ANTIPOLO CITY, Philippines — Thousands of city residents who along with other devotees of Quiapo’s “Black Nazarene” from other parts of Rizal province are expected to troop to the cathedral here on Monday for the traditional visit to the city of the pilgrim image of the purple robed and cross bearing Jesus Christ.

This developed after the staff of the Cathedral of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, popularly known as Nuestra Señora dela Paz y Buenviaje have been preparing for the yearly event which is being awaited by the devotees of the Black Nazarene especially those who could not go to Quiapo in Manila to fulfill their devotion of touching the statue of the Black Nazarene every January.

Dozens of uniformed and covert policemen of the city, under Supt. Manuel Pion, will be deployed to the cathedral and the vicinity to ensure that criminals will not be able to take advantage of the huge crowd who will gather in and outside the cathedral on November 29 and 30. (Nel Andrade)

WORK ON P119-M BRIDGE STARTS

TUBLAY, Benguet, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) here recently started works on the P119 million concrete bridge to span the Suyoc Creek along Barangay Kaponga in a bid to allow the smooth flow of traffic on the Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun Road, one of the major road networks in the province which was devastated by typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” last year and aggravated by super typhoon “Juan” last month.

Edilberto Carbbacan, DPWH director in the Cordillera, said the permanent structure will finally take the place of the supposed dangerous bailey bridge currently used by motorists in passing through the creek in order to move from one town to the other and transport their crops from the farms to the markets in nearby La Trinidad town.

According to Carbbacan, the project is funded by the Austrian government and it forms part of on-going post “Pepeng” road and bridge rehabilitation projects in the different parts of the province. (Dexter See)

AUTHORITIES SEIZE P4.9-M MARIJUANA

KIBUNGAN, Benguet, Philippines — A 46-year-old farmer was arrested by combined police operatives and anti-narcotics agents after having been found in possession of over P4.9 million worth of dried marijuana leaves in brick form during a buy-bust operation at Sitio Polis, Sagpat here Tuesday dawn.

Supt. Glen Lonogan, chief of the regional anti-illegal drugs special operations task group, identified the arrested suspected marijuana cultivator as John Pawas, 46, a farmer and resident of Sitio Polis, Sagpat, Kibungan, Benguet.

Seized from the suspect were four sacks of dried marijuana leaves in brick form weighing at least 90 kilos with a market value of P4.95 million based on figures from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the Cordillera. Initial police investigation showed police operatives and anti-narcotics agents were able to contact the marijuana cultivator for the purchase of a substantial volume of marijuana in brick form to be delivered to a prospective buyer.

When the deal was consummated, police operatives and anti-narcotics agents positioned themselves in strategic areas along the road in the place where the agreed transaction will take place and upon the delivery of the four sacks containing the dried marijuana bricks, they apprehended the suspect and his still undetermined number of companions. (Dexter See and Freddie Lazaro)