Philippines sympathizes with victims of Oklahoma tornado

MANILA -- The Philippines joined other nations in expressing sympathy and grief for the residents of Oklahoma City suburb of Moore in the United States that was struck by a gigantic tornado on Monday.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte expressed sadness over the "loss of young lives in this catastrophe" and offered prayers for the victims, their families and friends.

NBI off to Taiwan to complete shooting probe

MANILA -- Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Wednesday a team of agents from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will go to Taiwan "very soon" to inspect the vessel and interview companions of a fisherman recently killed by the Philippine Coast Guard.

De Lima declined to disclose the date of the trip, saying agents cannot concentrate on the job if the media is following their every move. Agents also wanted to conduct a re-autopsy on the body of Hung Shih-cheng but this should have the consent of his family.

Belmonte, Romualdez to face off in speaker race

MANILA -- Allies of reelected Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will meet with congressmen allied with the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in a bid to unseat Quezon City Representative Feliciano Belmonte Jr. as leader of the 287-member House of Representatives.

Belmonte, a member of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), was reelected as representative of Quezon City's fourth district in the May 13 polls. He is the House Speaker of the current 15th Congress.

Rescue teams search for mountaineer in Mayon

LEGAZPI CITY -- The Albay government sent two search and rescue teams on Wednesday morning to look for a foreign mountaineer who sent a message through his cellphone to a villager saying he got lost and broke his leg while climbing Mayon volcano.

Albay Governor Joey Salceda, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) chairperson, identified the missing foreign mountaineer as Mark Yuchagaev, reportedly a Russian, but authorities are still confirming his true nationality.

Social worker seized in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Updated 1:46 p.m.)– Four gunmen believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits abducted Wednesday a government social worker in a remote village in Basilan province, said a police official on Wednesday.

Basilan Police Director Mario Dapilloza identified the victim as Jenelyn Enpera, who was abducted around 9 a.m. Wednesday in the village of Ulitan, Ungkaya Pukan town.

State media shows North Korea has new military chief

PYONGYANG, North Korea — A North Korean state media dispatch shows that leader Kim Jong Un has named a hardline general as his new military chief.

Teachers credited with saving kids in Oklahoma

MOORE, Oklahoma — The principal's voice came on over the intercom at Plaza Towers Elementary School: A severe storm was approaching and students were to go to the cafeteria and wait for their parents to pick them up.

But before all of the youngsters could get there, the tornado alarm sounded.

Oklahoma tornado death toll down to 24; no Filipino killed

MOORE, Oklahoma -- Authorities lowered the death toll from a massive tornado that devastated a town outside Oklahoma City, saying it killed at least 24 people, down from 51 -- none of them were Filipinos.

Spokeswoman Amy Elliot said she believes some victims were counted twice in the early chaos of the storm, adding downed communication lines and problems sharing information with officers exacerbated the problem.

Aquino advises Jun Lozada to just face charges

MANILA -- President Benigno Aquino III denied Tuesday that his administration was harassing whistleblower Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada, who is facing graft charges before the Sandiganbayan.

Aquino told reporters that the NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should instead face the charges against him.

‘Rebels’ raid security agency, abduct 6 in Tagum

DAVAO CITY (Updated) -- Suspected communist rebels raided a security agency and seized six people, including the agency’s manager and a child, in Tagum City, Davao del Norte on Monday evening, authorities said.

The suspects, believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA), also carted away unspecified number of high-powered firearms during the raid, which occurred around 8 p.m. at the Tagum City branch of the Davao Security and Investigation Agency (Dasia) in Orange Valley Subdivision, said Police Regional Office-Davao Director Jaime Morente.