Ideally, Abalos said, the ratio is one policeman to population of 500 persons, however, with a growing local government unit like La Trinidad, we have a police force of eighty police personnel to a population of 117,000.

“In the meantime that police manpower is not yer augmented we must do something about it, we cannot just wait”, Abalos said referring to the lack of police personnel the municipality has.

“I have already consulted with the chief of police and provincial director Sr. Supt. Benjamin Lusad on the matter”, he added

Moreover, he said, “We have discussed that they will train those capable of being trained in specialized skills such as investigation prowess etc, which now should augment police force.”

On June 17, a baranggay kagawad was shot dead while investigating a crime incident.

Authorities identified the victim as Hector Chamos, 37 years old, married and a resident of Central Ambiong Barangay.

Chamos according to the police blotter was shot at around 5:00 a.m. when he together with other authorities went to investigate a report that a man suspected to be a criminal was hiding himself in a grassy area near the residential area of the baranggay.

At around 2:00 a.m., a robbery was committed in one of the residences in the barangay.

This incident according to Abalos is under follow-up.

Earlier, Abalos thru Administrative Order No. 019-2011 reorganized the Municipal Peace and Order Council of the municipality.

The council headed by the mayor has Vice Mayor Romeo Salda as its Vice Chairman, and Councilors Von Ryan Tauli and Robert Namoro, Chief Inpector Richard Albon, Jail Sr. Insp. Edward Fattaner, Judge Delilah Gonzalez, Felicitas Tingbaen, Irene Tagtag, Antonette Agpas, Lucio Alawas, Joseph Zambrano, William Esteban, Elita Hererro and Pedro Golocan as members.

Among the of the council is to provide a forum for dialogue and deliberation of major issues and problems affecting peace and order, including insurgency and terrorism; to recommend measures which will improve or enhance peace and order and public safety in their respective areas of responsibility, including anti-insurgency and anti-terrorism measures;  recommend measures to converge and orchestrate internal security operations efforts of civil authorities and agencies, military and police; to apply moral suasion to and/ or recommend sanctions against local chief executives who are giving material and political support to communist rebels; to monitor the provision of livelihood and infrastructure development programs and projects in the remote rural and indigenous population areas adopted to isolate them from the communist rebel’s “agitate/arouse, organize and mobilize” and ideological, political and organizational works; and to perform all other functions assigned by law, the President or the NPOC.—larry madarang

The administrative case for dishonesty, oppression, misconduct and abuse of authority was filed against Pendon Thompson, barangay captain of Bineng, La Trinidad before the Office of the Sangguniang Bayan of La Trinidad by Delizo Frank Carpio, a barangay kagawad of the same barangay.

According to Carpio, unfounded accusations have been spread on separate occasions that he had put a bounty amounting to P50,000 for the head of Thompson.

On June 10, Carpio, during the regular meeting of the Sanguniang Barangay confronted Thompson regarding the accusations. Thompson according to the Carpio in his affidavit of complaint “reasoned that he had analyzed the situation, had connected the dots and concluded that it was I who had pressed Ronel Olecio to file an administrative complaint against him. He blamed me for the filing of the administrative complaint.”

“I denied the accusation and demanded that he apologize and rectify the malicious statements and lies he had been spreading. He replied that he would call for the individual who allegedly informed him. He also said that he will gather people so that we can talk and have witnesses present. I agreed, but Mr. Thompson twice failed to appear despite the fact that it was he who set the days when the meeting was to occur”, Carpio’s statement added.

“His unfounded statements have injured my reputation and because he had publicly announced the same statements I am now the subject of decision, contempt and mockery in my own community. Similarly my family is suffering because of the stain the statement has placed on my honor as an elected barangay official. His allegations have caused me sleepless nights and tension with my wife who is Mr. Thompson’s first cousin”, so said Carpio.

Moreover, he said Thomoson “has maliciously and oppressively used his authority by using an official public event to spread unfounded accusations against me. His actions and statements are tantamount to misconduct, oppression and abuse of authority with the purpose of exacting vengeance upon an imaginary assault on his person”.

The case will be reviewed initially by the committee on laws of the municipal council where the review date is still to be set by its members.

Meanwhile, Coun. Robert Namoro, Association of Barangay Councils president said he will be inhibiting himself from the proceedings, citing the complainant is a relative of his.—larry madarang

The creation of the assessment team is contained in Administrative Order 15 series of 2011 which has recently been revied in the municipal council during their regular session over the week.

The team is headed by Romeo Lopez, municipal planning and development coordinator; with Julio Lopez, Community Environment and Natural Resource Officer as co-chairman.

Among the functions of the team is to undertake the assessment and inventory of existing proclaimed communal forests, the delineation of the new potential communal forests and watersheds and submit assessment reports to the sangguniang bayan; to prepare the forest and land use plans; draft Memorandum of Agreement for the identified/surveyed and mapped communal forest and watershed areas; and to prepare the forest management plan.

Meanwhile, Abalos, informed karitoon.com that he is in the process of reviewing feasibility studies submitted to his office regarding plans of putting up possible eco-tourism and adventure parks within the municipality.

The plans of constructing eco-tourism and adventure parks were earlier contained in the presentation Abalos presented to the municipal council last year.

Moreover, Abalos, together with Coun. Roderick Awingan will be signing a Memorandum of Agreement with the Municipality of Danao in Bohol  on July 10.

Abalos and Awingan will head a delegation representing the municipal government of La Trinidad in the signing of sisterhood ties between both towns.

Danao is a noted adventure tourism spot in the Philippines.—larry madarang

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—This municipality is signing a sisterhood tie agreement with Danao, Bohol this Sunday, July 10.

A delegation headed by Mayor Greg Abolos Jr. and Coun. Roderick Awingan, chair of the municipal council committee on tourism will head the delegation.

Awingang, said an agreement with Danoa was forged on June, with formal signing of sisterhood ties on Sunday.

The councilor, who was the proponent for the sisterhood ties in the council said he was inspired with the innovation that tourism could be a back bone of the La Trinidad economy.

Awingan said he envisions a park within the different forest reserves of the municipality, an idea which Mayor Greg Abalos has shared with the Baguio Chronicle earlier.

Abalos said they are now doing a feasibility study on creating an adventure park in La Trinidad to help boost tourism influx in the town.

According to Awingang, some of the practices of Danao could be emulated in the municipality.

Danao, formerly a  6^th class municipality is now a 1^st class, owing its success to adventure tourism activities.

Danao is being marketed as a Extreme/Eco/Educational Adventure Tourism (EAT) destination area.  On July 9, coinciding with their Charter Day celebrations, the town will be opening a new zipline which will span 1.5 kilometers, the longest zipline in the town.—larry madarang

“WE TAKE care of the geese that lay the golden eggs”

This could the unofficial motto of the Cooperative Bank of Benguet as it continues to serve the farmers and the environment.

Nineteen years ago, the cooperative bank started with only P1.27 million in its coffers, it now has close to P600 million as its asset base.

In its annual financial report, the bank has overshot its target of P415 million for the year 2010 earning an actual P594.87 million in total assets.

It now has a stable source of income and could now lend more money to its members.

For the year 2010, the bank has reported to have released a total of 553,658,450.00 worth of loans.  The biggest was appropriated for the agricultural sector with a total of P223,275,300; followed industrial loans at P156,900,000; commercial loans at P83,526,550 and other loans at P66,836,500; microfinance, P19,568,600; salary loan, P1,656,500 and fringe benefits, P1,895,000.

There are around 1,430 accounts for the agricultural loans and 1,101 accounts for commercial loans taking 55 percent of the total loans.

“We are here to take care of the geese”, this according to Gerry Lab-oyan, the bank’s general manager, referring to the farmers and the small and medium entrepreneurs who make up majority of the cooperative bank’s membership.

With its nineteen years of existence, the bank now is stronger and could now finance loans to farmers and businessmen.

The coop bank has initiated 5-major projects in past years and continues to support these programs.

Among this flagship projects are the increased awareness and assistance to organic farming; to help popularize ethnic food (local cuisine); to help propagate Arabica coffee; to increase diversification in farming practices and jobs generation.

The cooperative bank ten-years ago was one of the first financial institutions to help bank roll organic farming in the province, it helped in the set up of organic farmers to come out with an organization and a marketing arm.  Ten years after, the trend of farming in Benguet is going “green” as they say, lesser chemical fertilizers and pesticides are now used.  There is a marked decrease of red and orange tabbed commercial pesticides and fertilizers.  Farmers now realize that there is a higher price for organic vegetables in the market.

