Additional PNP Mobile Patrols for Police Stations in Caraga

The Police Regional Office 13, distributed twelve (12) Toyota Hilux, (12) twelve 200cc Honda motorcycles and two (2) units of Innova PNP Vehicles, to different municipal police station here in Caraga.
The distributions was conducted in February 23, during the Traditional Monday Flag Raising Ceremony at camp Rafael Rodriguez in Libertad, Butuan City.
The distribution was in accordance with the Issuance Directives released from the Directorate for Logistics, National Headquarters, Camp Crame, Quezon City.
PCSUPT Jaime Eloreta Milla, PRO 13 Regional Director lead distributions together with the Chief Logistics PSUPT Ronaldo Rivero Cabral, also of PRO 13. This activity is in relation with the PNP Facilities Development the number 3 Key Result Area in the Integrated Transformation Program of the PNP. Among those recipient of said PNP vehicles are the following municipalities

HILUX Honda XR 200 Toyota Innova
1. Kitcharao, ADN 1. Cabadbaran City 1. Surigao City
2. Las Nieves, ADN 2. Magallanes, ADN 2. San Jose , DI
3. Bayugan City 3. Tubay, ADN
4. Loreto, DI 4. La Paz , ADS
5. Libjo, DI 5. Sibagat, ADS
6. 144th RMG COY 6. Talacogon, ADS
7. Alegria, SDN 7. Basilisa, SDN
8. Gigaquit, SDN 8. Tubajon, DI
9. San Benito, SDN 9. Malimono, SDN
10. Socorro,SDN 10. Tagana-an, SDN
11. Tubod, SDN 11. Lianga, SDS
12. Lanuza, SDS 12. Marihatag, SDS

Providing mobility to police stations aims to upgrade physical facilities and equipment in support to Police Field Operations, including the updating of Police Equipment Standards and the development of a Multi-Year Financing and Procurement Plan, development and upgrading of the facilities, equipment and physical set-up of the PNP and the provision of model infrastructure for Police Stations and Sub-Stations in the country.

1st Calagan Festival

Caraga Celebrates 1st Calagan Festival

Headed by the Department of Tourism, the people of Caraga was amazed to see different Festivals in the provinces as it celebrates the 1st Calagan Festival on February 18-23.
This is to commemorate the creation of Caraga Region when President Fidel V. Ramos signed into law Republic Act 7901 on February 23 1995.
Wow Araw ng Caraga 2009 has ots highlight the showdown of 9 festivals namely: Naliyagan Festival of the province of Agusan del Sur, Cagwait Festival in Cagwait, Surigao del Sur, Bugkosan Festival in Dinagat Island Province, Kahimunan Festival in Butuan City, Dagkot Festival in Cabadbatan City, Bonok-Bonok Maradyaw Karadyaw Festival in Surigao City, Sumarajao Festival in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, Cayabang orTikyabang Festival in General Luna, Surigao del Norte, and the Kalawasan Festival in Bislig, surigao del Sur.

