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Thick black smoke rises from the burning warehouses of Converge in Barangay Pulung Cacutud, Angeles City last Tuesday afternoon.

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FIGHTING FORM. Smiling but determined, Mayor Marino Morales, VM Christian Halili and members of the Mabalacat City council show copies of the libel complaints they fi led against one Pyra Lucas. P !"! $% B!*+ L),&!*

ANGELES CITY – An estimated P200 million worth of fi ber optic ca-bles, engineering equip-ment and vehicles went up in smoke late Tues-day afternoon after fi re gutted down the ware-houses where it was stored in Purok 7, Ba-

P200-M up in smoke in cable warehouse blaze

rangay Pulung Cacutud here.

According to Fire Mar-shall Josie Lising, the confl agration started at around 4:45 p.m. which was inadvertently caused by an unidentifi ed work-er who burned a heap of grass and a pile of gar-

bage in the area and left it when it seemed smoth-ered.

But the wind caused it to rekindle and the fi re spread quickly where fl ammable hoses were stored, engulfi ng two of the three warehouses in the compound, witness-

es said.Thick black smoke

can be seen even from as far as the City of San Fernando and by joggers at the Parade Grounds in the Clark Freeport Zone.

Dennis Uy, president and CEO of Converge

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MABALACAT CITY – A losing mayoralty candidate here, who alleges being close to

President Duterte, was haled to court by the vice mayor and the entire sangguniang panlungsod for libel and tagged her “persona non-grata” in a unanimous resolution approved during its regular session on Wednesday.

VM, SP fi le 58 libel cases vs. loser in mayoralty race

Lucas also tagged persona non-grata

Pyra N. Lucas, who placed fourth and last with 5,807 votes in the recent May 9 elections for mayor, was declared “persona non-grata” in a

popular motion under SP Resolution 24-2016 af-ter she allegedly contin-uously and publicly ma-ligned members of the

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CLARK FREEPORT - Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello has ordered regional offi ces of the Depart-ment of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to ensure that at least 50

Bello wants 50% of ‘endos’ regularized this year

percent of contractual workers, also known as “endo’s”, are reg-ularized by their employers this year.

Bello also tasked the region-al offi ces to make contractual workers nationwide regularly em-

ployed, unless they are not cov-ered by statutes that allow for contractual workers.

This was disclosed in a press conference here yesterday by Central Luzon DOLE director

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IN LINE with eff orts to assist member-borrow-ers in settling their past due loans, Social Securi-ty System (SSS) branch-es in Dagupan, Baliuag, Malolos, Meycauayan,

SSS to open 11 branches in North, Central LuzonSan Jose del Monte, Sta. Maria, Balanga, Olonga-po, Angeles, Pampanga and Tarlac will remain open in all Saturdays of September to accommo-date applicants for the

SSS Loan Restructuring Program (LRP) in North and Central Luzon.

SSS Vice President for Luzon Central Divi-sion Vilma P. Agapito

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during the event have a big contribution in the develop-ment of the province and the country.

The senator added that women around the country should also be empowered like the NCWs in Pampanga.

“Kailangan ng ating ban-sa ng maraming empowered women katulad ninyo dahil tayong kababaihan ay mahal-aga ang papel sa nation-build-ing. Let us keep on supporting and empowering each other,” Villar said.

Gov. Lilia ‘Nanay’ Pineda initiated the NCWs program to increase the participation of women in the community.

The volunteers are tasked in helping barangay councils in identifying and assisting sick people in their neighbor-hoods, in disseminating infor-mation on disaster risks and preparedness, and in counsel-ling minor girls against teen-age pregnancies.

Pineda said “mothers are patient and loving. They hold their families together. But women are not just mothers. They can be community lead-ers as well.” –Liezel Cayanan/Pampanga PIO

Villar lauds involvement of ‘empowered’ mothers in Pampanga

Gov. Lilia Pineda and Sen. Cynthia Villar lead the oath taking of some 4,000 Nanay Community Workers from the 1st and 4th districts of Pampanga.

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Sen. Cynthia Villar lauded the active participation and in-volvement of Cabalen mothers as they have been empow-ered by Governor Lilia Nanay

Pineda to become partners in countryside development.

This was gleaned in a brief meeting of Senator Villar and Governor Pineda with the Nanay Community Workers

(NCWs) held at Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center (BZGCC) yesterday.

“Nakakatuwa na malaman at makita na ang mga nanay dito sa Pampanga ay aktibo-

ng ka-partner ng gobyerno sa pag-iimplementa ng mga pro-grama at mga proyekto,” Villar said.

The senator said the 4,000 NCWs who were present

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BOCAUE, Bulacan ---- Dinalaw ni Vice President Leni Robredo ang housing projects ng gobyerno para sa mga sun-dalo sa Baranggay Batia dito nitong Martes.

Inikot at personal na inalam ni Ro-bredo ang kalagayan ng mga nakati-ra sa Armed Forces of the Philippines housing project at nagkaroon ng pag-kakataon na makausap nang matagal at masinsinan ang mga napagkaloo-ban ng pabahay.

Hinarap ni Robredo ang daan-

AFP housing site dinalaw ni Robredodaang mga residente na nagtipon-ti-pon sa covered court dahil sa sap-in-saping suliranin na kinakaharap ng mga relocatees.

Partikular na tinukoy ng pangala-wang pangulo ang matumal na pag-tanggap ng mga militar sa pabahay ng gobyerno dahil sa mga problemang may kaugnayan sa mismong kon-struksyon ng bahay na sobrang liit, ng mga kalsada, problema sa supply ng tubig, kuryente at livelihood opportuni-ties.

Ipinahayag din ni Robredo ang kanyang pagkadismaya sa mga prob-

lema ng mga homeowners ang so-brang layo ng lugar sa dako ng pinag-tatrabahuhan at eskwelahan na dag-dag gastos sa pamasahe.

Di rin pabor si Robredo sa napa-kalayong lugar ng paglilipatan dahil sa kalaunan ay bumabalik ang mga Ito sa dating pinanggalingan at mas mainam umano kung sa lugar na la-mang na malapit sa pinaglilingkuran manirahan.

Nasa 4,000 pabahay ang inilaan ng gobyerno sa AFP housing subalit 800 lamang ang okupado dahil sa ayaw ng iba sa lugar at hitsura ng bahay.

