Police: Private armies still exist in NE

The Nueva Ecija police bared that at least five private armed groups still operate in the province to advance the political and economic agenda of some public officials and private individuals.

Supt. Edgar Allan Okubo, commander of the Provincial Public Safety Company of the Nueva Ecija police office, said that each group is composed of from five to six members.

One group was identified as the "Kamagong Group" reported to be operating in Bongabon. Okubo said that the others are scattered in the four congressional districts.

Meanwhile, Sr. Supt. Roberto Aliggayu, acting provincial police director, reported the arrest of Arturo Bernardino, 33, of Barangay San Jose, Licab, said to be a remnant of the once dreaded "Alakdan Group" engaged in robbery and gun for hire activities in Nueva Ecija and nearby provinces.

Bernardino was arrested based on arrest warrants issued by the 1st Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Quezon-Licab last July 7 and in 2007 for illegal possession of firearms and violations of the Omnibus Election Code.

Aliggayu explained that when the Alakdan Group was neutralized after a series of encounters with lawmen in the past years, Bernardino joined another private armed group together with Enrico Sarmiento, Vicente Fernando, Douglas Javier, Noli Roque, Sorry Corpuz and Boying Aquino. ###
 
 

San Jose's Villaflor among 10 outstanding cops

Supt. Sidney Villaflor, chief of the San Jose City police, is among this year's ten awardees in the Search for Country's Outstanding Policemen in Service (COPS).

Coming from various parts of the country, the awardees consist of four commissioned and six non-commissioned officers.

Aside from Villaflor, the other outstanding policemen are Supt. Leo Francisco of Taguig City; Supt. Florencio Ortilla of Davao City; Supt. Noel Ponsaran of Davao City; Police Officer 3 Edilberto Euraoba III of Sibulan, Negros Oriental; Police Officer 3 Shella Mae Sangrines of Iloilo City; Police Officer 3 Zoraida Aripin of Zamboanga City;  Police Officer 3 Joey Castillon of Tobias Fornier, Antique; Senior Police Officer 2 Hermie Raymundo of Lingayen, Pangasinan; and Police Officer 3 Roel Paclibar of Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat.

Each awardee will receive a cash prize worth P250,000 and a trophy courtesy of the Metrobank Foundation.

Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto “Chito” M. Sobrepeña said, “These outstanding policemen and women are a testament of our police force’s dedication to their sworn duty and professionalism towards performing their responsibilities. It is through the Search for COPS that we give honor to the exemplary members of the PNP who have worked together with their communities in crime solution and prevention.”

From some 100 nominees, the awardees went through a rigorous screening process and a panel interview conducted by a board of judges made up of key personalities from various sectors.

The Final Board of Judges was co-chaired by Secretary Leila de Lima of the Department of Justice, who was then Chair of the Commission on Human Rights, and Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo of the Supreme Court, with members consisting of Dr. Jose Ma. Arsenio Mariano, president of the University of Asia and the Pacific; Atty. Eusebio Tan, president of the Management Association of the Philippines; Atty. Jose Tale, chairman of the Couples for Christ; Paul Schafer, resident representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation; and Joel Reyes Zobel, a broadcast journalist from Super Radyo DZBB of GMA Network.

The search for COPS, now on its eighth year, is a project of the Metrobank Foundation, Rotary Club of New Manila East and PSBank, in cooperation with the Philippine National Police. ###
 
 

DENR lobbies for passage of bills classifying Casecnan, 16 others as protected areas

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is lobbying for the quick approval by Congress of 17 bills covering protected areas in the country, including the Casecnan Protected Landscape in Nueva Ecija.

DENR Sec. Ramon Paje stressed that the lobby is crucial in preserving whatever remains of the protected areas that serve as homes of the country's dwindling wildlife.

He said that his department is working for the certification by President Aquino of the 17 bills covering the protected areas as priority bills.

Aside from Casecnan, the 16 other protected area bills cover the Siargao Islands Protected Land and Seascape (Surigao del Norte); Mt. Hilong-Hilong Range (Agusan del Sur); Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary; Samar Island Natural Park; Apo Reef Natural Park (Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro); Malampaya Sound Protected Land and Seascape (Palawan); El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area (Palawan); Turtle Island Wildlife Sanctuary (Tawi-Tawi); Bataan National Park; Aurora Integrated Protected Area; Mt. Guiting-Guiting Natural Park (Romblon); Tagub-Kampalili Range Protected Landscape (Davao Oriental-Compostela Valley); Mt. Balatukan Range (Misamis Oriental); Buug Natural Biotic Area (Zamboanga Sibugay); Northwest Panay Peninsula National Park; and Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP). ###
 
 

Ecija lifter lands 5th in Singapore Youth Olympics

Weightlifter Patricia Llena of San Antonio town, touted as the Philippines brightest hope in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, finished fifth out of seven entries in the 63 kilogram class.

