DAILY STAR: Negros Oriental

Some Catholic Church leaders in Negros Island are worried about repercussions in the plan to arm members of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade once a closure is reached in the peace talks between the breakaway rebel group and the Philippine government.

Fr. Burton Villarmente, coordinator of the Social Action Center Diocese of Dumaguete, raised the issue during the meeting of the Church-Military Advisory Group held in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, recently.

He said the ongoing peace talks between the Philippine government and the RPA-ABB includes letting some members of the breakaway group carry firearms within pre-designated communities to protect themselves from harassment and possible attacks.

‘Pusher’ nabbed in buy-bust
BY JUDY F. PARTLOW

A suspected drug pusher was nabbed by operatives of the Special Operations Group of the Negros Oriental Philippine National Police Office and the National Bureau of Investigation in a buy-bust operation, at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday in Barangay Tubtubon, Sibulan.

Police identified the suspect as Rodel Abad, 27, single, who was arrested in the compound of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Inc. in Tubtubon, after he handed a transparent plastic sachet of suspected shabu to a police poseur buyer in exchange for P500.

Abad was put under surveillance after police tipsters said he was into illegal drugs sale, the police said.

BY 2014
900,000-ha. CARP
coverage targeted

MANILA – The Department of Agrarian Reform has targeted the coverage of 961,974 hectares nationwide under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms before the law expires in 2014.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes said yesterday that the issuance of Notice of Coverage will ensure that all landholdings covered by CARP will be distributed to qualified farmer-beneficiaries before the term of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III ends in 2016.

From February to May 2012, De los Reyes said, the DAR mass processed "claims folders" in all provinces with significant land acquisition and distribution balance especially the 21 provinces where more than 60 percent of the LAD balance is located.

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