MANILA, Philippines – Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Group for Operations will address some 250 media practitioners from the Central Luzon and other parts of Northern Luzon come Nov. 27, 2010, highlighting the three-day 1st Central-North Luzon Media Summit from Nov. 26-28. The media summit, organized under the auspices of the newly-revived Federation of Provincial Press Clubs of the Philippines (FPPCP), will be held at the Narciso Ramos Cultural and Sports Complex in Lingayen, Pangasinan. Coloma is expected to streamline the Aquino government’s reach out communications program through the so-called “feedback mechanism” system designed to bring the national government closer to the people. (Mar T. Supnad)

JAPANESE DONATE PUMPING STATION

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – A group of Japanese retirees interested in humanitarian work is expected to arrive in Dagupan City tomorrow to put up a water pumping station that will benefit some 1,000 residents of Barangays Pugaro and Salapingao, here. Officers and members of the Nihon Skilled Volunteers Association of Japan visited the two villages last November 17 and vowed to help address the problem of many residents who have no access to safe drinking water, said Philip Soria, executive secretary to Mayor Benjamin S. Lim. Mr. Akira Fotagoishi who led the group told Lim that their group is composed of retired Japanese workers dedicated to humanitarian work. Akira said they intend to put up five tanks and pumping stations in Dagupan. Each one will cost around P1 million. (Liezle Basa Iñigo)

3 ARRESTED OVER DRUGS

CAMP TOLENTINO, Bataan, Philippines – Police reported Saturday the arrest of three suspected drug pushers and users in Bataan. Senior Superintendent Arnold D. Gunnacao, Bataan Police Provincial Office (PPO) director, said the first to fall were Samuel Salinas, a student in Dinalupihan town, and Wilson Yumol of Balanga City. Gunnacao said the two were nabbed by Police Officers 1 Joseph Mejia and Charlie Andaya for alleged possession of two improvised glass pipes, dried marijuana leaves, improvised paper tooter and two lighters on Dama de Noche Street, Doña Francisca Subdivision, Balanga City. Meanwhile, Leo Berbon, a suspected drug pusher in Pacar, Orani town, was also arrested for possession of a sachet of dried marijuana leaves, said Gunnacao. (Mar T. Supnad)

CAINTA TYPHOON RESCUERS READY

CAINTA, Rizal, Philippines – With the recent acquisition of rescue equipment from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the local government, police here are confident that they are now 100 percent ready to respond to emergency situations especially during bad weather. This came as the Cainta Police Station now has three rubber boats and two 50-meter rescue ropes which policemen rescuers can use to rescue resident who may be trapped in floods when similar incident like the one experienced by the residents in September last year during typhoon “Ondoy.” Supt. Nereo Torrecampo, chief of police here, said the police is now implementing a policy that when rains fall for about an hour continuously, all involved in the rescue operation should immediately go to the flood-prone areas of the town including Ortigas Avenue and Marcos Highway portions in order to be not caught flat-flooded when flood waters arrive from neighboring upland Antipolo and Rodriguez. (Nel B. Andrade)