URDANETA CITY – The prolific illegal drug trade in this emerging metropolitan center in Pangasinan, suffered a big setback when 10 persons were arrested by joint elements of the police in simultaneous anti-drug operations in the city on Tuesday.

Targets of the coordinated operations participated in by police operatives from the regional and provincial offices were six houses of Muslim families tagged as suspected drug dens located inside the Doña Trining Subdivision here.

The police confirmed previous reports that most of the illegal drugs being passed to drug dependents in eastern Pangasinan are being sourced out from that place.

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By Liway M. Yparraguirre

ROSALES – The Carmen-Rosales Central Transport Terminal will be moving soon to a new and permanent home.
Construction work at its new site near he Tarlac-Pangasinan welcome arch in this town, started after the groundbreaking ceremony held Thursday morning.
The activity was led by Mayor Ricardo V. Revita and Willy Tan, chairman of Hausland Development Corporation (project developer). Also present were Vice Mayor Romy Sim and members of the Sangguniang Bayan, Rosales Police Chief Ernesto Abuan and Hausland comptroller Mariano Tan and Legal Counsel lawyer Ryan Tan.
Tan said they expect to finish the modern terminal in three months. Read more

LINGAYEN – A gang of dismissed policemen and soldiers is now sowing fear in Luzon, according to Police Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Alan Purisima.

Purisima said the gang was tagged responsible for the robbery holdup at a big merchandise warehouse in Sta. Barbara town last week and was also believed behind the robbery at Pepsi Cola Bottling Company in Rosario, La Union two weeks ago.

He said these fully armed group held up a bank in Cainta, Rizal last Thursday where they used the Starex van earlier seized from the compound of the City Supermarket Inc. in barangay Maticmatic, Sta. Barbara last Thursday.
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MAPANDAN – After only three days of the new school year, a public school principal was gunned down and killed along the road in barangay Aserda here at about 5:50 pm. Wednesday.

Tessie Morante, 57, mother of three and principal of the Golden Elementary School here, who was on board a motorized tricycle along with a school teacher, was shot by two suspects wearing crash helmets and riding tandem on board a motorcycle.
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ALCALA – Overseas residents of Alcala are contributing money among themselves in order to build a feed mill to be donated to their townmates back home.

Mayor Manuel Collado said many of the donors were among those who attended the Grand Homecoming in Alcala sometime in April during their town fiesta in honor of their patron, the Holy Cross.

These people also bankrolled Alcala’s quests for the longest grill and longest barbecue held last April 30 which would expectedly put the town in the Guinness Book of World Records.
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LINGAYEN - Complaints for murder and frustrated murder were filed by the police against a suspect in connection with the slaying of a leader of a militant group, including the wounding of his brother in San Nicolas, Pangasinan last May 16.

The complaints were filed before the Provincial Prosecutor Office against Joel Flores, 28, of barangay Domampot, Asingan town who was arrested last June 1 soon after he poked a .45 cal. pistol at police agents doing surveillance work on him.

This was after it was verified that the motorcycle used by the suspects in slaying Jose Doton, 61, chairman of the Tignay Dagiti Mannalon a Mangwaya-waya (TIMMAWA) and the wounding of his brother Cancio, 57, was registered in his (Flores’) name.
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PUBLIC schools here opened for a new schoolyear last Monday, June 5, to a relatively less busy stream of student traffic in most schools, an indication that most pupils and parents were not in a rush to start with their academic activity after the long summer break.

City schools division officials said they can not yet determine if there will be any classroom shortage because the enrollment is still going on and may continue up to July.

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ARCHBISHOP Oscar Cruz of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese has thrown his support behind media men who are under threat and facing intimidation and harassment, particularly from jueteng lords.

In one of his harshest words yet, Cruz warned jueteng lords and their cohorts that he will not stop making noise if they dare touch media men who refuse to succumb to their bribery and remain true to the ethics of their profession.

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VICE Mayor Alvin Fernandez of Dagupan City, asked two university officials to at least first submit data and suggestions to justify any enactment of ordinance by the sangguniang panlungsod for the regulation of activities of fraternities citywide, not just within school campus, as sought by the two school heads.

Fernandez’ move came on the heels of criticisms from Lyceum University President Gonzalo T. Duque and Student Affairs Head Dominador ‘Boy’ Rayos of the University of Pangasinan who said they feared students will shy away from their schools if fraternity related violence is not checked. Both strongly sought sanggunian intervention.

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CITY MAYOR Benjamin S. Lim took to task the top local officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways and aides of House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. over their non-coordination of projects like the current asphalt overlay project in three sections of national roads located in the city.

For the first time in his recent “cold war” with De Venecia, he directly blamed unnamed local lieutenants of the House Speaker for putting pressure on DPWH engineers for the prosecution of projects that, according to him, were impractical and a waste of money.

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