DAGUPAN CITY—Ilocos police officials on Monday burned P98-million worth of marijuana plants and seedlings seized from 13 sites in La Union and Ilocos Sur last year. Chief Supt. Leopoldo Bataoil, Ilocos police director, said the marijuana plants were uprooted in four separate operations. The biggest haul was the P40 million worth of marijuana plants discovered in a 1.4-hectare plantation in Sugpon, Ilocos Sur in November last year. After four months, police again seized from the same town some P20 million worth of marijuana. Last week, some P4 million worth of marijuana was confiscated from the town. Gabriel Cardinoza and Yolanda Sotelo-Fuertes, Inquirer Northern Luzon
Relocation site sought
SORSOGON CITY—Irosin Mayor Lilia Gonzales urged the national government to provide a relocation site for residents of Barangay Patag in her town where 16 houses were destroyed by lahar following two days of continuous rain prior to Typhoon Paeng. Gonzales was reacting to a statement attributed to the Office of Civil Defense opposing the construction of an antilahar dike in the area. She said the national government must act decisively instead of giving them just lip-service. She said President Macapagal Arroyo didn’t even take a closer look at the town’s plight. Bobby Labalan, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Diarrhea death toll rises
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur—The death toll in the diarrhea-stricken village of Barangay Binicalan in San Luis, Agusan del Sur has risen to 10 from seven, health officials said. Dr. Alladin Plaza, San Luis health officer, said the latest fatality included a month-old infant. Plaza, who went to Binicalan with a health team, said at least 85 other residents have been afflicted by the illness that has struck three sitios since September. The victims were all members of the Banwaon tribe. Plaza said many residents of Sitios Tamyang, Gisau-an and Malatado—the areas affected by the outbreak—rely on natural springs for their drinking water. Chris Panganiban, Inquirer Mindanao
Younger forest rangers sought
DAVAO CITY—Forest rangers are getting older and they must be replaced by younger ones to effectively safeguard the forest against illegal logging, an environment official said. Ricardo Calderon, executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for Southern Mindanao, said out of the 200 forest rangers in the region, many are already past their prime. “Our forest rangers are exposed to the elements and when they reach their 50s, they get rheumatism,” he said. Aside from this, the task of protecting the forest is turning into “a very risky job” with several forest rangers getting killed after a brush with illegal logging operators. “We want to hire younger ones,” he said. Dennis Jay Santos, Inquirer Mindanao
Cuevas, 70
ANTONIO Cuevas, of Cuenca, Batangas, died on Nov. 10. He was 70 years old. Cuevas spent his career at the then Central Bank (now Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) as an examiner for all rural banks in the country. He left behind sisters Dr. Remedios Cuevas, Carmen Cuevas, Pili Arambulo and children Tonini, Gigi and Cherry Cuevas. His body lies at the Chapel of the Resurrection at the Our Lady of Loreto Church in Sampaloc, Manila. Interment will be on Nov. 16, Thursday, at the Manila North Cemetery.
