4 robbery suspects arrested
POLICE arrested four men, including a minor, believed to be behind the series of robbery incidents in Davao City.
Superintendent Antonio E. Rivera, chief of the San Pedro police station, identified the suspects as Billy Manaog Albarracim, 19, of Agdao; John Carlo P. Ruta, 20, of Sta. Cruz in Agdao; James Brigol Lumen, 25, of Malinawon Village in Bangkal; and one Richard (real name withheld for being a minor). The suspects were arrested in separate operations.
P100,000 valuables lost to robbers
AROUND P100,000 worth of valuables were lost to robbers in separate incidents in Davao City on Sunday.
The first robbery victim was identified as Hazel Aliden Mendez, 32, nurse, resident of Doña Vicenta Village.
Pinoys with inactive lifestyle may develop diabetes
DUE to inactive lifestyle, Filipinos are more likely to develop diabetes, which is among the leading causes of mortality in the country.
Dr. Roy Ferrer, president of the Diabetes Philippines Davao Chapter, said Monday that patients with diabetes topped the number of admissions in tertiary hospitals in the country.
Still no justice for V-Day blast victims
JUSTICE will remain elusive to victims of the Valentine's Day bombing at Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (Dcott) seven years ago as the case has already been archived.
The incident, which happened on February 14, 2005, killed a 12-year-old boy and injured six others.
Land Bank employee denies 'ill-gotten' wealth charges
THE Davao City-based employee of the Land Bank of the Philippines denied accusations on Monday he accumulated ill-gotten wealth for the past 15 years.
"Dili gyud na siya tinuod. Makita man nimo naa man tanan kompleto diri (That is not true. You can see it all here)," Elmer Luceño Olores, LBP-Davao agrarian affairs specialist, told Sun.Star Davao, pointing to his personal records of Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).
City alerts village execs on weather disturbance
THE Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DCDRRMC) has alerted anew all barangays for calamities that may be brought by the weather disturbance affecting the southern Mindanao.
Retired Colonel Mario Verner Monsanto, executive officer of the DCDRRMC, in its advisory dated February 10, alerted all barangay captains in the city on the weather disturbance sighted Friday last week.
"You are hereby directed to monitor the situation and undertake precautionary measures in your areas of responsibility," Monsanto told all disaster response units in the barangay level.
City spends 81% of education fund in 2011
DAVAO City utilized 81 percent of its Special Educational Fund (SEF) for 2011, which translates to P254.9 million of the total P314.4 million.
The statement of income and expenses of the City Government for the calendar year 2011 showed that of the P314,422,004.71 gross income under SEF, a total of P254,956,622.76 was spent by the city, a large chunk of which or 18 percent went to salaries and wages of regular of city-paid teachers amounting to P57,836,797.33.
'One terminal policy' to be strictly implemented
THE Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (Dcott), with the assistance of the Philippine National Police (PNP), will strictly implement the “one terminal policy.”
This developed after finding out that only six out of 10 buses of Island City Express are actually paying terminal fees with the city.
Maribeth Lumactod, acting chief of Dcott, told Sun.Star Davao that after learning about the report, they immediately called the attention of the bus company's management about the misdoings of some of their drivers.
Explosives found in Davao village
DAVAO CITY – Authorities have recovered five boxes containing dynamites and commercial fuse near a subdivision in Barangay Tacunan, Tugbok District in Davao City Monday morning.
Senior Inspector Antonio C. Villacarlos, chief of the Tugbok police station, said 12-year-old Elton, a student in Mintal, found the 800 dynamite sticks and 1,000 meters of commercial time fuse placed on the roadside
Mayor supports Social Welfare’s legal adoption advocacy
DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio vowed to support the advocacy on legal adoption being spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao Region.
Duterte-Carpio declared her intention to become a supporter of DSWD's campaign in providing good life to abandoned children through legal adoption.
The mayor said in her message during an adoption forum on Friday that she is an adoptive mother herself.
She called on the public to understand and be open-minded to legal adoption, urging people to grab any opportunity of adopting a child.
Farmer slain for P500 debt
DAVAO DEL SUR -- A P500 debt caused the life of a farmer on Sunday afternoon.
The victim is identified as Lidas Lipong, 60, a resident sitio Datu Danwata, Malita, was hacked to death by Cavelino Mallada, 25, also a resident in the area.
According to Malita Police Station chief Chief Inspector Samsong Kimayong, the incident occurred around 1:45 p.m. when the suspect went to the house of the victim to collect the money.
Instead of paying, the victim grabbed a bolo and tried to hack the suspect, resulting to a scuffle.
City plans to buy dredging machine
THE City Government is set to purchase a dredging machine to address the possible flooding in areas near the riverbanks.
The dredging machine is used to scoop up mud, gravel and other obstructions from the bottom of rivers and waterways.
According to Andrew Lipardo of the City Engineer's Office (CEO), they have submitted a proposal for the dredging machine and are awaiting the results.
