VOLUME 6NUMBER 109FRI - SATMARCH 1 - 2, 2013

P 8.P 8.P 8.P 8.P 8.0000000000

BY PUNTO I-TEAM

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO –“Prove that I own it, and Iwill give it to you. If you

can’t, then be man enough to backout.”

Delta dares Among Ed:Put up or back out

Vice gubernatorial as-pirant Dennis ‘Delta” Pine-da on Wednesday chal-lenged gubernatorial can-didate Eddie “Among Ed”Panlilio to “substantiatewith documents” his alle-gations that Pineda andhis family owned the BGCBatching Plant that heaccused of monopolizingall infrastructure contractsat the Capitol.

In the “Kampanya Ser-ye” of ABS-CBN televi-sion, Panlilio was quotedas saying: “Mayroong

isang kumpanya dito, iy-ong BGC, pagka pinala-bas iyong projects ng Kap-itolyo, halos sila ang na-kakuha ng asphalting,cementing, and road con-struction. Iyong contratanakukuha nila, (sila) iy-ong contractor (There is acompany here, BGC, ifthe projects of the Capi-tol are opened, it wouldshow that it gets almostall the asphalting, ce-menting and road con-struction contracts). And

PinedaPAGE 8 PLEASE Panlilio

“So young, so full oflife. I am deeply touchedby their courage to fight,”said vice mayoralty as-pirant City Councilor Jim-my Lazatin who was thelone local official at theevent.

In his brief message,Lazatin lamented the ab-sence of politicians,wishing they should have“taken a break from poli-ticking and come here tosoften their hearts.”

“These children teachus to care, to love and toserve – the very essenceof our calling as localleaders,” Lazatin said.

He enjoined the chil-dren and their parents, to“keep the faith. Believe inmiracles. Ours is a car-ing, loving, healing God.”

To SM San FernandoDowntown OIC mall man-ager Bong Garcia, host-ing the children was “aspecial privilege” for themall. Co-sponsor for theevent is the Kythe Foun-dation.

Part of the corporatesocial responsibility ofSM Prime Holdingsthrough its SM Caresand SM Foundation isthe hosting of events fordifferently-abled children.

‘Love is for kids’ at SM SF DowntownBY BONG Z. LACSON

CITY OF SAN FERNAN-DO – A kids’ day-out atthe mall.

Not just any ordinarykids but brave, beautiful

ones fighting cancer. Notjust any mall but SM SanFernando Downtown.

For the whole day yes-terday, some 20 cancer-stricken children at theJose B. Lingad Memorial

Regional Hospital herewere treated to games,movies, food, and shop-ping at Pampanga’s new-est mall.

The main feature oftheir Valentine’s Day

theme “Love is for kids”moved not a few shoppersto tears as they watchedthe children do what kidsof all ages normally do –find fun in the simplest ofactivity.

TOUCHING LIVES. Kids beam for the camera in the company of Lazatin, Garcia and CSFTourism Office chief Ching Pangilinan. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON

BY DING CERVANTES

CITY OF SAN FERNAN-DO - After senatorialcandidates of the UnitedNationalist Alliance(UNA) stormed Pampan-ga towns Wednesdaylast week, Pres. Aquinois slated to lead todayhis Liberal Party candi-dates in rallies in thisprovince still reputed tobe the bailiwick of formerPres. Arroyo.

The office of Sen.Franklin Drilon releasedyesterday noon thePresident’s itinerary in-dicating that the Presi-dent and the senatorialcandidates will first vis-it Genuino Park inCandaba for “watermel-on eating” together withlocal officials to be fol-lowed by a rally.

PAGE 8 PLEASE

PNoy, LPto stormbailiwickof GMA

BY ASHLEY MANABAT

CITY OF SAN FERNAN-DO – The need to finallyconvert Clark Freeport intoan “authority” gained mo-mentum during the mediaforum with the KambilanParty Speakers’ BureauWednesday at the Max’sRestaurant here.

Congressional candi-date and Vice Gov. Joseller“Yeng” Guiao declaredthat his first order of busi-ness once elected intoCongress is to file a billthat will convert ClarkFreeport into an authoritysimilar to the Subic BayMetropolitan Authority(SBMA) in Olongapo City,the Cagayan EconomicZone Authority (CEZA) inCasambalangan, SantaAna, Cagayan and theAPECO in Casiguran, Au-rora.

Guiao said Clark hasseen three presidentssince President Aquinocame to power in 2010 –Felipe Remollo, EduardoOban and Arthur Tugade.

PAGE 8 PLEASE

Guiao batsfor Clarkauthority

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BY ASHLEY MANABAT

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – “Serbisyopo ito na ino-offer ko sa mga tao (It’spublic service that I’m offering to the peo-ple).”

Thus, said vice gubernatorial candi-date Dennis “Delta” Pineda during theKambilan Speakers’ Bureau Media Fo-rum last Wednesday at the Max’s Res-taurant here. Pineda, the only son ofGovernor Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda,made the statement in reaction to ques-tions from the media on the issue of po-litical dynasties.

The younger Pineda, former three-term mayor of Lubao, said he did not

Delta clears air on dynastiesseek the nomination from the Kambi-lan party neither was he pushed bymembers of his family to once againthrow his hat into the political arena.

Pineda said it took him a while to “ac-cept the challenge” to run for vice gover-nor. He said if he wins the elections, theprovincial board will be “very transparent”in all its transactions. “Lahat po kamimananagot (We will all be liable),” hevowed.

Pineda said if an enabling law ispassed defining political dynasties as “il-legal,” he will readily step down from of-fice.

Meanwhile, Kambilan party vice pres-ident and spokesman Rosve Henson said

LEGACY NOT DYNASTY. Vice gubernatorial bet Pineda fields questions at presscon with (from left) Apalit Mayor Jun Tetangco, FloridablancaMayor Guerrero and 3rd District Board Member Trina Dizon. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON

Pineda was endorsed by the PampangaMayors’ League (PML) as candidate forvice governor. He said the PML, afterpondering on other possible candidates,agreed that only Pineda, in tandem withhis mother Gov. Pineda, can maximizepublic service and the delivery of socialservices to the Kapampangans.

Henson said the PML endorsementwas followed by similar resolutions en-dorsing Pineda’s candidacy for vice gov-ernor by the Vice Mayors’ League ofPampanga, the Councilors’ League ofPampanga and the Association of Baran-gay Captains in the province.

Floridablanca Mayor Eddie Guerrerosaid the issue of political dynasty is clear-

ly defined under the 1987 Constitution ofthe Philippines which states in Article IISection 26, “The State shall guaranteeequal access to opportunities for publicservice, and prohibit political dynastiesas may be defined by law.”

But he said there is no enabling lawwhich bars candidates from running forpublic office under the present Constitu-tional provision.

In the meantime, Guerrero said can-didates take comfort in the words of Tho-mas Jefferson, an American FoundingFather and the principal author of theAmerican Declaration of Independence,that “all authority emanates from the peo-ple.”

BY ASHLEY MANABAT

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE –Budget conscious cellphonepre-paid users of GlobeTelecom can now enjoy theirown pre-paid promos that suittheir needs, budgets and life-styles.

Globe Telecom launched onMonday at the Holiday Inn Re-sort here “GoSakto”, the firstand only service in the countrythat allows prepaid subscribersto create and customize a pre-paid promo.

GoSakto empowers pre-paid subscribers to design theirown promo according to whatthey need, recognizing the factthat customers have differentcall, text and surfing needs.With GoSakto, subscribershave the flexibility to tailor-fit

their prepaid promo based onwhat they need for the day, weekor month.

To enjoy their GoSakto pro-mo, subscribers first choosewhat type of promo to avail: call/text/surf, call and text, call andsurf, text and surf, or a combi-nation of all. They can alsochoose the validity of their tai-lor-fit promos for a day, threedays, a week, or month.

