MANAOAG – Police Regional Director Alfredo de Vera has ordered a thorough investigation into the slaying of a policeman from La Union who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman while he was visiting the tomb of a relative at the Manaoag cemetery in barangay Babasit here.

Supt. Ricardo Tamayo, police-community relations officer of the Pangasinan police office, said De Vera coursed his order through Police Deputy Police Regional Director Nicanor Carandang and then through Pangasinan Police Provincial Director Alan Purisima.

The fatality was identified as PO2 Jimmy Piador, a policeman assigned in Naguilian, La Union but who is a resident here. He suffered seven gunshot wounds in different parts of his body and died on the spot.

The gunman was among two men who were on a motorcycle that probably waited for Piador in front of the cemetery.

Police investigators theorized that the killing of Piador could be work-related although there was a report the incident might also be a possible retaliation for his alleged misbehaviors here whenever he was drunk.

Tamayo said Police Provincial Director Purisima already ordered the Manaoag police to speed up the investigation of the case so that the perpetrators can be arrested and placed behind laws. (PNA)

FOR almost 20 years now farmers belonging to the Urdaneta-Villasis Federation of Irrigators Association (UVFIA) have pleaded with the National Irrigation Administration to repair the antiquated and non-functioning irrigation system servicing their farmlands.

Helen Valenzuela, president of UVFIA, said association members could hardly pay their irrigation fees because of poor harvest as most of the land they till lack irrigation.

“Some of our old members have died without seeing the realization of their dream of having the irrigation facilities repaired,” she said.

NIA operates the Agno-Sinucalan River Irrigation System (Agno RIS) that services the almost 1,000 hectares being tilled by UVFIA farmers. Of the 1,000 hectares, only 300 hectares are irrigated because most of the irrigation canals are either too damaged or heavily silted.

Engr. Roberto Abule, chief of the Operations and Maintenance Division of NIA Region 1 office in Urdaneta City, explained that the budget for the maintenance of the four major NIA irrigation systems in the province (including the Agno-Sinucalan RIS) continues to be reduced each year mainly because of the inability of the farmers to pay water fees.

He said the amount allotted to the agency is not enough to repair the canals and other facilities.

Help found

When typhoon Feria destroyed the dam of the Agno RIS in 2001, UVFIA officers led by Valenzuela sought the help of Gov. Victor E. Agbayani who lost no time arranging for financial assistance for the immediate repair of the dam.

Because of the heavily silted irrigation canals however the Agno RIS continues to operate below capacity, depriving close to 700 farmers of precious irrigation water.

The vicious cycle of despair continued. Farmers cannot pay the amortization of their irrigation fees to the NIA and so the agency cannot rehabilitate its aging irrigation systems.

“This is a cycle that has been going on and on for many years. So we want to break that cycle,” Agbayani told newsmen here.

Noting both the predicament of the farmers and NIA, Agbayani said the provincial government is willing to repair the irrigation facilities with the Agno RIS as pilot project.

“We will do our best to help rehabilitate the irrigation systems of NIA as much as the funds of the provincial government can handle from year to year,” he said.
Jose Almendares, provincial agriculturist, said about P3 million is needed to repair the 15-km irrigation canals of the Agno RIS alone.

Agreement with NIA

Abule said his agency welcomes the formula proposed by the governor.

In Pangasinan, NIA operates the Agno-Sinucalan River Irrigation System, the San Fabian-Dumoloc RIS, Ambayaoan-Dipalo RIS, and the lower Agno RIS. The four major irrigation systems cover about 20,000 hectares. More than 4,000 hectares of the area coverage are presently not irrigated because of silted or damaged facilities.

Agbayani has initially agreed to rehabilitate the Agno-Sinucalan RIS on condition that the farmers would retain 50 percent of the agency’s collection from water fees for the maintenance of the irrigation facilities.

