LUCENA CITY, Quezon — Innovative means to fight the problem on tuberculosis (TB) in this province are in place through a partnership between the Innovations and Multi-sectoral Partnerships to Achieve Control of TB (IMPACT) and the provincial government. Quezon Governor David C. Suarez said the project takes after the Linking Initiatives and Networking to Control TB (TB LINC) and is also a new USAID-supported TB control project for the next five years. Doctors Jocelyn Cabarles and Karen Dalawangbayan explained that IMPACT intends to embark on situational analysis where an overall TB assessment will be concluded to serve as basis for appropriate interventions and prioritization in the project sites. (Danny J. Estacio)

BETTER EYESIGHT

OLONGAPO CITY – Some 2,200 will have better eyesight for free, thanks to the efforts made by an international team of doctors organized by the Lions Club Districts 301-D1-Philippines and 19-C (counterpart district in Washington, USA). Some 200 cataract patients were given free eye surgery while around 2,000 pairs of eye glasses were distributed to residents of the city’s 17 barangays at the covered court of Barangay Pag-Asa. (Jonas Reyes)

ROBBERS FALL

CAMP GEN. SANTOS, Bulacan — Senior Superintendent Joel Orduna, acting Bulacan police director, reported yesterday that four alleged members of the “Akyat Bahay Gang” were arrested in follow-up operations conducted in Guiguinto and San Jose del Monte City. Supt. Leon Victor Rosete, Guiguinto police chief, said the first operation led to the arrest of security guards Rusty Velasco Razon, 28, and Leonardo L. Bornasal Jr., 24, over the robbery at Ever Metal Inc. located in Barangay Tuktukan, Guiguinto. The second operation led by Supt. Raniel Valones collared Allen Salvador Nieto, 25, and Jaime R. Masangkay, alias “Jumong,” 21, after robbing the house of a 24-year-old call center agent in Barangay Assumption, SJDM City. (Freddie C. Velez)

MOST WANTED

CAMP FLORENDO, La  Union — A former army soldier tagged by police as the 9th most wanted man in Region 1 was arrested in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao, it was reported yesterday. Chief Superintendent Ricardo C. Marquez, Police Regional Office 1 (PRO1) director, said Jolly Ordanza Abuan, married, 56, a native of San Quintin, Pangasinan, was nabbed in Barangay Palumbi, Lambayong, Suldan Kudarat by Regional Intelligence Division (RID) operatives. Abuan is charged with illegal possession of firearms and rape with homicide before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 51 in Tayug, Pangasinan. (Liezle Basa Iñigo)

TAX RECORD

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Pampanga provincial government has posted a historic P500-million real property tax collection from the intensified implementation of the the Integrated Taxation Management System (iTax). The Pampanga government is expected to collect approximately P1 billion from the said system that automates the transaction of real property tax collections. It said that the target can be achieved upon the full implementation of the iTax system in all municipalities in the province. The system is designed to eliminate lengthy manual process with the use of software that provides all details about properties, tax liabilities, and encumbrances that affect ownership of a particular real property unit (RPU). (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)