BAGUIO CITY (PNA) — Visitors and residents here have noted more extensive police visibility and patrols in this mountain resort as part of this city’s tourism campaign. Police Inspector Virgilio A. Hidalgo said this is the initial result of the new strategies of peacekeeping by Police Senior Superintendent Jesus Cambay, city director of the Baguio City Police Office. Mobile patrols at night are now visible as they were required to always turn their blinkers on, and that the village officials have revived their usual foot patrols in tandem with the regular police members.

AID COVERAGE

TUGUEGARAO CITY (PNA) — Cagayan Valley is now 100 percent covered under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), with additional 2,000 households that are now under validation and assessment. DSWD Regional Director Arnel Garcia said the set six of the 4Ps program was already approved, and the region got additional slots for the remaining four towns and one city that were not covered during the set five of the program in the region. The set six covers family beneficiaries from the towns of Gamu, Cabatuan, Alicia, San Isidro, and Ilagan City, all in Isabela province.

RESCUERS CITED

LUCENA CITY — Rescuers who responded during the height of flood incidents due to monsoon rains in several Rizal towns received their awards of recognition as Bakas Bayaning Likas Parangal from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, Quezon Governor David C. Suarez disclosed yesterday. Members of the Provincial Risk Reduction Management Council in Quezon are among the rescuers that conducted rescue operations in the affected families in several Rizal towns on orders of Suarez. The Quezon rescuers proceeded to the flooded areas in Rizal, and were equipped with newly acquired rescue vehicles, rubbers boats, and other rescue equipment. (Danny Estacio)

LUZON QUAKES

SINAIT, Ilocos Sur — At least two pre-dawn earthquakes rocked some areas in Northern Luzon yesterday but didn’t cause any damage, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) office here. Phivolcs researcher Porferio De Peralta said the first quake that was recorded at 4.1 magnitude occurred at 12:28 a.m. with its epicenter at 62 kilometers northwest of Sabtang, Batanes, with a depth of 37 kilometers. De Peralta said the second quake at 3.5 magnitude happened at 2:43 a.m. with its epicenter at 10 kilometers Northwest of Vigan City, with a depth of 16 kilometers. (Freddie Lazaro)

HEALTH FORUM

TARLAC CITY (PNA) — Some 500 college students in the province of Tarlac have participated in the recent HIV/AIDS awareness symposium that aims to educate the youth on how to prevent and control the spread of the sexually transmitted diseases. Dr. Ma. Consorcia Lim-Quizon, executive director of the South Asia Field Epidemiology and Technology Network, Inc., said the symposium is part of their information dissemination campaign to raise awareness on the HIV/AIDS, which is steadily increasing in the country. Quizon expressed belief that HIV has spread in the Philippines largely because of the lack of public awareness.