A FIRST IN THE COUNTRY LINGAYEN–Barangay chairmen are now armed. And hopefully, not dangerous. The provincial government started handing out pump shotguns to the barangay chiefs last week as part of efforts to maintain peace and order in the province’s remote barangays.

LINGAYEN–Short of arresting the suspects, the police believes it has finally scored a breakthrough in its investigation into the more than three-week old slaying of Mayor Arthur Cabantac of Agno town. P/Sr. Supt Isagani Nerez, provincial police director, announced last week that Task Force Cabantac has zeroed in on an…

LINGAYEN—Tourism promotion in Pangasinan gets a big boost with the recent delivery of a fleet of brand new tourist buses ordered by the provincial government for its use to promote local tourism. Delivered were six buses and one coaster that will be made available for the shuttling of local tourists…

LINGAYEN—The long arm of the law finally caught up with a suspected member of a notorious kidnap for-ransom (KFR) gang believed responsible for the abduction of two traders in Pangasinan in 2002. Police Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Isagani Nerez said investigators are digging deeper to determine if the group of…

Faced with the possible interminable delay in the implementation of the fish processing plant, Dagupan City Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. decided to intervene personally. Mayor Fernandez finally chaired the meeting of the Task Force on Housing and Urban Resettlement headed by City Engineer Virginia Rosario on Wednesday, where he clarified…

ARMING THE BARANGAYS—Gov. Amado Espino Jr. (right) leads the ceremonial distribution of pump shotguns to the first batch led by barangay chairmen of Binmaley, Lingayen, and Bugallon towns on August 21 at the Pangasinan PNP provincial office in Lingayen, in a province-wide move to arm barangay leaders. (Punchphoto by Cesar…

KFR SUSPECT IN CUSTODY— P/Sr. Supt. Isagani Nerez (seated, right), Pangasinan police director, presents Ronald Pidlaoan (standing, center), a suspected member of the Quitaleg ‘Kidnap for Ransom’ group, to local media. Paidlaoan was arrested on August 17 in barangay Gueteb, Urbiztondo. (Photo by Cesar S Ramirez)

P100-M SEAFOOD PROCESSING PLANT UNDER SIEGE INFLUENTIAL persons, some in public office, are manipulating the squatters in defying the Dagupan City government. Councilor Michael Fernandez pointed to a lawyer, a judge and a town mayor as those principally agitating informal settlers in sitio Russia in barangay Bonuan Binloc to resist…

NOT now. This was the terse reply of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., now a staunch critic of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, when asked to comment on a new initiative to amend the constitution. He said he was always in favor of charter change but the timing is…

LINGAYEN–Farmers should expect P1,000 each in fertilizer subsidy this year. This after the provincial board approved on Monday the appropriation of P50 million as the provincial government’s counterpart fund to the national government’s fertilizer subsidy program.