3 NPAs, lawman killed in clashes

from journal.com.ph: 3 NPAs, lawman killed in clashes. "In San Luis, Aurora, Lapinid said about 12 NPA rebels harassed a detachment of the Army's 48th Infantry Battalion in Sitio Dimagaan, Barangay Diteke at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday killing Cpl. Rico C. Dumabrigue and wounding Cpl. Donald K. Baguba."

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The 2nd Aurora Skateboarding Cup

The event was held on February 11 at the Municipal Plaza as a part of the Aurora Day Celebration. It was organized by the Baler/Aurora Skateboarders and sponsored by the Provincial Government of Aurora and Pepsi.

The winners:

Open Category:
First - Robert Franco (Manila)
Second - Aaron Sagun (Baguio)
Third - Benedict moral (Baler)
Fourth - Angelo Torre (Baler)

Local Category:
First - Justin Angara
Second - Kevin Omana
Third - Jeffrey Quiambao

Here are 45 pictures from the event. Some pictures provided by Engr. Eric Andal, the Event Organizer.

Digital Village to Help Farmers Predict Weather Conditions

from asianjournal.com: Digital Village to Help Farmers Predict Weather Conditions. "A digital village equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that would enable farmers to pre-determine weather conditions and prices of agricultural products through the use of the Internet is being set up this capital town for some 13,000 local farmers.

Sen. Edgardo Angara told newsmen that the digital village, the first of its kind, will rise in a five-hectare site in Barangay Buhangin in this town. The site used to house the submarine cable center of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.

Angara said the digital village, his pet project, will have an initial venture capital of P20 million and will involve the upgrading of existing facilities such as warehouse, dormitory and training center. "

Read the complete news.

P1-B furniture village eyed in Aurora

from journal.com.ph: P1-B furniture village eyed in Aurora. "A wood manufacturing firm is eyeing the establishment of a P1-billion furniture village in the province.

The Industries Development Corp. seeks to build the furniture village in the tri-boundaries of the DICADI (Dilasag, Casiguran, Dinalungan) area which could generate 6,700 jobs.

Michael Ong, vice president of IDC, said that based on preliminary studies, the project could generate investments of P1.1 billion. The IDC, he said, will provide the raw materials for manufacturing doors, furniture, molding, LVL, plywood, venner, wooden toys and accessories.

He said the project, once fully operational, could generate P3.1 billion revenue per year."

Read the complete news.

My comment: This could also generate more floodings and possibly deaths in the area. What's your take on this?

SEAir Flies to Baler

Regular flights between Manila and Baler, Aurora started on February 17, this was a landmark event for a province that has been carrying out frenzied efforts to break out from remoteness and isolation.

Under an agreement with SEAIR, an airline with a solid record of domestic service, Genesis Transport Sea Air will charter and make available 19-seat planes on an ongoing basis.

The service will initially offer two flights per week, with departures at 8:00 am every Monday and Friday from the Manila Domestic terminal. The flights from Baler Airport back to Manila will be at 9:30 am on Mondays and Fridays. One way fare has been set at P2,500, inclusive of VAT, passenger insurance and other charges.

from aurora.ph
Click here for more details.

Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement

In the News

from abs-cbn interactive: RP-Japan highway to boost trade. "Trade and commerce will be boosted in Northern Luzon with the rehabilitation this year of a mountain roadway to be financed under the Philippine-Japan Highway Project.""When completed, the road project linking Baler, Aurora to San Jose City in Nueva Ecija and the rest of Luzon will lessen travel time by an hour".

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from inq7.net: Mayor not yet cleared of slay. "The Department of Justice has ordered a new investigation on the possible link of Mayor Jaime Ylarde of Dingalan, Aurora, to the 2005 murder of a local publisher. In a three-page resolution, Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco referred to the National Bureau of Investigation and the police the “further investigation of the possible involvement of Ylarde, as well as of other persons,” in the murder of Starline Times Recorder publisher Philip Agustin."

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Bb. Aurora - Swimsuit Edition

While the country is still in a State of National Emergency, here are the swimsuit pictures of the Bb. Aurora 2006 candidates. Click here or the photo below to go to the gallery.

Trees keep falling in Aurora forests

from inq7.net: Trees keep falling in Aurora forests. "ILLEGAL LOGGING activities have remained rampant and unchecked in at least two Aurora towns even on the heels of killer landslides in 2004, a Catholic priest told the Inquirer on Wednesday.Fr. Antonio Evangelista, of the St. Patrick Parish in Dingalan town, said it was through the efforts of the parish pastoral council that policemen and foresters from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources seized 2,221 board feet or 34 pieces of logs loaded in a truck in Barangay Paltic on Monday.Evangelista said the logs were hauled by boat from Barangay Dinakapinisan in San Luis town."

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Siempre Aurora!

The first batch of pictures of the booths and galleries of the Siempre Aurora! Trade Fair and the Aurora Tourism and Investment Galleries are now online.Click here or the picture below to go to the photo gallery. More to come.

Aurora Day 2006 - More Parade Photos

More parade pictures are uploaded at the photo gallery. I took the parade pictures at Burgos St., in front of the two houses that burned yesterday. The houses are visible in some pictures. Click on the image below to visit the gallery.

