CALAMBA, Philippines – Chief Superintendent Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr. has assumed the post of Police Regional Office 4-A (PRO4-A) director during a simple turnover ceremony at the headquarters in Camp Vicente Lim, Calamba City, Laguna recently.

It was a virtual homecoming ceremony for Pagdilao as he returned to the region where he was assigned to various vital police positions in the past. Pagdilao is a lawyer and a graduate of Philippine Military Class ’79. He replaced Chief Supt. Nicanor A. Bartolome who assumed the post of director of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO).

The ceremony was witnessed by Director Benjamin A. Belarmino Jr., PNP deputy chief for operations, PRO-4-A staff officers and the Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) officers. In a brief message, Pagdilao said he would sustain the programs and projects for the police and the community. (Anthony Giron)

Pampanga Nets P71-M Revenue from Quarrying

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The provincial government of Pampanga has posted a historical record of collecting a total of P71 million in revenue from quarry operations in the province during the first 100 days of the present administration.

Governor Lilia Pineda, during her first State-of-the-Province Address (SoPA), gave credit to the Kapampangan a Lulugud at Matapat (Kalam), the provincial body that oversees the quarry operations in the province. “We hit a P71,305,000 all-time high collection in the quarry industry as of this month, with an average of P900,000 to P1 million per day, equivalent to 969 truckloads of sand in 100 days,” Pineda said.

She said the exemplary performance in quarry collection reflected the sincerity of local officials to fulfill their commitment to be corruptionfree, transparent and accountable. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)

PEPP Supports Talks with NDF

BAGUIO CITY — The Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) expressed Friday strong support for the resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Bishop Deogracias S. Iñiguez Jr., PEPP Secretariat head, said the government and the NDF must achieve a breakthrough in the over fourdecade-old conflict which has hampered development in the countryside. Iñiguez said that they recognize the road to a just and lasting peace is complex but “not impossible to go through.”

“The grinding poverty and pervading suffering of the people, and the loss of lives because of unresolved conflicts hinder the attainment of genuine democracy but are solid motivations for the resumption of peace talks,” PEPP said. (Dexter A. See)

Calamba Hosts 3rd SM Mall in Laguna

CALAMBA CITY – SM Primeholdings opened Friday their third SM City mall in Laguna.

SM City Calamba is the 39th mall of SM owner and business tycoon Henry Sy. The first SM City in Laguna opened last 2006 in Sta. Rosa City and the second was SM City San Pablo which opened only October 1. The new mall opened in the city which has as its theme “Breaking Beyond Commerce and Tourism.”

Calamba City today is considered a major player in industrial and recreational development.

Calamba has 714, 401 residents and a high daytime transient population. (Ferdinand F. Castro)