Doctors advise Greg to decline visitors in hospital, rest throat

CEBU Vice Gov. Greg Sanchez is still in the hospital, but he is not allowed to accept visitors because doctors have advised him not to talk, his spokesperson said.

Eliodoro Sanchez, the vice governor’s spokesperson, however, declined to comment on the Capitol official’s condition.

Ship collision spills milk cargo

LOCAL fishers had a field day retrieving cartons of powdered milk that scattered in the coastal waters off Talisay City following the collision of two vessels yesterday morning.

The retrieved powdered milk came as manna from heaven to Talisay fishermen who have been experiencing dwindling fish catch these past days. They sold these powder-filled milk packs at P50 each.

3 persons saw SUV, recall its license plate

THEY were on their way home from a party when they saw a dark colored Mitsubishi Pajero cruising on the highway around midnight on Feb. 8 in Sayaw, Barili, Cebu.

They saw the Pajero stop and the driver—a tall, male Caucasian—alight from the vehicle, open the rear door and remove something wrapped in white cloth.

Priest admits cursing trader, her hubby but denies threatening them

THE parochial vicar of San Roque Parish Church in Lipata, Minglanilla is accused of threatening a businesswoman and her husband over the phone last Monday night.

Fr. Wilfredo Genelazo, however, told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday he only “cursed” Hazel Gimenez and her husband Janjan because they failed to pay him for the 45 pigs they bought from the priest’s family in San Fernando last December.

P5-M cocaine seized in raid

CEBU CITY -- Police and anti-drug enforcers on Thursday seized a brick or about a kilo of cocaine worth P5 million, some shabu and guns from a suspected drug queen and four cohorts in Mantuyong, Mandaue City.

They arrested Parhana Ebrahim, alias Furuki, and her cohorts in a buy-bust in Zone 3 in Mantuyong at 4 a.m.

Teen girlfriend, friends kill American, 76

CEBU CITY -- A 16-year-old girl had her 76-year-old American boyfriend killed because she was jealous he had another girlfriend and he no longer gave her money.

She had carried out the murder of Leamon Wesley Casteen Jr. at 9 p.m. Wednesday with the help of four friends -- aged 15, 16, 18 and 27 years old.

Brys. ‘ill-prepared’ for closure; 600 scavengers to be affected

SCAVENGERS in Ba-rangay Inayawan, Cebu City will not be the only ones affected by the closure of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill.

Apparently most of the barangays are not prepared if Mayor Michael Rama’s order to stop the dumping of garbage in the landfill is implemented.

Police file case against Brit, Filipina partner

SUPPORTED by circumstantial evidence and testimonies of 10 persons—including the affidavit of six eye-witnesses—the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) filed yesterday kidnapping with homicide charges against Bella Ruby Santos and British national Ian Charles Griffiths.

Ellah Joy case: Investigating an ‘unthinkable crime’

TASK Force Ellah Joy showed media how it gathered evidence against British national Ian Charles Griffiths and his Cebuana girlfriend Bella Ruby Santos.

3 persons saw SUV, recall its license plate

THEY were on their way home from a party when they saw a dark colored Mitsubishi Pajero cruising on the highway around midnight on Feb. 8 in Sayaw, Barili, Cebu.

They saw the Pajero stop and the driver—a tall, male Caucasian—alight from the vehicle, open the rear door and remove something wrapped in white cloth.

Ship collision spills milk cargo

LOCAL fishers had a field day retrieving cartons of powdered milk that scattered in the coastal waters off Talisay City following the collision of two vessels yesterday morning.

The retrieved powdered milk came as manna from heaven to Talisay fishermen who have been experiencing dwindling fish catch these past days. They sold these powder-filled milk packs at P50 each.

Doctors advise Greg to decline visitors in hospital, rest throat

CEBU Vice Gov. Greg Sanchez is still in the hospital, but he is not allowed to accept visitors because doctors have advised him not to talk, his spokesperson said.

Eliodoro Sanchez, the vice governor’s spokesperson, however, declined to comment on the Capitol official’s condition.

Keep children close: DSWD 7

“REPORT, run, and seek protection.”

Children should keep that in mind if a stranger approaches them and offers them money for sexual favors, an official of the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) 7 said yesterday.

‘Anti-illegal fishing campaign is not about credits, but law’

CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said the confiscation of endangered corals in Lapu-Lapu City is not about who gets the credit, but about implementing the law.

