Cebu got most poll problems

CEBU Province has the most number of defective Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines in the entire Central Visayas.

Of the total 215 defective PCOS machines in Region 7, Cebu has 134.

Radaza wants separate province for Mactan

NEWLY elected Rep. Aileen Radaza (Lapu-Lapu City, lone district) announced she will file a bill creating Mactan Province, saying this will hasten economic growth in the island.

Young to protest poll defeat

LIKE Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district), Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young won’t concede defeat to Councilor Edgardo Labella who was proclaimed vice mayor in last Monday’s elections last Thursday night.

Young said the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) will file a protest before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against the results for both the mayoral and vice mayoral races.

Call center official ‘tries to bribe’ police, arrested

THE vice president for external affairs of a call center company that was raided on suspicion of being involved in an online scam was arrested late Thursday afternoon for allegedly trying to bribe police.

Mayor’s executive asst. denies certifying funds are available

THE executive assistant of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama denied she was certifying the availability of funds when she signed a document for the clearing of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) route at the South Road Properties (SRP).

Councilor Margarita Osmeña, the chairperson of the committee on budget and finance, questioned the authority of executive assistant Nenita Fernandez to sign the document.

2 persons face child abuse raps for jewelry theft

FOR allegedly instructing an 11-year-old boy to steal his grandmother’s jewelry worth P170,000, two persons will face trial.

The Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office charged Noel and Marlinda Oporto with violating Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

Groups urge fast probe on Malampaya fund scam

MASANTOL -- Members of the Masantol Eastern Coastal Communities (MECC) urged the Commission on Audit (COA) on Friday to speed up the investigation on the Malampaya fund scam involving multi-million pesos worth of "ghost project" intended for farmers here.

Former Vice Mayor Marcelo Lacap, a member of MECC, said their "innocence had been taken advantage by some individuals who successfully enrich themselves" by facilitating the release of some P89.2 million at the expense of the supposed beneficiaries in the localities.

Rimpy to prioritize agri dev't

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Congressman-elect Juan Pablo "Rimpy" Bondoc said on Thursday he will prioritize agricultural development in the fourth district to give Kapampangan farmers more opportunities for growth.

Bondoc made a successful comeback after he overwhelmingly won over his closest rival, Mayor Jerry Pelayo of Candaba.

New heritage sites unveiled

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Two houses were added to the heritage map of the City of San Fernando on Friday as the City Government led by Mayor Oscar Rodriguez and the San Fernando Heritage Foundation chaired by businessman Levy P. Laus unveiled the markers and signed the memorandum of agreement for their preservation.

The first site opened for viewing to visitors was the century-old Paras-Hizon house along V. Tiomico Street right along the city's main Heritage District.

Mayor-elect asks fishpond owners to get insurance

MASANTOL -- The newly elected mayor in this town said he would ask fishpond operators to consider obtaining insurance policies for their businesses.

Dan Guintu of the Liberal Party got an overwhelming support from the electorate after he defeated Paul Flores, brother of incumbent mayor Peter Flores.

Masantol’s most wanted falls

MASANTOL – Police arrested the town's number one most wanted person in his residence in Barangay San Isidro here.

Senior Superintendent Oscar Albayalde, Officer-In-Charge of Pampanga police provincial office, said Sonny Yabut, 31, was arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by Judge Josephine Mercado of the Regional Trial Court Branch 55, Macabebe, Pampanga.

2 men charged for violating fisheries law

TWO men are facing charges before the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) for selling illegally caught fishes.

Carlos Panuncia and Howard Salvacion are facing charges for violation of the Philippines Fisheries Code of 1998.

Man faces raps for keeping solvent

A 19-YEAR-OLD man was sued for possessing solvent.

Romel Garcia of Barangay 31-D was arrested for allegedly possessing "Toluene”, a water-insoluble liquid with a paint thinner odor.

2 hurt as MNLF, MILF clash anew

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Two members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were wounded after they engaged anew in a running gun battle with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in a remote village in Matalam, North Cotabato at around 6:20 a.m., Thursday, a military official said.

Captain Antonio Bulao, spokesman for the Army's 602nd Brigade based in Carmen, North Cotabato, said the wounded MILF rebels were immediately rushed for treatment at the Cotabato Provincial Hospital at Amas Complex, this city.

Bautista proclaimed new Davao Sur governor

PROVINCIAL Board of Canvassers (PBOC) for Davao del Sur chair lawyer Gay Asuncion Enumerables declared the winners of key provincial positions in the May 13 midterm elections.

PBOC declared Claude Bautista as the newly-elected governor while incumbent provincial board member Aileen Almendras was proclaimed vice governor.

2 missionaries, government worker robbed

TWO missionaries and a government employee fell victims in separate robbery incidents in Davao City Thursday.

The first robbery took place around 7:45 a.m. at No. 65, Saturn Street, GSIS Heights Subdivision, Matina, victimizing Grace Lumibao Moron, 37, a native of Valencia, Bukidnon, and Heidi Barrientos Gaffud, 43, a native of San Pedro, Laguna.

Degamo, Macias proclaimed

INCUMBENT governor Roel Degamo and vice governor Mark Macias were proclaimed as Negros Oriental governor and vice governor, respectively, at the Session Hall of the Provincial Board Friday afternoon.

