailan entered the school house and for unknown reasons shot the priest six times with an M16 armalite rifle with five bullets finding their mark.

Emock said that it is possible the M16 recovered from Wailan during the operation which they have submitted for examination was the same one used in the shooting of Fr. Madhu. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Tabuk City will have say in reopening of mines

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – The people of this city will be consulted regarding the plan to reopen the Batongbuhay Gold Mines, Inc. (BBGMI) in Balatoc, Pasil, this province, OIC-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ricardo Dang-iw said recently.

Dangi-iw said that before a company can operate the idle mines, it must have to apply for an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) and the process includes consultations starting from the barangay to the provincial level.

“All environmental issues and concerns on the direct impact and secondary impact areas will be taken up during the consultations. In the case of the BBGMI, the direct impact area is Balatoc and the secondary impact areas are communities living downstream of the Pasil and Chico rivers,” Dang-iw said.

Dang-iw said that the ECC covers all aspects of the operations of the mines which has something to do with the environment including the company’s environment management plan.

Regarding the specific case of Tabuk City, the issues and concerns will be raised with the proponent proposing the solutions “to make them non-issues,” Dang-iw, a mining engineer, said.

Dang-iw informed that although there is talk going around that Benguet Corporation has won the bid for the mines, there is yet no official information reaching his office on the matter.

Tabuk people are expected to oppose the reopening of the mines due to their past experience when this first operated in the 80s.

They mounted protests actions against the BBGMI when they noticed that the mine tailings silted their ricelands resulting in significant reduction of their harvest.

The mines closed in 1985. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

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Spirits disrupt classes in local school

TABUK CITY, KALINGA - Classes at the Tabuk National High School (TNHS) were suspended on January 22 and 23 when at least 20 students were possessed by spirits who claimed they were dislocated by the construction of a new building in the school.

According to Principal Rodolfo Ballog, seven were seized on the first day and more than 10 on the second day.

Ballog said that the victims became hysterical and had extra strength as it took four to five students and teachers to hold and control each victim.

Ballog quoted the possessed students as saying that there were 15 spirits on the first day and 25 on the second day and that their common complaint was that their abode was disturbed when an old building on campus was demolished to give way to the new building.

“I am wondering because we butchered a pig and gave them their share before the groundbreaking for the new building,” Ballog said.

Ballog related that the spirits had many demands, foremost of which is that their bones should be relocated leading him to presume that the spirits were those of people buried in the old cemetery situated in the campus.

He said that the demand of the spirits is hard to comply with because the bones must have been scattered here and there when the ground of the school was bulldozed to level it many years ago.

“What if the bones are now under the buildings? What we should do now is try to appease them by complying with their other demands. We have already lighted candles at the bank of the Chico River as demanded by the spirit who calls herself Lorna. We did that twice,” Ballog said.

According to Tomrod Duclan, the first student who was possessed on the first day and was again victimized the second day and who his teachers say has a third eye, Lorna whom he described as a young woman in black dress and splattered with blood, had told him that she was raped and killed by three men on the banks of the Chico River.

Marilyn Galano, adviser of I Neptune, the class of Tomrod, said that Tomrod claimed Lorna first appeared to him on January 21 and that on the morning of December 19 when he opened the classroom - he is the key keeper - his hair stood on end because of the smell of menstrual blood.

Ballog said that they will also comply with the demand of the second wave of spirits for candles to be lighted, the feathers of a white native chicken burned and prayers uttered on the basketball court of the school at 3 PM of January 23.

“We will also request during the mass this Sunday that prayers be made for the eternal repose of the souls of all spirits who are still roaming around especially those who are staying at the TNHS. I believe that these are the spirits whom the priests say we should pray for. They are restless and they enter human bodies so they could communicate with the living. What is bad is that the students they entered suffered due to the physical exertion,” Ballog said.

Priests and pastors have gone to the school to pray during the first and second day but still the seizures continued.

Apart from Christian prayers and rites, Ballog said that the school also planned to employ the dawak, a Kalinga native way of driving bad spirits performed by a mandadawak (shaman) and involving the offering of an animal.

