M/V Logos Hope to visit North Luzon

THE Logos Hope international ship will soon visit the seaport of San Fernando, La Union on May 24 for a series of exhibits which aim to provide access to high-quality knowledge to the communities of Northern Luzon.

San Fernando visit team leader and Taiwan national Joanne Li said the exhibit starts on May 24 with several shows onboard like cultural events, books fair, cafe conferences, and youth events.

Beads work kicks off Tam-awan fest

MAKING of Cordilleran bling kicked off the 4th Tam-awan International Arts Festival (TIAF 4).

A workshop for Cordilleran bead making by the Concepcion Chaong Bead Makers Team from Karao, Bokod and the Abra contingent of Ruby Bersamin commenced Wednesday at the Artist village starting the five-day festival.

Tabanda vows environment protection policies

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (PNA) -- Newly-elected Municipal Mayor Edna Tabanda vowed Wednesday to adopt the good programs of the past administration especially in environment protection to ensure the maintenance of the famous strawberry fields and improve water quality of the Balili River.

BCDA, CJHDevCo word war persists

THE word war between the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and its lessee Camp John Hay Development Corporation (CJHDevCo) continues despite ongoing arbitration at the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center.

BCDA, in a press statement, recently praised the decision of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file malversation charges against officials of CJHDevCo for allegedly refusing to account for the 26 BCDA-owned hotel units located in Camp John Hay Manor and Camp John Hay Suites (now Forest Lodge) claiming their lessee retained earnings generated from its operations.

Old names, faces define local polls

ALL elected officials in Baguio are either incumbent or returning local government officials.

Results of this year’s elections show all of the elected officials in the May13 midterm polls in Baguio either served once as a councilor, vice-mayor, mayor, and congressman.

Fongwan, Dangwa lead in Benguet

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Partial unofficial results for the province showed a deafening lead by incumbent governor Nestor Fongwan who garnered 69,488 electoral votes against contender Jerome Selmo who so far has mustered 22,836 votes.  

Four municipalities in the province had fully submitted the election returns.

Tabanda unseats Abalos

FORMER mayor Edna Tabanda made a successful comeback into local politics by coming in strong with 11,726 votes unseating incumbent Mayor Greg Abalos, who garnered 9,263 votes, while denying neophyte Nestor Fongwan Jr. who came in last with 7,174 votes.

A jubilant Tabanda, however declined to give official statement Wednesday afternoon saying the official proclamation has to be awaited before any words are to be said.

Bentrez remains Tuba mayor

TUBA, Benguet – Incumbent Mayor Florencio Ventura Bentrez of the National Unity Party (NUP) retained his seat by overwhelming his rivals based on official results from the local election office.

Bentrez garnered 11,999 votes against Crescencio Akia with 4,378 votes while, incumbent Vice Mayor Clarita Sal–ongan of NUP was given a fresh three year term with a total vote of 10,400 against his opponent Dick Piso Balting who incurred 5,428 votes.

Polls generally peaceful in Cordillera

BANGUED, Abra -- Police Regional Office Cordillera (Procor) Dir. Benjamin Magalong said the 2013 midterm elections in the regiona was generally peaceful.

“Aside from Abra and Kalinga which reported election related incidents in previous national and local polls, the remaining provinces and two cities remain peaceful,” Magalong said.

Lauro overwhelms rival, keeps post

TUBLAY, Benguet – With an overwhelming 5,340 votes, Vice Mayor Armando Lauro is sure to return as the presiding officer of this town’s legislative body.

Lauro’s rival, Felipe Cosalan Jr., only had 94 votes of the town’s 15,996 total electorate.

DepEd ups subsidy for Grade 7 studes

THE Department of Education (Deped) has increased by 24 percent the number of slots for Grade 7 students availing of tuition fee (TF) subsidy in private schools under the education service contracting scheme (ESC).

From 250,896 slots in school year 2012 - 2013, the ESC slots for Grade 7 students has been increased to 310,709 slots for school year 2013-2014.

New labor case hurled vs firm

TEXAS Instruments Philippines Inc. (Tipi) will face the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) anew this week for another labor case.

Tipi, a producer of semiconductors and maker of chips for consumer electronics, is faced with charges hurled by Modesta Calado over illegal dismissal and illegal suspension.

Marcoses cast votes

RE-ELECTIONIST Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos led her family as they cast their votes Monday in the midterm elections.

The family arrived at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac City, Ilocos Norte past 7 a.m.

Illegal recruitment cases down

ILLEGAL recruitment cases in Cordillera Administrative Region are decreasing, the labor department said.

During the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (RLECC) meeting held last week, Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) assistant regional director Teodoro Delson said only 52 cases were reported in 2012, down from 73 in 2011.

Overseas scholarship opens

THE CIVIL Service Commission (CSC) is calling on all qualified applicants to try out for the Australian development scholarships.

The scholarship program is the Australian Development Awards (ADA), which includes the Australian Development Scholarships and the Australian Leadership Awards. The program is under the Philippine-Australian Human Resource and Organizational Development Facility.

5 nabbed for drug possession

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - Police nabbed five persons in Bagued town for possession of illegal drugs.

Arrested were Jefferson Benesa Sequerra, Ariel Que Blaza, Deonell Bosque Buenafe and two minors, all possessed 63 heat-sealed sachets of dried marijuana leaves, along McKinley Street Thursday afternoon.

Pag-Ibig to conduct mobile servicing

LAGAWE, Ifugao - The Pag-ibig Fund will bring its mobile services in this town on May 15 at the Municipal Government building.

Among the services to be offered are acceptance of application for membership contribution, multi-purpose loans, and housing loan payments.

Tight race seen in city

BAGUIO City is expecting a close competition in the lone congressional and mayoralty positions as some 146,230 registered voters are expected to flock 59 voting centers in Baguio City today, Monday.

Seeking for the highly contested congressional post are Representative Bernardo Vergara of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA)-Timpuyog ti Baguio, Councilor Nicasio Aliping of the Baguio Independent Democratic Alliance and Mark Go of the Liberal Party.

PCOS glitches 'minor'

THE REGIONAL elections office head dismissed fears of technical problems on the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that will be encountered today, Monday.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Regional Director Jose Nick Mendros said Thursday’s conduct of final testing and sealing of PCOS machines in Baguio, Benguet, and Ifugao were successful.

Seminar vs drug use conducted

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) led a seminar on the Management of Barangay Drug-clearing Operations in a bid to clear the region of illegal drug use.

Early this year, President Benigno Aquino III reaffirmed his commitment to fight illegal drugs in the country and issued directives to all PDEA offices to conduct local campaigns, PDEA Director General undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr. said.

Parents warned vs fly-by-night schools

THE DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) in Cordillera warned parents of unaccredited and unregistered private schools with the opening of classes next month.

DepEd-CAR Director Ellen Donato said some private schools are operating without being accredited by the department and several of which are in Baguio City and Benguet.

Eco-tourism booming in Benguet

THE regional tourism office said a new emerging form of tourism has now reached Benguet.

Department of Tourism Regional Director Purification Molintas said eco-tourism, which includes adventure sports, has been drawing tourists in the province.

‘Hot’ trees found in John Hay forest

JOHN Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) foresters discovered illegally cut pine trees inside the Camp John Hay forest reservation in Purok Mangitit, Monticello, Camp 7 Wednesday morning.

The roving forest rangers of the JHMC reported at least three trees were cut in two separate locations into nine logs of 12 feet each.

Talks for Luna’s surrender on

THE police director of Cordillera region is communicating with fugitive Bangued Mayor Ryan Luna for a possible surrender.

Cordillera regional director Benjamin Magalong said ongoing talks with relatives of the mayor are positive but the absence of Regional Trial Court Judge Jaime Dojillo Jr. is delaying the surrender.

NPA tagged in Kalinga ambush

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Police are pointing to the New People’s Army (NPA) as prime suspects in the Kalinga ambush Thursday morning.  

Cordillera Police Information chief Davy Limmong said there are no other groups capable of the crime, although he admitted there are no witnesses willing to testify as of press time.

Police chief lauds peacekeeping efforts in Abra

DESPITE the current situation in Abra province, Gen. Alan Purisima, Philippines National Police (PNP) Director lauded the peace keeping efforts of the Cordillera police.

The province of Abra has been placed under Commission on Elections control in previous polls but has now been downgraded to area of concern by the PNP for the upcoming midterm elections on Monday.

Molintas files disqualification case vs Domogan

MAYORALTY candidate Jose Mencio Molintas filed a disqualification case before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila Thursday against Mayor Mauricio Domogan for alleged vote-buying in exchange of scholarships.

Local governance transition committee established

WITH the forthcoming May 13, 2013 national and local elections, Mayor Mauricio Domogan issued Administrative Order No. 056, series of 2013, creating the Local Governance Transition Committee and defining its functions.

This is in compliance with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular No. 2013-33 of DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas dated April 18, “mandating all local government chief executives to create their own Local Governance Transition Committee in view of the results of the forthcoming May 13 elections.

Cops reiterate liquor ban adjustments

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Confusion on the adjustments in the nationwide liquor ban has reached here.  

Valley police chief Byron Allatog said there have been a lot of questions regarding the liquor ban. “Maraming tanong, we advise them not to sell liquor tomorrow (the weekend).”  

2 soldiers killed in Kalinga ambush

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Two soldiers escorting the delivery of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to Kalinga towns were killed in an ambush staged by suspected communist rebels in Tabuk City, police said.

Cordillera Police Information chief Davy Limmong confirmed the incident, which also left six other soldiers injured, was considered an election-related violence. It happened around 9:30 a.m. Thursday at sitio Patiking, Barangay Bagumbayan, Tabuk City.