Governor Degamo obtained the highest votes against his opponents Negros Oriental Representative Jocelyn Limkaichong (1st district) and former finance secretary Margarito Teves.

Bomb blast damages school

A BOMB explosion damaged a school classroom in Salug town, Zamboanga del Norte on Thursday, the police reported.

Zamboanga Peninsula Police spokesman Ariel Huesca said the explosion happened around 1:20 a.m. Thursday at the Salug National High School in Poblacion village, Salug.

9 nabbed for violating wildlife protection act

THE police have arrested nine people for violation of Republic Act 9147, otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, the police reported Friday.

Arrested were Ernesto Abil, 31; Eleno Hilegan, 32; Raul Dela Torre, 32; Cerilo Jasma, 27; Jonathan Cabodillo, 33; Felix Apatan, 48; Epicasio Fabillaran, 50; Felipe Baylon, 52; and, Mario Sandal, 38, the police said.

Zamboanga City buys new fire trucks

THE City Government of Zamboanga has purchased four new fire trucks amounting to P23.6 million as a fulfillment of its commitment to help the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) enhance its emergency response capability.

One of the four fire trucks were delivered and is set to be turned over on Monday, May 20, to Zamboanga City Fire District (ZCFD), Mayor Celso Lobregat said.

Rotational brownouts ‘man-made’

THE rotational brownouts that have been widely experienced in Mindanao because of the looming power crisis are simply man-made, a renewable energy advocate said.

Engr. David Tauli, speaker of the upcoming 2nd Mindanao Congress for Renewable Energy and Rural Electrification & Development (MinCared), said the problem is only artificial as he blamed the errors to the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (Psalm).

Liberal Party-CDO sponsors thanksgiving mass

WIN or lose, all the Liberal Party (LP) candidates in Cagayan de Oro city attended the thanksgiving mass celebrated at St. Augustine Cathedral early evening Friday.

Leading the slate is LP mayor-elect Oscar Moreno who won against incumbent mayor Vicente Emano.

‘Riding-in-tandem’ strikes in CdeO anew

BARELY a week after the May 13 midterm elections, one died while two others were wounded as riding-in-tandem assailants in Cagayan de Oro struck anew in Purok 3A, Barangay Gusa, Thursday evening.

Agora police station commander Senior Inspector Evan Viñas said Julius Galon, 30, a native of Villanueva, Misamis Oriental and resident of Gusa, is the latest victim of such crime.

2 NPAs killed in Surigao Norte

TWO members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in an encounter with the soldiers Friday afternoon in the mountainous area in Barangay Cabugo village in Claver, Surigao del Norte, the military said.

In his report to the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID), Col. Ferdinand Quidilla, commanding officer of the 402nd Infantry Brigade, said the 30-minute firefight claimed the lives of two NPA rebels.

Man stabbed to death

A 51-year-old man was stabbed to death by his alleged live-in partner’s brother while on a drinking spree on a roadside in Barra, Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro Thursday afternoon.

Senior Police Officer 1 Camaloding Macmac, police investigator of Macabalan police station, identified the victim as Celso Loque, a native of Carmen, Butuan City, who sustained three stab wounds on the neck, chest and shoulder.

DA adopts intervention to hike rice production

WITH the advent of the rainy season, the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas has adopted several intervention schemes aimed to increase rice production and establish once again the region's supremacy as the top rice producing area in the country.

DA Regional Director Larry Nacionales said the scheme involves the cooperation of other government agencies and institutions to increase production as the country is celebrating the Year of the Rice.

Iloilo sets Santacruzan 2013

THE Iloilo City Government and the City Tourism Council will jointly implement a yearly Santacruzan sa Flores de Mayo with a procession of the sagalas on May 24.

The procession will start at 4 p.m. from Museo Iloilo passing through JM Basa St., until the San Jose parish church at Plaza Libertad in a one-kilometer stretch depicting the many facets of the Santacruzan and the sagalas.

Councilor posts highest votes in 3 elections

REELECTED for the third and final term, Councilor Nielex Tupas is creating a history by being a candidate that have the highest number of votes and remaining number one in the elections for the past three years for a seat in the City Council.

In the May 13 elections, Tupas was able to garner more than 122,000 votes with a wide margin of over 17,000 votes compared to the second place teammate Love-love Baronda of Team PNoy.

Eastern Visayas political families continue to rule

MAJOR ruling political families in Eastern Visayas are still assured to continue with their dominance on their respective turfs with the only exception of the Dazas in Northern Samar, ironically supposed to be the bailiwick of President Benigno Aquino III's Liberal Party (LP).

In Leyte, the dominance of the Romualdez and Petilla families remain, as both Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and Ferdinand Martin Romualdez were unopposed on their respective bids for governor and congressman.

Tension arise in Northern Samar

SAN, ISIDRO, Northern Samar -- Tension arose as supporters of congressional candidates for the first district of Northern Samar Harlin Abayon and incumbent Representative Raul Daza occupy the municipal hall to protect the votes of their candidates.

Men of 803rd Infantry Brigade and the police are securing the premises of the building to ensure that the tension would not escalate.