LUCENA CITY, Quezon — Barangay officials here will have a seminar on survey techniques from September 17 to November 7 to prepare them for the registration and basic information gathering from farmers, farm laborers and fishermen in the province. Aileen Pukyutan, Provincial Statistics Officer said the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBA) is a design to generate a database that contains demographic, socio-economic profile and basic information of the respondents during the house-to-house and face-to-face interviews. She said the database can provide basic data for national and sub-national development planning in agriculture and fishery. (Danny Estacio)

NEW CHIEF

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan — Mayor Benjamin S. Lim of this city has announced that Superintendent Noel B. Vallo will assume the position of city police chief, replacing Supt. Romeo Caramat, who is scheduled to undergo a police officer training course. The designation of Vallo was announced by Lim during a press briefing at the City Hall last week. “With his (Vallo’s) vast training and experience in police work and management, we trust that he would be able to implement various measures that would improve the peace and order situation in the city.”Lim said. (Liezle Basa Iñigo)

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE – SAMSON

CAMP CAMACHO, Bataan — To give them a chance at leading normal and peaceful lives, those who have picked up arms in the belief that insurgency was an answer to poverty in Tarlac and Zambales are being called to return to the fold of the law. Lt. Col. Michael G. Samson, commanding officer of the Army’s 24th Infantry Battalion (IB), said his camp is always open to those who want to peacefully end their holding out in the mountains. In Zambales, Samson said there are only around 20 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels left. He said it is about time that they abandoned the armed struggle. Recently, Samson’s men had an encounter with a group of rebels in Botolan, resulting in the death of two guerrillas. (Mar T. Supnad)

‘WEED’ BUSTERS

OLONGAPO CITY, Zambales — Anti-narcotics agents busted seven suspected drug traders, seizing from them 11 marijuana blocks in a raid of their alleged drug den in Barangay Asinan, here, last Friday. Senior Supt. Christopher E. Tambungan, city chief of police, identified the first three suspects as Jophet Pacillo, 20, and Dale Allen Millano, 20, and Richard Garlitos, 19. The fourth suspect is a minor. In a follow-up operation, joints elements of police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested three others in Barangay Nagbaculaw Upper Kalaklan, here. (Franco G. Regala)

INFRA SUPPORT

SAN FABIAN, Pangasinan — Because of the influx of investors and tourists lately, barangay officials of this coastal town have appealed to Rep. Gina de Venecia and the Departments of Tourism (DOT) and Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to upgrade their infrastructure. In a joint resolution addressed to De Venecia, the officials led by Association of Barangay Captains Constante Agbayani, Barangay Colisao Chairman Anastacio Tibunsay and Barangay Binday Chairman Reynaldo Monses said they “want to seize the momentum of growth initiated by President Aquino” and ensure the continuity of progress in the villages through an upgrading of their roads and other public infrastructure in order to attract more tourists. (Liezle Basa Iñigo)