4 killed in Rizal massacre

MANILA (Updated 11:52 a.m.) -- Scene of the Crime operatives cordoned a house in Rizal province after four people were found dead Monday.

Authorities identified the fatalities as Amado Asebar Sr., 42; his wife Isabel, 46; and children Amado Junior, 14; and Pretchie, 10.

Presidential sister defends Aquino

PRESIDENTIAL sister Pinky Aquino-Abellada defended President Benigno Aquino III over some criticism that he is not a hands-on leader.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said during Philippine Team football match against Mongolia in Bacolod City on Wednesday that the President is doing well, but he’d like to see him personally assisting victims of flood, typhoon, and other calamities around the country just like what his predecessor did.

Aquino to visit Bacolod soon

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III considers visiting Bacolod City soon, his sister Pinky Aquino-Abellada said last Friday.

“I think they’re organizing a meeting with the business community (here),” she said. However, Abellada said there is no definite date for the Bacolod visit yet.

Bacolod landfill ready before June: councilor

A.L. SALAZAR, the contractor of the P32 million sanitary landfill of Bacolod City, eyes the completion of the project before the June 2011 deadline it set with the City Government.

City Councilor Mona Dia Jardin said that the preliminary works are already being undertaken in the landfill site in Barangay Felisa.

International arts festival launched

NEGROS Occidental once again plays host to this year’s Philippine International Arts Festival Visayas, which was launched Sunday.

Lawmaker, civil aviation chief discuss airport problemsb

THIRD District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he has recently discussed the problems of the Bacolod-Silay Airport with Ramon Gutierrez, the new chief of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Weather equipment installed in 4 barangaysb

FOUR barangays in Bacolod City were recipients of an automated weather station and rain gauges installed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), a project which was facilitated by Bacolod City lone district Rep. Anthony Golez.

'Brainsbee ni Albee' held

SCHOOLCHILDREN in the third district of the province have participated in the simultaneous opening of “Brainsbee ni Albee sa District 3, Year 2” last Saturday in 10 selected barangays in Murcia, Talisay, Silay, E. B. Magalona and Victorias.

Brainsbee is a community-based academic competition, which is open to all elementary pupils and high school students who are residents of the 115 barangays of the province’s third district.

Be fair in probe, military tells Karapatan

THE military is asking militant organizations like Karapatan to be fair in the fact-finding investigations they are conducting after every encounter between government troops and the New People’s Army (NPA).

Couple arrested in kidnap-slay case

CEBU CITY -- Police arrested a couple at the Mactan airport last Saturday night, after seeing their resemblance to the sketches of the couple that kidnapped and killed Ellah Joy Pique, 6.

Sven Erik Berger, 49, a Norwegian, and his Cebuana girlfriend Karen Castro Esdrelon, 25, were picked up about 15 minutes before their flight to Hong Kong.

Sketch ‘looks like you,’ Pinay said, as a joke

KAREN Castro Esdrelon said she sensed an immigration officer was hesitant to clear her boyfriend, while the officer examined the Norwegian’s passport last Saturday night.

But she was so confident nothing was wrong, that when her boyfriend pointed to the sketch of a man’s face at the Mactan airport, she joked, “It looks like you.”

Drive vs illegal vendors pushed

THE Cagayan de Oro City government launched an all-out drive against illegal sidewalk vending of “ukay-ukay” (used clothes) along Cogon Area this week.

City police director Antonio Montalba said that since last month used clothes vendors have been transferred on JR Borja extension to clear busy streets in Cogon and to ease traffic congestion in the area.

Drug tests of 19 suspects out today

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said it will release Monday the test results of the 19 suspects arrested during a drug bust in Barangay 31 in Cagayan de Oro City last Wednesday.

Juliet Cagaanan, spokesperson of PDEA in Northern Mindanao, said if laboratory tests on the arrested suspects yield positive results, additional charges will be filed against them.

Goking re-elected press club ‘prexy’

LAWYER Santiago Goking Jr. was reelected president of Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC) in a “no contest” elections last Saturday at the press club building in the city.

Goking garnered 87 votes out of 133 possible votes. COPC’s board of directors who were elected during Goking’s first term were also re-elected to their posts.

In love, marriage, couple finds strength to fight breast cancer

MANY see a cancer diagnosis as a curse, even a death sentence.

But for Jeffrey Caballero, 35, it was a time for him to draw strength from love and to propose to his girlfriend, the former Christie Jamero, who received the diagnosis last May 2003.

Tied-up murder victim found in Barili

AN UNIDENTIFIED man believed to have been salvaged was found at the roadside in Sitio Palalong in Barangay Guibuangan, Barili town past 1 a.m. yesterday.

He bore a gunshot wound in the head.

Use ID systems, tanods to keep students safe

SCHOOLS need the help of parents and local government officials in protecting children, Department of Education (DepEd) 7 Director Recaredo Borgonia said.

“The safety of children is too important to be left to schools alone. It should also be a concern among parents and local officials,” he said in a phone interview yesterday.

Most CV barangays lack council for children

THE kidnapping and murder of Ellah Joy Pique, a six-year-old grade one pupil in Minglanilla town, has prompted worried parents to fetch their children from school.

But it also raised questions about how much effort local government officials are exerting to protect children.

Road repairs start next month

THE Cebu City Government will start implementing its P200-million road concreting and asphalting projects next month.

This, as the council already approved the P50 million for road concreting projects in the north district barangays two weeks after the P50 million share for the south district was approved.

Agency to magnify map of danger areas in CV

THE Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB 7) is expected to come up with an enhanced version of maps that show details of areas prone to landslide and floods in Central Visayas.

“The production of a 1:10,000-scale geohazard map is like zooming in the 1:50,000 map until we see the details of the area, which cannot be represented in the 1:50,000-scale geohazard maps,” said MGB 7 director Loreto Alburo.

Corruption in AFP is institutionalized: Osmeña

REP. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) wants the congressional investigations on the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) continue after the remains of former chief of staff and defense secretary Angelo Reyes were laid to rest yesterday at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

The Congressman said corruption in the AFP was already institutionalized and reforms should start from the inquiries so that it can be stopped.

Tax exemption for SRP sought

THE Cebu City Government is seeking an exemption from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) from paying the income tax of the South Road Properties (SRP).

Councilor Jose Daluz III, who chairs the council’s committee on budget and finance, said the BIR told them the City is subject to income tax since it is exercising its proprietary functions.

P13M for garbage collectors

THE Cebu City Government shells out at least P13 million from its coffers this year to augment the monthly take-home pay of some 500 garbage collection personnel in the city’s villages.

The council, in its regular session last week, approved the resolution filed by Councilor Edu Rama charging under the Barangay Aid Account the P12,927,013.20 that represents the additional honoraria of the garbage collection personnel.

Council fails to resolve bry. conflict

DESPITE exercising its administrative disciplinary authority over them, the Cebu City Council failed to settle the conflict between the village chief and the barangay council in one of the mountain villages of the city.

The council’s committee of three called to a meeting last week Buot-Taup Barangay Captain Rosalita Callino and some members of the barangay council to settle the conflict over the appointment of the barangay secretary, but no agreement was reached.

Cebu ready to distribute 10T condoms

CEBU CITY -- As lovers celebrate Valentine’s Day Monday, the Cebu City Health Department will continue to distribute condoms for free. Up to 10,000 condoms are available.

Davao vice mayor snaps at House 'bullying'

DAVAO City Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte urged men in uniform who are being probed by lawmakers to invoke their right to remain silent should they feel they are already being bullied.

In his television program Sunday, Duterte took a swipe at senators who he says are already turning House inquiries into personal bashing.

Free tour for cancer patients limited to below 15-year-old

THE free tour being offered by Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte is only for cancer patients of Davao who are below 15 years old.

This was the clarification made by the vice mayor in his television program Sunday as he reiterated his invitation.

Music offers more opportunities than dance

THE City Government of Tagum, which is holding the annual Musikahan Festival this week, is more inclined to invest in training its residents on music than dance, as the former offers more opportunities for the city.

Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy said music is better than dancing as far as the benefits that the city may get as well as the people, in general.

Support for deferment of Armm polls snowballs

CIVIL society organizations in Mindanao on Sunday supported the move to defer the August 2011 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) to coincide with the mid-term elections in 2013.

Senator wants dismissal of prosecutors in plea deal

MANILA -- Senator Franklin Drilon on Sunday called for the dismissal from office of government prosecutors who handled the plunder case of former military comptroller Carlos Garcia for gross negligence.

Drilon said Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez should also be impeached for agreeing to the plea bargaining agreement entered into by Garcia with the government prosecutors without seeking consent from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Department of National Defense, or the Office of the Solicitor General.