Iisa ang hinaing ng mga residente sa lugar ang sirang kalsada, kawalan ng mapagkakakitaan, napakalayong lugar, walang health center, walang sa-riling kuntador at umaasa lamang sa sub-meter line, apat na oras lamang na supply ng madumi at mabahong tubig, kawalan ng junior at senior high school, at kakapusan sa serbisyong panlipunan.

Sisikapin daw ni Robredo na mai-lapit sa mga tamang ahensya ng pamahalaan para masolusyunan ang mga patong-patong na suliranin sa pa-bahay program ng AFP.

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SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is enjoining the public to visit the Subic Bay Freeport in September to enjoy a month-long celebra-tion that features the unique sounds and colors of Subic Bay.

SBMA chairman Roberto Garcia said the Subic agen-cy has lined up various activ-ities showcasing the best of the region’s most visited tour-ism destination in line with this year’s theme, “Tourism for All, Promoting Universal Accessi-bility” of the National Tourism Month.

Garcia said that next month’s celebration will high-light the sound of entertain-ment and excitement unique to Subic, as well as the colors that invigorate the sights and adventures that visitors and lo-cals enjoy in the freeport.

“This will not be anoth-er ordinary month in Subic. We have prepared various tourism-related competitions which will give you a chance to win prizes, or you can simply enjoy your stay in the Freeport as spectators,” he continued.

SBMA Tourism Department head Mary Jamelle Camba added that the month-long tourism celebration here will

Subic gears up for tourism monthoffi cially kick off on Sept. 5 with a motorcade, followed by a trade and photo exhibits, and a job fair.

The month-long trade and photo exhibits, which will be held at the Harbor Point Mall, will feature photographs taken from favorite tourist destina-tions in Subic, as well as var-ious produce from Zambales and Bataan.

The two-day job fair to be organized by the SBMA Labor Department will make avail-able at least a thousand jobs to applicants. This will be held at the Subic Gym on Sept. 5 and 6.

The celebration will also feature youth and sports-ori-ented events like the TRAP Aquathlon Championships at the Remy Field and the Subic Bay Ultimate Community Fris-bee Tournament at the Remy Field on Sept. 4; the Na-tional Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Uni-versities (NAASCU) Basket-ball Tournament at the Subic Gym on Sept. 8 and 17; and the SBMA Body Painting Con-test on Sept. 30.

The Subic celebration will also include exciting competitions like the Cen-tral Luzon-wide Profession-als Flair-tending/Bartending Competitions on Sept. 13; the Tourism Quiz Challenge in the

Subic Got Talent- School Cat-egory on Sept. 15; and the Subic Got Talent- Open Cat-egory on Sept. 22, all at the Harbor Point Activity Center here.

The SBMA has also sched-uled the Subic Bay Freeport Familiarization Tour, a free rolling tour around selected tourist attractions and parks for SBMA employees and stu-dents on Sept. 7, 14, and 21; and for persons with disability on Sept. 28.

SBMA offi cials are also inviting the public to take a glimpse of unique off erings from other provinces in the re-

gion through a special Cen-tral Luzon Province Show and the launching of the Festival of Festivals which will cap the Subic celebration on Septem-ber 9 and 30, respectively, at Harbor Point.

The Department of Tour-ism regional offi ce has named Subic Bay Freeport as the most visited tourist destination in Central Luzon since 2013, based on reports submitted by accommodation establish-ments in all the seven provinc-es and three economic zones in the region.

Subic was also named “Number 1 Tourist Destination

Magaul Bird Park

in Region III” for two consecu-tive years and continues to live up to its title as “Premier Con-vention Capital of Central Lu-zon,” which the DoT bestowed in 2012.

“Subic has everything,” Garcia said. “We have the fa-cilities and the access by land, by water, and by air. And of course, we have year-round activities to make your stay in Subic memorable.”

“We invite you now to see the upcoming Tourism Month activities here and experi-ence for yourself why people say that ‘It’s more fun-tastic in Subic’,” Garcia added.

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THE CITY Government of San Fernando joins the nation in celebrating the 116th Anniversary of the Civil Service Com-mission this September with the theme “Sigaw ng Lingkod Bayani: Malasakit para sa Taum-bayan, Kapwa Kawani at Kalikasan.”

Through the initia-tive of the City Human Resource Development Offi ce, various activities are slated for this year’s Civil Service Month.

A voluntary activi-ty dubbed ‘Action Offi -cer of the Day’ kicks off September 1 and ends on the 30th day of the month. This aims to in-

CSF sets Civil Service Month activities

volve employees in pro-viding frontline services by manning the Public Assistance and Com-plaints Desk on the dates assigned to them.

In an interview, May-or Edwin D. Santiago said this activity will en-hance the customer ser-vice skills of employees as their responsibilities include receiving and addressing complaints, queries and other related transactions.

“As public servants, we take necessary mea-sures to ensure eff ective delivery of frontline ser-vices to the Fernandino community,” said Mayor Santiago.

Meanwhile, the pilot testing of employee On-line Leave Application will launch this month.

Other activities in-clude ceremonial turn-over of Health Cards to city employees (Sept. 5), Values Alignment Course & Loyalty Awards (Sept. 15), and Program on Awards and Incen-tives for Service Excel-lence (Sept. 26).

The month of Sep-tember is also a time to get fi t and healthy as the city government hosts Takbo Kawaning Fer-nandino Year 3 on Sep-tember 14 and Zumba for a cause on Septem-ber 27. –CSFP-CIO

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CITY OF SAN FER-NANDO – The 1st Re-gional Agriculture Coop-erative Congress held at the Clark Freeport Zone have drawn some 291 members of 87 co-operatives in Central Luzon.

The two-day event bannered the theme “Pagbabago sa Ka-bukiran, Sa Kooperati-

bang Pamamaraan La-ban sa Kahirapan.” It was co-organized by the Cooperative Devel-opment Authority (CDA) and the Regional Co-operative Development Council (RCDC).

“This aims to dis-cuss the important is-sues that aff ect the ag-riculture sector and address problems en-countered by coopera-tives,” RCDC Chairper-

son Richard Avena said.The congress fea-

tured discussions on partnerships between cooperatives and lo-cal government units (LGUs), latest agricul-tural technologies, and CDA Regulatory Com-pliances,” Avena ex-plained.

Popular products from provinces in the re-gion were also featured in the event exhibit.

