SAN JOSE, Antique – The province of Antique posted a 31.03% decline in crimes from January 1 to December 31 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.

The Antique Police Provincial Office (APPO) reported that total crime volume was 593 in 2010 and dropped to 409 in 2011 with both Index and Non-Index crimes also dropping 29.53% and 35.62% respectively.

2010 Index Crimes reached 447 but dropped to 315 incidents in 2011 while Non-Index Crimes dropped to 94 incidents in 2011 compared to 146 incidents in 2010.

Crimes against persons and property also dropped significantly. Crimes against persons posted 247 incidents in 2011 versus 342 incidents in 2010 while crimes against property dropped to 68 incidents in 2011 compared to 105 incidents in 2010.

The Antique provincial police is headed by S/Supt Ruperto T. Floro Jr. (Rodel Canja and Ria May S Dela Cruz)

By: Lilibeth A. French

THE REGIONAL Achievement Tests for this school year in Western Visayas will go on, according to Department of Education 6 Regional Director Mildred Garay.

Garay said that the Dep-Ed in consultation with the different school division superintendents has decided to go on with the holding of the RAT for this school year 2011-2012 to assess the performance of the schoolchildren and to know which subject area needs to be improved on.

She said the order of Education Secretary Armin Luistro to discontinue the conduct of the Regional and Division Achievement Tests will take effect next school year 2012-2013.

In his DepEd Order No. 7, Luistro has ordered the discontinuation of all scheduled RAT and DAT or any similar assessment tools used by the regions and the divisions in the public system beginning school year 2012 to 2013 with the start of the transition phase in the implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum.

Luistro said in his directive that the “National Achievement Test held March every year shall be the sole assessment tool that will be recognized in measuring the performance of pupils and students attributing to the performance of individual schools, municipalities, congressional districts, school city divisions, provinces and region.”

KALIBO, Aklan – A Filipino-American was arrested by the joint operatives of the Provincial Intelligence Operative (PIBO) of the Aklan Provincial Police Office and the Numancia police during a buy-bust operation at his residence in Barangay Navitas, Numancia Aklan Thursday.

S/Supt. Cornelio Defensor, provincial police director, identified the suspect as Martwin Reyes. Seized from him were two marijuana plants, 13 sachets of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Police operatives conducted the buy-bust operation after he was suspected to have been selling marijuana using his sari-sari store as front. The suspect did not resist arrest. He suspect is now detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Barangay Nalook, Kalibo. (PNA)

By: Pilar S. Mabaquiao

SAN JOSE, Antique – The National Food Authority here continues its advocacy for iron-fortified rice especially in communities with high incidence of malnutrition.

Accredited rice retailers of NFA are encouraged to continue selling iron-fortified rice at P27 per kilo.

The province of Antique, according to Gazelle Jamandron, information officer of NFA, has 97 accredited rice retail outlets selling iron-fortified rice.

Iron-fortified rice is also used in supplemental feeding programs in day care centers provincewide, she said.

NFA manager Hedy Jardeleza recently led the launching of the advocacy in the province in partnership with different local government units and concerned agencies of the national government.

This is a continuing program of NFA until various communities in the province benefit from it, Jamandron noted.