Burgos Street Fire

The fire happened yesterday (February 23) at around 12:00 noon at Burgos St. near the corner of San Luis St. (three streets directly in front of Baler Church). Two houses burned down, one is the Delos Santos residence and the other one on its right. I have no info about the cause of the fire but it happened during a brownout. Firemen from the four central Aurora towns and the local residents helped in putting out the fire and preventing it from further spreading. No one was hurt.

Aurora Day Photos on Aurora.ph

Check out the photos of the 27th Aurora Foundation Day Anniversary at aurora.ph. and while you're at it, also check out the new photo gallery. I see some of my pictures there although they are not credited. No prob for me. The more the merrier.

Photo Gallery Advisory

For your viewing pleasure, new photo sets are now posted on the Batangbaler Photo Gallery. The direct link is http://www.batangbaler.net/photos/. Pictures are posted in separate albums and categories.

To those complaining that the pictures are not clear enough, BB pictures have never been more clear and crisp than now. The pictures displayed in the gallery are not in their original sizes. To view the bigger and clearer versions, just click on the pictures and a new window will open displaying the photos in their full 480-pixel glory. If you're interested in acquiring the original copies of the pictures which are as big as 30X20 inches, just contact me at the email address listed on the ho0mepage.

DoJ drops case vs Dingalan mayor over journalist's death

from inq7.net: DoJ drops case vs Dingalan mayor over journalist's death. "HE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) has dismissed for lack of evidence a case against a town mayor in Aurora province for murder of a journalist last year, according to a resolution issued by the DoJ.

The department instead recommended that the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police investigate further the "possible" role of Dingalan Mayor Jaime Ylarde in the death of Philip Agustin but would pursue the case against three others, Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco said in the three-page document.

"There is not enough evidence to establish whether or not Mayor Ylarde is involved in the killing of Agustin," Velasco said.

Read the complete news.

Travel on Baler-Bongabong Road Banned

from inq7.net: Travel on landslide-prone highway banned. "The Department of Public Works and Highways continued to enforce the travel ban along the Aurora side of the Bongabon (Nueva Ecija)-Baler Highway as mild rains hit the area.Ramon Aquino, DPWH director in Central Luzon, said they were issuing the advice early to prevent loss of lives along the highway’s 61.2-km landslide-prone sections.“Definitely, travel is not allowed,” said Aquino.Various hills there have been left bare by the landslides in 2004 and 2005 and some concrete portions of the road have eroded grounds underneath, he said on Tuesday.The Villa Maria segment in Maria Aurora town is particularly dangerous as two rivers bound the area. Floodwaters and mountain debris washed out the bridge there in December 2004, killing five people, three of whom were DPWH personnel clearing the road."

"Aquino said commuters should take the safer Pantabangan-Canili Road on their way to Aurora."

Read the complete news

my comment: The Canili-Pantabanga road...safe? ha ha ha!

Aurora Day 2006 - Parade

Pictures of the Aurora Day Parade on February 19 are on the photo gallery. Just click the picture below to go to the gallery.

17 Central Luzon villages 'high-risk' to landslaides. Nine in Aurora

from inq7.net: 17 Central Luzon villages 'high-risk' . "At least 17 upland villages in three Central Luzon provinces are at "high-risk" to landslides, according to the chief geologist of the regional Mines and Geosciences Bureau here.

Orlando Pineda identified the highly vulnerable communities as Paltic, Caragsacan, Tanawan and Davil-Davilan in Dingalan town, Dimanayat and Diteki in San Luis town, Villa Maria in Maria Aurora town, Amper and Dinadiawan in Dipaculao town, all in Aurora; Labi in Bongabon town, Sawmill, South Poblacion, Malinao and Pantoc in Gabaldon town, all in Nueva Ecija; and Maamot, Sula and Lubigan in San Jose town in Tarlac."

Kagey's Pixes Now Up!

Kage's pictures of the 10th Aurora Surfing Cup are "slowly being uploaded" now uploaded. Check it out.

Bb. Aurora 2006

Ms. Abbie Shiela Misola Teh from Casiguran is this year's Bb. Aurora.



First runner-up is Nissan Pascua from Dipaculao (left) and Second Runner-Up is Ms. Jennifer Mendoza from San Luis (right). More pictures next yearssss.

10th Aurora Surfing Cup Complete Results

Here's the complete results of the surfing cup, shamelessly copied from Kage's blog.

Men's Open:
Champion: Dionisio "Dodo" Espejon, SI
1st Runner-up: Alex "Al-Al"Comandante, SI
2nd Runner-up: Bonifacio "Arkipo" Figuron, SI
3rd Runner-up: Edmund "Django" Mendoza, BA

Junior Division:
Champion: Zaldy Coldura, SI
1st Runner-up: Joe Henry "Pakits" Tena, BA
2nd Runner-up: Joseph "Badok" Antipasado, SI
3rd Runner-up: Jefferson "Jeff" Dela Torre, BA

Wahine/Menehune Division:
Champion: Nildie Blancada, SI
1st Runner-up: Aubrey Namoro, BA
2nd Runner-up: Ella Namoro, BA
3rd Runner-up: Vangie Mendoza, BA

*****

I know you peeps are waiting for more pictures especially the Bb. Aurora pixes. I have them in my CF card waiting to be liberated. But i have tons of other things to do besides taking photos and blogging so you need to calm yourselves for a while. I'll TRY to do the BB Swimsuit Edition today if i get lucky and find a few minutes of free time. And off to the next event I go.....