CL agri coop congress held

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SAN MARCELINO, Zambales – Kabuuang 94 drug person-alities ang kusang-loob na su-muko sa tanggapan ng pulisya dito bilang tugon sa panawa-gan at kampanya ng PNP la-ban sa illegal drugs na Proj-ect Double Barrel at Oplan “Tokhang”.

Ang mga sumuko ay mula sa 18 barangay ng San Marcelino na gustong maka-mit ang pagbabago mula sa masamang bisyo.

Ayon kay San Marcelino deputy chief of police Senior Inspector Janice Piga,

ang pagbabago ay hindi la-mang sa isip kundi sa puso.

Sa kanyang inspirational message, sinabi ni Rev. Ro-lando de Guzman ng Iglesia

Nanumpa ng pagbabago kay Chief Inspector Richard Fortaleza, hepe ng San Marcelio police, ang 94 drug personalities na sumuko. K- ) */ J! **% R. R($')*0!

94 drug personalities sumukoFilipina Independiente na ang buhay ay kaloob ng Diyos, na-kakalimutan ng tao na may nagbigay sa kanya ng buhay at hindi nilikha ng Diyos amg tao para sa ikasisira nito.

“Binigyan tayo ng Diyos ng pangalawang pagkakataon para magbagong buhay hindi pa ito katapusan ng paglala-bay ito ay para sa pagbabago ng bawat isa,” ani De Guzman.

Suportado naman ni San Marcelino Mayor Elvis Soria ang kampanya ng PNP kontra droga sa pamunuan ng Pan-gulong Duterte at aniya dito nabuksan at namulat ang ko-munidad na dapat tigilan na ang ganitong masamang ga-wain

at gawing priority ang pag-inhawa ng buhay.

Payo ni Soria, “magbago

na kayo at huwag na natin iba-lik ang dating bisyo lahat ng bagay may kaakibat na pa-ghihirap at sa kabilang ban-da may kapalit itong kaginha-waan sa buhay”.

Sinabi naman ni acting Zambales provincial direc-tor Senior Supt. Christopher J. Mateo na sa loob ng isang buwan at dalawang linggo sa kanyang puwesto ay may 3,900 na ang mga nagsipag-suko sa tulong ng mga lokal na opisyal ng lalawigan at iki-natutuwa nito na mayroon tu-mutugon sa panawagan ng pagbabago.

Panawagan ni Mateo sa mga pushers na tigilan na ang masamang gawain at kapag hindi sila sumunod ay matutu-lad sila sa iba pang drug per-sonalities na matapos sumu-

ko ay nagpapatuloy pa rin ang kanilang illegal activities.

Pansamantalang nasa pangangalaga at monitor ng mga opisyal ng barangay ang mga nagsipagsuko habang in-aayos pa ng lokal na pamaha-laang bayan ang gusali kung saan isasailalim ang mga ito sa rehabilitasyon.

Sinabi naman ni Chief In-spector Richard Fortaleza, hepe ng San Marcelino, sa mga drug surrenderee na ang kanilang pagsuko ay hindi nangangahulugan na ligtas na sila sa gagawing police opera-tions at mahigpit ang gagaw-in pagmonitor sa mga ito kung may pagbabago.

Saksi sa panunumpa ng pagbabago ang mga opisyal ng barangay at municipal councilors.

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LIMAY, Bataan -- Police on Friday reported the arrest of two suspects in the gun-slay of a teenaged boy about a year ago inside a resto bar here.

Chief Inspector Don Dick-sie De Dios, Limay police chief, said they apprehend-ed cousins Joel Acayen, 27, and John Sevilla, 33, both of Barangay Bo. Luz in Limay who were included in their most wanted personality list.

The suspects were charged for murder, with a warrant of arrest issued Au-gust 23, 2016 by Branch 94 of the Regional Trial Court in Balanga City.

They were tagged as the principal suspects in the death of college student Al-drin Ganata, 19, of Barangay Reformista in Limay town.

De Dios said the sus-pects did not resist arrest when nabbed in their resi-dence. “Nasorpresa sila,” he explained.

Marlyn Ganata, 46, ex-pressed hope that justice will be served to her son, second to four of their children.

“Salamat at nahuli na pu-matay sa anak ko. Dapat may trabaho na anak ko ngayon at nakakatulong na,” the mother said.

Reports showed that on the night of September 26, 2015, the suspects and the victim with some compan-ions were on separate drink-ing session at the Limayan Resto Bar in Limay. “Nagka-pikunan at nauwi sa barilan,” De Dios said.

The police chief said Acayen drew an unidentifi ed handgun and shot the victim twice while Sevilla held at bay the companions of the victim with his also unidenti-fi ed handgun.

The victim was brought to the Bataan General Hospi-tal in Balanga City where he died an hour later.

The suspects remained at-large until their arrest on Thursday afternoon, De Dios said.

2 suspects in teen slay

arrested

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ORION, Bataan -- Police killed a suspected drug supplier from Cavite during buy-bust operation here Friday mid-night.

Chief Inspector Eduar-do Guevara, Jr., Orion po-lice chief, said dead in the

‘Drug supplier’ from Cavite killed in Bataan buy-bustencounter with police opera-tives was Jojo Gorayeb, 50, of Naic, Cavite, alleged supplier of illegal drugs in Orion and surrounding areas.

During the buy-bust opera-tion, Gorayeb noticed that he was dealing with a police of-fi cer and pulled his handgun and fi red twice but missed,

prompting the security back-up to retaliate, the police chief said.

Scene of the Crime Opera-tives recovered from the wait-ing shed a .38 revolver with four live ammunitions and two fi red cartridges and one medi-um size sachet of shabu, re-port showed.

Guevara reported to Se-nior Supt. Benjamin Silo, Jr., Bataan police director, that a drug dependent who surren-dered tipped off the police of the activities of the victim.

Gorayeb became the 18th drug suspect killed in buy-bust operation of the Bataan police since July 1.

CABANATUAN CITY - After a lull in drug pusher killings, two bodies linked to theft were found dumped in separate places in Nueva Ecija.

Jeje Talibong, 33, a scav-enger from Purok Amihan, Ba-rangay Barrera this city, found the body of a man sprawled at the roadside of Villaluz Sub., Mabini Homesite here at around 5:30 pm Tuesday, po-lice said.

PO3 Jessie Fernando, in-vestigator, said the victim was hogtied with a rope, his neck bound by GI wire and his head wrapped with packaging tape.