Once subscribers have cho-sen their promo, GoSakto furtherpersonalizes the experience byletting them select the type andnumber of calls and texts theyneed. Type of call and texts canbe within the Globe/TM networkor across all networks, whilenumber can be bulk or unlimit-ed. For subscribers who needsurfing services,, they can alsochoose between bulk (in mega-

bytes or MBs of data) or unlim-ited.

Finally, they get to pick thevalidity of the calls, texts andsurfing services they availedfrom a day, three days, sevendays, or 30 days.

With the many levels of se-lection, prepaid subscribers canexplore and find the best valueGoSakto promo combo in over2,000 possible combinations.The new innovation is anotherfirst from Globe.

Meanwhile, there are threeeasy ways to GoSakto: via mo-bile phone *143#, via the Globewebsite www.globe.com.ph/gosakto or via Facebook wherethey can share their promo totheir friends via the GoSaktopage on the social networkingsite. GoSakto even allows sub-scribers to name their created

promo, as well as let their FBfriends register to the same pro-mo, creating a community ofGoSakto users online.

With GoSakto, subscribersare spared from promo avail-ment barriers such as maintain-ing balance, capping, and lim-ited price points. A GoSaktopromo is available for as low asP7 and can co-exist with an-other promo, giving subscribersmore value for their money.

“We are thrilled to disruptthe pre-paid market with yet an-other innovation that willchange the behaviour of today’ssubscribers when it comes toavailing promos,” said KD Di-zon, Head of Globe Prepaid.

“With GoSakto, subscrib-ers will bid pre-made andcanned prepaid promos good-bye. No customer is the sameas the other. One would wantmore voice calls, another is aheavy texter, and the other en-joys browsing. One prefers oneday promos, the other choos-es those with longer validity. Atthe end of the day, you are theonly one who truly understandand know your needs when itcomes to connecting with yourfriends and loved ones,” Dizonsaid.

“Taking this consumer in-sight, we at Globe developeda new service that will give thesubscribers the power to maketheir own promo from scratch,”said Dizon. “Through GlobeGoSakto, Globe will be thebrand that makes prepaid pro-mos more flexible, personaland yes customizable,” sheadded.

For 2013, Dizon looks atGoSakto to increase the num-ber of promo subscriptionsamong existing customers, aswell as to acquire new oneswho are looking for the rightprepaid promos that will fit theirneeds.

Globe launches ‘Go Sakto’

Globe girls show their gadgets at the launch.

BY ERNIE B. ESCONDE

ABUCAY, Bataan- The Dioceseof Balanga has directed priestsand lay people in 11 towns andone city in Bataan not to endorseany candidate in both the nationaland local levelss in the May 2013elections, the parish priest ofAbucay Church said Wednesday.

“Ang directive ni Bishop Ru-perto Santos ay walang i-indor-song kahit sino sapagka’t ma-hirap pumili ng isang kandidatona kumporme sa lahat ng isyungtinatangkilik ng Simbahan. Maykandidato na maaaring tuma-tangkilik sa isang isyu ngunit saiba naman ay hindi kumpormesa gusto ng simbahan,” saidRev. Fr. Victor de Ocampo.

“Mas safe na hayaan ang lay-ko na mamili ng kandidato nakanilang iboboto batay sa ilangalituntunin ng Simbahan,” hequoted the bishop as saying.

The priest of the oldestchurch in Bataan said the bish-op is giving the laymen a freehand in choosing their candi-dates based on some criteria –that the candidate is having agood, moral life; can help in up-lifting the lives of the poor andanti-jueteng and anti-mining.

De Ocampo said that BishopSantos has required active lead-ers of the church like lectors, layministers and those serving incommunions to take a leave ofabsence during the entirety of theelection period if they are sup-porting certain candidates.

“Baka nagsisilbi sila sa sim-bahan pagkatapos may nakas-abit palang ngalan ng kandidatosa kuhelyo o bulsa ng kanilangdamit,” the priest said in jest.

BATAAN BISHOP:

Do notendorse

candidates

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IN AN EFFORT to intensifysoybean production and pro-cessing in the province of Tar-lac, the Tarlac College of Ag-riculture [TCA] in Camilingtown in partnership with theprovincial government of Tar-lac has conducted a field dayon intensified soybean pro-duction and processing at theDon Gilberto P. Romulo Farm-ers’ Training Center with thedifferent stakeholders and lo-

Yap attends soybean field daycal government units [LGU] at-tending.

Soybean is a species of le-gume native to East Asia, wide-ly grown for its edible bean whichhas numerous uses. Fat-freesoybean meal is a significantand cheap source of protein.

TCA has been culturing soy-bean for years now and has ded-icated a significant part of itsarea for its production.

Governor Victor Yap who is

pushing hard for agricultural de-velopment in the province hascalled on farmers to embracesoybean production grown or-ganically.

Yap, together with TCA pres-ident Dr. Maximo Guillermo, vicepresident for research and train-ing Dr. Tessie Navarro and formerTCA president Philip Ibarra visit-ed the soybean farm.

The governor likewise signeda memorandum of agreement

[MOA] with Guillermo and Na-varro and other LGUs as sig-natories aimed at strengthen-ing soybean production.

“The provincial governmentis always ready to assist inevery agricultural endeavor inthe province,” Yap said.

Yap was accompanied byBoard Member Tito Razalanand former Board MemberPablito Rosete.

—Media Affairs

NINA ROMMEL RAMOSAT DINO BALABO

MALOLOS CITY—Mahigit2,000 mga kabataan mula saibat-ibang pamantasan at kole-hiyo ang nakilahok sa isang fun-run upang maisulong angtamang kaalaman para sa hala-lan at pangangalaga sa ka-likasan.

Ang mga kabataan na nag-silahok ay nagmula sa BulacanState University, La ConsolacionUniversity, A.B.E. at BaliuagUniversity.

Kasama din ng mga ka-bataan na nagsitakbo ang mgabumubuo ng Philippine Army nanakabase sa Bulacan.

Bago ang sabayang pagtak-bo nagwarm up muna ang mgarunners na pinangunahan ngmga sundalo.

Sa saliw ng awiting cha-cha,nagpakundisyon muna sila ngkatawan bago ang pagtakbo.

Matapos nito, sa hudyat aysabay sabay nagsitakbuhan angmga kalahok sa kahabaan ngMacArthur Highway na sinimu-lan sa Baranggay Longos hang-gang sa Malolos City sports andconvention center sa BaranggayBulihan.

Ayon kay Darren Gonzales,head organizer ng Youth VotePhilippines, mahalaga para samga kabataan na matutunanang kanilang mga gagawin sahalalan.

Fun-runsa halalan,kalikasan

Yap inspects soy bean farm. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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Mayor Pamintuan and the members of the city's 15th Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) headed byVice Mayor Vega-Cabigting formally receive on Tuesday, the regional most outstanding locallegislative award from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANGELES CIO

ANGELES CITY – “This award isa product of Mayor Ed’s slogan andrallying call: Abe-Abe, Saup-Saup,Agyu Tamu.”

Thus, Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Kabigting gave full credit to MayorEdgardo Pamintuan’s administra-tion for the Award of Excellence,2012 Local Legislative Award(Highly Urbanized Cities Catego-ry) bestowed on the city councilby the Department of the Interiorand Local Government.

By topping the regional level,the Angeles City council is now afinalist in the national search forthe most outstanding legislativebody.

“To date, we are one of the fi-nalists to the national local legis-lative award,” happily announcedVega-Cabigting in her opening re-marks at the recognition rites forthe regional award timed with thelaunch of legislative tracking at thesession hall.

Last year, the Angeles Citycouncil was also conferred thesame award by the DILG.

