Typhoon Slams Into Philippines
   MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- A typhoon pounded the northern Philippines on Wednesday, pummeling the coast with waves two stories high and causing floods that drove thousands of people from their homes.

   Packing winds of 150 mph, Super Typhoon Zeb made landfall near Palanan town in Isabela province, chief weather forecaster Frisco Nilo said. A storm gains "super typhoon" status if its maximum sustained winds reach 138 mph -- and some of Zeb's gusts were clocked at 184 mph.

   A boy taking shelter at a church in Solano town in Nueva Vizcaya province was killed when a concrete wall crumbled and pinned him, the Red Cross said. Police in southeastern Taitung said a man was swept out to sea by two-story high waves Wednesday.

   Officials said they expected more casualties due to numerous reports of landslides and floods. The Red Cross said 9,000 people living on the eastern coast of Luzon Island were driven from their homes by floodwaters. Many remote towns were isolated by flash floods.

   Zeb, the strongest of eight storms to hit the Philippines this year, weakened as it moved through, but the Manila weather bureau said Zeb would increase in strength once over open water on its way toward Taiwan.

   Taiwan and parts of Japan were bracing for the typhoon, which was heading toward islands on the country's southern fringe early Thursday.

   Urging caution, Japan's Meteorological Agency said Zeb was expected to approach islands in southern Okinawa prefecture, or state, as early as the pre-dawn hours of Friday morning.

   Last month, Tropical Storm Vicki struck the northern Philippines, causing at least 52 deaths on land. A ferry also sank during the storm south of Manila, leaving 70 passengers dead and 80 others missing.
 
 

 

Nueva Vizcaya News from Various News Sources (Mostly PNA)

Subject: pn: Nueva Vizcaya to limit the number of children per classroom

     BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Sept.30(PNA) - The  Sangguniang
Panlalawigan here led by Vice-Governor Luisa Cuaresma  has sought the
assistance of the Department of Educaton, Culture  and Sports (DECS), in
Region 2 to limit the number of children per  classroom.

     Board Member Santiago O. Dickson, chairman of  the committee on
education at the provincial board, said limiting  the number of children
to 40 per classroom is one way of  improving the quality of education.

     At present, classrooms in the province are filled with at  least 50
school children at a time especially in public schools he  said.

     Because of the big number of children per classroom,  teachers find
difficulty in supervising all of them, Dickson.

     In the recent analysis of the student's educational  achievements
in the recent years , it was found out that Nueva  Vizcaya fared poorly
especially in the fields of Mathematics and  Science.

     Of the 40 students from Cagayan Valley who passed the  qualifying
examination for the Philippine Science High School  scholarship program,
only two from Nueva Vizcaya passed the  examination.

     The lowering of the number of children per classroom should be
complemented with the provision of more classrooms to accomodate the
growing  number of school children, he said.

     "Of course, the present number of teachers will have to be
increased to cope with the increasing number of children," he said.

     The Sanggunian is also finding ways to source funds for the
construction of additional  classrooms, Dickson saiid. (
 
 
 

* In N. Vizcaya
 
 

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya - The opposition Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (LAMMP) headed by reelectionist Rep. Carlos M.

Padilla romped away with a big win in Nueva Vizcaya.
 
 

Padilla got 98,874 votes against his Lakas-NUCD opponent Ernesto

Salunat who polled 31,889 or a difference of 66,985 votes, the biggest in postwar Nueva Vizcaya politics.
 
 

Gov. Rodolfo Q. Agbayani and board members Santiago Dixon and Hipolito Mamuric of Solano and Bayombong, respectively, of the Lakas also won. But Agbayani was also a LAMMP candidate.
 
 

The three-cornered fight among Bambang Mayor Banti Lloren Cuaresma of LAMMP, Leonardo Perez Jr. of Lakas-NUCD, and independent Vice Gov. Natalia F. Dumlao ended with Cuaresma polling 64,444 votes against Perez who got 40,790 and Dumlao with 20,024 votes.
 
 

Nine winners including Cuaresma for North board members were Jose

Gambito of Bayombong with 37,879, Rogelio Corpuz of Solano with

33,231, Merianthe Zuraek with 29,654; for South board members were

Reonel Saddul of Bambang with 33,420, Edgardo Talingdan of Bambang

with 32,421, Jose Tubayan of Bambang with 31,679, Pacial Egmin of

Dupax with 20,453, and Aurelio Reyes of Bambang with 19,440.

(Carayo Caoile)
 
 

---

JDV traces roots in Nueva Vizcaya

----too bad that our homeboy lost to ERAP----

By Faye P. Velasco
 
 

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Mar. 4 (PNA) - - LAKAS-NUCD-KAMPI standard

bearer, House Speaker Jose de Venecia, today traced his roots in this

town.
 
 

The campaign trail of the ruling party today went to this northern

province of Luzon and the Speaker was somewhat nostalgic because as he

said, for 25 years his family lived here.
 
 

His father was a judge here and so the Speaker took his secondary

education at the Bayombong National High School.
 
 

The Speaker had the chance to meet his former English and History

teacher who said that the Speaker was a diligent student.
 
 

"He practically read all the books in the library as seen at the

borrower's card," they said.
 
 

"I am part of the culture here ... I learned my basics here... my

ABCs...I remember the mountain views...I learned how to swim here," the

speaker reminisced.
 
 

"Whatever I am now, I owe it to Nueva Vizcaya," he stressed.
 
 

He promised the Nuevo Vizcayanons that if he becomes President, "I

will make Nueva Vizcaya a tourist destination, the gateway to the

Cagayan Valley, the gateway to the Banaue Rice Terraces."
 
 

Nueva Vizcaya gov says they are united to support JDV
 
 

By Faye P. Velasco
 
 

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Mar. 4 (PNA) - - Nueva Vizcaya governor

Rodolfo Agbayani today said that the May 11 national elections will be

the first time the Nuevo Vizcayanons will be united in politics.
 
 

In an interview, he said that the whole province will be in all out

support to the Speaker because "he is the son of the province for he

grew up here."
 
 

Agbayani said except for 4 mayors, the rest of the province will be

for LAKAS-KAMPI.
 
 

However, he said that 3 of the said 4 mayors are already suspended.
 
 

Agbayani predicted a "sweeping victory' for the LAKAS slate. (PNA)

svv/FPV/mlc