CORPSES OF 2 UPLB STUDENTS FOUND
POLICE authorities have yet to rule out foul play as likely behind the death of two college students whose bodies were found in a stream inside the campus of University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB) on Thursday. Chief Supt. James Melad, Southern Tagalog police director, said in an interview on Friday that they are still waiting for the result of the autopsy on the two bodies before making any conclusion. “Their bodies are still undergoing autopsy at crime laboratory and we cannot draw yet any conclusion yet on this,” Melad said. The decomposing bodies of UPLB students, Kevin Lagodo and Enzo Valdez were discovered on Thursday by a group of swimmers along the Makiling trail, inside the university campus. The police official said that based on initial reports from the Laguna Provincial Police Office, the bodies bore no signs of stab or gunshot wounds and any external injuries. ANTHONY VARGAS
 

SECURITY GUARD GUNNED DOWN
A SECURITY guard was shot and killed on Thursday by still unidentified culprit, while he was manning his post at a construction site in Butuan City, police reports said on Friday. Reports sent by the Caraga police office to the Philippine National Police operation center in Camp Crame identified the fatality as Alexander Tecson, 46, of the Kapanalig Security Agency. The reports said that the shooting occurred at about 2:30 a.m. on Thursday at the construction of St. Joseph Institute of Technology Gymnasium on Purok 5, Brgy. Villa Kannanga, Butuan City. The reports said that the victim was reportedly sleeping on his hammock when he was shot with a still unknown caliber of weapon. ANTHONY VARGAS

BALILI ROUTE EYED FOR LURING TOURISTS TO SAGADA
SAGADA, Mt. Province: There is no tourist attraction along the Sabangan-Sagada via Madepdeppas road. This was the finding of the validation team from the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the National Economic Development Authority, further recommending the inclusion of the 8.5-kilometer Balili-(Suyo) Sagada Road in the DOT-DPWH convergence project on its enhanced tourism access program. Forwarded by Tourism regional director Purificacion Molintas to Public Works regional director Edilberto Carabacan, validation findings conducted on November 21 on the P100-million controversial Sabangan-Sagada road project, noted that the Balili route opens up tourism activities as alternative caving, mountain biking, trekking, bird watching, star-gazing and cloud catching. GINA DIZON

LAWMEN HOLD PRE-ELECTION CONFERENCE
CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna: The first coordinating conference for the security preparation for the election on May 2013 was held at the Multi Purpose Conference Room in Camp Vicente Lim. The meeting was presided by no less than P/chief Supt. James Melad, a regional director of Laguna police, and was attended by the command group members of the directorial staff, provincial directors, deputy provincial director for operation, chiefs provincial operation and plans branch of different police provincial offices of Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) region and chiefs of national support units. The meeting seeks to unify the duties of the PRO Calabarzon, before and after the election period, and to ensure the conduct of secure and fair elections or SAFE 2013. ROSELLE R. AQUINO