Defiant Aurora mayor refuses to vacate town hall
The Philippine Star 09/13/2006

DINALUNGAN, Aurora — Embattled Mayor Marilyn Marquez has vowed to hold on to her post until the lapse of her 60-day preventive suspension later this month.

Superintendent Teodoro Saclolo, provincial police director, said the feisty Marquez, in explaining her refusal to vacate the municipal hall, gave assurances that she was willing to face the consequences of her action, including a possible additional six-month suspension.

Marquez made the statement during a meeting here with Saclolo, lawyer Rolando Calabarzon and lawyer Ofelio Tactac, assistant regional director and legal officer, respectively of the Department of the Interior and Local Governments (DILG) when they paid her a visit to inform her of the legal consequences of her refusal to vacate the town hall.

As of press time, a 60-man police contingent remains encamped at the municipal compound to prevent possible outbreak of violence between the camps of Marquez and supporters of acting mayor Harvey Tubera.

Marquez continues to discharge her functions, even signing checks in spite of the fact that this will not be recognized by the municipal government’s depository bank.

Saclolo said they have defused the tension between the two camps with the presence of policemen from the Regional Mobile Force (RMF), the Provincial Mobile Group (PMG) and the Dinalungan police.

"So far, the presence of the police has kept the peace," he said.

Saclolo said that the municipal employees could not do anything but follow the mayor out of fear that they would be punished. "They seemed to be intimidated and are afraid of reprisal from the mayor. After all, her suspension would lapse on Oct. 3," he said.

Marquez said the decision of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo to suspend her and Vice Mayor Virgie Callejo based on the administrative complaint filed by the Industries Development Corp. (IDC) was "very erroneous." — Manny Galvez

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Reyes lifts suspension order of 2 Aurora logging firms
By Manny Galvez The Philippine Star 09/13/2006

SAN LUIS, Aurora — Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes has lifted the suspension order on two logging companies here, signaling the resumption of logging operations in this town, following a 20-month hiatus.

Benjamin Mina, provincial environment and natural resources officer for Aurora, told The STAR that Reyes ordered the lifting of the logging ban imposed on the Benson Realty Development Corp. (BRDC) and the San Roque Sawmill Corp. (SRSC) located in Barangays Dikapinisan and Dibayabay, respectively, both based here.

The request for the lifting of the ban on the BRDC and the SRSC was granted by Reyes after a thorough evaluation of the revised Comprehensive Development and Management Plan (CDMP) of the Industrial Forest Management Agreements (IFMAs) of the two firms.

The order was based on the recommendation of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Executive Director for Central Luzon Regidor de Leon.

Fred Sadueste, chief of DENR-Central Luzon’s Forest Resource Conservation Division (FRDC), said that they are still deliberating on the two firms’ operational plans.

The BRDC, led by its president and general manager Ching Sen Ben, was issued the IFMA on July 8, 1993, covering 951 hectares in sitio Diotorin. It would expire on July 8, 2018.

Based on the approved revised CMDP, it is allowed to cut 8,381.44 cubic meters of trees within the established plantation area and 3,130.84 cubic meters within its residual production forest annually.

On the other hand, the SRSC, led by its president and general manager Christina Tan Siong, was issued IFMA on Dec. 18,1992, covering 900 hectares in sitios Amisan and Abaca, Barangay Dibayabay. It would expire on Dec. 18, 2017.

The two firms’ operations, along with five others, were suspended in the aftermath of the deadly landslides that struck the province in late 2004. The other logging firms were Green Circle, Pateco, Industries Development Corp. (IDC), Inter Pacific Resources Corp. (IPRC) and Toplite Lumber.

The DENR has since lifted the suspensions of the IDC and Toplite.

Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said she is not against the resumption of logging operations for as long as the companies comply with the requirements.

"The grant of license emanates from the national government. For as long as they comply, they will hear nothing from me, but the moment they engage into something illegal, the provincial government will do everything to stop them," she said.

She added that it is up to the people of the province to be vigilant in seeing to it that these firms operate within the bounds of the law.

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Isang bagong blog na kumikilala at nagpapakita ng pinagmulan natin, ang mga katutubo ng aurora. Ito ay gawa ni aurorafreerisedweller (isa ring ayaw magpakilala). Ginamit ko ang sariling wika bilang pagpupugay sa ating mga katutubo.