Nasipit Barge Bombing Barred, as Notorious NPA Leader Arrested

Joint elements of the Cafgu Active Auxiliary (CAA) of Golf Company of 23rd IB under the 30 IB of the Philippine Army and the 1401st Police Provincial Mobile Group of Agusan del Norte under Sgt Dominador Cajutol encountered armed Communist Terrorists (CTs) at Sitio Calugmaan, Barangay Camagong, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte on February 16, 2008 at 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon leading in the wounding and arrest of the notorious Rolando Barangan, also known as Ka “BENZAR”, the Commanding Officer of SDG “Abmor” of Front Committee 4A and Minjamin Manili Fuentes alias Amor.
Among the recovered items from them were one Para Ordnance cal 45 pistol with two loaded magazines and ammunitions, a hand grenade, a sketch of the Nasipit Power Barge, and some subversive documents.
The government troops were then checking a report on the presence of armed men as relayed to them by residents near the power barge when they were fired upon by the terrorists. Earlier, the AFP and PNP units had placed Nasipit under close watch because of persistent reports that it will be attacked by the NPA.
According to 3-IB Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Cristobal Zaragoza, the communist terrorists were casing the power barge in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte when they encountered the government troops operating in the area as evidenced by the sketch recovered from the captives, which was later on confirmed by Ka “BENZAR” and Ka “AMOR” when they were confronted by Police provincial Director Benson leleng and Lt. Col. Zaragoza.
Ka “BENZAR” has several warrants of arrest filed against him for cases that include murder without bail, robbery with violence and intimidation with 100 thousand bail recommended, and additional charges are now being filed against the group of BENZAR who were responsible in the attack of Carmen Municipal Police Station on January 23, 2009 where they killed SPO4 Arsenio Aboc, Deputy Chief, harassment of the San Roque Mining Corporation in Tubay on Dec 22, 2008, and the Site Project management Office of DENR at Sitio Tabon, Aclan, Nasipit on Jan 14, 2009. He is also among those charged for the shooting of Norberto Durano in Nasipit on December 14, 2008.
Meanwhile, Police Chief Supt Jaime Eloreta Milla, Regional Director of Police Regional Office 13 and Mmajor General Ricardo David of the 4th Infantry Division commended both the military and the police for a job well done and for observing the human rights of the captured NPAs.
They said that the gesture of bringing the notorious wounded NPA to a government hospital for treatment bespeaks of the human rights consciousness among uniformed personnel, and likewise lauded the troops for the set-back caused to the NPA movement by this arrest of the notorious NPA leader.
On the other hand, several local and community leaders in the municipalities of Carmen, Buenavista and Nasipit of ADN have sent their congratulatory message to the operating units and express their gratitude for freeing them from the intimidation of KA BENZAR’S NPA group. The AFP and PNP likewise thanked the informants for the information leading in the arrest of KA BENZAR.

A GLIMPSE OF CARAGA & BUTUAN HISTORY

Caraga derived from the word Calagan. In a book “Historia de Mindanao y Jolo” published in 1667 Fr. Francisco Combes, S.J., wrote that the name Calagan is derived from two Bisayan words....’kalag’ which means soul and ‘al’ for land. Thus, Calagan means “The Land of spirited and courageous people”. Both Pablo Pastells, S.J. and Sebastian de Oporto,described the inhabitants of Caraga as fearsome, hostile, treacherous, and warlike.

Since there is no ‘k’ in the Spanish alphabet, the ‘c’ is used for Bisayan words with ‘K’ in them. So, ‘kalag is written as Calag’, likewise, Kalagan’ as ‘Calagan’. Later, Calagan became Caraga.

On February 6, 1624 Governor General Alfonso Fajardo divided the island of Mindanao into two big sections, to avoid conflict over jurisdictions. The giant eastern portion of Mindanao Island comprised the “Provincia de Caraga”, and it was almost one-half of the entire island that comprised the province that constituted a portion of Misamis Oriental (from Gingoog), Agusan, Surigao and partly from Vergara.

In 1860, through a Royal Decree, Mindanao fell under one politico-military government and it was finally subdivided into 6 districts: Primero Distrito (Zamboanga), Northern District (Cagayan/Misamis), Eastern District (Caraga-Agusan/Surigao), Fourth District (Davao), Central District (Bukidnon/Cotabato), and South District (Basilan).

The Eastern District later known to become the province of Surigao, hence, the collective name of the old Caraga province was forgotten. A town in Davao Oriental of today carries the name Caraga but it does not refer to the new region at present.

In 1898, Agusan otganized a single-politico commandancia named Butuan, later on became a sub-province of Surigao...and in 1907, Agusan became a separate province. Its capital was Butuan which became a chartered city on August 2, 1950 by virtue of RA 523 authored by Congressman Marcos M. Calo. Further the province of Agusan was divided into two..AGUSAN del NORTE with BUTUAN CITY as the provincial capital, and AGUSAN del SUR with Prosperidad as its capital, based on the approved RA 4979 dated June 17, 1967.