Police said a cardboard with the inscription “wag tu-

Bodies of 2 ‘thieves’ dumped in NE

laran adik at motornapper ako” was found attached to a mo-torcycle gas tank on top of the body.

Police have yet to establish the victim’s identity.

On Saturday, the body of Virgilio Evangelista, 30, tricy-cle driver of Purok 1, Baran-gay Sta. Arcadia here was found at the shoulder of Val-defuente-Fortaleza Road by one Leonilo de Belen at about 2 p.m.

On his chest was a card-board with warning “mag-nanakaw ako wag tularan.’

Police are still conducting investigation on both cases.

– Armand M. Galang

CASH GIFT. Angeles City

Councilor Carmelo

“Pogi”Lazatin, Jr. hands the cash

gift from his own pocket to Jojo Maninang, the traffi c enforcer whose photos went viral on

the social media for managing

the traffi c alone under heavy rain. Lazatin

also sponsored a resolution

commending Maninang for his dedication to his

duties. P !"!

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PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • SEPTEMBER 1 - 3, 2016 • THURSDAY - SATURDAY

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E d i t o r i a l

TODAY IN PHILIPPINE HISTORYSource: www.kahimyang.info

LLL Trimedia Coordinators, Inc.Publisher

General ManagerEditor

Marketing ManagerLayout

Circulation

Atty. Gener C. EndonaCaesar “Bong” LacsonJoanna Niña V. CorderoDondie B. VenturaLacson Macapagal

Business & Editorial offi ce at Unit B Essel Commercial Center,McArthur Highway, Telabastagan, City of San Fernando

Tel. No. (45) 625•0244 Cel. No. 0917•481•1416puntogitnangluzon@yahoo.com or marketing@punto.com.ph

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acaesar.blogspot.com

Zona Libre Bong Z. Lacson

Opinion

Build

FASTER, IMPROVED travel time between the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat.

So blurbed the Clark Development Corp. once the Clark-Mabalacat-Angeles Road, aka Clark East Perimeter Road, opens to the public.

“On board a private vehicle, travel between Sta. Ines/Mabalacat Gate intersection area to Main Gate via MacArthur Highway would take a 30-45 minute average,” said CDC’s PR.

Further: “The six-kilometer, lighted, double lane road project, was constructed as part of (CDC’s) commitment to help decongest traffi c in the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat. It will connect the existing terminal in Mabalacat Gate area to the transport depot at the SM Clark City area in Angeles City.”

The CDC PR came in the wake of a laudatory Facebook post by Robby Tantingco, vice president of Holy Angel University, with the photo of the road (above) and the further qualifi cation that: “The project was funded by (CDC) under former CDC president Arthur Tugade (now Department of Transportation secretary) and is due to open very soon.”

Anything that could help ease traffi c – especially in the Metro Clark area – is laudable and worthy of the public’s grateful appreciation and full support.

Mabuhay ang CDC! Viva Tugade!

Destroy

MEANWHILE, CRACKS have developed in stretches of the Don Juico Ave., in Barangay Malabanas, Angeles City, just outside the Clark perimeter fence directly parallel to the Capilion Green Frontier project site.

Motorists noticed the cracks after the deep drillings – and the vibrations they caused – at the Capilion site. Which likewise shook hotels and other buildings in the immediate area, as well as at SM City Clark on the opposite side.

To recall, it was Tugade, as CDC president-CEO, that eff ected Capilion locating right at the very gate of the Freeport even as a number of groups and citizens, including the Angeles City Council, “vehemently opposed” the move, citing, primarily the traffi c hell it would cause.

Now, we are starting to reap Tugade’s legacy of sabotage at the freeport and its environs.

So, who will pay for this? Mayor Ed Pamintuan, your move.

What peace we seekPEACE IS in the horizon.

So was the multi-titled – mayor of Angeles City, 8th Best World Mayor, president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, and GPH peace panel adviser – Edgardo Pamintuan quoted as saying upon returning to his beloved city.

“We are tired from the long fl ight but it was a very fulfi lling trip. After years of stalled negotiation, we now see peace in the horizon. The signing of the joint statement (between the GPH and the NDFP) in Oslo, Norway was a giant fi rst leap towards the attainment of peace,” Pamintuan said, via press release from his offi ce.

Furthered the PR: The joint statement signed in the presence of Norwegian third-party observers and the Foreign Aff airs Minister of the Royal Norwegian Government settled several issues including an indefi nite ceasefi re, amnesty for NDF leaders still in jail and the reaffi rmation of previous agreements. It also brings to forth (sic) the agenda of social and economic reforms which is being tackled by a committee.

Pamintuan’s role in the talks, he explained thus: “As president of the League of Cities of the Philippines and Angeles City mayor, my role as adviser involved not only off ering insights and the LGU perspective but also helped consolidate the GRP peace panel. We also achieved unity with the NDF panel even on several contentious issues laid on the negotiation table. Knowing the panel members from both sides because of my presence in previous talks and experiences helped a lot in the success of the fi rst phase of the peace negotiation.”

Yes, our collective pride as Filipinos swell at this epochal moment in our history as a nation, and prouder yet as Angelenos for the key part taken in it by our much accomplished mayor. Luid!

Peace for our time. So British Prime Minister Neville

Chamberlain cried upon arriving at the Heston Aerodrome in London on Sept. 30, 1938, brandishing the Anglo-German Declaration he signed with Adolf Hitler.

“The settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem, which has now been achieved is, in my

view, only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may fi nd peace. This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine... We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again,” Chamberlain declared.

Less than a year after inking that agreement, Hitler incorporated the whole of Czechoslovakia into his Third Reich and invaded Poland triggering WWII.

No, by no means do I imply Pamintuan’s peace overture going the way of Chamberlain’s.

Pamintuan himself articulating the determination and express commitment of both panels to the peace process, thus: “We will work for that target even if we need to double or triple our eff orts. We are optimistic about this timeline. However, should there be a need to extend that period, then everyone should be open to it. Peace negotiation is a process and must not be snagged by technical limitations. This is an almost fi ve-decade war that is rooted on poverty, injustice and rights abuses and we must address the basic causes.”

Poverty. Injustice. Rights abuses. Ay, there’s the rub.

The root of the insurgency fi nding fertile fi eld in the all-out war against illegal drugs – the poor making up most of the so-far 2,000 casualties, in sheer disregard of due process, in virtual negation of the rule of law, in the naked abuse of human rights. All in the name of security, of safety, of public order. Of peace?