He said part of the program would be the training of farmers on the operation of the facilities as well as providing them with accounting and administrative know-how.
This will ensure the continuity and sustainability of the program, he said.

Under the province’s Provincial Irrigation Development Program, an additional 12,000 hectares of farmlands have been irrigated since Agbayani took over the helm of the provincial government in 1998.

By Liway M. Yparraguirre

ROSALES – This town’s 3,412.60 hectare Eco-Tourism Site is the official entry of Region 1 to the Search for New Travel Destinations in the Country.

A project of the Women In Travel or WIT (a non-government organization) and the Department of Tourism (DOT), the search was launched last July 29, 2005 during the group’s 25th anniversary.

The Search for New Travel Destinations is divided into three categories: Undiscovered (in which the Rosales Eco-Tourism Site is competing); Rural /Natural (adventure tours); and Unique in terms of culture, event (cultural, sports, religious etc.), flora and fauna.
Mayor Ricardo V. Revita said his town is honored to be chosen representative of the Ilocos region in the search.

The Rosales Eco-Tourism Site is nestled at the foot of the legendary Mount Balungao, straddling five barangays: Acop, San Angel, San Luis, Calanutan and Salvacion.
The mayor said he discovered the area when he was still a police officer. Aside from the moderately sloping and rolling terrain, it boasts of three man-made lakes earlier designed as water impounding dams to irrigate low lying rice fields.
A free flowing natural spring provides an added refreshing attraction to the side of Mount Balungao.

Pursuing an eco-tourism plan crafted in 2004, the local government established a 4-kilometer wide road, graveled for easier travel of hikers and tourists to the eco-park.
Restrooms complete the amenities within even as fruit bearing trees were planted all over to further enhance its ecological impact.

Revita said a municipal Eco-Tourism Office was also created to sustain and supervise the development of the area. Eco-tourism guards were employed (all coming from the five barangays) mainly to enforce a municipal ordinance that specifies protected areas in the site. Cutting trees is restricted while hunting and fishing are allowed only on seasons.

With all the improvements, it is fast becoming a favorite relaxation area of both local residents and their foreigner visitors.

Generally, the eco-park is ideal for picnicking or camping, horse-back riding, biking and boating, or simply communing with the environment. There is also a privately owned-firing range near the area.

Rosales town is strategically located at the crossroads to Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, not to mention its being the gateway to Isabela and to the Ilocos.

“Getting the attention and the nod of DOT-Region as the region’s representative to the national search for new tourist destinations in the Philippines is an indication we are on the right track,” Revita remarked.

The objective of the search is to introduce new alternative destinations for frequent travelers and promote domestic and inbound tourism, motivate local constituents to develop their own local tourist attractions and enhance their means of livelihood as they discover and create activities that will promote and improve their localities.

The search also encourages them to preserve their historical and natural resources.

Entries for the New Destination category of the search must be those areas not yet discovered or recognized as a tourist attraction by the DOT.

The winner (Best Destination 2006) will receive cash and other incentives intended to improve and/or refurbish the place. Likewise, it will be promoted and marketed by the sponsors and partners to attract more domestic and foreign visitors.

GOVERNMENT palay procurement in Pangasinan this cropping season, from September to February, comes at the guaranteed support price of P10 per kg., still as part of the Arroyo administration’s Beat the Odds program.

Aside from the usual P10/kg palay support price, the National Food Authority in western Pangasinan is also giving additional incentives of P0.15 and P0.10/kg to farmers for drying and transporting their produce to NFA warehouses and P0.25/kg as Cooperative Development Incentive Fee for the post-harvest facility build up.

The program aims to encourage farmers and farmers’ groups to deliver their produce to the NFA while assuring them of a fair return of their investment which is a big boost to the cooperative, Provincial Manager Arturo Figueroa said.

Some 24,568 bags have been bought by NFA from farmer cooperatives of the province, so far.