Press Release from PAIAD, Sept. 1, 2006

The province of Aurora will soon be a BIO FUEL producing province. Governor Bellaflor J. Angara-Castillo signed a memorandum of agreement with the officials of the Philippine Coconut Authority headed by Dennis J. Calub Regional Manager of PCA, last August 18, 2006.

Since coconut is a major product of Aurora, which covers approximately 24,000 hectares of coconut plantation, Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Congressman Juan Edgardo M. Angara and Governor Bellaflor J. Angara-Castillo decided to modernize the field of Agriculture particularly coconut farming. Though close coordination with the Philippine Coconut Authority, Department of Science and Technology, Bureau of Post Harvest and Research Extension, BIO FUEL project was demonstrated and introduced in the province of Aurora last May 2006 by the Philippine Coconut Authority team headed by Mr. Dennis Calub at the Aurora State College of Technology Bazal Campus, Maria Aurora, Aurora.

The team tackled the extraction of filtered coconut oil from Copra in which they poured filtered coconut oil to the empty gas tank of the two vehicles and they test run it.

During the MOA signing Mr. Dennis Calub mentioned that Aurora was the 2nd province to receive such project. Because Aurora produce good coconut, the province was chosen as one of the sources of coconut seedlings that were intended to be distributed to northern part of Luzon. Two fuel substances can be extracted from Coconut. METHYL ESTER and filtered coconut oil, which will be the target of the aforesaid project to be produce by the province.

Governor Bellaflor J. Angara-Castillo, ensures that since Aurora has a huge plantation of coconut, and also one of the best producer of VIRGIN COCONUT OIL, the project will surely be a success and hope the province will soon becoming the number one producer of BIO FUEL in the country.(RAUL L. CALIWAG/ PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND INFORMATION ASSISTANCE DIVISION)

by Manny Galvez published in philstar.com

DINGALAN, Aurora — The acting vice mayor of this town has been linked to the four Chinese nationals who were arrested in last Wednesday’s raid on a shabu laboratory here.

Acting Vice Mayor Edgar Liu has reportedly sent surrender feelers to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after he was alleged to have been involved in the operations of the shabu laboratory in Barangay Butas na Bato where more than P5 million worth of shabu was seized.

Arrested by a 40-man NBI team led by Roel Olivar were Zhi Qu, 25, of Zhzun Tsu, China; Ong Tua Ti, 24, of Han Tzi; Zhin Na, 30, of Fujian province; and Xian Tian, 28, of Zun Tah.

Also collared was Francisco Ramos, who was with the Chinese nationals when the shabu laboratory located inside the Jonathan Resort in Butas na Bato, some three kilometers from the town proper, was raided.

Two repackers, who were allegedly under Liu’s employ, identified as Jimmy Padua and Hernani de Guzman, eluded arrest and are now the subject of a manhunt.

According to an NBI source, Liu went to the NBI-Cabanatuan City office to give himself up to its chief, Pedro Roque Jr., but was instead advised to surrender to NBI director Nestor Mantaring.

The raid yielded five kilos of finished shabu worth about P5 million, as well as crystallized and liquid forms of the illegal drug.

The raid jolted Aurora officials who could not believe that a remote coastal town like Dingalan could be a haven for the illegal drug trade.

Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said she was shocked to learn that nobody among the local officials knew about the existence of the shabu lab in Barangay Butas na Bato.

She said she has asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) to look into the possible involvement of other local officials in the illegal drug trade.

"I want the PNP to spare no one in the investigation," she said.

Angara-Castillo said she has taken acting Dingalan Mayor Edgardo Galvez to task for his failure to detect the operations of the shabu lab as well as the barangay officials for a breakdown in intelligence gathering.

She said she was told that the shabu lab had operated for only about a month, contrary to the claim of Henry de Vera, executive officer of the NBI-Reaction Arrest and Interdiction Division, that it had been there for six months and delivered shabu to Metro Manila.

"I feel so bad that it’s always Dingalan which is giving us a black eye. If not illegal logging, then it’s illegal drugs," she said.

Angara-Castillo said she has asked the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to establish an office in the province.

Sought for comment, Galvez said the barangay officials, not the municipal executives, should be the ones responsible for monitoring the people entering their communities.

Galvez took over as acting mayor after Mayor Jaime Ylarde was detained for his alleged involvement in last year’s murder of local publisher Philip Agustin.

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