PGMA orders biggest manhunt vs big-time drug dealers

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gave the order to track down suspects in the shabu smuggling incident in Subic Bay last year.
Dangerous Drugs Board Chair Vicente Sotto III said the President organized the inter-agency “Task Force Double AA” to intensify the manhunt for Anton Ang and five co-horts. He said the task force will be doing a regional and international coordination in its search for Ang and company.

The task force consists of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Task Force, Office of the Solicitor General, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group, National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Immigration.

Sotto added they will get into a deep research for new ways of shabu detection after the President expressed her desire to equip the country’s entry points with better detection system for the illegal drugs. (PIA-MMIO)

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Palace looking into all possibilities for the release of abducted Red Cross workers

The government is now looking into all the possibilities to resolve the 3-month old kidnapping by the Abu Sayyaf of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers: Andreas Notter of Switzerland, Eugenio Vagri of Italy and Mary Jean Lacaba of the Philippines.

One of these possibilities is withdrawal of government troops encircling the location of the captors and their victims. But the final decision would still be up to the Local Crisis Management Committee to start the negotiations between the two camps.

The aforementioned ICRC workers were taken at gunpoint on Jan. 15 while on the way to Jolo Airport. (PND)

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Bohol “KRs” get P20T gov’t socio-economic assistance

A “kanhi rebelde”, Elvisa Ytem, now more popularly known in Bohol as “kauban sa reporma” (KR) couldn’t hold her tears as she uttered her thanks to the government while holding an envelop containing the P20K socio-economic assistance. Speaking in behalf of the 26 others who, like herself decided to make the remaining years of their lives in peace.

The returning amazon is just one of the six women and 20 red fighters, who are the recipients of the government’s livelihood assistance for former rebels who surrendered before the effectivity of AO 172 or the government’s Social Integration Program. (rachiu/PIA)

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“Organize,” women told at the Kapihan

During the recent “Kapihan sa PIA”, the best thing for women needing help is to organize.

At the Kapihan, commemorating the National Women’s Month, lady leaders and entrepreneurs met to discuss women empowerment issues with the theme “Babae: Yaman ka ng Bayan”. The forum also attempted to present to listeners options for livelihood while not really leaving the confines of the home.

Liza Quirog, who heads the provincial office of the Department of Agriculture, an office populated mostly by men, agrees that women are now starting to realize and actualize their skills to earn a few more to keep their family afloat in this time of crisis.

The lady agriculturist also chairs Gender Responsive Economic Activities for the Transformation of Women (GREAT Women) Project said women now must organize so they can help. (rachiu/PIA)

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Palace honors Francis M

For stroking nationalism through music, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo posthumously awarded the Master Rapper, Francis Magalona, the Presidential Medal of Merit through his widow Pia and children.

Magalona, also known as Francis M, changed the local music landscape by fusing American rap with indigenous sound. His lyrics were laced with stinging commentaries on culture, politics and other social issues.

Francis M is not only a multi-awarded singer-songwriter and record producer: he is also a photographer. (PIA-MMIO)

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