Farmer organizations are likewise encouraged to sell their palay to the NFA to avail of other additional incentive like the Farmers’s Incentive Rice (FAIR) Purchase Program which gives farmer cooperatives the option to buy back from the NFA up to 25% of the rice equivalent of the palay stocks they sold to the NFA, subject to the availability of rice in warehouses.

Seven warehouses are accepting palay deliveries from accredited farmers
organizations and individual farmers located in Alaminos GID warehouse in barangay Pandayan; Managterem GID warehouse in brgy.Umangan; Kazenbar 4 warehouse in Tebeng, Dagupan and Star Genielien and Ferrer Warehouse in Lingayen

Meanwhile, the NFA branch here has assured Pangasinenses there is enough supply of rice.

Current rice inventory of the province on the macro level stands at 4,968,549 bags of rice, good to last for 470 days and includes households and commercial stocks, the NFA reported.

The agency is also ready to supply government rice to LGUs thru the Rice Loan program in the event of calamity and/or emergency. (VMHS)

SAYAN INDIO
Mario Karateka

SIKAYORAN wadtan ya manliket ya maniskopita o mamaltog na saratay manok-atap a singa saramay dolakak tan mipadparan dayon manok o ibon, itonda yolatan a bisyo.

No agyo labay ya onkamayat dia o ditad barangayyo so makapataktakot ya sakit a “bird flu”, agyola papateyen tan kakanen iratan a manok-atap ya manlalapu nid biek taew tan ondadapodia labat ed probinsiya tayo pian mangan na sira-sira ditad kapokokan tan kailogan. Mas maoges no sibuaken yo iraya ta ompan diad kataktakot o kabiglara et nasorob day sola-solar yo tan milaok irad iiwien yoran manok, pabo, pato tan ganso ditan Peligron napeketan na samay bayrus (virus) ya nayarin awit daranian manok-atap so kamanokan tayoran iiwien tan no manmamalas-malas tayoni sikatayoran totoo mismo so mansakit na “bird flu” ya sengeg na ipatey tayon magano.

Say kuay pigaran totoo et sayala imay pawit na Dios ya salot ed mundon makasalanan; lorey ka tay kuanda, singa manlapud tagey so manangikamayat na sayan ambelat a sakit, de payak tan ampuputin manok-atap. Ya ombaliw iraya ed milya-milyan distansia, piga-pigaran palpalandey tan kakiewan ya angatagey ed mundo so tekyaben da pian ondapo labat ed Pilipinas tan arom niran bansa. Aga singa impawit a salot, awa?

Say mas makapapaga ni ingen et anggan samay “anti-viral” ya tambal tatawagey Tamiflu et agni asubok a maong no talagan saya et mamaabig na say sakey a manasakit na “bird flu” o “avian flu” ta lanti diad singa anemaplon inaatey lad sayan sakit ed kaplesan diad Asya et agmet naikdan na sayan tambal.

Samay oseltamivir o Tamiflu et kabat labat ya manonaan ya pangontra ed ordinaryo o komon ya influenza (petang) Agni asali no panon kaepektibo iya ed “bird flu”.

Anggaman ontan manlolombaan laray nasyones ya mangorder na Tamiflu ed samay multinasyonal ya kompanyay tambal a Roche ed ilalora lanti a saya labat so nayarin depensara ed sayan sakit – no nasabi-sabi. Diad Pilipinas, kaermenan ya anggaponi so suplay tayod saya anggad natan ta say inorder nen Sekretaryo na Abig Laman Francisco Duque (a kabaleyan tayo) ed Roche et abeteni na onsoblay a taon insan naideliber da. Siyempre, manonaan ya makala iray baleg a bansa a singa say Estados Unidos tan diad Yuropa ta mas maimpluwensia tan mayayaman ira.

Sikatayo, legan a mana-alagar,et salien tila itay tagumbaw tan oregano ya tanaman ed kaliber-liber tan kapasolan insan tekepay masimoon ya pikasid Aman Manamalsa tan Managtambal.
Osto, Mama Kabog?