At the awarding ceremonies,Pamintuan lauded all the mem-bers of the city council for a jobwell done and encouraged themto continue their exemplary workfor improving the life of all An-geleños through the prompt pas-sage of important and pertinentlegislation.

LOCAL LEGISLATIVE AWARD

AC council top in CL,finalist in nat’l level

“All of these awards stand asproof that we are fulfilling our con-tract with the Angeleños. We will notstop here. We still have many thingsto do for the city,” Pamintuan ex-plained.

The city under Pamintuan hasbeen receiving accolades from vari-ous government agencies and pri-vate sector organizations includingthe Seal of Good Housekeeping andthe regional best PESO (Public Em-ployment Service Office), amongothers.

Pamintuan himself was eighth inthe 2012 World Mayor Prize.

In an earlier statement, DILG re-gional director Florida Dijan said thecriteria used in the selection com-prised “effectiveness of legislativeagenda, efficiency, legislative man-agement and tracking system, avail-ability of legislative documents andthe quality and set-up of the legisla-tive office.”

Even as Vega-Cabigting thankedthe DILG for the signal recognition,she dedicated the award to the allbarangay officials, private and non-government organizations “that havebeen strong partners of the citycouncil in crafting the most appro-priate legislations for the well-beingof the Angelenos.”

“I’m truly humbled by this awardbecause it serves as a reminder thateven as the presiding officer, thisaward is not solely mine but shared

by all members of the SP and thewhole city government,” Vega-Cabigting said.

Legislative Tracking System

Formally launched during theawarding rites was the city’s legis-lative management and trackingsystem which will “store, monitorand track ordinances and resolu-tions taken-up, proposed and ap-proved” by the members of the citycouncil.

Pamintuan said the system willprove the dynamism of the localgovernment in “equipping itself withnew technology to make its ser-vices even more efficient.”

“With the system, we are tak-ing another bold step into makingthe local government and the citycouncil’s work more transparentand more accessible than ever,” themayor said.

The system is being developedby the Lexsys Technologies Incor-porated, a known provider of inte-grated management informationsystem (MIS) solutions in the Phil-ippines.

“Information is power and withthis system we are giving the citi-zen of Angeles the power to accessinformation that would help themcommunicate and interact with thelocal government,” Lexsys repre-sentative Marietta Dacanay said.

– Bong Z. Lacson

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga – Pampanga First DistrictRepresentative Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin on February28 led the inauguration of the newly-constructed roadin Barangay Cutcut here as well as the groundbreakingceremony for the construction of the road in Leen Streetand the rehabilitation of the village’s barangay hall.

Lazatin led the ribbon cutting ceremony in Sitio Maliwith members of Team Lazatin, Councilor Bryan Nepo-muceno, Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr., Atty. Nino Enriqu-ez, and Max Sangil.

Earlier, Barangay Cutcut Chairwoman Cecilia Nep-omuceno thanked Lazatin for the said projects, “Onbehalf of the Cutcut Barangay Council and residents,we would like to express our sincere thanks to Con-gressman Lazatin,” said Chairwoman Nepomuceno.

Kagawad Roy Ogurida, a member of the Cutcutbarangay council, also thanked Lazatin, “As chairmanof the Cutcut Barangay Council’s Committee on PublicWorks, I would like to thank Congressman Lazatin forappropriating funds for the road construction in LeenStreet and the rehabilitation of the Cutcut BarangayHall,” Ogurida said, “Residents of Barangay Cutcut willbenefit greatly from these projects”.

Also present during the event are representativesfrom the Department of Public Works and Highways(DPWH) Engineers Apolinario Mateo and Rolly Gonza-les, and members of the Cutcut Barangay Council.

Lazatin is also set to lead the groundbreaking cere-mony for the construction of the roads in Purok 3 and 4in Barangay Anunas tomorrow (March 1).

Tarzan opens Cutcutroad, breaks ground

for barangay hall

SM City San Fernando Downtown was very gratefulin having tenants that are very honest and were partic-ularly adept at finding and returning the personal chat-tels of their customers.

In the middle of hustle and bustle last February 20,2013 during rush hour at “MangInasal Restaurant” in-side SM City San Fernando Downtown, someone lefther pouch at the table where she had a meal. Fortu-nately the staff of the said food chain recovered it andtried give it back but then the customer left the mallalready. After endorsing the pouch to her manager andchecked what’s inside they founded cash amount-ingP20, 000.00, medicines, and a BDO passbook.

“MangInasal” Manager, Leah Reyes and Pre-cious Grace Navarro asked help to BDO at SM CitySanFdo. Downtown to track the owners contact detailssince there’s no id but only that BDO Passbook.

Luckily they’ve returned the pouch to its owner, aSecondary School TeacherMs. Marita MarquesFernandes of DEPED Pampanga- that resides atSan Vicente, Sto. Tomas Pampanga. She was very

‘2 thumbs up for Mang Inasal Pips’

BY THEIR very name, micronutrients are vitamins andminerals that are needed only in very small amounts,but their impact on our health is huge.

Micronutrients like iron, zinc, Vitamin A, and manyothers are responsible for the vital functioning of ourbody’s systems, from physical growth and vision, tobrain vigor and increased immunity. When the body failsto receive the small quantities of micronutrients that itneeds, serious health problems can result in a condi-tion widely regarded as micronutrient deficiency or “hid-den hunger”.

The nutritional makeup of the Philippines continuesto be characterized by the severity of micronutrientdeficiency. According to the Food and Nutrition ResearchInstitute- Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST), 70-90 percent of Filipinos lack iron and Vita-min A in their usual diet.

Two out of ten schoolchildren suffer from iron defi-ciency anemia, and the incident rises with age. Follow-ing closely are those lacking adequate amounts of Vi-tamin A in their diet. One out of ten from the samegroup is Vitamin A deficient.

The same study also shows that two out of ten chil-dren are zinc deficient. Zinc is a trace mineral that playsa role in body metabolism, reproductive health, immunefunction, and more than 200 important chemical reac-tions in the body.

Inadequate intake of these three important micron-utrients may lead to several nutritional problems, in-cluding stunting, fatigue, poor concentration, lack offocus and other signs of impaired physical and cogni-tive development. These may be reflected amongschoolchildren who suffer from poor mental and physi-cal performance and frequent absenteeism as a resultof impaired immunity. It is also important to have plentyof Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant that boostsimmunity, prevents cardiovascular disease, and con-tributes to healthy skin, among many other benefits.

“Making the right food choices is one of the ways toaddress the problems of micronutrient deficiency,” saidDr. Imelda Agdeppa, Assistant Scientist of FNRI-DOST.“Unfortunately, the inaccessibility of food and money inthe majority of Filipino households puts many familiesat a high risk of getting sick. The good news is thereare many products in the market that are affordableand fortified with these micronutrients, and many fami-lies are already benefiting from these.”

Experts from FNRI recommend that when there isan inadequate intake of these nutrients, the consump-tion of foods that are fortified particularly with the threemicronutrients primarily lacking in the Filipino diet—Vitamin A, Iron, and Zinc—is encouraged so as to ad-dress nutrient gap.

In response to this dietary concern, Nestlé Philip-pines is intensifying its campaign to promote nutritiousand affordable sources of important nutrients especiallyneeded by children, such as BEAR BRAND PowderedMilk Drink. It is fortified with tibay resistensya nutrientslike Iron, Zinc, and Vitamin C plus Calcium that kidsneed for proper growth and to perform well in school.

Micronutrient deficiencyin PH: When the smallest

matters most

thankful and really glad having that pouch back to her.She rushes to SM City San Fernando Downtown Ad-min and acclaimed the good deed of MangInasal peo-ple. “I would really want to commend these very honestemployees of MangInasal Restaurant, I’am not expect-ing that my wallet will be returned to me knowing thatthere’s no contact number in it and they really do suchefforts on tracing me. I ‘am very overwhelmed and gladby what they’ve done”, Ms. Fernandes said.

