SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines — Representatives from eight teachers associations in the Southeast Asian region, as well as some international groups, will be meeting here from December 10 to 12 for the 26th ASEAN Council of Teachers (ACT) Convention.

The convention, which will be held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC), will be hosted by the Philippine Public School Teachers Association (PPSTA), an organization composed of more than 200,000 public school teachers all over the country employed under the Department of Education (DepEd).

PPSTA President Mario Ramirez said the three-day convention will convene more than 1,000 public school teachers, half of whom are expected to arrive from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore and South Korea. (Franco G. Regala)

PACQUIAO PAL NOW A BIGWIG

CAVITE, Philippines – A close friend of boxing idol Manny Pacquiao was designated as the new Cavite Sangguniang Panglalawigan (Provincial Board) majority floor leader, it was learned Thursday.

Vice Governor and Sanggunian Presiding Officer Recto M. Cantinbuhan designated 1st District Board Member Dino Carlo R. Chua as replacement for Cecilia D. Miranda whose tenure as majority leader have lapsed recently.

The replacement was made during a simple session ceremony recently. Chua, a former Cavite City vice mayor, is the founder of the People’s Champ Movement, a party-list of boxing great Pacquiao. The party list won a seat in the 15th Congress, representing the sports sector. (Anthony Giron)

CLEAN UP DRIVE SWEEPS ANGELES

ANGELES CITY, Philippines — Despite Thursday’s citywide power interruption caused by a maintenance work conducted by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), acting City Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting, spearheaded a clean-up drive along Sto. Rosario and Sto. Entierro Streets which commenced after the flag raising ceremony at the Museo ning Angeles.

Dubbed as “Agyu Tamu Clean Up Drive 2010,” the said activity is aimed at clearing the city streets with trash like candy wrappers, cigarette butts, plastics, straws and gums.

With Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan in London to attend an anti-human trafficking summit with Councilor Maricel Morales, Vega-Cabigting and her office continuously work to make the city a better and cleaner city. (Franco G. Regala)

7 FALL AS ROAD SAFETY BOOSTED

MARIVELES, Bataan, Philippines — The police and local government here kicked off drive against road rage and indiscriminate road behavior by rounding up seven drivers and conductors reportedly caught in a pot session.

Superintendent Romell Velasco, chief of police here, said that some drivers, particularly those driving buses mini-buses, have been the subject of complaints of overspeeding and road rage along Roman Boulevard. Velasco, wanting to get to the root of the problem, had his men monitor the activities of these drivers and subsequently pounced on them at drug session.

Those arrested were identified by Velasco as Edwin Angeles of Batangas Dos; Donald Gabay, bus conductor of Baseco; Rogelio Manalo of Sta. Rosa, Pilar town; Roberto dela Cruz of Tenejero, Balanga City; Ireneo Manuel of Mariveles; Robert Obdin of Cabcaben, Mariveles; and Alfredo Lintag of Orion town. (Mar T. Supnad)