Cotabato warden sacked over jailbreak

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- The jail warden of Cotabato City was relieved from his post pending investigation on the escape of 16 inmates past midnight Wednesday.

The relief order for Inspector Buenaventura Pedrita came from Senior Superintendent Romeo Ugoy, regional director of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in southwest Mindanao. It was issued a day after the inmates broke out from the Cotabato City Jail.

2 young boys die in Davao fire

DAVAO CITY -- Two young boys, aged 12 and eight, died in a fire that gutted their house in the outskirts of this city before dawn Friday.

The fatalities were identified as Alquin Autida, 11, and his younger brother Senreyen, 8, of Purok 10, Nacilla Village in Bugac, Ma-a district.

Non-government organizations back Cha-cha

A NON-GOVERNMENT organization has expressed support to amend the Constitution toward achieving development in the country.

Deaths due to floods now 21

THE regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported that the continuous rains in Eastern Visayas already claimed 21 lives.

The calamity that ravaged the region has also resulted in the dislocation of more than 127,000 families in various provinces, records of the DSWD-Eastern Visayas showed.

Eastern Visayas damage to infra now over P600M

DAMAGE to infrastructure from continuous rains in Eastern Visayas has reached P600.678 million, with death toll at 21, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) said Thursday.

Army rescues abducted 11-year-old girl

PHILIPPINE Army troops have rescued an 11-year-old girl and arrested her abductors an hour after her abduction, a military official announced Friday.

Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), said the girl, identified as Fatima Angni, was rescued around 12:50 p.m. Thursday along the national highway in Kalanganan village, Pantar, Lanao del Sur.

Village chief shot, critically wounded

A ZAMBOANGA City village official, who has been vocal in his protest against illegal small-scale mining, was shot and critically wounded early Friday, a police official said.

Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) Director Edwin de Ocampo said the incident took place shortly after 6 a.m. Friday in Sitio Mantayabas, Baluno village, 28 kilometers west of Zamboanga City.

Thief escapes after throwing some loot

A PETTY thief got away with P32,000 by throwing away some of his loot while being pursued by the victim at the commercial center in downtown Zamboanga City, the police reported.

Power firm grants amnesty to suspected power pilferers

THE Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco), which is struggling to bring down its system's loss, is granting amnesty to "suspected power pilferers" until month's end.

Oro road mishap death toll now 5

CAGAYAN DE ORO (Updated 1:04 p.m.) -- The death toll in a head-on collision between a passenger jeepney and a 10-wheeler truck on a highway in Tablon village here Thursday has risen to five.

The latest fatalities were identified as Marites Butron, 42, of Upper Agusan, and Ralph Buyante, 21, of Tablon. They died while undergoing treatment at Capitol University Medical City (CUMC).

8 ‘car thieves’ nabbed in Cavite

MANILA – (Updated 12:13 p.m.) -- Authorities arrested eight suspected members of a carnapping syndicate in a raid in Cavite province before dawn Friday.

Report said the suspects, believed to be members of Onad Car Theft group, were arrested by joint operatives of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG)-Cavite and Bataan and the Pasay police in their alleged safehouse in Barangay Panapaan in Dasmariñas City around 3 a.m.

Police fail to bring down man on bridge tower

CEBU CITY -- As of 11:30 Thursday night, the guy was still there.

Thirty hours after he climbed one of the 40-foot towers of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, he did not show signs of jumping into the Mactan channel. Neither did he come down.

Cops ‘kept’ most of stolen $6K?

A SEAMAN and his wife are asking the anti-graft office to investigate the Danao City Police Office’s theft and robbery section, saying cops there may be keeping a large chunk of the US$6,000 two teenagers took from their home last Nov. 28.

The mother of one of the suspected robbers, 19-year-old Clint Casas, returned part of the money to the police last Dec. 1.

Doctor says Abao’s family was anxious to have slug removed from victim’s leg

EDILBERTO “Delby” Abao went under the knife last Dec. 28 to remove a bullet slug embedded in his right thigh, even though his sugar level was high at 523.7. He died shortly after.

This information was given to the fact-finding team created by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7 Director Pedro Noval Jr. by Dr. Oliver Earl Aliño, who operated on Abao.

Mayor-elect Quiño objects to recount

COMPOSTELA Mayor-elect Joel Quiño yesterday said they are waiting for the copy of the Comelec 2nd Division order annulling their proclamation as winners in the May 1, 2010 elections. That way, they can file a petition to elevate the case to the Comelec en banc.

Election watchdog nominates judge

BARELY a couple of weeks after his nomination as Court of Appeals (CA) associate justice, Regional Trial Court Branch 58 Judge Gabriel Ingles was again nominated for commissioner of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Ingles said Edsel Bacalso, Consortium on Electoral Reforms (CER) officer, informed him over the phone that his name was included in the list of nominees for Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairpersons and commissioners submitted to President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III last Jan. 12.

