Aquino gets international recognition

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III bagged this year’s Gold Standard Award for Political Communication from an international recognizing body, a Malacañang official announced Friday.

Coast Guard augments search for missing Americans

THE Philippine Coast Guard launches search and rescue efforts for a sailboat carrying undetermined number of Americans who went missing while on its way to Cebu from Guam, USA.

Group lauds Aquino on total log ban

ENVIRONMENT advocates on Friday laud President Benigno Aquino III’s move to impose a nationwide log ban even as some quarters pushed for alternative livelihood programs for people who depend on logging activities.

Mark Dia, Philippine Country Representative of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the executive order should ensure a marked improvement in forest governance and law enforcement.

‘Oath-of-allegiance’ required for amnesty applicants

THE Department of National Defense (DND) will require military rebels applying for the amnesty to take an oath of allegiance to the Constitution.

Defense undersecretary for legal affairs Pio Lorenzo Batino said the initial plan is for the applicant to take the oath in front of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

Envoy hopes participation of 116 hostage witnesses

CHINESE Ambassador Liu Jianchao wished that the Philippine government will be sending all the 116 hostage witnesses to Hong Kong to help in the investigation of the August 23 Manila hostage crisis.

In a chance interview, Liu hinted that the direct participation of the summoned witnesses would greatly help their court in fulfilling its mission to get factual details in the bloody incident that resulted to the death of eight Hong Kong tourists.

Aquino won’t force Arroyo to speak on rice scam

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III will not compel former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to speak on the alleged overpricing and over-importation of rice during the latter's term.

“As a general rule, I do not offer unsolicited advice,” Aquino said when asked if it would be better for his predecessor to break her silence on the issue.

DepEd: No lavish graduation rites

MORE than two months before the school year ends, the Department of Education (DepEd) reminded school heads, teachers and other stakeholders to keep the graduation rites simple.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said all public schools must observe austerity and simplicity and not to collect any graduation fees or any kind of contribution.

San Fernando: No records of letter from Macabebe mayor

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The local government here said Friday that it has no records of any letter of complaint from the Macabebe town mayor regarding the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the city’s waterways.

Macabebe Mayor Annette Balgan earlier claimed that she sent a letter to Mayor Oscar Rodriguez of this city to inform him about the indiscriminate dumping of toxic waste in rivers.

Legislator wants probe on toxic waste issue

APALIT – A member of the Pampanga Provincial Board said Friday that he wants an investigation into the toxic waste issue in the fourth district of the province.

Board member Nestor "Bay" Tolentino, who chairs the committee on environment, said the toxic waste problem is a serious matter, as it might compromise the health of the affected Kapampangans.

Tollway firm projects to benefit Northern Luzon folks

CLARK FREEPORT -- Officials of the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) on Friday announced that their ongoing projects will benefit motorists and travelers including those coming from the Northern Luzon area.

In a media briefing here Friday, MNTC president and CEO Rodrigo E. Franco cited the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx)—Harbor Link and the Connector Road.

Jeepney stops in Angeles sought

ANGELES CITY -- One of the solutions to the traffic problem in this city is the establishment of bus or jeepney stops.

Mayor lauds police for arrest of slay suspects

ANGELES CITY -- Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan on Friday lauded the local police for the arrest of two persons suspected of killing a 17-year-old boy and robbing several establishments over the past few weeks.

Pamintuan relayed his congratulatory message to the city police to Chief Supt. Alan La Madrid Purisima, Central Luzon police director.

Bacolor community hospital to open Feb. 12

BACOLOR — The Kapampangan Development Foundation (KDF) and the descendants of the late Dr. Jesus A. Datu will attend the formal opening of the first-ever community hospital in this town and in the whole province.

KDF officials led by their president, Benigno Ricafort, along with service partners of JADMC, will lead the formal opening of the community center and its various services on Feb. 12. Officials of various civic organizations and government agencies are expected to attend the grand event.

Pampanga libraries receive computers

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — At least seven public libraries in Pampanga have recently received Koha computer units from the National Library of the Philippines (NLP).

The computer units were turned over to the libraries of Guagua, Floridablanca, Sasmuan, Macabebe, Masantol, Angeles City and the provincial library.

Military ready troops for new security plan

PORAC -- The information dissemination of the new Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) dubbed as “Bayanihan” will be taking place in three vital training commands of the three major services of the of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

This was bared to Sun.Star Pampanga by AFP spokesperson Jose Mabanta Jr. in a chance interview here Friday.  He said that as directed by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Ricardo A. David Jr., the new security plan will take effect in the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy.

Clearing of military in botanist's death hit

MANILA -- A progressive group on Friday criticized the joint report of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearing the military in the death of top botanist Leonard Co and his companions Sofronio Cortez and Julio Borromeo.

"The DOJ-NBI report reeks of unsubstantiated conclusions, sloppy investigative work resulting to fantastic claims. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima should not approve the findings and recommendations and should look deeper into the case," said Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary general Renato Reyes Jr.

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.