Alas, what can stop the killing? Indeed, why end the killing? When the greater part of the nation is heartily applauding.

Peace of the grave.What peace there be for those neutralized,

aye, exterminated with extreme prejudice?But for those that loved them, who else shall

weep for the eternal injustice of their peace?

ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1901, Gregorio Tiongson Velasquez, botanist and known as father of Philippine Phycology, was born in Calumpit, Bulacan.

Velasquez, who was con-ferred the National Scientist in Tropical Phycology award by President Ferdinand Marcos in 1982, pioneered research in phycology or the study of algae in the country.

He obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Sci-ence degrees, major in Bota-ny, from the University of the

Philippines in 1925 and 1931, respectively.

He also studied later at the University of Michigan and fi n-ished another Master of Sci-ence degree (1937), as well as a Ph.D. (1939), major in Phycology, under the super-vision of the eminent phycol-ogist William Randolph Taylor.

Velasquez was Professor Emeritus of Botany at the Uni-versity of the Philippines.

For many years, he was chairman for Biological Sci-ences of the National Re-

search Council of the Philip-pines.

He was married to Carmen Camacho Velasquez, a fi sh parasitologist and also a Na-tional Scientist.

He died on July 29, 1989 at the age of 87.

Velasquez Street at the campus of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, was named in honor of the Velasquez cou-ple who resided in one of the older houses located on the same street.

Gregorio Tiongson Velasquez is born in Calumpit, Bulacan

Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say, ‘I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.’ –Ann Landers

A man without ambition is dead. A man with ambition but no love is dead. A man with ambition and love for his blessings here on earth is ever so alive. Having been alive, it won’t be so hard in the end to lie down and rest. –Pearl Bailey

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Napag-uusapanLangFelix M. Garcia

Kumusta naang dating

‘Chief-of-Staff?SA PAGKA-APPOINT kay Alex Cauguiran

ni Pangulong Digong upang pamunuan

ang CIAC (o DMIA?) ay maaasahang

gaganda ang serbisyo ng paliparan.

At higit sa lahat, pati internal na

pamamalakad sa CIAC, (sa kamay niya)

ay tiyakang higit ding mapapaganda

sa pamumuno ng eksperto talaga.

Na kagaya nga ni Alex Cauguiran,

na sadyang subok na sa panunungkulan,

mapa-pribado o palingkurang-bayan;

(Taga-sa-panahon ika’ kung kawayan).

Hayan, pagkaupo pa lang niya sa puesto

ay inatasan na ang ‘rank-and-fi le’ nito

na ya’y mag-sagawa r’yan ng imbentaryo

ng ‘resources’ saka iba pang ‘revenue’;

Pati detalyado rin nilang listahan

ng mga ‘locators’ d’yan sa paliparan,

hiningi niya sa kinauukulan,

isumite agad sa kanyang tanggapan;

At inatasan din ang mga opisyal

na mag-sumite yan ng ‘specifi c plans’

sa lalong madaling panahon, para niyan

makuha ang datos na kinakailangan.

At ito’y marapat maisagawa agad

upang ang may hawak sa kaha ng CIAC

magawang i-budget ang pondo sa dapat

paglagyan kumbaga, sa lahat ng oras.

At tinukoy niyang: “If we have the money

we have capacity” sa madaling sabi,

na magbigay ‘increase’ sa mga ‘employee,’

(at sa ibang bagay na kailangan pati?)

At nitong isang Lunes na nakaraan,

isa sa pangunahin ding tinutukan

ng Pangulo CIAC, Alex Cauguiran

itong kung tawagi’y ‘rationalization plan;’

Upang sa gayon ang ‘Government Commission

on GOCC’ ay agad makatugon

sa pag-apruba ng mga ‘adjustments for

salaries and wages of CIAC workforce’ ngayon.

Tinukoy ang napakagandang relasyon

kay ‘newly-appointed’ President Vince Dizon

ng Bases Conversion and Dev. Corporation,

gayon din si Noel Manangkil – na ngayon

Ay ang bagong Pangulo nitong CDC,

tinitiyak niyang sa ikabubuti

ng corporation ay sila’y magsisilbi

nang todo (at wala ring iwanan pati?)

“My passion is about airports,” ani Alex

And I used to be an activist, and clamored

For the removal of military bases;

And a civilian use it’s a must in its place?

Kung saan noon ay sabi pa ni Alex

siya’y nasa harap mismo nitong ‘Main Gate’

ng Clark – kasama ang iba pang activist,

upang ang US bases ay mapatalsik!

Ganyan katindi ang bagong Presidente

at CEO ng CIAC, in its capacity

To handle any public offi cial duty,

Since Alex is of good moral ascendancy!

B� A����� M�!�"�#

ANGELES CITY –A city coun-cil ordinance granting free movie admissions to senior citizens and persons with dis-abilities (PWDs) in the dif-ferent malls in this city was unanimously passed during the council’s regular session last week.

Ordinance No. 394, S-2016 is an amendment to the Senior Citizens’ Code which now grants free mov-ie admissions twice a week during Mondays and Tues-days fi rst and second screen-ings.

However, the privilege cannot be availed during offi -cial and special holidays fall-ing on either Monday or Tues-day provided that the senior citizen’s discount given by vir-

Free movies for seniors, PWDs in AC malls

tue of RA 9994 shall continue to take eff ect.

Senior citizens will also have to sign in the logbook provided by the cinema op-erators to record those who availed themselves of free admission benefi ts. The cine-ma operators, in turn, are re-quired to submit a quarterly report to the Offi ce of the Se-nior Citizens Aff airs (OSCA).

Under Ordinance No. 395, S-2016, PWDs residing in this city are granted free admis-sion to cinemas and theaters operating in the city.

The said ordinance was unanimously approved by the city council citing the policy of the state under the 1987 Con-stitution to protect the rights of PWDs and promote their wel-fare and development.

However, the privilege falls

under the same restrictions as that of the senior citizens where it cannot be availed on offi cial and special holidays falling on either Mondays or Tuesdays.

Both ordinances were sponsored by Councilor Alfi e T. Bonifacio.

Both senior citizens and PWDs can now avail of the privilege in movie theaters on Mondays and Tuesdays at SM cinemas, Robinsons, Marquee Mall , Jenra Mall and Nepo Mall, among other malls located in this city.

