Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim and other government officials will be discussing possible ways by which the country will be able to recover from tourism and other economic setbacks after the August 23 Rizal Park hostage crisis during the Visayas Media Forum to be held on Sept. 25-26 at the Boracay Regency resort hotel on Boracay Island.

 Other officials expected to join in the Forum discussion will be Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Aklan Rep. Florencio Miraflores Jr. who chairs the House Committee on Tourism, and Albay Governor Joey Salceda.

Aklan Governor Carlito S. Marquez, Vice-Governor Billie Venus Calizo-Quimpo, and leading tourism advocates Boracay Foundation Inc.(BFI) Chairman, Henry Chusuey will also join and participate in the discussion focused on prospects and problems of Boracay Island as the country’s premiere tourist destination.

The coming Visayas Media Forum will have, as its theme, “The New Media in the Service of Tourism and the Nation.” The media gathering in Boracay is organized under the auspices of the Publishers Association of the Philippines, with BFI as partner, and supporters including the Aklan Press Club, Aklan Media Forum, and the Cebu-based Visayas Media Association.

Some 100 participants comprised of publishers, editors, columnists, reporters, broadcasters, practitioners in digital media, communication and journalism students, as well and public information officers, etc. are expected to attend.

 Interested parties may contact Nelson Santos at the Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. (PAPI) at telephone 525-1990.

P6-M Weed Plant Found in Gov't Lot

CARMEN, Cebu — Some R6 million worth of fully-gown marijuana plants and seedlings were uprooted by authorities in a government lot located in the mountain barangay of Hagnaya, this town.

A total of 1,120 fully-grown marijuana plants, 1,000 small marijuana plants, and 10,000 seedlings were uprooted by elements of the Regional Intelligence Unit and the Carmen Police from an allegedly government-owned lot.

Carmen Police Chief Milo Dagasdas said they acted on a tip from a concerned citizen who informed the police of the plantation. He said the raiding team saw the plantation in plain view although no one was arrested during the operation.

Dagasdas has set a meeting with barangay chiefs in the town to ensure that no other such plantation exists in Carmen, a town located north of Cebu. Just last week, law enforcers also uprooted some P1.2 million worth of marijuana from a mountain barangay in Balamban. (Mars W. Mosqueda, Jr.)

Catarman Cop Felled by Rebels

CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte — The Catarman, Northern Samar police station continues losing men to the New People's Army(NPA) after another police officer was liquidated by a hit squad late last week near the Barangay Tagibian bridge, in Barangay Bangkerohan, Catarman, Northern Samar.

Sr. Supt. Manuel Enage Cubillo, Chief of Police Community Relations (PCR) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office here, identified the slain policeman as PO3 Geronimo Tan, an intelligence operative of the Catarman Police Station.

Cubillo said P03 Tan was shot by suspected NPA hitmen wearing helmet, fatigue polo shirts and short pants and riding in tandem on a red Suzuki motorcycle. The victim was shot five times by short firearms but was still able to run to a Petron gas station in the area where he was chased and again shot twice by his assailants.

The shooting of Tan came eleven days after eight other policemen were killed after they were ambushed by NPA rebels in Barangay Imelda, also in Catarman, Northern Samar. (Nestor L. Abrematea)