The grandest wedding in Compostela Valley for Vice Governor Ramil Gentugaya and Joanna Aileen Ang this Saturday will usher a toast for cheers by among known who’s whos in Davao politics, pairs among whom would soonest be calling each other “pare” for being the chosen ninongs of the most sought-after bachelor Valentino in Comval.
Sources said that among the sponsors, the ninongs and ninangs of Ramil and Joanna, are Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and House Speaker Prospero Nograles, Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario and former District 2 Cong. Tonyboy Floirendo, Comval Gov. Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy, Comval District 1 Cong. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora, District 2 Cong. Rommel “Bobong” Amatong, Tagum City Mayor Rey “Chiong” Uy, who’s whos in business and corporate world Nonoy Te, Madeline Dizon Marfori, Beth Uy Colina, Evelyn Ang, Arlene Ang and Nobleza Ang, among others.
Ramil, 33, and Joanna, 28, will exchange vows at the Redemptorist Church in Davao City at 2 P.M. this coming Saturday, Oct. 18. The reception will be at the Davao Convention Center along Torres Street, Davao City. Joanna, an Ateneo De Manila graduate, is the daughter of businessman Joseph Ang and Angelita Maranan Ang of Davao City. She is a high-ranking staff of Unilab Phils.
Ramil is son of businessman and former Monkayo Mayor Rizal Gentugaya and Rosita Lao Gentugaya. His constituents will have a date with the couple in a post-wedding ceremony at Monkayo on Sunday, reports said. From reports gathered, Ramil and Joanna met through his younger brother Roger (Ogie), who is also an Atenean but their families have been close due to some common businesses. The vice governor got Joanna’s “yes” just a few days before the May 2007 elections for his second term.
Ramil is considered as the most senior Lakas party member in District 1 qualified for the open congressional post in District 1 by 2010. He earlier confirmed to be running for the post, which Cong. Zamora’s daughter Boarmember Maricar Zamora-Apsay confirmed to be also running for. But Comval has two great affairs to remember this Saturday.
Coincidentally, the province has the other big bash- the 77th birthday of provincial elder Prospero Amatong, a former councilor, former mayor, former governor, and former congressman, with at least 43 years in elected public service with no record of electoral defeat.
When he retired from politics to have his son Bobong picked up his tough service close before the campaign period of the May 2007 elections, he was hailed as a true statesman. Until now even outside of the government, he remains to be influential political kingmaker. He is feared by the incumbents. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
Humol does not mention controversial project in town’s festival opening
oct 16
The controversial P90-million bond flotation project pushed by Nabunturan Mayor Macario Humol during his last term appears to be turning either a hot potato, otherwise it appears to be junked as local officials never mentioned a single word of it during yesterday’s opening of the town’s 14th Simballay Festival.
In his keynote speech, instead Humol drumbeat on his administration’s recent accomplishments such as the P13-million integrated agricultural center in 5.6-hectare municipal land at Barangay Saosao where the farmers’ training center building and new slaughterhouse were inaugurated yesterday before noon after the parade and program at the municipal gym in the public market area.
He called on for continued unity of the people and prayed for paying of respect to one another.
He thanked Cong. Rommel “Bobong” Amatong, who was present, for the P1 million financial contribution from his congressional office for the slaughterhouse project.
Guests present during the festival’s opening included Dept. of Agriculture regional director Roger Chio, provincial senior executive assistant Belo Melendres, who represented Gov. Arturo Uy, who was accordingly on barangay sortie at faraway Panganason in Pantukan, and other municipal officials.
Humol however capped his speech with parting words, “what we have started must be completed.”
He finally recognized in public the donation of Councilor Raul Caballero of an ambulance unit to the municipal government, twice thanking the latter in his speech.
Caballero donated an ambulance he got from his South Korean friends for humanitarian purpose last May and for almost five months now the unit is still being held at the town’s motorpool and is prevented from running as the majority in the council including Vice Mayor Romeo Clarin allegedly did not want it to run ”due to politics”.
Clarin and Caballero have been reported to be both aspiring for the mayoral post by 2010.
With the holding on of the ambulance, it was even prevented from running during the July 3 bombing of Park and Go bakeshop which killed three persons and injured 14 others.
It was strange that the donee Caballero, who only wanted to realize one of his campaign promises, was even lengthily questioned by several collegues about the legality of the papers of his ambulance, “that’s why it is still not allowed to run,” said Councilor Alfonso “Jun” Tabas, another opposition councilor.
Yesterday, Caballero drove an ambulance with the same brand and looks to the one left in standby at the motorpool during the parade saying that it was meant for the public to know on the plight of his donated ambulance.
Also in yesterday’s affair, Clarin did not utter about the ambitious municipal bond float, which last Sept. 25 was formally opposed when about 200 petitioners filed a people’s initiative petition to the local sanggunian in their bid of having the controversial ordinance approving the bond float directly repealed by the people pursuant to the pertinent provisions of the New Local Government Code of 1991.
Petitioners led by Caballero charged that the P90-million bond float is exorbitant, extravagant and grossly disadvantageous to the government.
Amatong yesterday announced he would be infusing P15 million for roads in Nabunturan and other infrastructures in Nabunturan. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan finally sent back the Purok Ordinance to its point of origin- the City Hall in their last Monday’s session after denying the latter’s motion for reconsideration.
Eleven boardmembers present voted to return the measure to the proponent council for shelving on the same ground that “it is legally infirmed” as earlier ruled by the provincial legal department.
Sangguniang Kabataan federation president Dennis Cafe, who was earlier present, was mysteriously nowhere in sight when the measure was junked by his seniors.
Boardmember Helario “Larry” Caminero moved for the sponsorship of the Provincial Resolution No. 588 junking the City Council’s Resolution No. 71 on motion for reconsideration, following recommendation by the joint committees of government organizations and non-government organizations, and of laws, resolutions, ordinances and justice.
The Purok Ordinance under Resolution No. 27-2007 became controversial when it sought to abolish elections to give the city mayor the power to appoint officers from barangay nominees. It also provided merging of adjoining puroks. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
All departments of the Davao del Norte provincial government will be having no increase in their maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlay to scrimp more funds for a bigger budget for the priority projects under the overall RDR on Wheels program of Governor Rodolfo del Rosario.
In a phone interview yesterday, provincial budget officer Norma Lumain squelched reports that provincial departments would be suffering decreases in their MOOEs and zero capital outlay for next year, which observers considered to be already the “start of political year”.
“It’s not true. We’re only maintaining the 2008 budget level for the MOOE while the capital outlay proposals from departments are just deferred,” Lumain said.
She said that the maintaining of budget is being made to give way to del Rosario’s priority programs such as the universal Philhealth coverage for all province-identified poor and indigents, which needs P28 million, and his commitment to give P1 million per barangay in the province.
She added that if the provincial government could share an increment from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government and would have savings, the capital outlay for the purchase of equipment and vehicles of departments “would be prioritized in the first supplemental budget next year.”
In the annual executive budget that Lumain expected to forward to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan yesterday, it proposed for the 2009 budget of P624,540,612, of which P568,311,612 is the IRA. The budget grew by 14.7 percent from last year’s P544,583,000.
But sources close to the provincial Local Finance Committee considered that budget proposals from all departments were cut and slashed by 20 to 30 percent or about P2 million to P3 million down, “gikaltasan tanan”.
“They need to raise about P153 million to meet the essential ones, about P121 million for the statutory obligations,” sources said.
They also said that departments badly need MOOE increases next year considering the spiralling prices in the market to render public services effectively.
Budget cuts and slashes though have been made in order to meet increases in salaries and wages and for new positions and jobs under the reorganization that would take effect by the coming December, they said.
Political observers who refused to be named told Sidlak that next year is a “political year” and naturally any incumbent reelectionist would need to have populist projects and services such as the giving of thousands of Philhealth cards aside positioning to create jobs especially the political ones.
Earlier, the governor’s son and provincial sports coordinator, Anthony del Rosario, said that the RDR on Wheels, a numenclature representing the governor’s priorities and thrusts in his administration, is accomplishing only 20% rate, short of its three-year target. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
Newly chosen Tagum Press Ombudsman, businessman Cesar Cuntapay doesn’t think so that the city will be much affected by the current global financial crisis. In his point of view as the chair of a consumer’s group in the city, he said that “Tagum can stand on its own feet”. He said that this is seen in the way the city taxpayers are religiously paying their taxes with subservience even under the high and so much taxation schemes of the city government. “They are left with no choice except to pay taxes,” he said.
Cuntapay visibly equates the city consumers he wants to protect to the paying taxpayers. He must have been bedazzled by a question from the local press. He has the right to say that, but isn’t taxes meant for the good of the people? So that we could have so much funds for development if we could squeeze further the people, especially the cheating businessmen to pay their right taxes to the government. Just give what is due to Cesar- he has a right to still open his mind now when the electoral mood is forthcoming- it’s almost December, regardless that he lost in his crack for the congressional post the last time. But I find many of his opinions to be ranging from rational to practical if not- cool huh?
Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario during the last time he blamed the pole-vaulting growers with harsh words -short of saying dah gigabaan lagi mo! - was optimistic that the province could be spared by the global depression for being a largely agricultural province. Our provincial economy is not much tied to the workings of international banks. This is a blessing although when the Press Secretary Jess Dureza said we have to prepare for the storm, he might have meant that the storm would come in seeing our share of OFWs returning home in droves to be with us by Christmas or early next year when their employers could no longer withdraw their deposits as banks abroad close shop and stock exchange markets tumble one after another.
We pray there would be no alien, strange repercussions to our local economies by the next movement of the present world in fear of depression worst than the last one in the 30s. Like what if what our vast banana markets abroad would be affected by the present financial storm, and domino effects would sooner come threatening to crash down our Davnor and Comval banana plantations to smithereens? In such unwanted spectre, our tens of thousands of banana workers will be thrown out from their jobs and livelihood, massive hunger would come, high crime index would further rise while the banana barons and growers, pole-vaulting and non pole-vaulting alike, will lose their dollar income sources. In such doomed afterthought, the fortress Tadeco collapses as well as the banana exporting firm that remains to the del Rosarios will go banana. Then banana economics determines Davnor politics. What if the global storm barrels through the world out here with two political kingdoms made out from the rubrics of bananas? I’m facing a blank wall on this except on new realignment of political forces and a changing of political landscape in the province, our number 1 banana exporter. (For online edition, visit my blog at: http://cha4t.wordpress.com)
Tagum Mayor Rey Chiong Uy in a report of DXDN Radyo Ukay in Tagum early morning yesterday said that the city’s statistics on killings reported by the police “is no cause for alarm” adding that that those “salvaged” or killed were bad elements in the society, “mga kawatan, holdupper, snatcher, akyat bahay… so walay dapat ikaalarma.”
Asked in an exclusive field interview the other day by Ruel Dagsangan, anchor of Radyo Ukay’s early morning newscast program, the mayor added that the city in fact had been banking on its good peace and order situation in receiving continuing confidence from people for its continuing development.
In the same Radyo Ukay report, Vice Mayor Allan Rellon condemned extrajudicial killings in the city saying that the “root cause of the problem” should be addressed to in an effort of helping the police solve it.
The mayor’s and vice mayor’s statements came close to the heels of provincial police reports on the rise of crimes against persons particularly shooting incidents in the city that accounted the bulk in the reported cases throughout Davao del Norte.
Provincial police director PSSupt. Benelito Bianzon bared a total of 54 shooting incidents from January to October 10 in the city last Friday’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s human rights committee hearing-inquiry initiated by Boardmember Antonio Lagunzad, the committee chairman.
The crime statistics included the still unresolved slaying of long-time serving former Mankilam barangay captain and kagawad Noel dela Cruz.
PSSupt. Bianzon however that police has solved 23 crimes and a lot of petty crimes like stabbing, hacking and others and recovered many loose firearms in their Operation Kapkap.
But he also bared on increasing death threats which he said the police has been meeting difficulties in responding to all requests for protection considering the limited number of police personnel.
In that committee hearing, the police director admitted difficulties and loose ends in stemming off the rising crime index in the city primarily owing to the lack of police personnel to secure the high city population even as he said that the province is still generally peaceful.
He called on for active civilian support while asserting that police has all been doing its work to secure the populace.
Also in that hearing, Bianzon downplayed reports on the presence of death squad operating in the city, but he admitted the police is looking into reports on hired killers. PSSupt. also cited various causes and motives in the rise of shooting incidents in the city.
The hearing led to various initial proposals in addressing the problem of criminality which the SP committee had documented.
Boardmember Lagunzad said that extrajudicial killing is a human rights violation and vowed to continue his committee’s probe. He planned to conduct activities with barangay officials to address the problem.
Also present during last Friday’s committee hearing-inquiry held at Lakan’s Place were Boardmembers Jose Recarido Federiso, Ely Dacalus, Artemio San Juan, Salvador Royo, and SK federation president Dennis Café, Tagum City police chief PSupt. Dario Gunabe, CIDG-Davao del Norte provincial director PSupt. Rowena Garma, and some members of the family of the slain Dela Cruz who shared their fearful plight to the committee. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
Diwalwal’s feisty barangay kapitan Franco Tito is at it again. He said he wants no comment to the forthcoming bidding to the areas outside the 729-hectare small scale mining area that his barangay covers because it is not within his area of jurisdiction, but on the next breath, he wants that the entire country should be off-limit to foreign mining. Not only the 1,800-hectare mineral reservation area, outside Franco’s 729.
It’s perhaps in the innate wizardry of the region’s most popular kapitan that whenever his mouth opens up, always it spews out sound bytes fitting to become a news. He’s after all an authority up there in Diwalwal, besides that Fr. Melvin dela Cuesta, the former controversial Nabunturan priest, is a new add-on one- in terms of religious life (Well, the priest has erected a over million-worth kumbento in Diwalwal which can be a good sleeping space ala Emmaus for visiting officials and wanderers. He intimated to this quarter that God really exists when he managed to strengthen the many GKKs there by just sipping a lot of coffee from parishioners when he jumped and hopped to unite a divided GKKs, between pro- and anti-Fr. Ali. Amen to that pads, dre, sure I’ll be there to document more Diwalwal’s long-running history, that is, if you already have a smartbro up there like kapitan, check my serious stuff at http://diwalwal.multiply.com).
Diwalwal’s great Franco Tito is not only a kapitan but also a Filipino. Sure. The kapitan is one down-to-earth, and hit talker. In all the tumbles of the most controversial and troublesome gold mountain in the country since be became a kapitan after Nonoy Pabilona became the first, Franco has been riding over crests of controversies carried up to Davao City and Manila media and always ends up to be the last man standing after the hubris settle down. He becomes a permanent media fixture and becomes one authoritative representation of the Diwalwal people. For as long as his 729 is not touched he’ll keep his silence, but since he’s a Pinoy, too, he shouts- the Pinas is for the Filipinos to mine, and not for the foreigners. Such a usual Franco barb trademark.
By the worst problems and great tasks that attend to the infamous mountain, even if he’s just a kapitan, he’s works like mayor reigning over 20,000 people. But don’t convert Diwalwal as town as a monkey wrench can be thrown to the Monkayo’s bid for cityhood for lack of 150,000 population, while it has still over 80,000 and already complied the requirements of P100-million annual income and 100 square kilometer land area. Monkayo after all is the No. 1 candidate for cityhood in the 11-town Comval. If Mayor Manuel “Junjun” Brillantes is wise enough he immediately attain the 150,000 population and make Monkayo a city if he insists on getting a lot of barangays that rightly belong to Comval and not Agusan del Sur if today’s erroneous northern borderline is corrected.
Now back to Franco, who is actually no alien to net technology. Perhaps he’s the first kapitan who uses Yahoo Messenger from his house in Panabo to teleconference using webcams for a meeting with his barangay kagawads up in Diwalwal barangay hall. Sources said Franco has long been using that since the Smart integrated a wireless net technology in its cellular system in the recent year. Such is first, another wizardry to the always beleaguered but indefatigable and hit talker kapitan. That’s a cheer, too, to the Chicken Joy-munching Chinese ZTE miners who had stalked Diwalwal’s belly sometime ago. (For online edition, visit my blot at: http://cha4t.wordpress.com, e-mail: chamonforte@yahoo.com, or ruralurbanews@yahoo.com)
Leaders of Namasco banana workers decry forcible takeover of their banana plantation in Compostela town during the press conference last Saturday with the Davao del Norte Press Radio and TV Club (DNRPC), Inc.at Cevannah Bar Café and Restaurant at Lapulapu St., Tagum City. At left is DNRPC chairman Greg “Loloy” Ybanez (Rural Urban News photo)
Some 170 banana workers in Barangay Osmena in Compostela town who are claiming to be the actual tillers of the land are protesting the forcible takeover to the 139–hectare of banana plantation by 159 “agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs)” after earlier given with Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) by the Department of Agrarian Reform.
The plantation is then leased bv the Ayala-owned Davao Fruits Corporation until leasehold contracts expired and workers went on growership.
“Many of them are dummies, former DFC employees, already businessmen, even some area already living in Davao City and in United States,” said Zosimo Ombajin, president of the Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Compostela (Namsaco) in a press conference after Saturday’s “Ipalanog sa Katawhan” press forum of the Davao del Norte Press, Radio and TV Club, Inc., (DNPRC) at Cevannah Bar Café and Restaurant in Tagum City.
Ombajin said that last August 11 the ARBs, accompanied by District 1 Cong. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora and some policemen, allegedly went into breaking their barricade, disarmed their security guards and forcibly takeover a half of their supposed land.
“We were surprised on that day that the DAR installation order suddenly arrived ejecting us from the land we have been productively cultivating for many years,” said Ombajin.
Zamora accordingly accompanied the ARBs to help them be installed on the land as the CLOA holders due to the congressman’s promise in the last elections.
The 159 CLOA holders are accordingly girding to takeover the whole of the 139-hectare land, while the 170 actual workers are holding on working on half of the plantation area.
“As a result our families are now starving,” said complaining of scarce jobs and excess workers since they have already to be content on working a half the 139-hectare land.
On the same press conference, Pantaleon Libre Jr, an officer of Namasco, said that after the takeover the occupied land have already new workers of new growers from CLOA holders.
The actual workers though would still get the last harvest from the remaining bunches in the occupied land, he said.
“What we are demanding is that we should also be included as CLOA holders since it is us who made continuous possession and production over the land for the past ten years since 1998,” he said.
He said that CLOA holders are former DFC employees and workers who were already compensated by DFC as early as 1994 due to retrenchment, resignation or retirement.
“We were not informed on the CARP application nor had seen in the barangay bulletin board of any posting on DAR notice to put the land we have been actually working under CARP,” Ombajin said.
The Namasco has already petitioned the DAR central office to revoke the CLOA. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
Lagunzad’s HR committee probes on rise of killings in city
Rise of shootings, death threats reported to police
Civilians’ massive support vs. criminality called on
Mayor Uy: “killings no cause for alarm”
Davao del Norte police director Benilito Bianzon has called on
Attending the SP human rights committee hearing-inquiry Friday at Lakan’s Place restobar are (from right): Tagum city chief PSupt. Dario Gunabe, Davao del Norte PNP provincial director PSSupt. Benilito Bianzon, Boardmembers Salvador Royo, Ely Dacalus, Antonio Lagunzad (center), and (from left) CIDG-Davao del Norte PSupt. Rowena Garma, and other police officials (Rural Urban News photo)
support of civilians in the fight against rising criminality even as he downplayed reports on the presence of death squad operating in the city.
