SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines — Vice President Jejomar Binay will lead the inauguration and blessing of the new municipal hall Friday. The six level modern building, a future city hall, is one of the projects of Mayor Calixto Cataquiz under Roadmap 2020, a ten-year comprehensive plan, with vision and mission and core values, which serves as guide and compass in the attainments of projects.

Binay will lead the inauguration rites at 5 p.m. Friday. The new town hall is an intelligent building equipped with latest electronic and computerized technology for closed circuit television (CCTV) for security monitoring. (Ferdinand F. Castro)

Pampanga: free college for 227

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — Governor Lilia G. Pineda distributed recently a total of P2.27 million worth of educational assistance to 227 college scholars in this province.

Pineda along with Provincial Administrator Andres S. Pangilinan, Jr., Provincial Board Members Monina Laus, Trina Dizon, Fritzie David-Dizon, Nestor Tolentino, and Ric Yabut handed over the aid to the scholars in an awarding ceremony held at the Benigno Aquino Hall.

All 227 scholars graduated either as valedictorian, salutatorian or first honorable mention from public secondary schools in all municipalities of the province. (Franco G. Regala)

PPO assigns 2 cop chiefs

IMUS, Cavite — The Cavite Police Provincial Office (PPO) replaced Thursday the chiefs of police (CoPs) of this town and Tagaytay City in a major shake-up to improve further the police performance and services and peace and order in every town and cities of the province.

Senior Superintendent John C. Bulalacao, PPO director, said that Supt. Hersan Hierco Mojica, PPO legal officer, was designated as Imus officer-in-charge (OIC), in lieu of Supt. Cosme A. Abrenica who was reassigned as the OIC of the Tagaytay City Police.

Abrenica replaced Superintendent Dexter G. Rellora. Rellora took over the position vacated by Mojica. (Anthony Giron)

Dengue alarm sounded by PHO

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan — The Provincial Health Office here sounded Thursday an alarm over the rising number of dengue cases in Pangasinan this year with the figure jumping to 529 in the first quarter from just 144 in the same period last year.

The PHO said the sudden increase in dengue cases was a “spillover” from last year’s spread of dengue-carrying aedes aegypti mosquitoes due to rains in the last quarter of 2010 that created massive breeding grounds for the insects. The PHO said six people had died due to dengue this year. Recently, Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Gina de Venecia launched a series of misting operations in Bonuan Boquig, Dagupan City. (Liezle Basa Iñigo)

Rebel-returnees get livelihood aid

BALER, Aurora — At least 18 rebel-returnees were awarded P50,000 worth of livelihood assistance each from the Social Integration Program (SIP) of the government during the Aurora Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting recently.

The awarding of the livelihood assistance for the former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels was spearheaded by the Provincial Government of Aurora through Governor Bellaflor J. Angara-Castillo, concurrent Chairperson of the PPOC and the Philippine Army. (Franco G. Regala)