CONSUMERS URGED NOT TO WASTE RICE
ILOILO CITY: The city chief executive is encouraging rice consumers not to waste cooked rice and at the same time, urged mothers and homemakers to cook only the amount of rice that they and their family eat.

The nation is celebrating this month of November the annual National Rice Awareness Month in the Philippines in pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 524 issued in 2003. Mabilog, in his message to the mothers and homemakers, said that the data on rice wastage show that each Filipino wastes two tablespoons of cooked rice every day, which, when not wasted, could result in import savings as high as P6.2 billion and could feed 2.6 million hungry Filipinos in a year. The Philippine population growth rate is increasing every year and estimated to be more than 100 million by 2015. This means, the country will have to produce more rice to achieve rice sufficiency. Mabilog said, there are many ways to conserve rice and mothers and homemakers may recycle leftover rice into other dishes, ordering rice that they can only consume, and properly cooking rice by not over or undercooked. They may also try equally nutritious foods such as white corn, sweet potato, cassava and banana as rice substitutes. LYDIA C. PENDON

FRENCH YACHT DRIFTS TO ZAMBOANGA
ZAMBOANGA CITY: Soldiers have rescued a French tourist and his wife and daughter after their yacht drifted off the southern port city of Zamboanga while sailing to Africa, officials said on Monday. Officials said that the boat had engine trouble and was drifting off the coastal village of Recodo where soldiers are manning a detachment. The French tourist identified himself as Gino Wattier, 62; and his African wife Kamaria, 45, and daughter Baraka, 8. “We are heading back to Africa from a holiday in Tahiti. We had an engine trouble and drifted here,” Wattier told a photographer Alvin Lardizabal, who works for the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner based in Zamboanga City. Wattier said that the boat cannot be controlled and they drifted to Zamboanga on November 4. He did not give additional details. AL JACINTO

COMELEC SETS CABANATUAN PLEBISCITE
CABANATUAN, Nueva Ecija: The Commission on Elections has set the plebiscite for the ratification of the conversion of Cabanatuan into a highly urbanized city on December 1, on Saturday. In a series of resolutions, the poll body announced the imposition of a gun ban within the city from November 5 to December 11; prohibition on release, disbursement or expenditure of public funds from November 5 to December 1; and liquor ban from November 30 to December 1. President Benigno Aquino 3rd issued Proclamation No.418 on July 4 after Cabanatuan City met all the requirements for such elevation as per the Local Government Code of 1991 including a minimum population of 200,000 as certified by the National Statistics Office, latest income of at least P50 million based on 1991 constant prices as certified by the city treasurer, and an approved resolution of a majority of the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod supporting such move which has been fully endorsed by the city mayor. Considered the commercial, industrial and educational hub of Nueva Ecija province, Cabanatuan was founded as a barrio of Gapan in 1750 and became a municipality in 1780. In 1950, it was elevated into a city by virtue of Republic Act No.526. CHRIS SANSANO

AD CONFUSION MARS TERMINAL PROJECT
ILOILO CITY: The chairman of the city bids and awards committee admitted that the recent advertisement of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) that appeared in a national newspaper recently added to the confusion on the construction of a multi-million peso Parola ferry terminal project. City legal officer Jose Junio Jacela, chairman of the city bids and award committee said that the picture appearing in the advertisement is actually the project perspective of Double Dragon Properties, the winning bidder of the Parola ferry terminal project for Iloilo City and Guimaras. Jacela said that they have already written DOTC regarding the confusion and the Parola projects will go on as scheduled. The P260 million whole project site and development is actually divided into two parts with the DOTC to build the pier, berthing areas and park amounting to P125 million, which should have been the subject of the DOTC advertisement. The other half of the total projects costing P135 million includes the terminal building and two-storey commercial building to be constructed by Double Dragon Properties under a joint venture with the city government. LYDIA C. PENDON

DAR ASKED TO STOP SALE OF SUGAR MILL
Militant farm workers group has asked the Department of Agrarian Reform to stop the ongoing negotiation between Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) and Hong Kong’s First Pacific Group for the sale of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac. In a statement, farm workers’ groups led by the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura and the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita asked DAR Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes to exercise his constitutional mandate to stop the negotiation. “Obviously it is a move to exclude not only the sugar mill but also HLI’s other properties that soon will be liquidated as payment for the farm workers P1.33 billion shares on the proceeds of sale to RCBC and NLEX management of the 500 ha and 80.2 hectares, respectively,” the groups said. JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