Ballog said that this is not the first case of spirit possession in TNHS because around 10 years ago, three students were also seized but that after a day, the attacks stopped. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Tabuk suddenly found religion as Supreme Court was to deliberate on its cityhood

TABUK CITY, KALINGA - Through the leadership of city officials and the local clergy, some 3,500 people gathered here January 20 to pray for God’s intervention in the resolution of the case regarding the status of the 16 new cities in the country which include this city.

Two motions for reconsideration of the earlier decision of the Supreme Court (SC) declaring the laws converting the erstwhile towns into cities unconstitutional are now pending before the SC.

The city government and the local clergy organized the prayer rally on the beliefs “that we cannot just rely on human wisdom to determine the fate of our future generations” and that prayers are potent means of directing the flow of history.

“We are all Christians. We all believe in the power of prayer. We believe that God can touch the hearts and minds of the justices,” Vice Mayor Rainier Sarol explained why the city government resorted to prayers.

He said that the prayer rally was meant to ask God to enlighten the minds and hearts of the six justices who he said overturned the will of the millions who ratified the cityhood laws of the erstwhile towns and all of the members of both houses of Congress which enacted the laws.

Sarol said that while the judicial power of the Supreme Court is awesome, the justices cannot resist if divine power which can be prompted by the prayers of believers will move them to decide in favor of the 16 cities.

For his part, Bishop Renato Abibico lashed at the League of Cities of the Philippines who challenged the legality of the laws converting the 16 cities before the SC saying that what prompted them to file the petition was sheer greed.

He said that after enjoying large internal revenue allotments (IRAs) from the national government for so long, they should be by now reaping the fruits of their investment and should not begrudge other localities the chance to progress through their conversion to cities which entitle them to bigger shares from national revenues.

Before the participants recited the prepared common prayer, speakers representing the executive and legislative departments of the city government, the barangay councils, the senior citizens and the city college scholars pictured how their respective sectors were benefitted by the conversion of Tabuk into a component city in 2007 and how reversion to a municipality will affect these.

The common prayer which was uttered by the assembly as they held lighted candles asked God to let the Holy Spirit enlighten the justices so that they will come up with a “fair and just verdict, and if possible, a verdict that favors us.”

“We cling to Your divine mercy and trust on the abundance of Your grace to grant this petition knowing that it is best for our people and our beloved city,” the prayer also said.

In a press conference after the rally, Sarol said that in the event that the SC will deny the motion for reconsideration with finality, Tabuk City has three options: first, it could band together with other capital towns to push the existing idea of converting all capital towns into cities in Congress; second, work really hard to attain the P100M local income requirement; and third, work for the amendment of RA 9009 lowering anew the income requirement to P20M.

Sarol called reversion to a town a challenge to the people of Tabuk- to its leadership, to provide the necessary services and to the citizenry, to do their share.

Earlier, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) passed Resolution No. 001, series of 2009, appealing to the SC to reconsider its ruling calling the attention of the SC justices to some salient facts about Tabuk City which were not mentioned in the joint motion for reconsideration.

The SP said that with its 11,278 hectares of riceland, Tabuk City is dubbed the breadbasket of the Cordillera and even once held the title “Hybrid Rice Capital of the Country.”

“Upholding the cityhood of Tabuk means more funding support to agriculture which translates to higher agricultural output that is in pursuance of the national administration’s program on food sufficiency and security,” the SP said.

The SP also mentioned that Tabuk City is the “Whitewater Rafting Capital of the Philippines” and its location relative to the Cordillera and Cagayan provinces gives it the potential of becoming one of the economic hubs of Northern Luzon.

According to the SP, the Cordillera is one of neglected regions of the country with Baguio City as its sole city if the SC denies the motion for reconsideration of the 16 cities.

“The cityhood of Tabuk will spur, spread and tremendously enhance the development of the northern part of the region,” the SP claimed.

The SP also mentioned that the SC en banc had passed a resolution converting the Municipal Trial Court of Tabuk into a Municipal Trial Court in Cities and that the Department of Justice has also constituted the City Prosecutor’s Office.

According to sources, the motion for reconsideration was calendared by the SC on January 20 but the deliberation was deferred for a later undisclosed date. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW