News/Articles


NEWS/ARTICLES


	Palumbanes Island inirekomendang alisin sa watchlist Manila Star, Vol.5 No.8 Feb. 23-29, 2004

	Caramoran, Catanduanes – Na sorpresa ang mga residente ng Palumbanes Island matapos ang isinagawang special operation ng PNP hinggil sa pinaniniwalang shabu laboratory sa bayan ng Caramoran, Catanduanes kamakailan. Nagtungo ang Special Task Force sa naturang isla sa pamumuno ni Mayor Gil Francis Tria kasama ng grupo ng Manila Star at Bombo Radyo upang beripikahin ang intelligence report na kanilang natanggap mula sa Camp Crame na kasali sa watchlist ang lugar na umano’y laboratoryo sa lalawigan ng Catanduanes. Kasama ng nasabing grupo si P/Insp. Reynaldo Imperial, Chief of Police ng Caramoran at kanyang mga tauhan pati si SPO2 Rodel Lavapie. Nabigla ang mga residente sa pagdaong ng nasabing mga grupo dahil sa posibleng engkuwentro kung saan isang gabi bago dumating ang grupo ni Tria ay may nakakita sa walong armadong kalalakihan na mga naka-bonnet at pinaniniwalaang mga NPA. Kaagad nagsagawa ng clearing operation subalit wala namang natagpuan ang mga ito. Sa pahintulot ng mag-asawang Benjie at Brgy. Capt. Ma. Theresa Qua, hinalughog ang bahay at paligid nito na kung saan negatibo ang findings ng mission team. Ang pamilya Qua ang nababanggit na pangunahing suspek sa naturang report. Si Kapitan Tess Qua ang kumakandidato bilang alkalde ng bayan ng Caramoran kung kaya’t naiintriga sa naturang operasyon dahil na rin umano sa kuwestiyonableng mga pag-aari nito. Sa panayam ng Manila Star, dinepensa ng mga mamamayan ang pagkakasangkot ng pamilya Qua sa ganitong aktibidad. Anila, matagal ng tumutulong sa kanila ang pamilya Qua dahil mismong dito nabubuhay ang karamihan sa kanila dahil ito ang nagpapautang sa kanilang mga puhunan sa pangingisda. Humigit kumulang sa 400 residente ang nakatira sa isla na tanging pangingisda ang hanapbuhay. Ayon naman sa Kapitan, hindi sila natatakot sa ano mang paratang ng ilang tao o kalaban sa politika dahil legal ang kanilang ginagawa at bukas umano ang kanilang tahanan o sarili sa ano mang imbestigasyon. Inamin ng mag-asawang Qua na buy and sell ng isda ang kanilang hanapbuhay at mismong sila ang nag-e-export ng mga first class na isda sa mainland Bicol, particular sa Tabaco City, Camarines Sur at Metro Manila na siya ring pinagmulan ng kanilang pag-aari. Ayon kay Mayor Tria, kung totoong may laboratoryo dito, makikita ito sa mga halaman maging sa mga punong kahoy pati na rin sa mga tao na posibleng maapektuhan. Makikita umano na walang indikasyon ng ganitong situwasyon particular ang fumes o kemikal na ginagamit dito. Kaugnay nito, inirekomenda ng PNP Provincial Command na alisin sa watchlist ang Palumbanes Island sa sinasabing shabu laboratory maging ang pamilya Qua bilang suspek sa naturang report. Matatandaang ang ilang bayan sa Catanduanes, particular ang Virac at San Andres ang sinasabing talamak ang operasyon ng droga kung saan napatunayan ito sa dumaraming bilang ng mga kabataan na naipapasailalim ngayon sa rehabilitation center. Una ng na-neutralize ang operasyon ng droga sa nasabing mga lugar dahil sa sunod-sunod na operasyon ng grupo ni Mayor Tria na halos ilang mga bigtime drug pushers ang nasa kulungan na ngayon. Sa kabila ng negative findings na ito, ipinagpapatuloy pa rin ng PNP sa Caramoran ang close monitoring sa naturang lugar dahil sa mga impormasyon na patuloy pa ring nakakaabot sa PNP na ang lugar na ito ang transient point ng droga sa Catanduanes.