But he admitted the police is looking into reports on “hired killers” that has put Boardmember Antonio Lagunzad into saying that from reports that reached him they go for a kill at a lowly fee of only P3,000.
With that amount, Lagunzad said “pwede na… seguro sa hirap ng panahon. Lalo na kung ang papatayin ay may record na o kalalabas lang ng kulungan”.
The posh Lakan’s Place stands as a proud venue of the SP’s human rights committee hearing-inquiry on the reported rise of killings in the city last Friday. It is located along the national highway. some 3 kms away going south from the heart of the city. (Rural Urban News photo)
But Boardmember Lagunzad said “di pwede yan, human rights (violation) yan”. during Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s human rights committee hearing-inquiry on the reported rise of killings in Tagum City Friday morning at Lakan’s Place restobar.
He added that the provincial officials are watching developments and seeing many angles in the rise of criminality index which the police admitted to be occurring and wanted to stem down particularly in shooting incidents in the city.
As this developed, Mayor Rey Chiong Uy in a report of DXDN Radyo Ukay in Tagum Monday morning said that the the city’s statistics on killings reported by the police “is no cause of alarm” adding that that those who were killed were bad elements in the society, “mga kawatan, holdupper, snatcher, akyat bahay… so walay dapat ikaalarma.”
He said that the city in fact banks on its good peace and order situation in receiving continuing confidence from people for its continuing development.
In the same Radyo Ukay report, Vice Mayor Allan Rellon condemned extrajudicial killings in the city saying that the “root cause of the problem” should be addressed to in an effort of helping the police solve it.
On the hearing attended by boardmembers who are members of the SP committees on human rights and on peace and order and police and intelligence officers, police provincial director PSSupt. Bianzon bared that from January to October 10, the city has 54 shooting incidents including the still unresolved slaying of long-time serving former Mankilam barangay captain and kagawad Noel dela Cruz.
Dela Cruz, who was back riding on motorcycle, was waylaid morning the other Sunday at Mankilam and was shot to death by still unknown motorcycle-riding gunmen. Dela Cruz driver Albert Abule was left unharmed. As of Friday, the police was facing a blankwall on the suspects and the motive of the killing.
“About 5 percent of the shooting incidents is drug-related,” Bianzon said.
The Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos), on the other hand, has only two shooting incidents.
“There is also increasing death threats,” Bianzon said, for which he said the police has been meeting difficulties in responding to all requests for protection considering the limited number of police personnel..
He said that the incapacity of the police is seen in the high ratio of 1 policeman is to 1,373 persons to protect in the city.
He added that considering this high number of civilians to protect, while the “police has been on 24-hour duty and is doing its best”, chances are still “malulusutan pa rin kami even our checkpoints,” he added. “Give me one battalion of policemen and I’ll assure you for no crime.”
The city police is beefed up by support and mobile units such as reaction forces and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
Biazon then called for massive civilians’ support to fight criminality in counterpart to the heightened police visibility that they have been putting up. “The PNP cannot stand alone without the help of the people. The PNP cannot effectively battle criminality without help.”
He said that if the police is given reliable information by the public “on the go agad kami” citing what they had accomplished when they were tipped off on the case where the kidnap and murder suspect fled to Samar from the city and they arrested the suspect there and resolved the case.
The police nonetheless solved 23 crimes against persons from January to September and solved a lot of petty crimes like stabbing, hacking and others and recovered many loose firearms in their Operation Kapkap, the police director bared.
But he said it is in crime against persons where the police finds difficulties in solving, largely owing to lack of witnesses from the public.
