REBEL KILLED, RIFLES RECOVERED IN DAVAO
DAVAO CITY: Government troops clashed anew with leftist rebels in southern Philippines on Thursday, killing one insurgent and seizing a number of rifles, the military said on Friday. The encounter happened as soldiers conducting combat patrol in the vicinity of Caras-an village, Tago town, in Surigao del Sur province chanced upon some 25 heavily armed guerrillas of the New People’s Army (NPA) at about 9:55 a.m. on Thursday, said Lieutenant Colonel Eugenio Julio Osias 4th, spokesman of the army’s 4th Infantry Division. “A 30-minute firefight ensued that resulted in the killing of an unidentified rebel whose body was recovered at the scene of firefight. No one from the government troops was hurt,” Osias said in a statement. The soldiers also recovered an AK-47 and M-16 assault rifles. Osias said pursuit operation against the fleeing insurgents is going on. XINHUA

WEED SEIZED FROM DAVAO DEL SUR PUSHER
Combined elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine National Police (PNP) seized a total of 500 grams of dried marijuana leaves from a pusher who was on PDEA’s drug watch list following an anti-narcotics operation on November 6, 2012 in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur province. Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr., PDEA director general, identified the suspect as Rabbi Sacedor, alias Jing-Jing, 36 years old, residing in Barangay Poblacion, Kiblawan, Davao del Sur. Sacedor was included in PDEA Provincial List of Drug Personalities. At about 8:30 p.m., combined elements of PDEA Regional Office 11 (PDEA RO11) under Director Emerson Rosales, Davao del Sur Provincial Police Office (DSPPO), Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (Paidsotf) and Kiblawan Municipal Police Station (KMPS) arrested Sacedor after he sold 500 grams of dried marijuana leaves to a poseur-buyer in Barangay Poblacion, Kiblawan, Davao del Sur. Also recovered from Sacedor was a motorcycle he used in his illegal drug transactions. JING VILLAMENTE

LAWMEN SEIZE ARMS FROM SIX GUNMEN
CAMP DANGWA, Benguet: Six armed men involved in robbery incidents were arrested while low and high-powered guns were seized from them in a police checkpoint along the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Highway on November 8, 2012. Benguet police director S/Supt. Benjamin Lusad told reporters on Friday that the arrest of the armed men was a result of the sustained peace and order campaign by the Cordillera police and set up of checkpoints in key routes going in and out of Benguet province. The suspects were in a Delica van (WTR 11) which was intercepted at sitio Gurel, Bokod, Benguet. Benguet police record identified the arrested suspects as Jerome C. Capuyo, 29; Brian Pitpitunge, 26; Miller B. Pumihic, 23; Victor P. Dinamling, 41 and Nelson D. Butic, 34. Recovered from the suspects were one M-16 rifle Elisco with serial number RP216924 with two long magazines; one .45 Armscor with three magazines; one .45 Colt pistol; and one .22; six regular magazines for .45 pistol; eight cellphones and three inside holsters. THOM F. PICAÑA

POLICE PROBES DEATH OF ENRILE DISTANT KIN
A MAN said to be a distant relative of Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile was found dead with a gunshot wound in his head early Friday morning in Sta. Ana, Cagayan police reports said. Reports sent by the Cagayan police office to the PNP national operations center in Camp Crame identified the victim as Jean Marie Ponce, 23, of Sta. Ana, Cagayan province. Reports said that the victim was found with a gunshot wound on his head at around 6 a.m. on Friday at the conference/office room located at the second floor of their house in the said town. The police report said that the victim was reportedly planning to run as town councilor in next year’s election. ANTHONY VARGAS

MANHUNT LAUNCHED VS. 7 QUEZON JAIL ESCAPEES
POLICE have launched manhunt operations on Friday against seven inmates who bolted out from a detention facility in Quezon province at dawn on Thursday , police reports said. Reports at the PNP operations center in Camp Crame identified the escapees as Mark Anthony Maniego, 18; Arnold John Dioquino, 19: Leoven Agana; Melchor Flores; Santos Penascusas; Arwel Pumares and Merliti Acuno. The reports said that the seven escapees are facing charges ranging from theft, robbery to murder cases. The seven inmates were able to escape at about 2:30 a.m. by sawing off the steel bar of their detention cell at the municipal lock-up jail at Brgy. Poblacion in Polilio, reports said. ANTHONY VARGAS