We apologize for the black-and-white photographs for the front and back pages of this issue due to the inadvertent sending of the previous week’s photos for development in the metropolis.
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Due to the lack of space in this issue, this column is accommodating two (2) peace-and-order stories sent by the Catanduanes Police Provincial Office.
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FISH VENDOR ARRESTED IN BUY-BUST OP. A fish vendor in San Andres town was apprehended last week in a buy-bust operation conducted by combined personnel of two police units.
Ernesto Romero Gianan IV, also known as “Pajo,” 49, married and a resident of Purok 7, barangay Comagaycay, was collared at 11 PM of Feb. 22, 2025 after selling a sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover police officer.
He will be charged not only for violation of Section 5 of Republic Act 9165 (sale of dangerous drug) but also for possession as five other sachets of the same illegal drug was found on him during a subsequent search.
Elements of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) as the lead unit and the San Andres police station under the direct supervision of Acting Chiet of Police PMaj. Francis Tabo I mounted the anti-illegal drug operation after confirmation of intelligence reports regarding the fish vendor’s involvement in the drug trade.
Aside from the sachets of suspected shabu, the police also seized as evidence a genuine P1,000 bill, 14 pieces of photocopied P1,000 bills used as “boodle” money, and a red envelope (angpao).
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BATO MAN WANTED FOR STATUTORY RAPE NABBED IN CAVITE. Intelligence operatives of the Bato police station, together with personnel from the Provincial Intelligence Team and the Intelligence Group (IG) has secured custody of a Bato resident wanted for sexual abuse of a minor following a successful manhunt operation in Cavite.
The report said Ian Kenneth Timajo Torrente, 39, a construction worker from Bagumbayan, Bato, was arrested last Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 PM in Zone 2, Bayan, Dasmarinas, Cavite.
He faces a charge for sexual assault under Criminal Case 11503 with bail set at P180,000 and four counts of statutory rape under Criminal Cases 11504-11507 with no bail recommended.
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The downgrading of the observance of 1986 People Power anniversary for the past two years now remains unfortunate, despite the fact that the Marcos administration was expected to do exactly that once a forgetful people voted for the dictator’s son in 2022.
In Metro Manila, several schools suspended classes on Feb. 25, declared a working holiday by President Bongbong Marcos, as a form of resistance to attempts of the administration to diminish the significance of the anniversary.
In the countryside, provinces like Catanduanes who were far removed from the nation’s capital during the eventful days of 1986, likely saw the day pass without incident.
True, there were a few islanders who were among the 11,103 victims of the dictatorship from 1972 to 1986, with some of them tortured while in detention most probably in Metro Manila.
Several years ago, this paper tried to get a list of Martial Law victims who were residents of Catanduanes or listed Catanduanes as their birthplace or residence. But the Resource and Archives Division of the Human Rights Violations Victims Memorial Commission required a formal letter, ID and a few other things that we never followed up on the matter.
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ON RAISING A FAMILY. The prospective son-in-law was asked by his girlfriend’s father, “Son, can you support a family?”
“Well, no, sir,” he replied. “I was just planning to support your daughter. The rest of you have to fend for yourselves.”