DAILY STAR: Negros Oriental

MANILA – Communist insurgents extorted P26 million, or $634,000, from campaigning politicians in the just-concluded May 13 mid-term elections, the military said yesterday.

Military spokesman, Major Ramon Zagala, said the figure was far short of the P500 million the rebels had been targeting, based on intelligence reports.

The New People's Army has, in the past, used elections in the Philippines to raise funds by demanding that politicians pay them to campaign without being harassed.

Cops nab marijuana farmer

A farmer was arrested by the police recently for planting marijuana in Sitio Anibongan, Barangay Banawe, Pamplona town in Negros Oriental.

Pamplona Police chief, Senior Insp. Renato Bureros, identified the one arrested as Policarpo Linihan, 63, of Sitio Anibongnan, who was caught while taking care of the marijuana seedlings.

The police also uprooted 10 marijuana seedlings, and 36 fully-grown marijuana plants near his house.

Outreach mission conducted

Members of the Tabuan Agrarian Reform Farmer Beneficiaries Association benefitted from a surgical, dental and optical mission, and blood diagnostics from the Department of Agrarian Reform in Barangay Tabuan, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental recently.

DAR 7 Regional Director Rodolfo Inson, provincial agrarian reform officers Ma. Lourdes Mariano and Stephen Leonidas, and provincial and town DAR employees participated in the mission.

Gherelene Mae Rafols of DAR 7 said in a press release about 1,000 beneficiaries of the medical mission joined by 13 doctors, five surgeons, 10 registered nurses, three medical technologists, four registered social workers and volunteers. Medicines were provided to those who had minor operations on cysts, had dental extraction and circumcision, the press release also said.

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