PAELLA FEST

GENERAL TRIAS, Cavite — Officials treated residents with Valenciana, the famous paella food in Cavite, as they celebrated the municipality’s 264th foundation day last Thursday at the plaza. The 3rd Valenciana Festival, the celebration highlights, ended last Friday night with happy and memorable activities in the area. Officials led by Mayor Luis Ferrer and his brother Antonio, Cavite's 6th District representative, led the Valenciana boodle fight in mid-afternoon that was joined in by residents at the city hall grounds. The SpanishValenciana (rice with mixed seafoods) is the favorite food of citizens in the town. (Anthony Giron)

C.I.S. EXEMPTION

BALANGA CITY, Bataan — Members of the Community Investigative Support (CIS), a civilian group tapped by the PNPs’ Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, to help the CIDG in providing vital information and intelligence gathering against wanted persons and lawless elements in the country, appealed yesterday to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to also exempt them from the gun ban come election period. Records showed that the CIS, now with around 30,000 members nationwide, have been very supportive to the police drive against criminality and instrumental in the neutralization of a number of syndicates and wanted persons. The CIS members are working with the CIDG round-the-clock on a voluntary basis, risking their lives without receiving any pay from the government. (Mar T. Supnad)

EXPERT NEGOTIATIONS

CAMP GEN. GARCIA, Cavite — The Cavite Police Provincial Office (PPO) has commended both an incoming and outgoing police officer-in-charge (OIC) for exhibiting special negotiating skills in ending a hostage drama peacefully in Cavite City. The ability of the police who responded at the scene resolved the drama in just two hours, rescuing 75-year-old Abelardo N. Santos and barangay kagawad Antonio dela Cruz, 49, from the threat posed by Santos’ grandson. Supt. Romeo B. Desiderio, the incoming OIC, and two intelligence operatives nabbed one Nilreb C. Samonte, 19, after disarming him of two bolos, a butcher’s knife, and three other bladed weapons. (Anthony Giron)

REHAB FACILITY

TARLAC CITY — Tarlac 2nd District Rep. Susan Yap announced yesterday that a P7.5-million out-patient multi-purpose rehabilitation facility will be erected soon at the Tarlac Provincial Hospital extension building. “This will not cater to drug dependents but for patients who needs further counseling, even couples who need counseling can be catered,” Yap said. The project is part of the priority of congresswoman Yap aims to assist people in the communities, who suffered distress to move-forward. The budget of the construction of the facility came from the congresswoman’s Development Assistance Fund. (Franco G. Regala)

NEW CHIEF

CAMP NAVARRO, Oriental Mindoro — Senior Inspector Pedro Barra Jr. has assumed as acting chief of police of the Roxas Municipal Police Station, replacing Inspector Magdalino Pimentel. Pimentel, and his deputy, Inspector Aldrin Atienza, were replaced following a raid of their police station. Around 20 New

People’s Army (NPA) rebels ransacked the police station Wednesday morning, killing SPO3 Monsito L. Rabang and wounding SPO2 Pablo Acosta. Chief Supt. Melito Mabilin, Police Regional Office (PRO) 4-B director, has deployed augmenting forces to go after the assailants. (Ferdinand F. Castro)