Both Reyes and Navarro were thrilled to be recog-nized for something they consider a”duty” to their cus-tomers. There is a genuine pride and gratitude in work-ing for MangInasal Restaurant especially it’s inside amall which holds integrity and was fully committed toserving the needs of every person who walks inside SMSupermalls.

“Because customer service is the backbone of whowe are, we know that if we make our customers feelspecial and treat them with respect, they will reward uswith years of loyalty”, Bong M. Garcia (SMSF OIC)said.

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BY DING CERVANTES

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO- Amid their demand for higherpolls duty pay, some200,000 public schoolteachers who will man votingprecincts in the coming Mayelections will instead get renu-meration lower by P300.

ACT Teachers’ party-list Rep.Antonio Tinio told Punto in a tele-phone interview that this wasbecause the Commission onElections (Comelec) has deter-mined that the usual “sealing ofthe book of voters” would no long-er be necessary. This wouldtake away P300 from the P4,300total they got during the firstautomated elections in 2010.

Tinio noted that in the 2010polls, the teachers got a total ofP4,300 for polls duty that alsocovered training in the operationof the Smartmatic machines.The amount included P3,000 ashonorarium, P500 for sealing thebook of voters, P500 for testingand sealing of voting machines,and P300 for transportation al-lowance.

In the coming elections, theteachers are to get only P4,000each, covering P3,000 honorari-um, an increased P500 for trans-portation allowance, and P500for testing and sealing the vot-ing machines.

Tinio, however, said that heand other leaders of publicschool teachers have sought ameeting with top Comelec offi-cials for the increase of theteachers’ honorarium fromP3,000 to P5,000.

He said the Comelec couldafford this, as he noted that the

Teachers serving in May polls to get lower payDepartment of Budget and Man-agement (DBM) announced onlylast January the release ofP4.14 billion to the Comelec tosupport preparatory activities forthe synchronized national, local,and ARMM elections this year.

The release was chargedagainst savings from unutilizedappropriations under the 2012General Appropriations Act.

Tinio said that the honorari-um covers not only the electionand following day, but also thetraining of teachers on how tooperate and troubleshoot votingmachines. “The dry run of themachines showed glitches sowe see how critical the role ofthe teachers is when it comesto coping with such problems,”he noted.

Tinio also reminded teachersassigned to the elections thatthey are covered by some P30million Comelec funds allocatedfor accident or life insurance.

“Families of teachers whowere killed in line of duty in thelast elections were given themaximum of P200,000 each” hesaid.

This, even as ACT Teachersparty-list has asked the Depart-ment of Education (DepEd) tocome out with the memorandumreminding teachers assigned topolls to register for early votingprivilege on March 15 to enablethem to cast their votes fromApril 28 to 30. “This privilegewas issued by the Comelec onlylast week, so many

teachers who would be pre-occupied in the coming electionsthat they

can cast their votes ealier,”Tinio stressed.

A TOTAL of 4,763 universallyaccepted PhilHealth cards weredistributed by the provincial gov-ernment of Tarlac led by Gov-ernor Victor “VY” Yap to the res-idents of Pura and Ramostowns last February 21.

The latest distribution ofPhilHealth cards, also knownas the “PhilHealth ng Masa,” ispart of the continuing distribu-tion of Yap to Tarlaquenos, es-pecially to the indigent families,so that the target of 100-per-

cent coverage would be realized.Individual recipients from

Ramos numbered 1,245 while3,518 were from the municipali-ty of Pura.

In Yap’s speech, he said thatthe Philhealth cards are impor-tant healthcare assurance toeveryone’s health.

“Malaking tulong ito sa pan-gangalaga ng ating kalusugan,”he said adding that he is target-ing a 100-percent PhilHealthcoverage to all Tarlaquenos.

Health care is part of thefour pillars under the adminis-tration of Yap that includeseducation, food on the tableand jobs creation.

Yap was accompanied byMayors Gregoria Manglicmotof Ramos, Concepcion Zarateof Pura, NPC-LP first districtBoard Member bets Tito Raza-lan, Noel dela Cruz and Pabli-to Rosete and Provincial So-cial Welfare officer RobertoMagno. —Media Affairs

Pura, Ramos residents getPhilHealth cards from Yap

Championing the Tarlaqueños health and well-being. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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Zona LibreBong Z. Lacson

E d i t o r i a l

acaesar.blogspot.com

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Atty. Gener C. EndonaCaesar “Bong” LacsonJoanna Niña V. CorderoKarl Jason S. ManalotoDondie B. VenturaJojo Manalo/Lacson Macapagal

Our triumph“THE INTEREST of the public is not on petitioner(Fortun) himself but primarily on his involvementand participation as defense counsel in theMaguindanao massacre case.”

So read the decision of the Supreme CourtSecond Division clearing of indirect contemptmembers of the media who reported thedisbarment case against Ampatuan lawyer SigfridFortun.

The case was filed in November 2010 againstthe Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ),Philippine Star’s Edu Punay, Inquirer.net’s TetchTorres-Tupas, ABS-CBN’s Ces Drilon and SophiaDedace, who previously worked for GMA NewsOnline.

The decision dated February 13 said mediacannot be stopped from making “fair, true, andaccurate” news report of a disbarment case. This,even as “In the absence of a legitimate publicinterest in a disbarment complaint, members ofthe media must preserve the confidentiality ofdisbarment proceedings during its pendency.”

Legitimate public interest. That made all thedifference.

Long live press freedom!

Our heroesISAGANI YAMBOT Sr., publisher, Philippine DailyInquirer.

Jose Pavia, executive director, Philippine PressInstitute, and founder, Mabuhay.

Gerardo “Gerry” Ortega, radio commentatorand environmentalist.

Maria “Nene” Bundoc-Ocampo, section editor,Ang Pilipino Ngayon.

Romeo Capulong, human rights lawyer.All hailed as “Press Freedom Heroes” for their

role in advancing press freedom in the Philippinesby the National Union of Journalists of thePhilippines at its 8yh National Congress.

The first time ever for NUJP to bestowposthumous recognition to journalists outside itsmembership.

Newly elected NUJP chair Rowena Paraanhailed the quintet of stalwarts of Philippinejournalism “for serving as instruments in promotingexcellence in journalism and in fighting impunity.”

May their spirit live in each of the workingmembers of the media.

Churches revisitedSERMONS in stone. Searing the heart, stirring the soul.

Rocks of ages. Sanctuaries and refuges, by the gates of hellever shall be unprevailed

Citadels of the Faith. Inspiring, uplifting life here and now.Presaging the hereafter – eternal glory in the kingdom of the Builder.

So we wrote Of Churches on March 21 last year as the soleaccompanying text to our photo exhibit Visita Iglesia: Edifices ofthe Kapampangan Faith Revisited at the SM City Clark.

Of course, I am but the least in that three-man exhibit withPeter Alagos having long established his name as a lensman ofnote, be it in portraits, landscapes, glamour and news photography;and the eagle-eyed Deng Pangilinan who was to photography bred.

While we wanted – as should be – our photographs to speak forthemselves, we were swamped with questions about the churchesexhibited. No less than Gov. Lilia G. Pineda pointed the need forsome accompanying information about the churches, if only tolend a deeper appreciation of the images.

This year, the SM Group asked us to evenexpand the exhibit – carrying the same title –with more photographs and take it on a MetroManila run to expose our city cousins to the“beautiful churches” of Pampanga and perhapsgenerate enough enthusiasm to warrant their ownvisita iglesia.

Thus last Sunday, February 24 we opened theexhibit at the SM Mall of Asia where it will be fora week. SM Southmall will follow and then SMCity North EDSA on weekly runs. Until finally theexhibit will come home to SM City Pampanga,opening on March 18.

