LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan and the provincial government have joined forces to stage the grand celebration of Cristo Rey to be participated in by at least 70 priests at the Capitol Complex, now considered as the best Capitol in the country. Archbishop Socrates Villegas and Governor Amado T. Espino Jr. finalized the content and flow of the celebration in their meeting at the Governor’s Office at the Capitol Building yesterday. Rev. Fr. Francis Posadas of the Epiphany of Our Lord Parish in Lingayen said the event expects around 15,000 to 20,000 participants and 70 priests from the 28 parishes from the four vicariates of the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese composed of 15 towns and two cities. The Governor, who is designated as the celebration’s chairman of the executive committee, is overwhelmingly enthusiastic for the upcoming event. (Mar T. Supnad)

MAYOR TAKES TOUGH STANCE

ANGELES CITY – Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan promised yesterday that his administration will not waver in its stand to uphold laws against human trafficking. Paminutan said during an emergency meeting with owners of food and entertainment establishments on Fields Avenue and Friendship Perimeter Road that human decency must always be upheld. Pamintuan faced the group of businessmen with his former chief of staff Alexander Cauguiran, who is now Executive Vice President of the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC). The mayor told bar, restaurant, and hotel owners that the city government has started laying down the local regulatory and policy environment in order to address “human trafficking” issues involving night clubs operating in the city. (Franco G. Regala)

C.A.R. NEEDS MORE ROADS

BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported only 48 percent of roads in the different parts of the region are paved, greatly impeding growth and development of the rural areas of the region. In a report to the regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera, the DPWH-CAR cited the landlocked region is deprived of linkages with the nearby provinces of Ilocos and Cagayan. Juan Ngalob, regional director of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in the Cordillera and acting RDC-CAR chairman, disclosed the region has the lowest percentage of paved roads which is much lower than that of the paved roads in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) which stands at 58 percent. (Dexter A. See)

OCTOBER POLLS IN CAVITE SAFER

With only three towns in Cavite under the watch list for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, a top police provincial official said yesterday that the province is now a safer place for the political exercise. Senior Superintendent Danilo L. Maligalig, Cavite police director, identified the three towns as Bacoor, a lowland lone district; Dasmarinas City, an upland lone district and the province’s most populated area, and Amadeo, one of the four towns of upland District VI. Maligalig said that the “areas of concern” were narrowed down from nine after he and other police officials had a meeting with lawyer Juanito V. Ravanzo Jr., Cavite Commission on Elections supervisor last Thursday at the Police Provincial Office (PPO) in Imus. (Anthony Giron)