	GMA junks Verceles, takes Cua instead Catanduanes Tribune, Vol.XXIV, No.2 March 17, 2004

	President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has abandoned incumbent Lakas-CMD Governor Leandro B. Verceles, Jr. and instead is aligning herself with the group of Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) Rep. Joseph A. Santiago and gubernatorial aspirant Mayor Joseph C. Cua. This surprise political development became apparent last Saturday (March 13) when Pres. Arroyo invited Santiago’s group to an exclusive luncheon meeting in Malacañang Palace that lasted for nearly two hours. According to one source who was with the solon’s party, the president allegedly made the invitation after seeing the results of a survey conducted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on voting preferences of the Catanduanes electorate. The survey reportedly found that majority of voters on the island would be going for the Santiago-Sarmiento-Cua combine and that PGMA would pick up more votes with them than with the Lakas-CMD team headed by Verceles. According to a certificate of attendance signed by Malacañang’s Appointments Secretary Marilou D. Frostrom, the guests of President Arroyo last Saturday were Congressman Santiago, Vice Governor Cesar Sarmiento, PBM Angeles Tablizo, Jr., PBM Rafael Zuniega, PBM Fredeswindo Gianan, Jr., PBM Julieto Barceta, PBM Magin Isuela, and PBM Antonette Camano. Also present were Mayor Jose Alberto II of Virac, Mayor Joseph Cua of San Andres, Mayor Lorenzo Templonuevo, Jr. of Bato, Mayor Vincent Villaluna of Bagamanoc, Mayor Armando Guerrero, Jr. of Gigmoto, Mayor Gregorio Angeles of Panganiban, Mayor Francisco Camano, Jr. of San Andres, Mayor Josefina Santelices of Pandan and Mayor Lourdes Idanan of Caramoran. Mayor Jose Teves of Baras earlier promised to be with the group but begged off at the last minute due to a wedding engagement. Pres. Arroyo was reportedly so impressed by the fact that the Santiago group was composed entirely of incumbents, with 7 of 11 Sangguniang Panlalawigan members and 9 of 11 Municipal Mayors, that she felt compelled to ask for their support for her reelection bid in May 2004. The luncheon meeting, which lasted from 11:30 A.M. to just past 1 P.M., also turned into a gripe session against Gov. Verceles, with Caramoran Mayor Lourdes Idanan visibly airing her anger for Verceles’ junking her in favor of neophyte Agnes Popa despite the Idanan family’s 14 years of service to the provincial Lakas leadership. The President was reportedly shocked by the reports that she immediately called up Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Emilia Boncodin on the 2004 provincial budget under review by the department. The meeting with President Arroyo came several hours before Gov. Verceles allegedly tried to convene a session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan with only his four allies – PBMs Alan del Valle, Romeo Tuplano, Natalio Popa, Jr. and Pio Tubalinal – present. The “illegal” session was supposed to have tackled the approval of the 2004 provincial budget, Supplemental Budget No. 1, the controversial P300 million Power and Irrigation Support Ordinance (PISO), a measure literally absolving Verceles of liability in the illegal disbursement of P9.3 million in Local Government Service Equalization Funds (LGSEF), and several measures giving him blanket authority to juggle the provincial budget and 20% Economic Development Fund in the guise of “reinventing the budgetary process,” all of which would put more than P80 million in pork barrel allocations at the discretion of Verceles. The “session” was met with a protest rally by the student group Piglas Tugon, prompting the governor to order his civil security guards, armed with shotguns, to drive them out of the building. A classmate of Congressman Santiago, Noel Tubalinal, who had just arrived to witness the session, was punched in the face by a certain Atang Sarmiento, a close aide of the governor. The SP majority led by Vice Gov. Sarmiento is reserving any comment or action on the reported “illegal” session by the minority pending receipt of the “minutes.” He nonetheless warned the governor, his SP allies and department heads not to implement illegally approved ordinances and measures and threatened to file criminal and administrative charges against them.