In the process of regionalization when provinces and citries were grouped into regions, Agusan del Norte Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte became as part of Region X.

On February 16, 1995, House Bill #10643, principally authored by Congresswoman Charito B. Plaza of the First District of Agusan del Norte was passed and consolidated with Senate Bill #729 and finally passed by the Senate on February 20, 1995. This was signed into law by President Fidel V. Ramos on February 23, 1005.

Republic Act #7901, an act Creating Region XIII, known as The Caraga Administrative Region, heralded the birth of the Caraga Region with BUTUAN CITY as the regional center. The establishment of the new Caraga Region composed of the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and the cities of Butuan and Surigao brought back a large portion of land from the original Provincia de Caraga.

Rare giant turtle dies after rescue attempt by DENR

Lianga, Surigao del Sur - A rare giant turtle was rescued by a joint team of DENR and LGU personnel at the shores of Diatagon in this municipality on Friday, February 6, 2009 but died shortly due to severe wounds , a report reaching the Office of the Regional Executive Director for DENR Caraga Region Edilberto S. Buiser recently.
CENR Officer Romeo L. Luengas of Lianga, Surigao del Sur said the 300-kilo giant Leatherback Turtle ( Dermochelys Coriacea ) was rescued from the hands of a group of fishermen in that coastal village by the personnel of CENRO Liangao and the Lianga Emergency Assistance Network ( LEAN ) led by the town’s Vice Mayor Robert “Jun” Lala, Jr. but nevertheless died due severe wounds.

The leatherbackback giant tortoise measures about 69 inches long. Its carapace has a width of 30 inches and a length of 57 inches.

“We failed to save the giant turtle from dying. It just died probably due to suffering from exhaustion and dehydration caused by deep wounds on her neck “CENRO Luengas said.

According to investigation conducted by vice mayor Lala , the giant turtle was found by the fishermen in the seas in near the shores of Barangay Ganayon in Lianga, Surigao del Sur trying to struggle her way to the dry lands probably to lay her eggs.

The report said the turtle got entangled on the fishnet of some fishermen who were fishing at that time. But it bore several wounds including a deep cut on her dorsal neck either inflicted though the use of a sharp spear or a fan blade from a motorboat when it was spotted on the seas.

The fishermen, however, had tried to tow the turtle to the shore to butcher it but before they could deliver the final blow, the DENR-LGU team arrived at the scene and took the wounded turtle to a temporary shelter at the Surigao del Sur Polytechnic College (SSPC) under the care of a biologist. But their effort failed to revive the weakening turtle.

Report said the said giant turtle is considered by the government of the United States as an endangered species.

Compared to other giant turtles which have bony hard plates on their shells (Carapace), the leatherback turtle is slightly flexible and rubber texture. No sharp angle form between the Carapace and under-belly. It is barrel-shape and may grow bigger.

The largest leatherback turtle was found on the West Coast of Wales in 1988. It weighed about 916 kilos. (Herzon F. Gallego, DENR-13)

Butuan

Amazing Butuan much have been said about Butuan, others may say that it remains unstable and slow, but for me, Butuan is a progressive city. Economy wise, it may not be as developed compared to neighboring regions, but at least, we, Butuanons live a very peaceful life, free from all the hussles like congested traffic, skyrocketed prices, pollution and crimes. Isn't it wonderful to have Butuan na promding-promdi ang dating and yet, we continue to progress and never left behind in terms of technology knowhow and even the latest fashion trends.

So, let's love Butuan.......if you have said bad about Butuan, better offer your knowledge and contribute something for the betterment of Butuan as what you have perceived to be in the future, instead of lambasting the local officials, because all of us has to do our part.