P.8-M BOUNTY OUT TO NAIL COUNCILOR’S KILLERS
SAN PABLO CITY: A P800,000-reward is offered for the arrest of the killers of a San Pablo City councilor and his security aide. Gov. Jeorge E.R. Estregan-Ejercito of Laguna said

that he and Mayor Vicente Amante of San Pablo have contributed P500,000 and P300,000, respectively, for the early resolution of the killing of councilor Edgardo Adajar and his bodyguard, Rolando Leonardo. Ejercito said that Adajar was one of his supporters and leaders in San Pablo in the midterm elections under the United Nationalist Alliance. Aside from being a politician, he said that Adajar was also a commentator in the local radio station Hot FM. Supt. Carlos Barde, San Pablo police chief, said that they are eyeing politics, work-related and personal grudge angles as possible motives in the killing.                         
 Roselle R. Aquino

3,000 MARKET VENDORS TO RENEW LEASE CONTRACT
ILOILO CITY: Over 3,000 market vendors occupying stalls in the city’s seven public markets will have to renew their lease contract with the government starting this month of January. Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said that he wanted Local Economic Enterprise chief Vincent de la Cruz to review the lease contracts of stall occupants some of whom are suspected of not having paid their rent for over 20 years. Of the seven public markets operated and managed by the government, are two are in the districts of Jaro, namely the small and big markets, a public market is in each on the district of La Paz, Mandurriao and Arevalo, and two are in the city proper, which are the terminal supermarket and the central public market. Mabilog said that he was informed that most stall occupants are not the original ones listed in the contract but are sub-lessee of the original occupants.                
Lydia C. Pendon

MOTHER AND SON, COHORT NABBED IN DRUG DEN
A mother, her son and their cohort were arrested by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) during a buy-bust operation that led to the discovery of a drug den in Butuan City. Director General Arturo Cacdac Jr., PDEA undersecretary identified those arrested as Alfreda Alfe, 62; her 22-year-old son, Mark Bryan; and Sammy Borda, alias Archie Burnea, 28. They were apprehended in their house doubling as a drug den in Purok 3, Barangay San Ignacio, Butuan, after they handed-over an elongated plastic sachet of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, to a poseur-buyer. The three are all watch-listed drug personalities. The buy-bust operation was conducted on December 31, 2012, New Year’s Eve, at about 2 p.m., by elements of PDEA Regional Office13 under Director Erwin Ogario.
Jing Villamente

JANINE TUGONON RETURN STIRS BATAAN
ORION, Bataan: This province is all set and agog on the homecoming of Miss Universe first runner-up Janine Tugonon on Saturday. Teachers at the Jose Rizal Institute in Orion, Bataan said that they are so eager to see Janine to personally tell her how proud they were.

“Congratulations Janine, we are so proud of you!” they said. Janine graduated as high school salutatorian at the institute. Some students said that they were likewise so proud of her. Mayor Jose Santos of Orion said that Janine will join a motorcade on Saturday, after which a short program will be held at the Orion plaza that he described as Tribute to the Queen. The motorcade will start from Dinalupihan all the way to the MacArthur Highway in Hermosa, Orani, Samal, Abucay, Balanga, Orion and Limay.                   
Ernie B. Esconde