* * * * *
Pigaran kakaibad Medya so mapaga la lapud ni, nantotombokan ed loob labat na limara o anemiran agew, ya abakbaktar iray taloran managpalapag ed Pangasinan. Inggapo nen Nap Donato na Home Cable tan Sunday Punch, sinmoblay si Cuya Max ‘Tartariwa’ Mendiguarin na Sunday Punch met insan si Dominic ‘Dong’ Villafuerte.

Mankebyew laray walad Media ta singa wala konoy malas ya sinmabid sektor da.
Tepet nen Nana Eva Visperas ed teks tod si Ama Behn: “Panon tayon napatonda so onian senyales ed Medya?”

Galaw toniay malorey ya Ama Behn: Imiyembro yoran amin ed Patrima ta dia labat so kilalaban.

Balet biig so lorey, nepeg amon mangala so olopay Medya na adbayser (adviser) dan doktor o siopaman ya ekspertod abig-laman laotla saray “stress management experts” parad saray mamalangwerni o “middle age” iran miyembro tan say “geriatrician” parad saray mamatakkenla.

Nen imbebeneg kasi, oonaen so panpaseminar ed panagpaltog (gun handling) amta anggapometniray papateyen iran managpalapag dia; anggad panagtaktakot labat. Abayagmetlan tuloy imay impamatey ed si Ermin Garcia, Sr.

Siopaman so onsoblay ya mangidaulo na Medya dia, ikdantoy imano iyan suhestiyon komon. Mas praktikal – nen say satay pan-aral na pangablit na gatilyoy paltog.

Antoy kuanyodtan, Mama Bernie, Cuya Alex, Ama Rudy, Atchi Susan tan Aromnira?

THE Philippine peso, surprise, surprise, has been rallying strongly. Where it was down and almost out during the past four months or so, today it’s like a prizefighter battered and bruised but fighting back and striking back, with a vengeance.

Quite naturally, skeptics say this is all artificial and buoyed up mainly by the natural practice of overseas Filipino workers of sending those precious dollars and assorted foreign currencies at this time of the year to their families and relatives here, thus greatly shoring up the country’s dollar reserves. Maybe so, but it’s still something that brings good tidings to Filipinos because it means simply that they can buy more for their hard-earned peso than they would have some months back.

Another proferred reason for this life leap of the peso is that on Christmas season, more businessmen have to bring out their dollars in order to purchase goods from abroad to fill their outlets up for the season’s shopping mania among Pinoys. A Central Bank official said this is a health indicator for the economy because it means our dollar situation is sound – there’s selling and buying of the Almighty dollar.

Everyone hopes this momentum can be maintained; far too long have the Filipinos wallowed in misery and political bickerings they forgot they have an economy to be responsible for. Now that once again, our economic saviors, the OFWs, are bailing us out and turning the tide for our national coffers which had been in the doldrums while everyone was engaged in finger-pointing over the mess we’re in, maybe we Pinoys should seize the moment and take stock of what’s bad in our culture and cast it out with the fading old year.

Away, away, evil spirit!

AFTER ALL
Behn Fer. Hortaleza, Jr.

THERE are authorities and there are authorities.

In times that try men’s souls, there are persons who emerge to take control, keep a group or nation together and bring on a calm sense of optimism among people of diverse persuasions amid all the confusion and trouble.

In this mold fits the late Ninoy Aquino, Phivolcs Director Rolando Punongbayan, former PCGG chair Haydee Yorac and possibly now, Finance Secretary Gary Teves, he who was plucked from his ensconced post at the Land Bank of the Philippines to become the country’s Finance Secretary just when all hell seemed to break loose over in the department. And from all indications, he’s been steering the ship (DoF) well.

We’ve never met this guy personally but watching him say his piece on television about issues concerning his turf – to include a “talk show” with President GMA herself a few weeks back – with such smoothness, sincerity and humility, no frills at all — makes one wish Mike Defensor and Luis Villafuerte take some lessons from him on the fine art of public speaking, not to mention public defending.

