LOVER’S QUARREL TRIGGERS SUICIDE
A YOUNG man took his own life following a misunderstanding with his live-in partner in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte province on Sunday, police reports said on Monday.

Reports at Philippine National Police operations center in Camp Crame said that the suicide Lloyd Asumbrado, 23, of Purok 2, Cabadbaran City was found by his mother hanging inside his room at about 10 a.m. on Sunday. He was immediately rushed to Cabadbaran City Emergency Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician, reports said. The reports said that initial investigation revealed that prior to the incident, victim had a misunderstanding with his live-in partner. ANTHONY VARGAS

FREE CALLS TO OFWS FOR CHRISTMAS
ILOILO CITY: For five days this December, the government in Iloilo City and Globe Telecommunications partnered to provide free calls or the “Libreng Tawag Abroad” to families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) working in Arab countries, Asia and the United States. Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said that Globe Telecom will set up its calling facility this week at the city hall to allow any residents and employees in Iloilo to call their relatives working abroad on December 20, 21, 26, 27 and 28, 2012 for free. The free calls program is a public service feature of Globe and the Iloilo government in bringing Christmas cheers and messages to the families of OFWs. Similarly, Mabilog is inviting everyone to come, see and enjoy the New Year’s Eve celebration and countdown along the Iloilo River in front of the Iloilo Custom’s House. LYDIA C. PENDON

QUEZON AMBUSH LEAVES THREE DEAD
AT least three people were killed, one policeman wounded and one gunman arrested in an ambush on Monday along a highway in Tagkawayan, Quezon province, police reports said. Initial reports reaching the Philippine National Police central operations center in Camp Crame identified the three fatalities as Jamela Custodio, Jasmine Pablo and Melvin Marquez. In the report, Chief Insp. William Angway, Tagkawayan police chief, said that the ambush took place at about 8 a.m. along the national highway at Barangay Santa Monica of said municipality. The reports said that the victims were on their vehicle on their way to Bicol Region when they were fired upon by a group of armed men killing Custodio and Marquez on the spot, while Pablo was declared dead on arrival at a hospital. The incident was immediately reported to elements of the Highway Patrol Group, resulting in a shootout and wounding of one policeman, PO1 Michael Cabato who is now being treated at a hospital in Calauag, Quezon. One gunman identified as Rafael Moreno of Mabini, Batangas, was arrested at a police checkpoint in Calauag. A .45 pistol, magazine and various types of identifications were seized from him. ANTHONY VARGAS

ILOILO CITY GOV’T AWARDED FOR EXCELLENCE
ILOILO CITY: Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has received a total of five Excellence Awards and trophies composed of four champion awards and one first runner-award trophy on December 14 regional awarding rites by the Department of Interior and the Local Government held at the Iloilo Grand Hotel. The trophies and cash incentives were awarded by Interior Regional Director Evelyn Trompeta and Local Government Academy Executive Director Maribel Sacendoncillo. Mabilog said that the city government-bagged awards are products of city hall total efforts under his administration in maintaining excellent governance. The city received a trophy and P20,000 cash prize as champion Best Performing City in Western Visayas. The city was also declared champion in Social Governance with trophy and P10,000 cash incentive; champion in Administrative Governance with trophy and P10,000 and champion in Good Governance with trophy and P10,000. The first runner-up award for the city is for Environmental Governance bagged by San Carlos City in Negros Occidental province. LYDIA C. PENDON

CAVITE POLICE GIVE TO TYPHOON VICTIMS
The Police Provincial Office in Cavite and its employees has cancelled their annual Christmasparty—the money that will be spent for the party will be donated to the victims of Typhoon Pablo (international codename: Bopha) in Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte province. Provincial deputy for Administration Dionisio Borromeo confirmed that there will no more party for 1,500 policemen and the employees. Borromeo announced that he ordered his staff to put a big drop box and cans at the ground floor of Cavite Police Provincial Office for the donation of canned goods, foodstuffs, cash and clothing for Pablo victims. ROGELIO LIMPIN

4.8 QUAKE JOLTS LEYTE
 A magnitude 4.8 earthquake rocked parts of Leyte province on Monday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). In its bulletin, the agency said that the quake occurred at 7:58 a.m. with its epicenter traced at 10 kilometers southeast of Ormoc City in Leyte, which felt the tremor at Intensity 4. Aside from Ormoc City, Phivolcs said that Intensity 4 was also felt in Dulag and Tolosa towns in Leyte. JING VILLAMENTE

BATAAN GIRDS FOR TYPHOON ONSLAUGHT
HERMOSA, Bataan: The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council of Hermosa, Bataan on Monday concluded its three-day training on Life Saving & Water Search and Rescue and distributed rescue boats to 10 barangays heavily hit by “southwesterly monsoon winds” last August. Some 33 selected villagers finished the training conducted at the Almacen River that caused too much flooding during the rainy season. Some of them even showed how to respond to a victim of a motorcycle accident. The mayor justified the distribution of rescue boats even to some barangays not considered as low-lying but were heavily affected also by habagat. Recipients of rescue boats aside from the three barangays were the villages of Daungan, Almacen, A. Rivera, Saba, Pulo, Burgos-Soliman and Mabuco. The motorized rescue boat reportedly costs P100,000 each. ERNIE B. ESCONDE

ILOILO COUGHS UP P52-M BONUS FOR WORKERS
ILOILO CITY: A merry Christmas and a happy New Year indeed for about 1,736 regular employees of the government in Iloilo city with the release of P52,080,000 on Monday, as productivity enhancement incentive (PEI) at P30,000 each employee. Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog led in the awarding of incentive to the regular employees and members of the Resource Employees Association of City Hall (REACH). Early December, the employees also received their 13th month pay and P2,500 cash gift as half of the cash gift was already given last June. REACH president Neil Ravena said that incentive is a big help to the employees, especially the rank and file as they badly need the money for their families during Christmas. LYDIA C. PENDON