CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — Senior Superintendent Joel S. Orduna formally took his oath as the new Bulacan Provincial Police Office (PPO) director in simple command turnover rites, here, yesterday. Orduna, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class ’88, was assigned to the Maritime Group before replacing Bulacan PPO Officer-In-Charge (OIC), Senior Supt. Noli G. Talino. Talino is now the Police Regional Office (PRO3) Deputy Regional Director for Operations. (Franco G. Regala)

CAVITE PREPARES FOR PAGDILAO VISIT

CAMP GEN. GARCIA, Cavite — Arrival honors await Director General Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, once he set foot in this camp tomorrow (Saturday) for his sentimental visit. Supt. Romeo B. Desiderio, PPO information officer, confirmed yesterday the activities set for the so-called “sentimental journey” of the General. Pagdilao is a well-loved General in Cavite with the performance and humility that he had shown during his tenure as an officer of the province and Region IV-A or the Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) area. The General, a lawyer and graduate of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class ’79, also holds Cavite dear as it was one of the areas where he virtually grew up as an officer. (Anthony Giron)

LAGUNA SECURED

CAMP GEN. PACIANO RIZAL, Laguna — “There are no private armed groups handled by politicians in Laguna.” This was disclosed yesterday by newly-appointed Laguna police director Senior Superintendent Pascual Munoz Jr. during a command conference held at the Laguna Police Provincial Office, here. Muñoz, a member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of ’90, said that he and all the chiefs of police of this province have tackled most of the issues in connection with the coming elections in May 2013 during the said command conference. (Ferdinand F. Castro)

R.D.C.3 APPROVES C.L. DEV’T PROGRAM

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Regional Development Council in Region 3 (RDC3) has approved the Central Luzon component of the $500-Million Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA). The PRDP is a medium-term nationwide rural development program funded through a $500-M loan from the World Bank (WB). The proposed PRDP aims to increase the agricultural and fishery productivity and incomes of small farmers and fisherfolk through the establishment of needed infrastructure that include farm-to-market roads (FMRs), bridges, communal irrigation systems (CIS), and potable water systems, among other rural infrastructure. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)

VILLAGE AWARD

LUBA, Abra — The local government unit (LGU) here may be able to institutionalize a system of recognition of barangays highlighting its innovations, good practices, and excellence in the areas of health and nutrition, peace and order, and environmental and natural resources management. The Healthy Barangay Award is an incentive and award program of the LGU of Luba covering three basic and very vital sectors of governance namely: health and nutrition, peace and order, and environmental and natural resources management. (PIA)