But perhaps, such suave, serene, even-voiced discourses come naturally for Teves; it’s in his character. Not even when he was being accused, wrongfully a year back about some misdemeanor or the other did this man lose composure in public. In fact, by his own humble appearance and soft repartees, he was already able to acquit himself before the audience without reaching the investigation point.

If there’re clear plus points for the administration in its current battle against the odds, Teves should be out front among them. He is holding a super sensitive portfolio that calls for the assuaging voice of a priest, the firm resolution of a judge and the demeanor of a doctor, clinically analyzing a delicate situation without showing any clear emotion that could be interpreted by the patient and his relatives either way – good or bad.

No wonder, in his term at the Land Bank, he carried that public institution to greater and greater heights it had become now the envy of financing institutions.

Nope, this is by no means a PR job for the man; it is completely unsolicited. In fact, he doesn’t need it; he is his own best PR man.

* * *
Lest a recent incident during a “private visit” of the President to Rosales town gets a reprise, with all its unfortunate implications, maybe it’s best for local media friends to remember that everything during such “private visits” is purely a hit or miss affair, so to speak, insofar as getting an audience or interview with the Top Lady of the Land is concerned.

Precisely, the Philippine Information Agency, which usually coordinates coverage of presidential presences, and other attached media agencies to the Office of the President don’t get alerted at all on such visits and would thus discreetly keep their distance even when present.

But where those in the President’s immediate company have preference to bring in their own media friends who tag along, by reason of, well, simply being the host at the site, some “livable or practical arrangement” can perhaps yet be made – subject to the usual security and protocol considerations.

Private media’s need or yearning for a scoop in the President’s more intimate moments with friends and relatives is of course understandable. It is their raison d’etre. It is this prime and only reality that the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) – of course in consultation with the President herself and the Presidential Security Group (PSG) — might want to address satisfactorily, without being too abrasive about it, the next time around.
The only non-negotiable condition being that there be no cameras brought in – to protect the “privacy” of the occasion. Which is what a “private visit” is really all about, correct?

The Pen Speaks
Danny O. Sagun

EVEN at this stage, the underlying motive for the ill-conceived plan to regulate parking in the city’s main thoroughfares — which are mostly national roads—smells, and it smells a lot. It will only fill the pockets of some individuals to the disadvantage of the city.

Imagine a 70-30 sharing scheme (even 80-20, according to Roland H), with the much-bigger bulk going to the contractor! By any language, that’s a big bonanza for the favored contractor with practically no effort at all on his part. Laway lang ang puhunan. In our dialect, ilol.

So disturbing is the idea of making quick money out of our highways that the sangguniang panlungsod, if it is not careful, could well be put in a bad light. Some observers say that the parking scheme came out because of the long absence now of jueteng, a quick money source.

We heard that when a councilor innocently mentioned a fairer sharing scheme, say 60-40 or even 50-50, his colleagues immediately and frantically hand-signaled him to desist.
Obviously, they were not thinking of the city’s welfare but of the favored contractor, whoever he may be, and perhaps, just perhaps, themselves.

The absence of a public hearing conducted for the purpose also negates such proposal. If they hold one soon, expect a lot of trouble on the part of the proponents. Better for them to forget the idea, unless they are courting political suicide.

* * *
Our recent column on the goings-on at the San Jacinto National High School received a lot of reactions with some sectors reportedly getting mad at this corner. We also heard of an effort to identify our sources and if that succeeds, the affected sectors are planning to file legal actions against us, or our sources.

Sources of news or issues just come by without us begging for such. We recall how some teachers of that school during the time of Principal Bautista approached us (perhaps to seek our help as a mediaman) and cited a litany of Bautista’s “sins.” The mood was to get rid of her because of alleged several anomalies. Bautista was forced to leave even before the last school year ended.

