BATANGBALER

Some Aurora-related news from different websites:

Army denies Infanta church statement - from inquirer.net by tonette Orejas:

The military in Aurora has described its relations with priests in the province as “vibrant and intimate.”

The Army’s 48th Infantry Battalion said this in a statement to deny the report of the Prelature of Infanta that the military’s counterinsurgency campaign has sown fear among the residents and discredited the Catholic Church and its clergy there.

Read the complete news

CL top cop eyes probe of Aurora police director - from Philippine Star by Manny Galvez (December 7):

The regional director of the Philippine National Police in Central Luzon has vowed to look into the allegations of arrogance and incompetence against the controversial provincial police director in the province.

Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz said that he would look into the controversy involving Senior Superintendent Romeo Teope amid claims he was ignoring established laws and was helpless in the campaign against the illegal numbers game in the province.

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CHR asked to order army camp closure - from inquirer.net December 23:

The Commission on Human Rights here has concluded the collation of reports and conduct of dialogues on the requests of the Multi-Sectoral Action Group of Aurora (MSAG) to help order the closure of an Army camp in Baler and the pullout of troops in Dipaculao following alleged human rights violations by soldiers.

CHR Central Luzon director Jasmin Regino said her office was expected to submit its findings and recommendations to CHR Chair Leila de Lima by early January 2009.

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DENR to dispatch legal team to stop illegal logging in Aurora - from gmanews.tv:

A combined team of legal and law enforcement agents will be dispatched by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to Aurora province to check on reports of fresh illegal logging activities in Dingalan town.

The order came after Environment Secretary Lito Atienza learned of the illegal logging activities in the said town through “independent sources in the area.”

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Aurora rated X again by MTRCB - from gmanews.tv. This is not really about Aurora the Province. I was just surprised that asides from Baler the movie there is also an Aurora, the movie.

Government abolishing three DENR offices in Region 3 - from Philippine Star by Manny Galvez (December 23)

A controversial rationalization plan of the national government seeking to streamline government agencies through mergers, abolitions and downsizing of personnel and employees will result in the abolition of three community offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Luzon.

Regidor de Leon, DENR regional executive director for Central Luzon told The STAR that the community environment and natural resources offices or CENROs in Talavera, Nueva Ecija; Baler in Aurora; and Cabanggan in Zambales, will be abolished under the Rationalization Plan for the DENR in line with EO 366 issued by President Arroyo.

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from gmanews.tv:

After three years of detention at the Manila City Jail on charges in connection with the May 2005 killing of newspaper publisher Philip Agustin, former Dinagalan town mayor Jaime Ylarde is now a free man.

Ylarde was released on Monday after Agustin’s daughter Rosebelle Agustin-Cruz withdrew her complaint against the former mayor.

Read the complete news

Here’s another version of the news from Philippine Star

Updated November 4:

Aurora eco-zone officials bullish on investments. From Northern Philippine Times by Luis Jose.

Officials of the newly created Aurora Special Economic Zone Authority are bullish over the prospects of business in northeastern Luzon with start of operations of the Aurora Ecozone which is expected to generate investments and jobs for this province, considered one of the 200 poorest provinces.

Read the complete news here

Reds torch Globe tower in Aurora. from abs-cbnnews.com by Jess Malabanan.

Suspected New People’s Army guerrillas torched a relay and transmission tower of Globe Telecoms in Casiguran, Aurora last Saturday, police said. Sketchy police reports said the rebels stormed the cellsite past 9 p.m., Saturday and disarmed the security guard on duty before setting the entire place on fire.

Read the complete news here

Explosives, High Power Guns Seized from NPA (via).

Government forces successfully preempted acts of terrorism by a ragtag group of NPA in Sitio Sablang, Barangay Diteki, San Luis, Aurora last Thursday (30 0ct).

Read the complete news here

Initiating RP’s Pacific Gateway. From inquirer.net by Charles E. Buban.

The planned Aurora Special Economic Zone (of which Palafox will help design) will establish the province as the gateway to the Pacific, and could even unlock the resources of its rich and fertile neighboring provinces like Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya

Read the complete news here

Soldiers seize hot lumber in Aurora. from abs-cbnnews.com

Soldiers seized some 5,000 board feet of illegally cut good lumber after a firefight with suspected New People’s Army guerrilas in San Luis, Aurora province Thursday.

Read the complete news here

From inquirer.net by Tonette Orejas:

The Church-led environmental group Task Force Sierra Madre has asked Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza to create an independent investigation committee to look into illegal logging in Dingalan, a town in Aurora where landslides killed some 700 people in 2004.

In a July 28 letter, Gary Lumbo, TFSM Dingalan chapter president, and Fr. Pete Montallana, TFSM chair, also asked Atienza to remove Joselito Blanco as community environment and natural resources officer (Cenro) in the town due to his alleged inaction.

Click here to read the complete news

Nung February pa pinagmamalaki ni Bongga ang bagong extreme sports na ito sa kanilang bayan ng Dingalan. MGa foreigner daw ang unang sumubok at simula nuon ay sunod-sunod na. Ito na ang isa sa mga highlight ng tourism program ng Dingalan. Parang nagiging extreme-sports destination na ang Aurora. Mapapakinabangan na ang mga nakalbong bundok sa Dingalan.

May bagyu na namang papunta sa Baler. Si Frank. Makulimlim na ditu ngayun. Mag-ingat at maghanda at posible daw na tumama ito sa Baler. Kahit na medyo sablay ang record ng PAGASA pag dating sa Baler ay maigi na yung handa. Itu yung satellite picture galing sa PAGASA:

Itu naman yung balita mula sa inquirer.net

Samantala, may mga tiga Dingalan na namatay sa isang aksidente sa Bulacan. Dalawang truck daw ang nagbanggaan sa San Ildefonso at ilan sa mga namatay sila Jimmy Rosete, Benedict Rosete and Ronnie Mandas, mga tiga Dingalan, Aurora. Nandito ang balita mula sa Inquirer.net.

From Manila Bulletin by Ariel Avendaño:

DINGALAN, Aurora – Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo urged village folk here who are dependent on illegal logging and charcoal-making activities to refrain from their old ways and shift instead to planting of high-value variety of pepper which is now gaining a big demand in the domestic market.

The Mahogany Upland Farmers Association (MUFA) chaired by Engineer Romeo Callanta has introduced the production of hybrid Taiwan pepper, noting the huge requirement in the local market.

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I almost missed this one. This news adds a new twist to the illegal logging situation in Aurora. from journal online by Mamer Bañez.

Four non-government organizations and people’s organizations urged Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza to reinstate a former community environment and natural resources officer in southern Aurora who was sacked due to alleged “rampant illegal logging” in the town.

The Ugnayan ng Mamamayan sa Lungsod at Nayon, Inc., the Catholic Association of Ibona composed of 525 families, the Dingalan chapter of Task Force Sierra Madre and the Multi-Sectoral Forest Protection Committee called on Atienza to reconsider his earlier decision relieving former CENRO Meliton Vicente, Jr., citing his efforts to protect the natural resources in southern Aurora. They also denied reports that illegal logging is rampant in the town.

Read the last sentence and decide. The full news is here.

Flowery shirts aside, i’m beginning to like Lito Atienza.

from gmanews.tv:

Environment Secretary Lito Atienza on Monday ordered the immediate relief of an environment officer in Aurora province following reports of revived illegal logging operation in Dingalan town.

Sacked from post as Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (Cenro) was Meliton Vicente. He will be replaced by Joselito Blanco, former Cenro for Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija province.

Atienza said he ordered the relief of Vicente after he personally confirmed “from independent sources in the area” the report of the Task Force Sierra Madre (TFSSM) about the revived activities of illegal loggers in the area.

Click here to read the full news

from gmanews.tv:

A combined team of legal and law enforcement agents will be dispatched by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to Aurora province to check on reports of fresh illegal logging activities in Dingalan town.

The order came after Environment Secretary Lito Atienza learned of the illegal logging activities in the said town through “independent sources in the area.”

“All steps must be taken to stop illegal logging in Dingalan and other parts of the country. To allow illegal logging to continue is like begging for a catastrophe with epic proportions to happen,” Atienza said.

Click here to read the complete news.

Wow! A quick response. Never read something like that in a while. Anyway, we should always consider the magic words in this logging problem of our dear Province which is “illegal loggers”. We appreciate the DENR’s action to stop illegal logging but i think the ones that poses more danger are the “legal” loggers. What do you think?

from inquirer.net by Tonette Orejas:

Illegal logging activities have resumed in Dingalan, a town in Aurora that was battered by landslides that killed more than 300 people and displaced nearly 1,000 families in November and December 2004, a leader of the Task Force Sierra Madre said on Friday.

Four 10-wheel trucks have been coming weekly since March to haul at least 65,000 board feet of wood from three lumberyards in Barangay Paltic, according to Fr. Pete Montallana, head of the TFSM-Dingalan chapter.

Click to read the complete news

from Lawstude’s Journal:

Who would ever know that at one of the highest points in the province of Aurora lies a terrace of rocks and springs that forms an astonishing group of ponds where weary-souled travelers can dip and refresh themselves in its cool waters. I found that out in Dingalan.