A night at the opera with Mendezona

AFTER nine years of being away from her hometown, international opera singer Antoni Mendezona is back in Cebu. She will perform at the Marcelo B. Fernan Cebu Press Center tonight.

Sponsored by Omnilo-gy Inc., a non-profit organization committed to empowering communities in Southeast Asia, the musical event, dubbed “One Voice: Breaking Down Barriers That Divide Society,” will feature Mendezona, pianists Rudolf Golez and Eunie Choe and orchestra director Gideon Bendicion.

Liberals to recruit more members in Cebu: Davide

strategy to strengthen the party in Cebu, said LP provincial chairman Hilario “Junjun” Davide III.

He said he does not want to engage in a word war with the province’s ruling party One Cebu, but admitted their objective is to recruit more LP members for the upcoming political exercise.

Airport cop suspended with no pay

AN airport police officer was suspended for three months without pay for manhandling a porter accused of taking the baggage of a Korean national in 2009.

The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas suspended Joel Solante, a policeman assigned at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority in Lapu-Lapu City, after he was found administratively liable of simple misconduct.

Foundation led by P-Noy’s sister turns over 2 new school buildings

A FOUNDATION led by the sister of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III turned over five pre-school buildings to local officials in Cebu yesterday.

“Let’s start right when they enter Grade I,” said Pinky Aquino-Abellada, the chairperson of Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa (Aggap).

San Fran didn’t do inventory: COA

FAILURE to submit an inventory report, understatement of the town’s income, and failure to set aside five percent of the town’s budget for Gender and Development (GAD) programs were among the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) report on San Francisco town’s fiscal transactions in 2009.

Since 2004, the town has not conducted a physical inventory of its properties, plants and equipment amounting to P85.6 million, violating the New Government Accounting System (NGAS), state auditors said.

Tax collection reached P400M as of yesterday

AS EXPECTED, thousands of applicants trooped to Cebu City Hall yesterday to beat the deadline for the renewal of business permit.

City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva, however, said her office tried to accommodate them as much as possible until their business permits applications were processed.

Former senator sues Oro mayor

FORMER Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. has filed charges of anti-graft and corruption against Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Emano before the Office of the Ombudsman.

The case is in connection with the controversial then-"Piso-piso" now "50-50" lot program of Emano, which Pimentel said is "packed with irregularities."

Lawmaker leads infra ground breaking

REPRESENTATIVE Rufus Rodriguez of the second district of Cagayan de Oro City will lead Friday's ground-breaking ceremonies to signal the start of multi-billion infrastructure projects in the city.

The first ground breaking will be for the P10-million widening of the Sayre Highways in Puerto in preparation for the construction of a P300-million flyover there.

Naga to hire firm to appraise Kepco

TO clear doubts on the utility firm’s declared assets, Naga City plans to hire an independent appraiser to conduct a fair tax assessment of the building and equipment of Korean Electric Co. (Kepco).

Mayor Valdemar Chiong said he intends to contract the services of a government-accredited appraiser after Kepco applied for an occupancy permit at the City Engineering Office, in preparation for the full operation of its coal-fired power plant next month.

City hospital told to improve health service

THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation Cagayan de Oro Service Office (PhilHealth) is challenging the administration of JR Borja General Hospital (JRBGH) to improve their medical services to hit the P59-million target earnings this year.

Gilbert S. Cortizano, PhilHealth Social Insurance Officer II, said during the discussion meeting on Tuesday at Dynasty Court that PhilHealth reimbursed a total of P229 million in 2010, with the JRBGH getting the lowest return reimbursement in 2010 at only 3 percent of patients admitted compared to private hospitals with 36 percent and Northern Mindanao Medical Center with 39 percent.

Card game turns fatal in Talisay

A MAN was killed while two others were seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting in front of a private resort in Barangay Poblacion, Talisay City last Wednesday night.

SPO1 Elmer Saladas, police desk officer on-duty, identified the fatality as Rogelio

City ready for calamities

THE City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) said it is ready if, and when, a calamity hits the city as the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) warned of the La Niña period continuing until May this year.

Surgically amputated foot found

A MAN'S surgically cut foot wrapped in surgical bondage was found at the riverside in Barra, Macabalan, this city, Thursday morning.

3 die, 15 hurt in Oro road mishap

CAGAYAN DE ORO -- Three people were killed and 15 others were critically injured in a head-on collision between a passenger jeepney and a 10-wheeler truck on a highway in Tablon village here Thursday morning.

Attending physicians at the Puerto Community Hospital in Puerto village declared a male passenger in his 50s dead on arrival. The second fatality, a female passenger, also died at the Capitol University Medical City in Gusa while the third passenger died at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center.