As splashing the photographs here would notdo justice to the magnificence of the churches, Ijust have to act the tourist guide here and go oversome of the churches – there are 16 churchesand four chapels in all at the exhibit – in brief,with information culled from the web.

STA. RITA DE CASCIA, Sta. Rita. Thepresent church was built by Fr. Francisco Royoin 1839 and completed by Fr. Juan Merino in 1868.These two priests also opened the road linkingSta. Rita with Porac and Guagua.

A major attraction of the church are its fiveheritage bells all made by the famous foundry ofH. Sunico y Hos Jaboneros: the Señora de laCornea installed at the belfry in 1869; Dolorosabell in 1878; and the bells of Virgen de Lourdes,San Jose and Santa Rita—all installed on May20, 1911.

The bells were taken down for repairs in 2010by Royal Bells Philippines and were restored after47 days. They were described as “the mostbeautiful sounding bell of its vintage and style thatwe have ever rehabilitated.”

The parish is the site where the Holy Relic –ex carne – of Saint Rita de Cascia is enshrined.Antique church artefacts are on display at a smallmuseum in the convent.

ST. PETER THE APOSTLE, Apalit. Thepresent neo-classic church was constructed in1876-1883 by Mariano Santos of Guagua underthe direction of Fr. Antonio Redondo. This tookthe place of the church built in 1854-1860 butdestroyed by a strong earthquake in 1863, andan even earlier church – the town’s first –constructed from 1641 to 1645.

The two rectangular bell towers with pagodaroofs were completed under the guidance of Rev.Toribio Fanjul in 1896.

On the ceiling are trompe l’oeil murals said tobe done by an Italian free-lance painter namedCesare Alberoni or a pupil who is a native of Apalit.The cupola is painted with a folksy rendition ofthe Apocalypse. At the center of the retablo isthe seated ivory image of St. Peter said to havecome from Spain.

SANTIAGO DE GALLICIA, Betis. Started in1660 by Fr. Fernando Pinto and completed in 1770by Fr. Jose de la Cruz, repaired continuallythroughout the 1800s, the unadorned exteriormakes a total contradiction to its interiors thatevoke immediate comparisons with the SistineChapel.

Biblical events and figures in vibrant colorsmake the ceiling mural originally painted by SimonFlores (1839-1904) and the dome and walls doneby local artists led by brothers Martin and SeverinoGozum Pangilinan. The ornately carved mainretablo with images of saints in their respectiveniches, 19th century sculpture, a baptisterystraight out of the Renaissance – all contributingto the church’s declaration as a National Treasureby the National Museum and the NationalCommission for Culture and the Arts.

The church has also wide wooden planks for

its floor making it truly one of its kind.ST. AUGUSTINE, Lubao. The oldest

established parish in Pampanga. Initially built in1572 in Barrio Sta. Catalina, the church wasmoved to its present site due to floodings. It wasconstructed in 1614-1630 by Augustinian priestand architect Fr. Antonio Herrera out of locallymade bricks and sand mixed in egg albumin.

The Philippine Revolution saw the churchoccupied by revolutionaries in 1898 and used asa hospital in 1899 by the American forces. In 1942it was destroyed by Japanese shelling. Majorrehabilitation was undertaken in 1949-1952 underthe direction of Fr. Melencio Garcia, and periodicrepair since.

A focal point of interest is the retablo with ahost of Augustinian saints. Enshrined in thechurch are relics of St. Augustine and his motherSt. Monica.

STA. MONICA, Minalin. Located on a burul(the town’s highest ground) where it was moved –hence minalis, corrupted to minalin – afterfloodings, the church completed in the mid- 1700’shas not been spared from invasive river silt.

The peeled finishing has revealed the originalred brick walls, giving the church up to its twinhexagonal bell towers its unique old-rose touches.The magnificence of its façade recurs in its retabloof Augustinian saints with an antique painting ofLa Consolation at the top.

At the church patio are four capillas posas(small outdoor chapels) which distinguished thechurch “as the only church in the Philippines wheresuch integral elements are to be found in theirhistoric state.”

Escudos – of elements attached to St.Augustine – adorn the outside walls wheredecorated columns and arches reflect influencesof Asian culture.

There are ancient mural paintings in theadjoining convent, one of which is a primitive-looking map with details of trees, ducks, crows,a boat, a hunter and a crocodile.

The church was declared a National CulturalTreasure by the National Museum in 2011 andholds the relics of St. Augustine and St. Monica.

SAN GUILLERMO, Bacolor. Constructed byAugustinian friars in 1576 in the town that, at thetime of the British invasion of Manila, served asthe capital of the Philippines (1762 to 1765). Thechurch was restored by Fr. Manuel Diaz in 1897with a central nave and well lighted transcept asmain features. Baroque and rococo are the maininfluence in its retablos and pulpit heavily gildedwith gold leaf.

The lahar rampages in the wake of the MountPinatubo eruptions of 1991 half-buried the church.Churchgoers now enter through the choirloftwindows, and are greeted inside by beautifullyrestored retablos dug up from several feet of lahar.The citizens of Bacolor take pride in their richheritage which is why they painstakinglyexcavated the ornately carved wooden main andside altars which are now back to their pristinecondition.

SAN LUIS GONZAGA, San Luis. Generallybelieved to have been completed in the late 18th

century, the church was only one of two in thewhole Pampanga built by Filipino secular priests.It was restored in 1883 by Fr. Isidro Bernardo towhat has remained to the present.

Unique for its three-tower façade, arguably theonly one of its kind in the Philippines, the churchhas a dark interior setting a sense of antiquityand mystery heightened by the strong scent ofbat urine.

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Napag-uusapanlangNi Felix M. Garcia

Death threats?DI KO ninanais sabihing gimmick langNg isang kandidatong para CongressmanAng siya’y may ‘death threat’ pagkat baka namanIto’y nagsasabi ng katotohanan.

Pero kahit pa man totoong may bantaAng dati’y kasangga ng supling ng Baba,Syempre iba’t-iba r’yan ang haka-hakaNitong sa isyu ay di naniniwala.

Lalo’t itong magagaling kumilatisSa kalakaran ng maruming politics,Pagkat ang ganitong bagay na nabanggitAy karaniwan na nating naririnig.

Dahilan na rin sa madaling sabihinNinuman ang siya ay balak patayinSa pamamagitan na rin ng sarilingPamamaraan o gustong palitawin.

Gumawa ka lang ng sulat pagbabantaAt lakipan mo ng bala at/o kayaNg itim na bagayay maniniwalaNa ang iyong mga kaututang-dila.

Subalit sa panig ng katunggali n’yanIisa ang bukod tanging kasagutan,Na ang naturan ay gawa-gawa lamangNitong isa para ang mata ng bayan

Ay sa kanya lubos mabaling kumbagaUpang manapa ay kaawaan siyaAt ang suporta ng marami’y sa kanyaPumisan sa puntong argabyado siya?

Dangan nga lang hindi garantya ang ganyanPara makuha ang damdamin ng bayan,Dala na rin nitong marami na riyanAng mulat sa iba’t-ibang pamaraan

Para palabasin na sila ay nasaPanganib kung kaya kailangan talagaNila ang sapat na ‘bodyguard’ anilaSa kapanahunan ng pangangampanya.

Kaya lang, sa panig naman ng kalabanAy di maganda ang epekto kung minsanNg ganitong para ka lang sumikat diyan,Ikaw ay gumawa ng kababalaghan!

Pagkat di malayong ikawrin ang unaNa maaring pagbintangan nitong isa,Bunsod syemprel nitong wala namang ibaNamaaringpag-isipan ng lahat na.

