LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—In its first round of random operations on the reported resurgence of jueteng in this province the other day, joint elements of Task Force Anti-Illegal Gambling rounded up 11 alleged jueteng bet collectors in two towns and one city.

However, the operatives from the national level of the Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) which was given the mandate to go after illegal gambling operations, together with those from the region, provincial and the local police, were surprised because those “invited” for questioning, a term preferred to be used by the police rather than the word
arrested, were found to be EZ2 collectors.

The lawmen consequently released the “suspected” jueteng bet
collectors from San Jacinto, Urbiztondo and Urdaneta City Tuesday night after further interrogation for lack of evidence. The raiding team said those invited for questioning were very willing to present themselves.

The operatives also conducted operation in San Fabian town, hometown of Chief Supt. Alfredo de Vera, police Ilocos regional director, but they claimed their operation yielded negative result.

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ALAMINOS CITY—Come to Hundred Islands National Park but strictly no eating of its giant clams.

A Taiwanese national who came here learned a hard lesson when he was apprehended by Bantay Dagat personnel for killing a giant clam (Tridacna gigas) at the Quezon Island apparently as an aphrodisiac food.

Mayor Hernani Braganza told this writer in a phone interview that Tsoa Kuang-Chih, temporarily residing at Baguio City, was arrested for violating Section 97 of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (RA 8550) and the National Integrated Protected Area System Act (RA7586).

Perhaps amazed by the presence of several giant clams in the park, Tsoa could not resist harvesting one and cooked it kilawen style ( its meat sliced and mixed with vinegar, ginger, onions, pepper and salt).

Braganza said Tsoa was with a group of visitors and they had a tourist guide who warned them that such act of getting giant clams is prohibited. But when the guide left, Tsoa followed his instinct and got one giant clam. A boatman saw him and reported the incident to the authorities.

Tsoa apologized for his act and claimed he didn’t know about Philippine laws governing giant clams. But he was nonetheless fined with P40,000 or less than a thousand US dollars.

The penalty was based on the gravity of his offense along with the number of years of the giant clam multiplied with its current value appraised by city’s fish examiner and Tanggol Kalikasan, Public Interest Environment Law Office based in the city headed by Atty. Nhelie Lagura.

Braganza said the city government allows tourists to take pictures, snorkel and hold the giant clams. “But we let them (tourists) know that they just cannot poach or hunt giant clams, collect corrals and gather bonsais at our city’s protected treasure,” he said.

In mid 1990s, then President Fidel Ramos, Braganza’s uncle, initiated the giant clam seeding at the Hundred Islands.

Braganza has taken huge strides in realizing his vision of making the park the Giant Clam Garden of Asia and conservation of the city’s protein bowl.

The Giant Clam and Corral Garden near the Quezon Island is one of the main tourist attractions today at the national park.

No less than 7,000 giant clams at the Hundred Islands are currently being protected by the city government’s Bantay Dagat and the local police.

DAGUPAN CITY–Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said the response of the government to all those who dare go to the streets to protest doubtful government economic plans, programs and projects during the Labor Day celebration on May 1 is disturbing

Cruz said the government wants the workers to "be still, to keep quiet, to go home. Otherwise, have the 1017 once more!"

"There must be something very strong in a country when precisely during Labor Day, the laborers lambast the government instead of allow it to honor them," he said.
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LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—Former President Fidel Ramos gave this simple advice to his friend, former Senator Gringo Honasan: Just turn yourself in and you collect the P5 million bounty yourself and donate it to the welfare fund of the soldiers and the policemen.

Ramos, in an interview with local newsmen Monday here, said
these words to Honasan whom he calls as his friend: Gringo, you are already a former senator, you have already enjoyed amnesty during my term, you have already become very popular, your face is very well known already and you are in a greater risk of being recognized and then arrested.

Ramos, himself a former Defense secretary, said that by surrendering, Honasan can collect the reward money as this is called “self capture”.

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URDANETA CITY—The result was negative.

This was the findings of the drug test on the entire 95- member of the police force here last Wednesday. The test was made based on a directive of the police regional office after persistent suspicion clouds some of them for being illegal drug users.

Superintendent Paquito Navarrete, who has just assumed his post more than a week ago, said he and Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. have earlier made plans to subject their policemen into drug testing as part of their cleansing process. But the police regional office overtook it after Senior Superintendent Nicanor Casaclang, deputy regional director for administrative suddenly called up Navarette Wednesday informing him to gather his men as he was coming to visit them.

They didn’t know the visit was for them to have drug test.

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LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—After six recorded highway robbery/hijacking cases that involved delivery trucks, the provincial police have intensified their resolve to prevent the repeat of these incidents by intensifying “Oplan Harabas” and other countermeasures.

Superintendent Ricardo Tamayo, deputy provincial director for operations, told this writer that he presided a meeting recently in Binalonan town attended by more than 20 trucking service operators as well as police chiefs whose towns are possible targets of hijacking/highway robbery incidents particularly along the McArthur Highway.

Senior Supt. Alan Purisima, provincial police director, initiated the action and asked police chiefs from the towns of Rosales, Villasis, Urdaneta City, Binalonan, Pozorrubio, Sison, Calasiao, Sta. Barbara, Asingan and Sta. Maria to attend the meeting.

In 2005, there were three attempted hijacking in Villasis, Sison and Binalonan and this year, the same incidents happened in Sta. Barbara, Pozorrubio and Sison and another one in Binalonan recently where more than P1million worth of canned products was hijacked.
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URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan—The police chief here was sacked after elements of Anti- Illegal Gambling Task Force based in Camp Crame confiscated one illegal video machine locally known as “tiwtiw” here.

Police Superintendent Johnny Bacbac told this writer that he
was “saddened by his relief but as a good soldier I will abide by my superiors' order”.

Bacbac was sacked allegedly due to the one-strike policy of the
police department on illegal gambling.

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