The poor principal came to see us at our home to air her side. We appreciated her effort to clear things with us as did Principal San Juan much earlier during her term when we had called her attention to alleged irregular transactions there. No threats of libel cases.
And we saluted the two school officials for such noble actions. They were not onion-skinned.

And who are our sources this time?

Many. Students, teachers, parents, community leaders, town officials, etc. And they are very willing to speak out.
* * *
Members of the PTCA of that high school are up in arms over the decision of the new officers to spend some P17,000 from the association’s funds for their induction recently. Such indiscriminate spending did not happen during the time of the former set of officers, we were told.

The PTCA funds come from contributions, yes from the sweat, blood and tears of the members. And their officers would just spend it in one day to satisfy their lust for food or fame? We don’t know what kind of thinking they have during this time of economic hardships. Revolting!

Aside from that money they withdrew from the bank, they also solicited some P9,000 from local stores and benevolent persons in the town. Two pigs were served aside from chickens, prompting others to remark, “Masiba ra”

Right-minded officers could not help but resign if that’s the case.

WINDOWS
Gabriel L. Cardinoza

In five days last week, three of our local media colleagues and friends passed away: Nap Donato on Nov. 5, Max Mendiguarin on Nov. 6 and Dong Villafuerte on Nov. 9.

I first met Nap in the late 80s, when he was not yet in the media and he was known more as Linis Pinoy. I was then working at the Urduja House in Lingayen when he came to my office one day to propose the holding of a seminar for the provincial government’s janitors.

He believed that as frontline personnel, janitors and other utility workers must be taught basic courtesy and how to do their jobs properly. Then Gov. Rafael Colet approved his proposal and Nap conducted what could be his first Linis Pinoy seminar in the province.

When Nap ventured into media and became one of us in the mid-90s, I’d bump into him often in press conferences and news events in the province. I had a chance to work with him in the defunct Sun.Star Pangasinan Daily when I was managing editor and he ran a column.

One weekend last year, Nap called me at home to tell me that he is working on a project that would bring the province’s best journalists together. He never discussed the project then; he just wanted my commitment to help. The project did not push through. But when he died, he did just that: gather all Pangasinan journalists during his wake.

* * * * *
On Mama Max, I first met him in the police beat when I was a radio reporter. I have heard much about him, especially his funny miscues and misadventures, when I was a student. He was then a radio icon, being the No. 1 prime time radio announcer.

When I was information officer, I had a chance to meet him up close and we would have brief conversations everytime I gave him press releases or when he came to my office. As age slowly caught up on him and his voice vanished from the airwaves, I would also see Mama Max less often.

When I saw him at Dagupena one morning, I thought he did not recognize me anymore. But to my surprise, he approached me and even called me by my first name. I guess Mama Max is one media person who will continue to live in the people’s memories, especially among us, his colleagues. His name will continue to pop out in every media conversation being the only local media personality whose popularity has always been challenged but never surpassed.

* * * * *
Two days before his death, Dong was in my office. As usual, he occupied one of the seats in front of my desk while waiting for his turn to have an audience with Councilor Vlad Mata. Over a cup of coffee, we would talk about broadcasting, music, politics and even phonetics, and I listened to him intently everytime he talked about his experience when he worked as government broadcaster.

I don’t remember now how and where I first met him because Dong is not from Pangasinan. But in the last three years, he has been a frequent visitor at the city hall.

Last Monday, when he showed up in my office, he was literally panting, something I did not notice about him in the past. He often stood up at that time to go out to probably breathe. We even had lunch together and he was very thankful about it.

Last Thursday morning, a colleague broke to me the news that Dong died. Unfortunately, as of this writing, his body remains unclaimed at the morgue of the Region 1 Medical Center.

QUICKQUOTE: When I’m trusting and being myself… everything in my life reflects this by falling into place easily, often miraculously. — Shakti Gawain