The privilege, however, does not cover Imax theaters and 3D screenings and is also not valid on nonworking pub-lic holidays. Free admission to movies classifi ed as block-busters may be availed of a week after initial screening.

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—DepEd RO3 cli-ents can heave a sigh of re-lief and expect faster frontline service transactions with the simplifi ed and convenient pro-cessing of permits and other pertinent documents released by the Regional Offi ce as a re-sponse to President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to cut red tape and complete government transactions within 30 days.

The Certifi cation, Authenti-cation, and Verifi cation (CAV) of school records, elementa-ry and secondary education diploma, offi cial transcript of records and other school re-cords, for employment/study abroad, and Seaman’s Book, which is free of charge, shall now be requested directly at the DepEd Regional Offi ce. A transaction slip will be issued by the Records Section to each applicant to confi rm the receipt of authentic, complete and intact documents. Like-wise, the DFA Form No. DFA-OCA-A-03 (date of issuance of the CAV/RED RIBBON at the Department of Foreign Aff airs) will also be issued. Application Forms for CAV could be down-loaded through www.deped.gov.ph/region-iii.

Applications received un-til 3:00 o’clock in the after-noon, together with the master list, will be transmitted to the DFA for authentication on the same day. Those that will be

IN ADHERENCE TO PRESIDENT DUTERTE’S DIRECTIVE

DepEd RO3 streamlines frontline services; expedites release of documents

received after the cut-off time will be sent to the same offi ce on the following day. The offi -cial courier of the DFA regu-larly picks up the documents at the DepEd Regional Offi ce. Applicant shall claim the CAV /RED RIBBON documents at the DFA Offi ce in Macapa-gal Avenue, Aseana Business Park, Parañaque (near Mall of Asia).

However, those who are scheduled to leave the coun-try within ten (10) days are al-lowed to hand-carry their CAV application to the DFA-OCA Pampanga located in Robin-sons Starmills in Mexico, Pam-panga. The usual and regular processing of CAV requests takes ten (10) days.

Public School Teachers’ Upgrading of Positions Simi-larly, eff ective October 1, 2016, the approval of requests for upgrading of position of Teach-ers I to Teachers III, Head Teachers I to Head Teachers II/III and other teaching related positions thru the Equivalents Record Forms (ERFs) has also been streamlined, allow-ing teachers to directly sub-mit the following documents to their respective division offi ces every Friday at 4:00 p.m.

The Schools Division Of-fi ces shall receive the docu-ments of the applicants and shall issue a Transaction Slip (with control number) as con-fi rmation of the receipt of the

documents. The designated Liaison Offi cers of the Schools Division Offi ces shall submit the duly signed ERFs, Plantilla Allocation Lists, and other sup-porting documents with trans-mittal letter to the Records Unit of the Regional Offi ce ev-ery Friday. The Personnel Unit of the Regional Offi ce, upon receipt of the documents, shall process the ERFs within fi ve (5) days (Friday of last week to Thursday of next week).

Similarly, the Finance Di-vision of the Regional Offi ce upon receipt of copies of the approved ERFs shall allocate the funding requirement and submit to the Department of Budget and Management, Re-gional Offi ce III every Friday, for the issuance of NOSCA. The corresponding NOSCA of the approved ERFs shall be is-sued directly by the DBM RO III to the Division Offi ces, copy furnished DepEd Regional Of-fi ce Finance Division. Upon re-ceipt of the copy of the NOS-CA, the DepEd RO Finance Division shall issue the corre-sponding Sub-ARO to cover the salary diff erential.

Other business processes in the DepEd Regional Offi ce such as the processing and approval of Government Rec-ognition and Permit to Operate for Private Schools have been streamlined and improved ser-vices and transactions.

–Press release

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ANGELES CITY- The so called “Cos-play Nation” paraded their animated and colorful costumes at the SM City Clark here on Saturday (August 27) surprising shoppers and mall goers who took time to take their “selfi es” and “groupies” with them.

The event, which started at 10 am, was headed and hosted by Marvin Bi-acora and Jeremiah Gomez.

Some 30 participants signed up for the event with two contests divided into three categories: “Marvel and Dc, An-ime, and Other Fandoms.”

Christian Umali as War Machine Mark 3 won in the Marvel and Dc catego-ry while Precious Panyan won the Anime category for portraying Rem from Zero.

On the other hand, Syrelle Anne R. Dela Cruz got the prize for the Other Fandoms category as Axiator Frecia of

the League of Legends.The winners took home SM gift cer-

tifi cates aside from being hailed as the best in their categories. - Jerome Casupanan, Rosita Kimberly Rob-inson, Alma Quiambao and Jushua Balilo – OJTs/SPCF

‘Cosplay Nation’ invades SM City Clark

Christian Umali one of the winners of SM City Clark’s Cosplay Nation in the Marvel and DC category portraying “War Machine Mark 3”.

BE READY to grab your purse because the 2nd half of the 3DAY SALE at SM City Baliwag is on its way this coming Sep-tember 2, 3 and 4, 2016.

Great and trendy selections of merchandise will be mark down up to 70% off . Plus a chance to win the grand prize of Suzuki Celerio when you shop at all SM City Baliwag tenants and affi liates. For every 1000 worth is equivalent in to one (1) cou-pon. You also have a chance to win Globe Prepaid Cards, Pock-et Wifi and Samsung Galaxy J1 from Globe. Just exchange your receipts and drop your coupons at the Event Center, Food Court and Mall Atrium.

Start your “ber” month with lots of surprises and great shop-ping experience at SM City Bali-wag 3 DAY SALE…

-Eat, Play, Shop…Both home grown and glob-

al food hubs are coming in one by one at SM City Baliwag. The Pinoy Espesyal as they call Bar-rio Fiesta recently opened to the

SM City Baliwag got it all3-DAY SALE

public. Barrio Fiesta Manufactur-ing Corporation (BFMC) was es-tablished to bring to the tables of Filipino families high quality food and to share the experience they gained in Barrio Fiesta restaurants since 1958.

While the trendy Mang Inasal excites mall goers as they served the Baliwagenyos mid-July 2016. Mang Inasal’s authentic fusion of traditional Filipino cuisine with the dine-in concept. Famous for its na-tive-style and “nuot-sarap” Chick-en Inasal with its pioneering “un-limited rice”, Mang Inasal quickly won the heart of its customers with its distinctively Pinoy stamp-grill-ing and special marinade made out of local secret spices.