The coop bank has likewise helped financed farm diversification or green housing which has greatly helped farmers to have an almost year long crop harvest for both vegetable and the cut flower industry.

The success of the cooperative bank has a marked growth that it now has  three branches located in Bugias, Benguet; Baguio City and a branch in Rosario, La Union.

The services the cooperative bank offers are passbook savings deposits, special saving, loan services, money transfer services and non-bank technical services such as trainings on management of cooperative organizations, financial analysis, savings and credit operations.—larry madarang

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—Plant coffee, stop soil erosion and increase your income, this is a piece of advice given by Gerry Lab-oyan, general manager of the Cooperative Bank of Benguet.

Among the initiatives of the bank is the propagation of Arabica coffee trees in the province.

“Bringing the Philippines to the Arabica Coffee Map of the World  is one of our advocacy. Recognizing and realizing our own product, we can eventually start up in our own Region”, this according to them.

Studies show that one of the best ways to stop erosion is by planting coffee trees.

According to Lab-oyan, the Arabica type of coffee thrives best in Benguet, adding the trees survives with other plants and trees, in fact, it could even be planted under pine trees whose pine needles make soil around the tree acidic.

And since we now have a high demand for coffee, there is no reason for farmers to cut down these trees as it could provide them additional income, he said.

We are now conceptualizing assistance for those who will go into coffee production, and we are also studying lemon and coffee together, Lab-oyan opined,

Meanwhile, Alice Tabuno, of the Department of Agriculture informed Karitoon.com that the department under the component of Strengthening the Philippines’ Institutional Capacity for Adaption to Climate Change or SPICCAC of the joint program under the UN Millennium Development Goals thematic for window on climate change, Arabica coffee is one of the formulated climate change options for forest enrichment.

Arabica coffee, she said, could be a diversified source of income, at the same time enhances they production and protective functions of a natural eco-system.—larry madarang

MANKAYAN, Benguet–  Mayor Materno Luspian is optimistic Far South East Gold Resources Inc. (FSGRI) will be given a thumbs up by the community with its Free and Prior Informed Consent if needed.

The FSGRI is a joint mining project between the Lepanto Mining Corporation and the Gold Fields.

“Gold Fields have already introduced themselves, what are they for in coming to my town”, Luspian said

“With the coming in of Gold Fields we could address the problem on unemployment and also the business sector will also benefit, and not only that, over all the government will also share from the National Wealth Tax”, Luspian added.

According to him, the groups have agreed in principle that eighty percent of the projects employment will come from the municipality and its environs, adding, if not qualified, then we train them.

“If ever they (FSGRI) would come up with a capability building, as recommended, they could start with women’s group, the senior citizen, the youth, give them skills development.  So that just in case they come in, they will know who are the people to hire and people that they will train. People are now opening their eyes with Gold Fields under the Far South East project”, the mayor said.

Moreover, Luspian said, he is just looking on three aspects that the mining company must satisfy, these aspects he said are the legal, social, and environmental.

Gold Fields has until March 2012 to decide if they will continue their mining partnership with Lepanto under the FSGRI. Gold Fields signed an 18 month option and shareholder’s agreement with Lepanto and Liberty Express on September 2010.

Gold Fields is the 4^th largest mining company worldwide, it aims to be “the global leader in sustainable gold mining”, with its official motto as “if we cannot explore safely we will not explore; if we cannot mine safely we will not mine”. –larry madarang

CAMP BADO DANGWA, Benguet—A lady illegal drugs trader believed to be victimizing students was caught in a buy-bust operation by elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Emely Fama, information officer of the PDEA-CAR identified the suspect as Marie Flor Sales Rodriguez, 22, single, college undergraduate, jobless, native of Baguio City and resident of Pinsao Pilot Project, Baguio City.

Rodriguez was arrested on June 23, at around 4:00 p.m. while in the act of selling 1.30 gms of shabu with a street value of P15,000 to a PDEA-CAR agent.

A criminal case for Violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs) of Republic Act 9165 (The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002), a non-bailable offense, punishable by life imprisonment, will be filed in court against Rodriguez.

Allegedly, Rodriguez’ clients are mostly college students in Baguio City and that she gets her supply of shabu from Dagupan City in Pangasinan. –larry madarang

Ganggangan, former secretary-general of the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA) said, the Cordillera draft autonomy must include the control over strategic natural resources and the inclusion of a regional security force. (continue)

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