CANDON CITY—Tobacco farmers are getting richer this season in view of the continuous increase in the buying process of the flue—cured Virginia tobacco.

Estrella De Peralta, branch manager of the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) based in Candon City, said the trading center of the Fortune Tobacco Corporation in Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur is buying a kilo of Class AA full-flavor type of flue—cured Virginia tobacco leaves at P73.

This is P12 higher than the P61 floor price approved during a recent tobacco tripartite conference in Quezon City.
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CABUGAO, Ilocos Sur—Vigan City leads in the implementations of various government programs and projects in an evaluation conducted by the Regional Development Council (RDC) of the Ilocos Region.

The recognition was made during a simple ceremony held at Cabugao Beach Resort here during the regular RDC meeting held at the site on Monday.

Vigan City was cited by the RDC as cleanest, greenest and safest city in Region One.

On the other hand, Candon City was honored as the city’s best implementor of the Local Government Program Management System in the region.

Cabugao town was also chosen as the cleanest, greenest and safest municipality while Tagudin was the town’s best implementor of Local Government Program Management System. (PNA)

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union—Senator Francis Joseph “Chiz” G. Escudero was adopted son of La Union by virtue of a resolution enacted by the provincial board.

Resolution No. 009-2008 was presented to Escudero by Governor Manuel Ortega, Vice Governor Eulogio Clarence Martin de Guzman III and members of the provincial board on March 2 when the senator was the guest of honor and speaker during the 158th La Union Foundation Anniversary Celebration.
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VIGAN CITY—Newly installed Ilocos region police director Superintendent Romeo C. Hilomen has ordered the immediate filing of a criminal complaint against the suspect in the massacre of a family last Tuesday in sitio Saway, Manalpac, Solsona, Ilocos Norte.

The suspect identified as Valdez Lagisag Bago, 49, married and resident of barangay Maan-anteng, Solsona, shot the victims with a 12-gauge shotgun.

The victims were making charcoal in a makeshift nipa hut in a mountainous area in sitio Saway at the time. Read more

BATAC CITY,–A policeman was shot and killed in broad daylight by an unidentified suspect in barangay Billoca, Batac City recently.

Police identified the victim as SPO2 Jerry Soliven assigned with the Ilocos Norte police provincial office.
Soliven died instantly after being shot in the body with a caliber .45 pistol.

It was reported that the victim was formerly a member of the Batac Police Station and re-assigned to the Ilocos Norte police provincial office after being implicated in a crime here.

Police said that a follow up investigation into the incident is now being conducted. (PNA)

NAGBUKEL, Ilocos Sur—A farmer was killed while a barangay captain was seriously wounded when they were fired upon by an unidentified suspect in barangay Balaweg, Nagbukel, Ilocos Sur Monday night.

The victims were having a drinking spree in the house of the fatality when they were shot by the suspect using a caliber .45 pistol based on three empty shells found at the crime scene.

SPO1 Sosimo Reyes, duty investigator of the Ilocos Sur Police Provincial Office, identified the fatality as Marlaurence Cabang, 33, farmer, of barangay Balaweg, this town. Read more

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — Chief Superintendent Romeo Hilomen, former head of the Police Security and Protection Office (PSPO), assumed office Wednesday as acting director of the Ilocos Police Regional Office in a turnover of command where the outgoing officer was somewhere else outside the country.

The sudden change of command in the Ilocos police office caught Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, the reassigned police regional director, still in Fujian, China for a goodwill visit together with ranking police officers of the region, following the Ilocos PNP regional office’s winning a national award as the best throughout the country.
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BANTAY, Ilocos Sur—At least two pieces of vintage bombs of World War II type were recovered by police operatives in a junkshop in Barangay Naguiddayan this town recently.

A junkshop worker reported to the police station about the unusual types of materials he found in the premises of their shop.
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VIGAN CITY—Athletes from Ilocos Sur rev up their body by drinking calamansi juice.

Now the official energy drink of athletes campaigning in aports events including the just concluded Ilocos Region Athletic Association (IRAA) Meet in Pangasinan, the calamansi juice comes in bottles just like the commercial colas and is ready to drink.

This is the “Calamansi Juice Ready to Drink” produced in Tagudin under the “One Town, One Product” concept.
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THE government has set as one of its top priorities the development of bio-power as an alternative source of energy in order to help reduce the country’s dependency on imported oil and oil products.

Dr. Enrie Mendoza, presidential assistant for Northern Luzon, told newsmen here that the program was endorsed by the Regional Development Council of Ilocos-Pangasinan headed by Ilocos Sur Governor Deogracias Savellano.

Mendoza said the program intends to bring about self-sufficiency on bio-ethanol, the blended mixture for petrochemicals, and the use of solar power in order to energize homes in remote villages yet to be reached by electricity.
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