5.8 QUAKE JOLTS DAVAO DEL SUR
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake jolted parts of Davao del Sur yesterday afternoon, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). Phivolcs said the earthquake

occurred at 12:42 p.m. Its epicenter was located 181 kilometers southwest of Sarangani town. The agency said that Intensity 4 was felt at Don Marcelino, Davao del Sur; Intensity 3 in Malita, Davao del Sur; and Intensity 1 in General Santos City. Phivolcs noted that the quake was tectonic in origin and had a depth of 333 kms. The agency said there were no report of damages and casualties, but they expect aftershocks from the earthquake.
Jing Villamente

6,000 TEACHERS DRILL IN DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
LEGAZPI CITY: From the usual basic education, arts, culture and history being taught by public school teachers to elementary and secondary students, this year, over 6,000 public school teachers will undergo disaster risk reduction (DRR) training at Climate Change Academy as the province integrates DRR lessons in the curricula of public education. “Public school education usually devote their time for arts, history and culture; there is enough content for intellectual cognitive growth for children. But this time, we need our public school teachers to be trained for disaster risk reduction as they’re our streak to educate pupils and students the essence of DRR adaptation mechanism,” Gov. Joey Salceda said. He said that the disaster risk reduction training for public school teachers will be done here to prepare them on how to use the new text book on disaster risk reduction and climate change impact. Salceda said the inclusion of the disaster risk reduction in the curricula is important as the province is always under recurrent threats from Mt. Mayon, lahar and flash floods and inundations brought by torrential rains due to adverse impact of climate change phenomenon and weather disturbances.
Rhaydz B. Barcia


POWER USERS REJECT ADVANCE PAYMENT SCHEME
LEGAZPI CITY: For more than a year now, some 250,000 power consumers of the bankrupt Albay Electric Cooperative (Aleco) were being collected an advance payment in their monthly billings but many were not even aware of it. Called the Special Payment Agreement (SPA), Aleco officials said that it was a result of a special assembly with consumers held in February last year. SPA collection was started in September last year and will last until August 2014. According to Aleco officials SPA was intended to settle Aleco’s close to P1-billion bills from the power suppliers. Consumers may elect their SPA payments for future bills without any interest. But many residents complained they were not aware of such assembly and that if ever there was, it could have been attended by selected few consumers in alliance with the ailing power cooperative. An Aleco official said there were some 200 consumers who allegedly attended the special district assembly. Albay has three districts. Aleco have been put once again under management control of the National Electrification Administration early last year in an effort of local officials headed by Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda of Albay province to save it from total collapse. Salceda claimed that Aleco was saddled with close to P4 billion debts.
Manny T. Ugalde

DAR FIELDS FARMER-BENEFICIARIES IN 10 HACIENDAS
ILOILO CITY: The department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) will have to complete installation of farmer-beneficiaries (FBs) in 10 more haciendas in the province of Iloilo, notably in northern Iloilo. Iloilo provincial agrarian reform officer (PARO) Gideon Umadhay said that the installation of more FBs in the province follows after a peaceful and successful installation of five farmer beneficiaries in 11.47 hectares of land in barangay Balibagan Oeste and Este in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo on Tuesday, October 16, 2012. Umadhay said that the Sta. Barbara installation was finally conducted after several delays spawned by lack of security assistance from the local police office. The police assistance was finally approved by PNP Director General Nicanor Bartolome from Camp Crame for police assistance to secure the installation of farmer beneficiaries John Francis Madera, Virgilio Soquito, Elsa Sonalan, Bonifacio Comuelo and Teresa Capada who possessed certificate of land ownership award (CLOA) CT 1904 to 19411. Umadhay said that criminal charges will be lodged against oppositors led by Fernando Lopez, Jopel de la Rosa and Michael Lagura, who also reside in the place and claim to be true land beneficiaries.
Lydia C. Pendon

DTI STEPS UP AGRI-BUSINESS DRIVE IN AURORA
BALER, Aurora: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has embarked on aggressive promotions of agri-business opportunities in Aurora. “Priority areas of investment here are those activities related to banana, coffee, coconut/coco coir and Pangasius. Other industries for promotion which are already integrated in the department’s priority plans are gifts, decors and housewares; processed foods; tourism; health and wellness; and wearables and homestyles,” DTI Provincial Director Edna Dizon said in an interview. “In line with our agency’s promotion agenda, forums and meetings with key stakeholders and existing industry players to identify issues and concerns affecting the development of priority industries have already been on-going,” Dizon said. Aside from consultative meetings with relevant stakeholders and players, DTI also initiated a series of Value Chain Analysis and Mappings for the province’s industry clusters to determine the extent of gaps within the functional stages of the industry chains.
Chris Sansano

TERRORIST WITH P3-M PRICE TAG ARRESTED
GOVERNMENT security forces have arrested a sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf (ASG) that carries a P3.3 million for his capture during a police operation in Sultan Kudarat on Tuesday. Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Nicanor Bartolome identified the arrested ASG sub-commander as Sali Basal Taib with aliases Gongong Sali and Abu Husni. The PNP chief said in a statement that Taib was arrested by police operatives by shortly before noon Tuesday near the Barangay Wal Primary School in Palimbang, Sultan, Kudarat. Taib was arrested by intelligence operatives of Task Force Salinglahi, Mindanao team under Supt. Leonardo Felonia, Bartolome said.
Anthony Vargas

20 DOGS RESCUED IN CAVITE
A total of 20 native dogs in transported in a closed van were rescued by members of Tagay-tay City police yesterday after a long chase with dog carriers in Alfonso, Cavite province. Police Officer 2 Erlan Demate recounted that at about 12:30 a.m. at a checkpoint at Emilio Aguinaldo Hihgway, Brgy. Crossing Mendez and Tagaytay City, on inspection of a closed van (WRP 965) they found improvised cages inside where 20 dogs were bound with wire and abaca. The police asked the van driver to produce his license and the animal permit. The driver sped off triggering a chase. The police found the van with the dogs abandoned at Sinaliw, Alfonso town while the driver and his helper was nowhere to be found.
Rogelio Limpin