Giants derail Realtors in Surigao del Norte
December 10, 2009Purefoods caught up with Sta. Lucia at fifth place halfway through the KFC PBA Philippine Cup double-round elimination phase as the Giants topped the Realtors, 68-63, in their out-of-town duel at the Robert Barbers Memorial Sports Center in Surigao del Norte last night.
The Giants outperformed the Realtors in a low-scoring game and forced a tie between themselves with identical 5-4 win-loss records going into the second round of play.
The second round starts today with Purefoods and Sta. Lucia trailing league leader Alaska (8-1) by three games, second-running San Miguel Beer (7-2) by two and joint third placers Talk n Text (6-3) and Ginebra (6-3) by one.
Alaska and San Miguel take on Barako Bull and Burger King, respectively, at the Ynares Arena in Pasig today.
The Aces walloped the Energy Boosters, 99-83, while the Beermen whipped Whoppers, 117-99, in their first-round meetings.
Burger King starts the second round at 3-6 while Barako Bull is tied with Rain or Shine at 2-7 with Coca-Cola at the bottom of the heap at 1-8.
The last placer after the two rounds misses the playoff phase in this all-Filipino tourney topped by Talk n Text last year.
The Purefoods breached the .500 mark halfway through the elims as the Giants sustained their win-loss-win-loss ride in the tourney, emerging triumphant in the Surigao del Norte stop of the Phoenix Fuel PBA on Tour.
Kerby Raymundo and James Yap scored the first two baskets of the game and the Giants held on to the lead to the finish.
The Giants took the first quarter at 18-13, sat on a 33-26 cushion at halftime and roared to their biggest spread at 46-31 before completing the wire-to-wire win.
The Realtors came out flat from a six-day respite and suffered a first loss in their last three games.
Sta. Lucia ace guard Ryan Reyes struggled for only six points while key off-season acquisition Gabby Espinas went scoreless for the first time in an SLR
jersey.
Kerby Raymundo led the Giants with 15 points with Paul Artadi and Roger Yap adding 10 apiece. Kelly Williams paced the Realtors with 16. (Philstar) (more…)
P10-M projects for 3 remote Surigao areas
The NEDA and Army also reported that the completed KBP projects include a rehabilitated health center, two new health centers, three new school buildings, two potable water systems, and two farm-to-market roads.
These KBP projects have been implemented in the villages of Mabini, Sukailang and Mapawa, all of Surigao City.
The said projects were inaugurated on November 5 and 18 but was officially turned over to the local government unit (LGU) on Monday.
These KBP projects were implemented by the 544th Engineering Brigade of the AFP together with its partners from the NEDA-Caraga, provincial government of Surigao del Norte and the LGU of Surigao City.
The targeted beneficiaries of these projects were some 2,000 households of the said villages, said regional Army spokesman Maj. Mitchele B. Anayron Jr.
The ceremonies started with the blessing of the buildings officiated by the attending priests in that city.
This was followed by the ribbon cutting ceremony led by Surigao del Norte Gov. Robert Ace Barbers, Surigao City Mayor Alfonso S. Casurra and assisted by the NEDA-Caraga Assistant Regional Director Cecilia L. Rosales, representing NEDA-Caraga Director Carmencita S. Cochingco, Lt. Col. Wenefredo O. Arceño of the 544th Engineering Brigade; 30th Infantry Battalion commander Lt Col. Cristobal N. Zaragoza, and other officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The village chieftains received the responsibility as the custodian of the said projects. (Manila Bulletin) (more…)
Surigao bishop is new CBCP head
December 2, 2009MANILA, Philippines - Tandag, Surigao del Sur Bishop Nereo Odchimar formally assumed the presidency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday.
The 69-year-old bishop, a Canon Law expert, took over from Jaro, Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo who completed two terms.
Odchimar is the 18th head of the bishops’ collegial body.
The CBCPNews reported that Odchimar served as the organization’s vice president during the term of Lagdameo from 2005 to 2009.
“As far as I am concerned I am aware of the work of the CBCP president. Activities of the CBCP are not a one-man activity but the decisions are collective,” the new CBCP president said.
He also promised to be more responsive to “urgent” issues affecting the Church and the country and would continue Lagdameo’s projects.
When asked to comment on the plan of President Arroyo to run for congresswoman in the second district of Pampanga, the newly appointed CBCP president merely said, “That is a political question. I prefer not to delve into that.”
Odchimar was born on Oct. 16, 1940 and was ordained as a priest on Dec. 19, 1964, spending most of his priesthood in Surigao province. (Philstar) (more…)
‘Political rivalries, Reds threaten 2010 polls in Caraga’
November 21, 2009Senior Supt. Nestor Monton Fajura of the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Caraga Regional Office said warring political groups and the NPA’s permit-to-campaign scheme could cause election-related violence in the region, which compises the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur, the cities of Butuan, Surigao and Bislig, and Dinagat Islands.
“The NPA’s permit to campaign had raised millions of pesos in the 2001, 2004 and 2007 elections and intelligence reports claimed it is now slowly coming back”, Fajura said.
The police officer cited cases in past elections wherein politicians, especially from the administration party, get harassed by suspected members of the NPA in an attempt to get funds through the so-called permit-to-campaign fees.
Fajura also noted how “heavily armed men wearing military uniforms” believed to be working for certain political groups have stormed various election precincts in Caraga to steal ballot boxes and alter election results.
The Commission on Elections and the PNP are now assessing “areas of immediate concern” to deteremine how to prevent election-related violence, according to Fajura.
More than 200 villages in Caraga were declared by the government as “election hotspots” during the 2004 and 2007 polls. - GMANews.TV
19 killed, 11 hurt in NPA attack in Surigao Sur
November 17, 2009Police and military authorities in Caraga region continue manhunt operations against members of the New Peoples Army (NPA) who attacked a logging and mining firm and ambushed responding government troops killing 12 persons.
Caraga police director Chief Supt. Lino Calingasan, confirmed that eight soldiers, one police officer, and three security guards were killed in a recent NPA attack in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur.
Calingasan said the NPA belonged to Front Committee 30 that first attacked the Surigao Development Corporation (Sudecor) located at Kilometer 10, Barangay Pakwan, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur at around 11:00 in the morning last Wednesday, November 11.
Calingasan said 11 other persons were wounded during the attack.
Calingasan said, when the NPA attacked Sudecor, the Army belonging to 58th Infantry Battalion, re-enforced, but on their way to Sudecor, they were hit by a landmine killing eight of them.
A policeman and three security guards were also killed during the engagement.
The military also claimed that seven members of the NPA were also killed during that time.
During the attack at Sudecor, the rebels disarmed the security guards, burned several heavy equipment including a chainsaw.
In an emailed statement, Ka Maria Malaya, spokesperson of the National Democratic Front Northeastern Mindanao area, admitted the attack at Sudecor.
Malaya said the attack was conducted to stop Sudecor from destroying the environment in Caraga region.
Malaya said the NPAs burned four bulldozers, two log yards, one timber jack, one crane, two dumptrucks, one welding machine, and confiscated seven chainsaws.
The NPAs also seized two M14 rifles, five garand rifles, and six carbine rifles. (Dailymirror) (more…)
