POLICE KILL TWO ROBBERS IN ZAMBOANGA
ZAMBOANGA CITY: Two men who earlier robbed a woman were killed by policemen in an alleged clash, following a long chase that ended in a bushy area in the city, reports said.

It said that police recovered a handgun from one of the slain men. The identities of those killed were not immediately known, however, one of them had different tattoos on his body. But radio station Radyo Agong (dzRZ) reported that the motorcycle gunmen robbed a woman of her bag in the San Jose Village and escaped toward downtown area, where policemen chased them on prowl cars and motorcycles. It was unknown whether the two men were involved in gun attacks and other crimes in Zamboanga. AL JACINTO

HEATED ARGUMENT LEADS TO STABBING IN LAGUNA
A man was killed and his son was injured after a neighbor attacked them following a misunderstanding on Wednesday in Laguna, police reports said on Thursday. Reports at the Philippine National Police operations center in Camp Crame identified the casualties as Edgardo Pecson, 62 and his son Joseph, both of GSIS Village, San Pedro, Laguna. Arrested by responding policemen was Raul Cuaresma, the attacker. The reports said that the stabbing occurred at about 3:20 p.m., in front of the Pecson residence when the older Pecson was in a heated argument with Cuaresma. Cuaresma stabbed dead the elder Pecson prompting his son to rush to his father’s side and was also stabbed, the reports said. ANTHONY VARGAS

BANKERS LAUD ILOILO MAYOR
ILOILO CITY: The Bankers Association of Iloilo has awarded Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog a trophy for exemplary service in “providing a safe environment and stable economy.” The distinguished and exemplary service award was given on January 9, 2012 by the banker-businessmen during a New Years’ call with the mayor, in expressing their appreciation and support to the city’s development strides. The bankers also expressed the inspiring development of the city and scored the no bank robbery and hold-up incident in 2012 as a major signal that the city mayor leads a better and strong governance. LYDIA C. PENDON

BATAAN GIVES P2.5M TO FLOOD-RAVAGED NEW BATAAN
BALANGA City, Bataan: The provincial government gave P2.5 million through the Philippine Red Cross to the disaster-torn municipality of New Bataan in Compostela Valley, the governor said on Thursday. Gov. Enrique Garcia of Bataan province said that the amount will be used in the relief and rehabilitation efforts of Red Cross, specifically for New Bataan that was hardest hit by the recent typhoons. The governor and son, Rep. Albert Garcia of the province’s second district, handed the check to Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon. “The devastation wrought by Typhoon Pablo [international codename: Bopha] was so enormous that we are compelled to commiserate with our brothers in New Bataan and help them make a fresh start especially this New Year,” Garcia said. First settlers of New Bataan reportedly came from the historic province. According to Gordon, the Red Cross has implemented a six-month relief operation in New Bataan, which includes food items, sleeping kits and water distribution. ERNIE B. ESCONDE

CAREGIVER COLLARED FOR WEED
A 23-year-old part-time caregiver was arrested at a port in Dapitan City, for possession of marijuana in a seaport interdiction operation conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), in collaboration with the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Ports Authority. Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr., PDEA director general, identified the caregiver as Bonn Brylle Lim, of No. 096 Sorronda Road, Turno, Dipolog City, through his identification card, which showed that he was applying for US residency. Lim was apprehended on January 3, 2013 by operatives of the agency in Zamboanga del Norte province, under Director Adzhar Albani and augmented by the local law enforcers, after a regular baggage inspection of passengers off the Pulaoan Port, San Vicente, Dapitan City. Seized from Lim in the inspection were two sticks of marijuana and 10.3573 grams of dried marijuana leaves, placed inside a zip-lock plastic container. JING VILLAMENTE

