BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Carlos Hilado Memorial State College (CHMSC) Fortune Towne campus will soon become a state university, as the Bacolod City councilors have endorsed the request of CHMSC Executive Director, for the conversion of this state college into a university.

A resolution to this effect was sponsored by Councilors Homer Bais, El Cid Familiaran and Em Legaspi-Ang. Sayson’s request has been endorsed to Education Secretary Armin A. Luistro.

The CHMSC, which formerly was the Paglaum State College, was renamed CHMSC in 1983 by virtue of Batas Pambansa 477. It has met the minimum qualification required for it to become a university based on R.A. 7722, or the Higher Education Act of 1994 and Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Order No. 48, Series of 1996.

Said resolution states that the conversion of CHMSC into a state university is beneficial to students especially those residing in Brgy. Estefania as “it will boost the socio-economic activity of people in the said barangay, and Bacolod City as well.” (Edith B. Colmo)

DRIVE VS ILLEGAL FISHING BUTTRESSED

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has recently called a meeting with the mayors of the municipalities and component cities in the province to give emphasis to her all-out campaign against illegal fishing.

She reiterated to the local chief executives the need to strengthen their laws on illegal fishing and that they should be fully committed to the cause.

She said that the related incident in Carcar City, where two commercial fishing vessels were caught fishing on restricted waters of the town, should send a loud and clear signal that illegal fishing in the province is not tolerated.

For their part, the mayors agreed to have a uniform ordinance with the province of Cebu. Provincial Board Member Thadeo Ouano will craft the ordinance for all the local government units to adopt.

The governor called on the mayors to file their cases on illegal fishing in accordance with Republic Act 8550 where stricter penalty is imposed and to equip their respective bantay dagat teams with Global Positioning System (GPS) to comply with the requirement of the said law. (Mars W. Mosqueda, Jr.)

MILITARY WARNS OF NEW PLOY

GUIHULNGAN, Negros Oriental, Philippines — The New People’s Army (NPA) has adopted new tactics to deceive the people in the hinterlands, according to 1LT Angelito Luna, Civil Military Operations (CMO) Officer of the Philippine Army’s 11th Infantry Battalion based here.

“They are now wolves in sheep’s skin, because they wear Army uniforms so that the people will not report their presence here to us,” said Luna.

“Since they cannot easily enter local communities here, they intentionally deceive the grassroots residents by donning Army uniforms and pretending to be uniformed military personnel.”

Luna has divulged this information during the three-day CMO consultative seminar-workshop in Guimbal, Iloilo last week. He also said this tactic adopted by the NPA in Negros has significant psychological effect on civilians, the most obvious being to “destroy the image and credibility of our soldiers.

By pretending to be soldiers and carrying out abuses and atrocities against civilian non-combatants, the NPA hopes to succeed in demonizing the uniform, then blame the Army for human rights violations,” pointed out Luna.

“We in the Armed Forces will never tolerate any of our personnel committing human rights abuses and violations of the International Humanitarian Law. (Edith B. Colmo)