D’yan posibleng magkasala ng malakiAng ating congressman sa ‘civil society’Kapag di naging maingat sa pagsabi,O ang hinalain ang ngayo’y Alkalde

Ng kilalang lungsod ang puedeng umakdaNg ganitong klase r’yan ng pagbabanta,Dahilan na rin sa napakadakilaAt napakabuti niya para gumawa

Ng ganito para lang nito taluninAt ibaba yan sa hawak na tungkulinDala na rin nitong sa taglay na galing,Ay marami siyang maaring marating

Liban sa dati na niyang hinawakan,Ay may mapaglagyan s’ya sa Malakanyang;Kaya imposibleng para manalo langAy takutin nito ang kanyang kalaban!

The church site used to be called Cabagsac –for cabag (fruit bat) and bagsak (fall) – where batsroost. A fishnet is installed high above the altarprecisely to catch thousands of bats that are

BACKDROP of EDSA PeoplePower: + 21 years of the dicta-tor + use of politics for econom-ic gains + perpetuation of self inpolitics at all costs: mangling ofPhil Constitution, closing of freemedia, human rights abuses,putting dissidents in stockade,lingering poverty + tama na, so-bra, palitan na. People joinedhands and hearts to topple thedictator and install a duly elect-ed leader to bring back democ-racy. All these done in a peace-ful way.

We need to relive EDSAspirit in our Province.We have a DICTA-TORSHIP that islooming, staring atus:

1. Dynasty is inthe making: not onlya parent succeedinga child in office butmag-ina o mag-amao magtiya o mag-asawa holding bothexecutive and legis-lative positions.Where is check andbalance? Where isseparation of pow-ers

2. Dynastyknocking at thegates of the prov-ince. The re-election-ist governor wasmayor for nine yearsin Lubao, her son-running mate wasmayor for nineyears, her daughteris currently the may-or. So that is a totalof 21 years andcounting. There hasbeen no person whothen challenged thisdynasty since Dr.Jimenez died, threeelections ago. Thiswill the fourth time.

Did Lubao improve these past21 years? Besides their manytownmates they sent for curesand hospitalization, whatprogress did they bring to theirtown? Is there a commercialbank or a Jolibee in Lubao?Their town is basically agricul-tural. I had three opportunitiesto consult with farmers there.They do not know of any sub-stantial intervention that was ini-tiated by the LCE (local govern-ment executive). Are we goingto allow them to rule the prov-

A MESSAGE FROM AMONG ED

Democracy imperilledin Pampanga

ince also for 21 years? 3. Sometimes I wonder if it

is correct to say that dynasty iscoming into the province. Or hasit already come? I was told by anumber of contractors who usedto be awarded projects after fol-lowing the right process of bid-ding, that larger projects worthmore than a million pesos arejust arranged to a group of con-tractors who are supplied by justone batching plant called BGC.Gone are the happy days of FIL-MIXCO, Tokwing and otherscould participate in the bidding.

4. I was surprised to learnthat a politician quipped beforeOctober last year: Let us be re-alistic, if a candidate is not sup-ported by the jueteng lord, he/she has no chance of winning. Ifthis is true, and I think it is areality for certain candidates. Ifso, the electorate who put pub-lic servants in office is a thing ofthe past. It is now the juetenglord who is the king or queenmaker. In certain cases, he orshe is not only the king or queenmaker. He is now the king, sheis now the queen! This has also

been the conclusion of the studyby Archbishop Cruz and Sen.Miriam Santiago.

5. Most of the local mediapractitioners sing praises andhosannas for the Capitol. Theyshould tell about the nice plansand activities of the provincialgovernment. But why are theymum about the errors and mis-takes. Or do we have a spotlessand sinless mother of perpetualhelp in the capitol?

If all these are happening toour province, then our situationnow has a lot of similarities with

that time which pre-cipitated the EDSARevolution. Then itis necessary thatwe have to relive thespirit of EDSA. De-mocracy is definite-ly imperilled in Pam-panga.

Let us remindourselves that ourrace is a proud, na-tionalistic and dem-ocratic race. Theblood of Ninoy Aqui-no runs through ourveins. In the sameway, the blood ofTarik Soliman, JoseAbad Santos, PedroAbad Santos, Gen.Maximino Hizon,Jose Lingad, Viven-cio Cuyugan, LuisTaruc, NicolasaDayrit, FranciscoManiago, FelixbertoOlalia and all Pam-pango heroes haveennobled our race.

Let us stop thedemise of democra-cy, halt dynasty andobliterate family cor-porations in govern-ment.

We will relive theEDSA Revolution by making allour people realize that they havethe power to enable democracyto synergize our energies, ca-pabilities and ingenuity towardscharting progress and prosperi-ty in our Land. And we can dothis on May 13 of 2013. Let usinstall effective, empowering andethical leaders in our body poli-tic whom we will support for abrighter San Fernando and pro-gressive Pampanga.

Mabuhay ang Fernandino!Mabuhay ang Kapampangan!Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

(Delivered by former Gov. Eddie T. Panlilio at the 27th Anniversary Celebration of EDSA PeopleRevolution: “Relive the spirit, empower the people” in the City of San Fernando)

Panlilio in prayer.PHOTO COURTESY OF E. I. REYMOND T. OREJAS

Zona LibreFROM PAGE 6 roosting inside the church.

THERE. Just a sampling of what is in store atthe exhibit.

Come see the magnificence of Pampanga’slegacy churches. Marvel at these expressions ofthe Kapampangan Faith.

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESMUNICIPAL CIVIL REGISTRY OFFICE

PROVINCE OF PAMPANGAMUNICIPALITY OF MEXICO

NOTICE FOR PUBLICATIONIn compliance with Section 5 of R.A. No. 9048, a notice is hereby

served to the public that NELSON ENDONA has filed with this Office apetition for CHANGE OF FIRST NAME from WILSON to NELSON inthe Certificate of Live Birth of WILSON ENDONA who was born onMarch 24, 1991 Alegria, Cebu and whose parents are TERESITATEORICA and JOSELITO ENDONA.

Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his writtenopposition with this Office.

(SGD) ROSANA AGUAS Municipal Civil Registrar

Punto! Central Luzon: February 22 & March 1, 2013

NOTICE TO THE PUBLICIn Compliance with the publication requirement and pursuant to

OCRG Memorandum Circular No2013-1 Guidelines in the Implementationof the Administrative Order No. 1 Series of 2012 (IRR on R.A. 10172),Notice is hereby served to the public that Robbie Jean EspinoPolicarpiohas filed with this Office, a petition for correction of entry in sex from“Male” to “Female” in the certif icate of l ive birth of Robbie JeanEspinoPolicarpio at Mabalacat, Pampanga and whose parents areBernardo G. Policarpio and Josephine S. Espino.

Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his writtenopposition with this Office not later than March 7, 2013.

VICTOR TERRY A. MEDINA Angeles City Civil Registrar

PUNTO! Central Luzon: February 22 & March 1, 2013

these are allegedly linkedto the family of the Pine-das.”

Panli l io made thesame allegations in hisspeech during the EDSAanniversary celebrations

FROM PAGE 1

Delta dares Among Ed: Put up or back outin this city last week.

Pineda categoricallydenied Panlilio’s accusa-tions.

“Patunayan niya napag-aari ko ang BGCBatching Plant at kontro-lado nito ang mga kon-trata sa Kapitolyo,

buung-buo ko i tongibibigay sa kanya. Atmagwi-withdraw ako sapagka-bise gobernador(Prove that I own BGCbatching Plant and that itcontrols contracts at theCapitol, and I will give itall to him. Also, I will with-

draw my candidacy forvice governor),” Pinedadared Panlilio.

“Kung wala naman siy-ang mapatunayan, mara-pat lamang na mag-with-draw din siya. (If he can’tprove his allegations thenit is just right that he also

withdraws (his candida-cy),” Pineda said.