Llena, who had carried the Philippine flag in the opening rites of the games, had the fourth best effort in the snatch with 93 kilograms, but could only lift 95 kilograms in the clean and jerk for a total of 178 kilograms.

Though Llena came out fifth, she still fared better than the competitors from Australia and the United States. ###
 
 

UPRIIS chief denies non remittance of employees' GSIS contributions

Eng. Antonio S. Nangel, operations manager of the National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS), denied that his office had not been remitting employees' contributions to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for the past five years.

He said that NIA-UPRIIS does not owe even a single centavo to GSIS.

Nangel called a published report about the alleged non-payment of GSIS contributions as part of a demolition job to place him in a bad light since he announced his aspiration to be NIA administrator.

It was reported that a letter complaint against Nangel had been filed with the Presidential Management Staff.

The complaint, from "Concerned Employees of NIA-UPRIIS", alleged that some 540 employees were deprived of benefits and privileges because their premium contributions to GSIS had not been remitted since 2005 even if these were deducted form their monthly salaries.

“I categorically deny these allegations. I find these claims malicious and without any complete basis,” Nangel said. ###
 
 

Talavera parish priest robbed

An robber forcibly entered the room of the parish priest of St. Isidore Parish in Talavera while he was saying morning Mass last August 15 and stole some of his personal effects.

Supt. Renato David of the Talavera police station reported that the victim was Fr. Josel de Guzman Cariaso, 47.

The unidentified suspects destroyed the door knob of Cariaso's room in the rectory and took away four cell phones and cash amounting to P10,000. ###
 
 

Zaragoza cop robbed, too

A policeman was victimized by robbers who entered his house in Barangay Carmen last August 24.

Sr. Insp. Roger Sebastian identified the victim as PO3 Ferdinand Castillo Coloma, 39, detailed with the Zaragoza police station.

Investigation showed that the robbery happened at about 3:30 PM when the suspect destroyed the padlock of the back door of the policeman's house. Among the items taken were a personal computer, a portable DVD and P11,000 in cash hidden in a closet.

Investigators from the SOCO team of the Nueva Ecija PNP Crime Laboratory were able lift fingerprints from the crime scene. ###
 
 

Man kills aunt after rape try

The Gapan police arrested a 30 year old tricycle driver for killing his 19 year old aunt after he failed to rape her last August 17.

The suspect was identified as Alan Capulong, nephew of the victim Rose Anne Santiago, both of Purok Tramo, Barangay San Nicolas.

Supt. Ricardo E. Villanuva, city police chief, said that Capulong was arrested by responding policemen and barangay tanods in Purok Villareal, Barangay Santo Cristo Norte.

Investigation showed that Santiago was riding a tricycle driven by Capulong on her way to work when he asked her to accompany him in finding his wife who was supposed to meet another man.

The suspect then brought the victim to a dark place and tried to rape her but she fought back, prompting the suspect to punch her in the stomach. He then bashed her head repeatedly with a big rock.

Recovered at the scene were pairs of slippers of the victim and the suspect, her cell phone and bracelet and his tricycle. ###
 
 

2 Gapan illegal drug dealers nabbed

Two suspected drug dealers were arrested in separate operations in Gapan City.

The suspects were identified as Eduardo Jimenez alias Ompong, 30, of Consuelo Street, Barangay Santo Niño, and Samuel Lazaro alias Manny Pingas, 42, of Barangay San Lorenzo.

They yielded three plastic sachets of shabu and P3,000 worth of marked bills.

Police said that Jimenez was the city's top drug pusher and had been in the illegal trade since 1997.  He was arrested for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition in 1999.

Jimenez was arrested after residents complained to City Mayor Christian U. Tinio.

Lazaro, on the other hand, has been in the drug trade since 2008.  He was arrested after one week of surveillance.

The two were charged with violation of RA 9165. ###
 
 

Cabanatuan man shoots self over marital problem

Because of a problem with his wife, a 39 year old man shot himself in the chest with an improvised shotgun in a subdivision in Barangay Caalibangbangan, Cabanatuan City last August 15.

In a report submitted by Supt. Eliseo Cruz, Cabanatuan police chief, to the office of Sr. Supt. Roberto Aliggayu, newly designated provincial police director, the victim was identified as Oliver Camacho Cendaña of Block 27, Lot 4, AGL Heights.

He left a suicide note.

The victim also texted his mother and other relatives about his marital problem and his plan to commit suicide. ###
 
 

Santa Rosa resort lifesaver accused of theft

A lifeguard in a resort in Santa Rosa was accused of stealing the personal properties of some guests who went night swimming last August 21.

The suspect was identified as Gener Martinigo Caparal, 28, a lifeguard at Allenville Resort i Barangay Tramo.

Earlier, resort guests Arianne Buenaventura, 17 and Princess Ann Tolentino Minabete, 17, both of Valenzuela City, complained that they lost their cell phones, some P6,000 in cash and important documents which they put aside when they went swimming.

Caparal was fingered by a fellow lifeguard. ###