Play??? Where else? Every-thing is here… Choices of play-house for your kiddos while shop-ping. Hassle-free is what SM City Baliwag envisioned as they let Ambika, Little People, Kids Ven-ue and Bubbi Blocks to be part of their booming family.

Parents may let their kids to enjoy and have fun while doing

their thingy in the mall. The chil-dren where all well-kept and safe inside these play-house. Toys, gadgets and even cartoon movies are all set for their little guests.

At SM City Baliwag they got it all! Name it and they have it. –PR

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NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of LOLITA SUN SANTOS who

died intestate on April 6, 2013 in 18819 Fagan Ave., Artesia, CA 90701 USA, executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement with Waiver of Rights of her estate, more particularly described as a parcel of land (Lot 1, Block 18 of the subdivision plan (LRC) Psd-66539, (Sheet 1), being a portion of Lot 702-B, described on plan (LRC) Psd-48796, LRC (GLRO) Cad. Rec. No. 124), situated in the Barrio of Pampang, City of Angeles, Prov. of Pamp. and covered by Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 112906 of the Registry of Deeds for Angeles City, before Notary Public Anthonie K. Langit as per Doc No. 720, Page No. 100, Book No. XXVIII, Series of 2016.

Punto! Central Luzon: August 25, September 1 & 8, 2016

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of TEODORICO PINEDA who died

intestate on April 13, 1945 in Porac, Pampanga; MONICO G. PINEDA who died intestate on September 3, 1995 in Sta. Rita, Pampanga; MAXIMO G. PINEDA who died intestate on March 24, 1981 in Angeles City; DOMINGO PINEDA who died intestate on January 8, 1948 in Porac, Pampanga; and RUFINO PINEDA who died intestate on Jnauary 20, 1963 in Porac, Pampanga executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement with Waiver of Rights of their estate, more particularly described as a parcel of land (Lot No. 786 of the Cadastral Survey of Porac), with improvements thereon, situated in the Municipality of Porac, Prov. of Pamp. and covered by Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 042-13728, before Notary Public Rogelio T. Reyes as per Doc No. 109, Page No. 22, Book No. 276, Series of 2016.

Punto! Central Luzon: August 25, September 1 & 8, 2016

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of LEONORA R. CUEVAS, SOLITO

R. CUEVAS, FELICIANO R. CUEVAS and BELTICEZAR R. CUEVAS, who all died intestate, executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement with Project of Partition of their estate, more particularly described as a parcel of land located at Barrio Cataning, Municipality of Hermosa, Province of Bataan containing an area of One Hundred Fifty Thousand Six Hundred Forty Two (150,642) Square Meters and covered by Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 19370 in the Registry of Deeds for the Province of Bataan, before Notary Public Pedro D. Genato as per Doc No. 270, Page No. 54, Book No. 10, Series of 2016.

Punto! Central Luzon: August 25, September 1 & 8, 2016

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of CANDIDA SAMSON DIZON who

died intestate on April 11, 2016 in San Juan, Sta. Ana, Pampanga, executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement with Waiver of Rights of her estate, more particularly described as a Cash Incentive Award with the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Offi ce or any concerned government agency, before Notary Public Rogelio T. Reyes as per Doc No. 475, Page No. 95, Book No. 272, Series of 2016.

Punto! Central Luzon: August 25, September 1 & 8, 2016

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of DIOSDADO S. MANALANG who

died intestate on June 22, 2009 executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement with Absolute Sale of his estate, more particularly described as a parcel of land (Lot 29, Block 9 of the subdivision plan (LRC) Psd-110950, being a portion of Lot 1, Block 29 Pcs-5894, L.R.C. Cad. Record No. 124), situated in the Barrio of Malabanias, City of Angeles, Island of Luzon and covered by Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. T-59879 of the Registry of Deeds for Angeles City, before Notary Public Crisanto A. Cocal as per Doc No. 4888, Page No. 94, Book No. 65, Series of 2015.

Punto! Central Luzon: September 1, 8 & 15, 2016

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of ALMA SALVADOR SIBAL who

died intestate on November 25, 2015 in San Jose, San Simon, Pampanga, executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement of her estate, more particularly described as UCPB Bank Account with No. 10-155-002890-6, Ortigas, Pasig City Branch in the amount of Php 310,153.40, before Notary Public Reymon E. Fabros as per Doc No. 52, Page No. 41, Book No. IX, Series of 2016.

Punto! Central Luzon: September 1, 8 & 15, 2016

said these branches are among the 109 chosen SSS offi ces nationwide which will accept LRP applications as well as other select SSS trans-actions on September 3, 10, 17, and 24.

“Eleven out of the 20 branches under the Lu-zon Central Division will be open every Saturday this September to ac-cept LRP applications. We encourage mem-bers, especially borrow-ers, to take advantage of this special schedule,” Agapito said.

Launched last April 28, LRP aims to help ca-lamity-stricken borrow-ers settle their unpaid

SSS to open 11 branches in North...F!"# $%&' 1 short-term loans through

an aff ordable payment terms and condonation of loan penalties. This will enable member-bor-rowers enjoy the full amount of their benefi ts in the future.

“The special Satur-day schedule will provide member-borrowers am-ple time to fi le their LRP applications in order to clean up their overdue calamity and other past due short-term SSS loans without having to pay the corresponding penalties,” Agapito ex-plained.

The special Saturday schedule is also part of the 59th SSS anniversa-ry celebration which falls on September 1 with the

theme “SSS at 59: Kaag-apay at Kabalikat sa Pagbabago.”

The SSS decided to open these offi ces so that those who cannot visit SSS on weekdays due to their busy work schedules can have an opportunity during Sat-urday to fi le their LRP application, update their SSS records and under-go UMID data capture, among other branch transactions.

“LRP is also open to members who are al-ready qualifi ed for their benefi t. They may fi le their disability, death or retirement benefi t claim together with LRP appli-cation during the avail-ment period which will

end in April 27, 2017 to enjoy condonation of loan penalties once their loan is fully paid,” Agapi-to said.

Over 19,000 LRP ap-plications have already been received by the SSS Luzon Central Divi-sion, with expected col-lections so far amounting to P300 million.

