ILOILO CITY, Philippines — To counter the entry of cyber terrorism in the country, members of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 have attended a six-day Investigation and Seizure of Digital Evidence Course in an effort to fight acts of cyber terrorism.

The training, said Supt. Ranie Demiar, PRO6 public information officer, kicked off last Monday, Nov. 22, in partnership with the Philippine Public Safety College through its Anti-terrorism Office in cooperation with the United States Anti-terrorism Assistance Program.

It was designed for Law Enforcement and Information Technology Security Specialist, which is responsible for planning and coordinating the investigation and prosecution of cyber crime-related incidents.

Police Chief Superintendent Cipriano E. Quero, Jr., director of PRO6, said this technical training intends to assist law enforcement agencies so that they can acquire the skills needed to detect, prevent, and investigate incidents related to acts of cyber terrorism.

"This is one of our pro-active steps to respond, if not prevent, the work of terrorist using the cyber space", he also said. Twenty-four police investigators were chosen to undergo the training. (Edith B. Colmo)

ILOILO TROOPS ON ALERT

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Documents recovered by the military here from Danilo Badayos, a high-ranking rebel arrested in Negros Oriental reveal that the leftist New People’s Army (NPA) has adopted a more violent strategy against government troops.
Recovered from Badayos were documents seen as the rebels’ “bible” on the NPA’s new operational procedures in Negros island.

“The Badayos documents dictate that rebels in the regional level adhere to two important points,” said 1Lt. Mark Andrew Posadas, spokesman of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID).

“First, rebels will be concentrating on areas where the military, especially detachments of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU), is weak,” Posadas said.

Last November 20, an ambush staged by the NPA here killed an Army soldier and a civilian armed auxiliary (CAA) in Guihulngan City in the northern part of Negros Oriental. The casualty included detachment commander SSgt. Rey Palomaria, a native of Passi City, Iloilo. (Tara Yap)

TALISAY OKAYS P464-M BUDGET

TALISAY CITY, Cebu, Philippines — The City Council of Talisay has approved with finality the 2011 budget of the city amounting to P464 million, or P27 million higher than this year’s budget. But the budget did not pass without much debate as other councilors questioned the budget several times, including the P16 million allocated under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, which had no breakdown.

Opposition Councilor Val Ylanan said there must be proper breakdown of the budget allocation for the public to know how it would be spent and whether or not it is being spent on the respective items. The bulk of the allocations went to maintenance and operating expenses at P198.5 million.

Personal or personnel services came second at P96 million; followed by non-office expenditures, P88.3 million; 20-percent development fund, P62.3 million; and capital outlay, P19.2 million. Councilor Rodi Cabigas considered the increase reasonable, citing the high cost of maintenance expenses.

Cabigas, is the committee chairman on appropriation, budget management and ways and means. Apart from donations, the city earmarked P4 million for confidential expenses and another P4 million for intelligence expenses, all under the disposal of the mayor’s office. (Mars W. Mosqueda Jr.)