HACIENDA LUISITA — Protesting laborers and farm workers here, joined by their respective families and reinforced by militant activists, have practically taken control over nearly all movements in this sprawling sugar estate owned by the family of former President Corazon Aquino.
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Luisita resumes milling operations as tension eases
HACIENDA LUISITA — Tension has somewhat eased in this 6,000-hectare sugar plantation, as the ranks of the protesters who locked up the refinery during the weekend have thinned out, allowing the Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT) to resume its milling operations noontime Monday.
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Truck attacks force Luisita mill closure anew
HACIENDA LUISITA — The “violent and destructive” actions being carried out by alleged “troublemakers” among the ranks of protesters here has forced Luzon’s biggest sugar mill to shutdown anew its operations Tuesday morning, after these were briefly resumed around noontime last Monday.
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7-month long Rabbit strike ends
TARLAC CITY — The almost seven-month long strike in one of the country’s oldest transport company finally came to an end, as the Philippine Rabbit Bus Lines (PRBL) commenced plying major routes from Metro Manila to Central and Northern Luzon again.
Subic allows FedEx to operate ecozone hub until 2013
TARLAC CITY — The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has recently decided to extend the lease contract of air courier giant, the Federal Express (FedEx), up to August 2010.
Int’l media watchdog: RP hostile for journalists
TARLAC CITY — Although the country has a “free and lively press,” the Philippines has been counted by the Paris-based international media watchdog as one of the places most hostile to journalists.
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The Tarlac Headlines News Central displays all the news of our latest issues.
October 1 - 31, 2004
Nolcom chief: ‘Probe on AFP top brass a welcome dev’t’
CAMP AQUINO — The Army general who figured in the siege of Lamitan in June 2001 said the ongoing investigations on military generals with unexplained wealth should be viewed as “a welcome development.”
“I am confident that the Armed Forces of the Philippines will come out stronger in the end,” said Lt. Gen. Romeo Dominguez, who is now the commanding officer of the AFP Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) based in this military camp.
According to him, recent developments involving Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia and Maj. Gen. Ralph Flores “will give the people a chance to fairly evaluate their Armed Forces.”
Garcia, former Armed Forces comptroller, and his family were earlier found by American authorities of bringing into the US unexplained amount of money in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Flores, on the other hand, was found to have faked his birth date to delay his retirement from the service.
Both two-star generals have remained at large, and are being feared to have already left the country.
Dominguez said that instead of being another factor for mutiny within the ranks of the military, the exposes and investigations on Garcia and Flores should be taken as one of the means in cleansing the AFP of rotten eggs and consolidating its ranks for bigger challenges.
The Nolcom commander was himself embroiled in controversy when he was accused by Lamitan parish priest, Rev. Fr. Cirilo Nacorda, of complicity during the Abu Sayyaf terrorist bandit group’s siege of Lamitan in June 2001.
During the said incident, the Abu Sayyaf bandits were able to escape despite being cornered by government troopers.
Dominguez at that time was still holding the rank of brigadier general was in charge of the operation against the bandits.
But the Nolcom chief was cleared from allegations that he and the men under him connived with the terrorists, as the Abu Sayyaf was found to have used their hostages, among them American missionaries Gracia Burnham and her late husband, Martin, as human shields against the soldiers’ fire.
In her book, “In the Presence of My Enemy,” Ms. Burnham alleged that a ranking Army general demanded a 50 percent cut from the ransom being asked by the Abu Sayyaf.
But the timeline for the said payoff being sought by the unnamed Army general was found to have had taken place sometime in 2002, when Dominguez was no longer in charge of pursuit operations against the Abu Sayyaf.
Dominguez revealed his opinion on the issues involving Garcia and Flores during the joint quarterly internal security operations assessment of the AFP and the national police held in this military camp.
Nolcom has under its operational control troops deployed north of Metro Manila, particularly the Army’s 5th and 7th Infantry Divisions, the Naval Forces North Luzon and the Air Force’s 1st Tactical Operations Wing.
Dominguez said that he and his family are now relieved for having survived “grueling ordeals” brought by the allegations hurled against him.
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