The former Lubao may-or who is running in tan-dem with his mother, Gov.Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pine-da, said Panlilio “has tobe stopped from malign-ing our family with base-

The presidential partywould be accompaniedby LP gubernatorial can-didate Eddie Panlilio, asuspended priest whowas governor from 2007to 2010, as well as otherlocal LP candidates.

Candaba’s Mayor Jer-ry Pelayo, known as a loy-alist of Arroyo, is runningfor congress in the fourthdistrict under the local par-

FROM PAGE 1

PNoy, LP to storm bailiwick of GMAty Kambilan, which wasfounded by re-electionistGov. Lilia Pineda, a “coma-dre” of Arroyo. The formerpresident was sponsor inthe wedding of Pineda’sson Dennis who is runningfor vice governor alongsidehis mother in the comingMay polls.

The presidential partyis expected to motor toMexico town via Sta. Anafor a lunch press confer-ence dubbed “Usap Tan-

ghalian Kapampangan” atthe Amber Trail in Baran-gay San Pablo, theschedule indicated.

After lunch, the partywill head to Heroes Hallin the capital city of SanFernando for the “procla-mation of local slates.”

The schedule also list-ed a “pitstop media oppor-tunity” dubbed “symbolicwood carving in support ofthe industry” in BarangayBetis in Guagua town,

where the President willinspect wood carvingproducts the barangay isknown for worldwide.

Guagua is within Pam-panga’s second districtwhere former Pres. GloriaArroyo is seeking re-elec-tion as congresswoman.

Most local candidatesin this province, led byPineda, are running for re-election under the Kam-bilan local party. Most ofthem used to be mem-

less allegations and out-right lies.”

“Magpakalalaki na-man siya at patotohaninniya ang mga pinagsas-abi niya ((Panlilio) shouldbe man enough to provethe truthfulness of his al-legations),” Pineda said.

This creates instability,Guiao said, citing the needto convert Clark into anauthority by an act of Con-gress.

He said chief execu-tives of Clark should havea fixed term of office thatshould be defined by lawto immunize them frompoliticking so that they canset their own pace in thedevelopment of the free-port.

The Clark DevelopmentCorp. (CDC), the adminis-trator of the Clark FreeportZone is a governmentowned and controlled cor-poration (GOCC) createdin April 1993 by ExecutiveOrder 80 (EO 80) by thenPresident Ramos as theimplementing arm of theBases Conversion Devel-opment Authority (BCDA) to manage the Clark Spe-cial Economic Zone.

Guiao said Clark shouldhave its own charter andcorporate identity in orderto negotiate with govern-

FROM PAGE 1

Guiao bats for Clark authorityments and big businesses.The problem right now, hesaid, is Clark needs to passthrough the BCDA and theOffice of the President toplan its own course.

“Right now, we are al-ready drafting a bill. Ateam of lawyers are formu-lating a bill that is an im-proved version of the CEZAand APECO laws,” hesaid.

When asked what hewill do with the draft mea-sure if he loses his con-gressional bid, Guiaogamely said, “I will give itto whoever wins.”

On March 13, 1992,Congress passed Repub-lic Act 7227 known asthe Bases Conversion andDevelopment Act of 1992,creating the Subic BayFreeport in anticipation ofthe pull-out of the US na-val base facilities.

Section 13 of RA 7227created the SBMA andfreeport incentives thatwas lobbied for by RichardGordon and inserted as anamendment during the bi-

cameral committee hear-ings.

The Cagayan SpecialEconomic Zone and Free-port, also known as Ca-gayan Freeport, was es-tablished by virtue of Re-public Act No. 7922, oth-erwise known as the Ca-gayan Economic Zone Actof 1995. It is being super-vised and managed by theCagayan Economic ZoneAuthority (CEZA) into aself-sustaining industrial,commercial, financial, andrecreational center, with asuitable residential area, inorder to create employ-ment opportunities aroundthe Cagayan Freeport, andto effectively encourageand attract legitimate andproductive local and for-eign investments.

The freeport is actual-ly located in Port Irene,Casambalangan, SantaAna, Cagayan. It is ap-proximately a 45-minuteplane ride from Kaoshung,Taiwan’s largest industrialand shipping center.

The Aurora Pacific Eco-

nomic Zone and Freeport,also known as APECO,was established by virtueof Republic Act 9490, oth-erwise known as the Auro-ra Special Economic ZoneAct of 2007. It is being su-pervised and managed bythe Aurora Pacific Econom-ic Zone and Freeport Au-thority into a self-sustain-ing industrial, commercial,financial, and recreationalcenter, with a suitable res-idential area, in order tocreate employment oppor-tunities around Casiguran,and to effectively encourageand attract legitimate andproductive local and foreigninvestments.

If finally enacted intolaw, Guiao said ClarkFreeport could be re-named Cory Aquino Eco-nomic Authority becausePresident Aquino’s latemother was very much in-strumental in literally help-ing Clark rise from the ash-es after the eruption of Mt.Pinatubo in 1991 which vir-tually turned it into a ghosttown.

bers of Lakas-Kampi co-alition.

The President and theLP candidates are ex-pected to cap their sortieto this province with a ral-ly at the plaza in front ofthe Rufino Cardinal San-tos Center in the heart ofGuagua before headingback to Manila.

During UNA’s sortie tothis province Wednesdaylast week, senatorial can-didates expressed confi-dence that Pampangawould be their bailiwick.UNA senatorial candi-dates Mitos Magsaysayand Migz Zubiri, both al-lies of Arroyo, criticizedthe President for blaming

the former president forhis administration’s fail-ings.

UNA senatorial betsalso capitalized on the al-leged failure of the Aqui-no administration to pur-sue the modern north rail-ways project l inkingMetro Manila to Clarkfreeport in Pampanga, byvowing to push for theproject once they areelected to the Senate thisMay.

Among those whovowed to pursue theproject during last week’srally held in Angeles Citywas presidential aunt andUNA senatorial candidateMargarita Cojuangco.

BY ARMAND GALANG

CABANATUAN CITY -“Magdalena,” 37, has found her-self in deep trouble after sheallegedly offered cash and sexfavors to a police officer in ex-change of the freedom of a rel-ative who was arrested for drugpushing, police reported onThursday.

The woman from BarangayRizdelis here is now in deten-tion facing charges of violationof Article 212 of Revised PenalCode (Corruption of Public Offi-cial) for allegedly offeringP15,000 and sexual intercourseto PO3 Crizaldy Juat, a mem-ber of the Community PrecinctAction Center 513 on Saturday,according to Supt. Eli Depra,city police chief.

Depra said Magdalena wentto the Compac station in PlazaLucero this city at about 10:15a.m. Saturday while chargeswere being prepared against hercousin Allan Bondoc and a cer-tain Raymund Dela Cruz who

‘Unli’ sex offer lands woman in jailreportedly fell in a buy-bust op-eration conducted by the law-men Friday afternoon.

“She put on the tableP15,000 cash and offered sexto our investigator,” Depra said.The woman allegedly said shecan engage into a daily inter-course with the lawman shouldhe cause dropping of the charg-

es against Bondoc.“She earned the ire of our

man with this offer and arrest-ed her,” Depra said.

Juat filed the corruption ofpublic official charges againstthe woman before the City pros-ecutor’s office docketed asNPS-No. III-05-INQ-13-B-00117under inquest Prosecutor Melvin

Martinez.The suspect refused to com-

ment on charges against her.She, however, appealed for un-derstanding on what she wasgoing through.

Fellow detainees said thewoman started to cry all nightwhen she saw her 17-year-oldson, along with two others, also

being hauled to adjacent deten-tion facility over allegation ofcarnapping.

Her teenaged son was re-portedly caught on Feb. 26 inpossession of a carnappedmotorcycle owned by a certainHenry Pranilla, 29, of San JoseCity at about 6:p.m. in Baran-gay Bitas here.

