DepEd ready for class opening on June 3

THE Department of Education (DepEd) in Western Visayas is now ready for the opening of classes in all public elementary and high schools on June 3.

The announcement was made after DepEd Undersecretary Mario Deriquito with Regional Director Mildred Garay went around Negros Occidental for two days that ended yesterday with the culmination of the five-day “Brigada Eskwela.”

Abang Lingkod party-list disqualified with finality

STEPHEN Paduano a.k.a. Carapali Lualhati, the No. 1 nominee of Abang Lingkod, is still hoping for a favorable decision of the Supreme Court for the party’s inclusion among the party-lists in the May 13 elections.

"The people have spoken. They have voted for us. It's not about Abang Lingkod or Carapali Lualhati. It's about the people who voted for us," said Lualhati in reaction to the decision of the Comelec en banc.

Comelec braces for barangay polls

THE Provincial Comelec Office is now making preparations, in case the barangay elections nationwide pushes through as scheduled in October this year.

Lawyer Wil Arceno, Acting Provincial Comelec Supervisor, said that Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes only made a recommendation for the postponement of the barangay election to another date because they are not yet through with the recently concluded May 13 elections.

Leonardia creates Transition Committee

AS BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia will be ending his term at noontime of June 30, 2013, he has created a transition committee before the midterm elections started to ensure a smooth turn-over from the present administration to the incoming one.

Secretary to the Mayor Moises de la Cruz is the vice chairman of the committee.

Ombud suspends NBI investigator

THE Ombudsman Visayas has ordered the suspension from service for three months without pay of NBI investigator III Geovel Aperio who is found liable for simple misconduct filed by local broadcaster Rommel Pido of dyAF.

The order was signed by Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio S. Apostol and two others.

Guard returns wallet containing P15,000

A SECURITY guard detailed at Sta. Fe Bazar Inc. located at Araneta Street, Bacolod City turned over a brown wallet containing P15,000 to the Bacolod City Police Station 1 yesterday.

The guard, who was identified as Meliton Alsado of the 7th Security Agency, is a resident of Purok Kabulakan 2, Barangay Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City.

3 wanted theft suspects nabbed

PERSONNEL from the Bacolod City Police (BCPO) Station 4 personnel arrested on Thursday three men facing theft charges.

Police identified the suspects as July S. Paderna, 27 years old of Purok Calantas, Barangay Villamonte; Rene C. Villegas, 36 of similar home address; and Edgar C. Hapitan,44 of Purok Kalubihan, Brgy. Mandalagan, all of Bacolod City.

Passion killing eyed in deaths of Cebu village chief, widow

CEBU CITY -- The same type of bullet pierced the chest of Mabini Barangay Captain Rey Oybenes and Rohamma Luage and the shot killed both.

The bullet was fired from a .45 pistol.

NBI officer nabbed for extortion

THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 yesterday arrested a legal officer of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) 7 for allegedly extorting P25,000 from an American national in exchange for his visa extension.

NBI 7 Director Antonio Pagatpat said a joint team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Manila and the NBI Central Visaya caught Serafin A. Abellon, BI legal officer, in an entrapment.

Transportation department asks Cebu City to submit project brief

THE Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) has asked the Cebu City Government to submit a project brief on the establishment of bike lanes in the city.

This will be used for possible funding for the project’s feasibility study.

Asean media agree to create press council

BANGKOK --Representatives from seven media groups in Southeast Asia yesterday agreed to move toward the establishment of an Asean Press Council (APC).

City: Use of pickups remain unrestricted

CEBU City Hall has no plans, for now, to restrict the use of government-owned vehicles issued to barangay captains.

The issue was raised as Mabini Barangay Captain Rey Oybenes used the City-issued pickup truck when he allegedly dumped the body of his lover in Barangay Cansumoroy, Balamban before shooting himself inside the same vehicle last Thursday.

Mabini folk voice disbelief at Oybenes’s ‘act’

TO many residents of Barangay Mabini, Cebu City, Rey Oybenes is a generous and helpful village chief.

Many of them were shocked when they heard that Oybenes was accused of killing Rohama Luage, his alleged lover, and dumping her body in a ravine in Balamban.

DWUP chief: Luage always happy at work

DESPITE the death of her husband in 2007, Rohama Luage was a jolly person.

Her co-workers at the Cebu City Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) could not believe Luage’s life would end the way it did.

Submarine operator apologizes

THE operator of the controversial underwater tour in Lapu-Lapu City said they will take full responsibility for the damaged corals in a diving site where their submarine operated.

“We would like to apologize for the trouble that the Yellow Submarine has caused,” Cebu Yellow Submarine Undersea Tour Corp. general manager Jun Kim said in a letter to Mayor Paz Radaza last May 9.

Joavan’s arraignment postponed

THE arraignment of Joavan Fernandez, considered by police as Cebu’s public enemy number one, on his latest cases was postponed yesterday after his lawyer, Paulino Labrado, failed to appear in court.

Judge Soliver Peras had scheduled Fernandez’s arraignment of his three criminal cases yesterday morning.