Tagum City police chief Dario Gunabe said that “there is a big problem on how the public react” to shooting incidents where witnesses shy out from giving statements to the police like the description of the suspect compared to petty crimes such as robbery and thief where people themselves volunteered to give information or even pursued suspects.
“The police should not be blamed and charged to be doing nothing. The people have the shared obligation to help the police such as when they see crimes happened, they have to give statement to the police,” Gunabe added.
PSSupt. Biazon also cited various causes and motives in the rise of shooting incidents in the city.
He named these as drug-related, involving persons with criminal instincts “na di makatulog kung di makapatay”, cases of killed persons with criminal records such as drug pushers and users, “na meron dyan na kalalabas pa lang pinapatay”, bungling and double-crosses within criminal syndicates, and a host other factors due to conflicts such as relating properties and land, “nag-aawayan sa lupa”.
SP’s peace and order committee chairmanBoardmember Jose Recarido Federiso called for support to the full activation of 4,000 barangay tanods in the province.
As to the arming of the barangay tanods, there is however financial and legal constraints to it, police authorities said.
Bianzon also called on public to immediately report police crime occurrences using the advantage of cellphone technology as he had earlier directed all his police chiefs in the province to post in public their hotline cellphone numbers.
Boardmember Lagunzad said that his committee probe would continue and that they would also conduct seminars with barangay officials on this.
Also present during the committee hearing-inquiry were Boardmembers Ely Dacalus, Artemio San Juan, Salvador Royo, and SK federation president Dennis Café, and CIDG-Davao del Norte Police Supt. Rowena Garma. Some family members of the slain Dela Cruz were also present. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
TAGUM CITY- As of Friday during the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s human right committee hearing, the police is facing a blankwall as to who are the suspects and what is the motive in the killing of former Mankilam barangay captain amd kagawad Noel dela Cruz the other Sunday.
CIDG-Davao del Norte Police Supt. Rowena Garma apprised the hearing committee chaired by Boardmember Antonio Dela Cruz that CIDG investigators had still no lead on the suspects as they only had to contend with pieces of evidences left at the crime of the scene which they were evaluating.
She requested the bereaved family to have Dela Cruz body autopsied before burial even as her CIDG team is on the thick of investigation to arrest the attackers.
Evelyn de Vera, sister of wife of Dela Cruz, told the committee that they were facing a blankwall and a “big question mark”.
Dela Cruz, who was back riding on motorcycle, was waylaid morning the other Sunday at Mankilam and was shot to death by still unknown motorcycle-riding gunmen. Dela Cruz driver Albert Abule was left unharmed.
Tagum City police chief Dario Gunabe, on the other hand, said important in the solution of the case was the full statement of Abule.
He said that he found inconsistencies in the earlier statement of Abule, who said that he did not saw the suspects except the tire of the motorcycle of the attackers when hewas thrown outto slump on the road.
“Why he sustained no bruises at all in claiming for that?” Gunabe pointed out.
He said that the driver might be charged of obstruction of justice if he would not cooperate with the police.
De Vera though reasoned out that Abule feared for the safety of his family and was still on the stage of fear as of Friday.
She also said that the Dela Cruz family members also feared for their safety as well.
In the same hearing, Davao del Norte police provincial director Benelito Bianzon also asked the present Dela Cruz kins to trust the police in solving the crime.
He said he immediately organized the Task Force Dela Cruz after the killing with the provincial CIDG as the lead unit in the investigation to pursue and arrest the suspects
The SP human rights committee chaired by Boardmember Antonio Lagunzad conducted a hearing-inquiry on the reported rise of killings in Tagum City with the presence of provincial and city police officials last Friday morning at Lakan’s Place restobar.
Also present during the committee hearing-inquiry were Boardmembers Jose Recarido Federsio, also the chair of peace and order committee, Ely Dacalus, Artemio San Juan, Salvador Royo and SK federation president Dennis Café. Some family members of the slain Dela Cruz were also present. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
