Ifugao religious groups stand up vs. gambling

LAGAWE, Ifugao (Apr. 25) — Efforts to curb gambling in the province is taking its toll as religious and civic group in coordination with the police and the local government units here was able to put a stop to the illicit activity.

Fr. Valentin Dimoc, the Social Action for Development Council of the Catholic Mission said that gambling was minimized when there was proper coordination with the Provincial Government and the Provincial PNP Command.

Governor Teddy Baguilat issued a directive to all municipal mayors to prohibit gambling that include salisi and peryahan, drop balls and others in the celebration of town fiestas.

Fr. Marion Buyagawan a parish priest here said that the move of the Catholic Mission to intervene in prohibiting gambling was not palatable to some government elected officials. # Vency D. Bulayungan, PIA-Ifugao

La Paz mayor orders freeze on rice & palay sale

LA PAZ, Abra (Apr. 25)— La Paz Mayor Sto. Niño “JB” Bernos ordered the farmers to put on hold the sale of their palay produce as well as clean rice even as the rice crisis in the national level is still unresolved.

Bernos issued the order according to the president of the Municipal Agriculture and Fisheries Council of La Paz Luis Valdez in reaction to the looming problem on the issue of rice shortage played up in the National Capital Region.

This is also a measure issued to mitigate possible price manipulations of rice in Abra province and to ensure a stable supply of rice in the locality.

Tagged as one of Abra’s rice granaries, La Paz is one of the two major rice-producing municipalitie, the other is Manabo. This is because La Paz has vast areas of valleys and plains suitable for palay production situated along the Abra River basin. # Maritess Beñas, PIA-Abra

NFA assures no rice shortage in MP

BONTOC, Mt. Province (Apr. 25)—There is no rice shortage as well as rice panic-buying in Mountain Province.

This was the categorical answer of National Food Authority (NFA) Provincial Office Economist 111, Elimar C. Regindin when asked on the rice situation in Mt. Province amid reports of rice shortage in some part of the country.

Regindin said that though Mt. Province has very critical rice production with higher consumption, the province would not suffer from rice shortages because there is a continuous supply of NFA and commercial rice coming from the rice-producing provinces of Nueva Viscaya and Isabela.

The NFA official said that in case there is a need for more government rice in remote barangays, the NFA would mobilize its rolling stores to sell the government rice directly to end consumers. # Frenzylle Bag-ayan and Razil Ann Baclili, BSU Interns/PIA-MP