CATHOLIC MAN, MUSLIM GIRLFRIEND SHOT
ZAMBOANGA CITY: Police operatives are searching for two motorcycle gunmen who shot a Christian student and his Muslim girlfriend shortly after they stepped out of a motel in Zamboanga City.

Police said that the attack killed the 21-year-old man, while his girlfriend remains in serious condition. The duo had just flagged down a tricycle when the gunmen opened fire and escaped after the shooting. The tricycle driver said that he ran to take cover after hearing the volleys of fire. The motive of the attack is still unknown, but police is investigating whether the ambush was connected to the personal relationship of the victims. The relationship is considered haram or forbidden among many Muslims in the southern Philippines. AL JACINTO

OFFICER FACES COURT MARTIAL FOR RETREAT ORDER
PAGADIAN CITY: A Philippine Army officer is facing court martial for allegedly ordering the pulling out of troops fighting communist rebels in Zamboanga del Norte province, a military insider told The Manila Times. The source, who asked not to publish the name and rank of the officer, is being investigated in connection with lapses in military offensive against the New People’s Army rebels in the province. It was not immediately known why the officer ordered the troops to pull out from an area where the soldiers were fighting the rebels. Security officials were mum about the leak and would not give any statement on the allegation against the officer. But another source said that the officer had once escaped from rebels who intercepted them on a remote village in the province. AL JACINTO

CUSTOMS HEAD INSPECTS P7-M CONTRABAND SUGAR
Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon on Thursday inspected 10 container vans containing P7-million worth of smuggled sugar from Thailand seized by the Cebu Customs at the Port of Cebu City on November 22. The shipment was consigned in two Mactan Export Processing Zone Authority locators in Lapu-Lapu city and came at the Cebu port on Thursday lacking Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA) permit. The consignees of the shipment did not declare the contents of the container vans and refused to get the necessary SRA permit. The issuance of SRA permit is the government’s way of protecting the local sugar industry by ensuring that the local market would not be flooded with more imported sugar than the locally manufactured sugar. “Five of the 10 forty-footer container vans of the illegally imported sugar were consigned to Mobilla Products Inc. and were misdeclared as marble and granite products, while the other five containers were consigned to Muramoto Audio Visual Philippines, Inc. and were also misdeclared as plastic parts for eyeglasses.” Biazon said. FATIMA CIELO B. CANCEL

OLD LAWMAN KILLS ROOKIE IN ROAD MISHAP
A YOUNG police officer was reportedly killed on Wednesday evening after his motorcycle was bumped by a van driven by another police officer in Butuan City, police reports said on Thursday. Reports sent to Camp Crame by the Caraga police office identified the policeman killed as PO1 Rommel Casilagan, 27, assigned in the said place. The reports said that Casilagan was driving his Honda motorcycle along Km. 2, Baan, Butuan City heading west, when he was hit at 7 p.m. by a Kia Carnival (KED 441). Investigation revealed that Kia Carnival, driven by SPO1 Dennis Serano, was turning left at the said highway when it hit the motorcycle of the rookie policeman. ANTHONY VARGAS

POLITICOS BARRED FROM DINAGYANG
ILOILO CITY: This city’s pride and the country’s best tourism event will showcase once more, what makes the religious and cultural festival as the best practice of Iloilo City. However, visiting politicians will have no say onstage during the festival highlights. Dinagyang Festival 2013, estimated to cost about P16 million as the best public and private partnership, will take off its highlights on January 25 to 27, 2013 amid the boom and galore of the best Ilonggo festival. Launched on September 24, 2012, the festival is a joint undertaking of the city government, Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation and the San Jose Catholic Church. Foundation President Ramon Cua Locsin said that the festival will showcase the competition of 10 drum and bugle/lyre contestants on January 25, 9 Kasadyahan tribes on January 26 and 11 Dinagyang Ati-atihan tribes on January 27. LYDIA C. PENDON