By CHARLIE C. LAGASCA BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – The Army is bracing for possible attacks by the traditionally Maoist New People’s Army (NPA) on several communication facilities in Cagayan Valley , among them a major facility of a multi-national telecommunication company. “We are not taking chances here as well as in other vital facilities in our areas. (The rebels) would resort to these actions just to make their dwindling presence felt under the new administration,” said Colonel Loreto Magundayao, chief of the civil-military relations battalion of the Isabela-based Army’s 5th Infantry Division (ID). The Army said that it has already deployed a number of its men as augmentation security force for the Globe facility in Barangay Bansing here, reportedly one of the targets of the NPA attacks to make its presence felt under the Aquino administration. Once the NPA succeed in sabotaging said facility, Magundayao said that communication links among Globe subscribers here, in Quirino and ...

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–The family of a slain Kalinga-based journalist is seeking police protection amid reports that some of them were receiving threats following their patriarch’s murder. Chief Inspector Glen Ganpac, police chief of Kalinga’s Tabuk City capital, said that family members of the late Jose Daguio, especially his son Joey, have been seeking assistance for security in the wake of threats they have been receiving following Daguio’s slay. “In fact, (Daguio’s) family has already left their place due to threats. His son Joey is now in our custody for his safety,” the police said. Daguio, 75, the first journalist killed under the Aquino regime, was a former broadcaster of dzRK Radyo Natin-Kalinga. He was a member of the Kalinga Media Board at the time of his slay. Joey reportedly saw the gunman of his father, who was shot on the chest at close range with a shotgun inside their house in Tabuk’s Barangay Tuga on the evening of July 3. Over the week, the body of Daguio’...

By CHARLIE C. LAGASCA TUGUEGARAO CITY – Village folk in Peñablanca town here have been tapped to act as guardians of the remaining forest cover in said Cagayan’s southeastern town, which also is host to the famed seven-chambered Callao caves. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) yesterday said that it awarded tracts of land within the Peñablanca Protected Landscape and Seascape (PPLS) to members of the Bugatay Upland Farmers Multipurpose Coop. to ensure its continued protection from the entry of timber poachers and other environmentally-destructive activities. “We believe that if people have a stake in a certain area, they are more than keen in protecting it from others who are out to destroy the environment,” said Felix Taguba, provincial environment and natural resources officer. A government-protected, the PPLS, comprising some 119,000 hectares of forest land forms with the nearby Isabela’s Northern Sierra Madre National Park and other wildlife reserves in ...

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–The security of a vital communication facility here serving as links to various provinces has been tightened amid threats from the New People’s Army (NPA) to sabotage its operations. The Army said that it has deployed a number of its men as augmentation security force for the Globe telecommunication facility in Barangay Bansing here, reportedly one of the targets of the NPA activities to make its presence felt under the Aquino administration. Colonel Loreto Magundayao, chief of the civil-military relations battalion of the Isabela-based Army’s 5th Infantry Division (ID) said that once the NPA succeed in sabotaging said facility, communication links among Globe subscribers here, in Quirino and parts of southern Isabela and central Cordillera would be totally cut-off. “We are not taking chances here as well as in other vital facilities in our areas. (The rebels) would resort to these actions just to make their dwindling presence felt under the new administrati...

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–For the first time in many years, one of the province’s mountain towns, dubbed as the region’s citrus capital, won’t have an annual citrus festival this year, or every month of August, amid its huge drop in production. This after the long dry spell and still uncontrolled pests and diseases afflicting the plants in citrus-growing Kasibu town, especially its Malabing Valley resulted not only in an extremely low harvest but in poor quality and stunted fruits as well. According to Kasibu town Mayor Alberto Bumolo Jr., such produce have resulted in poor sales, bringing many citrus farmers in the area to the brink of bankruptcy. “There is no reason for the people to celebrate this year, due to the poor quantity and quality of our harvest as a result of the dry spell. Besides, our citrus industry continues to be threatened by diseases,” he said. It was learned that this year’s citrus production, which included the sweet perante oranges as well as those seedless va...

By CHARLIE C. LAGASCA BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – Amid the stormy weather, thousands paid their last respects to the late Cagayan Rep. Florencio Vargas as his remains were finally laid to rest in his Abulug hometown Saturday (August 7). “All people from all walks of life attended the funeral. Almost all the officials of Cagayan led by Governor (Alvaro) Antonio paid their last respects to the late congressman,” said Vice Gov. Leonides Fausto. Vargas, 79, whose second congressional district covers the towns of Abulug, Ballesteros, Calayan, Claveria, Lasam, Piat, Rizal, Sanchez Mira, Santa Praxedes and Santo Niño, was laid to his final resting place at the Abulug municipal cemetery at 12 noon Saturday. One of the few remaining active politicians from the 1960s, Vargas succumbed to complications from leukaemia while being confined at the Saint Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City on July 22. After necrological rites and an overnight wake at the House of Representatives, Vargas’ remains...

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – Apprehensions over the protection of fishery and other natural resources, relative to the planned dredging of the Buguey Lagoon, can be put to rest after government agencies led by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute has outlined a number of points to consider in order to forestall any negative effect of such activity . The lagoon, situated at Buguey town some 140 kilometers north of this capital city, is a center of fishery activities particularly seaweeds (Gracilaria) and oyster production, fry and crablets gathering, and fish cage operations. However, the area has been under threat recently due to heavy siltation and constriction resulting to poor water exchange. “The freshwater from the western end and saline water from the sea can not flow freely due to heavy siltation particularly at the portion near the main bridge which affects water quality and fishery operations in the lagoon,” Venchito Villarao, Coastal Resource Management spe...