NINA ROMMEL RAMOSAT DINO BALABO

MALOLOS CITY—Dead onthe spot and tatlo katao atnasa kritikal na kalagayanang isa matapos magkaram-bola ang apat na truck sabayan ng Norzagaray, Bula-can noong Miyerkoles ngmadaling araw.

Ang mga biktima ay nak-ilalang sina Christian Legaz-pi, Wilmer Solis, at Rio De-los Santos, samantalang isapang pahinante na nakilalang

si Michael De Sajo ang nasakritikal na kondisyon.

Ayon kay Supt. RoginalFrancisco, hepe ng pulisya ngNorzagaray, ang insidente aynaganap sa Sit io SapangKawayan, Barangay Matictic,Norzagaray di kalayuan sa Hol-cim Cement factory pasadoalas-2 ng madaling araw noongMiyerkoles.

Batay sa inisyal na ulat,agad namatay ang tatlong bik-tima matapos magkarambolaang sinasakyan nilang truck.

Ayon kay Francisco, mina-

maneho ni Legazpi ang isangGiga Dump truck na may pla-kang RLV 360 at tinangkangmag-over take sa trailer trac-tor na may plakang CPY 489at minamaneho ni RafaelQuijano na patungo din noonsa Holcim.

Ngunit nabulaga si Legazpinang ang cement bulk carrierna may plakang UFV 983 aysumalpok. Ang nasabing bulkcarrier ay minamaneho ni De-los Santos.

Matapos ang salpukan, bu-manggap pa ang bulk carrier ni

Delos Santos sa isang Isuzucargo truck na may plakangRJZ 704 na minamaneho niManuel Rivera.

Ayon kay Francisco nama-tay din ang pahinante niLegazpi na si Solis, saman-talang kritikal ang pahinanteni Delos Santos na si De Sajo.

Ikinagimbal naman ng il-ang residente ang insidente,ngunit nagpasalamat din siRolando Palaruan.

Ito ay dahil nakaligtas siPalaruan matapos tumbukunng truck ang kanyang bahay.

3 patay, 1 kritikal sa karambola ng 4 na trak

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TheGossip-millerby Cesar Pambid

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After Piolo Pascual...KC Concepcion di pa

raw ready for anotherserious relationship

BAGAMA’T kontrobersyal ang love life ni KC Concepcion, for now, ayon sadalaga ay hindi raw ito ang kanyang priority dahil gusto raw muna niyang i-enjoy ang pagiging single bago siya pumasok ulit sa isang relasyon.

Nag-enjoy din daw siya sa mga bagong pangyayari sa career niya ngayontulad na nga lamang ng bago niyang endorsement, ang Boardwalk for SignatureStyle Collection na ini-lauch kahapon sa EDSA Shangri-La Plaza kung saannga rin siya nakatsikahan ng entertainment press.

Aniya, right now ay na-realize niyang hindi pa raw siya ready na pumasoksa isang serious relationship kaya friends na lang daw muna sila ng kanyangFrench suitor na si Pierre Emmanuel Plassart.

“Yes, si Pierre kasi, I met him unexpectedly sa isang dinner ni Pres. BillClinton. Second time akong in-invite sa isang functions ng mga Clintons.Nakasama ko talaga siya in the same table with his mom and my mom.

“Needless to say, nagkasundo kami, it was fun talking to him, dumatinglang siguro sa point na sumeryoso masyado at na-realize ko na hindi pa pala ako ready na maging sobrangserious.

“So, kesa mag-progress pa at masaktan siya in the end, parang prineserve ko muna kung anuman ’yungfriendship na meron kami and pick up siguro in the future kapag ready na kaming dalawa,” pagbabahagi ni KC.

Mahabang usapan daw ang naganap sa kanila ni Pierre tungkol dito and in the end, naintindihan naman dawng suitor ang kanyang desisyon and very thankful naman siya for that.

“Naintindihan niya although siyempre, pinu-push niya ’yung... he’s fighting for it, pero kasi you have to be inthe same level pagdating sa fighting for love, so, since wala pa ako sa level na ’yun, marami pa akong gustonggawin, siguro for now, sacrifice na lang muna,” she said.

Say pa ng dalaga ni Sharon Cuneta, right now, she’s taking her time to enjoy her single blessedness.“Yeah, parang sa lahat ng pinagdaanan ko rin, parang I just want

to have fun, I just want to see the world a bit more.”May communication pa rin naman daw sila,

friends pa rin sila at medyo malalim na rinnaman daw ang friendship nila. Kung

makapaghihintay daw si Pierre until the timecomes na ready na siya, tingnan daw natin.

“True love waits. So, kung talagang true’yung love niya at makarating ako sa levelna ready na ako and nandiyan pa rin siya,mabait naman siyang tao and napaka-disente ng pamilya niya. Mahal na mahalko ang pamilya niya and mahal din nilaako, so we’ll see. But for now,maganda ’yung friendship namin,nag-uusap pa rin kami.”

Open ba siya for other suitorsright now?

“Yes pero again, hindi akoready na maging sobrangserious. Kailangan ko munangpagdaanan like every girl should,

’yung pagiging single, pagiginghappy.

“Kasi, ’pag tumalon ka to a serious relationship again, parangmaraming risks, so kailangan, buo ka muna.”

Bukod sa bagong endorsement niyang ito, may mga naka-line-up ding mga bagong projects for KC na aniya ay hindi pa niyapuwedeng sabihin ang iba. She’s still very much with ABS-CBN,kapipirma lang daw niya ng kontrata sa network and muli siyangmapapanood sa drama series na Against All Odds.

At this point, someone asked KC kung in speaking terms na basila ng ex-boyfriend niyang si Piolo Pascual lalo pa nga’t nagkikita

naman sila sa ASAP 18 at say ng aktres, ayaw na raw munaniyang sagutin ito.

“I’ll just take after Anne Hathaway,” she said with a shortlaugh and then walked away from the interview.

In fairness, nakangiti at maayos naman siyang umaliskaya hindi naman masasabing nag-walk-out siya. ’Yunnga lang, natapos na ang interbyuhan after someonementioned Piolo’s name.

Marian Rivera, Piolo Pascuallibre lang ang serbisyo sa indie

movie ni Vilma SantosMAGKASUNDO sina Vilma Santos at Marian Rivera sa set of

Quantum Films’ “Ekstra, The Bit Player.”Extra amg role ni

Ate Vi in the film within a film entitled “Una Kang Naging Akin,”with Marian Rivera and Piolo Pascual as the lead stars. True kayana libre lang ang pag-appear nilang tatlo sa naturang movie?

“Indie film ito,” says Ate Vi. “May limit na P3.5 million lang angbudget ng Cinemalaya per entry. So tulong ko na lang ito and I alsowelcome the new challenge it offers to me as an actress. Sana nga,matanggap ito sa international film festivals.”

“Ako naman, ginawa ko ito dahil gusto kong makasama si Gov. Viand also for Atty. Joji Alonso,” says Marian. “I really had a good timeshooting for the movie kahit guest role lang ako. Nag-enjoy ako kasiang gaan ng atmosphere sa set. Parang ‘di nagtatrabaho ang mgatao at ang saya ng lahat. Nakakahawa kasi si Gov. Vi. Low key langand super professional, sa kabila ng stature niya. She just followslahat ng direction ni Direk Jeffrey Jeturian.”

Atty. Joji says Ate Vi herself helped out in getting locations forfree, including a house used in the movie owned by her friend and asugar cane plantation.

“Puro libre,” she says. “Pati si Direk Jeffrey, pro-bono rito. Nag-sponsor din ng food namin ang Jollibee, giving us lots of food sa set.”

Marian adds that she hopes she and Ate Vi will make anothermovie together where they will both have full length meaty roles. “‘Yunghindi ako guest lang.”

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