Ilog officials back mayor;
disgusting, Arles kin says
BY CARLA GOMEZ

A mass and prayer rally for Ilog Mayor Paul Alvarez, who is facing a complaint for the murder of Kabankalan Regional Trial Court Judge Henry Arles before the Department of Justice, will be held at the Ilog public plaza covered court this morning.

Ilog Vice Mayor Nelson Genito and Association of Barangay Captains president Ron Cabral said in a letter to the media that their mayor is facing a crucial and difficult situation, the issues raised against him are “devastating and full of lies.”

Frank Britanico, brother-in-law of Arles, meanwhile, said he hopes the so-called “prayer mass " for Alvarez is going to be for his repentance rather than for a misrepresentation of truth.

Former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri  Saturday said he is calling for an extension on the lifting of tariffs on imported sugar from 2015 to 2018 to allow the Philippine sugar industry to be ready to  survive.

The Philippines needs to  push  biofuel    and biomass energy production  to increase the income of the country’s sugarcane farmers, and  pass  the Sugarcane Act  authored by Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District)   to ensure long term reforms, he said.

“We need to maximize this and move now,” said Zubiri,  who spoke before the Planters Association of Southern Negros in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.

The Philippine Army is looking into reports that more barangay officials maybe affiliated with the New People’s Army, after the death of a suspected rebel in Escalante City, who turned out to be a purok president.

“We have to see if there are other barangay officials, whose mindsets are similar to that of the slain barangay official in Escalante City,” Col. Oscar Lactao, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander said, apparently referring to the case of Edgar Sagure Lopez, a purok president of Sitio Gaway’Gaway in Brgy. Jonob-jonob, Escalante City.

Lopez recently died in an encounter with troopers of the 6th Regional Public Safety Battalion in Brgy. Paitan, Escalante City. A civilian and a policeman were also slightly injured in the gunbattle.