CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines (PIA) — Central Visayas produced the first graduates of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) trainings nationwide conducted by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

The 37 graduates composed of lawyers, legal officers and municipal agrarian reform officers are now certified ADR mediators after they were given certificates of completion and accreditation as ADR mediators signed by DAR Sec. Virgilio de los Reyes.

The DAR held the series of trainings in compliance with RA 9285 or the country’s law providing for ADR.

Tapes removed

CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte, Jan 3 (PIA) — The Philippine National Police Regional Office 8 (PNP-8) Monday joined in the synchronized removal of tapes muzzling firearms of PNP personnel nationwide, PNP 8 regional director Arthur Revilla said.

This signaled the culmination of the Yuletide season and served as inspection activity in compliance with the PNP’s no-indiscriminate-firing-on-New Year’s Eve directive. The Regional Headquarters Support Group (RHSG), along with the Regional Personnel and Human Resource Development Division (R1), led the synchronized activity inside the PRO 8 camp during the flag raising ceremony last January 2, Monday.

Capiz peaceful

ROXAS CITY, Capiz (PIA) — Capiz police director S/Supt. Domingo S. Cabillan said no reports of indiscriminate firing of service firearms reached the Capiz Police Provincial Office as the province welcomed 2012. Cabillan said that the adhesive tape on the muzzle of guns of policemen here were unsealed last Jan. 2 by the respective Chiefs of Police of local police stations provincewide.

“I urge the public to report any occurrence of indiscriminate firing of guns so that we can check on the information,” Cabillan said. Earlier, the PNP official warned policemen here that anyone not following the directive from PNP national headquarters which prohibits indiscriminate gun firing could cause them their jobs.

ELA adoption

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) — Aklan province is starting 2012 with clear, sure directions to further its development with the adoption by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of its 2010-2013 Executive Legislative Agenda (ELA). Aklan’s ELA was adopted during one of the council’s last sessions, and defines the thrust and priorities of the provincial government to be implemented by the executive department with corresponding SP legislative support.

The legislative agenda is also defined and incorporated in the ELA document, according to the SP. In lauding the SP action on ELA, Aklan Gov. Carlito S. Marquez said the ELA will serve as a map on which the provincial government’s programs and projects are laid down, recognized, approved and implemented by those engaged in policy-making and implementation.

Wrong rice

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PNA) — Dumaguete city government job order (JO) employees are asking for replacement of the 25-kilo rice given to them before Christmas after they discovered that what they received was not what was supposed to be given them.

Some 520 JO employees were supposed to receive 25 kilos of good commercial Sinandomeng rice, but instead got rice of poor quality. City Administrator William Ablong has directed concerned departments to immediately make the replacement. The sack of rice is on top of the P2,000 extended to the JOs as Christmas bonus.