Nueva Vizcaya

BY ABE ALMIROL BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Moved by a viral hashtag appealing to the nation not to forget Cagayan’s existence, a youth group here used their skills in rescue operations and their social media prowess to appeal for help.As Typhoon Ulysses exited PAR, the accompanying heavy rains that it has brought caused the flooding of the low-lying areas in the Cagayan Valley region. Residents of Isabela and Cagayan were shocked on Friday when the vast plains of the region suddenly turned into a huge ocean after the Cagayan River has swollen into a level never experienced since 1981.The #CagayanAlsoExist distress call was sounded off while the whole nation’s attention was focused on rescue and relief work in Metro Manila and outlying areas directly hit by Typhoon Ulysses.A group of young...

BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (September 23)—With the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic limiting commerce and movement of people, pushers sell illegal drugs over the internet using social media platforms, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley). PDEA Region 2 Director Joel Plaza said the pandemic coupled with stringent checkpoints in provincial boundaries might have slowed down the supply of illegal drugs such as crystal methamphetamine, known as shabu, but drug pushers found a way to continue their illegal-drug trading activities through social media applications. The PDEA noted that while shabu has decreased, marijuana supply has increased. It said there had been more than 1,000 kilograms of dried le...

BY BENJAMIN MOSES M. EBREO BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (September 20)—Officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the local government units (LGUs) of Diadi and Quezon agreed to provide villagers with ownership on their occupied lands. DENR Region 2 Director Gwendolyn Bambalan said this will be made possible with the signing of a Memorandum of Partnership Agreement (MOPA) with Diadi Mayor Sandy Gayaton and Quezon Mayor Dolores Binwag for the implementation of the Rapid Land Tenure Appraisal (RLTA) in their respective municipalities. RLTA is a mechanism to expedite issuance of land titles. Through barangay profiling of lands covered by cadastral surveys, the RLTA will reveal how many of the remaining untitled lots are available and workable for titling...