Church urges police to expedite investigation of double murder

Tabuk City, Kalinga - The Anglican Church here has asked the police to conduct a speedy investigation of the murder of two of its members whose bodies were found floating in the Chico River late last week.

Fr. Gabriel Dapuyen, dean and rector of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Bulanao, this city, where Nick Maguinsay, married, resident of Duldulao, Malibcong, Abra but working as small scale miner in Guinaang Pasil, and Joren Maguinsay, 23, single, resident of Luba, Abra, jobless, were last seen alive 5 PM of January 10, that the church has not yet received any information even just where the incident took place.

The priest said that no witness to the crime has yet surfaced.

The body of Nick was fished out of the, Chico River at Pasonglao, Calanan, this city, January 11 while that of Joren were found by farmers floating in Tuliao, also in Calanan 4 PM the following day.

Nick was hogtied with his hands behind his back and his body, bore nine stab wounds while the body of Joren bore 18 wounds believed to be from a knife in different parts of his body and two more pounds believed to have been inflicted by a bullet and a club were found in iris head.

Dapuyen said that the two have been visiting with Jefferson Maguinsay, the catechist of the cathedral, who is a brother of Nick and cousin of Joren, at the time of their disappearance.

The priest said they discovered the disappearance of the two when the lights in the church compound were still on when it was already day as it was the responsibility of the two to turn on and switch off the compound lights.

Dapuyen said that the bodies were brought to their respective native places in Abra after mass last Sunday. **ZZW

Body of missing person found

Tabuk City, Kalinga – The dead body of the gatekeeper of the National Irrigation Administration Chico River System at Bado Dangwa, this city, who went missing during the height of typhoon Kabayan night of November 4 has been found in Faire, Piat Cagayan on November 8.

Office of the Civil Defense provincial officer Cristeta Reyes said that the searchers from Malin-awa, this city, village of victim Elpidio Balawag, 54, married, were led to his body by Faire residents who were fishing along the Chico river.

Mary Pidcasen, 54, married, residents of Malin-awa, this city who reported the matter to the police the following day, said that Balawag went to close to close the gate at around 7 PM of November 4 and that was the last time he was seen.

Residents of Malin-awa believe that Balawag was carried away by the strong water current of the Chico river brought about by heavy rains spawned by the typhoon Kabayan and drowned. The gate of the dam is across the river from Malin-awa.

Malin-awa residents as well as those of the other barangays in the area use the dam to cross the Chico river which is overflowed by water when the river is swollen.

Despite NIA authorities prohibiting people from crossing the Chico river on the dam, they persist in doing so and since the construction of the dam in the early 80s, at least 10 people have already died after they were carried away by the current while crossing the river on top of the dam. **Estanislao Albano Jr.

WB to repair upper Chico irrigation system

BAGUIO CITY – In the 70’s, the World Bank was set to fund a controversial multipurpose dam but was fiercely opposed by the tribal communities in Kalinga and Mountain Province.

The Chico River Basin Dam Project was halted after thousands of tribal men and women including the revered Kalinga leader Macli-ing Dulag fought the project then pushed by former strong­man Ferdinand Marcos.

Now, the WB is back with the repair of the Upper Chico River Irrigation System (UCRIS) starting soon with a P507 million loan to the Philippine government.

According to Kalinga Provincial Irrigation Management Office (K-PIMO) OIC Alfredo de Guzman Jr., the signing of the agreement between the WB and the government is expected this last quarter. He said the improvement work will be carried out until 2010, adding that the four-year repair of UCRIS will be jointly implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and K-PIMO.

Of the total project cost, De Guzman said P378.6 million will be spent on civil works where P218.4 million is allotted for the improvement of the canal system; P93.1 million on diversion works; P36.1 M on drainage facilities; P11.7 million on canal service roads; P15.7 million for farm level facilities; and P3.5 million for project facilities. Read more here...

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