Bicolana police, awardee of 2011 MetroBank 2011 COPS

by Lizel S. Macatangay

NAGA CITY, July 13 (PIA) -- One of this year’s lucky awardees of 2011 MetroBank 2011 COPS is Police Chief Inspector Delia Jacob Ingalla, a University of Northeastern Philippines (UNEP) Alumna and a native of Tigaon, Camarines Sur.

Ingalla completed her course under the UNEP Criminology Department and joined the PNP workforce in 1984.

The Metrobank Foundation, the Rotary Club of New Manila East and PS Bank spearheaded this year’s 2011 Metrobank Foundation Search for the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service or (COPS), an annual search for outstanding men and women for keeping their integrity as members of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The final board of jurors this year, spearheaded by Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval and Hon. Leopoldo Bataoil , Representative of the 2nd District of Pangasinan hailed Ingala for her unwavering dedication in solving and preventing the proliferation of crimes in her community. Ingala’s exemplary feat has merited her nomination under the Police Commissioned Officers Category.

Currently stationed at the Taguig Police Station as Chief of the Women and Protection Desk (WCPD) and Family, Juvenile, Gender and Development (FJGAD) Section, Ingala was instrumental to the unprecedented rescue of 30 victims of human trafficking leading to several human trafficking cases filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ).

She has also shown her courage when she led the successful entrapment operation for the arrest of Emelito De Guzman y Roldan for the Violation of Republic Act 8353 otherwise known as the Anti-Rape Law of 1997. Under her leadership, Ingalla also supervised the referral of 89 cases to the City Prosecutors office for immediate action that resulted to the arrest and eventual incarceration of 35 potentially abusive persons.

Ingala has also raised her advocacy to fight criminals by spearheading Barangay Ugnayans, Anti Criminality and Crime Prevention Seminars. During her time as Chief of Police Community Relations Section (PCRS), she has organized Ugnayan ng Pulisya at Mamamayan covering 33 barangays of Makati City . It resulted to the empowerment of the community and eventual decline of crime statistics in their community.

Ingala will not only be joining the PNP’s cream of the crop, but will also receive a total cash award of Php300,000.00 from Metrobank Foundation and a Medalya ng Katangi-tanging Gawa from the PNP. No less than His Excellency President Benigno Aquino III will confer the awards at the Malacanang Palace . (MAL/LSM, PIA Camarines Sur)

4Ps to include 4,654 more families in 2012

by Edna A. Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, July 13, (PIA) -- A total of 4,654 families will be added to the 5,126 families already under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4ps) in the Conditional Cash Transfer program starting next year.

The families were from the seven municipalities who were not included in the said program since late 2010.

The areas to be covered in 2012, subject to approval of the National Budget by Congress are Baras, 767; Gigmoto, 455; Panganiban 549; San Miguel, 774; and San Andres, 2,109. The said municipalities have poverty incidence ranging from 36.97% to 32.85%, above the cut off figure of 30.5%.

The remaining areas to be covered are Bato, 3,349; and Virac, 1,610, with poverty incidence of 28.97% and 22.79% respectively.

Since 2010, a total of 5,126 families from selected barangays in Bagamanoc, Caramoran, Pandan and Viga have been receiving amounts ranging from P9,000 to P15,000 from Land Bank of the Philippines Local Branch under the program.

The inclusion of the remaining towns was made possible by Congressman Cesar V. Sarmiento who had been communicating with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dinky Soliman.

Under the Conditional Cash Transfer program, a beneficiary household receives P6,000 a year or P500 per month for health and nutrition, P3,000 for one school year or 10 months or P300 per month per child for a maximum of three children or a total of P1,400 per month or P15,000 yearly as long as they comply with the conditions set by the program.

Beneficiaries have been thankful for the support of the government and for the efforts of Cong. Sarmiento as well. (MAL/EAB, PIA Catanduanes)

Acosta lauds Cat’nes for environmental advocacy

by Edna A Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, July 13 (PIA) -- Nereus Acosta, author of the Clean Air Act, has commended the province for its campaign for environmental protection and climate change-related issues on his visit here during the Linggo ng Kalikasan last June 22-24, 2011.

During the celebration, Acosta cited the importance of establishing barangay-based ecological centers, eco-parks and regular tree-planting activities spearheaded by Congressman Cesar Sarmiento and Governor Joseph Cua in instilling environmental consciousness among its constituents.

He also stressed that everyone should value our ecosystem including watersheds, rivers, forest, lands, seas and other natural habitats serving as natural shelter of all life forms and even the life of country’s economy itself.

Acosta added that the leaders of the province must protect the ecological resources by implementing measures to curb illegal logging and safeguarding the island by declaring it as a mining-free zone.

It can be noted that the province was among the first provinces to conduct a massive simultaneous tree-planting activity in a single day thru the Go-for-Three project of Cong. Sarmiento.

At present, Sarmiento is sponsoring a bill to provide funds for the reforestation and rehabilitation of approximately 2,276 hectare of mangrove areas lying in coasts of different municipalities of the province.

The province is now preparing for another massive tree-planting event dubbed as Project 11-11-11 on November 11, 2011 under the ‘Go for Tree’ campaign which aims to plant 111,111 trees simultaneously to set a new Guinness World Record. (MAL/EAB, PIA Catanduanes)

Automated weather station installed in Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte

by Rosalita Base-Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, July 13 (PIA) -– Monitoring on real time weather changes will be easier here in this province due to the one unit of Automated Weather Station (AWS) installed here recently at an elevated area of the College of Engineering, Camarines Norte State College (CNSC) in Jose Panganiban to help improved disaster preparedness and minimize the loss of life, property and livelihood here.

Marilou J. Belgado, Science Research Specialist II, PSTC said that the project is in line with the “Development of Hybrid Weather Monitoring System and Production of Weather and Rain Automated Stations” of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) which aims to develop and deploy a network of Automated Weather Station (AWS) and Automated Rain Gauge (ARG) to monitor real-time weather changes occurring in specific localities all over the country.

She said that the purpose is to gather/establish baseline data for forecasting and research purposes.

The project is through the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) of the DOST in cooperation with Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), in coordination with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) of the Provincial Government and the Provincial Science and Technology Center (PSTC) of Camarines Norte, and the Local Government Unit of Jose Panganiban.

She added that raw data can be viewed at http://202.90.149.66/predict/stations.php.

She added that the same units were also installed in the other parts of the region and of the country. (MAL/RBM, PIA Camarines Norte)