SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union - Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Leopoldo Bataoil rushed on Friday to Batac, Ilocos Norte to get first hand information into the slaying Wednesday night of a radio reporter in that town.

Slain with three stab wounds in different parts of his body at about 10:00 p.m. Wednesday was Andy Acosta, 46, a beat reporter of radio station DZJC in Laoaga City and a native of Batac town.

Acosta was on board his motorcycle while he was bound for home to Batac from Laoag City when he was stabbed by the unidentified suspect or suspects using an ice pick in different parts of his body. Read more

VILLASIS, Pangasinan - Two of three armed men who exchanged gunshots with members of the Tayug police in barangay Sto. Domingo, Tayug on Saturday evening were arreted while undergoing treatment of their wounds few hours later at the Polymedic Hospital and Trauma Center here.

The suspects were identified as Rommel Samonte, 23, a native of barangay San Anton, Munoz, Nueva Ecija but residing in Sta. Maria town, who had a gunshot wound in the right palm, and June Samonte, 28, who was wounded and being treated in another hospital. Read more

BINMALEY, Pangasinan - The Philippine National Police is implementing what it cals ‘target hardening’ in order to secure establishments, most especially in urban areas, from attacks by terrorists.

This was revealed by PNP Chief Director General Oscar Calderon in a talk to newsmen here soon after he inaugurated the newly-built police station here.

He said in the face of threat of terrorists to sow terror, including their alleged plan to attack during the anniversary of the Twin Towers in the U.S. on Sept. 11, the police are not taking htis very lightly. Read more

UMINGAN, Pangasinan - The remains of a retired police officer who was killed and buried in a shallow grave in remote barangay Maseil-seil here were dug upby the military and police Thursday

Police Superintendent Noli Taliño, deputy police provincial director and concurrently provincial intelligence officer, said the cadaver was believed to be that of retired SPO4 Esteban Bravo of Guimba, Nueva Ecija.

Bravo, formerly with the intelligence division of the Nueva Ecija police was reported missing since February this year but was actually abducted by the NPA, who later killed him buried him in Maseil-seil in Umingan, near the Nueva Ecija border. Read more

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Army soldiers and policemen foiled an attempt by about 30 heavily armed New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who planned to attack the municipal hall and police station in Natividad town, some 65 kilometers east here Monday night.

Sr. Supt. Alan Purisima, police provincial director, said the attackers were NPA rebels from the adjacent province of Nueva Ecija who consider eastern Pangasinan as part of their operational jurisdiction.

But before the NPAs were able to reach the town proper, they were repulsed by elements of the 71st Infantry Battalion and the police led by Sr. Inspector Bernardo Aromin, chief of police of Natividad in sitio Simmimbaan, barangay Batchelot East. Read more

by RHEE Fer HORTALEZA

NATIVIDAD, Pangasinan - Five pieces of fully-grown marijuana plants were uprooted and 18 pieces of transplanted marijuana plants and 55 pieces of marijuana seedlings and several marijuana leaves were confiscated during a major police raid conducted in barangay Silag here last week.

Police Supt. Manuel V. Velasco, regional chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s 1st Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit based in Lingayen town, said the police operation also resulted in the arrest of Arturo Sales y Bravo, 43, married, farmer and resident of the barangay, who was allegedly responsible for the cultivation of the plants. Read more

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Public utilities in Pangasinan and throughout the country have been asked to go modern by replacing their coper-laden cable wires with the state of the art fiber optics to finally put an end to rampant cable thefts.

The call was made by Police Provincial Director Alan Purisima in the face of the continuos stealing of cable wires that already victimized a number of times the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLFT) and the Digital Communications of the Philippines.

The province of Pangasinan is where cable thefts have become rampant nowadays but there are also several other cases that were registered in Bataan, Rizal and other parts of the country, including the Visayas and Mindanao. Read more

BINMALEY, Pangasinan - Two men were arrested Friday last week by the joint police and National Bureau of Investigation in connection with the attempt on the life of an assistant provincial prosecutor along the national highway in barangay Biec here.

The suspects were identified as Hadji Paras of barangay Bacayao Norte in Dagupan City, tagged as the triggerman and Ernesto Manaoat of Perez Market Site, also in Dagupan, who was identified as the driver of the motorcycle that trailed the victim, Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Magin Niño Orlino, 30, who was on board his scooter. Read more

NATIVIDAD, Pangasinan - About 20 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) on a mission to collect revolutionary taxes from residents in sitio San Hose, Barangay Cacandongang here may have planned to ambush reinforcements from the 107th Police Mobile Group last Tuesday night.

Senior Inspector Bernardo Aromin said the rebels surrounded his policemen who holed inside a house in the sitio after they were called to check the presence of armed men collecting revolutionary taxes in the area.

The policemen were PO2 Samuel Caspe, PO2 Ruben Abuan, PO1 Armando Torio, PO3 Samson Escobar and another unidentified. Read more

ALAMINOS CITY, Pangasinan - Operatives of Alaminos City Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) nabbed suspects allegedly responsible for series of bag slashing, pick-pocketing and swindling incidents in the city.

Chased and arrested at the city proper last Sunday morning were Estrella S. Basuel and Suzette I. Tinaza of Brgy. Ilocano Sur and IV Sevilla Center, respectively of San Fernando City, La Union.

The suspects were first spotted at a drug store and about to take away the wallet of Mr. Hilario Vallejo, an 80 year old U.S. pensioner and resident of Brgy. Tangcarang, this city. Read more