Application forms for the LRP and other SSS programs are download-able from the SSS web-site at www.sss.gov.ph. Members registered at the My.SSS facility of the SSS website can also view their SSS state-ment of loan account and other SSS records via the internet.

–Press release

Anna Dione, even as she and other DOLE of-fi cials met with investors in this freeport to explain Pres. Duterte’s policy against contractualiza-tion.

“There no new law against contractualiza-tion. The law has been there all along and we are just making sure it is fi nally enforced,” she said.

Dione said Bello has imposed deadlines for regional DOLE offi ces to

Bello wants 50% of ‘endos’ regularized...F!"# $%&' 1 enforce the law against

illegal contractualization. “Fifty percent this year, and total compliance by next year,” she noted.

Dione explained that contractualization refers to the practice of em-ployers to directly hire people under a fi xed pe-riod of employment not exceeding six months, so as to skirt provisions of the law that mandates regular employment sta-tus for those who have worked in a fi rm over six month.

“The law prohibis

this, as there is constitu-tional right of security of tenure that is in the La-bor Code,” she stressed.

Dione said, however, that not all contractual-ization measures are il-legal. “There is such a thing as legitimate con-tracting, as when one hires a contractor who, in turn, hires workers to accomplish a project one wants completed,” she explained.

She said, however, that the DOLE is still in the process of reviewing possible amendments to

the implementing rules against legitimate con-tracting to make the pol-icy more responsive to the welfare of both work-ers and employers.

“Admittedly, howev-er, DOLE needs more assessors to fast track monitoring of compli-ance by companies, but we are asking them not to wait for DOLE and just comply,” she said.

Dione said she ex-pected “results” on vol-untary regularization of “endo’s” within Septem-ber.

Information and Com-munications Technology Solutions, Inc., owner of the burned warehous-es said two warehouses (Numbers 2 and 3) con-taining fi ber optic cables, engineering equipment and 13 vehicles were to-tally razed to the ground.

He said the cables and equipment are slat-ed for the expansion

P200-M up in smoke in cable warehouse...F!"# $%&' 1 project of his company.

Uy assured that Con-verge’s daily operations will not be aff ected be-cause warehouse Num-ber 1, which is used to store engineering equip-ment for daily operations, was spared by the fi re.

Uy confi rmed that the unsupervised cut-ting of the cogon grass in the area which was lat-er thrown in a ditch and burned was the caused

the fi re when it was re-kindled and spread quickly reaching fl amma-ble hose cables stored in the area.

The blaze was raised to the third alarm by the Bureau of Fire Protection at around 5:45 p.m., Lis-ing said, adding that al-most all fi retrucks in the province were deployed to fi ght the inferno.

Among the respond-ing fi retrucks were from

Porac, Bacolor, City of San Fernando, Mexi-co, Guagua, Sta. Rita, Magalang, Sto. Tomas, Mabalacat City and Dee Hwa Liong Fire Volun-teers.

Lising said the fi re was placed under con-trol at around 6:05 p.m. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Converge is an inter-net service provider.

–Ashley Manabat

council in the Facebook account “Mabalacat Stop Corruption” beginning with Mayor Marino “Bok-ing” Morales and Vice Mayor Christian C. Halili.

Lucas was also charged with 14 counts of libel by Vice Mayor Christian Halili and four counts each from 11 city councilors for a total of 58 counts before the City Prosecutor’s Offi ce on

VM, SP fi le 58 libel cases vs. loser in mayoralty raceF!"# $%&' 1 August 22. The mem-

bers of the city coun-cil, including Indigenous Peoples’ representative Ruvilyn Margarito, are demanding P5 million for each count.

The verifi ed com-plaints were signed by its OIC and Administering Prosecutor Nancy Fajar-do-Langit.

During a press con-ference on Thursday, Halili said Lucas can-not simply claim to be a

“concerned citizen” since she threw her hat in the political arena when she ran for mayor but lost. Her constant tirades on Facebook, Halili said, are all baseless and po-litically motivated meant to destroy their repu-tations for her political gain.

“She is no longer a concerned citizen be-cause she is now in a diff erent level after she became a candidate for

mayor,” the vice mayor pointed out.

Lucas is now de-clared “undesirable” in Mabalacat even if she does not reside in this city anymore and has no known business here, said Halili.

Lucas lashed at members of the city council with diff erent un-printable invectives and branded them as drug protectors and thieves on Facebook.

“All documents that Lucas was demand-ing are all posted at the city hall and we are very transparent otherwise we will not be recognized for good governance by the Department of Inte-rior and Local Govern-ment,” Halili said.

Lucas was also bran-dishing that she will have the mayor and vice may-or removed from offi ce because they are “drug protectors” and have pending cases before the Ombudsman.

“As I stand before you today, I have no pend-ing case before the Om-budsman,” Halili said.

For his part, Mayor

Morales said “the rea-son why we fi led cases against Pyra Lucas is because all her allega-tions are baseless. She just cannot accept the fact that she lost in the elections and the people of Mabalacat had sound-ly rejected her.”

Morales said he also has no pending case be-fore the Ombudsman contrary to Lucas’ alle-gations.

“This is all political-ly motivated,” the mayor added.

“This press confer-ence was called to let the people of Mabalacat know the real issues,” he said.

B* J"+//* R'34%/6"

SUBIC, Zambales - Seven drug per-sonalities were arrested by the Subic PNP Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) in simultaneous drug operations in Ba-rangay Calapacuan here.

Chief Inspector Leonardo Madrid,

7 arrested in anti-drug operationsSubic police chief, identifi ed the sus-pects as Ronnie Mangunay y Fernan-dez, 42, Arnel Arrojo y Almoro, 19, and Joey Galvez y Pardales, 33, all resi-dents of Pomera St., Barangay Calapa-cuan; Lamberto Pontrias y Del Rosa-rio, 39, resident of Tala St., Matain, Subic; and Rolly Enriquez y Junio, 33,

and June Dela Cruz y Delisa, 40, resi-dent of Barrio Barretto, Olongapo City.

The suspects were arrested by the DEU team headed by Senior Inspec-tor Jonathan Bardaje selling shabu to a police poseur-buyer.

Police confi scated from the sus-pects 13 pieces of small heat-sealed

transparent plastic sachets of shabu and the P600 marked money.

The suspects are now facing charges for violation of Section 5 and 11, Article II of RA 9165 (Comprehen-sive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002) before the Provincial Prosecutors’ Of-fi ce in Olongapo City.