39 villages in 2 Negros Oriental towns ‘landslide-prone’
THE Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Central Visayas identified 39 villages in La Libertad and Guihulngan towns in Negros Oriental as landslide-prone following an inspection last February 7.
The agency also noted an artificial dam, or building up of water in two sites along Tinayunan River in Barangay Tinayunan Beach in Guihulngan City, prompting the MGB to recommend evacuation of residents downstream of the river as the artificial dams may collapse.
Defense gets Friday deadline to dodge contempt
LAWYERS for impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona will have to explain to the Senate why they should not be cited for contempt for alleging Malacañang offered bribes to senators.
Before the order was given, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV told defense lawyer Jose Roy III to name the defense's anonymous source and to name the senators that Malacañang allegedly approached with a bribe.
Santiago lectures lead prosecutor in impeachment trial
LEAD prosecutor Niel Tupas Jr. was subjected to an oral exam by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago in the resumption of the impeachment trial Monday.
"I give you a grade of 3, in UP, that means I pass you but I warn you," Santiago told Tupas after the latter answered several questions of the senator in a 10-minute "oral recitation".
Prosecution calls for sobriety in impeachment trial
SPOKESPERSONS for the House prosecution team called for sobriety from all sides of the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona after the defense panel accused Malacañang of efforts to bribe senator-judges.
In a press conference called Sunday evening, Corona's lawyers alleged that Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. had offered a P100-million bribe to senator-judges to defy the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court (SC) on the subpoena of Corona's dollar accounts. They said the information came from an unnamed source.
House panel eyes to end del Castillo impeach hearings
THE House committee on justice is determined to finish this week its hearings on the impeachment complaint against Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo despite the latter's reported "wellness leave" this week.
"We are racing against time and we will hold these marathon hearings to comply with the constitutional requirement of presenting a report before the plenary within sixty session days," said committee chairman Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr.
School alumni, civic groups set up tents for ‘Sendong’ victims
THE Capitol University Alumni Association led the installation of tents provided by ShelterBox Response Team Philippines in an area near Lumbia Elementary School.
Hundreds of volunteers joined to build 45 tents for the “Sendong” victims who have not found a shelter yet.
Police on alert for Valentine's Day bombing anniversary
TOUGH security measures have been taken in Makati City ahead of the seventh anniversary of the deadly Valentine's Day bombing.
Makati police department officer-in-charge Jaime Santos said it has already beefed up security measures, particularly at the Central Business District (CBD) and other areas and establishments frequented by the public such as shopping malls and department stores, as well as transportation hubs such as the four MRT stations in the city -- Guadalupe, Buendia, Ayala and Magallanes.
Tesda denies being source of 'bribe money'
THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) denied circulating text messages that it is involved in the supposed attempt to bribe senator-judges.
In a statement, Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva denied that the funds that are supposedly being offered for senator-judges to vote for the opening of the dollar accounts of Chief Justice Renato Corona despite a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court (SC) came from his office.
Lawyer: Vizconde not a prosecution witness
LAURO Vizconde should be labeled as a "witness called by the prosecution" and not "prosecution witness" when he appears Tuesday at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, his lawyer said Monday.
"Vizconde may not be strictly labeled a 'prosecution witness' but as a 'witness called by the prosecution.' We believe this distinction is vital to Mr. Vizconde, and his testimony should be taken in this context," said lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.
2 Mindanao leaders doubt MILF capability to lead sub-state
TWO governors in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) have expressed qualms on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) intent to lead the sub-state it has proposed during peace negotiations with the government.
In a forum held recently at the University Sains Malaysia in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali said the MILF leadership's "character" and "system" are in question.
DepEd tests teachers' competence in handling key subject areas
THE Department of Education (DepEd) has started administering tests to teachers handling Grades 1 and 2 classes ahead of the implementation of the new curriculum under its K to 12 education program.
The Test of English Proficiency for Teachers (TEPT) and Process Skills Test (PST) in Science and Math are part of the department's assessment on the capability of public school teachers to teach the new curriculum, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said.
"We want our teachers fully equipped when we introduce the new curriculum this school year," Luistro said.
New pipeline installed in oil-lick-hit village
THE Lopez-owned First Philippine Industrial Corporation (FPIC) has started installing the 140-meter new pipeline along Osmeña Highway near Barangay Bangkal in Makati City.
Barangay Bangkal administrator Roy Ordiales said the FPIC informed them that the new pipeline will serve as a bypass pipeline parallel to the existing pipeline along Osmeña Highway.
Authorities cited the old pipeline as the source of the gas leak that affected village residents, including residents of the 22-storey West Tower condominium.
Man gets 4 years for illegal possession of lumber
A MAN who was caught transporting 68 pieces of lumber without government permit in Davao del Norte early last year may stay behind bars for four years after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Upon an order by a regional trial court in Tagum City, Leonard Facon was sentenced to suffer the "indeterminate sentence of one year of prision correccional as minimum, to four years of prision correccional as maximum."