This is why she pooled law enforcement agencies, including the Police Regional Office 7, to form an inter-agency task force against illegal fishing. She said the Lapu-Lapu Police should be lauded for first seizing the corals.

Gov’t. urged to build center for pedophiles, sex offenders

A PSYCHOLOGIST urged the government to open a treatment facility for sexual offenders, and for parents and the community to look after the children in the wake of the arrest of an alleged pedophile in Cebu City.

Rosemarie Gonato, resident psychologist of the Women and Children Protection Center of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), advised parents to teach their children to protect themselves from pedophiles, who often pose as an acquaintance.

Ex-plumber, 78, graduates, to proceed to law school

SHORT of money to go to college, a 78-year-old plumber from Dalaguete town quit school, and got married to raise kids instead, as he envisioned his youngsters to be the ones to send him to college instead.

Yesterday, Miguel Lajos Sr., fondly called “Atorni” by his drinking buddies in Dalaguete town, realized his goal. He went up the stage in black toga with his children and financier to get his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science diploma.

DILG assures firemen new gears

THE local fire bureau ended the observance of the fire prevention month with a pledge from a Cabinet official to upgrade their worn-out equipment, hire more personnel and make enough room for promotions.

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for Peace and Order Rico Escalona Puno also assured there will be transparency in the procurement of new firefighting equipment.

Nationwide transport caravan 'hardly felt'

DAVAO CITY -- Disgruntled drivers and operators on Thursday joined a nationwide transport caravan to protest the high fuel prices, but authorities said its effect was hardly felt except in some cities in Mindanao.

90% of transport paralyzed in Oro

TRANSPORT groups claimed to have paralyzed 90 percent of public transportation in Cagayan de Oro City and some parts of Misamis Oriental province during Thursday's nationwide strike.

However, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) refuted this, saying many public utility vehicles were still seen running in the streets.

Better livelihood other than mining sought

A TRIBAL leader in one of the hinterland barangays in Cagayan de Oro City asked for other means of livelihood aside from mining.

"Give us livelihood and we'll stop mining," Datu Sandigan of Barangay Pigsag-an said during a forum held Wednesday at Xavier University.

Provincial Board supports repeal of oil deregulation law

THE nationwide transport strike on Thursday has gained support from the Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental after the Provincial Board (PB) passed a resolution supporting the move of Congress to repeal Republic Act (RA) 8479, or the Downstream Oil Deregulation Act of 1998.

The resolution also proposes to re-establish the Oil Price Stabilization Fund (OPSF) to subsidize oil products.

Week-long competency training ended

AT LEAST 1,190 drivers from Northern Mindanao are set to finish the first run of the week-long synchronized National TVET Competency Assessment and Certification (Natcac) initiated by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) in Northern Mindanao.

Road development plan gets boost from board

THE Provincial Board (PB) of Misamis Oriental adopted a resolution pushing for the second edition of the 2011-2015 Misamis Oriental Provincial Road Network Development Plan (PRNDP).

Regular price monitoring in province pushed

THE Provincial Board is urging all local chief executives in Misamis Occidental to set up a "Timbangan ng Bayan" in all their wet markets.

Cabbies hold protest rally

DISMAYED with continuing oil price hikes and slow action from government agencies, two local transport groups conducted a series of protests Thursday.

Samahan ng Taxi sa Cordillera Administrative Region (STCAR) met up at the Baguio City Hall early morning Thursday to start their march to the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) following oppositions to their petition for a P40-flag down rate by a lone operator in the city.

Vice mayor puzzled by lack of coins

THERE appears to be a shortage of 25 centavo and one peso coins in Baguio City lately.

Baguio City Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas asked the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to do something about this to address the problem faced mostly by jeepney drivers.

Benguet grants assistance to Filipino workers from Libya

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Provincial Government here already started disbursing the cash aid for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the war-torn Libya.

Governor Nestor Fongwan said the province began distributing P10,000 for each OFW returnee from Libya. "All they have to do is present themselves, their papers and the assistance will be given."

Five faults crisscross Baguio

THE Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), in their maps, revealed five major faults are located in Baguio City including Mirador Hill, Loakan, Bued River, San Vicente and Burnham faults.

Councilors ask senators to hold charter hearing

THE City Council approved a resolution asking the Senate committee on local governments headed by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to hold a public hearing in Baguio City concerning proposed amendments to the city’s charter.

Executed Pinoys in China sacrificial lamb

WOMEN'S party-list group Gabriela condemned the execution of three Filipinos in China on Wednesday for drug trafficking.