CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines — A P204.197-million fund is all set to be used for the disaster risk reduction project for marginalized families in Nueva Ecija who had been affected by recent typhoons.

The government of Spain, through the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarrolo (AECID) in coordination with the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Local Government Academy identified the five LGUs that will benefit from this project, namely San Jose City, Carranglan, Pantabangan, Rizal and Llanera. (Franco G. Regala)

BUCAYU JUSTIFIES COPS’ RETRAINING

CAMP FLORENDO, La Union, Philippines — Chief Superintendent Franklin J.B. Bucayu, Police Regional Office 1 director, announced recently the need to retrain police officers to be more effective in field operations.

Bucayu said the back-to-basics program will enhance their capabilities in investigation, proper first-response actions and procedures, crime scene preservation and management, case build-up, proper use of firearms, arrest and handcuffing techniques, and the like.

He said the retraining of the first batch of 60 members of the PRO1, which began last January 11, is in line with Director-General Raul M. Bacalzo’s Eight Foundation Initiatives in the Philippine National Police. (Liezle Basa Iñigo)

POLICE DEPUTIZED TO GUARD NATURE

SAN MIGUEL, Bulacan, Philippines — Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy Alvarado signed this week the memorandum of agreement (MoA) for the deputation of the Bulacan Provincial Police Office (PPO) under the leadership of Senior Superintendent Fernando S. Villanueva, as forest marshals and protectors of the environment.

Under the MoA members of the PPO may apprehend illegal loggers, poachers, mining and quarry operators and haulers of illegally-sourced extracted mineral, quarry materials, illegally cut logs and others violating provision of provincial ordinance on mining and proper disposal of waste. (Freddie C.Velez)

CREW OF TILTED VESSEL RESCUED

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines — At least 20 crew members of a tilted Hong Kong cargo vessel in waters off Aparri, Cagayan last Tuesday have been rescued safely, the Philippine Maritime Group (PMG) reported Thursday.

Superintendent Verlito Paredes, chief of the PMG, said that after the rescue, his men assisted Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel in tugging “M/V Lucky V,” owned by Franco Shipping Company and registered in Hong Kong, to a shallow area.

The cargo vessel had an undetermined volume of iron ore bound for China from Cagayan when Filipino Captains Pio Sergio Jr. and Severino Gallenero Galo sent out an S-O-S message that their ship was hit by strong waves. (Freddie G. Lazaro)

PAGDILAO: SECURE BIKING ROUTES

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines — Chief Superintendent Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr., director of the Police Regional Office 4-A (PRO4-A), instructed Thursday the Police Provincial Office (PPO) directors and chiefs of police (COPs) in Southern Tagalog to ensure the safety and security of bike routes, following a recent holdup of six bikers in Dasmarinas City, Cavite.

Pagdilao said six bikers were held up last January 15 by four unidentified suspects clad with security guard pants in Barangay Paliparan 2, Dasmariñas City. (Ferdinand F. Castro)