ILOILO PREENS TO LURE TOURISTS
ILOILO CITY: The Department of Tourism regional office has declared this southern city as one of the top tourist destinations in the country and second to the tourist island of Boracay with most number of events, facilities and hotels in Western Visayas. Tourism Regional Director Helen Catalbas said that Iloilo is very much ready to absorb the influx of foreign tourists inspired by the opening of the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan to foreign direct flights to Hongkong and Singapore. Catalbas said that there are some 3,000 hotel rooms in Iloilo and is hosting a yearlong tourism events and activities that draw tourists to it. Negros Occidental and Bacolod follow in terms of hotel accommodations, while Capiz specializes in boutique hotels because of its seafoods. Catalbas said that the tourism department is also considering the implementation of cultural heritage tourism program in Iloilo at the downtown area and at the old central business district by presenting the tourism attraction of over 50 heritage commercial buildings. LYDIA C. PENDON

ERRING DRIVERS BACK TO PLY THEIR ROUTES
ILOILO CITY: The seven erring jeepney drivers caught violating their franchise and Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) were now back to work in driving their vehicles in the Jaro CPU and Baluarte routes, after Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog paid their fine of P200 each to get back their driving license. Enforcers of the Traffic management and Land Transportation office caught the seven drivers driving the vehicles by selecting solely senior citizens and children to ride in the vehicles. Mabilog said that this practice of selective passengers is in violation of the CPC and Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) franchise as public conveyance. Mabilog said that the erring drivers must understand the coverage of their work by not selling the transport industry in this city to few persons with political intentions. “It is a bad political strategy of whoever thought of the idea of free rides to selective public passengers using the public conveyance. Piston president Edgar Salarda was apprised of the situation including violations of the LTFRB franchise,” Mabilog said. LYDIA C. PENDON

KOREAN DROWNS IN EL NIDO, PALAWAN
A Korean drowned on Tuesday while he was swimming off the waters of a popular beach resort in a remote village in Palawan province, belated police reports said on Thursday. Reports at the Philippine National Police operations center in Camp Crame on Thursday identified the foreigner as Kim Hanku, 43, married, from Cheenan Chuung-Num in South Korea. The reports said that the drowning occurred at about 12 noon at the waters of Brgy. Bebeleda, El Nido, Palawan province. Kim’s body was found by a certain Jun Tumampil, a boat helper, floating off the coast of that village, the reports said. ANTHONY VARGAS

MISAMIS BOARD MEMBER SELLS DRUGS ON THE SIDE
Instead of passing ordinances and resolutions for the effective governance of his province, a legislator from Misamis Oriental is abetting the drug problem by pushing methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu. Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr., Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director general, identified the lawmaker as Geodeguil Ursal, alias Deguil, 32, an incumbent First District provincial board member and resident of Doña Graciana Street, Gingoog. He was caught red-handed for selling one sachet of shabu to a poseur-buyer in Cagayan de Oro by operatives of the agency. On January 8, 2013, at about 8:30 p.m., an undercover agent of Drug Enforcement agency regional office entered into a transaction with Ursal and agreed to rendezvous at Zone 2, Agusan, Cagayan de Oro. Upon the pre-arranged signal, members of the operating team led by Agent Vincent Cecil Orcales arrested Ursal, who yielded 13 more plastic sachets containing shabu of more or less five grams, various drug paraphernalia and a red Toyota Vios with plate number KGH-521. JING VILLAMENTE

LAWMEN DONATE P628,000 TO ‘PABLO’ VICTIMS
CAMP BADO DANGWA, Benguet: The Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PRO-Cor) is donating P628,800 to the victims of typhoon Pablo (international codename: Bopha), which ravaged Vizayas and Mindanao in December 2012. Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, police regional chief said that P423,800 will be turned over during the celebration of the 19th Ethics Day of PRO-Cor. The donation was handed over to Leonardo Reynoso, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. In December 2012, the PRO-Cor donated P205,000 for the same purpose and was forwarded to the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame. The amount, Magalong said, will be used in the construction of shelter houses. The shelter houses he added, will have the markings “PNP PRO-Cordillera,” to manifest that the shelter houses had been funded from donations of the personnel from PRO-Cor. LARRY MADARANG