1,000 BEIs have yet to get honorarium

OVER 1,000 board of election inspectors (BEI) of seven local government units in Cebu Province have not received their cash cards where their honorariums will be deposited. These towns include Badian (114 BEIs), Asturias (138), Dumanjug (153), Catmon (78) and Sibonga (117) and the cities of Carcar (209) and Toledo (369).

Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor Eddie Aba submitted the list to Finance Services Department Director 4 Eduardo Mejos of Comelec Manila last Tuesday.

Notebooks bearing images of officials to be distributed

THE Capitol will cover the notebooks that bear the images of provincial officials, including suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale.

“Then, there’s another suggestion… coveran unya ihatag sa (cover the notebooks then distribute these to local government units) and we want to talk to the local chief executives nga (that) they will take care of providing covers,” Magpale said.

Lapu-Lapu to promote culture, heritage during Gabii sa Kabilin

FOR the first time, heritage sites in Lapu-Lapu City will be featured in the Gabii sa Kabilin (Night of Heritage), an annual tour of museums and historical sites.

City Tourism Officer Hembler Mendoza said participants of the event will be given a tour of the Mactan Shrine and the Nuestra Virgen de la Regla National Shrine on May 31.

Emano files election protest vs Moreno

AFTER losing from his re-election bid, outgoing Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Emano filed an election protest at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Manila through his legal counsel Friday.

Emano, through his Lawyer Francis Ku asked the Comelec Manila to recount and retabulate the official ballots and other election documents manually and visually.

Double murder raps filed vs suspects in driver’s slay

THE Jasaan town police filed a double murder case on Friday against alleged suspects responsible for the killing of a driver and his aide of a Jasaan jeepney liner on Wednesday evening on Bonifacio Street in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental.

Police Senior Inspector Brian Inojaldo, Jasaan town police chief, said Wilborn Cabil, 27, a resident of Zone 2, Gusa; and Alex Redoblado, 25, of Ilaya, Upper Carmen, all of Cagayan de Oro, are charged with double murder at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office as suspects in the killing of Doniel Salla, 30, a resident of San Martin, Villanueva and Roldan Ofema Jr., 25, a resident of Fuente, Upper Jasaan.

Some offices unaware of PST Law

SOME private companies and government offices in Cagayan de Oro City are unaware of the new law on the Philippine standard time (PST) that President Benigno Aquino III signed on Thursday since a memorandum hasn’t been circulated yet.

Some government offices here have already read about the new law in the papers, but confirmed they have not yet received any memo.

Police still on red alert after polls

THE Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) is still on full alert even after the elections.

“The election period ends on June 12. So, even though the casting of votes and many candidates have been proclaimed in the May 13 elections the alert status is still heightened,” Cocpo Chief Graciano Mijares said.

Plane crash delays flights

TWO departures and one arrival of commercial flights were delayed after airport officials suspended its operations following the crash landing of a single-seater Agcat plane owned by Mactan Aviation takeoff on Friday around 8 a.m.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) said three flights with around 700 passengers were affected because they had to remove debris on the runway.

Davao reefs in ‘dismal state’

DAVAO CITY -- Silt coming from the deforested upland slopes along Davao’s watershed areas is putting the coastal biodiversity in peril, according to a watershed profile study commissioned by the Interface Development Interventions (Idis).

In a statement emailed to Sun.Star Davao, Idis said siltation, previous blast fishing, and wave action have been identified as the reasons why the reefs of the seven coastal barangays belonging to the Talomo-Lipadas and Panigan-Tamugan watershed system are in a “dismal state.”

Smoke-belchers face P1,000 fine

FROM now on, motor vehicles plying within the territorial jurisdiction of the city have to conform to the emission standards or face penalties.

This after Mayor Sara Duterte inked the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Smoke Belching Ordinance of Davao City.

5,136 crime incidents in Davao Region in Q1

THE Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 has recorded a total of 5,136 crime incidents in Davao Region during the first quarter of 2013.

The figure includes crime incidents reported 1,162 barangays in the entire region.

Man shot dead

A 22-year-old man was shot dead by an unidentified gunman outside his house at Roseville Subdivision, Lanang around 2:35 p.m., Thursday.

Buhangin police identified the victim as Jose Almer Denaga Barao, 22, single, unemployed and a resident of the same place.

2 more drug pushers nabbed

TWO suspected drug pushers were arrested in two separate buy-bust operations conducted by police authorities in Davao City Thursday.

The most recent operation was launched by Sta. Ana police led by station commander Superintendent Caezar Cabuhat at corner Juan Luna and Jacinto St. around 11:30 p.m. which resulted to the arrest of one Ramil Sema Ramos, a 34-year-old pedicab driver and a resident of Barangay 22-C Poblacion.

Woman stabbed over jealousy by lover

A 24-YEAR-OLD staff of a cosmetic firm was stabbed and critically wounded by his live-in partner due to jealousy, the police said Friday.

The incident happened shortly after 12 noon Friday, according to the report of the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO).