Wednesday, December 28, 2005 (Philippines)

PO3 Jerome Java (above) belonged to the “normal shooter” category but he killed ex-convict Alemar Luna in a shootout last Monday night. Java used a shotgun (his own, not the police issue) in the incident that happened near Luna’s house in Barangay Buhisan, Cebu City. Java said it was blind luck. Luck or not, the shotgun seemed to have improved his shooting prowess. (Sunstar file) Days before the start of a new fiscal year, the Cebu City Treasurer’s Office announced “with regret” the implementation of the revised schedule of market values for real properties. This means higher realty taxes await taxpayers for the first quarter of 2006. In a paid advertisement approved by Mayor Tomas Osmeña and published in Sun.Star Cebu yesterday, Acting City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo said this would mean an added burden of “around 30 percent higher of what we are currently paying on our real estate taxes.” “We hope you will understand. This ordinance was supposed to take effect in 2003. Its implementation was, however, suspended several times. We can no longer suspend its implementation any further,” the ad said. [full story]