Enrolment in Central Luzon public schools to reach 1.8 M

Two factors cited as cause of unprecedented enrolment hike

The public school population in Central Luzon, one of the Department of Education’s biggest regions, is projected to increase to 1,787,999 in school year 2008-2009 which will start on June 10, it was learned here.

Education Region 3 Director Mario L. Ramirez said the projected total enrolment, which is nearly 25,000 more than last school year’s 1,764981, is broken down to 1,242880 on the elementary level and 545’119 in high school.

Ramirez attributed the unprecedented rise in the school population largely to two factors.

First is the growing interest of parents, many of them in rural communities, to have their children complete basic education (elementary and secondary education) so that the youngsters could prepare themselves better for a more competitive world in the future.

The second is the expected transfer to public schools of many students from private schools which have announced intention to raise tuition fees.

Ramirez said that as mandated by law, public schools do not collect tuition and matriculation fees from students.

He reported through Education Supervisor II Feliciano Lambus, acting regional planning officer, that the schools division of Bulacan has the biggest projected enrolment with 249,846 on the elementary level (EL) and 107,596 on secondary level (SL), followed by Pampanga with 218,160, EL; and 91,226, SL; and Nueva Ecija, 187,156 ES and 92,226, SL.

Lambus said the other Central Luzon Schools divisions and their respective total enrolments next year are Cabanatuan City, 31,573, EL and 7,682, SL; San Fernando City, 30,308, EL, and 13,803, SL; Olongapo City, 27,655, EL and 15,631, SL; Malolos City, 22,416, EL, and 11,829, SL; Palayan City, 10,885, EL, and 6,080, SL; and Muñoz City, 10,294, EL, and 5,507, SL.

Ramirez asked education officials in the region – including schools superintendents, district supervisors and school principals and teachers to ensure successful enrolment activities and preparation of classrooms.

12 checkpoints up

Police put up 12 checkpoints in Cabanatuan City to prevent crimes, especially those committed by men on motorcycles.

City police chief Supt. Eliseo Cruz said he ordered his men to be on alert, especially from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., when most of the crimes reportedly happen.

At least three killings, including the death of barlis barangay chair Marcos Soriano, have been reported here since last month. All killers fled on motorcycles.

Only 60 0f 733 Ecija cops pass marksmanship course

Only 60 – or eight percent – pf 733 Nueva Ecija policemen have passed the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) marksmanship training required by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

In his directive, PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. required the 115,ooo-strong PNP rank-in-file to “learn how to shoot their service firearms” so they can outshoot criminals.

In consonance with Razon’s directive, the Nueva Ecija police force has conducted the IDPA pistol course since February and 733 of its total 1,450 officers and men have so far undergone it.

As of yesterday (May 11), Senior Superintendent Napoleon Taas, provincial police director, was adjudged an expert for blazing the 45-round IDPA course flawlessly.

Taas brought the house down in the final stage when he shot three rounds at a target (two in the body and one in the head) with a time of 1.71 seconds

All in all, Taas garnered an aggregate score of 54.07 seconds, which placed him in the expert category.

Joining Taas as experts were PO3 Remigio Sabado Jr. with a score of 55.06; and SPO2 Ernesto Espino Jr., 59.13.

The sharpshooters were PO3 Freddie Cunanan for scoring 65.03; PO3 Rodel Maniaol, 66.03; and PO3 Orlando Villanueva, 71.59, while the marksmen were PO2 Antonio Otic Jr. and PO1 Elmer Culala, with scores of 77.79 and 79.14, respectively.

Taas said the IDPA course will continue until all Nueva Ecija policemen have undergone it.

Those who fail to pass will undergo mandatory training, as required under Razon’s directive, until such time they pass the IDPA course.

As a incentive, Taas is offering a handgun as prize to any of his men who would beat his aggregate score.

He said his men are now holding shooting practices on weekends in a bid to beat him.

Taas thanked Gov. Aurelio Umali for shouldering the cost of 65,000 bullets for the IDPA course.

Sex offender judge seeks probation

A former municipal trial court judge of Cabanatuan City convicted by the First Division of the Sandiganbayan on two counts each of sexual harassment and acts of lasciviousness last April 15 is asking the graft court not to put him behind bars to serve his five year sentence.

Accused Rogelio M. Esteban, in a motion dated April 28, applied for probation under Presidential Decree No. 968, citing the fact that his jail term is lower than the six year threshold and he has no previous conviction for any crime.

Defense lawyer Daniel T. Salomon said his client is willing to abide by all the conditions that the Sandiganbayan will impose. He said Esteban is now 72 years old and it would be in the spirit of the probation law that seeks to promote the rehabilitation of offenders to grant his motion and “provide him an opportunity for reformation which might be less probable if he were to serve a prison sentence.”

The graft court found Esteban guilty beyond reasonable doubt of forcibly kissing and groping a female employee. The complainant said the judge tried to get her to agree to become his girlfriend in exchange for signing her appointment as bookbinder of court records.

Aside from jail time, Esteban was ordered to pay the victim P100,000 in moral damages.

Esteban was dismissed from government service by order of the Supreme Court based on the same complaint.

Ex-village chief gets 12 years jail term

A regional trial court handed down a guilty verdict on a former barangay chairman in Jaen, Nueva Ecija who killed a man 13 years ago.

Presiding Judge Celso Baguio, of Branch 34 meted Emmanuel Leabres a jail term of 6 to 12 years for the fatal shooting of Leoncio dela Peña in Barangay San Pablo last June 15, 1995.

The court also ordered the accused to pay Dela Peña heirs P50,000 in actual damages and P50,000 in moral damages, P28,000 in actual damages and P50,000 in attorney’s fees and litigation expenses.

Lawyer Rogelio Velarde, counsel for Leabres, asked the court for 15 days to file a motion for reconsideration.

Barangay leader arrested for arms

Police and soldiers on Saturday (May 3) arrested the president of the Association of Barangay Captains in Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija, and his two security aides after the troops found unlicensed firearms and bullets in his office.

Senior Supt. Napoleon Taas, Nueva Ecija police director, said a team of policemen and soldiers went to the barangay hall of San Francisco in Sto. Domingo on Saturday to serve an arrest warrant for frustrated murder against Guillermo Bernardo, ABC president in the town, but it found guns in his office.

Arrested with Bernardo were his security aides, Madien Bernardo and Ernesto Corpuz. Taas said the team recovered three assault rifles, two 45 cal. Pistols and bullets

CL has enough rice

As of their latest inventory, Crisostomo said total rice stocks for the region, including US rice, commercial rice and household stocks, have reached 5,724,0Central Luzon consumers need not worry of any impending rice shortage for the National Food Authority has enough buffer stock for the next 82 days, a top regional official said here on Friday (May 2).

“There is no rice crisis in Central Luzon as NFA rice remains pegged at P18.25 per kilo,” said NFA Region 3 director Nicolas Crisostomo.

64 bags.

He said this total volume has been allocated to the region’s seven provinces with Bulacan getting 1,475,175 bags, Pampanga and Nueva Ecija 1,273,599 and 1,069,177 bags, respectively; Tarlac 995,747 bags; Zambales 417,371 bags; Bataan, 302,121 bags; and Aurora, 170,874 bags. Nueva Ecija, the country’s rice granary, enjoys a huge 66-percent surplus going into this year’s dry-crop harvest season.