SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — A budget of P25 million has been approved by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the proposed cut-off channel that will be a key part of the Pampanga flood control project, Governor Lilia Pineda revealed Tuesday. Pineda said that DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson approved the project intended to protect residents in flood-prone areas in this province. For the meantime, Pineda said the Capitol is monitoring the dredging activities so that the budget allotted could be maximized for its real purpose. She said that they will constantly coordinate with officials of the DPWH being the lead agency tasked to implement the proposed cut-off channel. (Franco G. Regala)

C.S.C. AWARDS 2 FROM S.B.M.A.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) cited Tuesday two of its employees for bagging the Pagasa Award from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for their outstanding contribution to public service. SBMA Fire and Rescue Team leader Ranny Magno and printing machine operator Randy Canlas were recipients of the CSC award last Friday at King’s Royal Hotel and Leisure Park in Bacolor, Pampanga. SBMA administrator Armand Arreza proudly said the two citations this year were “a rare feat” for the SBMA, in view of the fact that the distinction is usually given to a group. “With the awards given out separately to two SBMA employees, we are doubly proud for having two more awardees in our ranks,” Arreza said. Canlas, whose main task in the SBMA office is to reproduce documents, has developed various IT programs which, if outsourced, could have cost the government P6.4 million in the last six years. Magno, on the other hand, has been instrumental in the operation of the SBMA Fire and Rescue Team, which has been called upon to a wide range of emergency situations in Subic and other parts of Luzon. (Jonas Reyes)

LOVERS IN DRUGS

BAGUIO CITY — It’s shooting two birds with one stone, as local agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested recently the No. 3 most wanted drug suspect in Cordillera region and his lover who acts as his alleged partner in his activities. Joel de Dios Nider, alias “Bong,” 30, single, of Slaughterhouse (Sto. Niño), here, and his girlfriend Fatima Mallari Maliwat, alias “Fatima Ibarra,” 34, single, and a native of Sta. Ana, Pampanga were collared by PDEA agents in a buy-bust operation staged at 2:30 a.m. last Saturday in Palma-Urbano, this city. Seized from them were five sachets of “shabu” and marked money amounting to P1,500. PDEA officials said both are alleged members of a well-entrenched drug syndicate closely affiliated with the Bahala na Gang. (Dexter A. See)

RIZAL READY FOR FLOODS

ANTIPOLO CITY — Contingency measures to address the problems on perennial flooding and traffic congestion were tackled in the recently held summit convened by Rizal Governor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III. Ynares said local government unit officials from 14 localities here and representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metropolitan  Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and other concerned government agencies discussed short-, medium- and long-term solutions to the problems caused by heavy rains to major roads particularly on Ortigas Avenue Extension and Marcos Highway. (Nel B. Andrade)